Chapter 45: The End of the Beginning
By the time Shikamaru got to Kakashi, the Jounin was already in full battle gear and sitting in his house, sipping tea.
The man blinked in surprise when he opened his front door to see the Nara heir at his doorstep, breathing heavily.
Shikamaru took one look at him before asking in surprise, "You know about Mononoke? Why aren't you doing anything? We ne-"
Kakashi had an unreadable look in his eyes before pulling the boy inside, interrupting his sentence. He closed the door and turned to Shikamaru,placing his hands on the boy's shoulders, "Take a deep breath and explain. What do you mean about Mononoke?"
"No, Nara. He does not know about her yet." Kakashi and Shikamaru startled and turned to see Taruga standing before them, who was watching Kakashi thoughtfully. Kakashi stiffened a bit when he saw the tiger deity. "Mononoke is crying for help and his soul is reacting to her call." Taruga explained, as he folded his arms. It was peculiar to see the tiger god speak so calmly in the small apartment, as he had to bend over with his neck pressed against the ceiling.
Kakashi stared silently at the tiger god, frozen at the sight of the deity when the deity spoke again, staring into his eyes, "This is not the time to fear me, child. Now your soulmate is in grave danger." Suddenly his ear flicked towards the window, his golden fur standing, "They're coming towards the village in four directions within 20 miles. And Mononoke managed to split her powers into the four groups to flank them. You have half an hour to prepare. You must destroy every part of her but the one in the north. That's her original body with Gintaro inside."
Kakashi broke through his frozen state when he sensed the deity's urgency before turning to Shikamaru, "Have you filled this in with your father?" He could feel adrenaline starting to course through him from fear.
The boy shook his head. "Your house was closer from where I was." Shikamaru explained. Kakashi took that in thoughtfully before speaking again, "Tell him to round up the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans. I'll alert the Hokage."
When Kakashi turned back to speak to the tiger deity, he realized that he was already gone.
"Sensei?" Kakashi turned to Shikamaru, who asked, "Why have you prepared even though you didn't know about Mononoke?"
Kakashi just hummed, "Maybe it's like what that deity said. But honestly, I just had the nagging feeling that something terrible was on its way."
When Kakashi arrived in her office, Tsunade almost had a heart attack. She had been focusing extremely hard on her paperwork the whole morning, she didn't even think of drinking coffee. She flinched and looked up from her paperwork when she felt his presence suddenly appeared in the room. Dumbfoundedly, she stared at Kakashi in full battle gear and asked, "What's going on?"
"We only have half an hour to prepare. Mononoke is with them and they're coming from all four gates." Kakashi spoke quickly, almost in a slur, but Tsunade immediately understood.
As if on cue, Shizune walked into the room with a stack of paper in her arms. Tsunade stood up, pulling on her coat, "Shizune, call every Jounin and Chunin in the village to get to the gates immediately to prepare for phase one. Genins will help evacuate all the civilians safely into the hidden shelters. We're going to need every ninja to survive this." Shizune glanced at Kakashi and looked back at Tsunade before nodding her head.
Half an hour was almost not enough time. When the last ninja got to their position and a sigh came out of Tsunade's lips just as she thought things were running smoothly, snow began to fall. In the first quarter of autumn.
The first cold blast was almost like a warning. It was as if a blizzard burst through the cool air into freezing temperatures. The villagers began to panic as most huddled together to shield from the bitter cold.
Then, there was horrified screaming in the eastern square, where the last group of civilians were being escorted. Tsunade turned towards the terrifying cacophony in fear. She cringed when the ninjas around her gaped in horror as they watch as ice began spreading across the wall rapidly. She witnessed as several ninjas unleashed fire type ninjutsus to melt the ice but to no avail. The ice cracked and the wall crumbled like soft snow.
The invasion has begun.
Kakashi moved quickly towards the northern wall, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, where Tsunade was waiting. He glanced at the empty streets, mapping out everything that has happened in the past thirty minutes.
He had sent Gai to the east, where defenses has been breached because he was, unarguably, the swiftest. And his physical prowess would be enough to drive the outsiders back to whichever hole they crawled out from.
Kurenai had covered the south with her genjutsus, which gave them enough time to have a diversion and delay the attack, allowing the rest of the troops to attack the enemy.
Asuma was already alerted beforehand by Shikamaru and was at the western side, and he had moved the troops into the forests outside so that the invaders couldn't enter the village.
So far so good.
All three of them knew their respective mission: To minimize the damage caused. And to take out the split Mononokes.
Kakashi will take care of the original Mononoke.
He didn't know what to expect but there was one thing he knows for sure. He will not back down until he has his scamp back.
Sakura was at the eastern side when the blast happened. She covered an old couple with her body as ice shards flew across the village. When she looked up, her breath came out in puffs of mist. Ice coated every building around her, icicles flaring out on the sides of the buildings. Sakura immediately sprung into action, moving the couple with the crowd, and evacuated the neighbourhood quickly as Chunin and Jounin rushed in the opposite direction towards the enemies. When the other Genin herded her portion of the crowd away, she turned back with her kunai in her hand. She had to protect the villagers. Ino came up beside her and fell into a similar stance. They would be the backup for the Chunins, just in case some of the enemies slipped through their lines. And they did, but the girls and a few more Genins managed to ward them off, fighting with all their might.
From the corners of her eyes, Sakura could see Ino fighting gracefully, flinging poison tipped kunais at her opponents. They wouldn't last a minute. Even though the Yamanaka was not meant for close combat, she managed to hold herself quite well. Sakura wouldn't lose to her friend, she thought fiercely as she pummeled an enemy's face in. He managed to cut her leg as he fell and it caused her to buckled, falling to her knees.
She yelped at the pain, pushing the body away from her. Ino was by her side in an instant, throwing another kunai at an oncoming attacker. "Are you okay?" Ino asked, glancing at her for only a moment before surveying the area. Sakura nodded, taking a bandage and quickly wrapped her thigh. Thanks heavens Tsunade gave her those medical training.
Another cold blast came rushing at them and Sakura had to shield her eyes from the blistering cold wind. When she looked up again, she almost cried out in pain when she saw the source.
Ice and frost were flying from every direction wherever her fingers pointed to, almost lazily. Mononoke had her arms out, but her head was hung over with her hair shielding her face. But Sakura knew it was her old comrade, without a second doubt.
The silverette hovered slightly over the ground, a twister of frost lifting her up in the air. It took a moment for the Jounin and Chunin to realize that she was the main enemy and they began to attack her. But each time one gets close, they get blown away by a blast, directed by a flick of her wrist. Sakura could not bear to see her teammate destroying her village. She stood up, and pushed Ino away as she yelled her friend's name. But there was no reaction from the girl. She continued to wreak havoc as ninja after ninja were thrown into buildings of ice and snow.
"Stop it, Mononoke! This isn't you! Wake up!" Sakura cried, walking closer to Mononoke, her arms wrapped around her to stifle the cold, battles breaking out around her. Just as she reached a few feet of her, Mononoke's fingers suddenly moved to point carelessly at the pinkette. Sakura's eyes widened as an ice spear coascled at the tip of Mononoke's finger. It hovered in the air for a moment, Sakura could feel time slowed down as she breathed out. Then, the spear launched, straight and true, at the kunoichi, where it will connect to her heart.
A green shadow snatched Sakura away and the deadly spear pierced into the snowy ground, causing some of the earth to crack beneath with a shattering echo. Sakura winced and looked to her saviour, a bitter taste in her mouth. Gai-sensei gave her a half-hearted grin before turning back to Mononoke who was still. She had looked up now, her hair flying about as her power grew restless, and Sakura felt a shiver when she saw her eyes.
Golden eyes stared emptily, a stark contrast from the black that replaced the white of her eyes. Mononoke lowered her arms to chest level, her palms facing upward. She looked down at Gai, her nose turned up, as if challenging him. Another wave of ninjas appeared behind her, their battle cries loud and clear.
Gai raised a hand to Ino without taking his eyes off Mononoke, "Take Sakura to a medic ninja. There is one close to the shelter." Sakura could only watch numbly as Ino pulled her friend up from the ground to a stand. She couldn't register anything between the exchange of Gai and Ino, her eyes locked on Mononoke, who was watching them. Her eyes had no spark of life, as if she was a walking zombie. She couldn't feel anything as Ino ushered her away, before her gaze was ripped away from her old friend and some of the wounded Genins fell back. Thankfully, when Gai had came to help, he brought a new group of ninjas for backup. Lee saw Ino shuffled away with Sakura in her arms. He made a move to go to her but Tenten placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine. We need to focus on the enemy now, Lee." Lee looked to Mononoke, who was watching them blankly, before turning to his comrades. Neji already had his Byakugan activated and Lee saw how tense the Hyuga was as he fought off the enemy ninjas. He hadn't spared a second to start his attack. Lee nodded to Tenten before they moved their attention to Gai-sensei, who was standing nearby.
"I'll settle Mononoke, just make sure you don't get too close of her."Gai said, cracking his knuckles as he stared levelly back at Mononoke. This is just a clone of the girl he knew. No problem.
In the west, things were just beginning. Shikamaru could only stare in horror when she appeared. He felt his heart clenching in pain. The mist parted and a man stood forth, with Mononoke hovering behind him, her eyes trained forward and her hands were at her sides. The Nara boy immediately recognized the man. He was from the Chunin Exams. Kabuto.
Shikamaru suppressed his emotions as he took his position, crouching behind Asuma with his hand sign at the ready. Even though Asuma had told him before that this Mononoke was just a clone, a part of Mononoke's real power, it still hurt him to see her like this. To see her, as a husk of her real self, her soul ripped away from her body and replaced with something terrible.
His body tensed even though he forced his mind to calm down. A moment from a few minutes ago came back to him.
His sensei had clasped on his shoulders before staring right into his eyes. "Listen, Shikamaru. I know this is going to be very hard for you. And you will be in pain. But we must destroy this clone. I need you in your best form, do you understand? Mononoke is counting on all of us. She needs you, Shikamaru."
Asuma was worried of the Nara heir being distracted at the sight of the Yorukami girl and he had every right to. Because all of his fears were becoming close to reality.
Shikamaru gave himself a determined mental shake, pulling himself out of his fear. His father had planned everything, up till the second. Nothing will go wrong. He was sure of it. Shikamaru dared a glance at Shikaku, but the man was already staring at him, his face grim. Both of them turned back to Mononoke.
Yes, the plan will go accordingly. All he had to do was adapt.
"So, you knew about us then. I'm impressed. No matter, it wouldn't take too long to finish you lot." Kabuto said matter-of-factly, taking in the sheer number of the western troops.
"That's some big words there, fella." Asuma called back, wielding his knives, "Maybe you shouldn't underestimate us so quickly."
Kabuto just smirked at him before tilting his head back to Mononoke. "Finish them." He stepped back almost politely as she drifted forward, lifting her hands up to be level with her waist. Slowly, she drifted towards the ground, her face still not betraying any emotion. The moment her feet touched the ground, as delicate as a feather, ice froze from beneath her feet, before flaring out to her opponents. The battlefield sprung into action as both sides unleashed their fury.
On the southern side, Kiba ripped ninjas apart, limb from limb, as he and Akamaru spiralled across the plains. He blinked back angry tears as he clawed at the enemy, blood trailing in his wake. He will never forget the vacant eyes of Mononoke as he roared her name. She did not hesitate to shoot an ice arrow at him. Thanks to his distraction, Kurenai managed to lock Mononoke in a genjutsu then, before she stabbed the girl with a kunai. He had screamed when he watch blood splutter from her lips, her empty eyes staring at the sky. But, he stopped when colour melted away from her body and ice crumbled into shards at his sensei's feet. Kurenai only looked at him sadly for a moment before the Konoha ninjas began to attack without a second's hesitation, fighting the enemy back and out of their village. With Shino's stern warning which he didn't listened, Kiba unleashed his anger at the invaders. They will taste every bit of his rage. Every single one of them.
Tsunade could feel her fingernails digging into her palm as the chilling storm howled across dry badlands, sending her hair and clothes flapping about wildly.
She knew why Orochimaru sent the original Mononoke here when mist reached out to them, its fingers curling like a hungry ghost.
Because the Hokage heads were behind her. Which means, in his twisted mind, if he won, the first thing that will fall in the village are the heads. If he could get past her that is.
The Fifth Hokage clenched her teeth with determination. No way in hell will he take her village. Over her dead body.
Slowly, shadows faded into view. She felt Shizune stiffened beside her as her protege raised a kunai in defense. Only one stepped out first and Tsunade bristled at the sight of him.
Orochimaru had his arms out gleefully, almost as if he was a host welcoming his guests to a tea party. "Ah, Tsunade. I see they made you Hokage. How… Fitting."
Tsunade just shrugged before talking back, "Because there was no one else who's sane and responsible."
The snake Sannin just chuckled before licking his lips, "Oh, my. Well, I do have someone I want to nominate, actually." He waved an arm back, as the mist dispersed to reveal someone walking to his side. Orochimaru patted her head lovingly as he spoke, his fingers combing through her hair. "Mononoke is strong, responsible and beautiful. Well, her sanity is gone, that's for sure, but we all have flaws." He said, before his golden eyes turned to lock eyes with Tsunade.
Tsunade kept silent as she watch him treat Mononoke like a fond pet.
"I'm going to kill him." Kakashi's voice was quiet and steady beside her, only arriving a heartbeat ago. His headband was up, exposing his Sharingan.
"Get in line, Hatake." Tsunade muttered back.
Orochimaru broke into a wide smile when he saw Copycat Ninja, "Ahh, Hatake Kakashi. I borrowed something from you, I do hope you do not mind." His reptilian eyes never moved away from the Jounin as he licked Mononoke's temple, "She is very useful."
They stiffened as they watched Orochimaru whispered into her ear. Cold winds blasts in all directions in full force. But Kakashi managed to glimpse of the air on the other side, which was still and quiet, in between the empty snippets of the storms.
The battle cries mixed with the howling blizzards sounded like a broken loudspeaker to Kakashi's ears. He dodged, slashed, attacked, defend as shadows darted about, but with the Sharingan, he managed to keep in time. He felt the numerous cuts but the cold wind managed to numb the pain considerably, although it slowed his movements.
A sudden explosion rocked the ground beneath him, and Kakashi leaped away as stones were thrown up, disrupting the winds. The blizzards fell away, whispering and hissing like frustrated ghosts. He turned his head to see Tsunade, with her fist plunged deep into the ground. Shizune and a few ninjas started using the blocks of earth and kicking them in mid-air, launching them at their opponents.
Then, in a sudden, Kakashi sensed the attack right before it could happen. He vanished from where he stood and reappeared in front of Tsunade. He kicked the ice spear with all his might and it barely grazed the Hokage. Tsunade took in a sharp breath, and Kakashi realized she didn't notice the spear at all. He stood in front of her, narrowing his eyes at the attacker.
Mononoke's gaze was empty when she looked at him, her fingers still outstretched at Tsunade. Kakashi just swiveled his kunai into his bag before grabbing his right arm. His ear rang from the sharp screeching as lightning crackled in his hand.
"Chidori!" He cried, activating the jutsu.
But the next move was not his.
Sasuke stepped beside him, his hand bearing the same lightning ball as the man. Kakashi's eyes widened as the mist behind Orochimaru and Mononoke fell away. Every single one of the ninjas behind were dead. There must be at least a hundred men.
Orochimaru looked fretful when he looked behind him. Orochimaru pursed his lips, like a mildly perplexed child, as he turned back to the Uchiha, "Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke flexed his fingers and the jutsu fell away, but he remained silent as he stared at his ex-mentor.
The snake Sannin just looked at him for a second before sighing, "I always knew that Mononoke had an effect on you. I never thought much about it but I do suppose it's enough to make you turn back. How weak, Sasuke-kun. I thought so much better of you."
"How on earth will you defeat your brother now, hmm?" Orochimaru inquired, sounding almost curious. Sasuke remained silent.
Orochimaru just shook his head and shrugged, "Hm, shame." He turned back to Mononoke, who had not moved an inch. "Go for it, darling. Kill them all."
That's when Mononoke became mobile. She lowered her upper body, before crossing her arms to her chest. Snow swirled around them, curling rapidly into an awakening twister. Then she whipped her arms out, and yelled, forcing the power from her body. The twister widened, and giant misshapen creatures formed from the ice shards. They began to launch ice missiles, attacking the Konoha nin.
When the wind died off, Mononoke had ice encasing her right arm, shaped into a scythe-like blade. She wielded it like a reaper, slashing at the Konoha nin mercilessly while she launched icy beams with her free hand.
Once Mononoke was on the battlefield, the Otogakure nin seemed reenergized, fighting the Konoha nin with more steel. It's as if their victory is assured, even though most of their troops are dead now.
Sasuke unsheathe his katana, speaking to Kakashi, who still had his Chidori crackling in his hand, "Mononoke is caught in a virus. Last time she managed to be conscious, it was because she was with me most of the time." Sasuke turned to lock eyes with his old sensei, "But Orochimaru gave her a higher dose of poison. I don't know how else to save her."
Kakashi only needed to ask one word, "Why?"
Sasuke wanted to reply, but an ice arrow swerved in between them. A warning. They turned to see Mononoke watching them, her free hand outstretched towards them.
Kakashi immediately noticed her arm was shaking hard.
"Oh, Mononoke." He whispered underneath his breath, his body tensed with pain at the sight of her. She's still fighting it.
Kakashi gritted his teeth as he put more power into Chidori. He rushed towards Mononoke but she deflected the Chidori with her scythe arm. The ice managed to withstand the attack for a good five seconds before shattering. Kakashi realized he was in the midst of the ice shards. Clever girl. But he immediately used a substitution jutsu, narrowingly escaping a stab fest from Mononoke's ice shards. The shards turned to attack nearby ninjas. Kakashi realized that the shards killed some of the Otogakure ninjas as well. A new ice scythe reformed around Mononoke's arm, this time bigger and sharper. She glanced at Kakashi, when suddenly, she winced and stepped back. Mononoke growled before whirling around to stab a ninja right in her heart. She didn't have time to cry out before she gasped her last breath. Ice flared out from the wound before spreading across her body. Mononoke pulled the blade out of the frozen corpse before turning her attention elsewhere, Kakashi forgotten. He didn't have time to understand what had happened because he was attacked by another enemy ninja. The Chidori crackled away when he pulled his hand out of the ninja's body, and he turned his gaze to the ice creatures. Each time they were destroyed, the pieces are pulled together again as if attracted by a magnet and they reformed into a different type of monster. They looked uglier and more dangerous each time they were restored. Kakashi felt like things were going out of whack, but he just took in another deep breath before moving in to attack again.
Sasuke slashed at Orochimaru, his katana swinging in wide arc before he countered another counter attack with a kick. "I taught you better than that, Sasuke-kun. You wound me." Orochimaru said as he dodged away. He didn't put any effort into fighting his traitorous student, as if he was just toying with the boy. Which made Sasuke's blood boil. He wanted to make Orochimaru pay for what he did to Mononoke. Orochimaru waved an arm to him and he rolled away, panting slightly. Orochimaru was grinning at him before it snuffed out like a flame. The Sannin twisted around completely to block his face as Tsunade's punch threw him back a few feet.
Before she could right herself, another attack came. She dodged and using her own momentum against her, Tsunade threw Mononoke over her head and sent her flying in the opposite direction. Mononoke managed to flip around in mid air, and pierce her ice arms into the ground to slow down. She snarled at the woman before forcing her weight against the ground, propelling herself forward. Tsunade parried her blows, and Sasuke could see them meeting at every attack, as they caused air to blast across the plains each time they counter the other.
He couldn't focus on them for too long because Orochimaru was already getting up, shaking off the pain as if it was nothing. His new body sure had great defenses, Sasuke would give him that.
A sudden cry made their heads turn.
Mononoke was grabbing Tsunade's wrists but it was her who was shrieking in pain. Tsunade watched wide eyed as the girl before her began whimpering in between her screams. A single tear ran down her cheek.
Then, a tempest pulsed from Mononoke, beating faster and faster as mist started curling from her back. The storm disintegrated the monsters that had been created previously.
From his vantage point, Sasuke watched in horror as a creature began to coalesce slowly behind her. It looked like a strange canine, and its white fur glowed brightly. It only formed up to its waist, which was connected to Mononoke's back. Sasuke could see the raw muscle beneath the fur, rippling and tensing. Its eyes stood out against the white fur, glowing red. Once it's substantial enough, it looked down at Tsunade and growled, its sharp canines gleaming. It leaned over and grabbed Tsunade by the waist before wrenching her from Mononoke's hands and flung the Hokage aside like a rag doll. The Hokage landed in an explosion of dirt and dust. Satisfied, the canine swung its great head to a side, scanning across the battlefield. Once it was done, it unleashed a great roar, its arms raising to the heavens.
Kakashi sunk to his knees as he watched Gintaro shook the plains. How on earth could they fight against a deity?
There was a sudden commotion and Kakashi looked up. Shikamaru was running across the plain and Asuma and Kurenai were close behind him, with wounded but eager ninjas from their respective groups. They fought with the remaining enemy ninjas, pushing them back. The enemy realized that they were definitely outnumbered and began to fall back.
Unfortunately, a few unlucky ones got too close to Mononoke. The canine reached over and slapped them against the earth like they were insects. It didn't matter if they were the enemy or not anymore, Gintaro had no mercy for anyone.
Mononoke was watching blankly as Gintaro wreaked havoc around her.
Shikamaru saw her, the same vacant eyes he had saw on the clone. He clenched his teeth, as he ran across the plains. But this was the original. This is his Mononoke.
"Mononoke!" His aching yell echoed across the muffled plain.
Kakashi saw it. Mononoke's head shot up, her eyes staring at the general direction of Shikamaru's voice. Gintaro froze for a moment, his hand raised in the air where he could almost pound a Otogakure nin. There was a good few seconds of stillness, and Mononoke took a step forward, her eyes still trained in front.
But another voice called out, "Kill them! Kill them all!" Kakashi turned to see Orochimaru cackling madly. Before he could move, a windstorm howled around them.
Mononoke clutched her head and shrieked. Ice spires shot out of the ground, shielding her from the outside world. They twisted into a misshapen lotus flower, and only Gintaro was visible above the flower. He roared before reaching over the attack Orochimaru, who was standing there laughing like a lunatic. The canine swatted the man away, sending him soaring across the sky. From where Kakashi could see, it seems as if the Sannin would land somewhere far in the forest behind them. The Otogakure ninjas panicked and all of the mobile ones fled to the forests.
The Konoha ninjas could not celebrate yet though.
Gintaro turned his attention back to the humans. He snarled before raising a clawed hand towards them. Wind, ice and frost started to swirl into a ball on his palm. Kakashi's eyes widened at the familiar sight of it. It looked almost like a Rasengan. But it began to pulse and an intense gale started to sweep towards them.
"Perish." Gintaro spat, his mouth curling with distaste and bloodthirst.
There's no turning back. The frost and ice would kill them all. Kakashi knew for certain that no one will come out of that attack alive. Kakashi took a quick look around him, if only to take the sight of his comrades around him before he dies. Asuma and Kurenai were holding hands, their eyes filled with fear and determination. Shikamaru was kneeling in front of them, his eyes staring dumbfoundedly at the canine deity. Tsunade was being propped up by Shizune, both badly wounded. Sasuke was beside him, his face grim. Kakashi spotted Kiba a little farther behind. The Inuzuka had his hood covering his face, but his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Kakashi saw many more familiar faces, all of them waiting for the final judgement.
Kakashi could almost swear he heard a very loud "Dattebayo!" in the background.
Right before the ball exploded, a whoosh of autumn leaves attacked the deity. Kakashi had to blink a few times to get it right. Autumn leaves. Yes, in all their gold, auburn and yellow splendor.
"Phew. That was a close one." A voice sighed in relief. Kakashi knew for a fact that there wasn't anyone hovering in the air above them a second ago. But there they were, floating atop a pile of leaves. Naruto was standing next to a tall man with light peach hair, who wore beautifully coloured nomadic clothing and he had a single hand raised at the deity. Kakashi quickly pieced together that this man had single-handedly stopped a deity's attack.
"Hey, who are you?! Bah, who cares, where's Mononoke?!" Naruto yelled furiously, his finger pointing at Gintaro. Kakashi almost sunk to the ground in relief.
"Why is he so stupid?" Sasuke muttered grumpily beside him and Kakashi chuckled in reply, "Who knows? But he'd lived this long. You got to give him some credit." The Uchiha grunted at that.
As Naruto was there spouting enough nonsense to distract Gintaro, Kakashi saw a white blur across the plains.
"Now, Jiraiya!" The man called out and Jiraiya skidded to a stop before twisting around and threw a large milky orb at Gintaro.
The man slammed his hands together into a hand sign Kakashi was not familiar with and spoke loudly, "Oh great Lord Tenryu, lend me your gift. Banish the evil from the innocent." He shifted into another hand sign, "Heaven's Force: Liberation!"
Gintaro bellowed in pain as the milky orb shone brightly. Kakashi watched in disbelief as a dark liquid began to ooze from Gintaro's fur. Slowly the droplets were joined together, forming into a small stream. The liquid started to float towards the orb, and was being sucked in. Once the last drop of poison was removed, a bright light shone from Gintaro before falling apart like drifting snow.
When he blinked his eyes open again, they were a beautiful gold. His fur settled and became less unruly. Gintaro looked around him in confusion, as if he was just woken up from a deep sleep. Then his eyes landed on the peach haired man, and they lit up with recognition.
"Yorukami Yuupa. You have my gratitude." Gintaro breathed softly, lowering his head a little. The man mirrored the gesture with a deeper bow. Then Gintaro disappeared in a flurry of white petals. The petals floated about, and one landed on Kakashi's nose before falling down to the ground.
The leave cloud lowered slowly, and Naruto leaped from it to meet everyone. He saw Kakashi first, and ran to his sensei. That's when he noticed the Uchiha beside the Jounin. Before he could throw a might fit, Sasuke interrupted him, "Not right now, blockhead. We have more important things." He turned to the ice lotus, who was still standing threateningly. Kakashi silently thanked the heavens when Naruto closed his mouth and the boy stared at the lotus as he pieced together the information.
"Who are you?" Tsunade hobbled forward, addressing the newcomer. The man smiled and dipped his head respectfully to the woman, "My name is Yorukami Yuupa. Jiraiya called for me, and for a good reason too." His smile fell as he turned back to the lotus. He frowned, "Gintaro is healed, and I presume Mononoke is too. But…" He shook his head, "Something is wrong." Out of impulse, he lifted a finger to touch one of the ice petals.
Once his finger grazed it, the entire flower shattered.
Everyone took a few steps back, but the crystals fell harmlessly to the ground. In the heart of the flower where there are no shards, a small body lay curled.
Kakashi moved before anyone else could. He got to her first. He felt his headband slipped away from his forehead but he couldn't care less. Immediately he scooped her into his arms, almost crying out in relief to have her back.
Then, he froze.
Her skin was pale as frost. Her eyes were close. And she wasn't breathing.
"Mononoke?" He didn't care if his voice cracked. "No… No, no, no. No, you…" Kakashi pushed away a few strands of silver hair away from her face to look at her more clearly. "Please… Please don't do this." He didn't know what else to do but beg. His eyes blurred for a second before tears starting falling against her ashen skin. Kakashi subconsciously noticed people around him but he didn't care. He barely noticed Shikamaru sinking numbly beside him as he cradled Mononoke in his arms. He could feel his throat tightened as he took in gulps of air.
"Mononoke… Scamp… Please, you can't. You can't leave me… Not you too." Kakashi begged, his gasps becoming more erratic now.
"Please." He pulled her close, pressing their foreheads together, "Please. Oh, gods. Please. No." His tears were flowing for real now. He lost her. He'd lost her forever. His scamp, his little girl, his-
"K.." Kakashi's eyes shot open. A whisper. He lifted his head away from Mononoke to stare down at her face. He held his breath, hoping he hadn't gone mad.
"Ka...kashi.." Mononoke's mouth barely moved but he could hear her breathing again, almost stubbornly.
"Mononoke?" Kakashi whispered, and he could hear her throat unclog. She gasped a little and Kakashi could hear every single collective intake of breath. Once she began coughing, everyone was thrown into relief.
When she cracked opened her eyes, Kakashi felt tears well up again at the sight of bright turquoise.
"You.. can't get rid of me… that easy, Kashi." she managed, smiling slightly.
He choked out a laugh, "Thank god for that then."
GASPS. COULD IT BE? OVER? Oh but it is! Or is it. Don't worry, there's an epilogue coming. Maybe. Perhaps. Just kidding, there is an epilogue. Because I can't cram everything together. Obviously. And the soulmate thinf between Momo and Kashi is a bit different from what you might imagine. Yes, they are soulmates but not in a romantic way apparently. It's like their souls are connected in a way that it transcends higher than siblings. They're much much closer than that, so ya. I'm a ShikaMono shipper y'all lmao. Oh, and y'all probs be wondering about the God Killer, yes?and whatabout the Akatsuki? Don't worry my sweet children, the answers will come sOON.
But this is it, my friends. Mononoke's childhood in Konoha is officially (almost) over. I'm sorry if it might fall a bit, i dunno, not as you expected? It seems a bit rushed, mind, but this is the best I could do already. Perhaps when I re-edit the whole story again, it would be better. But for now, we are here as it is.
Thank you all so much, who have been there from the start and to those who have joined along the way up till now. Thank you so much for loving Momo as much as I do, and thanks so much for believing in me. There's been a lot of ups and downs and I hope Momo had managed to bring you up a little when you were down.
For now, this is a half goodbye. :")
Yours Truly, HFM