Fated to Meet You
Author's Note:
This chapter is mission heavy. Writing these kinds of chapters aren't really my forte. But I tried my best to deliver what I saw in my head into writing.
So I made a mistake. Apparently, the one-tailed beast was already capture by temple disciples and stored in Sunagakure. Heh Heh. I had to fix that mistake.
There are some jutsu's that I wrote in the romanji in this chapter and I probably will do that for the rest of this story because the english translation doesn't sound as great as the japanese origin (ie. Jibashi = Electromagnetic Murder).
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, character or plot, from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto.
Chapter Fifteen: Mission - Capture the Tailed Beasts
Uzumaki Ashina was a tall aging man. His white hair fell down the length of his back, and his white beard was cut straight in front of his torso. Mai had heard Elder Mio mention him on a couple occasions. The Uzumaki Clan was famed for their sealing techniques. Something that Elder Mio learned on the side, and Mai learned from Elder Mio. Although, sealing wasn't her forte.
Moving her onyx eyes around the circle of shinobi, her eyes landed on Uchiha Kosei beside her. Pulling her knees toward her, she said to her Uchiha clan member, "I'm going to get water."
Uchiha Kosei's eyes met hers and nodded. He stood up and followed her to the nearby river. The team had stopped to rest. There was a falcon flying over them, and the Hokage left to take a message.
The two Uchiha could feel the atmosphere. Apparently, the Uzumaki Clan are relatives to the Senju Clan. So that left the two Uchiha's to stand beside each other. No one knew who would attack the other first. And neither Uchiha were gonna let their back face anyone but to themselves.
"Lord Hikaku recommended us for this mission." Kosei said. "I didn't think it was going to be with Senju's and Uzumaki's."
"I think Hikaku meant well." Mai replied. "You know him." She looked over at her taller friend. "He's rather optimistic."
Uchiha Kosei let out an exhale. The male elder apprentice knew his Clan Leader. They were friends for a very long time. Behind the hard Uchiha exterior, Uchiha Hikaku was a man of compassion. Hikaku would do anything for his clan. Kosei on the other hand would fight for his clan with or without compassion.
"It's not like we have to talk to them outside of the mission." Mai noted as she knelt down by the river bank.
Kosei didn't say anything. He listened to the rustling that was coming from behind him.
"I didn't know you two were coming to get water!" The two Uchiha's had memorized the voices of each of their outside teammates. This one was Senju Jun.
Mai turned her neck to look at the male Senju. Right behind him was Senju Takeshi walking out from the forest trees. Mai remembered him - she remembered all of them. She nodded at the two of them.
Senju Jun stepped forward with a tense smile on his face. Mai could see where the lines creased awkwardly on his tanned face.
Uchiha Kosei was well adept at reading facial expressions. He knew these Senju's were just as wary of them as they were. He nodded his head to the two Senju men and they nodded back. Standing up he watched them walk to the river bank. Mai stepped out of the way and the two Uchiha's looked at each other before making their way back to the resting site.
Mai knew this was going to be a long mission. Not just in its time frame, but in itself all together.
. . .
The Konoha and Uzushio team waited until the Hokage came back with the Hokage advisor in tow. The Hokage's mouth formed a thin, straight line. Beside him, the white haired Hokage advisor held his normal, permanent scowl of a face. Kneeling down in the circle, Senju Hashirama said, "We received intel that someone has captured the one-tailed beast."
Tobirama crossed his hands in front of his chest. He had felt the massive chakra figure waver. It was then that a message from the Konoha spy in the Land of Wind's hidden village, Sunagakure, reached them through hawk. According to their spy, Sunagakure hired temple disciples to capture the one tailed beast. They were too late.
"We are changing our plans." the Hokage stated. "We have intel of the seven tailed beast is northwest of here. In the forested region."
"So we're going after the seven-tailed beast now?" Lord Ashina asked.
The Senju Hokage nodded. "We can't let anyone know what we are doing, so we will not be pursuing the one-tailed beast."
They found the seven-tailed beast. It was located in a cave that was behind a temple. The entire region was covered in forest and moss. Mai could feel its immense chakra the moment she set foot onto the moss ground.
It knew they were coming. Almost immediately after the team reached the temple compounds covered in moss, the beast sent a gust of wind to blow them back. Landing on a tree branch, Mai brushed a lock of hair that fell out of her tail to behind her ears. She looked around with her onyx eyes. The team all managed to safely land and most of them were already making their way back forward. Pushing chakra to her eyes and her feet simultaneously, she pushed forward with her Sharingan eyes locked on the massive chakra figure in the cave.
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears." Senju Takeshi put his palms onto the dirt ground that was surrounded by moss. The second before the earth beneath the insect beast rose up to pointed spikes, it fluttered its wings and lifted itself above the ground.
Mai reached the inside of the cave, and she stopped almost unknowingly to look forward. The seven-tailed beast was an insect. It's wings fluttered back and forth. She could feel small pieces of rock hit her side. Her bright red eyes glowed as the scene of the tailed beasts' wings go slow - like little snapshots. Reaching back to her pouch to grab her kunai knife, she pushed forward. If Senju Takeshi was going to attack from the ground, she would attack from the air. Pushing chakra to her feet, Uchiha Mai jumped off the stone covered in moss. She watched carefully as the beast's wings moved jaggedly in slow motions before throwing her kunai directly at the creature's wings.
The aim was perfect, directed at the center of the wing. But as she was still mid-air, Mai watched as her kunai clashed with the wing as if the wings were metal itself and fall to the ground. In shock, Mai landed on another stone and was forced to move when the beast whipped its wing towards her.
Barely making it away, Mai's body appeared out of the brown and green debris. It's wings are like metal. She thought to herself as she landed safely away. She looked at her teammates. The majority of them were on the ground and some of them were on higher elevations like her. All of whom, were battling with the beast. Lord Uzumaki Ashina was further away, his two companions beside him. They were ready at any moment for the signal to seal the creature. However, this wasn't the greatest environment for a sealing if the beast was going to move like this.
She looked up. The cave was going to give in sooner or later if they continued doing this.
"Mai!" Senju Jun landed beside her. "We need to get it outside of the cave."
"...Alright." She didn't even look at the Senju to process what he said. She looked over to Uchiha Kosei, who was also on elevated stone. Having worked with Uchiha Kosei on many occasions, it was like they both knew what each other were thinking of. "What's the plan?"
Senju Jun paused before saying, "None, yet."
"Kosei-san has one." Mai shifted her red Sharingan eyes from her Uchiha comrade to her Senju one. Senju Jun wasn't used to being this close to Sharingan eyes but in the moment, he wasn't trying to get distracted. He turned to look behind him to where Uchiha Kosei was. There he stood on a stone with his kekkei-genkai activated. Uchiha Kosei nodded in their direction before jumping upwards.
"We all need to get out." Mai said.
"Wh-What?" Jun asked. "What about the beast?-"
"The beast will survive in the rubble." Mai answered. "We've already angered it enough to know it can't stand back."
"..." Senju Jun thought for a moment. "We just have to blow up the cave." He concluded.
Mai nodded before turning her eyes back to Kosei. He was already mid-air. Waiting a second later, she jumped forward. She could hear the crackling of Kosei's lighting release simmer away. And that was her que. Turning face up, she stretched her arm in front of her - her palm facing towards the cave's ceiling. "Wind Release: Implosion."
They had done this multiple times and perfected it in battle, Uchiha Kosei would use his lightning release to damage the earth, and Mai would use her wind release to break the earth apart. Kosei would have landed on the ground before jumping back up to catch Mai. But before Kosei could jump up, tree trunks appeared around them. One extended wooden trunk appeared where Mai could land safely and Mai did so.
"You two are trying to destroy the cave." Senju Tobirama's voice stated behind her.
Turning, she faced the red eyed Senju with her red and black ones. Senju Tobirama visibly narrowed his eyes. Was this what he would be looking at if she had activated her kekkei-genkai in the Land of Steel. He rolled his eyes laterally to where her strand of black hair fell out and cascaded down the side of her face.
"I think the cave is weak enough to fall." Uchiha Mai stated.
Tobirama looked up. It was starting the crack. "One more attack like that and it will." He said while listening to his comrades in the background who were dealing with the beast directly. The beast was still attacking. They both could feel the gust of wind from its wings.
Mai looked at the man and watched as he looked back at her, his eyes glancing over her forehead protector. Tobirama reached his hand out to her. "One more time."
The Uchiha woman looked at the Senju's extended hand and then back up to him. It wasn't in a position for her to shake it. His palm was face up like he wanted her to slap it. Jaggedly, she reached out her right hand. As if the man's large hands were a bounce board, Mai dropped her small hands onto his and lifted it back up. Was this Senju Tobirama's way of communicating with his team? Mai was confused. Bringing her hand back, she regained composure. Kosei and her had to do the same thing again. Unwaveringly, she looked at Senju Tobirama and she nodded. She looked over to where Kosei was and nodded at him as well. Turning around, she jumped up to the stones for one more attack.
With her hands in front of her, she said, "Implode."
Uchiha Kosei landed on the ground. But before he could turn to catch his teammate, Senju Tobirama appeared in front of him. "I got her. Go."
Kosei knew how capable Senju Tobirama was. But was he going to let a Senju catch his teammate? In his gut, Uchiha Kosei could trust Senju Tobirama for this scenario. Tobirama was renowned for his speed. Kosei knew that. The cave was already collapsing, and the rest of the team was making their way out. Taking one last look at his teammate in the air, Uchiha Kosei nodded and turned around to exit the cave.
"We have to go!" Senju Hashirama yelled in the distance.
When she had her Sharingan on, Mai could only see things in red, black and everything in between. She watched as the rocks in front of her fall towards her. As they continue to fall, she could tell how many seconds it was. One, two- She felt arms around her. Kosei was never this fast. Before she could blink, the rocks had disappeared from in front of her.
Three? She was right but why was she questioning. Her view had changed. There were no more rocks falling. There was the night sky. It appeared black to her and the moon was light pink. And then there was Senju Tobirama. His hair was white. Not even a slight pink like a moon.
Everything happened so fast that Mai couldn't process to release herself from Senju Tobirama's hold. In fact, the white haired Senju himself had to gently place her down for her.
"You're fast." Uchiha Mai was able to finally conclude. They weren't in the cave anymore. They were outside. She recognized it to her disbelief. The cave had fallen and she could see the chakra figures of the others. She turned to the man. She really was still thinking of how she got out. Blinking once with her Sharingan and then twice. There was no way this man could move this fast with physical prowess alone, and Mai knew that. But how? Now wasn't the time to think though.
"Tobirama!" Senju Hashirama's voice yelled for his brother.
From the forest and moss ground, the rest of the team gathered.
"We all know what we have to do." Senju Hashirama said to the group. They could hear the seven-tailed beast roar in the background. "We will seal it here and now that it is out of the cave."
The entire team nodded and whizzed away.
Mai jumped from tree branch to tree branch with Kosei.
"You have a plan." Kosei stated. He knew she had a plan.
"It's weak spot is behind its head." Mai stated.
"Not with those wings fluttering about." Kosei stepped onto the next branch. This mission was difficult. No one had time to rest. The beast was always attacking. Everyone was doing everything they could to attack the beast.
"But that's why they need us." Uchiha Mai turned her head to face her friend. Their glowing Sharingan eyes met each other. Their Sharingan's were the key.
Landing on the tree behind the tailed beast, the two Uchiha's watched as the beast's wings moved robotically and slowly in their Sharingan sight. The beast had six insect wings and an actual tail extending off of its abdomen, but that actual tail didn't move as much as the wings did.
"Those wings are like metal." Mai stated.
"Even metal burns." Uchiha Kosei hinted. "Let's go."
The two Uchihas pushed forward towards the beast, jumping on tree branches on the way. Mai pushed chakra to her feet to follow Kosei, it was more than she usually would.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" From his mouth, Kosei blew forward a large ball of fire directly towards the creature's wings. The wind the creature was creating made the fire even larger.
Flying past Kosei, Mai touched her feet onto the creature's actual tail to direct her closer to the beast's backside.
"What are they doing?!" Senju Kaito exclaimed on the ground. The fire reflected off of his dark pupils.
Behind him, Senju Hashirama looked with his mouth ajar. A large grin stretched on his face. This was their chance. "Lord Uzumaki!" He called back. "Are you ready?!"
Mai landed onto the back of the tailed beast. Placing both her palms onto the strong insect armor, she pushed chakra to the direction of her upper limbs. "Lightning Release: Jibashi." Expelling from her hands, lightning cut through the insect armor.
The seven-tailed beast roared and lifted itself from the ground. It attempted to fly higher but wooden hands clamped the creature onto the earth. "Wood Release: Hotei Technique!" Senju Hashirama clapped his hands together.
Mai fell midair off the creature's back. Turning so that her face hit the wind, she squinted her eyes open to find a way to land.
"Tobirama!" Hashirama called for his brother.
"On it." The white haired Senju disappeared from beside his brother and to the falling Uchiha. Embracing her, the two were upright on the ground before Mai could even blink. Having already experienced it once, Mai wasn't going to let it phase her again. Jumping out of the man's embrace, Mai turned, nodded at him, thanked him, and turned back to face the beast. "What do we do now?" She asked, seeing that the Hokage was already in the midst of sealing the beast. Lord Uzumaki was had casted chains to subdue it to the ground.
"We stand guard." Tobirama answered.
"I'll take the east." Mai stated before whizzing away.
They had done their part. In the end, the seven-tailed beast was sealed into a sacred jar that Lord Uzumaki brought. And the jar was brought safely back to Konoha and hidden in the mountains of Konoha. But their mission wasn't over yet. They had six more tailed beasts to go.
The team didn't stop to rest once they had the seven-tails in their possession. And Mai was exhausted on the inside. What kept her awake throughout the way back was the question of how Senju Tobirama could move her and him that fast.
As tired as she was, there was no way she would sleep without washing herself. Sitting in her bath, Mai leaned back into her elbows. Submerging herself into the bath, the warm water soothed her muscles. Closing her eyes, she let her mind focus only on her memories. Could Senju Tobirama be that fast?
It had only been a week before the team was sent out again. This time, their next target was the four-tailed beast hidden in an area called the Water Screen Cave north of the Land of Fire. The atmosphere of the team had gotten just slightly more comfortable. On the way out, Senju Jun couldn't stop talking to Uchiha Kosei on his Great Fireball attack on the seven-tailed beast. It was so powerful it had melted its wings. Mai could tell Uchiha Kosei wasn't used to a shinobi talking this much. The straightness on the Uchiha male's face gave it away. Senju Takeshi merely smiled at the sight indicating that it was normal for Jun to act that way.
When the team had reached the cave's region- although it was more forested than it was cave and water like its name - they stopped to gather. But Mai could feel the soft ground under her feet indicating some source of water was around. It was night time. And the moon's light rayed into the holes in between the leaves.
Senju Tobirama placed two of his fingers from one hand onto the moist dirt ground. "It's close."
The two Uchiha's looked at each other and slightly nodded. Pushing chakra into her eyes, Mai opened her Sharingan eyes as did Uchiha Kosei. As if she herself was zooming through the forest, Mai could see hundreds of smaller apes in the surrounding area.
"It's not alone." Uchiha Kosei also saw the same. "There are hundreds of smaller apes in the area around it."
"The four-tailed beast is an ape?" One of the Uzushio shinobi asked.
The two Uchiha's nodded. "We can see it." Kosei answered. "A large one like the seven-tails."
Senju Hashirama's lips thinned. "We go in quietly." Hashirama planned out. "Uchiha Mai will watch our back and Uchiha Kosei will watch our front. When we reach the four tails, Kaito, Jun, and Mai will guard the team from the apes and the rest of us will have to deal with the four-tails." The Hokage didn't like the plan. It took all of them to get the seven-tails, and it would probably take the all of them to capture the four-tails. "Be on guard at all times."
"Yes, sir." The entire group said in unison.
The moon was high and Mai watched from behind the leaves as the large beast rested itself on its large arms. She could hear a waterfall in the distance. Mai's Sharingan eyes zoomed forward to give her a better view of the four-tailed ape. At least this one doesn't fly. She thought to herself in an attempt to find any hopes to capture it.
"Mai-san." Senju Takeshi began, "Is it asleep?"
"Hmm." Mai hummed as an answer. She tilted her head slightly. The beast's chakra was calm.
Senju Hashirama narrowed his eyes before clapping his hands together. "Get ready." He ordered. "Wood Release: Hotei Technique!"
Mai, Takeshi, and Kaito looked at each other. The three shinobi turned around, their backs face the four-tailed beast so that they could deal with the smaller apes around the area.
"If we scare them enough, they will run away." Senju Kaito stated.
"That's if they choose to abandon their leader." Senju Takeshi also stated.
"They're coming." Mai narrowed her glowing red eyes into the forest in front of her. All three of them could hear the leaves slapping each other lead by the rhythmic thumps on the ground. But they couldn't see anything but the dark.
"I'll take the right." Kaito claimed.
Senju Takeshi was in the middle.
"Left." Mai claimed. Conjuring hand signs, Mai leaned back, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique."
The three shinobi were thinking of the same thing. Out from all three of their mouths, red and orange flames directed towards the dark forest.
Two more of the same attack was able to scare the majority of the pack of apes off. Behind the three shinobi, they could hear the four-tailed beast roar. It beat the ground and they could feel the earth beneath them shake.
"Let's go." Takeshi stared at the burnt forest as well as the dead apes with kunai knives lodged into their bodies. "We've done our part here."
The four-tails was much more resistant than the seven-tails was. Hashirama sensed it. It had broken from his wooden techniques unlike the seven-tailed beast. It whipped it's tails at anything, and no one could move close enough to strike it.
"Team Leader!" Senju Takeshi called out and stopped behind the white haired Senju. "We secured the area."
"Good." Senju Tobirama nodded. At least now, they had a fighting chance with everyone here. "Surround the beast."
"Yes, sir!" The three shinobi whizzed away in different directions.
Mai landed on top of a tree. She watched the beast's every move in an attempt to find its weakness. She couldn't find any. Out from the beast's mouth, a stream of green colored fire targeted her teammates. It damaged the forest the length of a small village.
Moving closer, Mai pushed chakra to her lungs. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough." Releasing the chakra from within, she breathed a strong gust of wind that knocked the beasts slightly. The four-tails recovered quickly and turned its attention towards her. It charged at her, and Mai did the same.
"What is she doing?!" Senju Jun yelled. "What are you doing!? Get away-"
"She saw something." Uchiha Kosei cut the Senju off. "Come on!" The Uchiha male ran forward.
"Wh-Wh-Ugh! You Uchiha's!" Senju Jun grunted and followed after the male Uchiha. "What did she see? Why is she doing that?" He asked Kosei.
"It's slow. It can't react to attacks fast." Uchiha Kosei answered. "She's using herself as a diversion for us to attack it."
Senju Jun's eyes widened. "You two can see their weaknesses just like that?"
"And when we attack it," Kosei ignored the Senju's comment. "She will afterwards."
Mai charged forward as the beast charged at her. The four-tails reached its large ape hands at her. But before it could crush Mai, Uchiha Kosei delivered an attack to its side causing it to stumble to the side. "Lightning Release: Jibashi." Mai put her palms onto the ground.
The four-tails had its weight on one leg. The ground cracked under the four-tails weight causing it to fall. But it caught itself with its arms. It roared and Mai could feel the vibrations in her lungs.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique." Senju Tobirama released the churned chakra within his stomach out to the four-tailed beast, pushing the large ape back.
Mai used that opportunity to escape. Finding a place on a tree, she caught her breath.
"Lord Hokage has a plan." Senju Tobirama landed on the tree branch next to her catching her attention. "We will attack it continuously until he can find an opportunity to use his wood release on it."
Mai looked at the four-tails in the distance. The beast was using each of its tails to attack Senju Takeshi and Kaito, smashing it into the earth.
"So then," Mai started. "Are we going to do that transportation thing again?" The Uchiha looked over with her Sharingan eyes to the white haired Senju.
Senju Tobirama's eyes widened in disbelief. Could it be that she already found out what he could do by only experiencing it twice? It took his brother numerous occasions to figure it out. Many people thought it was a mere body flicker technique. Staring straight into her Sharingan eyes, Tobirama smirked just slightly. The woman was already holding out her hand, palm up. Reaching out, he laid his large palm on top of hers. She knows. Tobirama thought to himself almost proud.
Senju Tobirama went first and flooded the land at the feet of the beast with water. Mai went second and sent an electrical current through the water. The beast winced but the electricity didn't stop it. Closing forward, Mai generated hand signs. Pushing chakra to her feet, Mai jumped up. "Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique." She aimed the wind to target the beast's legs.
She could hear Uchiha Kosei conjure his technique. Through Mai's Sharingan eyes, the beast appeared dark red to her. In the Sharingan eyes, the movement of the beast was slowed down. And she could see it. She could see it's next attack and it's next open weak spot. Expecting the white haired Senju beside her, Mai said before she fell to the ground, "Left of torso. Open."
Landing on the ground, she retreated back to safety. She could hear the technique Tobirama conjured aiming at the beast's left torso. From her tree, she watched as the Hokage released his Wood technique onto the beast. He'd found his way in to subdue to beast with his wood technique. Lord Uzumaki came in and conjured up chains to subdue the beast onto the ground.
Uchiha Mai watched from where she was at as the four-tailed beast was sealed. They had completed this part of the mission. Jumping down from the tree branch Mai landed on the ground. Senju Tobirama appeared next to her. Turning her head to face him she nodded.
The white haired Senju turned slightly to the side as if indicate her to go in that direction. "We make a good team, Uchiha Mai." Senju Tobirama stated. The moon's light magnified his white hair.
Straightening her back, Mai lifted her chin slightly. Her red Sharingan eyes flowed in the shadows and moon's light pronounced the Konoha insignia on the forehead protector. She smiled. Not too large but just slightly. They were a good team. She knew it.
A/N (again)
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