V 10 ch 4
Purgatory
Idai groaned. Where was he? He felt as if he'd been attacked by a herd of elephants. His eyes opened to look around at the darkness surrounding him. His teeth closed as he gasped in pain. He wasn't able to turn his head. Idai realized he was laying spread out. Something was on top of him. His fingers started to twitch.
He was able to move his arm slightly towards his head, but not up and down. There was an object holding him against the tree. Idai heard loud booming sounds off in the distance. How did I end up here..? He brought his free hand up to touch his head. There was movement below him. It sounded like a rat scurrying through the debris.
Idai tried again to lift his head, it shook with the force of his Will, but as soon as he lifted it far enough off the branch, pain overtook him again. His head fell backwards. Screams drifted to his ears on the wind. Another large boom was heard. War..? What are we at war with..? Idai's mind was foggy. The images coming through weren't clear to him yet. His orange eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. Within time, he saw what appeared to be wood on top of him. Maybe someone was close by. "Hello," he called out hoarsely. "Is anybody there?" No answer.
Meanwhile, Yanagi was fighting the Kasha who had followed her. She twirled in the air as it leapt at her throwing shuriken stars fiercely at the creature. It let loose a wave of acid hitting the shuriken. They began to smoke, deteriorating before her eyes. Yanagi kept her guard up. These things didn't normally work alone. But as she watched it move towards her with its guard also up, she felt no other presence of its kind around her.
"You really are foolish to follow me on your own," she said moving around stealthy like a cat, her hands placing carefully on the wood as her legs shifted behind her. They were circling each other, eyes staring at the other. "Why you want me dead so badly," she asked it as its eyes narrowed. "Believe I'm that much of a threat to you and your kind?"
The Kasha snarled, its teeth dripping with acidy residue. Its back arched, claws digging into the wood. Raising its tail to give itself some balance, it leapt at her quickly, springing into action. Jaws opened wide, throat vibrating to send another wave of acid at the girl's face.
Yanagi let the Kasha come. She had to get rid of this thing. Reaching up into her vest, she opened the scroll pouch. But a scroll was not what dropped into her hand. It was a compact metal rod. "Thank you, Daiya," she yelled as she twirled it. The rod sprang out. Her wrists whipped it around just in time for the Kasha to hit the rod at full force. The creature moved its head side to side snarling and spitting. Yanagi dug her heels into the debris as she forced the rod through the Kasha's chest. She breathed hard keeping her hands tightly around the metal rod. The Kasha thrashed around violently until she twisted the rod in her hands. Its body went stiff before falling limply to the ground.
Yanagi's eyes stared at the beast, not trusting it. She half believed it wasn't dead. After a few minutes, she prodded it with her foot. Its leg limply fell back down. "Told you it was foolish to be by yourself," she said plucking the rod from the creature's meaty chest. "Ew," she said looking at the end of the metal. It was covered in flesh and blood.
Yanagi turned her head. She had forgotten why she was here. "Idai, Masaru," she called. She ran over the debris her ears listening for any sign of them. Calling again, she heard a tapping coming from under the house. Yanagi put her hands on the side of the house. The roof had fallen at an angle on top of the branch as its walls had splintered off. She pushed on the roof. It was too heavy. A voice came to her ears from inside.
"Don't worry about me," Masaru said from his position. "You have to find Idai. He took the blunt force of it." His hollow eyes looked down at the splintered wood that had gone through his right shoulder. He was hanging with his forehead pressed against the wall, his back to the open area. Masaru couldn't move. Blood trickled out of the wound, his eyes staring ahead. "Go," he found himself saying with no real energy.
"I'll come back for you," Yanagi said with her hand on the roof. She wasn't able to move it by herself. Running off, she left Masaru behind, not knowing what real trouble he was in.
Masaru's eyes closed as he blacked out.
(Scene change)
Ateru let his arms hang as he twirled his waist. The Kasha were thrown back by the sheer force of his giant volcanic rock arms. He opened his mouth spraying the ones around him with a powerful jet stream of lava. His anger was keeping him fueled. The Kasha leapt off the tree to attack him solely. The ones farthest up the tree kept their decent, their legs moving swiftly to acquire the dead at the very top. Forest-nin focused their attacks on groups of the Kasha instead of sole individuals. Ateru looked up in time to see hot steaming water impaled over the side of the giant tree at several Kasha. They were boiled alive in mid air. "Come at me then," he said gruffly his legs stomping the ground cracking it in all directions.
Ateru twirled one of his massive arms, the glowing lava rocks of his arm swirling around as the light increased. "Foolish," he said as a hoard of the Kasha came at him with a front assault. His arm shot off large smoldering lava rocks. As they hit the Kasha, the rocks exploded into several burning pellets that went astray hitting the others. The creatures snapped their jaws at the hail fire they were enduring.
At the top of the tree men and women scurried to keep the Kasha from getting to their vantage point. A Kasha leapt at a woman whose back was turned trying to help another from falling over the edge as his jutsu was unleashed. She screamed as the creature came on top of her slashing its claws. Her face was slashed within a matter of seconds, its large jaw holding her head in its mouth. She pushed the man away from her as the Kasha swung its neck violently sending her hurling over the edge.
The Kasha went straight for the row of ninja that were blockading the top line of the tree. Its mouth opened spouting forth acid in a strong wave. The clothes of the ninja were defenseless the moment the acid touched. Their armor was melting, their vests stretched as the material could not withstand the substance. Soon they were not only fighting against him, but also the feel of their skin liquefying. The Kasha sent another wave at them. His brethren were soon behind him their heads flopped onto the tree's surface. They pulled themselves up immediately going into attack mode. Right above their heads were the dead that they were looking forward to devouring.
They smelled the death in the air. It was as intoxicating to them as a four course meal. But there was also something else drawing them to the ones that had died. Normally, the enticing scents wouldn't have been stretched to them as far as their hideout was, but upon their flesh, was the smell of an unusual fire. The men and women wrapped from head to toe beheld a mixture of the celestial flames that had killed them. The Kasha knew if they devoured their bodies, they would gain access to the other realm.
Kashas were demons by nature that resided on earth in the darkest areas where life and death were a constant struggle. They cared for their young as if they were normal animals, but were extremely violent against other creatures. Beholding no emotion or conscious of morality they were prone to attack anything that challenged their existence. Even their own young were not unexcused from their wrath. If a young Kasha became more powerful than its predecessors, it was taken out of commission by the elder.
The Kasha had been summoned unknowing to the Forest-nin by an unsuspected person. This person had sensed the death of the ninja were untimely and unworldly. Perhaps the one commanding them wanted to gain insight of the higher planes of existence, or control the stars above mankind for his own purpose. Whatever the decision was for their arrival, the ones protecting the village had little time left to figure it out.
(Scene Change)
Kinari moved slowly underground, his feet placing lightly onto the surface, his eyes staring straight ahead. There was no light in the tunnel. Just utter darkness surrounded by his own fear of what could be laying several feet in front of him – the Kasha. He had separated from his team to find the ones responsible for creating turmoil for his village. He stopped. The smell of water came to his nose. It was a welcome scent under the dirt and grime he had been traveling along.
Carefully, he felt along the wall. The sound of water became a bit louder. Kinari halted his hand feeling open air. There was a drop below. He picked up a small rock and let it fall from his fingertips. Twenty-two seconds until he heard it plop into the water below. Reaching into his clothes, Kinari took out a silver box that was strapped to his chest. His fingers reached inside for a match. Striking the match, the flame appeared in his hands. He began to look around at the underground area. It was a large cavern with water slowly flowing below. This was how the Kasha were thriving. They had their water source. He supposed they went hunting at night in the forest before retreating back into their hole.
His head turned to look at the walls. Every inch of the walls beheld carvings and symbols he did not understand. "What is this?" His fingers touched the symbols, tracing the outlines. They appeared to be really old. Just how long had these carvings been here? Kinari reached into the pack on his hip. He took out a grappling hook. Squinting his eyes he saw a rock on the other side of the cavern. He whirled around to see if there was a way for him to tie it off from his end.
Kinari had no choice but to rely on himself at this point. There was no other way to tie off the rope. He twirled the grappling hook in his hand, flung his wrist back then forward. The hook soared through the air missing the rock. He pulled it back with a swift yank. Again, Kinari tried to get the hook to latch onto the rock. Several tries later, he had it. He tugged it hard to see if it would come loose. "Let's hope that holds or I'm going for a swim," he whispered to himself.
Kinari jammed a kunai into the cavern wall with all of his strength. He began to tie it off from his end. Walking to the very edge of the tunnel, he looked down at the small river flowing below. He had no idea how deep it was. If he fell, he could either drown or crack his skull on the surface. Kinari moved his hands up placing them onto the rope. Swinging his legs up, he hooked them around. Gently he began to move along the line, his weight causing it to sag. The kunai shifted to the right, Kinari's weight pulling it.
He tensed feeling the shift in weight as the cord caused him to drop half a foot. Hanging upside down, he took a last look at the river below. Once more, he crawled along the cable, his fingers pulling his body upwards. His sandals pushed on the top of the rope as each of his legs came above the other.
Kinari pressed on. He pulled himself along smoothly until he came within range of the other tunnel. A little more. Crawling daringly in mid-air left him vulnerable to any Kasha who might come along the tunnel. He had no idea what lay across the way. Was it another entrance to their lair? Hauling himself up entirely, he struggled for a brief moment to gain a hold of the line. Kinari grunted throwing himself over his feet kicking in the air as he tried to find a surface to push against. His ninja sandals finally pressed on the cable. He slid on his stomach.
Kinari stood brushing himself off. His eyes looked around the tunnel. Bits of granites were coming through the cavern walls. Slowly he walked down further into the darkness. Did he dare create light in this tunnel so he could see ahead? What if the Kasha were just beyond his view? Kinari reached inside of his clothes again for the box that held the matches. He took one out, his hand shaking. Calm down. He closed his eyes, his nerves finally getting to him. Tachiba was not around to control his provoking behavior. If Kinari screwed up here, it was all over.
He struck the match quickly before his heart had a chance to race again. Instantaneously he went into defense pose. As his eyes adjusted to the new light it was seeing, he lowered his defense. There was no cause for alarm. Kasha were not in the passageway he had trekked. What he saw at the end of the channel unnerved him. Kinari sauntered towards the bizarre altar. Upon an old box sat a Kasha statue. The statue was carved with the Kasha in a seated position, its feet in a Buddha pose. Its head was lowered, eyes looking straight ahead. Kinari stared at the black orbs that came out of the statue. They were some kind of gem. The carvings that were all along the cavern walls were all over the statue. Somehow they were linked.
Old candles were placed around the statue in a diamond pattern. Six candles of wax that had been burnt down almost to the bottom. He wondered how long had this been going on. "Is this controlling them?" Kinari heard a shuffle come from behind him. He revolved his kunai held firmly in his hand. There was a figure standing at the mouth of the tunnel.
Kinari's breathing increased. The man wore a Kasha hide on his body, the skull of the creature on top of his head. The face could not be made out. The man was standing just out of reach of the light. His shoulders were broad, animal skins covering the rest of his body. "Why are you calling the Kasha to our village," he asked.
"The Kasha are merely animals," the man said with a hoarse low voice that sounded as if he had lived out in the weather all of his life. "Why shouldn't they be called?" He watched the boy with his dark eyes.
"They are after the dead! Don't you care at all," Kinari screamed in outrage. "They are going to eat the ones that fight to protect the village!"
"Foolish little boy that holds a weapon in his hand," the man said tauntingly. "The ones that died from your village did not die an honorable death." He said the last two words with disgust.
"An honorable death," Kinari repeated. "How can you say such a thing? They are dead! Those people are someone's father, mother, brother, or sister! They are not forgotten no matter how they died!"
The man just stared at the boy as if he were speaking in baby talk. "A ninja dies to honor the village he comes from. There is no honor when dying by accident, or by one's own hand. You do not know much, youth. Those that died… do you know how they perished?"
Kinari thought for a second. "They died when they came upon a girl bathing in the river. What does that have to do with anything?"
"You are missing one crucial detail to that mystery. It was not the girl that killed them, but the creature she controls. It was protecting her out of fear, yes, but in doing so, it left behind a mark of its celestial flames upon their bodies."
"You're saying the Kasha smell something on the dead that entices them," Kinari said trying to figure it all out.
The man clapped his hands slowly. "Good job. You get a gold star for your effort. Now… why would they want to devour these people," he pressed on. He wanted to see if this boy could figure out what the ones in charge could not.
Kinari's mind searched through the words the man was telling him. "That girl…she has access to a celestial being. The ones killed in its anger are also linked to it now?" He shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense."
"You're close, but not entirely there. A celestial flame has a different scent to it all together. Only those drawn to it know what it smells like. It doesn't smell like any flame that man could conjure. Whoever that girl was holds more power in her hands than any leader of a clan can hope to attain." The man held his hand out to his side closing his fingers as if he were crushing a fly. "The phoenix is the start and the end of everything. With its flames it is able to create or destroy life. Now do you understand?"
Kinari furrowed his brows. "You're wanting to control it," he said looking at the man. "You're wanting it for revenge!" Kinari had to warn the others. "How do you call off the Kasha?"
The man smiled at the boy touching his temple several times with his finger. "Now, now. Once a demon is instructed to perform a certain action, it cannot be undone until it is completed. I'm not about to reverse what was asked of the Kasha. It was a bargain, you see. I wasn't entirely in it for myself. They had something they wanted to gain from it also."
Kinari withdrew his chrome sais running at the man quickly. He slashed at the man's face, but the man bent backwards to avoid him. Kinari was kicked in the side as the man twisted his body bringing his leg up. He slammed into the wall hard. One of his chrome sais dropped. The metal clinked on the ground several times.
The man took off. He jumped over the side of the entrance, his hands catching the rope Kinari had used to wisely to get to the other side. He swung on it for a moment before letting go. His body went straight down to the cold river running in the cavern. He hit the surface with a gushing sound. Angling his body like a fish, he held his breath swimming with the current. He wasn't going to give the boy a chance to catch him.
Kinari coughed. He was on his feet his eyes searching the river down below for the man. He has to know where it goes! Kinari had to catch the man responsible for the current tragedy of his village. He still had no information of who he could possibly be. With a lot of nerve he leapt off the ledge, his body curling into a ball. Kinari felt the water surround him as he sunk.
He popped his head up quickly his eyes searching river for any signs of the man. The current started to move him along. Where is he? Kinari's eyes widened. Up ahead the river went under the cavern. Oh, no. He only had a moment to prepare himself. He took a deep breath ducking under the surface once more. Kinari had to feel blindly along the wall to find where the river turned and dipped. He held his breath tightly. With his eyes opened he could see nothing but darkness in the water. He kicked his legs forcing himself to swim as fast as he could.
Kinari's air was running out. How long did the river stay underground like this? He had no clue. But the man ahead of him knew every bit of this cavern, he was sure of it. Suddenly the current increased. Kinari's body was sent hurling to the left as it began to rush down towards an opening. He was pulled through a hole. Kinari's body was flying in midair again. He yelled as another part of the river was below. The cavern seemed to get bigger in this area. He hit the water again, his body rolling. Kinari swam to the top.
The current was picking up even more as he tried to grab a hold of something to get himself out. Kinari was under the water again, his body starting to fight the current that was dragging him through the cold waves. The water dipped several times before he rolled over a boulder. He grunted as the stone hit his spine. Again, his head came up gasping for air. He looked up. Where am I? Kinari was no longer in the cavern where the Kasha dwelled. He saw stars shining brightly over head. He was out in the open.
His head flipped around to see the man wearing the Kasha skin and animal hides salute him from where he stood in a tree overlooking the river. He growled. There was no way to express how he felt. He wasn't able to fight the current that was dragging him along.
"See you in the next world, kid," the man called after him. The night sky was starting to fade away with morning approaching. "Nothing can save you now," he said under his breath. He went back into the forest to await the Kasha's report. The Forest Village didn't have much time left. Even if the Kasha didn't devour the dead that were waiting for the other world, the village itself would crumble.
Kinari stared straight ahead at the river. It was getting rougher the more he moved along. Out of his sight he saw a bright blue bird sitting on a branch waiting. "Nuguru," he yelled in a panic, his head going under the water once more. He waved his hands around trying to get the bird's attention.
Nuguru tweeted his small form taking flight. He began to soar along the river searching for Kinari. He tweeted again as loudly as he could. Kinari's head rose again. He could see the boy was in distress. He started to scold Kinari heavily for getting into the river in the first place.
Kinari had to make a quick decision. "Follow," he said before the current pulled him under. His body twisted. He was thrown up and out of the water but landed back in it, sinking deeper. Kinari fought to keep his head above the water. "Follow the man with the Kasha hide," he said pointing back to the forest. "Find him! He's controlling the demons that attack the village!"
Nuguru tried to figure if he should do what Kinari was telling him to, or try to help the boy. He tweeted unhappily his body turning around to fly back to the area Kinari was pointing at. He flew off at top speed his body starting to blink bright blue on and off. He was getting angry. Where was the rest of the team?
The man who wore the Kasha hide walked slowly through the forest. He had no fear that he was being followed. The only witness to his form was now being sent down the river. He began to head back to the village. "It's almost time," he said with the sun rising slowly in the distance. "Soon the village will fall, even if the Kasha forfeits our deal."
Nuguru searched the forest for the man that Kinari had seen. The light started to come through the darkness making the outlines of the trees more visible. He dipped through the trees his wings beating in and out. His eyes saw a figure in the distance moving hastily through the bushes. Was this the man Kinari was referring to? Nuguru turned off the exaggerated color running through his feathers.
The man removed the Kasha hide that was on top of his head. He felt his hair, his fingers moving through it. His head turned eyes lifting upwards to see a bird staring straight at him from a high branch on a tree. "Good morning," he said to it. "Aren't you up rather early?" The bird tilted its head several times at the man. He threw down the Kasha hide and animal furs he had been wearing. Under the masquerade, flowed the robe of the Morikage.
He headed back to the village his legs moving swiftly. Just as he figured, the bird was following him. He halted. "Now, now. Why are you following me, little one?" His eyes studied the bird. "I've seen you before." He overlooked the bird carefully. As the sunlight started to shine greater through the leaves, it hit the bird. Bright blue feathers. "Nuguru," he said angrily. The Morikage formed hand seals. The branches of the trees started to move towards the bird to capture it.
Nuguru tweeted several times, his wings flapping quickly. He darted around the branches of the trees trying to snag him. It was the Morikage who controlled the Kasha. No one in the village would have suspected the leader – the one meant to protect him – to ensure harm. He flew around making the man work for it.
"You're not going to get away from me," The Morikage said angrily. He had to get a hold of the Indigo bunting before his plans were ruined. "I thought I instructed no ninja to leave the village." Someone had gone behind his back. The reason no teams were allowed to leave was for his own ploy. He couldn't have them finding out what he had spent months planning.
Nuguru ducked quickly to avoid a swipe at his form. He went straight for the Morikage, his body diving for the man. He twittered at him to break his concentration. The man's hands came up to swat at him. The branches that had been trying to snag him halted. Nuguru pulled himself up at the last second flying over the man's head. He took off at high speed into the sunlight.
The Morikage swore. Nuguru had managed to get away from him. "No one's going to believe a bird anyway," he said placing his hat onto his head. Two Kasha came through the forest their mouths opening, snarling. "What is the report?" The beasts snarled furiously their teeth gnashing in the open air. "I see. So Ateru has taken matters into his own hands. He's always been such a disobedient shinobi," he said sighing. He wasn't much surprised. "We have other problems on our hands. The hideout has been discovered." The Kasha snapped their jaws angrily. "Take some of your squads to find the kids from Ateru's team. Destroy them," he said giving his final word.
(Scene Change)
The sun started to rise in the East, smoke lifting into the air at the destruction from the Lightening-nin against Konoha. Buildings were destroyed, if not standing with a lot of damage. The lightening users were watching Takeru Uchiha and Izumi posing as Onari with all the intent they could fathom. Without a signal from Kakumei or General Senko, they could not move forward.
Izumi had her suspicions about the way they were operating. They had managed to single out groups of ninja with one sole lightening-nin to obstruct them. She was sure it was military strategy they were using in all of their motives. Right now, they were only keeping them at bay instead of attacking them outright. Even though the Hokage had planned this out thoroughly, he could not have foreseen Takeru getting in the way. It was hard to keep an eye on every ninja in the village that had been fighting all night.
She was trying to keep her mind and pose set right to Onari's actual personality. The girl had been missing for a long time now. There had been no word of where she had actually gone, or why. Izumi was sworn to protect the village, the same as any ninja, despite her not being from there. Her son had the same look on his face that his father beheld when he was fixing to move against an enemy. Takeru's eyes were serious, his posture loose, but stiff in the shoulders. He was ready for any sort of attack to counter it with his own training.
Kurenai waited in her hiding spot, her body molded to that of the building she was masking. Everything right now wasted on a breath. If the lightening-nin chose to all go towards Izumi and Takeru at once, there was no way she could stop that kind of assault. Her faith relied heavily on Izumi. The woman was uncanny when it came to her training and her common sense. She knew she wouldn't let them get pass her at the cost of her life.
Daiya stood atop the building his eyes falling on his adopted brother and the dopple ganger of Onari. He knew they couldn't sense him just yet. His eyes turned to look at Ryu Yuhi who stood some distance away. Shikamaru Nara and Kandai Hyuuga were also waiting behind objects to give him the signal. Shikamaru's hand lowered in a swipe. Daiya concentrated his kekkegenkai. The electricity harvested in his body flowed outward with a sharp jolt. The lightening-nin below him immediately looked up. Their eyes started to search the surrounding area.
Shikamaru Nara came out from behind a pole, his cigarette hanging loosely on the corner of his mouth. He let the smoke escape his lips as if he were just now realizing there were others in front of him. "Morning," he said a bit lazily. He yawned hard. "Kind of early in the day to be out trapped by the ones you're intending to snare, isn't it?"
Kandai started to smile. He had no idea where Eiyu was, but his brother would have had a smart alike laugh at this. Just as he had figured, one of the lightening users would try to attack, or take off to tell their superior. He poofed on contact coming up near the man Kegasu.
Kandai lowered his form, Byakugan active, as his eyes saw the chakra points on the man who was trying to move at Takeru. Kandai's arm went straight for the chakra point near his midsection to disable the chakra flow to his legs. However, Kegasu smiled at him from behind the eye patch that he wore over his right eye.
Kegasu knew the boy had moved the moment his chakra had changed direction. He was always one step ahead of his enemies. His body started to harden, his skin lifting as it turned an ugly color of light gray. The boys outstretched palm hit him in the abs, now hard as metal. His one green eye turned into glass. It moved down to look at the boy clicking inside of his now metal scrap head. The only part of him that he could not turn hard was his hair.
Kandai withdrew his hand immediately, but tried to throw several kicks at the man. His shins hit full force metal. He grunted not expecting to send his bones vibrating on a structure such as that. The man came back at him hard, his fist under Kandai's chin. His body lifted off the ground soaring into the air, head going back as his jaw cracked. Kandai pummeled into the road, his form dragging so hard against the surface that it burrowed into the ground. He lay motionless, his fingers twitching.
"Kandai," Takeru yelled at the Hyuuga boy. He flipped his head around to stare with complete hatred at Kegasu. Without thinking he started to move his hands signing the connection to him and Uso. All of the Lightening users rushed at him prepared to annihilate him.
Ryu leaped over the wall, sprinting towards his best friend. As he darted straight behind Takeru he opened his hand, his fingers clenching around the boy's shirt. He heaved him upwards causing Takeru to lose his concentration. Ryu kept his chakra glued to the wall, his arm struggling to keep a hold of Takeru as he ran in an arch up the side of the building.
As the lightening users split up, Izumi went hastily down the road yelling, "Don't follow," towards Kurenai. Her legs became a blur as she moved. Within seconds she felt three of the lightening-nin on her tail. She couldn't turn her head just yet to see who exactly was chasing her. Izumi had to think fast. Onari's techniques consisted of the ones Sasuke, she, Neji, and Rock Lee had taught her. A lot of them were basic ones, but Onari's element was fire like Sasuke's and Takeru's. Izumi's main element was water. If she chose any kind of water technique it would immediately throw off her enemies. They would realize she was bluffing them and take out the rest of their revenge on the village.
(Scene Change)
General Senko went straight at the two targeting him, his hands quickly crisscrossing to withdraw the lightening crescent weapons he wore on his hips. With his chakra bonded to the weapons, they reacted with his element causing them to light up. He brought his arms back out, his wrists extending with a quick flick. Lightening darted out at Sasuke and Eiyu every two seconds as Senko tried to hit them dead on.
Sasuke moved swiftly around the attempted attacks, his Sharingan keeping him well focused. Eiyu came close to getting hit a few times despite having Byakugan activated. He couldn't foresee the movements like Sasuke could. And Sasuke knew it, he was slightly worried about Eiyu trying to gain momentum on Senko. Another wave was coming. Sasuke saw Genko's wrists moving in slow motion the charges getting stronger. He was attempting a death blow at Eiyu. There was no choice but to gun for the man right now.
His speed increased, body becoming nothing but a flash of colors as he came within a few meters of Senko. Punching his arm outwards, snakes jutted out, their bodies stretching to strike. Sasuke gritted his teeth, his eyes focused dead ahead at the General of the Lightening-nin that had invaded Konoha.
Senko's body froze his wrists in mid flick as they twitched. The snakes had managed to grab a hold of his throat, their fangs sinking in for a more aggressive kill. Yet, just as the venom started to flow into his veins, Senko's eyes rolled back. His cheeks started to puff out at an alarming rate.
Sasuke's sharp eye caught the ploy. He withdrew the snakes, jutting their heads into the ground to force his body backwards. Senko's clone exploded with a pop, lightening discharging erratically over the area. Sasuke brought up his arm to shield his eyes, but the force of the electricity threw him backwards. The snakes on his wrist were ripped in half. He landed hard against a building his body beginning to fall downwards. Sasuke twisted in mid air bringing his hand down to balance himself. Just as his hand touched, he rotated his wrist and was back on his feet again.
Senko went straight after the boy, his weapons still drawn. Jumping in the air, he raised his arm over his head sending a shockwave of lightening at Eiyu Hyuuga. The boy rotated with speed his arm behind him as he managed to shield himself with his chakra. Senko wasn't giving up on his attack. He kept testing the barrier Eiyu had cornered himself in from every angle.
Eiyu gritted his teeth at the General's constant power of attack. From this position, he could not move unless he risked getting struck. This guy's not running out of chakra! He's incredibly strong! He didn't know where Sasuke was from his position. However out of the corner of his eye he saw a huge purple head come over one of the buildings. Manda lunged his face at General Senko, causing the man to abruptly desist his attack on Eiyu.
Senko moved backwards his guard going up as the large snake sent debris flying all around. Again the snake lifted its head striking at him once more. He had to be quick on his feet to avoid such a large creature. One of the buildings around them had been hit so hard by the attacks of both the lightening-nin and leaf-nin that it started to crumble to the ground with the shaking of the earth caused by Manda.
The Baku demon roared in outrage, its hooves striking the surface of the road. Lightening echoed off of each imprint it forced upon the ground. Manda raised its head a loud hiss coming from the snake as Baku showed its teeth in return. Senko stood watching the animals fight over their territory but his focus returned to Eiyu as the boy came out of nowhere throwing multiple kunai at him.
Senko moved his body his arms coming up, turning to deflect each of the kunai to be lodged elsewhere. He looked calmly at Eiyu as the boy came running at him ready to fight him one-on-one. Senko immediately stopped Eiyu's attack as he crossed his wrists to snare the kunai with his crescent weapons. The sounds of metal clicking with metal could be heard against the two – each trying to win against the other. "For you to be fighting this hard tells me you know of the little girl we seek."
"Shut up," Eiyu said digging his feet into the ground. He pushed Senko with such force that the man was caught off guard. Senko went backwards falling onto his rear. Eiyu was right on top of him his fists balled up. He punched the man square in the side of his cheek, his mouth clenched.
Manda went after Baku his large mouth opening, fangs dripping venom. The snake swirled around the demon its head moving left and right. Baku roared defiantly at the snake, his mane shook with rage at the creature over towering him. Manda lurched quickly targeting the point above the demons' back. Baku managed to escape, its hooves darting around the area. Rubble fell from the snake's mouth the moment he lifted his head again. He turned his entire body around fixated on Baku.
Manda's large form crashed into the buildings causing them to crack and break. Slithering pass Sasuke and Eiyu fighting Senko he set his main objective to devour the Baku demon. Baku trotted down the road, its horse part becoming frightened by being pursued by the reptile.
Sasuke's grass cutter sword caught the crescent weapon as it went straight at his shoulder. He stood slightly sideways not allowing Senko to move his weapon. Holding it firmly in the middle of the sword allowed it to be balanced with both of them using their strength against the other.
Eiyu Hyuuga wasn't about to let Senko get away from him, personally. He was already fed up with the pursuit upon the village and on his ex-girlfriend, Onari. Truth was, Eiyu had never gotten over her. And he had promised himself and his family to protect what was most important to the village and the others in it. There was no greater honor in being a Hyuuga than unselfish. He darted at Senko and Sasuke jumping in the air with kunai in both hands. He started to rotate his form, his legs coming out to do a spin kick at the man.
Just as the grass cutter started to slide, Sasuke sensed Eiyu pulling a fast one. He broke away from Senko just in time as Eiyu's spin kick came overhead. Senko retaliated by blocking his head with his weapons. Sasuke began to charge his Chidori at the same time Senko was also charging his lightening jutsu. "Eiyu, get out of the way!"
Eiyu narrowed his eyes slicing at the man's face and chest to cause Senko to break his concentration. If he were to let Senko fully charge he'd electrocute both of them to death. Senko's long hair lifted again due to the current running through his body. He was charging again. Eiyu went straight for the man, his eyes seeing all of the chakra points visible on Senko's body. Most of the man's body was covered in armor, which was a problem for Eiyu. He couldn't hit the man directly unless it was his head.
Sasuke's Chidori flashed to life with the sound of one thousand birds. Senko was going to get through Eiyu one way or another. Sasuke was becoming angry at the boy's refusal to listen to direction. "Eiyu!"
Eiyu saw the lightening crackle down the man's armor. He pushed Senko back with his arms outstretched, his chakra coming to his palms in a flash. Senko was knocked a ways by the sudden jolt. It was just enough time for Eiyu to create his own barrier again as a defense. He rotated his body in a whirl, the blue shield coming up to guard him as Senko erupted with all of his fury. He was standing directly between Senko and Sasuke, the perfect wall to take on the immense force of the charge.
Senko let his lightening jutsu out at full force. The electrical charges shot out of his body in an erratic form, hitting everything in its path. Sasuke was moving around quickly with Chidori active on his arm. The man was trying his best to avoid the split second hits. Senko knew his attacks were powerful, but there was one drawback. The lightening he forced out of himself was so strong, it rooted him in place. He wasn't able to move while conducting the charges against his enemies.
Sasuke's first motive was to strike Senko from a distance, but as it stood that had to be modified. He was going to have to get as close as possible to perform a frontal assault. His Sharingan picked up on every charge Senko emitted and the erratic wave pattern. The charges appeared to come to life quickly to an untrained eye, but to Sasuke's Sharingan he saw how the lightening came out slow, spiked then drifted down before it shot off the man's body. Which meant it was weakest close to the man and more powerful outwards. It was an offensive attack.
Eiyu wasn't about to let Sasuke take out the man solely by himself. He rotated again using eight trigrams palms heavenly spin, his attack growing in strength and focus. With his chakra focused, Eiyu let out a blast of energy straight at Senko.
Senko's eyes widened the wave of chakra enveloping him so strongly he was thrown off his feet, his armor splintering off. He hit the ground rolling over as if a giant had thrown a boulder in some kind of sportsmanship game. Groaning, he looked around dazed, his metal armor falling apart. Senko lifted his hands trying to catch the pieces of his armor in disbelief.
Now was Sasuke's chance. He slid on his feet, his arm coming straight out into a fist as his chakra was pinpointed for Senko's chest. The chakra sword burst forth catching Senko straight into his left shoulder. The man yelled as loudly as he could, his voice in high pitched screams.
Sasuke walked slowly towards Senko his chakra flowing strongly in the shape of the chakra sword he emitted. His grass cutter was laying against his left shoulder, his Sharingan keeping hold while he kept Senko confidently in place. "Tell me what you know," he demanded. Eiyu walked up behind him, his eyes also curious to what Senko had planned.
Senko moved his head with difficulty to stare at Sasuke Uchiha. "I've heard of you," he said sweat starting to flow from his brow. "A cursed man who went against everything he was supposed to uphold from the Leaf village."
Sasuke kept his gaze unwavering. "Tell me what you know. I won't repeat myself again," he said not faltering from where he stood.
Senko managed a quick gruff laugh. "Answer to you? A man who knows nothing of loyalty towards what he has sworn. Perhaps it is best to tell you that the last of your clan is indeed your very last."
Sasuke's anger started to fume. Takeru. He was tempted to let Senko go right on the spot at the warning that his son was in trouble. However, he couldn't let the man escape. "Eiyu, go." He suspected the boy was on the verge of defying him, but Eiyu quickly nodded his head turning around to leave. Just as Eiyu was taking off to find Takeru, Kakumei Eimino was on the spot.
Sasuke had no choice but to dislodge his chakra sword from Senko. He whirled around running at Kakumei his grass cutter drawn. Kakumei issued him to come at him as he erupted in a lightening storm. Sasuke's eyes widened. He had seen this attack before, from Daiya. Senko was also back on his feet coming at Sasuke's back. It was two against one. Two lightening users against one Sanin. Where was Naruto when he needed him?
(Scene Change)
Onari moved through the forest, the birds echoing the morning's rays as they hit their feathers. They flew through the trees at the sight of her. Her yellow eyes drifted out through the trees to a large lake. On the other side of the lake sat a two- story house. Flowers bloomed all around it, the effects from the care of a gardener who prided in his work.
She found herself coming to a wooden bridge that stretched over the lake. There were lanterns on each post, the smell of their oil still wavering in the air. Someone had just blown them out. Her body felt hollow, her spirit drained from the running she had been doing. Coming across people this far from civilization was rare, but needless to say, there were others no matter where she went. Onari had even swiped a hat to cover her face when she had to lower it. She couldn't risk someone seeing her unusual eyes.
Placing her hand upon the rail of the bridge, she stopped with her foot hovering. Her mind was unsure if she should intrude on this path. For moments on end, Onari found herself staring straight at her fingers. These were the same fingers that had fought battles with Takeru, or held Eiyu's fingers in a gentle way. She turned her hand over examining the skin. Every wrinkle on her knuckles told a story. The time she had been held by Izumi and Sasuke because she thought she had been unwanted. Kandai with his outstretched hand for her to trust him enough to touch him.
Onari's fingers curled around Ryu's wrist to stop him from petting her. The way she used to point at Saori to tell the Nara girl she was wrong from her point-of-view. Also the way she used to tug gently on Sasuke's shirt to get his attention. Kiba wrestling with her in the grass while Areku looked on with an embarrassed expression. Onari looked up at the same time a man with shaggy gray hair let the small wagon drop from his fingers.
Kando Sawayaka stared at the girl who seemed to be lost within her own self. She appeared to be troubled by something unseen – something distant. Every morning he carried flowers to this area to appease the spirits that dwelled in the house on the other side of the lake. But he wondered briefly how this girl had happened upon this remote area high in the mountains.
"What are you doing here," Kando asked. The girl did not answer. "Are you lost?" Still no answer. His blue eyes looked over every detail of her face. Scars on her right cheek went over her nose and down to her jaw. She's fought against some kind of animal. But what? A Bear? "Are you thirsty?" He held his hand out with the flask full of water. The girl just kept seeing through him. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said to her showing his open hands.
Onari's mind came back. Sasuke sat as still as he could, but his sudden movement had caused her to lurch backwards. He held out both of his hands showing her there was nothing on him to harm her. She craned her neck tilting it a bit, her eyes wild with fright. But these hands belonged to someone else. The man stood still as she followed his fingers. They were callused from labor work.
Now that he had her attention, Kando tilted his head towards the house. "How did you find this place?" The girl moved her head to look in that direction. She appeared to have forgotten the house was standing there. Her voice did not leave her throat. "If you're lost I can direct you back to the road." But I wonder, how did you get here? The road is a long ways away from this point.
Onari felt a rush of wind come across the bridge towards her. It chilled her to the bone. "There are… bad things here…?"
"Ah. So you can talk. This is the House of Kyokuji. You shouldn't be here," he said with a forewarning. "There is bad history here from the past."
Onari walked several feet onto the bridge, but the man behind her ran towards her. She whipped her head around, her eyes becoming serious as her defenses went up. Her ninja skills were kicking in.
Kando put his hands up issuing her to come back. "No, no, don't go any further. The spirits here are angry ones. They'll come after you with vengeance if you don't have an offering. You're violating their territory."
Onari looked at the man as if he were delusional. She wasn't afraid of anything, much less, dead people with an attitude. Her fingers curled around the rail of the bridge tightening. Her aggression was clear. The rail cracked under the pressure. Onari turned around her head lowering. She walked off the bridge to appease the man watching her. He moved out of her way quickly.
Kando looked at the girl with curiosity. His eyes befell upon the wood that she had broken in her hand. The strength she had was incredible. The girl was young, but there was something about her that intrigued him. Onari moved through the trees slowly, her long dark hair cascading her back. Kando glanced at his wagon before following after her.
"Wait, wait," he said almost tripping over a few rocks. The girl stopped, half turning to acknowledge his presence. Kando placed his hand on a tree leaning into it. "What was that back there?" Onari only stared at him before she averted her eyes. "You can't fool me, you know. Normal girls don't have the strength of rhinos," he said.
"And farmers with keen eyes not for their crops, get their tongues taken out by snakes and wolves," Onari shot back. She looked at the man again, her head slightly lifted. Kando laughed at her. What had she said that was humorous?
Kando shook his head. "You're something else. At first I thought you were lost, but it appears that isn't the case. What are you running from?" The mention of the words sent Onari in the other direction. Kando kept following her. "If you keep moving that swiftly, your eyes won't be on your feet," he said.
Onari ignored him becoming agitated with the man's curiosity. She had to leave this area quickly to avoid any other mistakes on her part. Just as Onari lowered the hat on her head she fell down a cliff tumbling straight into a log that was broken off from a tree. She started pushing on the inside of the tree to free herself, legs kicking, but she was seriously stuck.
Kando slid down the cliff his arms out. He bumped into the log actually causing Onari to slip a bit more. His hand went up to stop one of her legs from moving. He examined the sandals she wore. "Not typical of a Geisha or farm girl." Kando knew her shoes would have been Geta sandals.
"Unhand me," Onari yelled from inside the tree. She wasn't accustomed to being touched in such a manner. She tried to twist her waist in order to bring her leg around to kick him straight in the head. Tears came to her eyes for the tree was now pinching her. "Get me out," she yelled so loudly the birds departed from the trees.
Kando rolled his eyes. He walked around the log that was leaning against a few boulders. Putting his weight on the side Onari was stuck on, it started to tilt downwards.
Onari found herself sitting on her rear. She looked around then straight up at Kando smiling at her. Onari's eyes widened. He had her in a perfect position. Onari tried to scramble out of it like a rat, but she forgot she was lodged from her hips.
"That's quite adorable," Kando said mocking her a bit. "Hold still." He put his arms around the log and began to shake it up and down to free her.
Onari bounced back and forth like she was on a wild ride. "A-A-Arr-eee y-youuu cr-craz-zzyy?" Her body started to pop out but her hat was keeping her head stuck inside the tree.
"Loosen the chin straps," Kando told her before she choked. Onari yelped as she popped out of the tree hard onto her rear. "I should have thought of that first," he said as he grunted throwing the log off to his right. It rolled farther down the side of the mountain. Onari's hair was messed up, her clothes dirty. "Now that you've calmed down a bit, let's talk."
Meanwhile, Akiru held her basket around her arm leading her son, Daihyo towards the bridge. Her eyes saw the wagon sitting there, but where was Kando? "Daihyo, stay on this side of the lake," she said.
Daihyo went running down the path. "Daddy's down here," he said pointing down the cliffe.
Akiru came running, her braided hair almost becoming undone. She placed her hand on her chest. "Kando, don't scare me like that. I thought you had broken your ankle," she said panting.
"Nope, Onari tried to get away from me and decided to become one with nature," he said rather coyly. Onari only scowled at the mention of her name.
"Oh, my, hello," Akiru said as she quickly reached out to grab Daihyo's arm to stop him from running to his father. Onari glanced at her, but didn't say much. "Is she a friend of yours?"
"No idea," Kando said wiping his forehead with a rag. "She's not an enemy," he said tired from the morning already. "Well, I didn't want to plant today anyway. Come on," he said tapping the girl's shoulder. "The least you can do is greet properly. Didn't your parents teach you manners?"
Onari rose quickly her fist coming around to make contact with Kando's cheek. The man blocked her instantly, his form hunkered down, one hand lowered to block an attack on his abdomen as well. Her fist punched his open palm.
"Kando," Akiru said with concern.
"I'm sorry. That was my fault. I didn't think that since you were by yourself you had no one." He bowed low exposing his back to her. "I apologize."
Onari's eye twitched. "What fool exposes his back to an unknown per-sooonn," she said just as Kando reached out pulling her leg forward. She was on her back now.
Kando reached out his hand. "A child," he answered. Onari scowled lowly. "You have to admit defeat on this one. There's no shame. You can't win them all," he said helping her up.
Onari walked up the mountain with her eyes straight ahead. She didn't even look at Akiru when she passed her, nor Daihyo. She stood with her arms crossed at being led astray by a ridiculous man such as that.
Akiru glanced at the girl. "Are you sure," she asked with her finger on her chin. Daihyo was trying to sneak glances of the stranger.
"Not entirely," Kando answered with a slight smile. "This could be a mistake, or the start of a beautiful friendship." He clapped his hands together. "Daihyo, carry your mother's basket. Alright, Onari, follow us. It's going to rain soon. I can't leave you here." He lifted the wagon starting to move back towards their home.
Onari just stood seething. "I don't follow orders from anyon-" Thunder crackled behind her. She ran after Kando, Akiru, and Daihyo without haste.