Hey…
I won't waste any time, my comments will be after the chapter
Song of the week- Hold My Breath by Post Malone
Without further ado, unto the chapter~
…
"Now, let the bloodbath begin!"
Terumi Mei woke up dazed and groggy. The force from Yagura's sudden transformation was enough to blast her and the two swordsmen far away from their previous battle location. Now, she was in the remnants of a building at the centre of the village, trying to recollect herself from the blast.
This was the worst case scenario for the rebels. Not only did Ao not get back in time, but the Mizukage had already entered the complete stage of his transformation. Its form towered over her as it started to destroy the one thing its container swore to protect.
The Sanbi crashed itself into buildings, toppling them to the ground as screams of terror rang throughout the village. Civilian, rebel and loyalist alike had but one thought on their minds; to get as far away from the crazed jinchuriki as they could.
People made a mad dash for the village gates, trampling one another as they rushed through the narrow roads and tripped over each other. Those who were left behind could only weep or shout for help, only to have their cries silenced by the rampaging tailed beast crushing them beneath its massive form
From her location Mei saw all of this madness occur. Yagura would never do something like this. Even after the bloodline purge, after the death of so many innocents, she did not believe Yagura had the capability of something so catastrophic.
The village that she wanted to protect was crumbling before her very eyes, and with it the image of the man she once knew as Karatachi Yagura fell as well. She would no longer try to find reason for his actions; Yagura needed to die.
Before she could move, Ao appeared behind her looking far worse for wear. She was about to rage at him until she saw his condition, allowing her to realise his road here might not have been as easy as they hoped.
"What took you so long?" Mei asked as she stared at her second in command.
"I had an encounter with the Sanban. He was stronger than anticipated."
"And what of the Yonban? Did you encounter him?" Mei asked, still focusing on the bijuu.
"Negative. It appears he's either outside the village, or he's dead."
Mei took in a breath as she calmed herself. The Yonban could be a problem later, but as of right now Yagura needed to be dealt with. Steeling her gaze on the Byakugan wielder, the leader of the rebels made a decision to make killing the Mizukage their number one priority.
"Forget them for now. When the time comes we can deal with that. As of now though Yagura needs to be stopped."
"How?" Ao asked. "He's already transformed, would the plan even still work?"
"We have to at least try! I'll distract him, find a way to apply that seal!" With those final words, both rushed off towards the Sanbi, ready for the fight of their lives.
…
"Ugh, head's killin' me."
Just like Mei, her previous opponents were blasted away from the chakra shockwave. One of them; Jinpachi, had just regained his senses on the west outskirts of the village.
"Finally woke up, you bombardier beetle." The blast sword wielder turned to see Kushimaru, half of his face showing from beneath the now broken mask. His clothes were tattered but he seemed relatively fine aside from that.
"Yeah whatever." Jinpachi said as he brushed off the comment. "What the fuck hit us? We were finally making some headway on that bitch and then.."
"Yagura went full Sanbi in front of us, and by the looks of it he's set his sights on the village." Kushimaru replied, answering his ally's question.
"Heh. So the crazy bastard's finally lost it eh'?" Jinpachi said with a chuckle. He always knew the Kage wasn't right in the head. This must have been his breaking point.
A moment of silence passed between the two as they found their weapons and fixed themselves as best they could. The silence came with an uneasy feeling that they chalked up to being their own imagination.
"I'm leaving." Kushimaru stated as he began to walk away from Jinpachi, and away from the village.
The gesture caused Jinpachi's eyes to rise slightly as he looked towards his ally. "Well you're going the wrong way."
"No, I meant I'm leaving Kiri, for good." Kushimaru continued on his trek as the other half of his mask fell from his face, revealing very skinny but well defined features that were set in a scowl.
"What? Why? The show's finally getting good!" Jinpachi all but shouted, perplexed at the oher swordsman's wanting to back out now.
"Face it you idiot. What happens after this war is over? It doesn't even matter who wins anymore. If the rebels beat Yagura, Kiri will be easy pickings for any other village that wants to subjugate us. It's even worse if Yagura wins; there'll be nothing left. No payments, no one to kill, just a village that's burnt to ashes."
A scowl passed over the blast sword wielder's face. Rising to his feet, he walked over to Kushimaru and grasped him by the collar. The two glared at each other as Jinpachi spoke.
"Look, I get what you're saying, but if Yagura's the main problem then fuck him! I'm sure that bitch (Mei) and her rebels would appreciate the help. And if Kiri really is going to shit we can kill them too, doesn't walking away as the only survivors from the death of a great village sound like a title you'd wanna have?"
A scoff came from the now unmasked man as he shook his head.
"I may be strong, but I'm not stupid enough to fight a walking natural disaster. If you want to die so bad then stay, but I'm getting the hell out of here."
"Kukuku."
The laugh brought chills to the swordsmen's spines as Kushimaru jumped out of Jinpachi's grip. The feeling of dread re-entered their minds as they pulled out their weapons, ready to face this new threat.
Threat was an understatement as the air grew colder around them. The laughter continued to ring out as snakes began to appear from the broken buildings and sewer pipes that littered the streets. As the laughter began to die out, a being appeared in front of them.
"Sorry to inform you, but you won't be going anywhere." The face of the ex-Sannin Orochimaru met their gazes as a wave of killer intent struck them. The two were not deterred but it did cause them to grip their weapons a bit tighter.
A grin grew on Jinpachi's face as he began to rush his new opponent. To hell with Kiri. An opportunity like this to take down a Sannin was just too good. The tags on Shibuki began to ignite as its wielder roared with all his might. Orochimaru's smile grew even wider as he lifted an arm to his opponent.
"Sen'ei Jashu!"
….
Sprinting along the rooftops, Mei now made it to the flank off the bij uu. Its size caused a massive shadow over her as it continued to run rampant on the streets of Kiri.
Forming hand seals, she spat out a deluge of high pressure water to the beast, tearing a few chunks of rock from its shell. This attack did not harm the beast nor stop its pursuit, it just made the Terumi the prime target for its rampage.
Turning towards the auburn-haired woman, the Sanbi roared as it brought its claw to the building she was on. The kunoichi responded by jumping through the space of its fingers, forming hand seals as she looked the bijuu in the eye.
"Yoton:Yokai no Jutsu! (Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique!"
A giant ball of acidic mud travelled straight to the eye of the beast. Even though it tried to defend itself, the acid still managed to burn through its skin and reach its eye, causing the beast to roar in pain and thrash about.
Mei allowed a satisfied smirk to cross her lips after finally causing damage to the Sanbi. Unfortunately she was still airborne, in the path of a huge claw that smacked her into a nearby street.
Groaning, Mei got up as bits of stone fell from her frame. She watched as the Sanbi's already regenerating eye glared at her with pure disdain. The smirk returned to her as she goaded the beast on, trying to focus its attention only on her.
This worked a bit too well however, because the bijuu rose its head to the sky. A mass of dark red and cyan orbs started to encircle its mouth, coalescing into a larger purple orb that the beast swallowed.
Mei's eyes widened exponentially as she realised just what was about to happen. She ran through hand signs as fast as she could, but seemingly not fast enough. The beast opened its maw and released a massive wave of chakra that tore through everything in its path. The move that made a tailed beast immensely stronger than any natural summon was on full display. Its name was…
"Bijuudama! (Tailed Beast Ball!)"
Yagura and the Sanbi shouted the name of the technique as it fired. It managed to reach Mei right as she finished forming seals. Earth rose from the ground as she yelled the name of her jutsu.
"Doton: Kaifuku Gōremu no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Recovery Golem Jutsu!)
Her shout went unheard however as the wave of pure chakra washed over her frame, turning the buildings behind her to dust.
Something resembling a smile formed on the face of the bijuu as smoke covered the area. The look on its face fell however as it saw a massive frame that rivalled its own height.
The new entity was purely made of stone, but its chest and eyes glowed a vibrant green. On its left was Terumi Mei herself, clothes and hair singed from the blast but otherwise relatively fine. Her reserves had taken a major drop due to the jutsu though and as such she was slightly panting.
A growl came from the Sanbi as Yagura seemingly appeared from its head. He too was slightly weary as the strain of going full bijuu was becoming more taxing by the minute. He scowled as he looked at Mei, Who didn't hesitate to glare back.
"Here's your opening Ao." Mei thought as the golem she was on began to move.
"How did you survive that? A normal golem could never sustain that much damage!" Yagura growled out. The beast beneath him seemed to share his thoughts as its eyes narrowed.
"Finally losing your cool huh?" Mei chuckled out. The pace of the golem increasing to a jog. "Besides, who said that this was an ordinary golem?"
Yagura's anger grew as the Sanbi propelled forward. Its head opened to once again receive its jinchuriki. Both beasts had now picked up enough and were going to crash into one another.
"All I have to do is aim for the head!"
…
Unkillable.
That was the only word that came to Kushimaru's mind as he continued to fight against the ex-Sannin.
Fight was an overstatement however as nothing the sword wielder did seemed to affect this man, no, this monster. That was the only way to describe this inhuman level of invulnerability.
No matter the jutsu, the snake summoner shrugged it off like he was just a mere genin. Not even the fight with Mei had been so one sided. Then if he so much as scratched the pale skinned man, he would just regurgitate himself to pristine condition.
He looked over to Jinpachi, or rather what was left of the blast sword wielder. The fool had charged in blindly, a sentiment to which Orochimaru retaliated by showing the two just how lethal the snakes of Ryuchi Cave could be.
Now the one eyed man was nothing more than flesh and bone, blood leaking out of every single orifice he had. And Sannin or not, Kushimaru would be damned if he ended up like his comrade.
Gritting his teeth, the needle sword user lunged forward at the snake summoner as he pumped chakra to his legs. Orochimaru almost casually dodged the attack like it was child's play, but Kushimaru intended for that to happen.
Instantly, a second Kushimaru emerged from the original's back. Using his sweat and a larger than normal amount of chakra, a water clone formed right in Orochimaru's guard. Catching the ex-Sannin off balance, the clone tried to cleave the man in two only to be parried by the famous Kusanagi blade of legend. What made the clone's eyes widen however was where the sword had come from.
With his maw extended, Orochimaru's neck elongated and spun, the Kusanagi in his mouth following suit as it decapitated the clone. Instead of turning to a puddle like the ex-Sannin expected, the clone exploded into a cloud of mist that clouded his vision for a split second.
That split second was all Kushimaru needed as he grabbed Shibuki from its previous wielder's corpse. Rushing forward, he threw his sword at Orochimaru who, once again dodged the attack. This time, the Kiri nin tugged at the ninja wire still in his hands, causing the sword to wrap the ex-Sannin in flesh piercing wire.
"Let's see you regenerate when I blast you to dust! Suitaru: Irashupon! (Explosive Blade Style: Eruption!)"
Screams tore from both combatants as Shibuki tore through Orochimaru's chest, releasing numerous explosive notes into the wounds. Similar tags erupted at the end of the scroll at the back of the scroll, pushing Kushimaru from the blast zone.
What resulted was a blast that shook the earth as charred remains of the ex-Sannin were sent flying in random directions.
Kushimaru stood there, dazed. The look was soon replaced by a shit eating grin as he started to laugh in triumph. He had done it! Something that not even the fucking Third Hokage could! He KILLED OROCHIMARU!
He continued to laugh as the body parts fell about him.
"That's what you get! Sannin my ass! Next time take your opponents more seriously dumbass! Hahahahaha!"
"I'll keep that in mind."
Kushimaru's laughter immediately halted as another, much darker laugh took its place.
"Kukuku, oh come now, you didn't think that would kill me now, would you? Absurd." The man reappeared but this time he was on the back of a giant snake.
"But I'll grant your wish, I'll 'take you seriously'." Without a second thought, the snake attacked the Kiri nin. Its maw opened as it snapped him in half, ceasing any noise the swordsman made as both Nuibari and Shibuki clattered to the ground, the souls of their wielders no longer occupying this plane of existence.
….
"RAUUGH"
The Sanbi roared as it crashed into the rock golem. Massive chunks of stone fell off the rocky behemoth but it still managed to hold its ground. Pushing the bijuu back, the earth giant retaliated with an attack of its own, knocking the Sanbi with a kick that cratered it into the ground.
elsewhere, Ao tried his best to scale the bijuu. The spikes on the back of its shell provided footing as he rode the storm that was the two fighting kaiju.
Showers of rock bruised his body as he hung on for dear life. He couldn't secure himself with chakra due to the bijuu itself being a walking mass of life energy, repelling his own if he tried.
He gritted his teeth as he pushed chakra to his Byakugan. Straining the stolen eye to its limits, he was able to see a separate, more human-like chakra inside the three tails located towards the head of the beast. Good, he finally had a target.
Meanwhile Mei was holding her own against the crazed Mizukage and his tenant. Sweat dripped from her brow as she held her hands in the tiger seal, causing the stone golem she was on to regenerate the chunks that tore off in its constant battle with the Sanbi. Unfortunately, this took a massive amount of chakra to perform, and it showed as Mei looked more exhausted the longer this fight lingered.
The Sanbi roared as the Golem's fist crashed into its skull. It tried to hold down the bijuu but a slap of its tails completely amputated the arm. Mei scowled at this. At the rate this fight was going it would become a war of attrition, and both of them knew Yagura had the capability of tanking more brute force than her golem ever could.
Deciding to change tactics, Mei stopped focusing on fixing the stone giant. Instead, its remaining hand became a spear as it rammed the weapon through the beast's shell, earning a roar of pain as a multitude of coral sprang up, trying to push the golem away.
The coral ripped the stone from the behemoth as it became nothing more than falling chunks of earth. Though this wasn't a detriment to the Terumi as she finished her hand seals.
"Yoton:Yokai no Jutsu! (Lava Style: Melting Apparition Technique!"
Free-falling, Mei let out her final jutsu as this time a wave of the mud-like substance rushed towards the beast, burning its thick skin and more importantly, its skull. The beast continued to thrash but the rebel leader was ready. She used the remainder of her jutsu as a wall, blocking the Sanbi's attack before she finally hit the ground with a thud.
A wave of silence filled the area as the Sanbi's thrashing stopped. It too fell to the ground as Yagura emerged from its frame, a cocky smirk on his face.
"Finally ran out, did you? I must admit though you did a lot of damage to poor Isobu, well done!" He finished as he clapped his hands.
The rubble started to shift as Mei pulled herself from the debris. Chakra exhaustion had finally begun to take root as her skin grew pale. She barely had any strength to retaliate as Yagura dragged her by the hair.
"Your head will make a nice trophy for my desk."
"As if.. I'd ever -cough- be in that situation." Mei rasped out with seething breaths.
"Then pray tell, how do you see yourself getting out of this alive?"
"Simple….I'm just the distraction."
Without warning Ao rushed from behind the Mizukage, his palm outstretched as a sealing matrix of pure flame chakra formed in front of it. Yagura tried to turn but it was too late. With a shout, the second in command of the rebels struck Yagura in his core as the matrix applied itself unto Yagura, forming rope-like marks that spread across his frame.
The Jinchuriki screamed in pain as he had to stop using his chakra completely. Even a sliver felt like liquid fire running through his pathways.
"What…IS THIS?!" He asked in incredulity and anger. He sent a glare to the Byakugan wielder as Ao give him a small smile
"Katon: Tenrō (Fire Release: Heavenly Prison). Courtesy of the hidden grass."
"Y-You!" Yagura tried to growl but the pain made it difficult. He tried his best to call on his chakra but it wasn't responding. So he head to call on another source.
Ao's eyes widened as the cloak of the Sanbi surrounded Yagura, his teeth grit as unbearable pain rushed through his system, but he'd used that as a drive to make the two before him suffer.
In an instant he appeared before Ao, claw at the ready. He swiped, not only drawing blood but destroying the only eye Ao had left to call his own. Mei could do nothing but stare in horror at the scene unfolding before her.
Throughout the pain he laughed. Yagura laughed like a madman as he dug into Ao's flesh, yelling the singular word 'die' as much as he could in between laughs. Soon the Byakugan wielder had become covered in a pool of his own blood.
"Gah…HahahahaHa! You f-fools! I won't die here! I'll find every single one of you rebels, and destroy you! I am Yagura! I amthe Mizukage! I am-" The sound of blood splatter could be heard as Yagura's cloak faded, revealing the standing Mizukage with a hole through his chest.
"You just never shut up, do you?"
A new voice rang out, causing Mei to stare in disbelief as a man with a fox mask just casually killed the person they've been fighting for over two hours now. Tears started to water her eyes as she realised that it was finally over. All the bloodshed, Kiri was finally free from its tormentor with Yagura gone, and she could finally rebuild.
"Thank you, thank y-" A kunai embedded itself into Mei's head before she could finish, her tears mixing with blood as she slumped forward to the ground. Ao's eye widened as he looked at the man in disbelief, his only words being a guttoral scream for his fellow comrade.
"MEI!"
…
Sigh- and that's it. The Kirigakure war has come to a close. I realised that I said three parts, but it was just the fighting and whatever finishing touches it might be. I'm so sorry for the delay and the reappearance being this short, but I've been working around three jobs at the moment so it's been a bit difficult to find time to write. Thank you for being patient and I hope you have a wonderful day.
Orochimaru was the mystery character! His participation will actually be a big help until Naruto (I'm giving up on Menma because some people don't get the reference) is able to fight the Akatsuki.
For those wondering why Naruto is doing this…. I'll reveal it later on. It ties in with the talk that he had with Kurama and thier subsequent alliance.
I hope I did justice to the fight between Mei and Ao vs Yagura. The seal works on Yagura's chakra but external sources (like sage mode) do work so I made him able to use Isobu's chakra. It was a last minute change that cut the three part arc to two since Ao can barely put up any resistance to Naruto in his current state.
That's all for now, chao~