Chapter 13- The Blade that Challenges an Empire
~A country torn by a bloody history… its population unable to let go of its past… and now thousands of people fighting to the death, totally consumed by rage… this is the current state of the Water Country. Yashiro had done something none of us could have ever prepared for… he spread his demon across the land, allowing its dark influence to control the people. The country has gone mad. At this point it would seem like everything is lost and the destruction of this land is inevitable… and that's where you're wrong. I don't believe in inevitabilities. Right now, there is so much at stake… the lives of millions… the friends who fought by my side… and the person most precious to me. I fight for them, and I will not stand by and accept fate. I will take it into my own hands to reshape the future and end this legacy of hatred…
-Uzumaki Naruto
(Water Country- Mist Capital)
The Mist Capital was in chaos, as the sounds of war echoed into the sky… the clashing of swords, screams of pain and fury from the thousands who descended into madness. Insanity has covered this land; people gripped by the demon now fought blindly… it was a very scene from hell.
In the very middle of the city stood the Shogun's castle, its ground littered with innumerable bodies, all slain by a single man. The Mist Shogun lay on the ground, bleeding and struggling to breathe; held upright only by his daughter Izumi-hime… the two of them watched as Naruto and Hinata… the boy and girl from the Hidden Leaf village stood against the very man who had plunged this land into chaos.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata stared at Naruto… whose body was surrounded by crimson chakra burning like fire, matched by the colour of his eyes. The lines of his face have darkened, his teeth had become fangs. Naruto turned his gaze towards Hinata…
"Hinata…" Naruto spoke, in a gentle tone, completely betraying his fearsome appearance. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this." He said sadly, looking down. "Even if this face scares you… right now… I've got no choice. I need to fight with everything I've got." He frowned, turning to face the soldier of the MaShin Empire. Yashiro was just so much stronger than him… Naruto could not afford to hold anything back. A single missed step could mean death… "But I just want you to know that I never meant to frighten-" his speech was cut off and his eyes opened wide when Hinata leaned in and kissed him.
"You don't have to apologize for anything…!" said Hinata, glancing down in embarrassment after her incredibly bold display of affection. A smile crossed her lips, as she lifted her gaze back up to his face. "I think there is a reason you were given this power… maybe it was meant for you to use as a force for good… a power to help you fight for what you believe in…" Naruto could feel the warmth and affection in her voice as she stared at him, undeterred by his face "Whatever it may be, I think that now is the time to use it…! So Naruto-kun… go and fight to your fullest!"
Naruto was in a daze, surprised by how bold she had become. His lips curved into a smile… he could feel the warmth from her words… he felt stronger… like he could do anything…! "YOSHA! (ALL RIGHT)!" Naruto shouted, his own blue chakra became visible beneath the red. The two colours of chakra blazed together in tandem, strengthening his body and empowering him. It felt like they were cooperating to bring down this most terrible of foes. This was the same power that emerged during his battle against Nergui! "Let's do this, stupid fox…!" Naruto said with a smirk. Though no direct words were exchanged between them, Naruto could practically feel the Kyubi's eagerness to drag down this arrogant MaShin soldier!
Naruto roared as he clutched a kunai in his hand and charged towards his enemy. Yashiro lunged forward and thrust his right saber towards the oncoming Naruto's face. Without slowing down, Naruto swerved his head and avoided the deadly edge by just millimetres. "KURAAAE!" Naruto gripped his kunai tight as he threw the full weight and power of his body into a single swing aimed at Yashiro's throat.
-CLANG-
The sound of steel clashing was so intense that the Princess and the Shogun were forced to cover their ears. Naruto growled as his kunai pressed against Yashiro's left saber… stopped short of its target. Both combatants growled, their weapons still ringing.
"RASENKEN!" Naruto pressed forward with his aggressive assault, one hand clutching the razor sharp kunai while the other clenched into a fist with a blade of spinning chakra at the end. He was swinging his arms while evading Yashiro's blades by just a hair's width.
Yashiro was impressed by Naruto's strength, but even more so by his daring… "No hesitation or fear whatsoever," he noted. The boy clearly knew just how vast the difference was between their levels, and that's why he was gambling his life at every step just to get a shot at his. Yashiro watched Naruto closely; he had improved tremendously in a short span of time… enough to where he could keep up with Yashiro's sabers. As Naruto manoeuvred past the sabers and lunged in for the next attack, he caught a glimpse of Yashiro's smile… something of which no good has ever followed...
"AGH…!" Naruto's eyes opened wide, his body hunched forward after Yashiro kicked his stomach. Because he had been focusing entirely on avoiding the sabers, he wasn't prepared for anything else!
"What's the matter, fox-boy?" Yashiro leaned his head forward and spoke into Naruto's ear, "Weren't you going to 'overcome' me?" Naruto roared in frustration and slashed upwards with the kunai, only for Yashiro to lean back and dodge it. Naruto strengthened both his legs and right arm with chakra to increase his speed and power as he prepared to strike. In response, Yashiro took the quick draw stance.
"HAAA!" Naruto burst into a sprint, his body became an orange blur while a clear imprint of his foot was left on the stone floor. He swung his kunai at full strength while Yashiro swung his own saber. The two blades struck in another deafening clash… "SHIT!" Naruto swore as the kunai flew out of his grip as he was thrown back from the force of Yashiro's swing, his hand trembling from pain. Yashiro showed no expression, yet he had slid back a full five feet and his saber was still ringing… "RASENGAN!" Naruto slammed the sphere of chakra against the ground, sending fragments of sharp, jagged rock flying at Yashiro's face. In the split-second Yashiro took to avoid the stone shrapnel before they hit his eyes, Naruto grabbed his kunai off the ground and lunged forward to stab Yashiro's heart, but the MaShin soldier immediately deflected it with his right saber and swung downwards with his left. Sparks flew as the saber slashed across the stone floor, as Naruto leapt off the ground before the blade could take his legs off. Though he missed, Yashiro smiled as he turned his gaze upwards to Naruto who was now in the air…
"I have you now." Yashiro gripped his saber; the boy had no way of evading now. Certain of victory, Yashiro thrust his blade upwards at Naruto… "Nani!? (What!?)" Yashiro's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the fox-boy wasn't impaled on his saber, but instead twisted his body in mid-air and dodged it!
"MADA-MADA! (I'M NOT DONE YET!)" Naruto shouted as he descended upon Yashiro, his body almost defied gravity itself as he manoeuvred around his saber and thrust his kunai towards Yashiro's eye. Startled by this unexpected development, Yashiro recoiled a few steps and narrowly avoided the deadly point, while Naruto flipped over and landed on his feet before drawing a second kunai…
Naruto jumped into the air once more, performing a series of stunning aerial flips and spins, all sorts of reckless movements that were borderline impossible, all the while attacking Yashiro from such crazy angles! Yashiro growled as he continuously swerved his body to avoid Naruto's blades. Never in his life had he encountered movements like these. Even though a master like him could easily read the flow of combat and respond accordingly, Naruto was so insanely unpredictable that even he couldn't read him!
"Ah!" Yashiro gasped and clenched his teeth in anger and when the tip of a kunai grazed him and drew blood. "Damn you…" Yashiro growled… just as Naruto, upside-down in mid-air, stabbed towards his face… "ENOUGH!" Yashiro stepped forward with no intention of avoiding Naruto's blade. As the kunai grazed the side of his face and left a long cut, Yashiro swung at Naruto with all his strength…
"AAAAAGH!" Naruto screamed as the blade struck his chest with enough force to cleave a man in half, the impact knocking him right out of the air and sent him hitting the ground several meters away. Gasping, Naruto sat up and frantically patted himself all over the body, letting out a sigh of relief only when he was certain that all his limbs were still attached. Naruto looked down to see the armour guarding his chest had saved his life… but it was effectively destroyed. It wouldn't survive another blow like that. Naruto then looked ahead to see Yashiro coming at him! "Shimatta!" Naruto cursed through clenched teeth as he narrowly deflected one of Yashiro's sabers, only to gasp out in pain as the other slipped through his guard and left a shallow cut. Naruto was struggling to defend himself, but he simply could not stop Yashiro's relentless attacks. The battle had turned around completely, everything had gone back to Yashiro's favour.
Sparks were flying from Naruto's kunai as he whirled his arms in all directions, trying to fend off Yashiro's attacks. Aside from strengthening his own body, the fox's chakra heightened his senses and reflex to superhuman levels, but even then he could just barely keep up with Yashiro's sabers! It was taking every ounce of skill and focus Naruto had just to repel these hits…
It wasn't long before Naruto's orange clothes were stained red, as one swing after the next, Yashiro's blades kept slipping through his guard. No matter how hard Naruto tried to defend himself, he could not stop them all. Yashiro was overwhelming him!
"It seems you finally understand. Even with the power of your demon… even with all these handicaps…!" Yashiro could see the frantic look in Naruto's eyes, desperately trying to fend off his attacks. Naruto may have a demon to support him against Yashiro who was separated from his own… it changed nothing. "…you and I are not in the same level."
"Shit…!" Naruto growled as he backed away. He couldn't see any openings at all! There were no flaws in Yashiro's stances, no strategies that could turn this around, no jutsus that could end this! Forget about fighting to defeat Yashiro… he was fighting just to stay alive! Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when Yashiro kicked upwards against his chin, leaving his head spinning. "Nani…?!" the next thing he felt was Yashiro's hand tightly gripping his hair and his knee coming towards his face…
-SMACK-
"AH…" Naruto's mouth hung open, his eyes staring blankly as he stood dazed as Yashiro clutched him by the hair. Blood was dripping from Naruto's nose and lips… Yashiro released him, letting Naruto fall on his back…
"Now this is a familiar scene." Yashiro smiled wickedly as he stepped down hard on Naruto's chest. Gripping his saber tightly, he eyed Naruto's throat… "Only this time… I'M NOT ABOUT TO LET YOU WALK AWAY!" He was about to behead Naruto… when out of the corner of his eye, he caught the glint of metal. Quickly Yashiro straightened up and swung sabers, deflecting a cluster of shuriken that was thrown at him. The moment he took his attention off Naruto, the boy had taken that opportunity and escape to a safe distance… "Damn!" Yashiro cursed angrily, glaring at Hinata whom he had ignored till now… she was the one who threw the shuriken and interfered once more. "That stupid girl…!"
"Thanks… Hinata…!" Naruto gasped, regaining consciousness. "This is bad…" he growled, wiping away the blood from his face from the savage beating he took. His wounds weren't grave, but the situation was. He trained harder than he ever did in his entire life, armed himself and fought with everything he had… and THIS was as far as he could get!
"Why do you prolong this struggle? You know you can't win." Yashiro glared at Naruto. "You… are weak." Naruto grimaced, trembling slightly at that last word. After seeing what little he could accomplish, Yashiro's words truly got to him…
"It's true… Naruto-kun… you can't win." said Hinata. At those words, Naruto turned to her in shock. "He is just too strong. No matter how many times you try to fight him, the results will always be the same…" Hinata spoke softly. Naruto's surprise only grew as Hinata shifted into a fighting stance…
"Hinata… no…!" Naruto exclaimed. He did not want her to fight this man. Had it been any other opponent, he would've immediately accepted her help… but Yashiro was unlike anything they could imagine. He didn't want to put her life into such risk!
"This is my fight as much as yours!" Hinata declared as if she had read his mind before turning towards Yashiro. "It's true that compared to this man… we are weak. We're both considered failures among ninja… neither of us can possibly measure up to someone like that." She admitted, "But as long as we stand together, not giving up, we fill each other's weaknesses! He is strong… but together, so are we!"
"You… you really have changed…" Naruto said softly, unable to suppress his emotions. He certainly would've fallen for her right on the spot if he hadn't done so already. To place Hinata in danger was the last thing he ever wanted, but he could not deny the truth. "I don't know how I ever got that ridiculous idea that it was my duty to face MaShin alone… now, more than ever, I can see it's impossible." he took a step forward, so he stood next to her in his own fighting stance. "I'm sorry Hinata… I should've believed in you and asked for your help from the very start!" smiling, Hinata gave him a small nod indicating she forgave him. They faced Yashiro completely unafraid, "Let's fight together and show him just what us 'failures' can do!"
"This is ridiculous…!" Yashiro closed his eyes and placed his hand against his forehead, "Coming here and spewing all that cheap melodrama garbage in front of me…! I should have killed you the first chance I had!" Yashiro glared at Hinata, regretting he ever let her live. He blamed her more than anyone for Naruto not siding with the MaShin. "You vile temptress…! You sicken me! You're the one who keeps turning him against us! After the way you turned your back on him the moment you saw the demon… now you have the nerve to act like nothing happened?! How long do you intend on deceiving him!?"
"When I saw Naruto-kun change that day… I… I made an unforgivable mistake." Hinata looked down in shame… "But… he chose to forgive me… and allowed me to realize what was truly important!" they reached for each other's hand, "To forgive… to step forwards, to find happiness instead of wallowing in the past!" They clasped each other's hand tightly. "In doing so, our bonds are stronger than ever before!"
"The only deluded one here is you, Yashiro! You don't even acknowledge human lives! All you see is that 'cause' of yours!" Naruto shouted back at Yashiro. "It's true… this land has made mistakes… Throughout its history so much blood was needlessly spilled, while such anger and suffering still lingers to this day… but now, after so many years of fighting, they have achieved peace. It may have been fragile… but they had found it! This land was slowly beginning to heal, but you couldn't see it! Instead… you only sought to bring back the wars and hatred that almost destroyed them! Knowing of their past, you declared judgement on them the moment you arrived… looking at them with eyes completely blinded by your own prejudice! You didn't even give them a chance!"
"You still understand nothing!" Yashiro shouted, "Even if the two of you are stupid enough to pretend nothing is wrong, look around all you and see the truth!" He pointed to the battlefields below… as everyone witnessed the horrible sight. Fellow countrymen were slaughtering one another, consumed by hatred. The shogun paled at what was truly a depiction of hell… and the worst part of all is that all this aggression was their own creation. "You cannot hope to bring change when this insanity is their way of life! They are just as history has shaped them, and this is how they will always remain! No matter how many generations pass, no matter how much they suffer, they will never end this cycle of hate! They have no place, no future! I am performing a service to the entire world by cutting out this sick, festering cancer that you call a country!"
"No… I haven't given up on them, because I understood the true nature of their hatred. The fear of what's different… the fear of trying responsibility… the fear of the past!" Naruto looked down, "In their suffering, the people of this land chose to blame the wars on those who were different because they were afraid to accept responsibility… while the bloodlines blame all their suffering on the normal people, equally convinced that they weren't responsible for any of their actions in the wars! Everyone's so desperately blaming one another while clinging to their hatred… until finally they lost sight of everything and brought back the wars that started it all!" Naruto raised his head and stood upright. "What these people need isn't some fake sense of justice brought out by violence or revenge… but the courage to accept the past and learn from it! They need to stop blaming each other, and realize that they are all the same people sharing this country… only then will they finally be able to move on!" Naruto pointed at Yashiro… "You keep talking about saving this world, but your actions are the complete opposite! You won't give them the chance to change! It's not this land's people that are evil… IT'S YOU!"
All eyes were on Naruto… he had vented everything he had to say… the Princess and the Shogun had listened to every word. Yashiro growled… he could see it in his eyes; he will not be swayed. "So be it." Yashiro finally had enough. "Then stay together, and carry your ideals to the grave… you, and the rest of this wretched land." He showed no hesitation in his eyes. He fully intended to kill. Turning his glare towards Hinata, Yashiro took the kunai Naruto had dropped earlier and whipped towards her heart!
"WATCH OUT!" Naruto was caught-off guard, too late to stop the kunai as it flew past him, directly towards her…
"ZETTAI REIDO! (ABSOLUTE ZERO!)"
"AH!?" Hinata exclaimed when suddenly a blast of water erupted from the ground beneath her and immediately solidified into a block of ice! The kunai struck the ice and fell harmlessly to the floor.
"HINATA!" Naruto yelled, when suddenly, cracks formed on the ice encasing Hinata, before shattering to pieces and releasing her… "Are you all right?!" He asked
"Ano… I'm fine…" the equally-surprised Hinata answered, shivering slightly…
"What the hell was that…!?" asked Naruto
"That was a touching speech, you guys." Naruto and Hinata gasped at the newcomer…
"Nani…?!" Yashiro's surprise was only to increase when turned his head and the one was responsible for that ice that might have actually saved the girl's life… "YOU!?" he growled at the sight of another individual he believed to be dead. Had he actually succeeded in killing anyone since he got here? What was next? Was Kirishaku about to pop out of the ground and start preaching the importance of tolerance?!
"MIZUREI!" Naruto, Hinata and Izumi-hime on the sidelines exclaimed.
"The one and only." Mizurei answered with a smirk, standing there with his new jumonji spear over his shoulder. "Hm?" he turned his head towards the princess…
"Mizurei…!" The Mist's Princess trembled… seeing the young bloodline leader had survived the fury of the battlefield with nothing more than a few measly cuts… but more significantly… "You haven't lost yourself…!" She was almost to the point of tears from the relief she felt when she saw the young rogue had not fallen under the same spell that consumed the other inhabitants of this land…
"Don't worry Hime… I'm still myself, and nothing will ever change that." Mizurei gave her a smile. He too harboured resentment and anger… even now he could feel the unseen forces clawing at the back of his mind, wordlessly offering him promises of justice laced with the allure of revenge… but he refused to go to that dark place… He had not given in. "I will always resist… no matter what happens… I will never submit to MaShin." Said Mizurei, as he turned around and faced his enemy. As Izumi-hime watched him… she knew that this young man of the Bloodlines was truly her country's only remaining warrior.
"Naruto." Mizurei spoke, and Naruto turned to him. "I heard everything. I know about the demon inside him…" He scowled… looking at Yashiro, "…and the one inside you." At that comment, Naruto frowned and looked to the ground, uncertain on how he would react to this knowledge… "It all makes sense now."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked, surprised by Mizurei's comment.
"I finally understand why you stood up for us…" Mizurei smiled… "It seems you also know what it's like to be different." His respect for Naruto was deeper than ever, now that he knew for certain that Naruto was not just some reckless, self-righteous hero who'd pick a fight with an entire country just because he felt offended by the racism… but rather, he was someone who understood them. "What you said about us bloodline folk… it may be ugly, but I won't deny it. This hatred has to end… we all need to change." Mizurei stepped forward and took a fighting stance, so that he faced Yashiro alongside Naruto and Hinata. "But that change will never happen if he has his way! Naruto! Hinata! The MaShin is every bit my enemy as it is yours! His hands are soaked in the blood of my friends and countrymen! No matter what happens now… I will fight alongside you, to end Yashiro and the insanity he's brought to this land!"
"Mizurei…" Naruto stared at his friend…
POW!
"GAH!" Mizurei exclaimed, and everyone's eyes opened wide when Naruto punched him over the head! "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"
"THAT'S FOR FREEZING HINATA, DAMMIT!"
"WHAT?! I JUST SAVED HER LIFE!"
"YOU COULD'VE MADE A WALL IN FRONT OF HER! IT'S COLD ENOUGH OUT HERE WITHOUT YOU DRENCHING HER IN ICY WATER!"
"YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD! SEE IF I HELP AGAIN WHEN YOU'RE THE ONE ABOUT TO BE KILLED!"
"IF HINATA CATCHES A COLD, AFTER I'M DONE WITH YASHIRO YOU'RE NEXT!"
Everyone stared in shock as the two of them argued and were just about to throw down when suddenly they found themselves being pushed apart, "MaShin is our common enemy, the only way to stop this war is to defeat Yashiro. Now is not the time for internal dispute." Ebi stood right between a surprised Naruto and Mizurei, having broken up their argument.
"EBI?!" Naruto, Hinata and Mizurei all exclaimed. "When did-"
"Shut up!" Ebi snapped angrily, offended that they had all forgotten he had been riding on the same toad, and ditched him back at the stairs! The Shogun, princess and even Yashiro all stared, equally perplexed by his sudden arrival. "Yashiro is a threat to the world. As long as he lives, the tragedies you see now will only be repeated elsewhere. So many people will die to satisfy his twisted ideals." Ebi glared at the man he had been running from for years… "But right now, he is separated from his demon… he's at his weakest! This is the only chance we'll ever get!"
"All right…" Naruto nodded as he, Hinata, Mizurei and even Ebi stood ready for battle.
"Izumi…" the Shogun stared the four who stood against Yashiro… two of which possessed advanced bloodlines, three of them didn't even belong to this country and on top of that, they were all basically kids! And yet they resisted that man… fighting to stop this war… "Who are they…?" he asked, his focus was especially on the boy from another land that struggled for change… the one who declared himself future Hokage…
"They are our last hope." Izumi-hime answered, clasping her hands and praying with all her heart for the safety of these brave individuals…
It all came down to this… Four youths… each of them personally scarred by Yashiro at some point, each of them risking everything to stop him in a battle whose outcome would determine this country's fate… and possibly alter the future of the world itself.
(Meanwhile, in the battlefield)
"GRRRR…!" Kiba and Akamaru snarled as they were surrounded by spears. This squad of soldiers weren't making it easy for him either! "GATSUUGA!" He roared, he and his canine partner spun through the air like a horizontal tornado, the impact blasting those soldiers right off the ground. The attack ended and Kiba landed on all fours, and then straightened up and turned around to see that group… "OH YOU GOTTA BE SHITTING ME!" He screamed, as he watched them get right back up and attack once more. Back when he fought them during Kirishaku's raid, he had no trouble dealing with a dozen opponents at a time, they always succumbed to pain and injury while the rest merely fled in terror… but right now, they just kept coming at him regardless of whatever damage he inflicted!
"What the hell is going on?!" Sakura shouted as she and Ino were surrounded by dozens of snarling, enraged Mist soldiers. It all just happened so suddenly, everyone in this country had gone completely mad and her Genjutsu lost all effect!
"WATCH OUT!" Ino shouted as the enemies surrounding them went on the attack. The two girls each drew a kunai and began dodging and deflecting their weapons, while retaliating with non-lethal blows and debilitating strikes… but these people were so blinded with rage that they didn't even feel the pain and just kept fighting on.
"ORAAA!" Lee shouted as he grabbed two mist ninjas and bashed their heads together, finally knocking them both out cold. Dropping them both on the ground, he immediately came to a run and threw himself right into the middle of a skirmish between a mob of civilians against several bloodline rebels. "This is madness…! You break their arms and they still throw themselves at you! You break their legs and they'll crawl just to bite you!"
Shino stood silently as two bloodline fighters from Mizurei's gang charged at him with their powers ready to utterly destroy him, "Kurae!" He stretched out his arms and let loose a swarm of insects from his sleeves which flew into his opponents' eyes. As they were howling in fury, blinded by his insects, he drew a pair of kunai and darted right past them while delivering a series of slashes and cuts. The insects returned to Shino as the two men stood completely still, before collapsing to the ground. They were still conscious but unable to move… not after he had slashed their muscles and tendons. Shino then took a deep breath, opening the collar of his jacket which released some steam. He was sweating heavily and panting; exhausted by the long battle. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this up…!" he spoke through clenched teeth. He had lost most of his insects throughout the battle, and he did not have the chakra to produce any more venom for the ones still remaining…
Tenten had completely run out of projectiles, and was repelling many opponents at once with a Bo staff. A samurai charged towards her with his katana overhead, "EEAAH!" She dove to the side just in time; the samurai had split another man straight down the middle, and Tenten recoiled after seeing what could very well have happened to her. Quickly she regained her composure and took on a fighting stance as the samurai turned his attention to her… "YA!" Tenten swung her staff and bashed him across the face, the blow caused him to stumble to the side… his helmet fell off as well as several of his teeth, but the samurai shrugged it off completely and began attacking with mighty swings, cutting down anyone that got in his way, his own allies included! "STOP IT!" Tenten shouted as she dodged his blade once more and swung her staff downward and hit the back of his feet, causing him to trip and fall flat on his back. Before that samurai could get up and do any more harm to anyone around him, Tenten struck down in the middle of his forehead and finally knocked him out cold. She didn't have any time to relax as she turned around to see two more samurai charging at her from behind…
"HAA!" Neji roared out, Tenten gasped out in surprise when her teammate suddenly appeared right between the two samurai and shot both his palms out sideways and blasted the warriors in opposite directions. He immediately darted right past her and downed another man with his palm. Neji continued thrusting his fingers and striking the joints of oncoming opponents, rendering their limbs useless and allowing them to drop to the floor fully incapacitated yet unharmed. "(Huff) This isn't good…! There's just no end to them…!" Sweat poured down the side of Neji's face, his hands were worn, nails cracked and fingertips bloody. His fighting style was incredibly efficient, enabling him to see and counter any incoming attacks while the jyuken could dispatch an enemy using minimal energy… yet his reserves were dwindling. There were just too many enemies!
"Dammit…! This is what I get for not giving up the cigarettes…!" Asuma growled angrily to himself as his breathing became laboured. His knuckles were torn and bleeding from delivering so many punches. "What's wrong with these people?!" he shouted to Kurenai as they fought back-to-back against wave after wave with no end in sight.
"This is the work of a demon!" Kurenai growled, exhausted from using genjutsu so many times and now forced to fight hand to hand "I just can't believe it… even if they are using demons… MaShin is capable of something like this…!?"
"Deceiving people into war, controlling their minds like this… it's unforgivable! ACHOOOOOHH!" Gai let out a legendary kung-fu yell as he delivered a side kick that sent a Mist jounin flying and crashing into an oncoming crowd. He too could feel exhaustion creeping up on him, but refused to quit! "We cannot stop now! For the sake of these people, we must persevere!" He broke up another fight between a pack of bloodline rebels and a squad of soldiers, disabling all involved with nonlethal force.
"DAMN IT!" At the base of the stone steps leading to the castle, hundreds of people with absolutely no fear of death were swarming Gamabunta. "How the hell do you save people who are practically fighting to get themselves killed!?" he shouted in frustration as he continued swatting them away. "HEY!" He roared as several ran past him and climbed the stone staircase. Gamabunta's throat expanded and he launched an enormous stream of slick oil that covered the steps, causing the frenzied attackers to lose their footing and tumble downward. Grabbing his pipe, Gamabunta flung the burning embers that set the oil on fire, effectively closing off the pathway for the time being. "Come on kid…!" Gamabunta growled, looking in the direction of the castle as he returned to fighting the mobs, "I can't hold them off forever!"
The Konoha ninjas who came to help Naruto save this country were now fighting desperately for their lives against endless waves of enemies. To make matters worse, they were all forced to hold themselves back in order to avoid killing anyone… a task which was proving impossible against foes who felt no pain or fear. To fight against such numbers while restraining themselves was simply too much! They were running out of strength and their wounds were piling up. At this rate they would die of chakra depletion even before their enemies could kill them! Things were no better for the ones who fought against the soldiers of the MaShin Empire.
"Kuso…! Just what's this guy's body made of!?" Shikamaru growled as he, Iruka and Chouji faced their lone opponent, Nergui.
"Come on, come on…!" Nergui growled. He stood there in his regular attire; after the masses had gone berserk, he tossed aside that uncomfortable, restrictive armour now that it was no longer necessary to pretend he was normal. He looked down at the three ninjas… Shikamaru, Chouji and Iruka, all sweating and exhausted from battle, while he himself showed absolutely no pain or fatigue… "What's the matter?! FIGHT ME!" The three of them growled, but none of them stepped forward. "I thought as much…! WEAKLINGS!" Nergui roared and suddenly came storming forwards.
Chouji quickly swallowed the special green spinach pill. His body increased in size till he stood even larger than Nergui. The gigantic Chouji leaned forward and bent his knees in a sumo stance, "DOSUKOI!" charged forward and met Nergui head to head.
"That's more like it!" Nergui grinned, finally feeling his blood pumping. The two giants were locked in a fierce wrestling match. Chouji's teeth clenched hard as sweat poured down his face, his feet dug into the ground as he struggled with all his might… but even with his sheer increase in weight and power brought on by both the jutsu and special pill, Nergui's raw strength was overtaking him! "Is that all you got, fat-ass!?"
"F… f-f… FAT…!?" At those words, something deep inside of Chouji snapped. His desperate expression was replaced by one filled with rage… "DIEEE!" He roared and rammed his head against Nergui's face so hard, the giant released his grip and stumbled back. Chouji grabbed Nergui's shoulder and began pounding his face again and again… "WHO… THE… HELL… ARE… YOU… CALLING…" He roared, hammering him with his massive fist at every word, "FAAAAT!" On that last word, he delivered a mighty uppercut that sent Nergui toppling over and falling on his back. Chouji leapt high into the air, reaching a surprising altitude before putting his hands together in a seal, "BAIKA NO JUTSU! CHOUJI BOMB!"
-CRASH-
The ground cracked as a mountain of flesh came crashing down on Nergui, crushing him beneath its sheer weight and smothering him completely. At the top of the ball, a pair of normal-sized arms and a head could be seen… the fists were clenched tight and the head did not look happy… "I'M BIG-BONED, GOD DAMMIT!" Iruka stared at Chouji with his mouth hung open and wide-eyed with shock… Shikamaru let out a sigh, as if this wasn't the first time he's seen this. "I'm STILL pissed! Die a thousand deaths, and I still won't forgive you!" Chouji growled, veins could be seen running down the side of his head and neck… "AH!?" He suddenly gasped, as his massive body suddenly began to rise… "NO… WAY…!" He screamed. Nergui was standing upright, and lifting him above his head!
"That last punch wasn't bad at all… but that wasn't as painful as having to suffocate under your FAT, stinking ass!" Nergui shouted up at Chouji. Ignoring the frustrated yells of the overweight ninja and still carrying him over his head, Nergui turned towards Iruka and Shikamaru and smirked… ready to throw Chouji at the two…
"KAGEMANE NO JUTSU!" Shikamaru snagged Nergui in his shadow before he threw his humongous teammate. "CHOUJI! RUN!" Shikamaru shouted, throwing his arms sideways, and Nergui too mirrored his action, releasing Chouji… "URGH!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he was suddenly felt pressure forcing him downwards, and broke the connection as Chouji tumbled down on Nergui once again. With Nergui down once more, Chouji reverted to his normal size and ran from the giant as fast as he could… only to yell out in surprise when Nergui's arm shot out and grabbed the end of his scarf, pulling him back in!
"Going somewhere…!?" Chouji trembled as he turned his head and looked up to see the gigantic figure rising from the ground once again… with Chouji now in his normal size, Nergui utterly towered over him. Chouji quickly slashed his scarf with a kunai and ran, but Nergui took chase, and began catching up with his enormous strides!
Right before the MaShin giant grabbed Chouji, Iruka suddenly jumped in front to deliver an uppercut directly into Nergui's chin… the momentum of Nergui's body added even more force to Iruka's punch. "Ngh…!" Iruka closed an eye and grimaced at the pain in his right hand, feeling as if he had just punched solid rock, but quickly snapped back to attention when he saw the giant growling down at him…
Nergui roared as he twisted his body to deliver a mighty hook directed at Iruka. The Chunin leapt back in time to avoid the punch, while Nergui's swing created a blast of air that blew away the mist and sent dust flying. "HAA!" Spotting an opening, Iruka sprung off the ground and rammed his knee against Nergui's face. "(Pant…) Still not enough…!" Iruka gasped, sweating as he jumped back. His attacks still had no effect! Iruka narrowly escaped death when a downwards punch from his towering opponent missed him and cracked the floor. Immediately taking that chance, Iruka stepped in close and turned his back towards Nergui's body, grabbing him by the arm and pressing his feet against his opponent's, "ORA!" Iruka let out a yell and pulled with all his might… Nergui's eyes widened with surprise, as Iruka lifted him off the ground and flipped him right over his head and slammed his to the floor!
Dust flew into the air, the ground beneath Nergui's massive body cracked. Iruka panted as the giant lay on his back, not moving… "Is that all you can do?" He asked calmly.
"What?" said Iruka, surprised by the calm demeanour Nergui displayed with his question… completely betraying his fearsome attitude earlier…
"All your training… just what did it amount to?" asked Nergui, still laying on his back. "In all your posing and dancing around… have you accomplished anything? Have you even damaged me once?" As Nergui sat up, he picked up a nearby stone and crushed it into powder. He relished the sensation in his hand; whether rock, flesh or bone… everything in this world was so easy to break. "Power is everything. That loud brat had power… and you have none! No matter what tricks you learn or how hard you train, the weak will always be weak!" He pointed at them.
"You're right." admitted Shikamaru, both Chouji and Iruka to look at him in surprise, even Nergui's eyebrows rose. "Iruka's skill and experience means nothing against a fighter like you. You just power your way through any trap I can think of, and while Chouji can't even make a dent. You're right. But in all your talk about the worthlessness of training, there's one thing you haven't considered…" Shikamaru smiled,
"Oh!? And what is that!?" asked Nergui
"KONOHA SENPOU!"
"NGH!" Nergui gasped in surprise when straight out of nowhere, Rock Lee appeared and delivered a mighty spinning kick to the back of his head, sending him toppling over face first into the ground.
"And just what barbarian DARES to insult the training and effort I have endured!?" an enraged Lee shouted at the downed Nergui "GRRR! HEY! STAND UP! I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!" Lee pointed at Nergui. As the massive warrior rose to his feet and glared at the newcomer, Lee took a fighting stance without a trace of fear…
"In all your love for shouting, you didn't think you'd draw the attention of a zealous idiot with something to prove." Shikamaru ignored Lee, who was ranting to Nergui about his utter lack of etiquette. "We may lack your strength… but it is through effort and brains that people like us can overcome you." Shikamaru crossed his arms, while a stunned Iruka and Chouji looked on. "I made a mistake when I tried to classify this guy on the human level…" Shikamaru turned to his allies. "In the game of shougi… the two sides are always equal, everyone follows the same set of rules for every piece. But this battle with a MaShin warrior is another game altogether. The same physical limits do not apply to this man. He isn't normal, thus we cannot afford to fight as if he were."
"OH! I get it!" Chouji exclaimed, tapping his clenched fist to his palm in realization, "So we fight fire with fire! We'll use a freak to beat a freak!"
"HEY!" Lee shouted angrily.
"Hmph…! You can bring as many friends as you like… it still won't make a difference. There's nothing you can do to hurt me!" Nergui growled…
"We'll see about that…!" Shikamaru replied, sitting on one knee in his planning stance. He was calculating their strengths and playing out scenarios in his mind. Against an opponent whose physical abilities exceeded all common sense, Shikamaru had to re-imagine his strategies and add entirely new dimensions, fundamentally reinventing the very nature of his battle tactics. For the very first time since he arrived, Shikamaru felt genuinely thrilled…
At the very same time, another battle was taking place between the ninjas of Konoha and a warrior of MaShin… one they were no closer to winning than the previous.
"Don't tell me that's ALL you got!" Lei Maoyan sneered, faced with the two Konoha nins.
"(huff… huff…)" Kakashi and Sasuke were both breathing heavily. Even with the two of them working together, they were hard pressed against the demonic strength of this MaShin soldier. Strength and stamina had become the deciding factors here, as Maoyan was using those very traits to wear his opponents down.
"Damn…! How could this moron have so much power…?" Sasuke growled. Everything about their opponent, from his fighting style to his personality angered him. "That annoying look on his face…! It's like I'm fighting that idiot Naruto…!"
"You may be unfortunately right about that… he is similar to Naruto in the worst possible ways." Kakashi commented, "He won't tire out. No matter how hard we try, he will outlast us. That's not all…" Kakashi's eyes narrowed, "This man has yet to reach his peak as a warrior… he is still learning and growing, even in the midst of battle."
"Just what are you saying…?" Sasuke turned to his instructor.
"This is the worst kind of enemy… one whose level has nowhere to go but up." Kakashi scowled beneath his mask. Maoyan was still young and still had potential to improve. "If we don't win now, he will walk away even stronger than before."
"I see what you're getting at…" Sasuke glared at Maoyan… "Only one thing we can do in this situation… we cut the weed out by the roots and end the threat, permanently!" Sasuke suddenly brandished a kunai and darted towards Maoyan. The MaShin was looking past Sasuke, to his instructor Kakashi. The instant Sasuke started charging, Kakashi began performing ninjutsu, something Maoyan wasn't going to allow…
It all happened in the blink of an eye… Sasuke thrust with the full force of his body and hit nothing but cold, empty air. Maoyan had flipped right over Sasuke's head and immediately went straight for Kakashi! Kakashi was forced to break his jutsu halfway in order to defend himself. "Oi…" Sasuke turned around and glared at Maoyan… "DON'T YOU IGNORE ME!" Sasuke roared and charged towards Maoyan from behind. Sensing killing intent, without even turning around Maoyan sidestepped the stab and grabbed Sasuke's arm. "What?! AGH!" Sasuke exclaimed when Maoyan disarmed him and kicked his feet right out from under him in a single motion. Immediately Maoyan turned his attention back to Kakashi and pursued him, stepping on Sasuke as he ran. "GRRR!" Sasuke growled at the MaShin soldier who had trampled both his body and pride.
While Maoyan was unfamiliar with the use of chakra and jutsu, he knew enough to stop Kakashi from performing his most powerful techniques. All Kakashi needed was a mere moment to perform a jutsu, but Sasuke did not even possess the sufficient level of skill to hold Maoyan back for a full second!
Sasuke growled… that man who was now fighting his teacher had so casually knocked him down without any thought or difficulty. Maoyan just stepped on him like a bug on his way to Kakashi, as if he were too small to even notice! "Teme…! I'll teach you to ignore me…!" Sasuke growled, focusing chakra into his arm. "I'LL TEACH YOU TO FEAR ME!" His arm began to glow and crackle as the chakra took the form of electricity! "CHIDORI!"
"What…?" Maoyan turned around, his eyes widened at the sight of the boy charging at him carrying lightning in his hand! Only inches away, at the speed Sasuke was going, it was too late for Maoyan to dodge! Instinctively, Maoyan triggered his body's defence as Sasuke's electrified hand reached him…
Kakashi was forced to shield his eyes and turn his head momentarily as the two electrical forces collided in a blinding flash. People were screaming as bolts of electricity shot outwards, zapping everyone within a twenty-metre radius…
"AAAARRGGGH!" Sasuke was screaming out as his hand was pressed against the MaShin soldier's chest. Both electrical forces clashed, and he was the one losing! "No…!" Sasuke clenched his teeth, "I'm not going… to give that dobe… any excuse to laugh at me…!" He growled, fighting the pain continued to press forward…
"Grrr…!" Kinetsu growled as he stood his ground. Though the lightning he emanated from his body was more powerful than that of the young ninja, it wasn't stopping the boy from pressing his fingers to the point where it was pressing into his skin and crushing his chest! The lightning in Sasuke's hand was acting as a barrier, keeping the demonic electricity from flowing past Sasuke's arm and destroying his body!
"Sasuke!" Rushing to his student's aid, Kakashi endured the electricity flying at him as he pulled out his kunai and charged at Maoyan from behind…
-THUNK-
"URGH…!" Maoyan's eyes opened wide. The blade struck bone. He turned his head to see Kakashi behind him, his hands gripping the kunai pressed straight into his spine. "GRAAAAA!" He screamed out… and what resulted then was nothing less than an explosion, the sound of thunder echoed into the sky. The force of the blast sent Sasuke, Kakashi and everyone nearby flying…
It was impossible to see anything right now; the air already thick with mist was now choked in smoke and steam resulting from the explosion that blew up the ground and vaporized the snow. As Sasuke lay on the ground, Kakashi suddenly appeared next to him, "Sasuke! Are you all right?"
"I'm… fine…!" Sasuke growled, sweating as he slowly got up. He felt numb and was involuntarily twitching. His left hand was burnt. He grimaced at the pain as he reached for a kunai, but smiled as he was able to clutch it. It was just pain; as long as his hand was working, no matter how much it hurt, he could still fight.
"You ninjas really surprise me… you know that?" the two Sharingan users turned to the source of the explosion… the figure of Maoyan. Blood was dripping from his mouth, there were bloody holes in his chest left by Sasuke's fingers, and a kunai still lodged in his spine. "You're just all so puny and primitive… yet you fight way beyond your capabilities. Your tenacity is inspiring… I've never been driven this far." He smiled, before letting out a bloody cough. Despite his visible wounds, both Sasuke and Kakashi remained on guard. "But… you still have no idea just how big this world is. I'll grant you both the honour of facing the full power of a warrior blessed by the MaShin!"
"It's happening…!" Kakashi's eyes narrowed as their wounded opponent began to transform in front of their very eyes. The source of all his strength… the power that made this man a living war machine… the demon…! They could sense tremendous power, the very same sort Kakashi recognized coming from Naruto many times before…
Maoyan growled as he hunched over in pain, sweating heavily with his teeth clenched and his eyes shut tight as power coursed through his body. Sasuke and Kakashi both felt themselves tensing up uncontrollably, as a charge could be felt in the air that stung their skin, while small electric bolts were running on the ground as power emanated from the MaShin Soldier. With such a violent storm erupting from his body, Kakashi and Sasuke couldn't even get close.
What was once a delicate-looking young man with an almost innocent, playful demeanour was growing savage as the creature was manifesting itself through him. Maoyan was literally tearing up from the inside, as his bones were growing, shifting and reconnecting as muscles grew. Maoyan's shoulders were hunched as his head leaned forwards; his spiky hair had grown long and feral. His teeth had grown into fangs and was the violent aura that sparked and crackled all around him, at times taking the shape of some kind of animal. It was as if the aura itself was sentient…
"W… what's going on…!?" Sasuke felt himself trembling. For a moment, his mind flashed back to the day he fought Gaara, and his helplessness against a demon… "Kuso…! Why am I remembering that now…!?" He clenched his teeth… the feelings now were the same as back then… an overwhelming sense of danger…
Kakashi too could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing. "He was carrying such power all this time…?" Kakashi said in shock, he couldn't believe this was the same reckless person he faced back in Konoha who risked his own life in battle just for the thrill. He could have easily gotten himself killed before ever revealing his real strength. Far more than his physical appearance, what was truly daunting was the very atmosphere that surrounded Maoyan. The presence of a demon seemed to awaken a primal fear Kakashi once believed himself to have permanently locked away…
"You are right to be afraid… it is natural for all creatures to cower before their predator…" Maoyan spoke. Behind his own voice, there seemed to be another one speaking in a low deep growl. The ears of the lightning creature curved backwards as Maoyan began to snarl; they were of one mind. "We are Raiju." the MaShin warrior raised his hand…
There was a blinding flash of light, followed by the sound of thunder as many screams echoed into the sky. Sasuke and Kakashi gasped, both of them having dived to the side just in time. Looking behind them, they saw a scene of charred bodies and scorched earth. Regardless of their natural resistance to electricity, if they hadn't moved just now they would've ended up just like all those people…
"Y… you got to be kidding… this isn't possible…" Sasuke couldn't stop shaking… but despite this, a smile crossed his face, "This is what Naruto's been going up against by himself, all this time…?" without realising it, he found himself in his fighting stance…
"You intend to fight…!?" the demonic Maoyan asked, unable to mask his excitement.
"Seeing you like this is the precise reason I cannot retreat." Kakashi glared at the monster, "You are a threat to Konoha and all the nations of this land. The objective is clear: You are to be immediately terminated."
"Terminated…?" At that statement, Maoyan couldn't stop laughing. "What can you possibly accomplish with your meagre powers!?"
"It is true… we have been fighting on your terms from the start. You hold the advantage in power, speed and even the environment… we are totally outclassed." Kakashi spoke, his eyes narrowed… "But we have no intention of leaving."
"Well said!" The vessel of the thunder beast grinned, baring his fangs, "Very admirable. Even faced with certain defeat, you still choose death before dishonour!"
"And just when did we say we're choosing death? The only one who will die is you!" Sasuke declared, surprising Maoyan… "To fight a battle where the enemy holds every advantage, where there is absolutely no hope of victory…" Sasuke clenched his fist and smiled, "…this is precisely the reason we ninjas exist. "
"Is that so…?" Maoyan's expression hardened, "Then show us your worth… and see how powerless you really are!" Maoyan took his own fighting stance against the two… eyeing them as if he had every intent on devouring them both. "The depraved… the wicked… the evil that infests this world… WE WILL SLAUGHTER THEM ALL IN THE NAME OF MASHIN!"
(Up in the palace grounds)
No matter how vicious the people were in the battlefield down below, nothing could compare to the stakes these youths were facing in the confrontation above… victory or defeat would determine the fate of the entire land of water, possibly the world…
"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!" Two exact duplicates of Naruto appeared, the first of which rushed ahead with his fists brimming with chakra, followed closely by the second who was preparing a rasengan in his hands. Yashiro was quick to avoid the punches of the first clone and then stabbed right through the two of them in a single lunge. Their deaths were signified by two simultaneous bursts of smoke.
"ORAAA!" Naruto and Mizurei roared in unison, charging through the smoke and reaching striking distance of Yashiro. Though the shadow clones failed to inflict any damage, they had succeeded in occupying Yashiro long enough for them to get up close!
Yashiro growled with clenched teeth as he withdrew his blades into a defensive stance and narrowly blocked the simultaneous strikes from Naruto's kunai and Mizurei's heavy spear, his grip tightened as his blades held back the immense strength of Naruto and Mizurei. The two continued to press forward against the MaShin soldier with an ongoing flurry of attacks. "Hm!?" suddenly sensing movement coming from behind. Yashiro spun his left saber into a reverse grip and swung the weapon in the opposite direction to deflect a kunai wielded by Hinata and a thrown shuriken from a cautiously distanced Ebi.
The Princess and the Shogun watched in utter disbelief as Yashiro was fighting in two opposite directions: one side he was faced heavy attacks from both Mizurei and Naruto, who put all their power into every swing… while on his other side, he was dealing with the quicker strikes from Hinata and ranged projectiles from a concealed Ebi. In each hand, Yashiro fought multiple opponents who all used completely different styles!
"How… how could such a warrior exist in this world…?" The Shogun quivered at the swordsman from a foreign land. As he spoke, Yashiro managed to slip right between Naruto and Mizurei, neatly avoiding their attacks while taking a swipe at them both. Naruto managed to avoid a swing, but Mizurei took a cut right above his left eye. While it wasn't instantly fatal, the cut forced one eye shut from the bleeding and hindered his ability to fight. The Shogun was trembling in despair. Never before had he dreamed that a fighter of such caliber could be real. Yashiro was a flawless soldier… stronger, deadlier, more ruthless than any man he had ever seen. No matter how hard these youths fought, their attacks simply could not reach him!
"It's not hopeless yet, father." Izumi-hime spoke. While Yashiro's strength far exceeded any of these four, none of them had yet been killed!
"HISAME TAIHO (HAIL CANNON)!" Mizurei's voice roared, and Yashiro was interrupted mid swing when a big lump of ice came flying at him just like it was fired out of a cannon. Yashiro pulled back just in time as the projectile flew right past him and blew down one of the castle's walls. "Not gonna happen…!" Mizurei growled. He pressed the cut above his eye and painfully seared the skin shut, enabling himself to see clearly once more… while the Shogun couldn't help but grimace at the damage done to his wall. "ORAAA!" Mizurei charged in with a wild series of swings and thrusts while Naruto continued to fight Yashiro all the while manoeuvring and dodging around Mizurei's weapon! Hinata used her 360 degree vision to flawlessly glide through the battle, tracking everyone's position and remain in step with Naruto and Mizurei all the while keeping just out of reach of Yashiro's sabers.
"Doton…" Ebi's voice was barely audible among the sounds of battle, and Yashiro felt a sudden shift in ground and heard the sound of cracking stone. He immediately jumped back, just in time to avoid the sharp stone spike that erupted from the ground… the result of Ebi's attempt to impale him with an earth jutsu.
"Grr…" Yashiro growled. That was a close one. The girl had positioned herself to obstruct his view of Ebi, covering the coward as he conjured up one of those ninjutsu! Had he not encountered a similar technique from Mizurei earlier, it might have caught him!
"Ugh…" woozy from exhaustion and low on chakra, Ebi began to wobble. He reached for another soldier pill. The drug took only moments to replenish him and he began preparing his next jutsu. He couldn't afford to stop. Consuming so many of these pills in one day was going to wreak havoc on his body later on, but if he was extremely lucky, he would live long enough to suffer those consequences.
As he fought, Yashiro was steadily losing his temper, "Damn…!" he cursed. Since he arrived in these lands, how many so-called elite ninja had he killed? Warriors of renown, legendary knights, sword saints and celebrated heroes across the world had died by his hand… so how were these kids able to stand up to him with their meagre levels!?
"Frustrating, isn't it? When things don't go the way you expected?" Naruto knowingly said with a smirk. While their attacks were unable to reach Yashiro, he seemed equally incapable of hitting them! For every attack Yashiro threw, they came to each other's aid. "All your planning… all that experience and skill… yet you can't kill any of us."
"RHAAAGH!" For the first time, Yashiro lost his composure and attacked out of sheer frustration. Naruto had struck a nerve. Yashiro's blades clashed with Naruto's and easily overpowered him. "I have you now…!" He stepped forward to deliver a killing strike…
"Wrong again!" Naruto stuck his tongue out and immediately ducked his head just in time to avoid a thrust from Mizurei's spear from behind. Yashiro stopped his attack mid-swing and quickly pulled back to avoid the longer-ranged weapon.
Mizurei proceeded to press forward with an aggressive assault of heavy swings and powerful thrusts, while Naruto stuck by his side. Yashiro observed how furiously Mizurei fought, even while Naruto was close by. The blonde genin was dodging, weaving and performing flips to manoeuvre around Mizurei's weapon. Mizurei wasn't holding back one bit with any of his swings, despite the fact that his wild attacks could just as easily hit friend as well as foe! One slip up and Naruto's bones would be smashed!
"Wasn't expecting this, weren't you?" Naruto smirked, avoiding the spear with ease while still fighting Yashiro. "Since I first got here, I've lost count of the hundreds of times I fought Mizurei…! Enough times to know each other's moves inside-out!" Mizurei's attacks weren't done out of reckless disregard for Naurto's safety, but based on absolute trust in his abilities. Mizurei could attack Yashiro while creating a defensive perimeter for Naruto, while Yashiro is unable to reach Naruto with his sabers without endangering himself!
"Ebi's a smart guy; he already knows I'm gonna do the craziest, most suicidal thing imaginable and I can trust him to do the complete opposite!" Naruto continued. While he fought in the absolute riskiest position; facing Yashiro up front with Mizurei behind him, Ebi had taken vantage up on the roof, gaining a bird's eye view of the area while raising stone spikes from the ground attempting to impale Yashiro. He was doing more with the earth than using it for attacks; he was completely remodelling the field.
"And Hinata's lovely eyes can pick up every little movement, see through everything and let her react accordingly! They also have the added bonus of being the most beautiful set of eyes in the world!" Hinata momentarily smiled and blushed at Naruto's complement, but quickly got her mind back into the battle. While Ebi continued to raise sharp stone spikes, Hinata was effortlessly able to manoeuvre around them as she continued to fight Yashiro, using them as obstacles to obstruct Yashiro's swords and line of sight. She was small enough to slip between them unhindered while her own vision remained clear!
Though Yashiro was far stronger than all of them, it wasn't just the sum of their strength that enabled them to fight on his level. This was a battle they had tirelessly prepared for… training day in, day out to sharpen their abilities just for even the slightest hope of victory. The teamwork they displayed was only earned through sheer effort and unending preparation. Though Naruto could copy himself a hundred times over, it was no different from fighting alone. His friends added all sorts of new options to the mix; they could work with him and catch onto all the things he'd never notice alone. They had struggled together, experiencing pain and laughter, and used their strengths to cover for each other's weakness, alter the field to their advantage and ultimately stand up to Yashiro!
"Too naive…!" Yashiro scowled. "You think you're the first to use such teamwork against me?" he was turning his head and keeping track of his opponents as they manoeuvred through the field of spikes. They fought well together, but such tricks would only get them so far… It was no more than desperation. He noticed that among the three close combatants, the only one who hadn't taken any damage was the girl. "(So he's taking special precaution to keep her unharmed…)" Yashiro smiled, spotting a weakness in their formation. Naruto gasped in horror as Yashiro turned his full attention towards Hinata! "There is a reason why MaShin warriors fight alone…!"
"Nani!?" Hinata gasped and quickly summoned her chakra to her hands "SHUGOHAKKE ROKUJUYON SHO!" Chakra clashed against steel, and her palm successfully deflected his saber. This was the technique Naruto saw her perform on the water before Kirishaku raided the camps! Yashiro didn't relent and continued attacking with blindingly fast strikes, not allowing her to form the 360 defence, instead putting all her focus into a single direction. Yashiro was constantly altering the angle of his attacks and aiming for weaknesses that emerged every time she had to shift her body. Hinata grimaced at the pain in her hands from pushing so much chakra, but struggled to keep it going. If she gave in for even a second, she would be cut down on the spot!
"YASHIROOO!" an enraged Naruto yelled. Yashiro smiled, having baited his opponent perfectly. Right on cue, Naruto threw caution to the wind and recklessly dove to Hinata's aid. Yashiro could sense Naruto rushing towards him from behind.
"Even if your support for one another could get you this far…" Yashiro said with a smirk. He immediately turned around, his sight now locked on Naruto… "ALL IT TAKES IS THE DEATH OF ONE!" quicker than anyone could react, he lunged towards Naruto!
"AH…!" Naruto gasped, his mouth fell open and eyes opened wide when Yashiro drove both sabers into him, punching right through his armour and pinning him against a large stone spike behind him. "N… no…!" He gasped, shaking as blood ran from his mouth.
"You're no illusion…!" Yashiro growled. This body was solid and he knew Naruto had not created any more copies; he would've heard the loudmouth shouting his jutsu. "DIE…!" he snarled as he viciously pushed the blades deeper!
"Aaaah…!" Naruto closed his eyes and screamed weakly when Yashiro drove both blades fully into him. He turned his head and looked past Yashiro, reaching helplessly with his hand. "Hi… na… ta…!" He choked out, before his arm fell limp to his side.
"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata shrieked in horror, her byakugan faded as she fell to her knees…
"N… no… Naruto…!" Mizurei trembled, his teeth clenched tightly. "YASHIROOOO!" Mizurei let out a furious yell and charged at him. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He roared at the top of his lungs, charging at Yashiro in a bloody frenzy. As he ran, water erupted from the ground and the mist around them vanished as Mizurei was pulling out all the water he could reach with his powers, freezing them into many horrific sharp lances hovering in the air.
"Don't worry." said Yashiro with an air of satisfaction. He pulled out one of his sabers from Naruto, leaving the boy pinned by the other. Now that Yashiro had executed the most troublesome of the bunch, the rest were soon to fall. He clashed with Mizurei in melee, while the ice lances rained down towards him. "I promise you won't be grieving long." He sidestepped the thrust from the spear and stepped in close. Before Mizurei could react, Yashiro slammed the handle of his saber hard into his face, causing him to scream out in pain. "You'll be joining him very soon…"
Victory was already certain. Naruto was dead and Mizurei was simply no match for him. That feeble Ebi was even less of a threat, and the girl was completely paralysed by this second loss… "Wait… what…?" when he glanced at Hinata, he spotted what appeared to be a smile. "WHAT?!" Yashiro exclaimed and turned back around. Naruto, whose body had been pinned by one of the sabers, suddenly began to darken. His features were melting away and turning to mud. This wasn't a shadow clone… but an earth clone!
"He wasn't real?!" Mizurei exclaimed in surprise. He was the only one who hadn't caught on to the plan, while Hinata could see by the chakra that it was just one of Ebi's earth clones disguised by a henge jutsu!
"Gotcha…!" on the rooftop, Ebi smirked as he allowed his disguised earth clone to vanish. Naruto was loud in everything he did, including jutsu… but Ebi certainly knew how to perform them quietly. Sweating, he mustered his chakra for one more attack…
Yashiro gasped when another earthen spike erupted from the ground. The distraction caused by Ebi's decoy, Hinata's fake reaction and Mizurei's enraged attack slowed him just enough for the sharpened rock to graze him. He immediately shook it off and retrieved his second saber while the mud clone's remains. Yashiro stood on guard, scanning the field for any sign of Naruto, but he was nowhere to be seen…!
-CRACK-
Yashiro didn't even have time to realize what just happened. Cracks formed in Ebi's earth spike, before it suddenly exploded and a mass of orange wrapped in burning chakra burst out! Naruto had hidden inside the soil that formed the spike, and was now right in Yashiro's face! "KURAEEE!" Naruto thrust a kunai with all his strength. Yashiro reacted as fast as he could and tried to swing at Naruto, but it was too late…
Yashiro's eyes widened, and there was a sickening sound of metal piercing flesh and bone. The kunai had stopped his right arm mid-swing and pierced right through his elbow joint. Though only a few seconds passed, it was as if time had stopped. Yashiro was frozen… the fingers of his right hand slipped open, no longer under his control and his saber fell to the ground. "(W… what happened…?)" he was paralysed in this moment of calm and clarity… before the shock ended and the pain finally hit. He screamed.
"Eat this…!" chakra filled Naruto's arm, strengthening it as he clenched his fist, "RASENKEN!" all the air was blasted right out of Yashiro's lungs when Naruto struck him with everything he had; cutting flesh and crushing ribs. Yashiro was flung backwards, his back slammed against the surface of one the stone spires Ebi raised. Yashiro was gasping desperately as he leaned against the stone for support.
The MaShin soldier's right arm was literally hanging by a thread. He was choking on blood while struggling to breathe. Pain was overwhelming his senses… all because he had misread Naruto once! "WHAT…!?" He looked ahead and exclaimed when both Naruto and Hinata stood in front of him…!
"Ra…" Naruto gathered chakra in his hands… his arms reaching over Hinata's shoulders.
"Sen…" Hinata in front of Naruto, using her hands to help reshape the flow of the chakra into an even greater size and power than he could achieve alone…
Yashiro steeled himself and came back to his senses. He would not be bested! With his remaining left arm, Yashiro took his saber and shifted into a quick draw stance. Such a slow and sloppy attack as those two were doing could never touch him; he would evade it and cut them both down in a single stroke… "WHAT!?" he shouted when he couldn't move. He looked down only to find his feet were encased in ice!
"Got you…!" Mizurei looked back at him with a victorious smirk. "FINISH HIM!"
Yashiro's psyche was crashing down on him. This just wasn't possible…! How did these… CHILDREN manage to corner him?! So many questions were racing through his mind, yet only a single word escaped his lips… "…how?"
"GAAAAN!" Naruto and Hinata shouted, both stepped forward and slammed the enhanced Rasengan directly into Yashiro's chest!
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Yashiro felt the impact and was blasted right through the stone. His thoughts were in chaos, his own mind could not grasp situation as he spun through the air, smashing through one stone spire after the other. He finally crashed through the field of stone towers and hit the ground, his body skidded violently across the stone floor, leaving a long red streak when he finally came to a stop. No one made any sound. They all held their breath as Yashiro lay there… his right arm had fallen off, blood was pooling beneath him, and his body was embedded with fragments of broken rock.
"T… they did it…" The Shogun finally broke the silence, staring awestruck at the four youths who have triumphed against such a terrible foe…
"Is it… is it finally over…?" asked Hinata as she stood with her back still pressed against Naruto. It had to be over… nothing could possibly take a hit like that and continue.
"We did it…! We won…!" Naruto gasped in a mixture of joy and disbelief, against the most dangerous opponent he had yet faced… "HA-HA-HA! WE TOOK HIM DOWN!"
"Ano!?" Hinata gasped in surprise when Naruto suddenly hugged her from behind, picking her up from under her arms and spun her around with him in a hug. "Na-ha-ha! Naru-hahaha! Na-Naruto!" she couldn't even speak in between the giggles as he spun around and around with her in his arms laughing, while she loved every second of it.
"HA-HA-HAAAA! YOU INSANE BASTARD!" Mizurei laughed, running to join them as Naruto finally set Hinata down, who continued to clutch Naruto's arm. Mizurei was smiling with tears in his eyes "(Sniff…!) Dammit Naruto…! I actually thought you died…!"
"Heh-heh! Sorry… we were kind of improvising on the spot!" Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head. Yashiro's attempt to take advantage of Naruto's obvious feelings for Hinata had utterly backfired, costing him everything.
Knowing Yashiro's skill in reading his opponents and using their weaknesses against them… Naruto figured from the start that Yashiro would try to bait him by attacking Hinata. Rather than fall for the trap, Naruto completely defied expectation by trusting in Hinata to hold her ground while he devised a counter attack:
Taking advantage of Yashiro's back being turned on him, Naruto used his clawed, chakra-strengthened fingers to quickly dig through the frozen soil and conceal himself in the ground. Ebi, who was watching from his safe vantage point, saw that Naruto hadn't immediately rushed to Hinata's aid and deduced the plan. Ebi had silently formed an Earth Clone disguised as Naruto before Yashiro caught wind of it, and then readied a hollow earthen spike to conceal the real Naruto.
Hinata faced the most danger by having to face Yashiro head on, but she repelled his attacks long enough for them to enact their scheme. With her byakugan, she was able to witness the entire thing without ever taking her gaze off Yashiro so as not to tip him off, and then merely pretended to cry when the earth clone had been killed.
The only one of the four who had been left in the dark was Mizurei, but his genuine reaction to Naruto's supposed death ended up working in their favour as he had drawn Yashiro's attention away and convinced him that Naruto was really dead!
"Sorry I had to scare you like that, but without you though, I don't think Yashiro would've bought it otherwise!" Naruto gave him an appreciative nod. Izumi-hime and the Shogun had witnessed the whole thing from a distance and were in a state of stunned disbelief. Where a veritable army filled with elite warriors and shinobi had failed to stop Yashiro, it was through such a remarkable display of teamwork and creativity that these youths were finally able to bring him down!
"Ano…! In the end… everyone had an important role… none of us would have succeeded alone!" Hinata chimed in, still hugging Naruto.
"Hm? And just when did you two start acting so cozy around each other?" Mizurei noticed the way they were behaving. Hinata immediately hid behind Naruto, trying to hide her blush, while Naruto nervously scratched his chin with an embarrassed look…
"It isn't over." Everyone turned to look at Ebi, who had descended from his vantage point. Ebi looked to be in a poor state right now; intensely fatigued and physically ill from overusing soldier pills. He was staring down at the twisted, broken body of their foe. Yashiro was beaten, but the war continued to rage in the city below. "He's still alive, and the demon spirit is still active through him. I said it before… as long as he lives, it will never be over…!" He clenched his teeth. Naruto scowled and Hinata shook slightly.
"That's it? Well then, let's finish him off!" Mizurei walked over with his triple bladed spear, "You guys are too good for this sort of dirty work. Let me handle it… he's got a lot to answer for." he snarled at the man who brought his people so much suffering. Mizurei aimed the point of jumonji towards Yashiro's heart…
"No, I'll do it…" Ebi growled, picking a discarded naginata off the ground; a leftover from one of the royal guards Yashiro had slaughtered. After years of constantly watching over his shoulders, concealing himself among the crowd, never being able to remain idle and always wondering if that night's sleep would be his last… "I need to be certain." Ebi gave a few practice swings, and then turned his attention to Yashiro's neck…
"We all got a reason for wanting him dead. I'm fine splitting it with you, if you're up for it." Said Mizurei, and Ebi nodded back. They momentarily glanced over to the Shogun, who closed his eyes and nodded as well, signifying to them that this was a righteous execution. "OI! Naruto! Hinata! You two look away! I'd hate to spoil the mood with what we're about to do…" He shouted, before turning back to Ebi, "On three?"
Ebi nodded and turned to Yashiro. He raised the naginata into the air while Mizurei readied his spear as the two of them counted: "One… two…!"
"HM!" Yashiro's eyes suddenly shot open. With his left hand he reached for a saber and hurled it at Mizurei. The blade spun through the air, heading towards his neck. Mizurei quickly tried to dodge, but there was not enough time and the blade grazed his neck.
"MIZUREI/MIZUREI-SAN!" Naruto, Hinata and Izumi-hime screamed in horror, as Mizurei dropped his spear and fell to one knee, gasping desperately. He had managed to dodge the thrown sword… partly.
"HAAA!" not wasting any time, Ebi swung down with the strength he could muster. The stone tiles split beneath the naginata, but Yashiro had rolled out of the way. Ebi looked up in shock at Yashiro, who was already on his feet! "No…! Yashi-" Ebi's words were cut short by a kick to the side of his face. He fell to the ground in a daze.
"And just what do you think you're doing…?!" Yashiro spat out, glaring down at the two who just tried to kill him when he was down.
"GRRR… YASHIRO…!" Mizurei clenched his teeth as Naruto and Hinata rushed over to him and Ebi. He was alright, the blade hadn't cut too deep… but if he had dodged a second later it would've severed an artery and he'd bleed to death. Mizurei pressed his hand against the cut on his neck and painfully froze the wound shut.
"Ebi! Are you alright?!" Naruto asked, helping Ebi up by his shoulders.
"I'll… be fine…!" Ebi shook Naruto off. Blood dripped from his mouth and a bloody molar fell out as he spoke. One of the lenses of his glasses was badly cracked. "Forget about me! Focus on him!" Naruto, Hinata and Mizurei took their fighting stances. Though exhausted and hurt, the three were once again ready for battle.
"Impossible…! He's still going?!" The Mist Shogun couldn't believe Yashiro was standing after all that punishment… "Eh…?" On closer inspection, it seemed the three weren't in for such a difficult fight after all. Yashiro was in a truly terrible state.
"You've lost, Yashiro!" Naruto shouted. Yashiro was barely even standing, and the damage to his body was beyond even the healing capabilities of a demon. "Nothing will save you now… not even that demon of yours!" A crimson puddle was growing beneath Yashiro. He was rapidly losing blood from the wounds in shredded flesh and missing stump of an arm. Hinata could see shattered bone fragments were piercing into his vital organs. Tsunade herself couldn't save him. They didn't even have to fight Yashiro, so much as simply wait a few minutes for him to die on his own!
"So… I'm actually dying." Yashiro smiled almost out of sheer disbelief; never could he have imagined it possible to be brought down by the likes of them. "All from a single blunder…" He closed his eyes and sighed, resigning himself to his inevitable fate. He could feel his life draining away, there was no coming back from this point. "To fall in the line of duty leaves me with little regret. It is a good death."
"It didn't have to end like this…" Naruto said softly, for the first time feeling sympathy for the man. Despite their status as enemies, he felt some level of respect for Yashiro as a warrior. Despite all of his handicaps, Yashiro had pushed them to their absolute limit without any chakra abilities, bloodline powers or the support of his demon… and for what? All of Yashiro's strength had been used for the sole purpose of creating such incalculable tragedies. There was simply no other option… he had to be stopped.
"For the first time, fox boy, you're right…" Yashiro replied. His expression suddenly hardened into a look of bitter hatred and anger. His resolve had not weakened one bit. With his remaining hand, he drew his saber once more. "IT WILL NOT END LIKE THIS!"
"GET READY!" Naruto shouted, as both his and the kyubi chakra erupted from him, the veins on Hinata's temples bulged as she took her Jyuken pose and Mirurei's bloodline power surged. Even Ebi drew a blade and stood ready for Yashiro's next move… but what Yashiro did next, none of them could have predicted. With his left hand, Yashiro lifted his saber and without any hesitation… he stabbed it into his own chest!
"AAAHH!" Naruto and the others gasped, recoiling in shock and horror as Yashiro's blood sprayed out. Hinata shut off her byakugan and covered her eyes as she turned away.
"AS I EMBRACE DEATH…! RETURN TO ME!" Yashiro managed to force out the words… grinning all the way. Dark shadows began to surround him, seemingly being drawn into the gaping wound on his chest, where his heart was located. Everyone began to tense, as they began to feel an increasing sense of dread. Naruto and Hinata recognized this feeling and knew what was happening. Yashiro was calling back the dark spirit!
"NO!" Naruto screamed, his chakra blazing harder than ever. Drawing his kunai, he darted forwards to put a stop to this. "W… WHAT…!?" He suddenly exclaimed as he froze in his tracks, clenching his teeth. He could barely move… his body suddenly felt so heavy…!
"A… ah…!" Hinata trembled, as she felt the all-too-familiar presence of Yashiro's dark spirit. But something was different this time… They could all feel a sort of weight on their shoulders and there was a terrible stench in the air… like that of rotting bodies.
"What the hell is happening…!?" Mizurei was looking around desperately. He could feel presences all around him. "GAH!" He exclaimed. There was a sensation of something cold grabbing him, and looking down he momentarily saw skeletal hands clutching his ankles while barely audible voices whispered into his ears…
From all over the battlefield, what appeared to be glowing wisps were rising from the dead and drifting towards Yashiro. As they got closer, their soft, cool glows were stained completely black as they were all drawn into Yashiro's perforated heart.
Sweat poured from the side of Naruto's face, his hair stood on end and his initial feeling of discomfort grew as these spirits began clinging onto him! "G… get off!" Naruto shouted angrily, trying to brush off whatever was touching him, to no avail. His fingers passed through harmlessly and he felt nothing but cold air. The stench flooded his nostrils and he could feel the weight on his shoulders growing by the second. Naruto suddenly froze in horror when he came to the chilling realization that the sensation on his shoulders felt just like human bodies were being piled up on him…
"This is the weight of those you have failed to save." Yashiro replied, as more souls and fragments of the demon were being drawn back to him.
"N… no…! My friends…!" Mizurei was shaking hard. Around him, he could see ghostly faces in the mist belonging to those he recognized; fellow bloodline villagers who once depended on him. He could hear their screams and felt their fear, confusion and anger.
"K… KAI!" Ebi tried to perform a counter seal to repel the assault, but it wasn't working! He grimaced as a scratch suddenly appeared on his face from unseen hands, drawing blood. Chakra gathered in Ebi's hands and he swung around him in an imitation of Hyuga-style jyuken, but to no avail. This wasn't any sort of chakra art at work, and nothing in his arsenal had any effect on these souls! His breathing became more panicked as the numbers grew; he was being crushed and could do nothing about it!
"N… NARUTO-KUN…!" Hinata struggled to move, tried reaching out to Naruto's hand. The ghostly fog surrounding them grew more intense, to the point where the shifting figures were becoming visible. The rotten smell was overwhelming, the whispers were growing into screams, dark thoughts were invading their minds and the hands were growing increasingly violent; pushing, tugging, scratching. With every person that died, more would attach themselves to Naruto and his friends. They were being crushed both physically and emotionally, and yet they could still sense an even darker presence… a deeper voice, urging the dead, guiding their hatred and dragging them deeper. The demonic presence that always accompanied Yashiro had returned.
The same unseen entities that were viciously assaulting them were assisting Yashiro and mending his body. Broken bones were being pulled back into place. The colour faded from his face as blood was being drained away, and open wounds were being pressed shut by ghostly hands. While Naruto and his friends were getting weaker, Yashiro's body was being restored to fighting condition!
"The MaShin Empire granted me this power… in death, it shall be returned." the dying Yashiro spoke as his strength was returning one last time. He would slaughter them all, and then go into the battlefield and kill the remaining Konoha ninjas… not merely empowered by the demon but fully joined as one. "When my body expires, forever shall I serve the Empire… my soul joined with this demon as it is passed to a rightful successor. Indeed… it is a good death!"
"N… no…!" Ebi was the first to collapse, unable to stand the weight of those clinging to him while the others struggled to stand. "We were so close…!" Tears ran down his cheeks. An entire squad of elite ANBU nins couldn't do anything against this man once unleashed his power upon them… what chance did they stand? Their only hope had been to take him out when he was separate from the demon, and that opportunity had vanished!
"D-damn you…!" Unable to move under the crushing weight, Mizurei's mind was being invaded by despair. Yashiro was dying, but he couldn't be killed. There was nothing they could do to stop him from destroying this country and wiping out his people. All their efforts had been for nothing…
"Grr…" Naruto growled, his fists clenched tight. His shoulders were hunched and he was shaking, struggling to stand beneath what felt like a mountain of corpses. "I… won't… quit…!" He tried to take another step towards Yashiro. What appeared to be thousands of ghostly decaying hands were trying to drag him down. Naruto closed his eyes and cried out as his legs buckled and he fell to the ground, unable to get up… "N… n-no…!" He said weakly. No matter how much chakra he drew and how hard he fought, he couldn't lift himself off the ground. Yashiro was rapidly being restored, and he couldn't even stand…! He couldn't move, he couldn't think. His senses and emotions were being drowned out by the pained screams of the dead and their everlasting torment… "What?" His eyes opened when he suddenly felt gentle warmth…
"N… Naruto-kun…!" Hinata's eyes were shut tight, she was quivering next to him… her hand desperately clutching his own. Naruto looked around and saw the friends who had fought so hard by his side throughout this entire ordeal now lay defeated all around him. They had all followed him fearlessly straight into the heart of a full-scale war. Not just them… right now, both Naruto and Hinata's teams were in that battlefield, along with the Ino-Shika-Chou trio, Team Gai and all their respective sensei's. Even Iruka came all this way to help put a stop to this meaningless bloodshed…
"It… won't… end like THIS…!" Naruto grasped Hinata's hand tightly. The others turned to him as slowly, Naruto began to rise to his feet. His expression hardened as he felt the immense weight pushing down on him… but he continued regardless. "Right now… my friends are down there in that hell, fighting with everything they got…! They're fighting entire armies… while I'm making this much of a fuss over one man!?" The darkness was clinging to him and he could feel the mountain of bodies steadily growing, but he would not bend. "If I can't beat you, I won't have the right to ever call myself Hokage…! I won't ever be able to show my face to Haku…!" Though he could barely stand, his voice was growing stronger.
On his shoulders, Naruto was literally carrying the weight of thousands of lives. The spiritual assault meant to break his resolve only strengthened it… as now more than ever, he understood the burden of all the lives lost and the many more that would be added to their numbers if he failed. "I… don't care how powerful he is…! I SWORE I'll never back down…! I'll never give up…! BECAUSE THAT'S MY WAY OF THE NINJA!"
All around him, Naruto's friends were slowly rising. Mizurei was struggling with all his might to lift himself off the ground. He reached for his spear and was leaning on it for support. Still clutching his hand, Hinata rose to her feet and they glanced into each other's eyes for a moment. She smiled weakly and they both nodded, perfectly understanding one another. She would never let Naruto shoulder this burden alone…
"Everyone…!" Ebi's voice called weakly. Everyone turned in his direction. He was too weak to stand up against the pressure, but managed to sit himself up and was forming a seal with his hands. He was gathering his chakra, "In my bag… there is a small green scroll… tied with purple rope!" He said, trying not to lose focus. If he used too much chakra he'd die of depletion, too little and it would fail. "Hurry…! There's not much time!" Yashiro was almost fully recovered. Mizurei, who was nearest to Ebi pulled off his pack and emptied the contents. Weapons and supplies scattered on the floor, among them he could see the scroll. "Open it…!"
"Alright…!" Mizurei tore off the rope and unravelled the ninja scroll.
Ebi stared down at the scroll hesitantly, as if this was the hardest decision he ever made. "I wanted to avoid it at all cost… this will escalate the conflict. If we fail here, I will be directly responsible for dooming the Leaf." Ebi took the blood from his mouth and ran his thumb across the text in a long red streak. "SUMMONING!" There was a burst of smoke, and before him appeared a long narrow object wrapped in cloth. Yashiro suddenly tensed up, his eyes fixated on the object. Whatever it was gave him an uneasy feeling… "Naruto… CATCH!" With every ounce of muscle he had, he threw it to Naruto.
As soon as Naruto's fingers wrapped around the object, his eyes shot open. He could feel his heart beginning to beat faster and a tremendous heat coming from his belly. Inside of him, he sensed Kyubi's prison trembling… not out of fear, but what seemed like excitement… "What is it…?!" The cloth fell, revealing what was hidden beneath.
In Naruto's hand was a sword… or rather… just an unfinished bare blade. The edge was completely unsharpened, there was no handle or hand-guard and the metal had a messy unpolished colour. Judging by the appearance, it looked as if it was intended to be some form of nihonto, but it was so incomplete and the blade hadn't even been curved. However, Naruto sensed something else just holding the incomplete weapon…
"(W… what's happening…!? It's taking my energy!?)" Naruto exclaimed to himself as he felt his demon chakra being drawn into it… yet at the same time he could almost feel a pulse in his hand… "(No… it's like it's becoming a part of me…! Almost like I'm pumping blood through it… and in return…!)" throughout his entire body he could feel newfound strength… "Ebi…! This is…?"
"This is the blade built using the ore of the First Hokage's necklace… Zanmato." Ebi answered… feeling ashamed it couldn't be completed. From processing the ore to polishing the finished blade, it would ordinarily take months if not years to complete. Finishing this weapon in a few days was impossible, even for him, and it was miraculous he even got this far, "It may not be finished yet, but the power is there…"
As Naruto held the unfinished Zanmato, the chakra surrounding him blazed like fire and he could feel power coursing through his body, strengthening him like never before. The outline of the fox's ears and three tails were visible in the chakra… yet he sensed there was still a mountain of untapped strength the sword could not draw out, likely due to its unfinished state. In his head, Naruto heard the fox's voice:
"Ku-hu-hu… OMOSHIROI! (HOW INTERESTING!)"
"Hey furball…" Naruto spoke out loud, "Sorry to take without asking, but I'm gonna need your help to finally put a long-overdue end to this bastard!"
"Insolent brat! Very well… go ahead and wield my power! Show that corpse-slave and his mess of screaming spirits the might of a REAL demon!"
"On it, stupid fox!" Naruto smirked as he swung the sword. Dark fragments of the demon vanished and the dark haze lifted ever so slightly as freed souls flew away. Just from a simple flick of the wrist… Naruto immediately felt lighter and the voices and sensations stopped. He knew it… this weapon had the power to utterly destroy demons!
"T… that sword…! It isn't possible!" Yashiro was shaking after seeing that small portion of the demon had just been destroyed. Whatever happened to his physical body was of no consequence… but the precious demon was irreplaceable! For it to be damaged like so… for the first time Yashiro felt vulnerable. "No blade can cut the Dark Spirit's immaterial form!" He exclaimed… but realized that he was wrong… There was but a single weapon that had the capability to destroy any demonic being… the most feared and celebrated weapon of the MaShin Empire. Even their greatest heroes did not merit the privilege of holding such a hallowed blade… for that right was reserved for none other than the MaShin Emperor himself! "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT SWORD!?"
Not waiting for the demon to fully return to him or for his lost arm to be reattached, Yashiro went straight for the kill. Yashiro swung his saber at Naruto, and there was a loud clash as he struck Naruto's raw blade. Naruto clenched his teeth at the force of the blow, but held his ground. "What's this?" Yashiro leaned in closer to examine the unfinished weapon. It looked nothing like the sword of the Emperor! "No…! You couldn't have…!" He growled at the sight of this twisted replica! "YOU BARBARIANS STOLE OUR TECHNOLOGY?!" Yashiro screamed into Naruto's face.
"ORA!" Naruto responded by head-butting Yashiro, causing him to reel back. As Naruto followed it up with several swings, Yashiro quickly retreated, unwilling to let the sword touch him. "Ow… damn it…!" Naruto muttered, shaking his aching hands. Trying to use a sword without a proper handle was less than comfortable in his fingers.
"This changes everything…!" Yashiro spat, trembling with rage. Behind that anger, there was also the hint of fear at the implications brought on by Naruto possessing the Emperor's sword, "(These savages can replicate our weapons…!)" If the shinobi were sophisticated enough to recreate such a weapon, what else could they engineer? What was there to stop them from freely bringing demons into the world and binding them to their own warriors? Within a generation, they would be able to manufacture an army of demon-empowered soldiers… enough to threaten the MaShin Empire's supremacy!
"Izumi." Naruto called over to the princess. Out of everyone here, she was the least hurt. "Get the others to safety…" She nodded and quickly helped her father and Ebi onto their feet to move somewhere a little safer. Naruto picked up the cloth that covered the Zanmato earlier, ripped it in half with his teeth and then tied it around the tang to create a makeshift handle. He gave it a couple of practice swings, trying to get used to the feel… "Thanks Ebi." Naruto said, clutching the sword his friend had constructed; it would support him in his place. He knew that whatever strength the sword granted him wasn't enough. Naruto swung the Zanmato twice, next to Mizurei and Hinata. The corpse spirits clinging to them dispersed and they suddenly were able to stand. "Hinata… Mizurei… I need your help one more time…"
"Hai… Naruto-kun!" Hinata nodded with a smile,
"I'm with you, to the bitter end…!" Mizurei took his own stance, totally unafraid.
The Zanmato might have freed them from the demon's clutches, but it was Naruto's own words and presence that drove them to fight. The two readied their powers and stood by his side… as the darkness surrounding the castle grounds grew even thicker…
Out on the battlefield of the Mist Capital, everyone could sense overwhelming dread up on the castle. Gamabunta, who had been fighting to block the gates suddenly stopped as the vicious mob turned and fled; even those too injured to walk were desperately crawling away, trying to get as far from the darkness as possible.
"Kid…!" Gamabunta muttered, feeling the vile, demonic presence. He had sensed other demons roaming nearby, but whatever was up there was something else entirely! Every instinct warning him to get as far away as he could… instead he turned his attention back to the battle. The least he could do was lend his aid…
"Naruto…!" Sasuke and Kakashi glanced up at the castle. "Just what are you going up against?!" Even their demon-strengthened opponent was equally distracted. Nergui as well, who was in the midst of fighting the group directed by Shikamaru dropped his guard when he sensed what was going on…
"Hinata-sama…!" Neji scoured the battlefield. Unable to find her down here, he came to the horrifying realization where she had to be… "No…! HINATA-SAMA!" He started running in the direction of the castle, fighting his way through the masses. She was up there, fighting against whatever devil was causing this chaos, putting herself in unimaginable danger! As he ran, the veins on his face were beginning to recede… "AGH!" He cried out as he tripped over a corpse and fell to the floor. His byakugan was gone, as he no longer had the chakra to sustain it. "SHIKUSO!" screamed in frustration, cursing at himself for his inability to protect her. Neji clenched his teeth and drew a kunai; his only weapon left. He was down to his wits and last ounces of strength while enemies surrounded him in absolutely every direction…
"Hinata… please be safe…!" Kurenai sensed the demonic aura and immediately understood what was happening. She knew just how strong Yashiro was, having lost against him once herself. With the battlefield in such a frenzy she could not get any closer to the castle. However… there was hope. He was there… by her side… "Naruto… I entrusted her to you. Don't let me down!" Still gazing at the castle, she raised her kunai and deflected a sword, before delivering a strong punch to her attacker's jaw and knocking him down.
Up in the castle grounds, Naruto, Hinata and Mizurei stood ready as a sickening, oppressive aura emanated from Yashiro. While Naruto's chakra burned bright like fire, what surrounded the MaShin soldier was cold, dark and filled with so much hatred. Even though Naruto had driven the violent spirits away with the sword, slowly they were encroaching on them one again. The dark haze that covered this land was all coalescing into Yashiro, and merely standing in his presence felt suffocating. The evil was nearly tangible, and they could feel it hit them like a wave. It was fortunate both the Shogun and Ebi had retreated to safety; in their weakened state they might have died from the shock. Yashiro's skin had lost its colour, now completely drained of blood. The whites of his eyes were blackened, his breath was cold and toxic while ghostly flames were hovering around him. Having given himself fully to the demon, Yashiro now resembled a corpse, and his power only grew as more fragments and souls were being drawn into him…
Yashiro shifted his body sideways and took a fencing stance… his blade now pointed at Naruto. "The destruction of this land is no longer our mission; that accursed sword must be destroyed at all cost. You and all of your companions… your entire village… everyone connected to you must die. We must not allow any risk of the knowledge spreading further." There was one exception among them… Ebi. He would not be let off so easily. As the man responsible for the theft of the scroll and putting that knowledge into the hands of their enemies, Ebi will face the full fury of their interrogators, and death will become a luxury forever out of his reach… "For stealing our knowledge and defying the MaShin Empire, you brought this fate upon yourself and your people."
"You got it all wrong… I'm not interested in your scroll." Naruto replied calmly, surprising Yashiro. "All that stuff about demon soldiers, natural disasters, world domination, yadda-yadda… I don't give a shit about any of it! We're only here to stop you!" Naruto explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Hinata and Mizurei nodded in agreement. "After we're done with you, your Empire's next… and we'll do it without the help of that stupid scroll!"
"DO NOT INSULT US!" Yashiro roared, enraged by Naruto's defiance. "Your nations are so small and your soldiers so feeble! What can you expect to do against us!?"
"In the end, it won't be any dark magic or demon armies that destroys you." Naruto took a stance, clutching the demon slaying sword. "It's the bane of all empires… what tyrants fear. The knife in the dark… the poison in the glass… the very things we do better than anyone else. All of that is in store for you now that you've challenged us. We aren't soldiers, Yashiro…" Naruto suddenly sprung off the ground and leapt towards Yashiro with his weapon ready, "WE ARE NINJA!"
With the unveiling of the Zanmato and Yashiro's power growing with every death on the battlefield, the stakes have elevated to their highest point. With the demon slaying sword, they now have a have a way to end Yashiro's existence once and for all… but if they fail, the people Mist shall be entirely wiped out and the unsuspecting Konoha villages faces annihilation against a full scale invasion by the MaShin Empire. Naruto, Hinata and Mizurei are all that stand in the way of Yashiro's ambition; their victory will determine either the peace and safety of their homelands… or bloodshed of incalculable scale…
(To Be Continued)