I'm back, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to start out by saying the following statements. For those who have enjoyed my story thus far, and have been eager for an update, I thank you for not sending hate-mail via e-mails and PMs. Your patience is a virtue you should be proud of. LOL Anyways, also, thank you for your kind words about the last chapter I updated several months back. They helped assist me during my darker, less inspired days, where I struggled with writer's block. On that note, don't you think it is amazing that there are all types of medications for numerous maladies, yet there is not one for the accursed Writer's Block Syndrome?
Now, as far as my absence is concerned, for those who might be interested, I had to put aside the development of this story in favor of focusing on the next leg of my life. The test date was looming on the near horizon, and I had yet to buckle down and meet the level of dedication and preparation one would need for such an exam. Thankfully, a study guide that I found on-line was my saving grace and I passed the exam this time around. So I no longer have to deal with the frustration of this exam ever again. However, as soon as I pass this exam, I get canned at my current job. Ironic, ne?
But enough of my personal life's issues. You are more interested with the story than the macabre details of my everyday goings-on. Needless to say, this chapter was a bitch to produce and edit to the standards I have set for myself. If it seems a little sloppier than my previous chapters, (which very well might be the case) then please try to ignore it. If not, then hopefully you can understand the strain I have been under. Also, for those who have checked my profile, you should have seen that I updated my profile a few weeks ago about how I said that this chapter was an experiment. I am experimenting with a writing style that I have seen some of my favorite authors on this website display. Such authors are S'TarKan and Thundereaper. And one more thing, before you become overall upset or possibly feel stronger emotions to how this chapter plays out, please check out the conclusive notes at the end of this chapter. That is all for now, so please enjoy the seventeenth chapter of Konoha's Legacy.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Naruto but the characters of my own design are mine.
Chapter Seventeen - A Tragic Triumph
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Garrett had seen many things in his life, and he had experienced many different fights. None of them had been worthy of his time. Not even his so-called expert Jounin sensei was a match for him. He had yet to find an equal to him.
And yet, on this day, he had nearly been defeated by kids. And despite that embarrassment, he was yet to squash them for their insolence. And just as his luck would hold out for him, given his day, he was being challenged by another kid. This one was probably only a few years older than the brats, but there was something off about him. He stunk.
It was strange. The boy reeked of something completely different than what he had faced from the kids, the tree hugger, the tramp, or the Hyuuga bastard. No, this one was not just radiating murderous intent, he was projecting it. The scary thing was that Garrett had not made eye contact with this teenager yet.
While he contemplated this strange feeling, he felt something within him grow. It was a thirst that he had not had to quench for such a long time. It was a hunger that had been sated for quite a while. It was a desire that he had put away into the recesses of his being for too long. And now, it begged release. It was spreading through him like wildfire. It made his entire body ache. He needed...to destroy.
He was finally facing a foe that could be worthy of his time and effort, and he hungered for chaos. He wanted to fight with such a burning passion that he could swear to feeling his skin burn. Looking at his challenger, he flexed his power, surging more of his chakra out across the vast space it currently occupied.
The laughter was of the darkest humour and amusement, a sick and depraved pleasure coming from this situation. "You, boy, wish to fight with me, eh? Very well, at least you got a back bone and came looking for a fight. But...like I said to that blond brat over there, guts don't mean shit. You are fighting with me, and I have never been killed before. And now...I'm stronger than I ever was." He then began cackling maniacally.
Managing to calm himself down, he took in the teenager's appearance...but was drawn to the eyes. As the head began to look up at him, the burning red gaze from those eyes was a haunting sight indeed. Garrett, once again, felt as though his pores opened all at once, and he involuntarily took a step back. 'What the hell is up with this guy. Those eyes...are freaky.'
"Is something wrong, Garrett-san?" The question was more than enough to help Garrett break free from his inner-war. Resuming his former position, he readied for the upcoming battle.
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Hyuuga Hizashi was still feeling the effects of Itachi's sharingan-empowered gaze. His blood felt like it was ice in his veins. He had made a declaration to make Garrett pay for what the man did to Hinata, but he felt all of that resolve fall apart under the power of Itachi's eyes. The next best thing he could do, now that he felt his pride shattering inside himself, was check on the young heiress, and hope she would be okay.
As he approached, he was accompanied by Anko, who seemed comfortable enough to turn her back on their foe and Itachi. As they came upon the gathering where the genin were, he heard Anko speak. "I can't believe it. He was bit by two black mambas. Why is he not succumbing to the poison yet?" Her voice held disbelief and frustration, the same feelings he was sharing.
"I do not know, Mitarashi-san, but I believe it has to do with his sudden increase in power. That chakra of his is unnatural, to say the least." He heard her groan in acknowledgement before he settled his gaze upon Hinata, and the boy who was in the process of healing her. "So, Naruto-kun, are you making progress on Hinata-sama?"
He could see the boy's head jerk slightly at his voice, but he seemed to refuse giving in to the temptation of looking at the source of the voice. "Uh...um...yeah, I think she's doing a bit better than when I started, but I haven't done much. Vander-sama did most of the work already, I'm just patching up, to tell the truth."
Hizashi allowed his gaze to shift from Naruto and Hinata, to the man who was kneeling over Uchiha Sasuke and was hovering hands glowing with golden light over the boy's body. "So, I take it from Naruto's words that you are the one who helped my niece, correct?" When he saw the man nod, he pressed forth with his investigation. "And you might be?"
Without even looking up, the man spoke out the information as though he was a trained machine. "Vander. I am the Kage representative of Kagegakure no Sato."
"Hmm...Vander is also the name of the sensei to a team of genin who are from that village. Are you aware that the sensei's of genin teams are usually not permitted into this area unless your team has passed this portion? I am just curious as to why you are here."
Hizashi swore he heard a light chuckle come from this man before he spoke again. "I apologize if my actions seem rash. I just have faith." It was such a strong statement for the few words that were used. Hizashi actually felt an abundance of confidence in the man's voice.
"You are quite confident on your assumptions. I would assume that your confidence is only surpassed by your ability. How is the young boy doing?"
"I am almost finished, but he will need further assistance from Naruto. If they can get some distance away from here and closer to the tower before the darkest of night falls upon them and set up camp, then he should be able to work on Uchiha-san for a good bit before getting some rest."
Anko was the next to speak, as the weight of the words spoken by Vander sunk in. "Wait, wait, hold on a sec. Are you actually assuming that they are going to be able to still compete in the exam?"
"It is their choice, I feel we should let them choose. I'm just confident that I know what their answer is going to be," was the resonse from Vander.
Hizashi noted that confidence in the man's voice was there again, and he felt that the man was speaking of a well-known truth. As he looked upon Sasuke's skin, he saw that the crimson shade it had been when he first arrived was no longer there. It was now a soft red hue that you would see from someone who was afflicted with a sunburn. 'This man wields impressive talent. Sasuke went from looking ready to combust, to looking ready to peel. Just a little bit longer and even that should be gone, at this rate. And Hinata-sama seems to be recovering at a moderate pace as well.' He chose this moment to check with Hinata, herself. "Hinata-sama, how are you feeling?"
The young girl looked up to him, and with increased amusement, he watched as her expression shifted from a slight daze, to one of more awareness, to one of relief, to one of mortified embarrassment. She then shifted her gaze to Naruto, who was still occupied with his hand hovering over her chest. "N-N-N-Naruto-kun...um...I-I'm feeling o-okay now. Y-Y-You can stop."
Naruto, who had just recognized that she was speaking to him, could tell how flustered she was. Stopping the flow of chakra to his hands, he moved them away from her and looked right at her, demanding her attention with his gaze. When she complied, she forced herself to fight down her previous embarrassment and focused solely on him. "Hinata-chan, are your injuries really okay? I can continue, no problem. I don't want you to push yourself if you are still in pain."
She shook her head before muttering an 'Arigatou,' to which he beamed at her, professing that it was his pleasure. Again, she fought down her embarrassment and turned her attention to her uncle, who had cleared his throat during this time, trying to get her attention. "Gomen, Ojisan. I am doing much better."
"That is good to hear Hinata-sama. I feared the worst, but it appears you were in good hands." Throwing a calculative gaze towards Vander again, it seemed he was trying to gain a better understanding of the man just from looking at him.
Vander, who could feel the eyes of almost everyone there settle upon him, was starting to get more than a little irritated. "No offense to your decision-making skills or anything but...shouldn't you all be helping your friend?" he asked them before focusing his attention solely back to Sasuke, "Just a little bit more and you should be out of the red." Sasuke just nodded his head in affirmation before lying still again.
"Yeah, well, Itachi ain't any slouch. I'll admit this man, Garrett or whatever, is a bad ass, but Itachi really is one of this village's best. It's in our best interest to just stay out of his way at the moment." After finishing her statement, she bent down to be somewhat level with the sitting Naruto and Hinata. "Now, how are your injuries, you two?"
Seeing a softer side from the rough and dangerous kunoichi, Naruto took a steady breath and exhaled, allowing himself to calm down ever so slightly. Focusing his chakra to flow to the two points that were most painful, and that Vander had dealt with, he could tell that they were healed moderately well. And thankfully, his chakra supply was not diminished. Thanks to the pill he was given by Vander. "Mine are good, I only feel some discomfort from my stomach, and my ears are still ringing, but overall I'm good."
Hinata, herself, was grateful that she was feeling better for the most part. She had feared that the blow she suffered was going to cripple her again. But thanks to Vander and Naruto, her pain was reduced to some minor pain. "I am also feeling some discomfort in my abdomen, but it is not severe at all."
Smiling at them with a genuine smile, she regarded them with a sort of reverence. 'These kids are something else. They managed to hold off that man for that amount of time without help.' "Well, good. And you, Kage, how is Sasuke's status?"
Her term of regarding him made the man's eyebrows twitch involuntarily. "You know, I do have a name. Vander. And as for Sasuke, his condition is good. He's gonna be tender, more than a little sore, and exhausted. But he can perform, if that was your next question. He just needs a good night's rest." He then stopped the flow of chakra to Sasuke and helped the boy sit up.
Sasuke winced at the stinging sensation that still went through his body as he moved. He asked about it and received an explanation. "I was only able to do so much. I had to focus most of my efforts on the musculature that had been ripped and torn from the strain you placed upon them. That technique you used, I know about it. And it is very dangerous to use. You were lucky to have received immediate treatment right here on scene. Otherwise, there was a chance your body could have combusted." Sasuke swallowed a lump in his throat that had gathered from listening to the explanation. "You're going to be tender for a while, so don't overdo anything, got that? And get a good night's sleep and you should be back to moderate condition. Understand?"
Sasuke nodded, but then thought about something else. He quickly asked the question that was bugging him, directing it towards Anko for clarification. "Wait a minute, can we really continue? Nothing is going to change with the exam?"
"As long as the threat does not endanger the overall safety of everyone still participating in the exam, and we deal with the imminent threat at hand, then the exam will continue. And you still have a couple of days to reach the tower. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Hokage-sama didn't extend the time frame by one more day for security measures." Her words, while they should have been cause for celebration, were not received with such enthusiasm. It wasn't that the three of them didn't want to continue, but they were drained.
Anko's words had also struck a chord in Hizashi. "So you are saying that they shouldn't be withdrawn so their care can be overseen by our professionals?"
"No, I am saying that they should make that choice themselves." She then looked at them, giving them a serious gaze before addressing them. "What is your decision?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto and Hinata, who were both looking at him. He nodded to them. He then watched as Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and asked the same silent question they had asked him. Both responded to each other with careful nods of their heads. Seeing that, he released a breath he had no idea he was holding and looked at them with relief. They were going to move forward.
"As I thought," spoke Vander, who was currently reaching into a pouch that was situated on the back of his left thigh. "Here, eat these. It will help restore your stamina," he instructed them, holding out in his hand three small red pills - one for each of them. They each took one and began to eat it.
"If you are quite done, I think it's time for you kids to get going. From this point, you are on your own," she told them, hoping they would understand. They nodded in affirmation before looking at each other. They nodded to each other once again before taking off towards the tower.
After Hizashi watched with a mixture of pride and apprehension as Hinata took off with her teammates, he decided to check on the battle that was still ensuing, and was nearly knocked off his feet by a sudden maelstrom of chakra clashing on the battlefield.
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Meanwhile, while that was occurring, the battle between Itachi and Garrett had begun. Garrett was the one who went on the offensive this time. Though his hackles were still risen from Itachi's eyes, he was confident in the power he possessed. How could he not be confident?
Holding up a hand with the palm facing Itachi, he poured in a massive amount of chakra towards it, intending to blast the teenager into oblivion. Smiling, which bared his jagged teeth, he launched the attack at Itachi and waited for the resulting impact. As the chakra blast dashed towards Garrett's target, he barely registered the teen's quick shift to avoid the attack and the amazing speed that helped the boy get within striking distance in the blink of an eye.
He swung for the spot where he anticipated the boy would land by the time his fist reached that point. Instead, it went straight through and he was suddenly sporting a painful cut on the right side of his torso. He swung again towards the boy, who had somehow managed to get to that position without being noticed. He let out a frustrated growl when his fist again connected with nothing but air, and then grunted in pain as he felt another wound cut itself into his skin. This time, the wound was inflicted on his back. Spinning and twirling his arms so that he would strike anything in the way, he noticed his attack once again hit nothing but air. But this time, his eyes could see the image of Itachi darting his hand out to strike.
Itachi, who had been enjoying the upper hand, was surprised to see Garrett swing at him, but this time it was before he managed to land an attack. He had to back away for fear of being struck by the man. It wasn't that he feared taking a blow or two in a battle, in fact that came with the territory; especially when you encountered enemies and opponents who were high-level threats. But with Garrett's amazing physical power, coupled with the surging chakra that was being poured into every attack, Itachi surmised that he needed to avoid being struck at all costs, if he could avoid it.
Stopping on a dime, he deftly ducked under the attack and made an attempt to attack him again. It was with increased surprise that his attack was blocked this time. Moving very swiftly, he retreated out of close-combat quarters. Once he was a safe distance away, he calculated all that had occurred so far and weighed the information provided.
First off, when he had made eye contact with Garrett before he attacked with the chakra blast, Garrett had fallen prey to the illusionary effects of the sharingan. With his perception lowered, he was unable to detect that Itachi was merely using Bunshin no Jutsu in order to create an illusion that he was everywhere, and yet nowhere. However, as the assault progressed, Garrett was becoming more and more aware of his actions. The last exchange where Itachi's attack was blocked was proof. The unfortunate conclusion was that while Garrett lacked great perception, he was quickly adapting. At this rate, the sharingan would not effect him at all and it would come down to a battle of power, and Itachi still had some doubts of whether or not he could best Garrett in a war of jutsus.
It was slightly annoying that at that moment, the image of his younger brother decided to intrude on his thoughts. Sasuke had always been annoying before, always asking for Itachi to train with him, to teach him, to help him. But it was when a chilling order came to him, that Itachi changed. That night, Itachi's eyes, which had been clouded with visions of grandeur and prestige, were finally opened to the truth and Itachi swore to himself that he would not let something along those lines happen again. He resolved to treat Sasuke more as a brother, and as a result, he had come to accept the young boy and his...annoying tendencies. So while the boy's image was unwelcome at the present moment, it proved to provide a spark in the normally stoic Uchiha.
He took off the black jacket he always seemed to wear which sported the Uchiha's fan. This revealed that he was fully geared in his ANBU armor, a short-sleeve dark blue shirt and a fishnet mesh shirt for additional protection on his arms. Gripping the kunai, he thought about the attacks he had already made, and seeing that the wounds he was inflicting were not doing anything to hinder his foe so far, he chose to discard it. But he would still make good use of it.
He effortlessly repositioned the kunai in his grip so that he could easily throw the weapon as a projectile. Swinging his arm in an arc, he released the kunai and dashed towards Garrett following the flight of his weapon. He then made a few handseals and called upon his attack. "Kunai kage bunshin no jutsu!" Suddenly there were 12 kunai traveling towards Garrett instead of the original. As they were upon Garrett, Itachi saw that the man had just finished his own set of handseals and readied for whatever was used.
A wall of earth materialized, rising from the ground and stopping the kunai as they all bounced off the wall. That was when he heard Garrett call out his next move. "Kake Danmaku!" The wall in front of Garrett began to crack and then it shattered. But Itachi was no fool. He could feel the chakra being poured into the wall after it's creation, so he could easily tell that there was much more to the technique.
As he watched the fragmented shards of earth propelling towards him, he went through a small number of handseals before he pointed a lone finger out towards Garrett and the approaching projectiles. A crackling could be heard coming from the end of the small appendage as electricity roared to life and created a barrier of lightning that caused the rock fragments to dissentigrate upon contact with the barrier.
The look of bewilderment, frustration, and fear expressed on Garrett's face at the same time would forever be ingrained into Itachi's memory. "I take it you did not know of your element of choice's weakness to the element of lightning?" When Garrett did nothing but bare his teeth, which were grit in frustration, as a response, Itachi chuckled lightly, earning him another delicious reaction from Garrett. The more Itachi could frustrate Garrett, the easier it would be to instigate the man into making a stupid maneuver which he could take quick advantage of. "Your chakra is attuned more to Earth. As long as I use Lightning-based jutsus, your arsenal becomes meaningless. Now do you see the difference in your level to mine?"
"I...will...not...be...made into...a spectacle...for your amusement...When I get my hands on you, I-" but he never got to finish, for at that very moment, his mind seemed capable of only registering the pain that had erupted from his stomach. Looking down, he saw smoke (or is it steam?) coming from a hole in his abdomen. However, no blood ran through it. He then looked up and saw a wisp of smoke coming from the finger that was still pointing at him. 'Did he...do that just now? I didn't even see him do it...god that hurts so much...why does it hurt so much?'
"Your words are nothing but the ramblings of a fool. You are nothing more than an overgrown child who has never been punished for his misbehaviors. Our entire fight up to this point was merely a test." Before he continued, he took the moment to savor the look of surprise on the man's face. "First, I needed to see if physical attacks would work on you. Both of my tests proved the negative, so I had only one option: to fight you in a war of jutsu. But you quickly gave away your strength, which has now proven to be your weakness. You see, this entire time, I have been waiting for you to slip, and you did."
That same crackling sound became audible again as another small bolt of lightning shot out from Itachi's finger and tore right through the right collarbone, out through the right shoulder blade, and, as an additional agonizing whammy, pierced through the spine of the scapula. Involuntarily, a gutteral howl of pain escaped from Garrett as the pain was so perplexingly severe, he almost wished for blissful unconsciousness to take him. But that was when he remembered the feeling of power he had when he was destroying the kids. And this one was only a few years older. Why should anything be different? 'Element be damned, I'm more powerful than him. I'll kill him...I'll kill him and everybody else here...'
Itachi, who had become bored with peppering the now helpless and defeated man with searing bolts of electricity, turned to the strongest weapons in his arsenal. Fire was the element that was closely associated with power, and he found it fitting that the Uchiha clan would choose to have the family seek development in fire techniques. A few handseals later, he was ready to launch his technique. "Katon: Karyuu Endan."
A stream of flame seemingly was belched from Itachi's mouth and flew with an incredible speed towards the target. However, the glow and haze from the flames obstructed his view of Garrett, so he had no idea of what was occurring. But he could feel through the flames, since they were filled with his chakra, that they were not striking the target. He cut off the flow and saw that the flames were converging to one point - Garrett's extended right hand.
The flames were spinning with incredible velocity and he watched how Garrett seemed to be testing the limits of control he seemed to hold over the flames. That was when he heard the man speak, and it struck a chord in him. "You know, that blonde gaki did the same exact thing to my colleague back on that day. So here's a little bit of retribution. Take this back." Cocking his arm back, he threw the spinning mass of flames as if it were a ball, and he the pitcher.
Jumping out of the way, Itachi glanced back to see that the target was now the group left behind him. He was relieved to see the Hyuuga get in the way of the attack and make a shield of some kind by spinning his body. They had avoided one situation, only to run into a new one.
Itachi could see the look of horror on Anko's face as she looked at the man Itachi was engaged in combat with, but he didn't understand. So when he decided to investigate, and turned around to look back at his opponent, his trained face betrayed him as surprise was evident, however brief it was.
While Itachi had seen a seal glow brightly from the man's back and understood what it meant, he had not expected a turn of events such as this. This was a new revelation, something he was not privy to, and it frustrated him to not know the answers he needed.
Garrett's body looked to be bathed in black ink. Dark marks lined his body wherever eyes could see skin. Even more confusing was that these marks seemed to be alive on the man's skin as they continued to move and move, before settling down and remaining still. That was when Itachi felt the spike and everything began shift.
Anyone could swear to feeling a sudden drop in the temperature there, but it was the sudden whimpering of the purple-haired woman that grabbed Itachi's attention the most, for the words she managed to speak brought an answer to one of Itachi's questions, but revealed to him the drastic change in the circumstances surrounding this battle.
"A cursed seal..." she mumbled, almost inaudibly, but Itachi's senses were very acute, so he could tell what she had said. His eyes, however, were disbelieving of the blur that sped past him and barreled towards Garrett.
The blur was actually Anko who had enough forward momentum that when she leaped to the air to perform a double-legged kick to Garrett's chest, upon connection the tattooed man stumbled backwards. Her voice continued to echo across the area, giving away signs that this was more of a personal matter. "You bastard! You are in cahoots with him aren't you? Speak up, or I'll force the information out of you!"
Garrett slowly rubbed the area she had just collided with, and looked at her with a curious expression. "I have no idea what you are referring to, little girl, but you really shouldn't nose into the affairs of people who you clearly have no business interfering with."
"Just answer the question," spat Anko. "Where did you receive that mark? Who gave it you?" Her voice quivered with rage, and Itachi knew that if the answer did not meet her approval, she would do something rash. He chose to play the situation safely, but with a lighter grace of going about it. He knew he was faster than Anko, so he could intercept her, should she try to take on Garrett by herself again.
But his curiosity was peaked by her search for answers. He knew of the trauma she had endured at one point in her life. It had taken the Sandaime to close off the cursed seal she had been blessed with. So if what she was seeking might be the answer he expected, then this situation would take a drastic shift in priorities. If Garrett's response was what Itachi now hoped wasn't the truth, then the priority from taking down Garrett would have to be put aside for detaining the man in order to gain knowledge and understanding.
"Where? I won't tell you. But who? He went by Orochimaru."
Everyone now became very tense. It was not a well-kept secret of the traitorous hebi-sannin and his grudge with the village he turned his back on. While this could have meant so many things, and brought up so many questions, Itachi looked past that to the situation now at hand. Choosing his words carefully, he spoke with the same practiced calm he always seemed to hold.
"Very well. Then it appears you will not die today." He felt Anko's anger now directed at him, as well as the surprised looks being transmitted from eyes of the others. "Instead, you will be captured by any means necessary so we can extract any knowledge you have of Orochimaru." Locking gazes with Garrett, he could tell that it wouldn't be so easy to accomplish this task as it was a few minutes ago, but it was a task he was up to. "I will ask this question only once, so pay close attention. Surrender now, without any further conflict, and be forthcoming with the information, and I will recommend leniency in your sentence. Failure to do so will result in extreme force becoming necessary, and I will use it. What would you do?"
Itachi knew the answer, and while he did want the battle to continue to inflict more punishment on Garrett, he also did not like the thought of facing an awakened Jinchurriki with a "cursed seal" feeding him additional power. He did not have any previous knowledge to back up that claim, but from what he could feel and what his Sharingan eyes were telling him, then that seal was feeding denser, thicker, more corrupt chakra to Garrett. But his thoughts were diverging from their original line of thought. His attention was brought back to the matter of receiving a reply to the ultimatum placed before Garrett.
The tattooed man snorted in annoyance before speaking. "It's not as though I am particularly loyal to him - hell, I'm not loyal to anybody. But I sure as hell won't surrender. You want what I know so bad, then you'll have to work for it. But if you don't plan to kill me, then I assure you I will not lose."
The end of that statement was quickly followed by movement. As Garrett closed in on Anko with furious speed, he started to move to intercept. However, Anko had the matter well under control. She jumped over Garrett and managed to wrap a wire around his neck, digging her feet into the ground as she landed. Placing the wire in her mouth and biting down, she ran through several handseals that were familiar to Itachi. It would be a Katon jutsu that was used, and he had an idea of which one specifically.
The roar of flames was such a sudden contrast to the grunts and groans that were being emitted from exertion that it made others jump; however, Itachi was expecting the roar, for it was a very familiar sound. It symbolized the pride of fire, the very nature of power. He watched as the flames, shaped into a dragon, traveled at such a speed that Itachi knew Garrett didn't have time to prepare any kind of defensive measure.
As the dragon of fire collided with the skull of Garrett, Itachi wondered if perhaps that might have worked. The technique was designed to mimic the force and suddenness of a lightning strike, so the force at which it strikes the opponent is tremendous. If the power put into the technique, and the temperature of the flames, was potent enough, then it could be possible that the technique could have been a knock-out shot.
But such luck would not be granted them on this day. Not when a hand wraps around the wire that Anko is still holding between her teeth and pulls at it, forcing Anko to let go unless she wanted an amateur orthodontic procedure done. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the results of the jutsu were pretty devastating, as the skin seemed to have been melted off, but as quickly as the blight on the man's face had been seen, it was just as quickly being fixed.
"You'll have to do better than that, ignorant wench." spat Garrett, as he barreled towards her again. She managed to dodge and Itachi knew he would have to step in, but it was hard to choose that moment when one has not worked often with another. His interference could jeopardize her life if he screwed up, and he did not particularly like the thought of having her blood on his hands. But he couldn't just sit around and not do something, because then she would die, that was the truth.
The amusing thing about the situation was that Anko seemed capable of fending him off, only because of Garrett's seeming obsession with not thinking about his actions. He reminded Itachi...of a bull, using his mighty strength to try and remove any obstacles in his path. And eventually, the bull would hit it's mark.
He slowly walked towards the beast of a man with a cold look etched on his face. As he did so, images flashed in his mind. Images of his father and mother. Words of praise from clan elders. Images of his friend, Shisui. And lastly, the image of his brother lying on the ground in pain.
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
The call of the attack already caught the attention of most of the ninja there, but it was the size of the fireball that was alarming. If not for Anko's quick reflexes, she might not have avoided the attack before falling to it as a victim. She, fortunately, did avoid the attack, and now only Garrett was left in the massive inferno's path.
The collision was spectacular. A bright flash followed and a deafening boom bounced around in the eardrums of everyone present, as well as incredible heat and force from the explosion. Add to that, a plume of smoke that went taller than the tallest tree, and it made a convincing case that Itachi had detonated a bomb, instead of unloading a potent Katon jutsu.
As the smoke began to settle and disperse, a smoking body could be seen standing in a guarded position. Both arms were crossed in front of him, acting as a shield for his face. The skin looked to be badly burned and his clothing was smoldering. Overall, Itachi believed he had done a number on Garrett.
So it was a shock when Garrett began to crumble away and turned into a pile of dirt and pebbles. He began questioning whether or not he had his Sharingan still activated, but that was not possible. He could see and sense the chakra of Garrett as he crumbled to dirt. But what he didn't realize was that Garrett's chakra was beginning to flood the ground he stood upon.
'Underground...What's his next move?' he began asking himself. Chakra was forming and molding in a large area, not really what he was expecting from someone hiding underground. He would expect a sneak attack, but this was not the makings of a sneak attack. This was a sign of a much larger attack. Itachi would remain wary for he could not afford to be careless. One wrong movement, and it was over.
He barely moved in time to avoid a javelin from impaling him. Looking over the offending object with a bit more scrutiny, he came to a realization that it was not made of the normal forged steel. No, this was made of mineralized earth. The implications were dawning on him as he thought of this new development. The javelin had come from the ground that was being influenced by the chakra Garrett was molding into it, which meant that Garrett had an almost limitless arsenal of weaponry at his disposal.
One almost grazed him to his left side, so he stepped to the right side to avoid, only to find himself having to twist his body into going backwards. Another javelin tried to turn Itachi into schishcabob from behind, so he perfomed a back flip and effortlessly kicked the projectile out of the air. That's when the rain fell.
But it wasn't water that was raining on the battlefield. It was the dozens and dozens of javelins all hailing towards Itachi. He quickly set himself into motion. Taking off at a full sprint, he attempted to leave the hazardous rain in his dust, moving with such a speed that he was leaving afterimages in his place. Doing a lightning fast set of seals, he started peppering the onslaught of projectiles with small fireballs until he had to jump out of the way of a few stray javelins that were meant to intercept him at a point in his path. But jumping into the air managed to get him out of the way.
This course of action may have spared Itachi from the lances of earth, but landed him in a new predicament. Because now that he was airborne, he was now careening towards Garrett, who had chosen that very moment to pop out of the ground and into Itachi's projected landing spot. In the blink of an eye, Garrett had his fist cocked back and exploded all his rage into Itachi.
Connecting in a full, head-on collision, Itachi should have either still hit the ground despite the force of Garrett's punch, or rocketed back from the attack and landed somewhere else roughly. But neither happened to Itachi. Instead, the boy exploded in a furious blaze that wrapped around Garrett's arm and then his entire body like a serpent slithering across the skin. The fire burned so badly but his skin wasn't burning. But this bit of information didn't seem to be registering. The only thing that registered was that the serpentine blaze began to shift.
Now it resembled a dragon, the body and face being hazy from the dancing flames, but it was dragon-esque in appearance. The snout opened and a demonic roar bellowed from the great creature and snapped it's jaw, closing it's mouth on Garrett, engulfing him in excruciating heat, the teeth piercing him and digging into his flesh, the pain being almost unbearable.
Meanwhile, Itachi was viewing from a few yards away what his genjutsu was doing to his opponent and preparing an attack that he hoped would finish this fight. He had not tried this attack before, but he knew that if he could recall the details of when he last saw it, it would be easy to pull off. The last he had seen the technique was when Kakashi had done it back on the bridge when he tried to use it on Momochi Zabuza and instead impaled the ever-loyal young boy Haku. He remembered seeing through the sharingan how the chakra was pulled and converted to the element of choice. By altering the handseals a slight bit, and pulling on his elemental preference, the technqiue could be mimicked to Itachi's benefit.
He performed the altered seals and then thrust his left hand down at the ground, the right hand gripping the left arm at mid-forearm. Slowly but surely, the left hand began to glow red before steaming and then smoking. The next step was igniting the chakra and then molding it to a shape of his choice. Running through the fight, knowing what Garrett's element preference was, Itachi's decision became made at that very moment. If Garrett was like a rock, then the best way to destroy a rock was to grind it to dust.
The chakra exploded with ferocity and his entire forearm became engulfed in the fiery chakra. The chakra then began to spin like a drill and Itachi looked to his opponent. The genjutsu was still active and still affecting Garrett, so the attack shouldn't be noticed until it was too late. He dashed towards his target, intending to drive his arm straight through the man's stomach.
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As the dragon opened it's massive jaw, revealing it's malevolent fangs that were intending to clamp down on him, he involuntarily shuddered in fear. The eyes of the dragon looked just like the brat's eyes and it was making him quiver. As the snout of the creature enveloped him in an excruciating inferno, the teeth digging into his skin and scorching him, he found himself doing something he never thought he would have to do in his entire life.
He began seeing images that should have been closed to him, images that were better off forgotten. But here he was, being forced to watch them. He was seeing his life flash before his eyes.
He remembered how alone he had felt when everyone turned their backs on him. No one had wanted him, for a reason he did not know. As he grew and lived through the torment and pain inflicted upon him by his fellow villagers, he had an epiphany. He would shelter the pain away, and act like nothing happened, and then maybe they would stop. But it didn't help, nothing worked. So he took frustrations out the only way he knew how. He trained.
When he was finally accepted into Iwagakure's Ninja Academy, he graduated in his first year and was placed onto a genin team and forced to work for the village that he was slowly learning to despise. But he held on through everything, and eventually came to appreciate the life of a shinobi.
Until...that day.
On that day, his team was assigned to rid a small village of a horde of bandits that had slowly taken over. But upon entering the town, Garrett came face to face with reality. They were ambushed, but not by bandits. They were shinobi...from Iwa. They all swarmed him, trying to overwhelm him and they would have succeeded unless he received help. When he looked to his teammates and his sensei for help, they had not helped him. They turned their backs on him and assisted the others in trying to kill him.
He was beaten down, bleeding all over, and spat on as calls of "demon", "monster", and "devil" were emitted from the shinobi. With his own village having turned it's back on him, Garrett was left feeling odd.
He felt broken, and yet...free. As he reflected upon the words they called him, he remembered his line that night that changed his life forever. 'You want a devil, then you'll get a devil.' Everything else that night was a blur, except for when he woke up. What he awoke to was amazing. The entire village had been leveled and he lay in a huge crater. After he had pulled himself to his feet, Garrett had taken a stray kunai and scratched his hitai-ite and left his life behind.
The council of Iwagakure, as well as the Tsuchikage himself, had obviously chosen not to disclose any information about their attempt to take down 'The Devil of Iwa'. Instead, they opted for fabrication of events, the council having sentenced him, and he escaping from an entire shinobi village. That story, while hard to believe, assisted their hopes of him being killed. For he was placed into the Bingo Book with an S-class criminal level.
His visions now ceasing, he looked at the eyes of the dragon, the eyes that looked as though they belonged to a demon. And then, the flames died out, and the image of the teenager he was supposed to be engaged in combat with drove a fiery arm through him.
Steadily, his vision clouded, and he felt a heavy blanket draping over his mind. 'Looks like...those bastards get what they want.' Some would say that this was karma for his crimes, but they would be the ones who did not know of the truth. He was damned and betrayed for being the guinea pig - the experiment - that they made him. This boy had unknowingly done their dirty work and silenced the only person who could dispute the word of Iwa's council.
When his vision began clearing, he began asking himself questions. 'Why is it so dark? Is this hell? I thought I was dead?' He was lying on the ground, a hole in his stomach, but still alive. That's when he heard the snort of disgust. Drifting his line of sight towards the sound, he saw a faint outline of iron bars. 'A prison?'
"Yes, Xozen Garrett. Jinchurriki of Iwagakure." The booming voice was tremendous.
"So I take it you are...it. You are what is inside of me." Despite the fact that he could tell this was not the real world, he still felt the fatigue and pain from his wounds, so when he spoke his voice was very laboured.
"I am the true demon of Iwagakure, or more precisely, of the country that pathetic village resides in. And you are pathetic. Are you telling me that you don't care that you are going to die? What of your desire to bring that village to it's knees? What of your desire to crush the Tsuchikage, the man who sentenced you to your life as a prison, only to attempt to discard you like trash?"
"I have not forgotten. I can never forget. I will never forgive. And I will not forfeit." spoke Garrett as he started to move, despite his injuries.
"Then stand...and UNLEASH HELL!!!" it bellowed as it's massive frame rammed against it's cage.
---------------------------
Itachi could tell that he would have to work on the technique some, but his goal was achieved. His arm had drilled through Garrett's body with relative ease. He would need to work on the closing of the technique to give it an extra punch so it would do more than severely wound, but devastate the target.
After sensing a drastic decrease from Garrett's chakra signature, he began to remove his hand. Upon extraction, he realized that his chakra should have been burning with more than enough temperature to cauterize the wound. But at the way the attack was spinning, he had caused more grinding damage than clean damage. Another thing he would have to work on when he had the chance to practice and perfect it.
Cautiously, he turned away from the man, believing Garrett to be dead on his feet. When he heard a scuffling of dirt, he turned his head to see that Garrett had taken a shaky step towards him. "You are very resilient, but that trait will not help you now. You are defeated, any further resistance will prove to be futile. You can not hope to defeat me. An Uchiha can not be felled by the likes of you. Such hopes are frivolous."
"You..." breathed out Garrett, his voice laboured and winded. "You are wrong...Uchiha..." He then smirked and locked gazes with him. "I am not defeated...I won't be defeated...not until...I exact...my revenge."
"Your petty feud with the three genin you targeted will never be resolved." spoke Itachi in response, disappointed that Garrett would hold such a grudge against Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, that he would force himself to keep fighting, just to try and get revenge.
"Those children are the least of my worries...They will pay...but my hatred is not wasted on runts like them...You could never understand...for you are blind...just like everyone else. But I am living proof...of the truth...Let me show you the truth. The truth behind the Devil of Iwagakure!" By the end of his winded tirade, he had managed to recuperate some of his strength, for his words held much power behind all the anger and spite.
He could feel his hackles rising, and that was a rare occurance for Itachi. Not many things upset him, even fewer things made him tremble. So why was it that he could practically feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, a cold shiver go down his entire body, and goosebumps rising on his skin from the shiver?
The questions only increased in number upon seeing a change occur to the physical make-up of Garrett. The tattoo markings that littered his body began to expand, until there were no more individual marks. Instead of the markings was a body completely bathed in metallic ashen crimson. His hair had become totally white and grew, the thin bands thickening some, giving him a more feral look. And it did not get any better as through gritted teeth, a demonic jowl possessed even longer canines.
But of all the changes, it was the arms that had taken on the greatest change. His right arm had become massive in bulk, elongated another good foot or two, and the hand appeared to be a strong claw. The left arm was complex in appearance. The left hand was thin, with thin, pointy fingers. From there, it seemed like the arm was one big attachment. All along the forearm was a dark gray bony bracer with four odd projections that all started from the middle of the forearm, began growing towards the elbow, then stopped and aimed towards the wrist. From the elbow to the shoulder of that arm was nothing but increased bulk and mass, but it gave off an impression that the entire left arm was forged.
This drastic change left Itachi speechless. Because now that he was over the surprise of witnessing this process occur, he could now feel the spike of chakra, or was it chakra? He had seen the seal on the man's back, the kind of seal meant to imprison something. Could it be that this wasn't chakra, but youki? His thoughtful meanderings were made brief as Garrett unleashed a feral roar.
"What's wrong, Uchiha? Where's your bravado now? Why don't you mock facts? Don't tell me you are afraid of a little truth? Or do you still not believe?" Garrett then crouched, laying his much larger and longer right arm on the ground for balance. "Allow me to enlighten you."
One of the strongest attributes of his sharingan was it's ability to assist him in deciphering another's body movements and predicting their actions. It was a simple feat for him, but he was especially thankful for that attribute now. His opponent was moving with a ferocity and wild nature that would be almost unpredictable if he did not possess such acute eyesight.
He could see the flinch from the legs as Garrett kicked off, and the tension in the right arm as a great portion of the man's weight bared upon it. As the tension increased, so did the anticipation for the next move, which Itachi assumed would be to use the strength in the mutated arm to propel his body into the air. Sure enough, that was what occurred. The problem was the speed.
He barely had the time to move out of the proximity of Garrett's bulking form colliding to the ground. Itachi's mind tried to force out the issue of applying logic to the fight from this point on. Logic would say that increased bulk, size, and mass would make the body heavier, and therefore slow down the opposition. Instead, the opposite was the more accurate observation and countered all theories of physics and logic.
As Garrett crashed onto where Itachi was standing just a moment ago, he saw that something was odd about how the man landed. The arm was extended, the brutal claw digging into the ground and seemingly gripping it. Able to see the tension in the muscles, Itachi once again knew what was about to happen. The problem with having the ability to predict your opponents move is possessing the ability to do something about it. So as Garrett pivoted on the overgrown arm and swung with his legs, Itachi knew that he couldn't outrun the attack. Every sign was pointing to the conclusion that no matter where he ran, he was going to get caught.
But as the foot sailed towards Itachi, he merely disappeared in a puff of smoke, further angering Garrett. This was hardly a concern for Itachi. It only proved the man's ignorance. Losing control and allowing one's emotions to influence one's decisions in a battle of this level leads to defeat. And that was what Itachi thought he had accomplished: the defeat of Garrett.
Using the shunshin technique, he had gained a considerable advantage as far as positioning was concerned, and at this moment, Itachi believed that was all that mattered. His opponent was indeed the stronger between them at this moment, so he knew he would have to fight smart and wait to capitalize on his opponent's mistakes when he made them, and he had made a grave mistake. Now behind Garrett with kunai in hand, Itachi targeted the base of the skull where the brain stem resided. No matter how much regenerative properties his foe possessed, it was hard to do anything when your brain was impaled. In a motion that was made easy with practice, Itachi drove the kunai forward to imbed it in his opponent's skull...
Only for the attack to fail miserably. The kunai didn't even penetrate. Instead, it struck the base of the skull, causing a spark to fly, which was accompanied by a familiar sound of metal on stone and the loss of his kunai as it flew out of his hands from the impact. His shock over this turn of events was abruptly cut off as his mind seemed to scream at him to pay attention, but his eyes could only see a counterattack.
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When Garrett had decided to walk away from his past and only come back when he had the power to bring Iwa to it's knees, he had also chosen to leave with only his first name. Letting go of the former life meant letting go of one's past, so Garrett had always been known as just his first name and a title of some kind. He had many a nickname - Stonebear, Stonebull, Devil of Iwa, Demon of Earth - but he had always remembered his true name so he could shout it atop the ruined remains of the village he damned several years ago.
Xozen Garrett.
He had never doubted that he would accomplish his goal, but he also had never fathomed that he could possess the power necessary at this point in time. Despite theories that brawny figures lack brains, he was not foolish enough to consider achieving such a goal without proper thought and planning. He would need considerable power, maybe a slew of followers that he could coerce into fighting with him, an arsenal of destructive weaponry - either jutsus or mechanical, and experience. He was only 21, so he felt he would need at least twenty more years to reach the level he needed to be at to accomplish his goal.
But now, here he was, in a fight against a foe like no other, one of his strongest opponents, indeed, and he felt invincible. Even though the changes to his body were drastic and difficult to comprehend at first, he was quickly becoming adjusted to it. His entire time spent searching for the power he yearned to hold, he trained diligently to increase his abilities and he therefore became stronger. But it always seemed to never get him anywhere. The increase would only offset something else he was deficient of. But now, he felt like he was being re-assembled, and this time, parts were being put into place.
He was capable of feeling the vast wealth of power he could grasp and achieve, but unlike earlier in his fight against the brats, this time he felt there was more control. It wasn't so violently troublesome to maintain. Now it was being tamed and he, therefore, could settle down and focus more on his actions than his control.
The speed of his own movements caught his own self by surprise. He had not expected to have the ability to comprehend so much faster the actions he wished to undertake. And as the fight was continuing to drag on, he was becoming more and more adjusted to his body.
One other surprise, which he had not even noticed until the Uchiha's attempted assassination strike, was that his skin had roughened, to the point of being like that of iron. When he heard the metal of the teen's kunai scrape against what he now understood was his hardened skin, it was hard to contain his amusement at the surprised and shocked look of the kid. Seeing that expression on the face of the proud Uchiha where he had been the one to experience those feelings earlier in their battle was a bitter-sweet reminder of the shifting of tides throughout this entire battle. He had adjusted to every different tactic an opponent had used on him today and overcome the would-be challengers. The only thing he had yet to do was smite the elder Hyuuga bastard and this teenage Uchiha. But they would receive their come-uppance soon.
For the Uchiha, that time was now. With his guard dropped - very briefly, he reminded himself, thinking back to the nin's phenomenal speed - he chose to strike. He had no idea why he had chosen this style for attacking, but it seemed to be more instinctive than anything. He crouched down, like a lion about to pounce, and lunged for the boy, swinging his enlarged right arm like a cat trying to scratch at something, and slashing the teen with tremendous force.
While Garrett had been a hardened individual, training his mind for the day his brutal rampage would begin, he found himself wanting to hold back here. Whether it was he felt such a respect for this boy for being a worthy adversary or as thanks to the Uchiha for pushing him to reach this level of power, he was unsure of. He actually found that both were partially correct. It was both respect and thanks. So he didn't want to kill him, just damage the ego and humble him a bit.
But the Uchiha merely phased out of sight, avoiding the attack. After landing on the ground, Garrett looked for his prey, only to see him a few feet away, in a guarded, defensive posture. "Damn you," he whispered through clenched teeth. "Fight me like a man, you COWARD!!!" he roared, rearing back his large hand and crashing it into the ground in frustration.
What he didn't count on was the amount of chakra he had applied into the frustration-relieving blow. He had, inadvertently, used one of his own techniques. The lack of actual training he had been subjected to had led to Garrett teaching himself techniques through the use of sheer power and chakra control. One such technique were the blasts of chakra he had taught himself to fire from his hands. Another, was this technique.
Soudai wazawai shuuha. A technique he had created specifically for use against his own country and village. With the many mountainous regions and unstable landscape, this move was perfect. It sent raw, forceful chakra through his fist to attack the stability of the landscape. In essence, it attacked fault lines, creating earthquakes. But with the amount he had applied this time, the supposed stable land that he walked on was, without any doubts, going to undergo unwanted shifts.
Steadily, a rumbling issued forth from the ground, rising steadily in volume. The land was quaking, lightly at first, but gaining ferocity with every passing moment. In a moment of insight, he knew this was either going to end perfectly for him and defeat his opponents, or it would end badly and help his foes' assent towards eventual victory. It wasn't these foes that worried him, it was the possibility of the village's leader coming out from hiding that sparked a bit of worry into him.
The voice of the Shadow man rose over the sound of the tremoring earth. "Everyone, take to the air, quick!"
He did not know why he felt compelled to say it, but Garrett found his lips moving and voice saying what he had just said to himself. "It won't help." And true to his words, the ground began cracking and fracturing, spreading like a spider's web from the point where his fist struck the ground. The tremoring increased dramatically, as did the volume of the rumbling, before a wicked force blasted across the fractured land, distorting the air in it's wake.
It was such a massive force that Garrett had nearly been knocked off his feet from the force. But since he knew it was coming, he had managed to brace for the impact, so to speak. He couldn't see clearly, due to the haze in the air from steam, dust, and chakra, but he could see trees being uprooted, or split in half, or splintered to wooden shards. Patches of ground were caving in, or spiking, from the malevolent force of the technique. In summation, chaos had been unleashed.
Time passed steadily as the aftershocks finally died down, becoming merely light tremors that wouldn't even make a toddler lose their balance. Dust still hung in the air, but it was settling, and through the haze was a sight that left Garrett in awe and satisfaction. Destruction littered the area. He wanted to drink it all up, to flourish in it like he had done so many times before, but he was interrupted.
"RASENGAN!!!"
Turning to the voice, he barely had time to register the flash of yellow before being forced backwards against his own will. Looking down at his chest, he saw a swirling sphere of blue chakra, and had a feeling of deja vu. Looking up, he could see the traces of a redish-orange coat and blond hair. 'No fucking way' he thought to himself, not believing that he was reliving his embarrassment.
But his rock-like skin had helped dull the technique's effectiveness. Where the sphere seemed to be based on drilling and grinding, it was incapable of drilling through his exterior. So when the attack finally fizzled out of existence, he took in a better look at the gaki, and realized his mistake in identity.
The individual opposing him did have a wild mop of blond hair, but this person was older. His jacket was reddish-orange but only on the bottom of the coat, in the design of flames. The rest of the jacket was white and opened down the middle, showing a jounin vest and a black shirt. His clothing was complete with long black pants and shinobi sandals. But...if you put the gaki from earlier right in front of him...and aged him a little...then...
"Well...this is an honor...You must be the fabled Hiraishin no Konoha." The moment the last syllable left his mouth, he felt several things happen to his body. The first thing was his mouth as it suddenly became dry. Next were his nerves, which seemed to be numb. Then his entire body stiffened. His eyes wouldn't blink. He even felt himself sweating, but not from his activities. It was from...this man.
And it all started the moment he looked in the man's eyes. They were glowering with a rage full of malevolence the likes of which he had never seen. The killing intent felt oppressive and it took all of his control just to stay on his feet. It was like he was being suffocated from the mind out. Unbeknownst to him, he collapsed to his hands and knees, panting and trying to get a hold of himself. "Wh...What the hell...are you doing to me..."
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"I've felt it all. How the tides have changed throughout this battle. Unfortunately, I couldn't leave to intercept you until a few minutes ago, but it was a few minutes too late. But this charade has gone on long enough. I'm ending it, and you, now. You, who have sullied this village with your foul presence. I will make sure you receive your just come-upping."
Arashi struggled to hold on and maintain his composure. He was so desperate to just up and crush this parasite into oblivion. But he had a duty to fulfill, so as Hokage, he needed to perform his duties with rational actions.
The only way he had stepped outside of normal boundaries was his use of killer intent. He had intended to project just enough to strike some fear into the man and numb his awareness. But he had almost lost control the moment he heard the man speak. The voice was not that of a seasoned veteran, who had tried to sneak into Konoha to slay his targets and then leave. It was the voice of a foolish braggart who could not fathom the repercussions to his actions. That understanding dawned on Arashi, and he just lost it. It was as though a child was laughing in his face, and that level of disrespect couldn't be tolerated. So he projected a much larger amount of killing intent, which would reduce even his student to his knees and plead for forgiveness.
He had not come alone, either. At this very moment, Jiraiya was using Yomi Numa to make a small, shallow swamp that would hold Garrett and make him, overall, vulnerable to an assault. Kakashi, meanwhile, was surveying the damage done. A quick glance helped show that damage to the landscape was not the only damage suffered from the last assault of this man. There were injuries, collateral damage from the forceful blast that rocked the forest just a few moments ago.
"As much as your crimes should be more than enough motive to just execute you right now, I will not do such a thing." His words apparently surprised both Jiraiya and Kakashi, who gave him a surprised and offended look that screamed 'Are you serious?' "Instead, you will be detained. But don't worry, you won't be bored. You will be entertained by Morino Ibiki, our resident interrogator, until he retrieves all that he needs from you." And that was the justification for his reasoning. This man should not have been able to infiltrate the village. It should've been even more impossible to infiltrate the boundary of the forest. That meant something else contributed to his easy infiltration. So through the interrogation Garrett would undergo with Ibiki, Arashi hoped for the truth to be revealed, and the infiltrator's benefactor's identity to be discovered.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let that happen, Yondaime." came the voice of an individual Arashi did not recognize.
As he started turning to it, since the voice came from behind him, he caught out of the corner of his eyes the image of a person dressed in a black cloak with a high collar, obscuring sight of his face, and several designs that looked like clouds colored in red. The clothing was familiar, dreadfully familiar, but what was even more perplexing, and somewhat frightening, was that Arashi had not sensed this person's presence. In fact, he still could not sense his presence.
It could've been a trick for intimidation purposes for this person to conceal his chakra. But it also could've been a ploy to instigate a fight and then catch the opponent off guard. He didn't like to be held in the dark and was furious over his own hesitations. These people were invading his village, as though they were mocking him, and he had a hard time accepting the fact he needed to be calm and sure in this situation.
"Who are you, and what is your business in my village?" he questioned with cold, biting words that helped convey the attitude he wished to display. He wanted this man to understand that failure to cooperate would lead to conflict - conflict that Arashi was almost positive this person wanted to avoid.
"Possessive and defensive, aren't we, Hokage-sama?" came the cool, indifferent reply that seemed familiar, yet unfamiliar. "I am here to take this vessel off your hands. I desire no conflicts, I have not come for one."
"Strange choice of words you have selected. You infiltrate this village and make your appearance before me, and arguably the best shinobi this village has accessible."
"Perhaps, but I figured you for a rational man."
Now this man was trying to be sociable, and it was grating on his nerves. His last bits and pieces of resolve dissolved when the man continued on his trek towards Xozen Garrett. "I couldn't care less how you figured me to be, but I do know this." In an instant, he had his engraved kunai in hand, ready for an offensive assault. "That cloak you wear marks you as one of the infamous criminals belonging to a group known as Akatsuki. I will not let two criminals escape, this day." Gripping his kunai so tightly that his knuckles were white, he made himself ready to assault the still unknown enemy.
Picking up the approach of something from behind him, he turned and almost effortlessly blocked the thrown kunai. His mind quickly processed that apparently this man didn't come alone, but what he didn't expect to see was an eerie and haunting sight to the Yellow Flash. Charging towards him was his own pupil, Hatake Kakashi, right hand crackling with the power of the Raikiri. "Ka...Kakashi?"
He barely managed to evade full contact but could not evade a glancing blow. Disbelief played a key factor in his lackadaisical dodge, as he could find no logical explanation for this sudden turn of events. He wanted to believe that his eyes were deceiving him, that it was a trick of his own mind, or of his opponent's. But there was no denying the pain across his midsection and right kidney side of his body. If he had not respected the power of his student's technique, then this would be the event that swayed his mind. Looking at Kakashi, he felt himself lose his balance and fall to one knee, right arm hugging tightly to his right side, where a greater amount of the pain was focused. He didn't even notice the amount of blood he was losing, or if he did he didn't show he cared. He only cared for answers. "What...are you doing...Kakashi? Answer me!" he managed to gasp out, having trouble gaining back his wind.
"Isn't it amazing, Yondaime, what a little bit of hypnosis can do to one's mind? I told you I did not come here seeking confrontation, but that is not to say that I would come here without means to defend myself either. Once I leave, you will have your precious pupil back." The cloaked figure was standing in front of Garrett and reached out to the man. With his fore and middle fingers, he touched the forehead of the transformed jinchurriki. Almost instantaneous was the reaction. The eyes of Garrett became wide, then glazed over, as he passed out. With that occurrance, the transformation seemed to pull away from his body, the disfigurements and odd coloration being sucked away and dragged towards a point on his back. Arashi could only assume that was where the seal was.
From the small swampland came another figure, this one disturbing in appearance. His hair was green, black on one side of his skin, and white on the other side. Even more curious was the odd venus fly-trap appearance of the two leafy protrusions from his sides. His black cloak with red clouds was wrapped around the odd foliage and helped complete the disturbing visage.
Arashi was very tense and wary of the newcomers, and of Kakashi's shift in behavior, but it didn't stop his mind from weighing all of the scenarios against one another. As he did this, something in his mind clicked, and he remembered that he did recognize the second cloaked person. His name was Zetsu, if Arashi's memory served correctly from the information provided in the Bingo Book.
Hearing footsteps coming from behind him, he did his best to try and feel out the chakra signature. It was familiar, which sparked a protective and defensive sensation inside him, as he tried to speak to the approaching figure. "Vander...don't get involved...stay back!"
"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but I cannot do such a thing. Your wounds may be fatal and I won't watch as a fatal injury goes untended." When the statement ended, he saw his friend kneel beside him. But instead of immediately trying to heal him, he gave Arashi an apologetic look that asked for forgiveness. He had no idea why he looked so apologetic, but then realization dawned on him.
A sudden jerk of movement caught his attention as his hypnotized pupil charged at them both. When the jounin suddenly stopped, and was pulled underneath the ground, did Arashi understand that a plan was in motion. Jiraiya popped out of the ground, looking as ready for a battle as Arashi had seen in years.
Zetsu was the first to speak of the two Akatsuki members after the change in circumstances. "Do you not value the life of your Kage, Sannin? Should he not be receiving medical attention instead of you making fruitless attempts upon our detention?"
"Shut up." came the response from Vander. "I know the Yondaime enough to know he would not want for you two to get away with infiltrating the village he governs and assaulting fellow nin. He'd rather die than allow that to happen."
"Heh heh heh...and what do you intend to do about it, medic?" was the witty and sarcastic reply from Zetsu.
"Simple. Defeat you." After the words were spoken, Jiraiya was the first to act, throwing a handfull of shuriken at Zetsu and his mysterious partner. Performing one two-handed seal, Jiraiya called out "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Where there were four, there were now twenty.
Zetsu acted next, flashing through an unidentifiable number of seals before spitting out a mouthful of mud. The mud splattered upon the ground and from that pile of mud, a wall of earth rose. The shuriken all collided with the wall, but at the exact point of contact, Jiraiya finished his attack. Making a small number of handseals, he spoke the title of his next move. "Shuriken Bakuya!" All twenty shuriken exploded, destroying the wall and scattering muddy debris.
"We have wished for minimal conflict in this venture, Yondaime. Call off your dogs, or we will be forced to defend ourselves with any means necessary." Arashi would have thought it to be a plea for a truce, but with the calm demeanor of Zetsu's partner's voice, he had his doubts that it was a plea. It was a warning.
When Vander took off, dashing at the two, hands glowing blue with the Shôsen jutsu, he briefly wondered if Vander knew this. If he did, then he didn't care. When he got within a couple yards, Zetsu's arms flew out, being converted into vines and digging into the ground close to the other. Now in striking distance, Vander was forced to halt as a wall of shrubbery launched up from the ground, acting as a wall separating the two sides.
Vander may have been forced to stop, but it did not pose such an issue for too long. "Move," commanded Jiraiya, getting said desired result. With Vander out of the way, the Sannin breathed an intense volume of flames that ignited the shrubbery. The burning remnants cascaded to the ground, revealing, once again, the intended targets of this battle. This time, Garrett was out of the ground and seemed to be supported, or carried, by Zetsu.
A blur caught Arashi's attention and he strained to keep up with it and see what it was. It just so happened to be Itachi. 'Good. He wasn't one of the injured from the first encounter.' That relieved him a great deal. What shocked him were the words that came from the sprinting teen's mouth. "Katon: Yo'ouri!"
The sound of crackling, unlike electricity arcing and popping, floated about the battlefield, as if it were of crackling embers. A haze was being emitted from the Uchiha's right hand, the coloring distorted in a hazy mixture of dark and light red, with a coal-ish hue adding to the coloration, giving a final impression of a smoking blaze surrounding the appendage.
At the moment right before Arashi predicted the impact zone to be, he heard Zetsu's ally utter "Troublesome child." The very next moment, Itachi struck, bringing his arm forward in a stabbing motion.
But his attack had missed it's mark. But missing it's mark was really an unfair summation of Itachi's attack. He didn't miss more than his opponent dodged...somehow. This thought was brought to the forefront of mental questioning because the man didn't even look as if he dodged. He was there one moment, and then he wasn't there the next.
The mysterious nin was currently only inches to his own right from his original position, but that small shift in position was enough to evade a direct attack and set up a counter-measure against Itachi, much to Arashi's chagrin. Once again, the unknown nin spoke and broke the tense air.
"Your eyes are powerful, but you rely on them too much. For, despite how strong your eyes may be," spoke the man calmly, with a hint of arrogance - and pausing for dramatic overtones, "mine are stronger." Increasing his powerful grip on the arm that held the Yo'ouri moments ago with the left hand, the unknown shinobi outstretched his right hand, extending only his index finger, and touching it to Itachi's chest - specifically over the area of the heart.
One of Arashi's greatest fears that still haunted his thoughts every now and then was the fear that he would bear witness to someone close to him being hurt and injured, right in front of him, and he incapable of preventing it. So when a beam of malignant light pierced through Itachi's chest, right where the heart should be, Arashi came face to face with one of his greatest fears. 'Why am I doing nothing while they risk everything?! I won't stand for it anymore!'
"Instead of further attempts at confrontation, you should consider getting your injured medical assistance." After speaking that line in his cold, calculating voice, the cloaked shinobi turned his head and looked at Zetsu before nodding to the odd-looking shinobi. A few seconds later, they merely vanished, phased out of sight as though they were never there to begin with.
Their departure sparked many actions. Kakashi managed to escape from his prison in the ground before he began looking around bewildered. When his and Arashi's gaze met, silent words spoke the loudest. Kakashi looked apologetic, and Arashi responded with a forgiving nod. When Vander walked over to him, Arashi just waved his friend off. "My injuries are not as serious as his," he said, referring to the fallen Uchiha. "Give him assistance."
Vander looked to be reluctant, but agreed and moved over to Itachi, leaving Arashi to simmer on the events of the day. Not one, not two, but three people had infiltrated the village. One, Xozen Garrett, tried to kill his son, the Hyuuga heir, and the Uchiha heir, all in one fell swoop, and the lack of awareness of the breach into the village almost resulted in the worst possible scenario. And yet, they had avoided one catastrophe with some mild to moderate injuries, but it was no joyous triumph. It was a sombre victory and a bitter-sweet defeat.
He was losing his equilibrium, his vision was becoming cloudy, and his body was unnaturally cold. He knew he was still injured, but his body was numb for some reason. He should be questioning these things and why they were occurring, but he couldn't bring himself to do so at the time. He only wanted to sleep. Slowly, as though he was in slow-motion, Arashi fell to the ground, barely even feeling the impact with the dirt. He could hear voices calling out, crying out, but they seemed so distant he could barely register them. At this point, it was annoying to try and force himself to concentrate. He just wanted to sleep. As his eyes closed, he could make out faint calls of "Hokage-sama," "He's going into shock," and "Help me or they both will die."
Everything else tuned out as his eyes closed.
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Go ahead and signal for the lynch mobs already. No wait...don't do that. Before any of you readers feel ready to unleash furious calls for my head on a stake, please note that I have said at the beginning of this chapter to pay attention to this notation.
In order to avoid discouraging a number of readers from my story, I have taken measures to ensure that the chapters in this story are not too large. So while I end chapters in horrible cliffhangers, I also, hopefully, do not overdo the size. This is yet another example. So if you would, go ahead and comment on this chapter and how you all thought of this writing style I experimented with. Was it a successful venture? Should I abandon this style of writing? And when you feel ready, feel free to continue to the next chapter.
As I have begun to use Japanese wording in my story for techniques, I will provide a translation list from this point on.
Kunai kage bunshin no jutsu - Kunai Shadow Duplication technique: Kind of self explanatory.
Kake Danmaku - Fragment Barrage: A technique used by Garrett that applies an excessive feed of chakra into a stone surface in order to splinter it, creating a number of stone missiles.
Katon: Karyuu Endan - Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile: Kind of self-explanatory.
Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu - Fire Release: Great Fireball technique: Self explanatory
Soudai wazawai shuuha - Grand Calamity/Catastrophe Wave: Can be interpreted either way. A technique used by Garrett that unleashes a concentrated burst of chakra from the fist through the ground, attacking any dormant fault lines which triggers an earthquake. But as the epicenter is established, a powerful wave of energy erupts from the epicenter, taking away any avenue of escaping through the air.Yomi Numa - Swamp of the Underworld: An earth technique that creates a swamp that can sink just about anything.
Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shuriken Shadow Duplication technique: Self-explanatory
Shôsen jutsu - Mystical Palm technique: Shifting and converting one's chakra to focus on their hands, the person can turn the appendages into makeshift scalpels.
Katon: Yo'ouri - 1,000 Burning Embers: A technique Itachi created in an attempt to finish the battle with Garrett. Using the same principle of the Raikiri, Itachi manipulates the chakra to favor fire more than lightning. The effect's are both the same, yet different. While the Raikiri pierces, the Yo'ouri burns and rips, causing more painful damage.
Shuriken Bakuya - Shuriken Explosion: Funneling chakra into the shuriken shadow duplicates, they can be detonated like bombs.
For those of you who might wait a while to read the next chapter, then I will at least offer unto you a preview into the next chapter. As the conflict between the Leaf and it's intruders dies down, what will become of the fallen shinobi? And while that series of events played out, what happened with Cell Seven? Did they manage to avoid conflict? Or did conflict find them in their moment of weakness? In the aftermath of chaos, the ones left to their thoughts have but one ultimate course of action. Reflections: The Price We Pay