The dark sky grew blacker. Rain poured downward through the heavens. The ceiling of the corridor exploded as a white wave of pressure burst from the tip of the blade. Wooden splinters drifted downward through the air.
Panting, Kōju stared at the forms of the undead creatures surrounding her. Sweat and blood dripped downward from her brow, spilling across one eye. She reached upward, wiping away some of the blood. Her silver sword glimmered in the light, blood spilling from the tip. Energy of chakra swept rapidly up around the body. Her arms spun in a circle.
Blood stained the floorboards, flying rapidly from the bodies of the attacking forces. The edge of the sword cut rapidly through the wooden slats.
One shambling ninja clapped his hands together, beginning a flame technique. His cheeks puffed up rapidly as flames gathered within them.
"Water Style: Wave of a Generation Technique!" Kōju shouted. Her hand rose rapidly in the air, forming seals as she inhaled. She spat out liquid rapidly, letting the foamy water spray across the ground.
The flames sputtered out in the massive gush of water.
Taking advantage of the momentum of the wave, Kōju leaped forward, crashing into the zombies with a massive burst of momentum.
She's fought well. But overall, there's no way she can win. I'll continue to resurrect my minions as many times as it takes to beat her. Mizuki wiped away the blood from his arm. His fingers tightened on the sword. He took a single step backward.
Rotting arms seized on Kōju's legs, halting her motion. The hands tightened on the legs rapidly. More zombies crawled upward, gathering around Kōju's body.
"Tch." Kōju's eyes narrowed as she glanced downward. Her hand tightened on the sword. I can cut them away, but there are more to deal with.
"It's over." Mizuki gestured briefly to one of the taller zombies. He leaned back against the wall, his expression calm and cold.
The zombie stumbled forward, one leg shaking under the weight of a massive weapon, an ancient and scarred battleaxe, at its back. It raised the axe high in the air, drawing the blade toward Kōju's neck.
Green energy filled the corridor, spreading rapidly outward from the bodies on the ground. The pieces of the injured zombies regenerated quickly.
Kōju adjusted her grip on the sword. Her eyes narrowed. A slow smile, manic and broad, crossed Kōju's face. She swung forward. The arms of the zombie collapsed, the weapon breaking the wood. "Even if I'm motionless, I can still stop dead flesh from striking me."
Mizuki gritted his teeth. Can't you understand? Cutting me is hopeless. If you can't even destroy my soldiers it doesn't bear thinking about.
Kōju stared steadily at Mizuki. Her eyes hardened. She forced her foot forward, slippery blood staining her boot. Her silver sword glowed, white light gathered around the edge of the blade.
But you're still coming after me. Knowing you're wasting your life. Knowing you can die uselessly in a place like this. Completely without the prudence of a clan heir. "That's why I despise you," Mizuki remarked. His eyebrows furrowed. "I know now. Your way of thinking is exactly the same as the brat's." He folded his arms across his chest. "That must be why. You see some kinship in madness that has no place in reality. That kinship will be your destruction."
"Heh heh." Kōju grinned. "And fundamentally that's why you keep failing, you know? You aren't willing to see the moonlight. The faintest light of a path leading to victory. That's what you lack." Her hand extended. "As an example, you never bothered trying to fight, let alone resurrect, jōnin-ranked opponents. Because of that your zombies are weak."
White chakra wrapped up the feet of the zombies. The energy rapidly crystallized into stone, forming into the shape of a clear seal.
Mizuki's eyes narrowed. Projecting the chakra through the energy of the sword? Impressive. He shifted his position, his body tensing.
"Now, then!" Kōju leapt forward. Her feet rocketed upward. She pressed her foot against the heads of one of the zombies. She shot like a star toward Mizuki.
Mizuki ran rapidly through the air. He glanced over his shoulder briefly. His eyes narrowed. "You won't capture me this easily."
Kōju's sword swung upward. The tip of the sword barely grazed Mizuki's back. The sword swung downward, forming a pendulum of sorts.
Green light surrounded the skin. Mizuki's body regenerated rapidly, the injury fading. The blood continued downward, dripping down the white cloak.
Kōju bit her lip. Damn it. Blood stained the edge of the lip. She reached upward, her body using the momentum of the sword swing to force herself upward.
Mizuki glanced over his shoulder. His eyebrows rose. He briefly reached upward, his hand touching the sword at his side. I could try to pierce her here, but it'd be another deal.
Kōju's hand brushed along Mizuki's back. Her fingers scratched along the edge of the skin, retrieving pieces of the skin lightly.
"At the end, this is all you can do." Mizuki smirked. He turned slightly, his eyes narrowed. White chakra faded from around his body.
White chakra faded from Kōju's hand. She fell back toward the wooden slats. Her body crashed heavily into the ground, breaking some of the wood.
The zombies shambled closer. Their hands reached toward Kōju's legs, forming a ripping motion as they approached the dark form.
"You don't have the wings to capture me." Mizuki smirked. His eyes narrowed. He ascended higher in the sky, winds whipping around his body.
"Aren't you ashamed of being such a coward?" Kōju demanded, forcing herself to a sitting position in an instant. She swung the mighty sword in a circle. The zombies collapsed around her. "A long time ago, you had guts, didn't you? What happened to that? Are you going to let me, who reminds you so much of Naruto, pass?"
Mizuki's eyes narrowed. "I have no reason to waste my life here. It's true that you'll probably seal most of my Nuhi. But if I am to be entirely frank, your power as a sword saint will likely pierce through them and reach me if I stay overlong. For that reason, farewell." He turned away. His cloak blew up in the wind.
Kōju gritted her teeth. Her fist clenched. She drew up the sword once more, her hands tightening. "I can't catch you, you say?"
Mizuki disappeared into the stormy skies. The dark clouds gathered across the heavens, the light fading slowly as the sky darkened.
Kōju swung her sword rapidly in a circle. As the zombies collapsed, she clapped her hands together. "Sealing Technique: Bonds of the Eternal!" she shouted, her fingers clasping together. Hands glowing with white light, she pressed her palm against the zombie's forehead.
The zombie collapsed into dust. A momentary symbol resembling a square and a red tree rose above the body, outlined in white chakra.
The other zombies turned toward the exit of the building. They ran, but too slowly, their legs injured by the stone penetrating the surface.
"Heh." Kōju's eyes narrowed. Thought so. They do degrade over time. She rushed forward. The symbols rose above her hands again as she drove her fists into the undead bodies. Dust scattered across the ground. She turned her gaze, briefly, to the far corridor of the room.
A white-haired woman stood in the entrance. Her eyes were strange, a light blue-purple and filled with concentric circles. She cleared her throat as she stood across from Kōju. Her hands rested in the pockets of her white gown. She tilted her head to one side. The bandana wrapping her hair fell slightly.
Kōju swallowed tightly. "Do you want to fight too?" She gripped her sword more tightly. "I'll fight you if I have to, but I don't want to."
"By no means. I am in need of an escort back to my cell, young woman." The woman glanced downward. "I am blind, as you see." She raised one finger and pointed to her eyes.
Kōju blinked. "O-oh." She frowned. "But—but if you're one of those prisoners, shouldn't you want freedom?" She touched the hilt of the massive sword again. "I mean, I know I would."
"Freedom. It's an amusing word, and you're quite an amusing young woman. You have a good spirit about you." The woman laughed in a quiet voice. "Well, freedom seems well and good. It has in it such hints of promise. But I have lived quite a long time imprisoned. I do not know another way to live. What is your name?"
"Kōju," Kōju responded nervously. "Hatake Kōju." She brushed her hand across her neck as she regarded the woman quietly.
"Ah! The descendant of that Sakumo fellow. What a charming coincidence; I knew something of that man's exploits." The woman laughed again. Her eyes narrowed. "You may refer to me, should you wish to, as Ryūzetsu."
"I'd prefer to call you by your last name." Kōju smiled faintly. "I don't think we know each other well enough for first names yet."
"Don't have one." Ryūzetsu paused. "Leaving that aside for the moment, my cell's destroyed. Perhaps you should take me back to Leaf with you, instead. I can be imprisoned there."
"Yes. That seems reasonable," Kōju agreed. "Well, first, though, we need to tend to my friends." She ran out of the wall, her hand grasping the side of the sword.
Ryūzetsu raised an eyebrow. A faint smile crossed her lips. She clambered down, approaching the base of the building rapidly.
Kōju rested beside Naruto. Her hands pressed against Naruto's chest. Green energy twisted up around Naruto's chest and twisting up the energy.
Ryūzetsu smiled faintly. "A medic and a berserker. You are quite something, little mangrove." She squatted down beside Kōju. Her hand reached outward, brushing across Kōju's face. "And you have a face like your father or grandfather or great-grandfather, too. Soft, gentle."
Kōju flushed. "Well, someone has to make sure these poor guys don't get killed in their fights," she remarked. She tightened the grip on the chest.
"I'm up," Naruto stated. He stared blankly at Ryūzetsu. "AH!" he shouted suddenly. "Too close, lady! Back up! I'm gonna hit you!"
Ryūzetsu's eyebrows rose slightly as she cupped her ear to one side. "Is my face truly that unpleasant?" she asked in a soft voice. "How unfortunate."
Naruto scowled. "Who's this lady, anyway? She's definitely bad, right?!" he demanded of Kōju, stabbing his finger toward Ryūzetsu.
"Well, she was a prisoner, but she also wanted to get arrested, so she can't be that bad." Kōju sighed. "Or something like that. At any rate, she didn't attack me, and I'd prefer to avoid another fight."
Naruto scowled. He folded his arms across his chest. "Well, I don't trust her. And that's not going to change. She's definitely a bad person."
Ryūzetsu reached upward. Her hand brushed back her hair, tucking it behind one ear. "Pardon, young man. What's your name?"
Naruto remained silent. He stared mutinously at Ryūzetsu. He folded his arms across his chest. His gaze grew darker and sterner.
"What's the harm in a name?" Kōju asked patiently. She patted Naruto on the shoulder. "She's already told me her name, anyhow. She's Ryūzetsu."
"Uzumaki Naruto. I'm gonna be the next Hokage!" Naruto's voice faltered slightly. "Probably." He looked down, no longer meeting Ryūzetsu's eyes.
"I see." Ryūzetsu smiled faintly. "In that case, cheer up. No village would enjoy seeing their leader this upset." She stuffed her hands into her pockets.
Naruto frowned. "But I failed to save him." He gritted his teeth. His fingers rubbed the sides of his temples. "No, we failed. We didn't get him."
"I sincerely doubt that." Ryūzetsu paused. "Well, you'll see soon enough, anyway." She glanced up toward the building. "And even were you to fail, most people come back stronger from their mistakes."
Naruto blinked. "What the hell would you know about that? We don't even know where to find him!" he shouted aggressively, taking a step toward Ryūzetsu.
"Naruto-kun, that's not entirely true," Kōju said quietly. She glanced toward Naruto. "It's rather complicated, but I can assure you we have a chance."
Naruto blinked. He glanced toward Kōju briefly. "Whaddaya mean? Did you really manage to find a way to avoid that problem?"
"Well, I'll explain back at the village. It'll be quicker. Do you still have your waders?" Kōju questioned gently. She rested her hand against the sky.
"They probably won't work. There's a Storm Release user or something on the embankment." Naruto frowned. "I'll have to try transporting you all using Flying Thunder God Technique."
"One at a time, perhaps," Ryūzetsu suggested in a delicate quiet voice. She rubbed her hair, her white eyes glancing toward Naruto nervously.
Naruto nodded. Grasping Kōju's shoulder, he disappeared in a flash of orange. A single tag drifted downward, neatly inscribed with yellow calligraphy.
Ryūzetsu's eyes stared outward at the tumultuous sea. Her hand brushed aside her hair. It's begun again. Too soon, I think. She stared into the depths of the sea with eyes that saw nothing and everything.