AUTHOR-SAN HAS RISE FROM THE ASHES. HELLO SWEET CHILDREN. Now, before any of you start hexing, cursing, throwing pots and pans at me, I just need to say a few things...
I'M SORRY IF I MADE YOU MAD OKAY. I GOT SCHOOL. I'M STILL A STUDENT. I NEED TO DO THINGS TOO YANNO. I really love writing but its kinda hard trying to balance. I had a writer's block too. Also why I haven't update in 982785932730 years. And I'll be having an even more hectic year next year too. I will be finishing this fic, cross my heart but it might take a loooooonnnggg assss tiiimmmmeeeee.
BUT ANYWAYS. I'VE TRIED MY BEST. (I almost gave up too but I couldnt leave Momo hanging. She's my first ever OC and I'm determind to get her story done. Also. I feckin own this mofo so if I see anyone, and I mean ANYONE using her or some shit. Well. Lets just say I will make your life be as feckin pleasant as you are.)
SO HERE'S TO A NEW CHAPTER.
Chapter Thirty-Five: Before Gods
Mononoke immediately swerved around, fear gripping her heart, and cried out, "Gaara, don't!"
The shifting of the sand grew silent. It was so quiet in the dark corridor, for all you know, you could hear a feather fall.
She scrambled out of the sand's gentle embrace before stumbling to the Sand ninja, almost falling over in the process. Gaara watch in muted surprise as she held his shoulders and seafoam eyes bored into his, shining so brightly he felt as if he could see the entire universe in her eyes.
"Don't let anymore blood spill on your hands. Please." Mononoke pleaded urgently, her hands left his shoulders and slipped down to hold his hands. He continue watching her in silence as she continued, her eyes searching his, "Don't be the monster they think you are. You're so much more than that."
It scared her to see him so willingly and easily reaching over to kill the two men. Without a moment's hesitation.
But it comforted her a little that he did it to protect her. But it wasn't a good enough excuse to murder them in cold blood. They're bloody bastards all right, but it's not the shinobi way to evoke death without mercy over a small trivial thing as an insult.
Gaara continued watching her, the silence dragging longer by each passing moment, until Mononoke almost thought she had cross some sort of line.
Well, maybe she did, but in a good way.
Finally, after a nerve-wracking minute, Gaara dipped his head and sand shifted before curling lazily in the air as it return to his gourd.
The two men rasped and gasped as they fell to their knees, clawing at their throats as they gulped much needed air into their system.
She meant what she said before, about shinobi not killing over petty things. But Mononoke wasn't ready to forgive them yet.
She narrowed her eyes at them as they keeled over, heaving. Without a whisper or a sound, her shadow writhed and melted into a clear streak before it began to creep towards the unsuspecting duo. The moment her elongated shadow touched theirs, their breaths condensed in a puff of mist and they both looked up at her in surprise.
They couldn't move or speak. They were frozen. At least it was obvious at their feet. Ice already encased their legs and up to their waist before Mononoke's shadow retracted and returned to its original state.
"Don't worry. As much as I like to freeze you for eternity, you're not worth my energy. Next time use your head to think, not your ass." Mononoke said coldly, pun not intended, and she placed a gentle hand on Gaara's elbow. Suddenly his bloodthirst spiked and Mononoke blinked in surprise. She knew the hunger wasn't directed to her and she turned. Two heads poked out from the stairs that they were heading towards. One blonde and the other a pineapple head.
Determind, she turned back to Gaara. His face was contorted freakishly, his grin teetering to madness. Mononoke immediately growled, bringing her face close to his, "Gaara. No."
She could feel his aura writhing around her, the energy almost crackling the very air. That's when she felt a twist in her gut and out of sudden, a large amount of energy of the same intensity began pouring out of her, countering the Sand's hunger. It was familiar yet alien to her as her consciousind tried to sort it out. And she realized what it was.
Her own bloodlust.
Gaara made a soft garbled grunt, as if he was caught by surprise, when Mononoke snarled at him. Both Genins stared each other down, muffled growls emanating from their throats.
Their quiet exchange was unheard by the other two but when they felt the bloodthirst subside so suddenly, they wondered for a moment whether it had actually happened.
Once she was satisfied that Gaara was back to normal, (well, as normal as he could be at this moment and state of mind), Mononoke tug his sleeve, making him walk.
Just as she neared the stairs, she noticed Naruto and Shikamaru watching her with unconcealed fear. Mononoke winced inwardly at their stares as she walked past them, paying them no attention as she led Gaara down. She heard Shikamaru's breath hitched as he stiffened when her sleeve brushed his arm and her heart almost shattered. Without a second glance, Mononoke led Gaara out of the kill zone.
She felt Gaara's small glances at her once he was stable but she deliberately ignored him as they continued towards the ring in silence.
When they arrived at the exit of the dome, Mononoke turned to Gaara suddenly, it caught him by surprise. His eyes were on her when she finally spoke, "Promise me you won't kill anyone once you step out of here."
He just watched her with unblinking eyes as she stepped closer. "And... You can hurt the Uchiha, but don't kill him. He's my friend."
Silence just greeted her as she looked at him with an unwavering gaze, "Promise me, Gaara. Konoha won't take it lightly if you killed off the last Uchiha, and I don't want you to get hurt." The boy's eyes widened as she said it so sincerely, her eyes glowing as she did.
"Because if you do, I will kill you." Gaara was about to silence her then and there but she wasn't finished.
"I won't allow you to be a killer, even if I have to turn into one myself."
And with that, Mononoke pressed her forehead against Gaara's for time-stopping moment before turning and walking away back into the shadows.
She didn't return to the others. How could she? She just gave them the fright of their lives. Especially Shikamaru. What would he think of her now? Did she betray him in some way? Why would she think of that?
All her thoughts roll to the dust the moment Gaara turned and walked into the sunshine. Mononoke crept back closer to the exit to watch the match, safely away from prying eyes as she sorted herself out.
Mononoke bit her lips as she folded her arms, staring blankly at the brief exchange between her teammate and her Suna friend. She hoped dearly that neither Shikamaru or Naruto would think differently of her now. She was just trying to protect everyone. Her feet scuffle against the ground as she sighed.
Finally, she decided to put her emotions away and watch the long awaited fight instead. What she was feeling at the moment can wait for later.
The match was intense, and Mononoke could see how Gaara was trying his best to dampen his bloodthirst. For that, she was proud and grateful of the boy. It must've been difficult to restrict himself after all this time of doing whatever he pleases.
But the moment Gaara encased himself inside the sphere of sand, Mononoke felt her body stiffened. Her gut instincts made her spine shiver, telling her that something was off.
And as always, it was right. The moment Sasuke landed the Chidori, it began.
Before she knew it, the bleachers erupted with chaos. The shrill clinking of metal against metal made Mononoke snap her attention to the stands.
Kakashi.
Without a second's hesitation, Mononoke ignored every commotion stirring up in the ring and rushed out of the exit. She swerved a hard right and ran up the walls of the stadium, heading straight for the sidelines.
Swinging herself up the bars, she landed neatly on a unknown ninja. A quick look at him as he drew out a weapon, aiming to attack her, made her fling a counter-attack, thanks to sheer instinct. Ice shot through his chest and he fell to the ground, motionless.
Mononoke didn't bother to spare him a glance as she gathered her bearings.
The audience had all fell into a deep sleep. Must be some sort of genjutsu. Which means the intruders aren't after the villagers.
That's when she spot the dancing gunmetal gray hair in between the seats. And the amount of enemy ninjas rushing towards him.
Anger and fear boiled through her veins, causing large doses of adrenaline to pump through her body. Mononoke clenched her fists as she lowered her body, poised to attack.
Kakashi warded off his attackers easily with Gai watching his back beside him. "Just like old times, huh, Kakashi?" His fellow Jonin taunted as he lunged at one of the ninjas. Kakashi just chuckled as he threw a kunai at his target, hitting the man square in the chest and the man crumpled to the floor.
A flurry of ice crystals stopped him from making a comeback.
The shards impaled many of the enemy ninjas, most of them motionless within seconds of getting hit. Kakashi felt his breath hitched nervously at the sight of one of the ninjas had a kunai in his hand, arm raised to attack him. But he was frozen with fear. Literally. Kakashi could see clearly the frost creeping out of his mouth, eyes and ears.
His eye widened, worry creasing his face and causing a shiver to run down his spine. What a fearsome power. Where was it coming from?
Kakashi didn't know what to expect when he found the source.
There she was.
His breath-taking, icy whirlwind was running towards him as she snarled at a ninja that lunged for her. Without breaking her stride, she twisted his arm and a horrible cracking sound echoed through the stands as the man shrieked in pain. She toss him over down into the stadium before leaping and landing a few ways from Kakashi.
Immediately, the wild glittering in her sea-foam eyes ten seconds ago dissipated and was replaced with a soft, loving gaze as Mononoke looked up at her ex-guardian. She grinned, her canines jutting out of her lips, looking as harmless as a five day old puppy, even though she had left a bunch of dead bodies in her wake.
Kakashi finally settled with relief and worry as his final emotions. Worry that Mononoke would kill so mercilessly and relief that she only does it for people she care about.
Or him.
Especially him.
As he would do for her.
"You okay?" She asked, her eyes searching him. He nodded as he ruffled her hair, "Better now that you're here." Another dazzling smile was all he needed to right himself again. Mononoke would never harm anyone, unless she'd been forced to.
"Mononoke! Kakashi-sensei! You're all right!" A frantic voice called for them and the duo turned to see a panicking Sakura stumbling towards them.
The cogs began turning inside Kakashi's mind as he looked over at the stadium. He had seen Sasuke chasing after the Sand trio. He turned back to see Mononoke watching him knowingly. Both of them exchange glances before the younger girl turned to her pink-haired teammate, "Sakura, wake Naruto up. We're going after Sasuke."
Sakura looked from Mononoke to Kakashi, the latter giving her a small nod, before adding thougtfully, "I believe Shikamaru is at the back. Bring him along too."
The fact that Mononoke winced at the sound of the Nara heir's name did not go unnoticed by the Copy Ninja. But this was not the time to chat over tea.
As Sakura obeyed their orders, Kakashi turned towards Mononoke, looking at her for a moment before making a small cut on his thumb, drawing blood.
"Summoning Jutsu!" He unlocked the jutsu as he pressed his hand on a hard surface, which was someone's back at that particular moment.
A puff of smoke revealed a grumpy looking pug. Mononoke's eyes brightened up at the sight of the canine, "Pakkun!"
The dog noticed her and gave her a happy grin of greeting, his tail wagging slightly, "Ah, Momo. Long time no see."
"Save your reunion for later. Pakkun, I need you to track Sasuke." Kakashi commanded gently and Pakkun raised a paw over his head, giving a little salute to his master, "Aye-aye, Kakashi." The Jonin looked over at his ex-charge, his voice a little heavy, "Go with them. And stay out of trouble."
Mononoke just gave him a encouraging grin before showing a peace sign, "I always get into trouble."
That's what I'm worried about, Kakashi thought worriedly as Mononoke and Pakkun strode over to the others. There were more enemy ninjas pouring in. Kakashi couldn't see them off as he joined Gai in keeping the enemies busy.
But Mononoke, on the other hand, is getting a handful as well.
Sakura furrowed her eyebrows and frowned at the still unconscious Shikamaru. "It's no use! He won't wake up!"
An unamused snort came from Mononoke as she rolled her eyes at this. Can't say that she's surprised. Pakkun seemed aware of her indifference and began sniffing the Nara's ankle. Without warning, the dog opened his mouth wide and clamped down.
It took only a heartbeat before Shikamaru sat up, shaking his right foot wildly, "What is that?! Get it off me!"
Mononoke could only snicker and shake her head as she watched the hopeless boy. Sakura nagged at him for his acting and he went on to complain that he didn't give a flying rat's ass about Sasuke to which Pakkun bite his hand and Mononoke bursts out laughing again at the hilarious exchange.
Once they got Shikamaru to join the group(grudgingly), they set off. Mononoke deftly avoided any direct conversation with either boys. She just didn't want to freak them out any more than she should have. She caught them sneaking a few glances at her but she pretended she didn't see them. Instead, she began took up the back of the team, looking over her shoulder for any enemy ninjas every few jumps.
But suddenly she smell a warning scent that Pakkun released just before he announced, "Someone's tailing us."
The others grew alert, throwing looks behind to make sure. The silver haired kunoichi didn't detect them but she trusts Pakkun with her life.
"How many of them?" Mononoke asked, squashing down her doubts into non-existence. Pakkun's nose twitched, "Ten. No, eleven."
The five drew up some speed as they rushed through the trees, hoping to gain more distance between their enemies.
"What do you think we should do?" Sakura inquired, her voice a little shaky.
Pakkun shrugged as he leaped across a branch, "We could try moving faster but I doubt it would work for long."
After a brief moment of silence, Shikamaru spoke up, "We need someone to stay behind and distract the enemy."
Naruto hummed in surprise, "Like an ambush? There's no time for that! We need to get to Sasuke!"
"No. Not an ambush." Mononoke confirmed, already one step behind Shikamaru, knowing where he was headed, "Someone needs to stay behind and act as a decoy to slow the enemies down. The others would move on."
Sakura and Naruto took sharp intakes of breath at this.
"That means... The person who stays behind..." Sakura trailed off, leaving the thought hanging.
"Won't make it out alive." Funnily enough, Shikamaru and Mononoke said it at the exact same time. The others grew quiet as they digested this.
Mononoke suddenly pulled to a stop, landing neatly on a rather thick branch. The others noticed and followed.
"Unless that someone is me." Mononoke stated, looking at the others pointedly, as if daring them to challenge her. But of course a certain blond would not accept it. Naruto immediately started to protest, "No way! I'm staying behind!"
His teammate just shook her head defiantly, "No, you won't. You'll need to go and knock some sense into Sasuke," and hopefully Gaara, she thought as she continued. "I'm probably the most suitable for the job. You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up."
Naruto wanted to argue further but a voice piped up. "Naruto." Shikamaru stopped him, meeting Mononoke's eyes for the first time since Gaara's bloodlust moment. "Mononoke's right. Only she can do this."
"But, Shikamaru. We need her on the front lines too." Sakura offered, her eyes darting from one friend to another. What's with this tension?
Mononoke never took her eyes off Shikamaru as she replied her teammate, "Don't worry. I won't take long. You guys go on now, before we all get stuck in this mess."
Without another glance, she turned around and faced the direction of the enemy, "If I can't handle eleven low-grade ninjas, how am I going to be as good as Kakashi?" Mononoke tilted her head slightly, "I'm sure you would understand, Naruto. Now, move before they get here."
There was a short pause before Naruto finally said, his voice falsely cheerful, "You better keep up, y'hear me? We still need you, so don't slack around!"
Mononoke just chuckled and waved back, "Same goes to you, blockhead. Don't get soft."
Another moment and the whoosh of her friends leave told her she was alone.
The Yorukami stretched her neck and arms, feeling her bones crack in satisfaction, "Now, no one can stop me."
When the Sound ninjas reached a clearing, they stopped. "Hold up." The leader warned before taking a step on the ground.
"Come out, whoever you are! I know you're here!" He ordered.
Silence greeted him. The man clenched his fist before looking this way and that, "If you don't come out, we'll kill you."
A smirk formed in the shadows. A handsign was made and a voice mouthed softly, "Shadow Possession Jutsu."
The Sound ninjas never saw it coming.
Ice shot up from ten pairs of legs, imprisoning the ninjas. Cries of surprise and dismay filled the air as they tried to get out, but to no avail. The head of the group looked up in bafflement, "It's an ambush!"
"Funny how you think you can kill me if you can't even see me." A girl stepped out of the shadows, smirking devilishly at the easily fooled donkeys. Behind her, she dragged a body that wore similiar clothing as they did.
"You would think he would have hid better. No matter." She threw the pathertic corpse down and stepped forward.
Raising her left hand, her sleeve hung over her wrist as her fingers splayed elegantly, "Let this be a lesson to those that wish to harm my home."
A feral grin grew on the girl's face, twisting it hauntingly. The Sound ninjas could only watch in horror as they took in their last breath, the haunting image that was burned into their mind as the last thing they saw was an avenging demonic creature with glittering gold eyes.
Shikamaru could only watch numbly as he stood at a safe distance. Sakura was lodged against a tree by a sand prison and was knocked out unconscious. Sasuke was pretty much useless at this point, his chakra obviously at its lowest point. Just like me, Shikamaru thought bitterly. He's not very helpful at this point either.
And Naruto was trying his best to land a punch on the twisted creature. Which means Naruto was their only hope right now. But judging by the circumstances, an outraging scene was unfolding before him, with too many pieces of the puzzle all wonky and confusing. The Nara has no idea what was going on and he could almost feel his head splitting into two with all the questions.
The said creature is obviously Gaara, except that half of his face and majority of his body took on a shape of a monster. Shikamaru spotted Gaara's blonde teammate, his former opponent in the exam, hiding between the brambles.
Sasuke groaned beside Shikamaru as he held himself up against a tree. Shikamaru looked at him from the corner of his eye, wondering what he should do. But he didn't have to, because Pakkun was one step faster.
"Take a break, boy." Pakkun advised, looking over at the Uchiha, "We can't do anything about this anymore." Sasuke growled but ignored them, trying to stand while holding his arm, "N-No. I need to..."
Suddenly, Pakkun turned, eyes and ears alert. "I don't think you need to do anything now, kid. Help's on her way."
Before either boy could question him, a sharp burst of energy crashed from the branches behind them. That's when they saw a hurtling comet that was shooting straight for Gaara.
At least whatever that looked like a comet.
The silver light pierced through the trees as the surge of power collided with Gaara. The trees began swaying terribly by the force. Leaves flew everywhere, dancing wildly in the cold blast of wind. Shikamaru crouched down as he raised his hands to his face in attempt to shield it from the blinding light and cold.
Just as he watched through the cracks of his fingers, he saw the light swirled into a vortex before letting loose a surge of power before disappearing.
Mononoke landed softly three branches away from Gaara.
Although he couldn't see her face, he knew in that moment there was something different about her. Pakkun whined a little, "I fear the worst."
Shikamaru turned to the dog and furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
Pakkun looked up at him and suddenly, the dog seemed to have more wrinkles on his face now than ever before as he explained, "There's a bloodthirsty scent in the air. And it does not belong to the Sand."
She didn't understand why it happened or how. All she knew was that she needed to release, to unleash the power inside her.
Mononoke curled her fingers and she felt her mouth slid into a ugly snarl, "I told you, Gaara. You know I did. But you didn't keep your promise. Instead you brought havoc into Konoha, into my home. I won't forgive you or anyone who have had a hand in this."
Gaara growled, heaving as he did, long dribbles of saliva dripping from his unsightly jowls, "I don't care. I need to prove my existence. And I will kill."
A rolling vortex of ice was hurled at the half-morphed boy, throwing him off balance and off his tree branch.
The creature hissed angrily as he tried to get his bearings by twisting around in the air. A monstrous arm gripped onto a nearby treebark to steady himself.
An unearthly shriek called out and Gaara looked up in surprise, unable to react fast enough. Mononoke lunged at him, hands extended and fingers curled like claws. She managed to scratched harshly at his face, leaving a bloodied trail. Ice formed against the raw skin, burning it. His shrieks were harsh enough to cause a few birds taking flight in fright.
Without stopping, Mononoke began attacking without mercy. Gaara couldn't keep up with her speed as he tried to counter-attack and defend at the same time.
Standing at a safe distance, Shikamaru could feel his heart in his throat as he watched all this transpired. He couldn't comprehend how the clumsy ball of energy he knew could turn into a full blown killing spree.
Naruto had managed to slip away unnoticed from the fight and had came to his side. "Oi, Shikamaru! We need to help Mononoke-chan!" The Nara turned to him so fast, he almost got himself whiplash, "Are you mad?! We can't even get close to three feet without getting hit by her shards."
The blond turned to verify his words. Indeed, surrounding the demonic duo was a whirlpool of ice. They won't be able to help. But Naruto turned back to him, eyes blazing, "But we can't just sit by and do nothing!"
A groan came from behind them and they turned to look. Sasuke stood on wobbly feet as he stumbled towards them, "Idiot. If you're going, I'm coming along too. You wouldn't last a second against them." Naruto wanted to protest, seeing how weak he is but Sasuke glared at him, as if daring him to stop him, "She's my comrade too, and I won't let her get hurt."
His blond teammate clenched his fists at this but quickly relaxed when the Uchiha's words finally sunk in.
"Naruto. Sasuke. Let her handle this," Pakkun interrupted, successfully getting their attention, "If worse comes to worse, Naruto will act as the second line of attack. Out of all of us, you have the most chakra right now." The canine turned to the Uchiha and sniffed with concern, "And you are in no state to fight."
A loud cracking sound stopped any further discussion and the four of them looked back. Collective gasps came from them as they took in the new sight.
Gaara was panting heavily, blood oozing from multiple wounds on his body. Mononoke also bore a large gash on her right side, but frost was starting to build over the injury. But she was standing tall.
They could hear her murmur under her breath, as if she was reciting some sort of chant. Steadily, crystals began to gather at her feet in a neat circle, before growing and whirling upwards, roaring as it became large enough to be a deadly tornado. The Konoha ninjas watch as their comrade sneered wildly at Gaara, her eyes growing wilder and more feral by the second.
Shikamaru immediately noticed her eyes were gold the entire time, ever since she had entered the fray, but it was slowly melting into the sea foam eyes he was familiar with now. He thought she was coming back to her senses. But boy, was he wrong.
The whirlwind around Mononoke suddenly tightened and condensed around her, warping this way and that. The onlookers watch in apprehensiveness as the opaque ice ball twisting into itself. And then, it made one last twist and disappeared, revealing the creature inside.
Whatever that was left held no visible traces of the Konoha sweetheart. Instead, an enchanting, strange creature stood haughtily on the tree branch, its many tails writhing around as if they had lives of their own. Although it had canine-like features, its muzzle was well-rounded, and its ears were thin and sharp, the tips of its ears light grey, the same shade of the tip of its tails. Its dainty paws dig through the bark, leaving soft traces of frost under its pawprints. And its eyes. Its eyes were the same colour of Mononoke's, a brilliant sea foam, but these were far brighter and vibrant than how a human's eyes should be. Those eyes seemed to be able to glow brightly even in the darkest of night.
It huffed once before throwing its head back, letting loose a terribly beautiful howl.
"What is that?" Shikamaru heard Naruto said in a hushed tone, his voice quivering slightly as he did. The Nara could hardly blame him, he felt like his legs were jelly. Anyone could tell that this creature was not meant to be on Earth. As beautiful as it is, it seemed like its either a heavenly creature or a sinful evil.
Before anyone could react, its tails twisted and encircle it before whirring quickly like a drill, hurtling towards Gaara. The boy couldn't move fast enough and was hit with full force. He flew a few feet away before falling to the ground.
The large drill stopped its venture and unfurled like sails, whipping backwards. The creature landed gently on a branch, shaking its body like a dog shaking off water before stretching. It yawned, its sharp rows of teeth glinting.
The Konoha ninja didn't know what to do except for holding their breaths and hoping for the best.
But it tilted its elegant head towards them before turning and leaping over. It was rather large, almost as large as Gintaro himself, maybe bigger, but the canine did not seem to mind as it fell beside Shikamaru and Pakkun with grace and ease.
It lowered its head to sniff the little dog, causing the poor critter to shiver slightly underneath its majesty. It made a sound like a laugh, a comforting sound that instantly relaxes the dog, "Can't you tell that its me, you silly old thing? Don't need to be afraid."
"M-Mononoke?" Shikamaru uttered and it looked up before flashing a few teeth at him. Then it lifted its head up to look at eye level to Naruto.
Jiraiya told me you can summon. Gaara is about to be fully formed soon and I won't be able to stop him once he does. Its mouth didn't move but its words sounded out clearly in the tense air.
The blond, obviously having terrible timing, just started, "You know Ero-Sennin? How? And who are you?" The creature just rolled its eyes, and huffed, Now is not the best time, blockhead. Just do as I say, I'll take the others back and keep them out of the fight. Keep Gaara busy until I return.
Just as Naruto was about to protest another time, the creature leaned over and bit onto his collar before dropping him on the next branch, then nudging his back with its round nose, Off you go!
Naruto just blinked numbly and looked at it but he nodded. He turned and did as it told him to.
The canine turned its attention to Shikamaru and Sasuke, who were still gawking a little at it.
Get on my back. It'll be faster that way. Hurry or you'll make matters worse. It told them, its voice gentle.
Without another word of warning, the canine plucked Pakkun up in its great jaws before lowering its legs slightly. Shikamaru, realizing there was no more time to be wasted questioning the impossible, pushed Sasuke up its back since the boy was badly injured before getting on the great canine. Once they were settled, two tails wrapped around their waists securely.
When questioned, all the creature did was snickered.
To make sure no one falls off.
With a lively gait, the creature moved swiftly across the branches.
A quick turn, and the creature landed on the tree that Sakura was disposed on. Wrapping its large tails around the tree bark, the canine curled her body around the girl and pressed its snout on the sandy prison. Crystals immediately surround it, cracking the sand and falling off the unconscious kunoichi. Swiftly, the creature caught her with her head, lifting the girl to Sasuke. Hold on to her, Uchiha. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
Then the creature turned tail before whisking them away, shooting through the forest like a comet.
Shikamaru almost thought he was going to puke all his entrails out due to its speed. It was like moving at the speed of lightning. He could catch glimpses of the forest but most of the time, he was hanging on to dear life. Now the Nara was secretly glad and grateful that Mononoke had wrapped her tails around them.
Mononoke.
Could this creature really be her?
He narrowed his eyebrows in an attempt to think and swallow back yesterday's dinner. If this thing really is the Mononoke he knew, how and why did she transform? Can she turn back? Is this the work of Gintaro?
His head snapped up.
Yes, that would make sense. Gintaro is a god, isn't he? And maybe he morphed Mononoke in his image so that she could fight with Gaara. Protecting herself seemed like a better reason to that theory.
While he was busy speculating, he didn't realized the dead bodies of the enemy ninja littered on the ground below him as they swiftly pass through the trees.
But of course, although he was exhausted and drained, someone else had spotted the remains and immediately knew who the culprit was. How could he not? The air here was so cold, ice had covered the bodies.
Shikamaru finally managed to accept that this creature and Mononoke is one and alike as she dropped them close to the village's entrance.
Lowering down her comrades gently, she lowered her head down to look at the Nara, Get them medical attention immediately. I'll go back to help Naruto.
He couldn't help himself and placed a hand on her neck, before blinking in surprise at how soft her fur was. Shikamaru shifted his gaze to her, peering into her aquamarine eyes, "Will you be alright?"
A shiver pass through his fingers but the canine barked softly, Are you kidding me? I'm like, part demon now. I think I'll be fine.
She lick his temple daintily and cautiously before turning away and leaping off, leaving him with two wounded Genins and a very unnerved dog.
This becoming way more troublesome than he can take.
When Mononoke returned to the scene, a large Shukaku and a great toad was brawling. Large amounts of chakra came in, wave after wave as their jutsus collided with one another.
In her new form, Mononoke could easily overcome the jets of power and gracefully picked her way up to Naruto. The girl/creature felt elated over her transformation. It was as if she was freed from the fragile human shell, like a butterfly freed from its cocoon.
She landed on the head of the toad, beside the blond and waved her eight tails in greeting.
The toad grunted grumpily, surprised by the new arrival, "Hey, hey, the hell is that?!"
"Don't worry, Boss. She's a friend!" Naruto hollered to him before grinning widely at her, giving her a thumbs up. "I summoned Gamabunta, just like you said! Pretty cool, huh?!" Mononoke couldn't help shaking her head and grinned back.
"Well, don't get cocky, kid. The One-Tailed is still here." The toad grumbled.
The duo turned and Mononoke could feel her body stiffened. Gaara was left hanging over Shukaku's forehead like a human wart. It was unnerving.
"Hey, kid! Do you know how to do any fire jutsus?" Gamabunta asked Naruto gruffly. "Huh? What for?" Naruto inquired, obviously confused at the sudden question. Mononokr heard the toad grumbled, "Then, what good are you anyway?"
Naruto, being his usual hot-tempered self, began waving his fist and stomped, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
Mononoke, obviously the smarter one at the moment, inquired gently, Why do you ask, Great Toad?
The large amphibian snorted, before explaining, "At least you have some manners. Usually I would use oil and Jiraiya would use fire. It's our usual jutsu. The combination is lethal."
The creature immediately pounced close to his eye, looking at him, her own eyes glittering, I can use ice fire. Would it be enough?
Gamabunta blinked at the sight of the fox like being. It looks more like a wolf, but then again, not in the same sense. There wasn't a proper species to name the being so Gamabunta just left it at that. Instead, he tried to make sense of her words.
"Ice fire? What the hell is that?" A large eye blinked.
Mononoke shrugged, causing her muscles to ripple under her fluffy fur, It's fire but cold enough to scald. We could give it a shot.
The toad didn't have the time to answer before three large balls of air was suddenly blasted at them. Gaara had caught them by surprise but Mononoke moved fast enough.
Three of her tails expanded like fans before batting the orbs away, sending them in different directions. The gargantuan bullets exploded and caused the ground to rumble. Mononoke open her jaws before releasing a beam of ice at the large being as a counter-attack.
Ice spears shot from the ground, stabbing into its flesh and the beast tilted back, howling in pain.
Do it now, Great Toad! Mononoke ordered as her tails revert back to its original form before flaring out behind her like an enraged peacock. Her command was so strong and firm that Gamabunta unleashed the oil burst without another thought.
Immediately, her tails were set on fire. Blue flames licked the tip of her tails and she lengthened them to touch the oil. The flames lit up the oil in an instant and landed on the One Tailed. Gamabunta could feel the biting cold against his skin, chilly enough for him to feel the icy One Tail, on the other hand, was sizzling with the cold.
Its shrill cry could be heard all the way from Konoha. The ninjas immediately froze, wondering what the hell was going on before the fight quickly continued again without much thought.
With a last burst, Gamabunta took a leap backwards before assessing the damage.
The One Tailed was still howling, trapped by the ice spears from before. Naruto spotted some parts of its flesh was corroded.
"Kid, you've got fancy powers but I doubt its enough to take him down." Gamabunta said after a heartbeat. "I think you pissed him off."
Mononoke gave her tails a hard swish, before lowering her upper body down defensively, I think so too.
yeah yeah I know. Demon shifter and all that can be a little OP. But it's all part and parcel if you got a frickin god inside you. Also everything has its pros and cons. The cons of being a badass canine will be known soon enough, dont worry about it.
And just so you guys know. From here on out, the plotline might get a little messy because I really dont remember everything happening in between and I might fast forward.
Just saying.
(YOUR REVIEWS ARE MY MOTIVATION PLS REMEMBER THAT AND ALSO THAT I'M TRYING MY VERY BEST TO END THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU.)