The ruined central hall glimmered. Droplets of water dripped from the ceiling, striking the earth and leaving puddles of water on the ground.
The sword lifted in the air. Blue energy twisted around Sasuke's body. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He's not moving. For now, it seems I should assume that they'll be acting in normal ways. Sasuke reached upward. Her hand ripped away the upper section of her jacket. A silver tattoo wound up the skin of the arm. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Sorry, but I don't think I'll wait around for you to kill me with sand." A pair of silver wings spread from the surface of the tattoo. The silver bird opened its beak. Rapidly, it rose from the darkness.
Eh? The woman in the shadows frowned. Even if we assume that she has been lying regarding her training, this is very strange. That technique has been a secret of the Hidden Leaf for nearly three hundred years. However, she trained with that northern conjuror. How is it that she can have learned of its power from him?
A silver mist spread from the beak of the bird. The air filled with the mist, light blocked by the hawk-like bird's exuded mist.
The woman frowned. And this—I do not recognize it as counted among our techniques. That bird is a very unusual example of its kind. If I had to compare, this technique is most similar to Silent Killing, but even that is a tenuous bond.
The mist descended rapidly, covering the slats of wood. The air rapidly became opaque, blocked off by the mist covering the ground.
Sasuke smirked. Sanzengan. With this, your sight should be cut off. The mist is totally natural, however, so my Sanzengan can see just fine. Crimson light fell from the eyes. The tomoe whirled in a circle.
Two bright images lit among the rafters of the prison, shining with the reflected image of chakra.
Gotcha. "Water Style: Piercing Needles!" Sasuke's fingers clapped together rapidly. She held out her hand in the direction of the revealed pair. Needles drove through the slats, explosions of splinters emerging from the impact.
What? The woman frowned. Her eyes studied the ground carefully. A drop of blood fell from the edge of the woman's face. Her hand reached upward, briefly touching the injury.
Gaara's body shook briefly. One water needle pierced through the side of his body, striking his kneecap neatly. Sand swept upward. The water needles drove into the surface of the sand gourd. Slowly, sand slid toward the ground.
"Water beats earth. On top of that, your position is revealed. What's your next move?"
The woman remained silent. Her wide eyes studied Sasuke's face calmly.
Sasuke smirked. "Don't underestimate the eyes of the Uchiha clan!"
Darkness swept up around the woman's body. "It's not that that surprises me." The woman stood upright. She glanced over her shoulder for a brief second.
Sasuke frowned.
"I have some experience with those eyes of yours." The woman stepped out from the shadows. Her thin frame darkened in the shadows of the sky. "That is to say, I have some data on how the Sanzengan works. And certainly Uchiha are formidable opponents. It merely perplexes me that you were able to see through the guise of my shadow techniques so easily. Your powers are, hm. Much stronger than that person indicated. I guess that training put you on a level at which you could compete with me." Her fingers laced together rapidly. "Well, whatever, this'll do. I cannot permit you to do too much on your own."
Shadow stitches ran up Gaara's side. The form of a straightjacket emerged from the stitching fingers.
Sasuke swallowed tightly. What kind of techniques is this enemy using? This is definitely a weird opponent.
"My Shadow Puppeteer Technique. Though I'd like to use it, there's too much danger of releasing Gaara. I have to confess it. You're strong. Too strong by half. Anyone who can work out where I am this easily is pretty good. If I fought you using him, there's a strong chance I'd need to deal with two pretty strong people at once." She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "That'd be a real pain. I wouldn't die, of course, but there's a pretty strong chance I'd have to kill one or the other of you. And that'd be a problem for my employer, so we need to avoid that."
Sasuke's shoulders tensed. She stared at the woman. Just how damn cautious can you be? Her eyes narrowed. Well, no. This is a strategy that makes sense. I wouldn't want to fight me and a Tailed Beast user simultaneously. She cast a glance at Gaara.
Gaara remained motionless, his eyes dull like gems without polish. He wavered from side to side.
Granted, he's not exactly in great fighting shape either. Sasuke returned her gaze to the woman. It's surprising that she'd go this far to preserve an advantage.
"In lieu of that, please accept my own pitiful skills." The woman's hand rose across her face. Shadows covered the face, disguising the shape and appearance of the face.
Sasuke tensed. This woman is pretty strong, I think. Her fist clenched as she drew her foot back. She'd have to be if she posed as Akatsuki.
A mask of shadows rose across the woman's face, resembling a black mouse's stylized face. The woman stepped forward.
Sasuke's hand reached downward. Biting her thumb, she slammed her palm into the scroll. A kusari-gama formed on the scroll. For the time being, I should test her proficiency at hand-to-hand combat. She's already proven that she's pretty good with ninjutsu of various types.
The woman stretched out her hands. A staff of shadows formed in the air. For now, it's best to avoid taking any risks. If she moves to ninjutsu, I'll be at a disadvantage. Those eyes really are a nasty trick. Also, as it's necessary to preserve her life, which limits my options for how I can fight. I certainly can't fight the way I usually would. The woman's eyes narrowed. Tobi would be very angry if Itachi were to turn against us. So, for that purpose, let's move along.
Sasuke rushed forward. Swinging the chain in a circle, she gathered momentum as she swung toward the woman's body.
The staff spun around, blocking the strike. The woman smirked. "Hm hm." She forced the staff forward, knocking the blade toward the ground.
Sasuke's eyes widened. She jumped backward. What? Her body grasped the kusari-gama. That strength shouldn't be in a human body. What kind of technique is she using? She spun the chain again rapidly. The blade slashed along the woman's arm.
The woman blinked. She glanced down at her newly opened arm.
"It's not so easy to block a kusari-gama," Sasuke remarked. Her hand grasped the chain.
The woman's hands drummed downward. An echoing sound reflected through the prison floor and slats. Needles of shadow rose through the ground. One pierced Sasuke's sandal. Blood ran from Sasuke's injured foot.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. I hate these kinds of enemies. Her hand reached upward, her fingers pressing against the edge of the kusari. The edge of the kusari dripped with blood. "So. Who are you working for?"
"Our employer. He wishes to remain nameless, naturally." The woman smiled. "Well, to the extent of not being discovered. But I don't suppose a name will prove too much trouble."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"His name is Tobi." The woman sighed. "I do hope you don't expect any more than that. I am a shinobi, whatever else you may think of me."
Sasuke's hand grasped the blade. The edge of the sword glowed. "Blood Edge." Smoke rose from the surface of the kusari. The edge glowed red-hot. "It seems that you don't have any interest in telling me anything. No problem. I'll just have to interrogate your corpse." Sasuke raised the sword in the air. "I can't do Steam Release, of course. But I can do something that's very close to it."
The woman's eyes widened.
The kusari swung around rapidly. The edge of the kusari slashed into the surface of the staff.
The woman's eyes widened further. Hm? She studied the blade. I see. That sword has a great deal of chakra channeled into it. Otherwise it couldn't pierce my shadow. The woman moved the staff, her hand tightening as she spun the weapon.
Catching the base of the blade, Sasuke hurled the chain toward the woman's arm. The chain wrapped around one arm.
The woman's fingers shot upward. The needles shot toward Sasuke's body.
Sasuke leapt upward. She spun through the air. Her arm pulled on the chain.
The woman flew through the air toward Sasuke, impelled by the wrapped-up chain. The needles drove into the ceiling.
Sasuke landed on the ground. Her lips curled upward. Solidly nailed you. Her fist drove toward the woman's stomach.
A rapid interlacing of shadows crossed the belly. The woman's hands laced together rapidly.
Sasuke gasped. Her fist caught in the chains of the shadows.
The woman smiled. "My apologies. You will not find it quite so easy as you imagine to kill me, let alone touch me."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Sasuke's fingers extended. These must be family techniques. Sasuke frowned. However, it seems that she doesn't have much experience or power with techniques outside of that range. On top of that, she's skilled with taijutsu. There aren't many people that can match me in a straight fight, especially after that old pervert trained me. Sasuke paused. In that case, it's going to be difficult to deal with that interlacing. Genjutsu may be my best option. Sasuke's eyes opened. The tomoe whirled. Black energy surrounded the center of the eyes. Sasuke met the woman's eyes, visible beneath the shadows.
The woman's eyes widened.
Smoke Technique.
The air briefly inverted colors. Black energy surrounded the white. Wind blew through the space. A crushing weight descended on the body.
The woman bent over, staggered by the force of the impact.
Sasuke tugged her hand rapidly out of the shadows. I no longer have time to delay. I need to finish this quickly, without permitting her time to recover in any way, shape or form. I have to end this battle. Her hand drew back. Lightning crackled along the edge of the fingers, the hand in the shape of a knife.
"You're too naïve, Uchiha-chan." The woman looked upward, smirking. "The Sanzengan can't do such miraculous things as all that. It has too many limitations. You shouldn't rely too much on those eyes of yours. That mask of mine doesn't simply protect my face. You shouldn't have 'assumed'. On top of that, you got into close range." Her fingers laced together. Shadow strands spread from the fingers. "That's a real mistake, Uchiha-chan~. A real pro finishes the fight at a range."
Sasuke's body shook. Strands of shadow pierced through Sasuke's skin rapidly. The shadows laced together, rapidly forming a cocoon-like shadow over Sasuke's body.
The woman's smile faded. Abruptly, she gestured to Gaara.
Shadows laced over Gaara's body rapidly. Gaara's hand extended.
Sand surrounded the woman's feet. The woman rose through the air, accompanied by Gaara beside her.
Sasuke gritted her teeth. Her fist tightened, lightning crackling around her feet.
I have evaded her. For now, my path should be clear. The woman rose through the sky. A smirk crossed her lips. Well, it was more difficult than expected, but at any rate, mission accomplished.
Sasuke looked upward at the crack in the wall. Her fist clenched.
A/N: As Vampwalker709 accurately pointed out, the last chapter had some issues in terms of confusion. So I'll do my best to respond to those. In future I'll be paying more attention to clarity; for now, though, I'll do my best to explain the fight.
First of all, regarding the initial section, Kōju realized that in comparing her physical strength to Mizuki's she was about even. However, Mizuki puts more weight behind his attacks because he's physically larger. Thus, in order to compensate for this, she uses the method Tsunade taught her for increasing her strength. At this point in the fight Kōju sets up an effect for later in the battle. Feeling himself getting pushed back, Mizuki releases Shikai, increasing his physical strength and speed.
Mizuki manages to push Kōju back multiple times. Kōju uses a direct flame-style technique in an effort to defeat him. The technique explodes, but Mizuki knocks it away using reiatsu.
Here Kōju uses a Summoning Technique, and here I have to explain what she did earlier in the battle. This relates to the way Blood Prison was constructed.
Escaping by water is impossible due to the raging seas. Escaping by air is theoretically possible given the right circumstances, so most of the guards have bird of prey-type summons that formerly patrolled. At this point that's not a concern because most of the guards are either dead or incapacitated. Escaping by ground is, however, very difficult to prevent. With patience, it's possible to escape by ground, and nearly unavoidable depending on the circumstances of ground contact.
So the prison is built on what amounts to stilts or pillars attached to the earth. Thus, digging downward is ineffective. At the point of battle, Mizuki consequently wasn't expecting an attack from below. Earlier, when Kōju channeled earth chakra into her sword, she used a technique and created a stone palisade under the earth. Thus, there was an area for Aragimo to pass through.
Moving onward, Mizuki manages to cut Kōju, though he doesn't pierce her for reason that will be explained below. Catching the sword and using the opportunity, Kōju performs a Water Style high-pressure cutting technique aided by the rough seas.
Mizuki is here massively damaged. Due to the incomplete transformation into a shinigami, he cannot heal injuries naturally. However, thanks to the nature of his Zanpakutō, he can barely survive. Mizuki's Zanpakutō can transform any sentient being it pierces into a zombie servant who regenerates after a slow and painful death. By turning the blade on himself, he's created a regeneration loop. Whether it can be defeated is questionable. He therefore remains standing, regenerating and staying above the newly-formed earth (shattered in his specific location). He approaches briefly, but realizes that he is in danger if he approaches too closely.
Kōju has been attempting to lure him into range for Susano'ō Mikotō, a style similar to Fist of the North Star. Her skill is limited in how long she can use or prepare to use it, making it significantly weaker than her mentor's version. Aragimo takes action here, immobilizing Mizuki.
Mizuki, meanwhile, has collected zombies in preparation against a situation like this. He calls them out, preparing for a second round with Kōju.