Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 49: Wrath of the Elements Part 2
On the rooftops, the Village Hidden in the Leaves
Naruto, Shikamaru, Sai, Lee and other proud shinobis of the Leaf Village was now standing on their ground against the enemy forces of the Brotherhood of the Moon, the battles took place both on the street level and on the rooftops. Naruto and the others had done that while making sure Sakura and other kunoichis managed to bring all the injured to the hospital. In the meantime, the Hokage and the others were busy organizing the defenses, as well as helping the civilians evacuate from their homes and into somewhere safe. The alternatives were either inside the Hokage Monument or the sewers, although the sewers was only considered if the situation became serious.
Naruto was standing on a water tower and watched as the enemy shinobis clashed with the Leaf Village jounins. However, there was also some shinobis in jetpacks they also had to contend with. But with the help of masters of wind-based jutsus like Temari, they would become less of a problem. But more flyers and ground troops began climbing down from the iron airships. Even so, the defenders of the village remained resilient.
"Hey Naruto!" the voice came from Shikamaru, as he suddenly appeared right beside him and looked up to see the iron airships. "Their forces just keep coming out from those airships. Maybe it is time that we enter those ships and destroy them from the inside!" the man with the ponytail suggested.
Naruto nodded his head in return. "You said it. We should move soon" he said before snapping when he was reminded about something. "By the way, is it true that Chouji is over at the stadium?" he asked the man with the ponytail.
"Yeah, he's currently fighting that ascendant with the powers of earth. We gotta put faith in him. But the Akimichi clan should be joining us by now. We also expect the Aburame, Inuzuka, Hyuuga and Yamanaka clans to join us as well. These soldiers are everywhere" Shikamaru answered.
Naruto smiled. "Glad to hear. Gaara has chosen to confront that Juryoku of the Wind, and I bet for sure that Sasuke will fight this Kazan of the Fire inside the stadium. And then there is Kiba and Hinata…they're currently at the Hokage Monument" the blonde-haired man noted.
Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious. Why are they…." Shikamaru suddenly snapped in surprise. "You don't suppose that these invaders have captured Minami" he then told him.
"I entrust both Kiba and Hinata to deal with that, our priority should be protecting the village" Naruto insisted to him while glancing over at the imposing hospital. "We should also make sure that none of the invaders manage to reach to the hospital" he then told Shikamaru.
Shikamaru merely smirked. "Temari, Matsuri and the Sand Scorpions are currently standing on the building as we speak. They offered to stay there and protect the hospital against enemy flyers" he told Naruto in return.
Naruto fixed a smirk in return, but as they were about to move, they were approached by three members of the Nara clan, the one that Shikamaru himself currently was the head of. They were Suzaku Nara, Ensui Nara and Kasuga Nara. They all knelt before the two men with respect.
"Lord Shikamaru, Master Naruto, we bring grim news from the gates!" Kasuga announced while facing up at them. "The gates are closed, but there's an army of armored demolishers and enemy troops amassing there" he added to his explanation.
Naruto's blue eyes widened and looked over at the gates. He could feel something tricky happening over there and immediately took off without even saying anything to them.
"WAIT, NARUTO!" Shikamaru said, but it was too late, as he had already vanished thanks to his fast speed. "Damn! How did we fail to see it!? Apparently, these invaders started by attacking us at the stadium and hoped that it would distract us long enough for them to amass the other army at the gates! Those bastards sure are a handful!" the man with the ponytail thought before facing his three clanmates. "Where there someone who witnessed them?" he asked them.
Suzaku nodded his head in agreement. "Yes. Captain Ibiki Morino and his comrades were stationed at the gates. We also saw Captain Yamato joining them as soon as he came out of the stadium. But we are uncertain about Kakashi Hatake's whereabouts" the man with the weird ponytail said in return.
Shikamaru nodded his head in understanding. "I see. Then we better find something to…." Shikamaru was suddenly interrupted by Ensui speaking up.
"Lord Shikamaru, reinforcements from the Aburame clan has arrived!" he spoke up in a delighted manner while pointing his finger at a rooftop where all the members of the Aburame clan had bee gathering.
Shino, who was fighting alongside his eldest daughter Suzume was smiling when seeing them arriving. Those two had been fighting off enemy shinobis on a rooftop not far from their location.
"Grandfather. The Aburame clan. They are all here!" the young woman exclaimed in a delighted mood. Suzume then faced her father. "Now we should be able to turn the tide against us" she told him.
"Yes. But the battle is far from over, Suzume. Focus on controlling your insects" Shino told his daughter.
Shibi Aburame stood and rallied his clan against the enemy invaders. "Brothers and sisters of the Aburame clan. Stand ready and fight! With our insects, we should be able to drive these infernal airships away from the village!" he encouraged them and they all fired insects out from their sleeves.
While they were busy dealing with them, Naruto had reached to the gates and were joining Ibiki Morino and the other shinobis stationed at the gates of the Leaf Village. As he was on the move, the blonde-haired man looked up towards Sai, who was flying above him.
"You see anything there, Sai?" Naruto asked while jumping from roof to roof until he arrived at the gates.
The pale-skinned man's eyes were widening with shock, as he couldn't believe what was happening. He was even holding a pair of binoculars to get a closer look. Sai sweated as he pulled it down.
"I don't believe it…" Sai uttered out lowly before looking down at Naruto. "NARUTO, THERE'S AN ENTIRE LEGION OF ARMORED SIEGE VEHICLES OUTSIDE!" he yelled out to his friend in frustration.
Naruto just joined up with Ibiki and the others, and his eyes were stunned by what he was seeing. Marching through the trees and onto the gates were armored siege vehicles, accompanied by soldiers that were dressed in armors, shields and weapons, similar to the enemy shinobis. They even held banners of the Otsutsuki clan symbol, as well as carrying the symbol on their shields. Their siege weapons varied, from armored demolishers, cannons, giant ballista and giant wheels of iron and fire that was currently spinning around. Even now, the machines spewed smoke and fire, something which resulted in some trees falling down, as well as setting the grass ablaze.
"What in the world…..." Ibiki uttered out words as he was stunned. "What kind machines are these!? I have never seen so much…siege vehicles before!" the stern man remarked as he could see the army of machinery and iron that was descending out towards the gates.
"I don't know….but I think I now see what they were planning" the blonde-haired man noted while gritting his teeth in frustration. "The enemy surprised us by interrupting the Chuunin Exams, as well as dropping off reinforcements outside the stadium. In that way, they made us focus all our efforts on them. This most definitely gave this army of machines the opportunity to appear before the gates" Naruto then concluded his analysis.
"Watch out!" Izumo yelled by what he was seeing. "They're firing one of those giant spinning iron wheels!" the veteran jounin called out in shock and pointed his finger towards the iron ball that was rolling with fire.
The shinobis on the walls were shocked as the wheel of fire was running in a fast pace. As it touched the massive gates of the Leaf Village, it caused a loud explosion, even going as far as to destroy the posts hanging above the gates. Those shinobis who stood on the posts barley managed to avoid the explosion and were blown away. Fortunately, they landed safely. But the gates had been broken.
"No! The gates have been breached!" Kotetsu exclaimed in shock. "And look! The ground troops are now trying to storm it in!" he then pointed out by what he was seeing.
"I'M NOT LETTING THAT HAPPEN!" Naruto and his gang was and looked down to see Yamato standing before the broken gates while performing some hand seals. "WOOD STYLE: TREE WALL BARRIER!" he exclaimed loudly and banged his fist onto the ground beneath him. Yamato was now erecting countless wooden branches that formed a net-like wall by where the gates had formerly stood. But Yamato was not finished yet and performed another round of hand seals. "EARTH STYLE: MUD WALL!" he then exclaimed and a large wall made of earth rose up right after the tree barrier. Now, he had created two walls at the gates. The old man panted to catch his breath while he was approached by Naruto and the others. "There…...this may not last long with their fiery machines at their side, but it will at least slow them down. In the meantime, we should now focus on a way to keep them outside from the village" Yamato told them while relaxing.
Naruto forced a smile in return. "Good work, Yamato. I commend your talents!" the blonde-haired man said in return before talking a glance at the wall of trees. "Now let us break this siege once and for…" he and the others were suddenly stunned to hear the screams coming from shinobis.
To their shock, they could see that some of the shinobis on the walls were shot with a harpoon-like weapon, except for the fact that it was a kunai on the tip. Naruto and the others became outraged and could see that there were ladders being lined up against the wall.
"THE ENEMY!" Sai called out to those below him. "THEY'RE CLIMBING UP THE WALLS!" he exclaimed in shock by what he saw.
But in the nick of time someone had appeared and was using a giant fist to push down a ladder. Many other ladders had also been pushed with the help of a giant fists. Naruto and the other shinobis could see who it was that had arrived and they smiled.
"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" the elderly and loud voice came from none other than the head of the Akimichi clan: Chouza Akimichi, as he was holding onto his staff. Despite his elderly age, he still had the moves to fight. "Akimichi clan, stand tall and fight!" he then rallied other members of the clan, like Maruten Akimichi, Shito Akimichi and Makaro Akimichi to his side.
Ibiki smirked. "They finally showed up! Great. With the Akimichi on our side, they will be of great use to us!" the stern eyed man remarked by seeing them arrive.
Inside the hospital
While many of the villagers had started evacuating to the district on the Hokage Monument or down in the sewers, those who had been injured in the attacks were brought up to the hospital. Tsunade had ordered them to be ready for incoming patients, and while she, Shizune and other close associates were at the Hokage Tower to help the civilians evacuate, Sakura had been placed in charge of leading the medics and doctors. Young shinobis that were currently recovering inside the hospital included Hisoka Sado and Jurou Kaguya.
But it was also at the hospital where the many young genins had been sitting and waiting on many seats while their teachers were in the rooms assisting the many patients with getting them safely. However, many of the young shinobis were feeling worried about the fact that Ayumu's students were still on the run. And they recently were informed about Minami and Riko being captured. This made her twin brother Takeshi and his dog partner Arata worried. But the brown-haired boy was relieved to hear that his parents had gone off to find her. Takeshi was calmed down by his cousins, Hanzo and Hikari Hyuuga from his mother's side of the family and Shoma and Kenta Inuzuka from his father's side of the family.
"Those bastards…" Takeda cursed while thinking about his sister's captors. "Why did they take her away?" he wondered in slight disbelief.
"Easy there, Takeda. Your mom and dad is out looking for her" Shoma encouraged him. "And knowing Manami, she usually manages to get out of things quickly" the black-haired girl added with a grin.
Hanzo only forced a smug smile when hearing this. "You said it" he told her.
Takeda's teammates, Nashiko and Shunsuke, were happy to see that Takeda was given moral support from his cousins. As much as they were also worried about Minami being kidnapped, they also worried about the whereabouts of Inojin, Chouta and Shikaien. In fact, Nashiko could see that Shunsuke was worried about his twin brother while Daichi Akimichi was worried about her older sister. The chubby black-haired boy was sitting beside her younger brother Haruto and Yasu Aburame. She and her older brother Saburou had also been brought to the hospital for safety, along with Ochinko Nakano.
The door suddenly opened and in came Sakura, accompanied by a couple of nurses, as well as Santa Yamanaka and Ko Hyuuga. The young shinobis watched as she was actually waiting for someone to arrive. The door on the other side opened and in came Ino, Karin, Kotone and Aoi. The two genins were carrying their comrade in their arms.
"Lady Ino! You have arrived safely" Santa exclaimed with a smile on his face. The blondie only returned it with a nod of his own to her.
"I'm so glad that you survived" Sakura said with a sigh of relief and faced Ino. "What were you thinking, wondering off without letting us know?" the pinkette then asked the blondie.
Ino merely crossed her arms and faced her with dispassion. "You know I'm more than capable of handling myself, Sakura. Don't underestimate me" she said and allowed Karin and the children to come forward. "And besides, I was had to help Sasuke find these children. They couldn't stay here any longer" she then pointed out.
Karin adjusted her glasses. "My daughter and Aoi are fine, but Jurou really need to find a safe place to recover from his injuries" the redhead pointed out.
Sakura nodded her head as a yes. "Certainly" she said and motioned for the medics behind her to take care of Jurou and they did with without hesitation. She then refocused her attention on the two women. "Where is Sasuke then?" she asked.
"He's back in the stadium" Ino revealed, much to the shock of not just Sakura and the shinobis beside her, but also Shunsuke, who was listening closely.
Santa was also stunned to hear this. "Lord Sasuke is back in the stadium?" the man with the long ponytail asked in slight disbelief at the Yamanaka clan head, who simply nodded in return. "He has gone insane! Does he even realize what he is doing!?" Santa then asked Ino.
"One of these Elemental Ascendants are inside the stadium and is responsible for creating this lava. We cannot simply allow that monster to do as he pleases, Santa" Ino told her fellow kinsmen of the Yamanaka clan. "The pool of lava just keeps getting higher and higher! Someone has to dispose of this ascendant before it overflows the village. That is why Sasuke have chosen to stay behind and deal with it" Ino pointed out, while making sure that Sakura and the others understood it, not just Santa.
Hearing the judgement his clan head had with regards to saving the village, Santa could not help but to form a slight smile in return. He nodded his head to her in respect. "Very well, I trust your judgement, Lady Ino" he then said in return.
As hard as it may have sounded, Sakura and the others eventually understood the gravity of the situation. The pinkette even smiled lightly when hearing this. "Hmmm he really is determined, isn't he?" Sakura asked Ino, who only shrugged her hair in return.
"Sasuke's not the only one who's there" Karin said while even fuming with irritation. "Apparently, my idiot husband is also inside the stadium, considering that he wanted to go and fill up his bottle with water. We kept insisting that we wouldn't wait for him, but Suigetsu was so damn stubborn" the four-eyed woman said while facepalming.
Kotone adjusted her glasses while staring at her mom questionably. "Actually, it was you who was in favor of leaving dad behind. Now he's stuck in the stadium" she pointed out to her.
"Kotone, not in the front of everyone" Karin told her daughter, who did not comply with her statement.
Sakura sighed before facing Ino. "Very well. If Sasuke wants to stop the pool of lava, then that's fine" she said with a slight smile before fixing a slight frown with his mouth. "But on the other hand, Inojin, Shikaien and Chouta vanished before we began exiting it. I was hoping that you would know where they went" the pinkette told her.
Ino's blue eyes widened in slight surprise when she heard that and she looked to see Shunsuke. The young raven-haired boy was now walking up towards his mother and was followed by Nashiko. "Yeah, Inojin and his teammates are nowhere to be seen" the young boy said.
"Goodness, is that true? Well, me and Sasuke didn't see either of them in the stadium" the blondie replied before facing Sakura. "What about Lady Tsunade? Has she seen them?" Ino asked her.
Sakura shook her head in return. "She is currently organizing the evacuation of the civilians to the top of the Hokage Monument. But we should stay here in the hospital. I also think that the children should stay here as well. Minami got abducted by the enemy" she then told both Ino and Karin, who listened closely.
The two women gasped in surprise. "What? But how could they abduct an innocent girl? She was recovering from her injuries!" Karin asked in disbelief.
Ko decided to speak up. "Yes. Those cowards chose to abduct a girl while in such condition! They are rotten to the core!" the clansman of the Hyuuga clan said.
"I bet that Kiba and Hinata have gone off to save her" Ino noted in return.
Ko nodded his head in return. "They have" he said with a frown, before forming a slight smile with his mouth. "While I admit that I don't like Lady Hinata wander off on her own, I know that with her husband by her side, she'll be safe. Kiba may be a bum sometimes, but he still knows the importance of family" the bright-eyed man then remarked about Hinata's husband.
Sakura nodded her head as a yes to that statement. "Wise words, Ko. You speak the truth" she said before fixing a stern glance at the two ladies. "But listen, all the children need to stay here and not wander out in the battle" the pinkette said before turning around to look at the children siting on the seats. To her utter shock, only Haruto, Daichi, Yasu, Kenta and Hikari could be seen. Ino and Karin also took notice of it and became utterly stunned.
Haruto simply stretched out his hands in return. "Don't look at me. Nashiko said that she wanted to help Shunsuke find Inojin and help Takeda find Minami" the blonde-haired boy said in return.
"They also said that they would find where big sis is" Daichi pointed out.
Sakura twitched in outrage over seeing this and even cracked her knuckles. "That little…" she spoke up with fury inside of her.
Karin suddenly snapped when she could notice something. "Hold on! Where's Kotone and Aoi!?" the redhead asked out loud while seeing that none of them were present.
"Then why are we standing here for? We can still catch them" Santa asked the women and was about to run, only for Ino to hold him by the shoulder to make him stop. "Lady Ino, why are you…..
"We can't simply leave the hospital. The patients need our protection. And more importantly, your talents are really required here, Santa" Ino told him.
Sakura headed towards a telephone hanging by the wall. "I'll call Menma and the others and see if they are able to do that. They are their teachers, so they should know how to catch them" the pinkette told them.
Both women realized that Sakura was right and they were more than willing to follow her to the nearest hospital rooms. Ko and Santa decided to stay behind and watch the children.
"How could we allow the genins to run away so quickly?" Ko asked in disbelief and suddenly snapped. "Damn, both Takeda and Hanzo went out as well. Lady Hanabi will have my head!" the short-haired man then remarked while slapping his face.
"It seems that we underestimated those kids' tenacities" Santa remarked while musing over the fact. The man with the ponytail then fixed his eyes upon the remaining children in the waiting room. "But I am glad that these children remained here. Compared to their elder siblings, they lack coordination. Therefore, it's best that they remain here" Santa then remarked while watching the kids.
This left the youngest children along with Santa and Ko in the waiting room. All of them were wondering when this invasion would end. But the question was whether something like that was possible, even in this dire situation.
Inside the stadium's tribunals
Sasuke was clashing against Kazan, as he was now avoiding fire that the ascendant sprouted out from his mouth. The raven-haired man was had now activated the Mangekyo Sharingan and it helped him predict the ascendant's moves. But Kazan had now pulled out a giant axe of fire and used it to fight Sasuke by his sword. One swing of the axe created a ring of fire and it forced Sasuke to avoid it at all costs.
The being with the fiery beard grinned when he saw this. "Hah! Is that all you can do, mortal!?" he taunted Saskue.
Sasuke grew tired of being made a mockery out of him. Soon, he unleashed his full power and activated his Susanoo. The giant spirit of purple fire now exposed itself with Sasuke being inside of it. "I will obliterate you to ashes!" Sasuke declared as the purple fire consumed him. He then took a glance at Kazan with his cold eyes. "Witness the true power of an Uchiha! Witness my Susanoo!" he then added to his declaration. The giant winged-being began taking shape and Sasuke was the one to control it from the inside.
Kazan was slightly awed by the immense and destructive powers that existed within the Susanoo. "This…cannot….be…." he uttered out in disbelief. But as he could see the Susanoo forming a sword, the clenched onto his fiery axe tightly. "You think that your flames are superior!?" he asked loudly and charged towards Sasuke. "Miserable worm! I will prove you wrong!" Kazan added to his explanation.
His opponent merely glanced at him remorseless. "This will be your end. Inferno Style: Susanoo Flame Control!" Sasuke exclaimed while the Susanoo swung its blade before Kazan could even reach him. The blade cut Kazan in half and black flames consumed both his lower and upper body parts. They both eventually disintegrated. Seeing them burned out and leaving nothing behind, Sasuke only closed his eyes in boredom. "Hmmm, what a disappointment" he said was about to deactivate his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Sasuke suddenly felt something bubbling in the pool of lava and he could see how the bubbling soon expanded throughout the entire lava. As Sasuke stood with his Susanoo protecting him, he could feel something very odd about the lava.
Before he even knew it, a giant hand of lava suddenly rose up and was about to actually grab the Susanoo. Luckily, it took off right before the hand could even grab it and Sasuke. The raven-haired man was stunned when he saw the size of the hand almost reaching up to catch him, before stretching down into the lava.
"What the hell…" the raven-haired man wondered and was stunned that he could see a ring of fire being formed in the middle of the lava. As he was in the air, Sasuke was caught by surprise. Kazan surfaced from the poo of lava, only this time, he was taller, much taller than the Susanoo. Kazan's size had grown, as had his axe. The ascendant was now standing on his feet, while glancing down upon the Susanoo with a grin underneath his beard. "How is this even possible?" Sasuke asked in slight disbelief.
Kazan laughed out loud when hearing this. "FOOLISH FLESHLING! DID YOU THINK THAT YOU COULD DEFEAT ME BY ONLY USING BLACK FLAME!?" he asked out loud while glancing down upon Sasuke in his Susanoo. "THE HEAT IS MY SOURCE OF LIFE! MY HEAT AND FLAMES SURPASSES THOSE OF THE ANTS IN THE UCHIHA CLAN! ALLOW ME TO DEMONSTRATE!" he then declared.
The ascendant used his molten left fist and clenched it tightly. Sasuke then found out that pillars of fire sprouted out from the pool and up towards the sky. Using its wings, Susanoo avoided them at all costs. But Sasuke could see that Kazan was not yet finished and was now raising the axe in the air before slamming it towards him. The Susanoo barley managed to avoid getting hit. Kazan even sprouted out fire from his mouth and it managed to hit the Susanoo. But with tough resilience, the Susanoo managed to stand against it.
"WHAT IS WRONG, UCHIHA? ARE YOU FEARING MY FIRES OF RAGE!?" Kazan taunted him once again before clenching his molten fist and was about to slam it on the Susanoo. "BY FIRE BE PURGED!" he exclaimed as he moved to attack Sasuke, although his missed his target and slammed into the pool of lava.
Seeing this as an opportunity to strike at his opponent, Sasuke readied the left arm of his Susanoo and punched the ascendant's face hard. The punch was powerful enough to make Kazan fall onto his back, thus landing into the pool of lava. Sasuke mused by seeing this.
"Now you are mine!" Sasuke exclaimed and then ordered Susanoo to aim an arrow of black flames at the lying creature. "FIRE!" the raven-haired man yelled and his Susanoo did as he ordered him to.
The fire of black flames headed straight towards the chest of Kazan. Butas the arrow hit him, the ascendant of fire separated his body once again with the help of lava. The fiery-bearded man grinned as he did that.
"What the hell!?" Sasuke cursed underneath his breath when seeing this.
Kazan laughed as the lava underneath his upper body parts began forming into the missing ones. He was soon brought back to his feet, laughing by seeing the absurdity in Sasuke's actions. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHAT I TOLD YOU!?" he asked while fires, lavas and magma covered his body. "THOSE PUNY FLAMES OF YOURS CANNOT HARM ME! THEIR HEAT PALES BEFORE MY OWN!" he pointed out before swinging his giant axe once again, causing a ring of fire headed towards his opponent.
Sasuke now knew that dealing with someone as tall and destructive as Kazan would without a doubt be a challenge to him. But the raven-haired man suddenly got an idea and could even see that the key to defeating Kazan without resorting to serious tactics. A smirk crept on his mouth. "Hmmm, maybe it is time for me to have patience and let this fool do the first mistake" the raven-haired man noted while eyeing sideways, where he could see water slowly stream out from the entrances and the top of the roof, where he could see the clouds darken.
On the stadium's roof
Gaara was using his sand to protect himself from the sharp winds of Juryoku. The ascendant had now drawn out a sword in which he used to call the winds to his side and make some slashes. But Gaara kept using his sand as a shield while figuring out a way to counter his moves. He had also made a sword out of sand to counter the ascendant's own. But the fight was harsh, even for a powerful shinobi such as Gaara.
"How long are you planning on hiding behind your precious sand, demented human?" Juryoku asked the Kazekage smugly while using his free hand to blow winds at Gaara, thus sending him flying. But the red-haired man quickly got up on his feet and faced his opponent once again. Juryoku was about to stab Gaara with his blade, only for the Kazekage to trap it with his sand. The ascendant chuckled by seeing this. "You really think that sand can stop me!? The winds dominate the sand! None of that can harm me!" he said tauntingly.
Gaara only glanced up at him warily. "You talk too much for being an ancient creature, ascendant. I suggest that you do not get cocky with me" he sternly reminded Juryoku. Gaara then moved the sand over him. "Sand Shower!" he said and his sand began shooting particles towards the ascendant.
"What are you babbling about, jinchuuriki?" Juryoku asked and used his blade to create winds and slashes that easily disposed of the particles of sand. "Compared to the beasts that rests within the likes of you and that dimwit Naruto Uzumaki, we of the Five Elemental Ascendants have lived on this world for millennia!" he declared with pride and held out his hand to gather winds to his side. "The tailed beasts are nothing to us and I will prove it to you, pathetic creature!" he said and was about to swing both his sword and unleash his blade, only for Gaara to suddenly form a shield out of sand.
Gaara clashed against the ascendant while holding the sword of sand in his hand and letting the shield close around him. "You will not last long in this fight!" he said before performing a few hand seals quickly while glancing upon his opponent. "Wind Style: Sandstorm Devastation!" Gaara exclaimed and he fired all his sand on Juryoku, who floated in the air, although he could feel so much sand encroaches upon him.
"What trickery is this!?" the ascendant angrily demanded while he couldn't get the sand off him. Juryoku was even for a surprise as Gaara threw his sword of sand at him, thus piercing his windy body. "Damn you, malformed creature! You will pay for this!" he cursed out at Gaara.
The Fifth Kazekage narrowed his eyes when hearing this. "The only "malformed" creature I see here….IS YOU!" Gaara said back and suddenly unleashed more of his sand at his opponent. "Sandstorm Prison!" he exclaimed as the sandstorm he had previously shot at Juryoku began showing itself once again. But Gaara was not finished and suddenly held his hands together. "Burying Sand Tsunami!" he then said
Juryoku was in for a shock as he could see that enormous quantity of sand was now forming around him. Gaara had unleashed so much sand was now willing to trap the ascendant inside of this prison of sand. He formed it into a giant ball of sand in the air.
"NO….WHAT IS…YOU SHALL PAY YOU…." Juryoku stopped speaking as he was trapped in the ball of sand. But there was more, as the sand tsunami that Gaara had called to his side began to swallow the ball of sand. Only a few people had managed to survive something as deadly as Gaara's sand tsunami.
Gaara remained focus while facing the mess he had created. The Kazekage was cautious, considering that he had used a lot of his energy. "I do not wish to resort into using more advanced methods in defeating him, so this shall do" the red-haired man noted in his head. However, he could see that the skies above him turned grey. They also began moving at a quite rapid pace and it made Gaara wonder why. But Gaara could see cracks on the giant pile of sand. "No…...what is happening!?" Gaara wondered in his head while seeing this.
The giant pile of sand and everything around it disintegrated and out emerged a taller Juryoku, his entire body completely composed of vortexes and cyclones. In fact, the grey clouds above him even empowered his body and the ascendant's size grew taller by the minute. The cunning being glanced down at Gaara, who was quite shocked to see that his opponent was still living in the wind. In fact, the ascendant almost looked like a living tornado. A small laughter could be heard through the winds, before it grew louder thanks to Juryoku.
"YOU REALLY THOUGHT THAT YOUR PRECIOUS SANDS COULD KILL ME, THE ELEMENTAL ASCENDANT OF WIND!?" he asked loudly as his sword also grew. "I AM THE WIND! AND THE WIND RULES OVER THE SAND! YOUR PETTY DUST WILL NEVER HARM ME! THAT IS YOUR FATE!" Juryoku declared while aiming his windy hand at Gaara.
The young Kazekage knew that he had to act and gathered the sands at his side once again. "Shukaku! Lend me your hand!" Gaara asked and his request was granted, as a giant hand of sand belonging to Shukake stretched straight towards the giant ascendant of air.
Juryoku mused when seeing this. "FOOLISH HUMAN! SHUKAKU'S STRENGHT PALES BEFORE MINE!" he yelled back and suddenly unleashed a blow of hurricane towards the hand, thus disintegrating the sand itself.
Gaara was awed by seeing this and Juryoku took pride in humiliating the Kazekage by proving that his sand was inferior to the ascendant's wind. "He easily disposed of it!" he noted by what he was seeing.
Juryoku's tornado-like shape began approaching the Kazekage and was eager to finish him off for real. The ascendant of wind readied his sword and was about to swing it, only to feel something touch his left hand. For some reason, it hurt. Glancing at his left side, fire began taking hold on his arm and it quickly spread out in the rest of his form. Juryoku was shocked when seeing this.
"WHAT THE HELL!? THE FIRE WON'T STOP!" the ascendant demanded while he couldn't stop the fire from taking hold of his body. "WHY ISN'T IT STOPPING!?" he asked in slight pain and could see that Gaara was now forming a smirk with his mouth, thus enraging Juryoku. "YOU! YOU FILFTHY RAT! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?" he angrily demanded an answer from him.
Gaara merely closed his eyes before speaking. "I am actually not familiar with fire-based jutsus, so I decided to borrow some from your giant friend down there" he said and pointed out Kazan, who was continuing his fight against Sasuke. "In fact, I managed to bring the fire and the heat up here with the help of my sand. Just look at your right side" the red-haired man then said.
Juryoku was stunned to see that there were hundreds of sand needles lying beside him. But they had not vanished by his winds and were stuck on the roof. But what was more impressive was the fact that the fire and heat were imported to the sand needles and onto Juryoku's windy arm.
"BASTARD! YOU…..YOU…" the ascendant was filled with anger.
"Yes. Every time you blew away my sand, I simply formed them into thousands of sand needles, from your current standpoint to the edge of the roof. From there, both the fire and the heat coming from your fellow ascendant could be imported to and then moved onto your giant windy form" the Kazekage explained before opening his eyes once again. "I admit that I am stunned. You who claim to be a master of the winds, should be more than aware of the fact that wind is useless against fire. If you were as smart as you claim to be, then you would've not fought me so close to the heat and its flames. That only leaves so many openings for me to use against you!" Gaara then concluded his analysis, even forcing a surprisingly smug glance.
Juryoku could not believe what he was hearing. "NOOOOOO! DAMN YOU KAZAN! DAMN YOU KAZEKAGE! YOU MADE ME MISS MY OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THE STORMS TO LIIIIIIIIIIIFEEEEEEEEE!" he yelled in pain as the fire consumed his body, thus killing the elemental.
With Juryoku gone, Gaara turned his attention down to Sasuke dealing with Kazan. He could see that they were fighting an intense battle, but also the fact that Kazan had so many advantages at Sasuke. The Kazekage wondered whether he should've come down to assist him, but could suddenly see that the closed entrances to the tribunals were now streaming with small amounts of water. They ran out, eventually reaching the pool of lava. This made Gaara realize that the elemental ascendant of water was inside the stadium's interior, probably fighting one of the shinobis.
"Hmmmm…there may be a solution to this dilemma, but we must act quickly" Gaara noted in his head. "I best stay here and see how things will unfold" he added to his thoughts.
Inside the stadium's interior
Suigetsu got up from the water and ran through the corridors. He panted as he tried not to look back. Why was he doing this, exactly?
"Shit! The whole stadium is starting to get overflowed with water!" he noted in his head while briefly looking over his shoulder to see where he had just sprung up from. "Almost every floor and corridor is filled with water! Is this guy serious in making a tsunami or something!?" the white-haired man wondered in his head.
But as he ran from his opponent, he felt himself getting pierced by a golden trident. Someone had thrown it at Suigetsu and he was sent flying towards the corner, where he was held up by the trident. It had hit his upper back and Suigetsu knew who it was that had thrown it.
"ARRRRGHH, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the white-haired man cursed in agony. Lucky for him, the trident had not managed to hit his blade and that was a relief to him.
A small glint of water moved around on the floor, before it eventually began taking shape. It was Genzai: Elemental Ascendant of Water. The man with the sea green hair stood a few steps behind the white-haired swordsman. He grabbed hold on the trident and pulled it out of Suigetsu, only to realize that there was no blood on the pointy ends. Genzai was in for a surprise as Suigetsu swung his blade at him, forcing the ascendant to block it with his trident. The white-haired man had apparently been using his Liquefy Jutsu and pretended to be hit.
"I see…..you somehow possesses the ability to liquefy your body at will, abilities only practiced by those of the Hozuki clan. That would explain the lack of blood on my trident" Genzai remarked.
Suigetsu merely gave him his toothy grin in return. "Heh, nice weapon you have there! But it could use some scrubbing" he commended the ascendant before flexing his muscles in his arms. "But see if you can match this! Water Style: Great Arms Jutsu!" he then exclaimed before using his strong abs to overpower his opponent.
Genzai only narrowed his eyes in return. "You annoy me, swordsman!" he said before he managed to swipe off Suigetsu and was about to stab him with his trident once more, only for Suigetsu to duck and use his sword to cut Genzai's feet. "What!? You damned human!" he cursed in anger.
"Heh, not so tough now, are ya!?" Suigetsu taunted him as Genzai was lying on his stomach feetless. But the white-haired man snapped as the water from the other side suddenly came to the ascendant's aid and helped him up, going as far as to give him a new pair of feet. Suigetsu was outraged. "Oh, give me a fucking break!" he said out in disbelief.
Genzai used the butt of his trident to attack Suigetsu and then kick him away with his right foot. The sea green-haired man merely glanced at his opponent with nothing but irritation in his eyes.
"You're trying my patience, fleshling! I should have known better than to waste my time with you!" Genzai said and suddenly slammed the butt of his trident onto the floor.
After he did that, Suigetsu could feel the water rise in this corridor and it only confirmed that Genzai was indeed raising the level of water in this stadium. He glared at the ascendant. "That bastard. He really is pissed off. I can feel it" he noted while feeling the flor becoming overflowed with water. The white-haired man quickly got up on his feet and then looked to his left side. "I better hurry. Sasuke may be needing help soon" he then noted in his head.
Genzai began taking small steps towards his opponent. "Fool. Give up before the tides consume your….." the ascendant was stunned to see Suigetsu use his powerful arms to actually punch a hole in the wall and thus climbing through it. Seeing this made Genzai laugh. "It is pointless to run away from me. Wherever you go, water will fill these halls until there is no place for you to find safety!" he said and followed Suigetsu as water filled the corridor.
The corridor that Suigetus had arrived had one of the many elevators of the stadium that was sometimes used to get up to the highest floors. Using his sword, Suigetsu managed to open the elevator's doors and he could see that there was nothing but the dark space in between the floors. Because of water overflowing the system, the elevators were now out of business. Therefore, Suigetsu did his best and climbed up the walls to the upper floors. So far, the waters had not been able to infest the space of the elevator, yet this was something the white-haired man could care less about.
"I gotta reach the tribunals!" Suigetsu said while he reached to the floor he knew lead to the tribunals and used his sword to open the doors. "This motherfucker probably wishes to overflow the entire village with this water, but I have a better idea" he added to his thoughts with a smirk.
As he was working, the doors to the floor where Suigetsu had come from suddenly busted open and water sprouted out from it. And if course, Genzai was standing there. He looked down first before gazing up to see Suigetsu between the doors.
"Come back and face me, fleshling! Your cowardly ways make my blood boil!" Genzai snapped in anger while pointing the trident towards the white-haired man.
Suigetsu merely smirked before flipping him off with his middle finger. "Sorry pal. But I have no interest getting better acquainted with a sack of douche like you! Now do me a favor and shove that trident of yours up in your watery ass! See ya!" he said before closing the doors.
Genzai was fuming with anger and slammed his trident on the floor once again, thus raising the level of water in a much faster pace. "I will spit on your corpse when you are dead, Hozuki!" he said out of anger.
Suigetsu now found himself in on the floor where the many entrances to the tribunals were located at. Each of them had been shut thanks to hard doors. Clucthing his blade tightly, Suigetsu formed a toothy grin. "Now this is gonna be fun!" he exclaimed and brandished his sword. "I better go ahead and start before heading out to join Sasuke" he said smugly.
Back in the tribunals
Sasuke was still going toe to toe against Kazan as the Elemental Ascendant of Fire was trying to overpower him. But Sasuke on the other hand tried to expose the many weaknesses in Kazan, despite his infernal appearance and powers.
"HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA KEEP AVOIDING ME!?" Kazan asked out loud while swinging his giant axe, only for Sasuke to clash against it with his Susanoo's sword. The fiery-bearded ascendant only grinned when seeing this. "HAH! YOUR FLAMES MAKE YOU PATHETIC!" he yelled out to taunt Sasuke.
"I will prove you wrong!" Sasuke spat in return before being pushed back by Kazan. Before Sasuke could even start thinking about retaliating, a familiar voice called to him from not afar. The voice even made Kazan stop focusing on him.
"Hey Sasuke, how's it going?" Sasuke looked down to see Suigetsu standing on of the many seats waving at him. "It really is warm here isn't it?" he asked out loud.
Sasuke remained unfazed while seeing his longtime partner standing there. "Why are you bothering me, Suigetus?" he asked lowly.
The white-haired man simply shrugged his shoulders. "Give it a rest, will ya? You don't have to worry about fighting that giant brute over there" Suigetsu said while resting his hands behind his neck.
Kazan had taken notice of the arrival of Suigetsu and mused to himself once again. "ANOTHER ANT DARES TO FACE ME?" he asked out loud and it caught the attention of both Sasuke and Suigetsu. The giant man tightened the grip on his axe. "LET US SEE IF YOUR SWORD IS TOUGH TO WITHSTAND MY AXE!" he then exclaimed while he took notice of Suigetsu's blade.
The white-haired man merely smirked. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, buddy! It's gonna cost ya a lifeline" he said.
Kazan ignored his words and began taking steps towards him, only for him to realize something. All around him, he could water sprouting out from the entrances to the tribunals. They were immense and never ceased to stop. The water hit the lava and it never vanished. As they collided, big explosions erupted all across the pool of lava, which was now being overflowed with water. Steam began overflowing the tribunals.
"NO! NOOOOOOOOO!" Kazan yelled as he the pool explode so many times. "MY POOL OF LAVA! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO IT!?" he angrily asked and could see someone coming out from one of the watery entrances.
Genzai was now standing with the trident in his hand. He was outraged over what he was seeing. "Kazan, you fool! What are you doing here!?" he angrily demanded.
Kazan angrily glared at the man with sea green hair. "DAMN YOU, GENZAI! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" the bearded man angrily asked while feeling the water close in around his legs. Then, a pool of water slightly descended upon the lava and explosions even happened inside Kazan, considering that he was in connected to the lava. "BECAUSE OF YOUR WATER…..MY BODY IS INFLATING AND LOOSING CONTROL! IT IS DESTABILIZING!" he yelled out and could suddenly feel his left kneecap explode. This made the bearded man fall down onto his stomach. His face and beard also became consumed by water, thus causing explosions throughout his body.
"KAZAN!" Genzai exclaimed out in disbelief. He could not believe that he had actually been played a fool by Suigetsu, who only drew him out to the tribunals in order to kill Kazan with water. "FOUL HUMANS!" he spat out in anger, realizing what had just transpired.
Meanwhile, Sasuke had joined up with Suigetsu, who was musing to what he was seeing. "See that, Sasuke? Looks like pure logic was the answer we needed to beat this guy" the white-haired man said before facing him. "When heard this this water guy wanted to overflow the village with water, I knew that I could perhaps use this to our advantage. And there you have it" Suigetus explained.
Hearing this made Sasuke chuckle to himself in amusement. "I see" Sasuke said before watching the enormous amount of steam that was now consuming the tribunals. "Fire is useless against water. And for that ascendant who relied on lava to put him on place, it was risky. When the lava was at unease, so was he" he noted and even glanced at Suigetsu. "I am thankful for your assistance. You really proved to me that you could help" the raven-haired man then thanked him.
Suigetsu merely shrugged his shoulders in return. "Nah, it's nothing. I couldn't have done without you keeping that beardy guy busy" he pointed out.
But the two shinobis were interrupted by something appearing from the spot once occupied by Kazan. The steam had gradually begun to vanish and as it became clear, Suigetsu and Sasuke was in for a slight surprise by who it was that was standing there.
"YOU THINK THIS IS OVER!?" the loud and aquatic voice came from none other than Genzai, whose body was now completely composed of liquid and water. His size had now grown, as had his trident. He angrily glanced down at his opponents and held his spear tightly. "I AM GENZAI! AND I WILL OVERFLOW THIS VILLAGE AND ALL THE VERMIN THAT LIVES IN IT!" he angrily declared and slammed his trident onto the pool of water.
Sasuke and Suigetsu could see that the whole stadium was now overflowing with water and that they needed to get up high as the stadium's rooftop. That was the only safe spot they could count, as the water continued to rise, eventually consuming every tribunal. Genzai was now floating on the water, as his opponents had only the rooftops to be standing on, now that the rest was filled with water.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes by seeing this. "So much water. If not stopped then it will overflow the entire village!" the raven-haired man spoke up.
"But how the hell are we gonna do that!?" Suigetsu asked while he was uncertain about what to do.
The two friends were joined by Gaara, who had been observing the defeat of Kazan. But now, things had slightly gotten worse thanks to Genzai unleashing his power. The Fifth Kazekage narrowed his blue eyes by what he was seeing.
"So, this is what the true power of Genzai is" Gaara said grimly as Sasuke and Suigetsu glanced at him. "It is just as I imagined, each and every member possess enormous amount of powers and chakra. It equals to those of the Tailed Beasts" the red-haired man commented while feeling how destructive Genzai's power really was.
Genzai fixed his eyes down upon his adversaries. "YOU HAVE MADE A MOCKERY OF ME FOR THE LAST TIME, FLESHLINGS! I WILL UNLEASH A TSUNAMI UPON THIS WRETCHED VILLAGE!" he declared and aimed his trident at the trio only for him to feel attacked by two giant shuriken. It interrupted Genzai from facing the trio. Turning around he could see a flying light-blue Susanoo not far from his location. The one who was controlling it was Kakashi. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" the ascendant demanded and suddenly shot lightning from his trident.
Kakashi had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, in which he had been given from an old friend. This old friend of his was very dear to him during his entire childhood. When he was given this gift, Kakashi vowed to use this power to protect people from any harm, this time, having the full power to do so. The white-haired man could see Sasuke, Suigetsu and Gaara on the roof. His Susanoo landed near the three and Kakashi glanced at them.
"It looks like this is something that requires all of us to take on!" Kakashi told the three before facing Genzai. "If this water is set free, the entire Leaf Village will be sunken! We must work together and fight this ascendant!" he then pointed out.
Sasuke merely shrugged his shoulders while hearing this. "Hmmm….I was wondering when you would say that" he said and fixed his eyes upon Genzai.
"This is sure gonna be one hell of a party!" Suigetsu said while grinning.
Genzai remained unfazed when seeing this, yet he was the first to make his move by sending water dragons towards his opponents. The ascendant was more than willing to battle the shinobis, even if they were all very talented. "I WILL DRAG YOU ALL TO THE DEPHTS!" he the exclaimed as he began attacking.
On the top of the Hokage Monument
While most civilians were evacuated on the district on the top of the Hokage Monument, there was already a conflict brewing in the nearby woods. The Elemental Ascendant of Lightning named Eikyo, had captured Minami Inuzuka and her dog partner Arata. She was hoping to deliver her to the almighty Hirohito. But while she and her men held kept close guard on her, they were interrupted by someone attacking them.
Manami's parents: Kiba Inuzuka and Hinata Hyuuga had now arrived to save their daughter from the clutches of Eikyo. The woman with sparkling hair merely glanced at them with low enthusiasm in her eyes.
"What a couple of nuisances" Eikyo said and suddenly motioned for the enemy shinobis to pay attention. "Dispose of them!" she commanded and the shinobis did as she requested.
But Kiba and Akamaru put up a good fight as a dog and his master and the enemy shinobis were easily knocked out. Skulls were cracked and teeth were flown into the air, mostly due to Kiba's hard punches. Hinata used her Gentle Fist Art to deal with her opponents, while she had at the same time activated her Byakugan. The ascendant watched in amusement as her men fell so easily before the interlopers, one by one.
Meanwhile, Minami was stunned to see that both her parents had just arrived to save her. But the young bluenette was even more stunned by the fact that her father had chosen to come to her rescue, considering all the bad things she had said to him previously.
"Mom….dad….." she noted in her head by what she was seeing.
As all the enemy shinobis were knocked out with blood dripping from their mouths, Kiba and Hinata turned her attention to Eikyo, who was surprisingly clapping her hands in amazement. The couple could not tell whether she did that out of admiration or just out of mockery.
"Nice moves you have there! I'll admit that I'm impressed" the young woman said before forming a smug look at the couple, even jumping down to the grund where they were standing. "But I won't be as soft as they were, just so you know" she then reminded them.
Kiba spat before he glared upon the sparkling woman. He began taking small steps towards Eikyo, much to Hinata's own caution. Akamaru immediately began following his partner. The brown-haired man with goatee was filled with anger while glancing at his opponent.
"You and those bastards invaded our village, our home. You interrupted the Chuunin Exams when people were having so much excitement to look forward to. But worst of all, you abducted our girl…...a defenseless, innocent girl!" Kiba spoke up before cracking his knuckles. A smirk even crept across his face while he did that. "So this is gonna hurt and I'm gonna enjoy seeing my foot in your goddamn face!" he then added, not regretting ever saying such words to a woman.
Eikyo remained unfazed when she heard this. "Bold words, savage. But I have a better idea!" she said as lighting began enveloping on her hands. She then fixed a grin when seeing this. "Now taste this, scum!" she snapped and fired lighting upon Kiba.
The brown-haired man quickly avoided it by jumping sideways onto Akamaru, who had begun running. Even though Akamaru was old, he still possessed enough strength to carry his master. The white-furred dog ran in sic-sac to avoid the lightning.
"Argh! Stand still, filthy mutt!" Eikyo yelled in irritation. She continued to miss her target, but then snapped when seeing Kiba standing on Akamaru's back, fixing his feral eyes upon her. The ascendant smirked and readied her lightning. "I got you now, fool!" she said in a delighted mood.
Kiba jumped off Akamaru's back and then glanced down upon the woman. "FANG OVER FANG!" he exclaimed as she dived himself towards Eikyo.
He hit the ground, but the woman managed to jump in the nick of time. "Hah! Too slow!" she spat back before she could suddenly feel something approaching her from behind. The sparkling woman could see that it was Akamaru, only that he was using his Human Beast Form. "What the….." she was surprised when Akamaru slammed her down towards where Kiba was standing.
The brown-haired man smirked by what he was seeing and made preparations kneecap her. "Good work, boy! I'll take it from here!" Kiba exclaimed and jumped while holding up his right kneecap. The reason was so that Eikyo could feel his kneecap in her face and it really happened. The ascendant felt her right cheek crunch and blood sprouted out from her mouth. She was thus send flying up once more, before landing on the ground with her stomach. The brown-haired man glanced at her with a cocky grin. "How'd you like that!? I bet that you thought that I would go soft on ya just because you're a woman! Screw this lame-ass idea! In my mind, there is nothing that separates a woman and a man in terms of fighting. Both genders are equal" he then told her, although Ekiyo had her face onto the ground.
Minami was puzzled by hearing what her father just said. But she was interrupted by seeing Hinata slowly approach her. The young bluenette ran quickly to embrace her mother in a tight hug and Hinata happily accepted it.
"Manami, are you okay?" Hinata asked her daughter while facing Manami.
The bright-eyed girl only nodded her head in return and smiled. "I am" she said before she realized something. "I never thought that you would have to help me, when it was always me who had to help you" Minami then remarked.
Hinata shook her head in return. "No, Minami. That is common between families. Family always looks after one another. Never forget that" she told her daughter.
Minami slowly felt tears of joy streaming from her bright eyes and she embraced her mother once again, to which Hinata happily returned.
Kiba stood and watched as his daughter and wife happily hugged one another and he knew that she deserved it. But it didn't take long before Minami ended the hug and finally fixed her eyes upon her father. The brown-haired man slightly widened his eyes in surprise, as he could see that his own daughter was not looking at him with her usual eyes of dispassion. In fact, she looked happy to see him. Kiba was stunned.
"Minami…when was the last time you looked at me like this?" the brown-haired man wondered in his head and could suddenly see the young bluenette take small steps towards him. Kiba could not believe his own eyes. His own daughter was now approaching him willingly instead of reluctantly. "Is she…..is she willing to….." the brown-haired man had so many thoughts swirling inside his head right now that he didn't know what to say.
Minami now looked up directly to her father's face, her eyes no longer filled with dispassion. Rather, they were filled with happiness. Kiba was speechless. It had been a long time since she last looked at him with such happy eyes. His own daughter was glad to see that Kiba had arrived to save her. The young bluenette was even smiling at him. She stretched out her arms and was about to fully embrace her father, and Kiba was unable to do nothing but accepting it. But it would make him feel happy.
"Dad….I just wanna say that I'm…" Minami was interrupted when she was suddenly shut by extreme lightning, much to the shock of her parents. The lightning was powerful and it made her scream in pain and agony. The young bluenette eventually fell onto the ground, her entire body completely motionless.
"MiNAMI!" Hinata exclaimed out worryingly and rushed to her side. Both Akamaru and Riko joined her as well. They could see that the young bluenette's body was motionless and she couldn't even open her eyes. She then tried to listen to her heartbeat, but it was almost impossible for her to hear it. "NO…NO! PLEASE…..STAY ALIVE!" Hinata begged while tears fell from her eyes. "MiNAMI!" the bluenette was filled with despair.
Kiba was glancing down at his own daughter and his eyes was widening over seeing Minami lying on the ground. Her eyes were now shut and a frown was now formed on her mouth. His eyes now had small tears streaming from his eyes, as he felt that he had lost something. Worse, he didn't get the chance to hear what Manami was about to say to him, with that happy face of hers. The brown-haired man lowered his head and faced the ground.
As they were struggling to cope with the despair of Manami's condition, Eikyo laughed sadistically. The ascendant was now standing up on her feet, the lightning now empowered and standing by her side. The injuries she had received from Kiba were now gone. She stood and fixed a grin after finishing her laugh. It was apparent that she had no remorse for her actions against Manami
"So, that little brat was your daughter? How touching!" she spat out with sarcasm in her voice. "Well, it explains why you looked awfully similar to her! But I think that this girl is no longer useful to the almighty Hirohito any longer!" Eikyo said. She then pointed her finger at Hinata. "Yeah, that overgrown woman over there would be a much better gift to him than this little girl! Based upon her using the Byakugan, she must without a doubt be a Hyuuga. Therefore, I think it's best for me to take her with me to…" the ascendant was interrupted by a low voice coming from Kiba.
"You…." Kiba spoke up lowly, his fists clenching tightly in the process. "Why did you do that….." he then added, the hidden rage could be heard within his voice.
Eikyio only glanced at Kiba, who had now his back against him. "Huh? I am sorry but could you please repeat what you just said? I really can't understand the language of primitive barbarians such as you" she said in a mocking gesture towards the brown-haired shinobi.
Kiba angrily gritted his teeth, and they started to become more feral than human. Hinata and the dogs could see that and it made them feel worried about Kiba. His hands started to grow out claws, as did his toes in his sandals. A rage was brewing inside the brown-haired man.
Eikyo was getting tired of waiting for his answer and she then formed a sparkle in her hands. "Hello! I just asked about what you just said! Now will you hurry up and answer my question before I fry you into…." Eikyo was stunned when he suddenly found Kiba right before her, readying his right arm. "WHAT!? WHEN DID HE!?" she was too late, as Kiba stuck his claws in her face, before hitting it.
The ascendant was sent flying, yet Kiba managed to catch up to her with his incredible speed. His eyes had become feral and he looked like that of a wolf. He even growled and then delivered a barrage upon Eikyo, who was too slow to react. The woman was punched repeatedly and then sent onto the ground.
"I ASKED WHY YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTER, YOU FUCKING WHORE!" Kiba yelled out in anger, never stopping attacking his opponent.
"KIBA!" Hinata exclaimed by what she was seeing. "What has happened to you?" she then wondered as she could see how relentless Kiba was in terms of combat. "The way he fights…...he no longer thinks…he has lost control of his anger" she then uttered out worryingly.
An electric field soon covered Eikyo and it protected her from Kiba. She bled across her face. "WHAT THE HELL!? HOW CAN A MERE HUMAN POSSESS SUCH STRENGHT!?" she angrily asked while trying to recover herself from the pain she just felt.
But the female ascendant was grabbed aggressively by Kiba, who had stubbornly resisted the electricity around her. As he held her by her collar, the brown-haired man headbutted her head, much to Eikyo's pain and agony. She could feel her own skull crack on the inside. Kiba then tossed her away with his own hands. But Eikyo landed on her feet, yet she held her head down while crying in pain over her broken skull. Slowly, she lifted her head up to glare at her opponent.
"What kind of monster are you!?" she then spat out words while seeing Kiba stand on four and gathering chakra around him.
Kiba growled while fixing his feral eyes on her. "You murdered an innocent girl…...MY GIIIIIRRL! HAVE YOU SHAME IN ATTACKING A CHILD!?" he angrily exclaimed and launched himself towards her in rage. "YOU WILL DIE BY MY HANDS, BITCH!" he then yelled.
"Up yours, you goddamn animal!" the ascendant said back before she pointed a finger at Kiba and fired lightning from it. But the brown-haired man avoided it and Eikyo could not believe the speed Kiba possessed. She then readied her other hand and fired lighting from all its fingers. "JUST HURRY UP AND DIE, ALREADY!" she exclaimed in frustration.
But Kiba did not avoid the lightning this time. He went straight ahead and withstood the pain from the lightning. "I WILL BURY YOUR CORPSE!" Kiba screamed in his bestial mode.
In the district on the top of the Hokage Monument
Over the decades, tall skyscrapers had rose up on the top of the Hokage Monument. Before that, there was only a few buildings standing there. But with the end of the war, many changes had occurred, including the construction of a new and modern Leaf Village. Right now, there was so many citizens entering the many buildings located there, considering that one of the top priorities of saving the citizens was evacuating them to this district. Because of the new changes that had happened to it, this district was sometimes called the "Monument District".
But amidst the evacuation, Noburu Yakushi suddenly found himself wandering through the narrow streets while making sure that he was not followed by any shinobis. The four-eyed boy had originally planned to exit the Leaf Village by the main entrance. But due to the invasion, as well as the army of armored siege weapons outside the gates, he was forced to take a different turn. When he felt he was alone and safe, Noburu sat on his knees and took a deep breath.
"Damn…..I probably made a mistake coming here" the four-eyed boy admitted to himself, while gritting his teeth in anger over thinking about what Mikazuki had told him. "That son of a bitch! He lied to me! Why do I allow myself to fall under his lies!?" he then angrily asked while slamming his fist onto the dirty ground.
But Noburu suddenly snapped, as he could almost feel the tip of a kunai near him. Slowly turning to his left side, he could see Inojin Uchiha standing there holding it. He glanced down upon the four-eyed boy. The raven-haired boy was soon joined by his teammates, Shikaien Nara and ChoutaAkimichi.
"What the…what HE doing here!?" Shikaien asked in disbelief.
"I could say the same thing as you" Chouta admitted before looking at Inojin. "Is this the reason why you wanted to come here, Inojin?" she then asked him with a concerned tone in her voice.
"That's right" Inojin simply replied, his eyes never leaving the sight of Noburu. "I could sense the stench of a cowardly snake somewhere. And it appears that my instincts were correct" Inojin said, thus answering Chouta's question.
Noburu gritted his teeth in frustration. "What do you want!?" he demanded from Inojin. "Can't you see that I'm trying to escape here!?" he then asked if Inojin knew what he was doing.
The raven-haired by only smiled smugly when hearing this. "Escaping? Now that's original. I didn't expect the hired assassin of this Brotherhood of the Blue Moon to be THAT kind of a coward" Inojin replied before forming a frown. "In fact, you and I still have a score to settle. You do remember the Train Mountains, don't you?" Itachi asked sternly.
"What are you talking about!?" Noburu asked. "I have no longer any interest in helping those pale-skinned bastards!" the four-eyed boy added in frustration. "Now leave me alone before I resort to force!" he then warned Itachi.
"Then just shut up and attack me then you four-eyed weakling!" the raven-haired man suddenly told him.
Noburu's eyes widened in shock for a brief moment. But he soon regained his anger, as he couldn't stand being spoken to like this. "Why you sanctimonious, son of a…." Noburu was suddenly kicked in his face by Itachi, who showed no remorse in his actions.
The raven-haired boy gritted his teeth in anger by hearing what Noburu was about to say. "Don't you ever say something like that about my mother! If not, then I'm gonna rip off your….." Inojin was interrupted by a familiar voice, as were Noburu, Chouta and Shikaien.
"Inojin…..stop it!" the voice came from his twin brother, Shunsuke. He was now standing there alongside his teammates and members of Team Kazue. "Leave him alone!" he then requested, much to Inojin's own dismay.
To be continued…
Author's note: Well, this was fun. What is Itachi's motive for confronting Noburu? Will the remaining Elemental Ascendants succeed in their battles? And is Minami really dead? Since we didn't get to see Furue, I will get back her in the next chapter. But I also feel that the Elemental Ascendants will have their last show, as I will make way for a new plot and the conclusion of this invasion of the Leaf Village. Furthermore, since both Inojin and Shunsuke's match was interrupted, they will now fight again soon. While it is fun in showing how the old characters fights their opponents, I would like this story to also include the perspectives of their children, and by that, I mean not to solely focus on Naruto and others. Anyway, hoped you liked this chapter.