4 kilometers north, Grass Country.
Might Gai no longer felt the world around him. He had become his own universe- a being of matter that was rapidly changing into light. His body was a vessel, and nothing was contained within the skin now but energy and purpose. The power of youth had become something real and tangible- and it was trying to hammer its way out of the shell that was Gai.
He was airborne, gravity was no longer strong enough to force his obedience to its laws. Below him, a massive crater had been created. There were no trees within its thirty meter radius, nor signs of the Triple Rashomon Gates he had plowed through in the attempt to end the Serpent's abominable existence. Vaguely, a part of Might Gai was aware things hadn't gone to plan.
Neji, NejiNeji… the name continued to repeat in the jonin's power drunk mind, trying to put together what it meant or where the thought was going. NejiNeji… Where is Neji?! The thought finally metastasized. Neji should have doubled back long before now. Did something go wrong? Human emotions that were not just anger and thrill began to collect again inside Might Gai. Concern was slowly seeping in, poisoning the heady wine of confidence. In truth, Neji should have arrived at the moment the Seventh Gate was opened, assuming of course he had confirmed the presence of their reinforcements and the safety of the remaining team. That meant either that Neji had been unable to confirm the reinforcements, or, Neji had to help protect the team. What's gone wrong?
He was instinctively aware that Orochimaru must have burned an incredible amount of chakra in order to protect himself from his previous attacks. He was slightly more aware that it made little difference if he didn't have a fresh offensive team coming to his rescue. Neji would have been able to tell him the exact condition of the parasite, just how far it was pushing its host's networks. Neji could have determined if the monster that had once been a shinobi legend could maintain sustained combat for any further length of time. As it was, Neji was not here. Might Gai had no choice but to guess at the exact state of his opponent.
That guess further compelled Gai's thoughts away from hope. There he stood, in the center of desolation, appearing almost untouched and unshaken. Gai's eyesight was hardly enhanced by the chakra flood he had initiated, from his elevation it appeared that the enemy was gazing up at him, yellow eyes fixed, ivory skin unblemished, mouth slightly agape in twisted smile. Its kimono appeared to remain unmarked, although its earthy tones might have hid any discoloration. Blows that would have shattered mountains and remade the landscape were like rain pattering off its flesh. For all the world it appeared all Might Gai's attacks had been in vain.
He felt his heart sink as gravity began to pull on his frame once more. He might have appeared to be a newborn sun not a second before, but like any shooting star, his life span was spent in an instant. The Leaf-nin's chakra reserves were now depleted to the point of destruction- the plan had called for him to remain in this form for one minute at maximum; it was now ten seconds past that. There was only one thing left to do- and there was only one way to do that as well. Only one last source of chakra Gai could tap.
In truth, Might Gai had prepared himself for what he was about to do. He had been ready since the day he learned he was capable of such a feat. It certainly wasn't a backup plan, nor had he discussed it with his precious students. If everything had gone perfectly, if nothing had interfered with the timetable, they might have been able to drive the Sound leader away. They might have been able to complete the mission without any real sacrifice.
Might have. That option was gone now; time was up. The only thing left was a personal directive. That he would never play his final card unless he was protecting something so precious, that even his nindo paled in value. That criteria had just been met. The Snake Lord threatened not just himself, not just his precious students, not just the Leaf Village and the Land of Fire. It was a threat to value itself, to any and every morale right and reality. Nor was it an idle threat. If the thing that had been Orochimaru was not stopped, it would continue to go on polluting and defiling everything it touched and sought out. The abomination would destroy the very nature of value. And without value, a nindo could not exist.
Might Gai gazed down at his enemy and began to open the Eigth Gate. That was how Gai became aware that he had been stabbed. The blade had run right through his chest, puncturing his heart, yet he felt no pain. Vaguely he was aware of the monster's presence behind him, noting ever so briefly that the mud clone he had been watching so carefully was melting away back into its nature. The Snake Sannin cackled madly behind his floating form, the noise slightly garbled as if something was in its mouth. Might Gai's strength was gone in an instant, and he really was falling now, but it seemed to be taking forever to reach the ground.
He got behind me? When? The question seemed irrelevant at this point, but Gai supposed it had happened as he had smashed the triple barrier into atoms. Orochimaru must have moved, leaving a clone in his place while shifting into the surrounding forest. Remaining stationary, even while levitating, had been a mistake. Using the gates makes you careless, a detached voice berated inside his suddenly weary head. The enemy had outmaneuvered him, gotten airborne, and launched its fatal attack.
Struggling now, Gai tried to shift his head around to confirm his suspicions. When did it get so hard to move? A more personal part of him asked. Sure enough, there was Orochimaru's long dark hair; it seemed as if the Snake Sannin had fired the blade from between his very lips! His body however, was nowhere to be found, the only other part of the snake lord's anatomy was an impossibly long neck extending back into the tree line 200 meters beneath them. Gai felt like throwing up for an instant, and then even that basic response passed into the approaching beyond.
The world was slowly slipping away, Gai felt eternity creeping in, millisecond by eternal millisecond. Paralyzed huh? The great Might Gai, master of the human physique, can't even move a muscle? The voice was his, but he felt detached from it, as if it wasn't him anymore, but someone else speaking to him. I can't, I'm sorry but I can't. I feel. Old. Helpless. At least there's no pain.
That's not like me
He had a brief flash then, it seemed to set his pierced heart aflame. Kakashi standing over his defeated form. Sharingan genjitsu. I'll have to be careful of that from now on. A young boy with huge eyebrows and a long braid of hair being mocked on the academy grounds by his classmates, still doing pushups. He's going to be better than me. Pupilless eyes that were drifting to the corner of the room avoiding his teacher's in shame. Is he going to keep his word? A broken girl in a hospital bed telling him she's find, he'd better go visit his favorite. Am I that obvious?
A host of other memories paraded by his eyes: wars, friends, his long dead sensei, the mission where he had first taken another human life. Gai felt insignificant in it all. Was this how the best perished- in the jaws of a monster? What was it all for if he couldn't protect those most precious? If he couldn't protect his own ideal?
The decent had ceased its surreal slow motion, but it mattered little to Might Gai. He had made rules his entire life, and when he couldn't follow one, he made up another. So Gai made his final rule. If he could not be able to kill the serpent lord, he would take away one of its fangs.
Orochimaru felt his moment of victory suddenly melt away. Gai is producing more chakra?! Impossible, I've pierced his heart!
The technique was going wrong. With his heart pierced he couldn't focus the tidal wave of chakra that was crashing forth- instead, it was all being poured into his opponent's weapon. As Might Gai's existence burst into a million pieces, so did the unbreakable blade of the Kusanagi longsword.
4 kilometers south, Grass Country
Being able to use effective genjutsu in combat was a rare talent, even among ninjitsu masters. The Uchiha clan had been renowned for their mastery of the skill, but in all fairness, this was mainly do to the genetic heritage of the sharingan. To actually weave signs and manipulate an opponent's chakra in such a subtle way to bring on illusions was no easy feat.
Given his innate talent (often times compared to the copy-nin himself) Kabuto had been able to master the third ninja technique, and when he truly concentrated, was able to create some of the most powerful illusions. It became infinitely harder however in the heat of battle, and only those with the finest control over their own chakra (as well as years of practice) could manage it. Even for one who did possess such skills, the depth of the illusion was usually quite simple. Itachi Uchiha and the Leaf jonin Kurenai Yuhi were two exceptions. Kabuto was not. Makes little difference, the prodigy calculated smugly. His opponents, he knew, were infinitely worse at this type of chakra manipulation. He would not be able to pull off some grand illusion, but then again, he didn't need to.
Tenten knew she was outmatched. She was skilled to be sure. Even as a genin she had possessed uncanny accuracy with shinobi blades and throwing tools. Mixed with a natural sense of balance and physical aptitude she was far above most chunnin (and perhaps even a few jonin) when it came to employing the most common tools of a ninja. Yet Kabuto Yakushi held the advantage here.
While Tenten was a certifiable master in one area, her opponent was an expert in several. He had already disabled Lee, (she had found it impossible to wake him from his stupor, the blow to his skull taking away his reasoning faculties) and had pushed Neji to the edge of exhaustion. True, she had him on the defensive, and knew that he had sustained some damage and chakra expenditure, yet she was no fool; these were only temporary setbacks to one as talented as the Leaf traitor. Why didn't we get his gear off when we had the chance? she worried fruitlessly.
Tenten was moving quickly now, leaping from tree trunk to tree trunk parallel to the ground, quickly circling around the obstacle which Kabuto had slipped behind. I've got to buy us some time at the very least. "Hyyyyah!" the battle cry burst from her lips as the kunai leapt from her hands, Tenten's eyes locked on her target. He was hunched low, hands clasped in seal formation, his only response a sharp glance, his eyes set with killer intent. Tenten immediately began searching for the real target before the blades pierced the replacement technique- Kabuto wasn't even trying to dodge her attack.
Thud!thunk! Tenten heard the blades impact her flesh before she felt the pain, a slight side effect of genjutsu illusion she was under. "awwagh-!" her scream came out strangled, mixing with the bile that was suddenly rising in her throat. The Kabuto replacement smirked back at her, the kunai blades sticking perfectly out of his chest. Then the pain disrupted the illusion, and Tenten saw her folly.
She was falling now, no longer able to keep the chakra balanced in her feet to grip the tree. She did manage a slight role to her left shoulder on the way down preventing the kunai from being jammed any further into her belly and right arm. The impact was still jarring and the kunoichi found herself retching up a mouthful of blood and stomach acid. He changed my aim point-made me think he was using a replacement technique when he was just standing in front of me! The realization was almost as painful as her wounds.
The injuries were incredibly distracting, but not incapacitating. Tenten was still terribly aware of just how much danger she was in, the pain only heightening her fear. Responding to it was proving difficult however. She managed to roll to her back, spasms of pain ricocheting through her body, and she fought down the next violent urge to throw up.
His shadow was over her now, blocking out the sunlight that had been coming through the leaves. Through the pain, Tenten was vaguely aware that the bloodlust had left the maniac's eyes, now replaced with a level of smug satisfaction.
"That was a very brave thing you did Tenten, charging in on me even though you knew I had the upper hand. Not smart, but certainly brave."
Kabuto crouched down above her now, bending his head so his glasses were parallel with her eyes; the sunlight was passing through the lenses turning them bright and opaque. Tenten had to squint to keep looking at the glowing monstrosity that leered above her. He keeps spare glasses with him? Tenten briefly wondered.
"I'm sorry, but you won't be saving your friends today. It probably would have worked out better if you had just tried to evacuate one of them. Now, none of you will be leaving."
"Bet..Better,.. run be-fore, h-h-he getsback," Tenten managed to spit back, the defiance pathetically tainted by roiling agony that was squeezing her eyes shut.
Kabuto's patronizing tone was like a parent addressing a naughty toddler. "Tenten, you shouldn't be speaking in your condition, especially just to make idle threats. Neji's got one good leg and is close to chakra exhaustion; I won't need Byakugan to find where you have moved him to. And I don't care how hard you shook Lee, the blow I landed was good enough to put him in a coma. He really picked the worst time to turn sentimental. So please, don't embarrass yourself any further by bluffing."
"No,.. bluff," she managed to retort breathlessly- Tenten was becoming more and more sure that the pain alone from the belly wound was going to kill her.
"Of course your not," Kabuto sighed in exacerbated reply as he extended his hand toward the hilt protruding from Tenten's digestion tract.
A delicate gloved hand caught Kabuto's wrist, and despite being quite petite, it gripped like an iron vice. Kabuto had left his seventh and final chuunin exam in Konoha during the beginning of the preliminary third round. As such, he had heard only second-hand how Rock Lee had fought the Sand's future fifth Kazekage almost to a standstill only to have his leg and arm crushed mercilessly. It was only thanks to the astounding medical techniques of a Sannin that he had now fully recovered.
If Kabuto had stayed however, he would have born witness to the fact that after losing consciousness, Rock Lee had stood back up; had even prepared to continue to fight with pulverized muscle and bone while being entirely senseless. Rock Lee maintained a strength few alive possessed- the capability to internalize purpose beyond reasoning, dedication that bordered on instinct. As it was, any hint of this character trait, was missing from Kabuto's data cards.
He had only a second to glimpse the face of his inhibiter. She certainly did not seem pleased to see him. "You may be misinterpreting the intent of my action," was the first thing off Kabuto's lips. For the second time that day, Kabuto had his arm broken as if it was as easy as snapping a twig.