ϟ—Chapter Seven — Skulls—ϟ
Yowui never left his tent. In a ball, he curled into himself, breathing hard. A protrusion of bone nearly impaled him. He hid. He cried. He hid and cried and wished for everything to be alright.
His wish never came true.
"Yowui!" Kay called as she burst into his tent. "Are you okay?!"
His trembling didn't stop. He shook his head, tears in his eyes. Before he knew it, Kay enveloped him in a hug. "It's gonna be okay—"
"NO IT'S NOT!" Yowui yelled, pushing her off of him. "THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID!" His trembling fists clenched. His breathing tripped on itself. "BUT ALL OF YOU WERE WRONG!"
Kay frowned. The darkness of the night shrouded her face. "I'm sorry…"
"Are we going home?" he managed to ask.
"No," Kay answered. The softness in her tone turned to steel. "We need to find Ka'rai. He was taken."
A pit of despair ached in his stomach. "He… he was what?"
"Bee-sensei needs to stop the volcano as well. The mission objective has yet to be completed." She turned her back. "Please…" A bit of care returned to her voice. "Try to make yourself useful."
She exited the tent.
Yowui was left alone. Shaken and shaking.
He didn't have the slightest idea of what happened. All he knew was that things were terrible. He knew things would end up like this. His instinct told him so, yet everyone told him off—dismissed him.
Just like they always did.
He didn't deserve to be here.
He was weak.
He was pathetic.
He was useless.
"Make yourself useful…'' he quoted under his breath. Yowui scoffed as tears fell. "As if I could if I tried…"
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Outside the tent, Bee's fists clenched. The inky black chakra of the Hachibi spewed from his hand. "Dammit…" he muttered. "The same bastards that killed Yugito, huh?"
"That's what Ka'rai said," answered Kay stoically.
Bee huffed, then looked toward the hole in the ground. The burrow where the snake escaped—with Ka'rai. "Did you get any information out of them?"
"No."
The Hachibi's inky black chakra whirled around Bee's head. It formed horns, a snout, then it grew purple hide. Bee's oxen nostrils took in the air; the burrow below wreaked of snakes.
Kay bit her finger, drawing blood. She blitzed through hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu." From the floor popped a cloud of smoke. Kay was six feet in the air, standing on the back of a giant armadillo.
Its banded hide was striped brown and the color of redwoods. "How may I help you today?"
"Suberi," Kay began, pointing at the burrow of the snake. "Make a tunnel following that burrow so Bee-sensei can follow."
"Yes, Kay," responded the armadillo. Kay leapt off of her and she burrowed into the hole. It was many times larger than before, big enough for people to travel in.
"Go get Yowui," commanded Bee before following Suberi.
Kay nodded, then sped toward Yowui's tent.
He wasn't any better.
In silence, they followed behind their sensei.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
It was hot. It was wet. Ka'rai couldn't move an inch. When he opened his eyes, he still saw nothing. He called for his chakra, but nothing came. He called for the Nibi's. He felt something, but it wasn't enough.
The snake's poison paralyzed you.
Where am I?!
You're in the stomach of a snake. One of your attackers transformed into one and swallowed you whole.
If Ka'rai could move his face, he would've cringed.
Enter your mindscape.
Ka'rai shut his eyes. With a deep breath, he connected his chakra to the Nibi's. When his eyes opened, golden light shone into them. He could move his hands, his head, his neck. He let out a breath of relief.
"Ka'rai," called the Nibi. He looked back toward her; the cobalt blue flames of her coat smoldered behind the cage. "You're unable to use any of your own chakra. But you can call upon a small amount of mine. "
"So, I should be able to use yours to escape?"
"No, it's too risky. We have no idea where we are,'' the Nibi said. Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted in front of Ka'rai. It was blue, it burned bright. All flames moved and swayed, but this one did so as it was living. It swayed back and forth between the Nibi and Ka'rai.
Its creator and its soon to be controller.
"Touch it," ordered the Nibi.
Without hesitation, Ka'rai did so. He pressed his hand into it. The flame… It was soft. It was malleable, like a piece of clay. Awe filled his eyes. Ka'rai grabbed a chunk of the fire and molded it into a ball. It was fire; it was hot—hotter than any fire he's dealt with—but it didn't bother him at all.
"These are Jinsei Flames," the Nibi informed. "Flames made entirely of Yang Chakra."
"Woah…" Ka'rai gaped. "What can it do?"
"I'm teaching you how to use this because these flames can heal your wounds once you're out of this snake. You can use them as a shield against most attacks as well," explained the Nibi. "Feel the fire, Ka'rai. Imprint their life into yours."
Ka'rai nodded and grasped the flames.
"They're easy to summon, yet the hardest to control. Jinsei Flames have a life and will of their own… if you don't become one with the Jinsei Flames, then they'll do whatever they please."
"I see…" murmured Ka'rai as he looked at the ball of fire in his hand. It seemed to stare back.
"You've never taught this to me, Nibi."
Ka'rai and the Nibi looked toward the third voice in the mindscape. A woman sat in the golden void, sitting on a calm, still pond. Her hair was blonde, her eyes were black, and her skin was fair.
The Nibi's fire roared. The fireball in Ka'rai's hand struck out with spikes. He yelped and threw the ball into the rest of the Jinsei Flames. Ka'rai looked back toward the woman with his brow raised.
"Yugito…" growled the Nibi.
Ka'rai's eyes went wide. "What?! But! You're dead!"
"She is," confirmed the Nibi. "I never allow the souls of my jailers to rest."
Ka'rai gulped. He went cold. His face furrowed and his thoughts overwhelmed everything. The gold of his mindscape lost its shimmer.
"Ka'rai," greeted Yugito with a smile. He was broken from his thoughts. "It's an honor to finally meet you." She wasn't hostile. No, not at all. Ka'rai smiled back. A golden spotlight shimmered upon the two. The Nibi was left in darkness, illuminated by her cobalt blue glow.
He haphazardly waved, tilting his head. "Hi…?"
Yugito approached Ka'rai, the still pond following under her with every step. The Nibi watched with distaste. "You were attacked by them too, hm?"
"Yeah… I guess so… Did you get snake'd too?" he asked in return, tilting his head to the other direction.
"No, I did not." Yugito looked at the golden spotlight above. "I do know somebody with such a relation to snakes, however."
"Who?"
"Orochimaru of the Sannin," answered Yugito. "I wouldn't doubt for a second that you're being taken to him right now."
"Woah… I think I've heard of him," Ka'rai murmured. He couldn't deny his disappointment, straight to business. It made sense. He was on his way to a rogue ninja to get his Bijuu taken. They could talk later.
Yugito's expression darkened. The water under her rippled. "I've met him." Shivers went down her spine. "Never again."
"Is he strong?"
"Very," confirmed Yugito. She looked toward the Nibi. "There is no way we can match him."
The Nibi's coat smoldered hotter. She met Yugito's gaze. Disdain palpated from both parties. Ka'rai cleared his throat, struggling to breathe. "Uh… help? With the whole Jinsei Flame thing…"
"If Orochimaru is the one we're facing," began the Nibi. "Then give me control of your body."
"Absolutely not!" yelled Yugito, stepping between the Nibi and Ka'rai.
The Nibi's heterochromia shot like bullets of light. "This is not your decision to make, Yugito."
"Do not trust the Nibi, Ka'rai," Yugito warned, placing her hand in front of him. Waves rippled back and forth from her pond. "In my time locked away in your mind, I've witnessed—I've felt its intent. I do not know its plan… but don't trust a thing it says."
The Nibi glared. Ka'rai fell to his knees, but Yugito's soul remained strong.
"It is in my best interest for you to live, Ka'rai," began the Nibi. "If you die, so do I. If you die, then Yugito's soul gets released, and she gets to rest in the afterlife.
"It is in her best interest for you to die, Ka'rai. Make of that what you will."
Ka'rai froze. Chills warped his mind. "What?"
"Ka'rai!" Yugito called. "If you live, then you will continue to serve Kumo. That is my goal, that is my interest. It does not matter to me at all whether I rest in the afterlife. If I am in this world in any way, then I will help Kumo."
He gulped.
Silence fell as Ka'rai trembled his fists into clenching.
The Jinsei flames swayed in his direction.
"I… I trust both of you!" he declared, forcing himself to his feet. Ka'rai walked between the Nibi and Yugito. "I feel in my heart that both of you want me to live, both of you want me to survive." Trembling, he let out a nervous chuckle. "So, don't you think that working together will increase my chances of living?"
Both were silent. Ka'rai only chuckled more.
Yugito placed a hand on Ka'rai's shoulder. "What you do is your decision; I can only guide in you making it."
The Nibi remained silent.
"Thanks, Yugito." Ka'rai walked forward to the Jinsei Flames. He looked back at Yugito. "For the record, Nibi's a she. Just like you."
The Nibi's fire subsided ever so slightly. Yugito's eyes narrowed on the Bijuu behind the cage. She didn't say a word, neither did the Nibi.
Ka'rai stood tall in front of the Jinsei Flame. "I'm going to try and take care of this so we all can succeed here." He smirked and a sharpened tooth stuck out from his lips. Pulling a ball of Jinsei Flame he stuck it into the air.
"Don't any of you worry about me dying because I'm not! I'm going to live! I'm going to return to the village, to mama and Hane! I'm going to get real strong! I'm going to serve Kumo! And I'm going to balance the scales of life and death!"
The Jinsei fireball roared in his hand and his mindscape glowed golden like the very sun.
"I just need you guys to help me, both of you."
Yugito couldn't help but smile.
The Nibi looked away from him, closing her eyes.
Ka'rai grinned at them both.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Days passed. Ka'rai's scent was never smelled, even with his oxen nose. All there was… was the odor snake. Suberi dug a tunnel, only for there to be a quadruple crossroads. They picked the one where the scent was the strongest, and they tunneled. Hours of digging later, they came out at the same crossroads where they were before.
Frustration burned amongst them. It was only fuel for them to push forward. Every path led to that same crossroads. Kay's emerald eyes resembled cracking ice. Yowui simply stayed quiet to himself, hiding in his own helplessness.
Bee, with his oxen head, radiated fury. A thin thread of self-control held him back from shooting a Bijuu Bomb through the tunnel so he could find the snake that way. He knew he needed to remain calm. The anger clouding his mind did nothing for him.
His nostrils flared on inhale, taking in the reptilian stench. He exhaled, and the dust in the cavern kicked up.
Bee, called the Hachibi. We can not spend any more time here. The eruption is due to happen within the next two days. From where we are, it'll already take a day to travel there.
Do you think I'm just going to leave Ka'rai?! His fists clenched at the mere suggestion. His chakra flared. Yowui flinched, and Kay's eyes narrowed.
Unless you want the Lands of Rice, Lightning, and Fire to be nearly eradicated, then you don't have a choice. Nibi won't let Ka'rai die, I'm sure of that much.
Bee froze, his oxen head melted off of his face into ink. Black spattered over his white uniform as his face was revealed. It was hot and hard as a freshly tempered blade.
"We need to go to Mount Yakedo," he declared.
"We're leaving Ka'rai behind?!" questioned Kay immediately.
"We don't have a choice," he said evenly. "The eruption is going to destroy nations if I don't stop it. The Nibi will assure that Ka'rai will not die…" Bee's voice wavered. He took a deep breath. "He'll come back to us. I know he will."
Yowui didn't say a word. He simply slumped into himself further. Kay delved into silence, her mind racing a thousand miles a second. Her fists clenched.
"I hate doing this as much as you; he's my student just as much as he's your teammate." Bee paused. "I made a promise to myself… after Yugito died. That I will make sure that the Nibi's next Jinchuriki will become perfect, that he'll become strong, that he won't die."
Bee faced Kay and Yowui, the latter looking up with a tear-stained face. "I will not break that promise. The moment Yakedo is under control, we will not rest until Ka'rai is retrieved. Do you understand me?"
"Yes sensei," answered Kay.
Yowui wiped his face clean. "Yes, sensei."
"Good." Bee's chakra flared with the Hachibi's. He was illuminated with its purple glow. With his hand stuck up, a massive tentacle shattered the earth. Sunlight broke through the dust-filled air.
As Suberi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, Bee grabbed onto his students with his tentacles. In a purple flash, they were above ground. The rice fields surrounded them on all sides.
Mount Yakedo was a mere smoking hill on the horizon.
Soon, it would be the mountain they stood on.
Bee's cloak faded, and he allowed Kay freedom from his tentacle's grip. Lighting flashed as the two flickered toward the mountain… toward Yakedo.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
The tightness gave way; warmth chilled with the cold air. When Ka'rai opened his eyes, it was still dark… but he could see. An eye of gold on the right and an eye of green on the left.
Shadow. Two figures.
"Eh… so this is the Nibi kid?" questioned a man. He was shirtless. His pale skin flickered orange in the candlelight. In his hand, there was a weapon. A three-bladed scythe of hell-red.
That weapon…
The fuck is it?!
It's the Jigoku Scythe… a weapon with a special connection to Hell.
Hell?!
"I would call him a bitch but the Nibi's a cat…" murmured the scythe-wielder. He sighed.
"He isn't a female either," said the other man. He had a shaggy mane of hair—the color of flame. A blade was strapped to his waist. The energy it radiated felt like a small town's worth of people. But it was just a blade. A simple Katana.
"Ah fuck off!" He slammed his scythe down next to Ka'rai. He jumped.
The man gripped his Katana and narrowed his eyes. "We need him alive and unharmed, Hidan. Lord Orochimaru's orders."
"Bah!" spat Hidan. He dragged his scythe over the rocky ground and it sparked. "Jashin would've appreciated your blood."
"I think I appreciate it more," drawled Ka'rai. His body was still numb from the poison.
The Katana man narrowed his eyes. "We need to lock him up quickly. He's regaining his senses."
Hidan picked up his scythe and threw it over his shoulder. "Fine! Lord Orochimaru owes me some sacrifices for this…" He walked over to Ka'rai and grabbed him.
With widened mismatched eyes, Ka'rai ignited himself in cobalt blue flames.
"SHIT!" cursed Hidan, pulling his hand back. It was blackened and smoking.
The Katana man couldn't hold back his chuckle.
"Fine then! You go try and pick up the blazing mother fucker right there!"
"I'd rather not…"
"Go to hell Kinbo!"
"You can send me there yourself. Do it."
Hidan gripped the Jigoku Scythe and slammed the handle onto the ground. "Is that a challenge bitch?!"
The two men argued. Ka'rai attempted to squiggle away. He was stopped by three blades of a scythe.
"You're not going anywhere you flaming little shit!"
Kinbo let out a ragged sigh. "Neither of us can touch him. So, how are we going to pick him up?"
Ka'rai's flames roared.
Hidan grabbed his scythe and walked down the corridor. "I'll go get the boss. He should be able to touch all over him just fine."
Ka'rai let out a drawled sound of distress. Kinbo groaned as he walked over to Ka'rai. He unsheathed his Katana. It camouflaged in the shadows with its jet-black steel.
"Just don't resist and your death will probably be painless," suggested the man. His Katana glinted in the candlelight. Ka'rai's eyes narrowed on the blade—he felt the Nibi's stare meld with his.
Under the scrutiny of the Nibi's vision, the blade glowed. It shimmered the color of the damned. The color fought against the steel for its freedom.
Hundreds of that color.
Hundreds of souls.
The Nibi growled and Ka'rai's being trembled.
We will free them before we leave here. Every last one.
But how?! I can barely move!
It won't stay that way for long, assured Yugito.
In the worst-case scenario, you will give control over to me.
Silence fell. The feeling of distress in Yugito's soul darkened Ka'rai's face.
We'll see, he answered.
Be careful, Ka'rai.
The boy smirked.
"I can't believe you two idiots are having trouble with a single brat," grumbled a deep, old voice.
"A BRAT THAT'S ON FUCKING FIRE!" defended Hidan.
The old man sighed.
Ka'rai turned his back to look at the new arrival. Their so-called boss. Panic spiked in Yugito's soul.
What's wrong?! yelled Ka'rai as the man loomed over him. A mask covered all but his eyes. A hollow stare with black sclera and impersonal eyes of cyan. His hand reached out from a coat of empty noir. It was the color of stone—like a diamond without color.
Tendrils of metal slithered from between the stitches on his skin. Ka'rai drawled out a cry of distress as they penetrated his cloak of fire. They wrapped around him and he was pulled into the air. Cobalt blue flashed and burst from Ka'rai yet they did nothing.
The man was unaffected. Hidan and Kinbo needed to shield themselves.
"You're going to be annoying," grumbled the boss. He slammed Ka'rai into the rock. The boy stifled a scream as he was dragged into the endless corridor of monotonous torchlight.
That man is Kakuzu the Immortal, began Yugito. Panic hollowed out the tone of her voice. I've only heard stories… Legend has it that he battled the Shodai Hokage and lived. The very same man who battled Seven Bijuu.
And enslaved me… growled the Nibi.
So… I'm fucked?
Not if you give me control.
Yugito remained silent. Her distress was not only clear, but palpable. He felt it radiate in his head like a migraine.
Nah, I can do this myself! Assured Ka'rai. I haven't been able to focus and use the Jinsei Flames yet. I still have it in my back pocket!
Your control over them is amateur; in this situation it will do nothing for you.
Not if I play my cards right… my mama forced me to practice Shogi a lot, I even played a couple games against Hane! This is like a game of Shogi…
You haven't won a single one.
Well, I'll just have to win one now…
I can help you as well, Ka'rai.
If I ask. I want to get myself out of this situation.
Yugito's displeasure only ached harder. Do not let your pride get you killed.
I won't! I can't die right now. I'll never let myself die before the time is right. I know you guys won't either!
Yugito and the Nibi remained silent. Soon, Ka'rai was tossed into a metal cell. It was only then he let his fire dissipate. The heterochromia of the Nibi shone through the shadow toward Kakuzu. He stared back with his hollow cyan gaze.
"I was alive when the beast inside of you roamed free," he began. "I never saw its full form. I only ever came across those nuisances… those countless Nekomata it had sprawling around the world like ants."
Ka'rai's eyes narrowed.
"Lord Orochimaru will put that beast to good use. It won't be wasted on a sorry village like Kumo—"
"—Don't you dare insult my village!" Ka'rai roared, the black flames on his face growled. He stepped forward. "What the hell do you need Nibi for, anyway?!"
"Like you deserve to know…" Kakuzu muttered, turning his back. "You're going to die here. I suggest making your final prayers to anyone you may have cared about. Make peace with your regrets. You won't get the opportunity tomorrow."
"Nah… I will," rebutted Ka'rai. "And the day after that, and then after that day too! You're the one that needs to do all that. Because you won't get the opportunity tomorrow."
Kakuzu looked back at Ka'rai. His expression remained hollow and still. He didn't say a word before walking away, leaving Ka'rai alone.
Ka'rai smirked.
Time to get to work.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
The earth shook. Yowui gulped. Bee and Kay remained stoic. Yakedo loomed over even the other mountains. A smoking shadow shrouded all into gray. It was still a ways away, a few more hours of travel.
"Calming the eruption should take about an hour, since the Hachibi needs to work through my body," Bee explained. After that, we'll be able to go after Ka'rai."
"Alright," Kay said. Yowui simply nodded.
Bee… I sense the Nibi's presence.
"Where?!" he exclaimed. Both his students looked toward him.
To the southwest. It's muffled, probably underground.
"Kay! Ka'rai is to the south west of here. Eight-o senses the Nibi's presence there."
Immediately, she summoned Suberi. On top of her back, she asked, "Do you want me to go after him?"
A tentacle sprouted from Bee's hand. It was small, not much larger than a finger. "Take this with you; with it on your person, I'll be able to sense where you air. Split it in half and give a piece to Ka'rai once you retrieve him. That way, I'll know when he's back with us."
Bee tossed the tentacle and Kay caught it with ease. "Yes, sensei." She soon left at high-speeds on Suberi's back.
Yowui pursed his lips. "Are you sure it's okay to just let her go by herself? I know she has a summoning animal… but she's still a Genin. No matter how strong she is…"
Silence fell. Bee sighed. "I trust her. I know her strength. She'll get Ka'rai back."
"Just like how this mission was supposed to be easy! Like you said everything would be okay because you're here?!" Yowui's fists clenched. "Why should I believe anything you say?!"
Bee wanted to yell back. He didn't. He knew better. "Then don't. That's not going to change a damn thing I do."
Yowui looked away with his eyes shut. He followed behind his sensei, like he did so many times before.
Bee didn't bother to look back at him.
He never did.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Ka'rai took in a deep breath of the snake filled air. Snake and death. There was the rot of corpses, the burn of wood, the grit of rock. It took many gags to get himself used to it. Now that he was, he could smell that there was nobody near.
Not Hidan.
Not Kinbo.
And thankfully, not Kakuzu.
Just to double check, do you sense anything, Nibi?
No, I do not detect any nearby souls.
Good, good… murmured Ka'rai. The black flames over his navy blue face paint burned harder. A bright blue glow illuminated the torch-lit corridor in front of his cell.
In his hands was a small flame. It was soft; it rose and fell in his grip like a heartbeat. The heat was searing, yet it was nothing but calm, like a bath in the hot springs. His two stab wounds were already taken care of. Now, all he needed to do was get out of his cell.
He gripped the Jinsei Flame and it gave way.
Yowui.
Kay.
Bee-sensei.
Mama and Hane!
A grin cut his face and he put everything he had into the Jinsei Flame. It grew. The flames burned harder and hotter. The heartbeat of the fire matched his own.
He licked his sharpened canine and dragged two fingers across the fire. A small dagger of pure Jinsei Flame formed in his hand.
Perfect.
Do you remember the plan, Ka'rai?
Of course I do!
Good…
Ka'rai slashed the metal and it cut through like butter. His grin only grew. He slashed thrice more and a hole was made in the cell. Ka'rai caught the section of bars before they could hit the floor. He slowly lowered them onto the stone floor and barely a sound was made.
Step one, complete.
With another deep breath, Ka'rai swirled his hand around the dagger. It rotated and simmered, almost sounding like a purr. "Good, keep going," whispered Ka'rai encouragingly.
The Jinsei flame jumped. It was hotter and it swirled faster. The dagger it once was turned into a drill. Ka'rai looked up at the wall and drove the fire drill into the wall. It melted, but the Jinsei drill seemed to absorb the heat and use it as fuel. Ka'rai touched the rock. It was hot, but not scalding.
He smirked.
He squeezed himself into the tiny hole and dug farther and farther up.
No fucking way! It's working! squealed Ka'rai.
Ka'rai, Hidan is in the direction where you're digging. Hide out until he moves.
Yes Ma'am! He answered diligently. Simply, he sat and waited. According to the Nibi, he did not move at all. Panic spiked in the Nibi's chakra.
Guard yourself!
What's happening—?!
The cocoon of rock he hid in hardened into brimstone. It opened up with the spew of magma.
"FUCK!" screamed Ka'rai. Cobalt blue flames swirled around him. From the end of the brimstone, Hidan cackled.
"Where do you think you're going, pussy?!"
Ka'rai chuckled. "So, you finally found something to call me other than a bitch?!"
"Damn right I did!" Hidan brandished the Jigoku Scythe.
"I'm surprised it took you so long to come up with that! You must not be the sharpest tool in the shed!"
Hidan glared. The hell around Ka'rai erupted. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY MOTHER FUCKER?!"
Nibi! Nibi What the hell is he doing?!
He's summoning hell!
HE'S WHAT?!
"SAY WHAT THE FUCK YOU JUST SAID AGAIN!" challenged Hidan. "I FUCKING DARE YOU!"
Y'know what, PLAN B! Ka'rai weaved hand seals. "Bakugami!" The Cobalt Blue coat of flames around Ka'rai detonated. He heard Hidan scream as he leapt up.
"We can do this, Jinsei!" called Ka'rai as he cut the falling debris of brimstone and rock away. A monstrous blaze of infernal orange roared toward Ka'rai. His eyes widened—his stomach dropped.
The Jinsei flame spiked with terror. Ka'rai cursed, dropping it. He only became colder once the Jinsei Drill burned shapeless on the ground.
Let me take control!
"NO!" denied Ka'rai. Cobalt Blue erupted around him. Hidan's hell-blaze scorched over him. Ka'rai's fist clenched. The orange burned blue.
Let's try this again… murmured Ka'rai. He weaved the same hand seals as before. "BAKUGAMI!"
The following sound put even thunder to shame. A cobalt blue hell reigned around Ka'rai. Corridors above and below were exposed and crumbling. Finally, he saw the sun, the heaven above. He bathed in its heat—the heat of the flames.
The fire he detonated with Bakugami wasn't his. It was pure hellflame.
Hidan's dead, right?
No, I still sense his soul. He's not moving either. Just go! You alerted everyone in the vicinity to your location!
What you did was utterly idiotic, Ka'rai, scolded Yugito.
Hey! My cover was already blown!
Kakuzu nor Kinbo had any idea you escaped. Only Hidan did. You didn't even manage to kill him! Just hand over control.
Nah, I'm good, refused Ka'rai. He crossed his hands and Nibi Flame surrounded him. It molded into the shape of a feline. A single tail whipped before Ka'rai sprinted.
Y'know Nibi, your chakra feels really nice!
She ignored him. But, Yugito spoke. You're using the one tailed cloak poorly.
Wha—?
You're running like a human when you have the chakra of a feline coursing through you.
Run like a feline, Ka'rai.
Bemused, Ka'rai dropped to all fours and allowed instinct to take hold. The predatory instinct embedded into the Nibi's chakra. His speed nearly tripled. In a matter of moments, Ka'rai was out of the smoldering crater.
He didn't look back.
He didn't need to.
He didn't need the Nibi's senses to feel the growing hell.
Brimstone killed the grass below. Ka'rai leapt into the trees above and roared out a fireball.
Hidan simply cut the fireball in half. "YOU MOTHER FUCKER!" He screamed with a mouth of crumbling ash. His entire body was blackened and smoldering. He was a corpse, but he wasn't dead.
His soul was as loud and alive as ever.
"How the fuck are you alive?!" questioned Ka'rai. "That would've killed anybody! You should be dead!"
"I'm immortal you dumbass!" shouted Hidan as he slammed the Jigoku Scythe into the tree. It split in two. Ka'rai kept sprinting.
He wasn't fast enough.
"Y'know what?! Fuck Orochimaru! I'm gonna kill your ass!"
Ka'rai's back was cut open.
DO NOT LET HIM OBTAIN YOUR BLOOD!
Ka'rai erupted with fire. The blaze overtook Hidan and the scythe. The blood was boiled into gas. Ka'rai bolted away. A wall of brimstone blocked his path. He leapt over it. The brimstone grew taller.
With elongated nails, Ka'rai sliced the stone. His claws broke. Blood spilled. Ka'rai burned it away. Hidan kicked Ka'rai into the brimstone. With a new set of claws, Ka'rai cut Hidan's smoldering leg off.
Hidan cackled. The Jigoku Scythe slammed down on Ka'rai. He barely caught it. His hands were between the blades. The longest blade was embedded into brimstone, right beside Ka'rai's head. The secondary blade was inches away from Ka'rai's chest.
Ka'rai's tail of Nibi flame wrapped around the base of the handle. His tail and both arms pushed with every ounce of strength they had. Even as a smoldering corpse, Hidan matched the strength.
A redwood-colored claw cut Hidan into three. A cold hand made its way through Ka'rai's cloak, grabbing his wrist. The scythe stayed embedded in the brimstone. Ka'rai was pulled onto bands of redwood and brown.
The word was a blur as he sped through the forest. He looked up to see Kay. Her hand was blackened and smoldering. His eyes widened. "Kay!"
"We're going to Yakedo. Yowui and Bee-sensei should be there already," she explained tersely. She pulled a tentacle from her pocket and cut it in half. She kept one half and stuffed the other half into Ka'rai's pocket.
Ka'rai nodded, and his one-tailed cloak fell. His eyes were still mismatched and the black flame over his face paint remained. "Let me take care of your hand."
With a deep breath and focus, a bright blue ball of Jinsei Flame formed in Ka'rai's hand. Kay's eyes widened slightly. Slowly, Ka'rai placed the fire onto her burned hand. She winced.
"Heal her, please, Jinsei," said Ka'rai. The flames calmed. They simmered on her burns. No more than thirty seconds later, Kay's hand was entirely healed. Ka'rai grinned.
"Fascinating…" she murmured. "Jinsei, is that the Nibi's name?"
Ka'rai shook his head. "Nah, that's the flame's name! Jinsei Flames. Flames made entirely of Yang Chakra."
"I see…" mumbled Kay. "Are you hurt?"
Ka'rai shook his head. "Nah! I'm a-okay!" he assured with a thumbs up. His hand was trembling. Blood stained the bands below.
Kay's eyes narrowed. "Heal yourself, Ka'rai."
"I can't reach my back… I can't summon the Jinsei Flames anywhere but my hands, either."
She cursed under her breath. "Tell me everything that happened."
Ka'rai proceeded to explain the events that transpired over the past couple of days.
Hidan has immortality because he gave up something to Jashin… what some call the King of Hell. There is also a ritual where if he gets his hands on your blood, both he and you receive the same damage. He could stab himself, and you both would receive the same injury from it.
Damn… really? mumbled Ka'rai. He forwarded the information to Kay as well.
Her fists clenched. "This is dangerous. They're certainly after us all…"
"Hey! Don't worry! I got away once and I can do it again!"
Kay glared. "You only escaped because I was there to save you."
"And you're here now! Then we're going to go to Bee-sensei! That way, we'll have more help! The best help ever, too!"
With clenched fists, Kay sighed. Ka'rai placed a warm hand of assurance on her back. "We'll make it out of here; all of us are going to be fine. Bee-sensei said so! You have me back now, right? Doesn't that make you feel better about things?"
Kay forced a smile. "I guess so…"
Ka'rai pat her back. "Yeah! This is all going to end up okay!"
She nodded. "Yes. It will."
"It will!"
"It will…"
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Kakuzu stood over the smoldering ruins. The Hollow Division base had been utterly destroyed. His fists couldn't even clench. He could barely even scrunch his face. He couldn't even glare.
All he could do was stand. Even the slightest movement would result in utter chaos.
That bastard Jinchuriki.
Those bastard Kaguya Brothers.
If he had done this himself from the start, it would have gone smoothly.
As a matter of fact, if it weren't for Orochimaru's specific orders, it would've gone smoothly.
'Keep the boy alive and unharmed.'
Kakuzu almost twitched.
Footsteps dredged over the ash. Hidan's curses filled the air.
Kakuzu came even closer to twitching.
"Lord Kakuzu," Kinbo began. "Hidan requires assistance…"
"I'M IN FOUR PIECES AND I'M BASICALLY ASH!"
Kakuzu twitched.
Hidan was now in twelve pieces.
"Gather what remains of the Hollow Division," ordered Kakuzu. Tendrils crawled from his hand. They stitched Hidan's twelve pieces into one. "We need to cut our losses and repair what we have."
Hidan gripped his scythe and slammed the handle into the ground. "Jashin… heal me," he pleaded. White flames simmered and a head grew from the ground.
The head's eyes had concentric rings over a purple hue. It wore a samurai's armor with the face of a demon. Its mouth opened. Hidan walked in. He was chewed up by the head. The mouth opened once again, and Hidan walked out looking as pristine and healed as ever.
The head sank back into the ground and Hidan yawned.
"Yes, Lord Kakuzu," Kinbo said, walking away with Hidan in tow.
Killing intent brought them both to their knees. "Did I say you could leave?"
Kinbo remained silent.
Hidan groaned. "YOU JUST TOLD US TO GO DO SOMETHING!"
"Once we're done," continued Kakuzu, decidedly ignoring Hidan. "We will go to Yakedo."
"Why Yakedo?" asked Kinbo.
"I gathered information from the snake who brought the Jinchuriki to us. Killer Bee is the one who led the Nibi Jinchuriki on this mission. Yakedo is due to erupt very soon. It's the Hachibi's job to control the eruption.
"Killer Bee will go there, and that is where the Nibi is headed. We will return to this base with Two Bijuu."
Kinbo nodded in acknowledgement.
Hidan cracked his knuckles. "That sounds fun…"
"Now you may go."
Kinbo walked off with Hidan bumbling nonsense beside him.
Kakuzu continued to stand.
He stood.
He stood…
He stood…
ϟ—Chapter End—ϟ
