The blood-red light cascaded downward, driving into the earth with an enormous fury and great power. The creek glimmered with brilliant light.
Asuma's hand rose reflexively. The knife glimmered. A sword of air blocked the katana's downward descent.
Kotetsu grinned. He got him! His fist pumped upward in the air. Yes! This guy's definitely in our grasp!
Genma tensed, his expression growing more serious. He didn't win with just that. I know that much from experience.
"Tch." Akaihi leapt backward, his eyes narrowed. "I shoulda known you wouldn't go down that easy."
Asuma gritted his teeth. "I should have figured it out before now." He lowered his hands, his eyes narrowed.
"Figured what out? I hit him dead-on!" Yugito shouted, her eyes wide with shock. "There's no way in hell anyone could survive that! What's going on?"
Akaihi's eyes narrowed. Figuring it out at all is pretty impressive. Seriously, it's not something you can work out with just a few seconds. "It's pretty impressive even to be figuring it out right now. You must be the brightest guy in this team, am I right?"
"Nah. That'd be Genma." Asuma shook his head. He briefly gestured toward Genma. "I just have a lot of experience playing chess against a real genius." He studied the battleground.
That's right. I saw it clearly; the blue claws passed straight through the armor. There's no way it's that simple! Izumo gritted his teeth.
"Wrong." Asuma stared at the armor plates. "In reality, those plates—they must be made of something that decreases the effects of chakra or completely negates it in that territory, right?" He lifted his trench knife. "It's the opposite. From my trench knives, it's made from an opposite kind of metal."
Akaihi's eyes narrowed. "You're pretty attentive. Nothin' less from the heir of Sarutobi Hiruzen, of course." His hand fell to one side. His sword lowered to one side.
Asuma exhaled. "So all he did was let the attack seem to go through. Then he got back up. There's no real trick to it." A brief, rueful grin crossed his face. "I should have worked it out already, when he deflected my trench knife. That isn't that easy to do. Between the two of them, one of them had to have a counter effect. I guess those swords are the same way.
Izumo frowned. Yes, that's right. Even if he said that, I suppose it makes sense. A smile crossed his face. It all seems very clear after he says that.
"But my attack went through him. It penetrated the armor." Yugito pointed in shock toward Akaihi. "Didn't it?"
"No, it didn't." Genma exhaled. His earlier panic seemed to have been replaced by pale resignation. "He's a Magnet Style user. So he just moved the plates for an instant."
There's a problem with that way of thinking, though. Asuma's brow furrowed. The magnetism is still generated by chakra, so it shouldn't be possible to move those pieces like that. I don't get what's going on here—there must be some kind of specific explanation for what just happened.
Akaihi sighed loudly. "Ah, man. Why the hell do you gotta blow the lid off all my tricks like that? A magician's gotta keep some secrets, you know."
Genma's eyes narrowed. "You're a disgraced samurai. Don't confuse the two!"
Akaihi smirked. "Guess you do remember some of the guys you shut away in prison, huh? Not that it matters now!" He rushed forward, the sword slashing toward Izumo's side.
Izumo's eyes widened. Why me? What possible reason could he have for doing that? Izumo's hands clapped together. "Water Style: Syrup Sugar Trap!" Sugar rushed downhill, gathering around Akaihi's feet.
"Ah?" Akaihi's eyebrow rose. He glanced down at the sugary substance capturing his feet. "How very irritating. Really, I need to move!"
"Let's move!" Genma shouted. His face dripped with sweat. His fingers clapped together. "We're going to make for Hidden Frost."
The five people rushed downhill rapidly, sand cracking from their movements. Yugito paused a moment longer than the others.
"What's the matter, Genma?" Asuma questioned.
Genma gritted his teeth. "That guy? The one we were just fighting?" He exhaled. "He's a serial murderer who I barely caught the first time around. Don't let his bluster and light attitude fool you. He's smart, and has a serious temper to boot. I don't want to risk fighting him, particularly if his condition stabilized."
Asuma hurried down the slope. He glanced to one side. "Stabilized?" he asked suspiciously.
"As you know, samurai don't train shinobi. It's against the ordinary order of things." Genma paused. "That guy forced a piece of a Magnet Release's user into his brain. He managed to make it work, but he started getting clots of iron in his brain. The medic I talked to gave him a year at most."
Asuma's eyes met Genma's briefly. He frowned. The pace of the group down the mountain accelerated.
Yugito glanced over her shoulder. "Asuma-taichō? Not to be a whiner, but we have other company."
Asuma turned. Covering his eyes with his hand, he peered up the slope.
At an even, calm pace, two figures in black robes descended the mountain. The red clouds glimmered, shimmering colors flickering from their robes.
The high mountains glimmered, sunlight piercing through the sides of the trees.
Asuma gritted his teeth. "Damn it. Yugito, I know it's a lot to ask of you, but if you don't take on your form as a jinchūriki there's a solid chance we're all going to die here." He pointed up the hill.
Yugito nodded. Placing her weight on her left index finger, she closed her eyes. Blue light gathered around her body.
The sky darkened, waves of pressure roaring upward across the ground.
Akaihi's eyes widened. Hah? That's pretty dangerous! He struggled with his boots. Damn. I have to get these off before that shot gets fired!
Genma exhaled. "It seems that we should be all right. He's freaking out, so we'll kill at least one of them."
A blue ball of energy gathered within Yugito's mouth. She swallowed it, her expression seeming rather annoyed.
Akaihi struggled with his boots, his eyes widened. Shit!
Yugito exhaled. Neko-Tama. A blue ball of light swallowed up the mountainside, driving pieces of rock into oblivion and shattering the side of the mountain. The ground exploded, rocks disappearing into nothingness as the ball of energy engulfed the darkening space.
Unaffected by the blast save for scorched robes and some apparent physical damage, the two figures continued downward.
Asuma cursed loudly.
Genma glanced upward. The hillside showed no signs of Akaihi save for two smoking iron boots. He exhaled.
"See? This is what happens when you rush in like an idiot." The green-eyed woman glanced toward her partner. Her face, concealed by a black cloth mask, revealed no emotion.
The silver-haired man shrugged his shoulder. "Jashin-sama shall provide, man. That's what I'm talking about. You just need to embrace your inner hatred for everything and everyone around you. If you did that, you wouldn't have to rely on that shitty medical technique to keep you young."
The green-eyed woman looked upward. "I'll make this brief. While I understand shinobi don't particularly like rendering over their charges, I don't want to waste time killing you. We are on a schedule here, as requested by Kūkyo-san." She held out her hand, pointing toward Yugito. "On top of that, you—if I'm not mistaken—need to be taken in alive. So in the interests of preventing a waste of my time and your life, hand her over now."
Asuma's eyes narrowed. "Hand her over?" He moved his foot to one side.
Genma tensed.
Izumo's brow furrowed.
The woman nodded, her expression indecipherable beneath the black mask.
"Sorry, but even if she wasn't my mission, I'd still refuse." Asuma's hand trembled on the knife at his side. "See, you took something very important from me, a long time ago." He exhaled heavily. "I gave up smoking cigarettes a week ago. At first I thought that I was shaking because of that. I was wrong."
The silver-haired man's eyes narrowed. "Kakushiro, you screwed up again, didn't you?"
"Shut up, Hidan." Kakushiro glanced toward the silver-haired man briefly. Her green eyes returned to Asuma.
Kotetsu swallowed. I hope he keeps his head. It'd be very dangerous if he loses control here.
"I wondered how I'd feel about it. It's been twenty years. You'd think my emotions would have lessened by then. But you know something? My anger's still as fresh as the last time we met at the Fire Temple." Asuma's fingers trembled on the knife. "I can barely keep my hands from shaking. Like I'm breathing death."
"Twenty years." Kakushiro's brow furrowed. "Chiriko. About a hundred thousand ryō." Her eyes narrowed. "These days you're worth more than he was back then. I guess I'm happy I left you alive." She adjusted her position on the rocks.
"I'm the one who's happy. If you had killed me back then, I'd have no chance to kill you now!" Asuma roared.
"Ugh. Stop reminiscing and let's get to the slaughter already!" Hidan shouted. He grasped the scythe at his side.
"Heh. Leave his face recognizable, Hidan. Do what you want with the others, except the Two-Tails' jinchūriki." Kakushiro stepped forward. Her green eyes glinted. "Worth a try."
Hidan grunted. "I'll listen for the time being, but I still don't agree with you."
Asuma tensed.
A bolt of crimson light drove into the loam.
Asuma's eyes widened. He turned around rapidly.
"What the—" Hidan started, his eyes wide with shock.
Kakushiro's brow furrowed. She knelt downward, grasping the piece of iron. "Magnet Style?" she asked in a confused voice.
"Hold it! Somebody said somethin' about slaughter, right?" Laughing loudly, Akaihi strode forward, grasping a piece of iron in his left hand. "You can't get the slaughter started without me. Come on! I think I sure as hell won't be leaving you behind or some shit like that!"
"How?!" Yugito demanded sharply. Her eyes glanced from side to side.
Kakushiro's eyes narrowed. "I'm unfamiliar with this one."
He isn't an immortal. He wouldn't be wearing that armor if he was. Genma's eyes glanced up the hill. Then she's come?
A white-clad figure stood at the edge of the nearby rock formation. A small smile slipped across her lips.
Izumo swallowed dryly. "What is this?" The sky darkened. Cold light passed down the sky, the air darkened by heavy rain clouds that passed away after a long moment.
"Ah, that's right. I ain't introduced my partner yet. Hakka of the White Sands. Not a bad title, eh?" Akaihi went on, his grin broad as he studied the group in front of him.
"Hakka?" Kakushiro repeated, her face growing more serious.
The woman bowed. White hair showed beneath the robe. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kakushiro-san. As I understand it, you are quite a wonderful medic-nin. You are like me, so it is wonderful to meet someone like myself."
Kakushiro's hand pressed against the pouch at her side.
"Indeed, it is a shame that I have to put an end to such a talent. A pity that there will be no one to mourn you. I will not know where to send the flowers." Hakka's eyes narrowed.
Asuma tensed. Not just two unknowns, but her too. He glanced over his shoulder. In this situation, I should try to avoid fighting all of them at once. It's risky, but— "Decoy technique!" His hands clapped together. Rapidly, he transformed into a copy of Yugito.
The other three transformed rapidly, shifting into the form of the jinchūriki.
Yugito nodded briefly. She studied their faces before running into the darkness.
The five figures streaked toward each side, running outward across the mountain.
"Hmph." Hidan gritted his teeth. "Too much to find. Too much villainy here. Too much to swallow up." He paused. "I'm going to obliterate this shit! For JASHIN-SAMA!" He ran off to one of the sides, his hands rising in the air as he grasped his scythe. "For suffering!"
Akaihi dashed after another of the departing figures, his swords drawn. "Leave some of it to me, damn it!" he barked as he ran up the hill.
Kakushiro and Hakka remained still, staring intently at each other. The sky darkened blue.
"You should go after them, right?" Kakushiro questioned. "It's pretty dangerous to let that woman run."
"I can handle her at my leisure. Before that, it's more important to exterminate an existence that could potentially cause problems." Hakka's hands fell to her sides. Translucent knives formed between her fingers. "To clarify, I mean that I will be taking your life once again."
Kakushiro's eyes widened. "Depart this world happily, then." Her fingers laced together rapidly.
Hakka disappeared rapidly, translucent knives forming between her fingers.
Kakushiro's eyes tracked to one side. She pressed her palm into the ground. The earth rose upward, blocking the attack.
Hakka's eyes narrowed. Intriguing. I didn't expect her to be this good at a quick reaction like that.
The sun remained high in the sky, a piercing sunlight striking the ground and reflecting the sky's colors in a thousand infinite cold ways. The sky darkened once again with the passage of clouds.