Hey everyone, The Vaudevillain Veteran here. My aplogies for taking nearly a month to update, had been rather busy in RL. Anyway I'd decided that for convenience Kimimaro is now 15 years old instead of ~9, meaning that the events in Chapter 7 were all a flashback.
Nullus watched from a nearby rooftop the various heroes of Lescatie gather around the sobbing Wilmarina to comfort her. He smiled smugly underneath his mask, pleased with his work today.
Swoosh
Nullus had narrowly dodged an arrow aimed for his head.
"Get him!" One of the archers shouted as he and 10 other archers all fired their simultaneously. Nullus dodged nine of the arrows with ease, with the tenth one slashing his arm.
Nullus looked at his arm to see that the arrow left a tear in his left arm, with this torn sleeve slightly dampened by blood.
"Now you're dead..." Nullus muttered darkly. Quicker than the untrained human eye could follow Nullus seemingly disappeared from view.
"Everyone be on your guard! He could-" The archer's warning was interrupted by a sickening cracking noise as Nullus snapped the man's neck.
The nine remaining archers all looked on in horror at how effortlessly one of their comrades was murdered in cold blood.
"Kill him!"
"Ahhh!"
"(Cough cough)"
Three of the archers were respectively decapitated, the second had a gaping hole in his chest and the third had his throat slashed. The remaining six archers were frozen in place, at a loss of words.
"Take a good look around you. Your comrades dead before your eyes, and for what?, honeyed words of praise from a God who sees you as nothing more than tools to continue her game of holy war? I ask you, where is your God now?" Nullus asked the men.
"In Heaven watching over us!" One of the archers retorted as he fired an arrow at Nullus. Nullus sighed as he dodged the arrow with ease.
When the archer looked around he noticed that his five remaining comrades were all laying in pools of blood. The man felt a knee his back as he felt his arms being pulled in an unnatural position.
"W-what are you doing?" The archer asked in a panicked tone.
"I am going to show you the true meaning of suffering." Nullus replied coolly as he steadily pulled the archers arms away from his body. The archer continued to scream louder and louder as Nullus pulled harder, the sound of cracking bones was first heard until Nullus completely ripped the man's arms off his body.
Reinforcements had finally arrived from the castle. Shisui was amongst the first to finally catch up to the Nullus but when he did noticed that it was already too late.
Shisui stared at the bodies in shock as it served as a reminder of all the gore he witnessed during the Third Great Shinobi World War. A gurgled cough caught Shisui's attention, noticing that the source of the cough originated from an Order soldier who was missing his arms.
The soldier looked at Shisui with pleading eyes.
"The man...with the mask...he did..." The soldier muttered as he tried to find his voice. His mouth moved as if it were conveying words yet nothing came out. Eventually his eyes fluttered closed for good as blood loss finally claimed his life.
Under normal circumstances, the cloudless night would've been very calming if not beautiful. But tonight it merely added to the sombre aura of what had just transpired. Shisui's transfixion at this murder scene was such that he did not notice a garrison of knights arrive behind him.
"What's wrong Shisui? You look like you've seen a ghost? Isn't this what you dealt with every day when you were still a Konoha ninja?" Nullus asked tauntingly.
Shisui's eyed widened; how did this man know about Konoha?
"How do you know about Konoha?" Shisui asked.
"I know many things about you and your world. For instance how your clan were barbaric savages who killed their own friends and family to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan. You however never killed your family directly per se, but actions on the battlefield did contribute to your dear sister's death, which is how you got your Mangekyo Sharingan. Oh and I almost forgot, how you committed suicide in front of your best friend because you were too much of a coward to carry the dishonour of the Uchiha clan's actions. Isn't that right, Shisui?" Nullus asked tauntingly.
Shisui tried to keep his cool, he knew Nullus was trying to provoke him to make an stupid decision, especially by bringing up Itachi. Clenching onto his sword tightly, Shisui merely stared at the man with his Sharingan activated.
"Did I touch a nerve there?" Nullus asked sarcastically.
"You...how do you know about me?" Shisui asked.
Nullus chuckled, enjoying seeing Shisui getting riled up.
"No matter how hard you try you will always fail. You'll fail these people like how you failed your sister and team-mates. The mamono had offered to relieve you humans of this suffering by offering to embrace you all in their loving embrace, and what do you humans do? Cut them down without the slightest hint of mercy like the savages you are. You humans want to live by the sword of your false god? Fine. You want to fight real monsters? Absolutely. I'll be all of that and worse, so that once you all learn what true suffering and despair is, you will be begging the mamono to save you."
The knights all pondered in silence at what they had just heard, as Nullus teleported away from them.
"How could someone commit such a savage and cruel act against their fellow man?" One of the knights asked.
"Someone who is fixated on revenge." Shisui answered the knight.
"That man... when I met him for the first time he referred to humanity as a disease that needed to be wiped out." Shisui said.
"A disease?" The second knight spoke up.
"War, segregation, hatred. To him that was all that humanity was ever capable of." Shisui explained, remembering the man's words from that day.
"But that's unfair to brand everyone with the same brush just because of the actions of a few." One of the knights answered.
"Can he not see that the monsters are the true enemies? Why would he forsake his entire species?" The other knights asked.
"I wish I knew..." Shisui murmured. Without a doubt he hated Nullus for murdering so many innocents, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder what exactly drove him to hold such a view of humanity. Deep down he silently agreed with some of Nullus' points.
Shisui let out a small sigh. Something here just wasn't adding up. Maylin did help clear up some things, but to completely understand why Nullus' developed such a deep hatred for humanity, especially with how he referred to the monsters, or 'mamono' as Nullus called them, Shisui realised that all his answers now lay in the book Maylin gifted him.
"Sir Shisui." One of the knights called out.
"Yes?"
"I know this is a bit of as silly question but...are you alright sir? Since that man mentioned your family, you've looked completely forlorn." The knight said.
"It's something...I don't want to talk about right now..." Shisui muttered as hurriedly made his way back home.
Flashes of his family, Itachi, Sasuke, the orphans and Sasha all flickered through Shisui's mind. Nullus was unfortunately right, he had already failed most of those people dear to him, but he still had the orphans and Sasha who were like the surrogate family he longed for, especially Sasha, who reminded him so much of Fumiko that if anything were to happen to her...
Shisui shaked his head, he couldn't allow such thoughts to eat away at his consciousness. He reminded himself that he still had his family here and as long as they were safe and sound, he would be at peace.
Finally arriving home Shisui leapt in through the window, and immediately went for the drawer that contained the book. Opening the book , which judging by it's cover looked like it would give the Icha Icha series a run for it's money, Shisui opened the book and started reading the first entry; the succubus.
The woman in the profile picture was rather scantily dressed. Shisui was rather bewildered by their obsession with sex, although he did admit he found it rather cute how despite that, they only strived to find husbands to be their soulmates for life. Romance was a rather awkward topic for Shisui, mostly becuase during his time in the ANBU relationships were highly discouraged.
3 Silent Hours had passed and Shisui had just wrapped up reading the book of Monster Girls. Many questions had been answered by the book thankfully.
Unfortunately though, the saying he who increases knowledge increases sorrow couldn't have been more true at this moment.
Nullus was shockingly right about the mamono, and this fact made Shisui feel as though a thousand fists were punching his gut at the same time. Putting the book down Shisui looked out of his window. He didn't how to feel right now, was he really doing the right thing all this time, or assisting in the genocide of innocents like Nullus had stated?
Shaking his head in uncertainty Shisui decided to go the one person who could help soothe his unease; Sasha.
Arriving at the orphanage less than a minute later Shisui knocked on the door impatiently, hoping that Sasha was not asleep yet.
The orphanage door creaked open to reveal a certain redhead.
"What's the matter Shisui? It's kinda late you know?" Elt stated irritably as he gazed at Shisui.
"No time to explain. Is Sasha here?" Shisui asked in a hushed voice.
"Yeah, she's in her room doing paperwork. Why?"
"I need to see her, it's urgent." Shisui explained.
"Ugh. ok." Elt muttered nonchalantly as he made his way back to his bedroom. Wasting no time, and making sure to make as little noise as possible for the sleeping orphans, Shisui made his way towards Sasha's room. Knocking gently the door was opened by none other than the turquoise haired priest.
"Shisui? What brings you here?" Sasha asked bemused.
"It's a very urgent matter that I need to discuss with you." Shisui explained.
"What is it Shisui?" Sasha asked.
"Have you ever asked yourself if you were truly doing the right thing?" Shisui said as he sat down.
"Yes...a lot of times actually. Why, what is bothering you?"
"I've been asking myself if I am truly a hero..." Shisui trailed off.
"What do you mean Shisui? Of course you are! You've given the orphans and especially Primera newfound hope. And most of Lescatie adornes you." Sasha reassured Shisui.
"I know but...(sigh) I just can't stop thinking about my home and my clan. I feel as though I've abandoned them when they needed me the most." Shisui revealed.
Sasha looked on at Shisui with sympathetic eyes. It must've been tearing him up inside at having to pick who was more important to save. It almost reminded her of how despite being an Order priest she was also an undercover agent for the mamono. Suddenly she remembered a way she could help Shisui to put his heart at ease.
"I understand your pain Shisui, and I know this might sound ludicrous, but I believe I may know of a way to bring your clan here."
Shisui barely containing his excitement, smirked like a Cheshire.
"How? I need to know please." Shisui pleaded.
"I'll tell you. First though I need to ask; have you already met the Elf Queen Maylin yet?" Sasha asked.
"...Yes...how do you know about her?" Shisui asked with suspicion evident in his voice.
"I do not know if she told you this, but she is what in our world we call a 'mamono." Sasha said.
"Mamono. You mean a monster? But how? I thought they were only man eating creatures." Shisui said, wondering what Sasha meant.
"Those were the monsters of old. The current monsters, or 'mamono' only hold nothing but deep love for humans.
Shisui listened intentively to Sasha's words. "I see what you mean Sasha...Maylin gave me a book the other day, titled Monster Girl Encyclopedia that said the same things about mamono that you did." Shisui commented.
"Thank you for understanding Sasha. Your words of advice truly mean a lot to me."
"My pleasure Shisui, I'm glad that you've at least learned the truth about mamono." Sasha said relieved.
"You are very famous among the mamono you know? They all hold you in very high regard due to your compassionate nature, some have even given you the title of 'Shisui the Protector." Sasha revealed.
"Shisui the Protector...that sounds nice." Shisui muttered.
"You have a very good heart Shisui. Your indominable will and drive to help others is why the lower class citizens of Lescatie see you as a beacon of hope."
Shisui felt a tug in his heart at Sasha's words, her words reminded him of what it truly meant to be a shinobi.
"It's thanks to my sister that I am the person you see today. She was my pillar of strength when my parents died. I would've been lost and succumbed to hatred were it not for her..." Shisui said in a semi-shaky voice.
"Your sister was a good person. I'm sure she'd be proud of you for the person you became." Sasha reassured Shisui as she placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the young Uchiha to feel a rollercoaster of emotions.
"I had a realization a few days ago...that my sister isn't dead...why?...because her spirit lives on in you Sasha." Shisui stated.
Sasha was flattered at Shisui's words, truly he must've held her in very high regard for him to compare her to his sister.
"I'm flattered you think so Shisui. Now please, go get some rest, you deserve it." Sasha advised.
As Shisui stood up from his chair to go open the door, Sasha called out to him again as he was just about to leave.
"Shisui."
"Yes?"
"Just remember, everything will be alright." Sasha said assuringly.
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you for you time Sasha." Shisui said as he closed the door behind him.
(Meanwhile in the Outskirts of the Hidden Rain Village)
Indra's patience was wearing dangerously thin. Had he not been under this jutsu he would've killed the man where he stood. Alas for now he could only bide his time and grit his teeth.
"I know you have a lot of questions Indra, and I shall answer them all in good time." Jashin stated nonchalantly.
"You already said that." Indra snapped back.
"Hmm true, Anyway since you helped me kill Nagato I shall fulfill my end of the deal." Jashin said as he activated his implanted Rinnegan.
"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!"
Chakra resembling particles of light glittered all over Indra's body, and soon his previously cracked and dull skin became healthy looking and free of blemishes, he also noticed that he was completely free of this man's jutsu.
Which meant only one thing.'
He was alive again.
"How, how did you do this?" Indra asked as he scanned his hand.
"Ninjustu." Jashin replied.
Indra's mind: (You underestimated my abilities father. My Ninjutsu in the end is far superior to your Ninshu.)
"I see..."
Jashin then explained to Indra the history of the Shinobi world, and how humanity instead embraced Indra's Ninjutsu, using it to form the Shinobi nations.
"Hmph typical." Indra bemused.
"What do you mean?" Jashin asked.
"Father believed that through love humans could live in harmony with one another with his foolish Ninshu. Oh how wrong he was. Humanity instead embraced my ninjutsu because they only 'love' they have is the love of war." Indra remarked bitterly.
Jashin raised an eyebrow at Indra's remark. This was getting rather interesting.
Indra stopped for a moment. He knew better than to carelessly reveal personal information to people he barely knew.
"Now that I think about it, where do you come from?" Indra asked Jashin.
"(Chuckle) Another world very similar yet very different from yours my dear boy. In my world there two major beings that fought each other, the first were the humans led by the Chief God, the other were the monsters led by the Demon Lord." Jashin explained.
Indra raised an eyebrow an amazement. It almost seemed fantastical, like something a madman would make up yet there was not an ounce of dishonesty in the man's words.
"So why exactly have you brought me back?" Indra asked Jashin.
"I desire to overthrow the current impostor Demon Lord and reclaim my throne, unfortunately I cannot do this by task by myself, hence why I resurrected you to help me accomplish this." Jashin answered.
"And what do I gain from this?" Indra egged on.
"My boy I will give you whatever you want. Power, land, women..."
Indra smirked at how Jashin particularly dragged out the 'women' part. In life one of his few vices was his love for the female body. Initially after Asura was chosen instead of him Indra gathered the finest women he came across during his journeys around the world and forced them into his harem. Last he remembered he had a harem of 15 women or so. Indra found it ironic how despite despising children he became a father to 12 at the tender age of 19.
"I take it you accept the offer?" Jashin asked, noticing the smirk spread across Indra's face.
"Yes I do." Indra replied.
"Good. Now that you're caught up with the affairs of the shinobi world we shall depart for the Land of Water." Jashin announced
The journey to the Land of Water was a rather uneventful one to put it bluntly. To keep their identities secret both Indra and Jashin used the transformation jutsu at all times. Jashin knew he could've just simply teleported himself and Indra to the Kaguya Clan hideout. The reason for going the long way was that he intented to show Indra a first hand view of the current state of the world.
The final pitstop to the Land of Water was located in the Land of Waves, which much to Jashin's ire was still ruled by a megolamaniac who monopolized the shipping industry there.
"You two! Stop! No one shall board these ferries without Gato's approval!" A brutish thug announced as he blocked the entrance to the ferry.
Indra mere scoffed at the man's foolishness. Under his cloak he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and placed the man in a Genjutsu, causing him to drop to the floor like a sack of potatoes and clutch his head screaming. The other civilians and even the thugs kept their distance from the duo, allowing them onto the ferry without further question.
The duo's journey to the Land of Water was quiet after the small incident in the Land of Waves, and in no time had arrived at the large damp cave that served as the Kaguya Clan's HQ.
"Nullus!" Jashin's voice boomed out.
"Yes sir?" Nullus answered in a bored tone.
"Did you succeed in finding a sample of his DNA?" Jashin asked.
"Yes I did Lord Jashin. Shall we commence the reanimation jutsu now?" Nullus asked.
"Soon. First we need to address the clan on how the invasion shall commence. Once that is done then we shall watch from the sidelines on how the Kaguya clan will massacre the Mist's forces. The reason I say we watch from the sidelines is because I do not want word of us reaching the other nations. Ideally I'd prefer our existence to be known to the rest of the world only once we've already left this world. Understood?" Jashin stated affirmatively.
Both Indra and Nullus merely nodded in agreement.
"Good, let us go." Jashin instructed Indra and Nullus to follow him inside the cave.
"Uggggghh. What is that awful smell?" Indra asked as his nostrils were invaded by an unpleasant scent.
"Dead bodies." Nullus replied flatly.
"Dead bodies? Why are there dead bodies in here?" Indra inquired, not liking this place one bit.
"Because they were sacrifices to Jashin." Nullus explained.
Indra scoffed at Nullus' explanation. How was it that despite being dead for nearly a millennium, archaic practices still persisted. His thoughts though were interrupted by loud jeers of people, no doubt the clan Jashin had told him about. Indra along with Nullus and Jashin had entered a large gladiator-esque arena, with a man sitting on a throne overlooking all who were below him. It was with little doubt that he was the clan leader.
"My fellow clansmen and clanswomen! In a few hours we shall make history by taking over the village that had stripped us of our basic rights. We will show the Mist what it is like to dare mess with the Kaguya!" The leader announced as a loud round of applause erupted.
"Remember. Leave no man, woman or child alive! Lord Jashin shall be watching over us! Praise be to Lord Jashin!"
"Praise be to Lord Jashin!" The clan echoed in unison.
Indra merely stayed in a secluded corner of the cave as he didn't want to mingle with these savages. Reflecting on how this world had developed and what Jashin had promised him in exchange for his loyalty, Indra couldn't help but smirk at the prospect.
"Indra." Nullus' voice called out.
"Yes?"
"Lord Jashin requests your audience." Nullus announced.
"Is that so? What does he need from me?" Indra asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.
"You will see when we get there." Nullus answered.
Indra sighed as he followed Nullus to this location where Jashin demanded he be there.
"Indra. I'm glad you could make it here. I have a suprise for you." Jashin announced as he stood in the middle of an empty clearing inside the cave.
"And what would that be?" Indra asked.
Jashin merely smirked at Indra as me made various hand signs.
"Summoning! Impure World Resurrection!"
A large wooden coffin, almost exactly like the one Indra awoke in, erupted from the ground with the kanji for water adorned on the lid of the coffin.
The lid of the coffin fell down with a thunk to reveal a man with long black hair, elegant robes and what looked like small blue beads in his hair.
"Who is he?" Indra asked out of genuine curiosity.
"This is Ketsueki Takayanagi, the Third Mizukage of the Village Hidden in the Mist." Nullus answered.
The Third Mizukage stepped out of the coffin, slowly opening his eyes to take in his surroundings.
"Greetings Lord Third." Jashin greeted the Mizukage warmly.
"Who are you and where am I?" The third asked in a smooth voice befitting of a wise village leader.
"I am Jashin. These two men beside me are Indra Otsutsuki and Nullus. You are currently in an undisclosed location in the Land of Water not too far from the Hidden Mist Village." Jashin answered as he gestured towards the two men.
The Third narrowed his eyes, something about these men seemed off, knowing that there was more than met the eye with this trio.
"I see, a pleasure to meet you all. It seems you are already familiar with my name. Allow me to cut to the chase, why have you brought me back to the land of the living?" The third asked sternly.
"I seek your assistance in reclaiming something that was stolen from me. Just like you I ruled over a dominion, until I was backstabbed by a close associate who usurped my throne, similar to what Yagura did to you." Jashin explained.
"Yagura..." The third spat out.
"Hmm yes. If I am not mistaken he sought to end the Blood Mist by overthrowing you, only instead he expanded upon it, ironically becoming an even more iron fisted ruler than you Lord Third." Jashin said.
"How did that happen?" The third asked, genuinely curious.
"Shortly after Yagura assassinated you, a masked man calling himself "Madara Uchiha" placed Yagura under a genjutsu and essentially control him like a puppet. Back in the Hidden Rain Village I had almost captured this masked man but he escaped from my clutches. My spy here Nullus did extensive reconnaissance between this world and another, my world where I originated from and learnt something rather interesting."
"Another world?" The third gasped.
"Yes, now allow me to finish. Our worlds are linked, call it 'twin universes'. Nullus here orginiates from the same world as me. And when Nullus was on an assassination mission there last night he found that that a one of Madara's clansmen had somehow found himself in my world."
"Interesting..." The third muttered as he stroked his chin, this development had gotten rather interesting. This talk of alternate universes had definetly made him excited.
"For help I had also enlisted a clan that you had despised and tried to hunt down; the Kaguya." Jashin said.
The third snarled at the mention of the Kaguya clan. "Why would you enlist the help of those mindless savages?"
"Please hear me out Lord Third. The Kaguya are currently the only powerful clan left that are neither loyal to Yagura nor exterminated like the Yukis. And me, you and the Kaguyas all happen to share a common enemy in Yagura." Jashin stated.
Ketsueki had to admit that Jashin's words were indeed true.
"If it is to dispose of Yagura I'll put aside my hatred of the Kaguya for now, but what do I gain from helping you?" Ketsueki asked.
"Power far greater than you could ever have as a mere Mizukage. No, with me you will become a King, nay Emperor of a vast empire." Jashin answered, deliberately taking advantage of Ketsueki's lust for power.
"Tempting...very tempting offer indeed. I shall offer you my assistance, under one condition." Ketsueki stated, gaining a raised eyebrow from Jashin.
"I'm listening..."
"I demand to embark on a expedition of your world to learn about it." Ketsueki revealed with a grin.
"That can be arranged. I shall have Nullus be your guide. However this expedition shall only be arranged after the conquest of the Mist." Jashin stated.
The third closed his eyes in slight irritation, sighing softly.
"Understandable." Ketsueki said formally as held his hands behind his back.
The Third scanned his surroundings, noticing a shadowy figure sitting on a giant rock.
"Who is that fellow in the distance? His chakra emits a rather...cold aura." The third asked.
"That is my chosen champion." Jashin replied proudly.
"Kimimaro!" Jashin shouted as said person made his way towards the group in a blink of an eye.
"How may I serve you today Lord Jashin?" Kimimaro asked formally as he bowed.
"I ask of you to introduce yourself to the Third Mizukage." Jashin ordered.
Kimimaro looked at the third with an almost indifferent look in his eyes.
"I am Kimimaro Kaguya. Heir to the Kaguya Clan, the personal sword of Lord Jashin and commander in chief for the upcoming invasion of the Mist." Kimimaro explained in his signature monotone voice.
"I see...Jashin you chose well with this boy. He will surely make a fine leader." The third applauded.
"Most certainly. After all only the finest warriors are selected to be my champions." Jashin stated.
"Kimimaro, we only have a few hours left before we begin the invasion. Go prepare in the meantime.
(A few hours later...)
Kimimaro hid inside a bush on the outskirts of the Hidden Mist Village, carefully analyzing the patrolling shinobi on the village walls. Kimimaro reminisced on the events that led him here.
Kimimaro's thoughts: (The time has finally arrived Lord Jashin. Today I shall show the Mist how powerful your army has become)
When Kimimaro noticed all of his clansmen were in place, he gave the signal for them to initiate the attack.
"What the?" A Mist nin asked as a bone arrow pierced his abdomen.
Kimimaro dashed towards the nearby unsespecting Mist Jonin, and proceeded to cut them all down.
"Get every Shinobi here and protect the Mizukage at once!" One Mist shonobi instructed.
"Kimimaro...I shall go find Yagura...you take care of these fools." Yoshanai instructed as he made a bone scythe.
"Understood father.."
"Praise be to Lord Jashin!" Yoshanai yelled as he ninja dashed towards the Mizukage tower, with all nearby clansmen doing the same.
"They're out of their minds!" Another mist nin commented.
"Water Style! Water Dragon Jutsu!" A young sounding voice cried out as said water dragon rushed towards Kimimaro, hitting him with deadly accuracy.
Or so the caster of the jutsu thought.
A red chakra in the shape of a Leech engulfed Kimimaro's body, protecting him from the powerful jutsu.
The shinobi's mind: (It can't be! That red chakra...is exclusive to only jinchurikis. Unless the Kaguyas captured a tailed beast? No, that would be impossible)
"You are Mangetsu Hozuki. The last remaining member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, also known as the Second coming of the Demon correct?" Kimimaro asked flatly as he continued to stare at Mangetsu, who was currently on a rooftop.
"Yes. And you are a member of that clan of savages who only know the way of the sword right?" Mangetsu asked back harshly.
Kimimaro merely stared at Mangetsu, not saying a single word to him.
"Nothing left to say huh? Well then, let's talk with our fists then shall we?" Mangetsu said as he jumped towards Kimimaro.
(Nearby)
Jashin, Nullus, Indra and the Third were all watching the invasion from a cliff overlooking the village; Jashin wearing a satisfied grin accross his face.
"I will admit, the Kaguya clan were far more efficient and organised than I initially thought." The third commented as he watched the invasion with interest.
"I agree, I wouldn't have expected this level of organisation from a clan of nomads." Indra added.
Nullus chose not to say anything.
Nullus' mind: (Typical humans, only knowing the way of the blade and nothing more. Hmph in good time this world will be cured of this disease known as man)
(Back at the Mist)
Mangetsu swung his sword towards Kimimaro's abdomen, however Kimimaro's chakra cloak merely deflected the attack.
"That's not good enough." Kimimaro stated as he generated a chakra arm to hold Mangetsu. Kimimaro squeezed Mangetsu tight, breaking a few of his bones in the process.
Until when he did, Mangetsu's body dissolved into water.
Kimimaro's mind: (Interesting. He can dissolve his body into water at will, hence how he avoided being crushed by my chakra arm. If that's the case then I'll have to use heat based attacks against him.)
Taking out a spine-whip from his body Kimimaro scanned the surroundings for Mangetsu's chakra. Cautiously walking around he picked up a chakra signature, albeit one different from Mangetsu's
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
A cloud of mist flowed towards Kimimaro. Confident, Kimimaro simply enveloped himself in a Chakra cloak to defend himself from the Mist. What he didn't expect though, was for the mist to melt away his chakra cloak.
"What the?" Kimimaro muttered as he jumped away from the Mist. When he did he noticed a large wave of water behind him.
"Torrent! Water Transformation Jutsu!"
Mangetsu emerged from the water as he swung his sword in a clockwise fashion, hitting Kimimaro square in the torso. Noticing the giant slash mark in Kimimaro's side, Mangetsu smirked in victory.
Mangetsu's mind: (I finally got you!)
Mangetsu's victory was short lived however, as Kimimaro merely dislodged his word as if it were nothing. To top it off his previously gaping wound had began regenerating at an accelerating speed. A whip resembling a spine ensnared Mangetsu's body, rendering him unable to move.
"This little of game of yours ends now." Kimimaro declared as he re-activated his chakra cloak.
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine..."
Kimimaro's left arm turned into a large bone spear motioned into a stabbing manner.
"And Flower!"
Kimimaro lunged at Mangetsu, piercing his chest.
Yet again instead of blood water spewed out of the area where "Mangetsu" was stabbed.
(A Distance away)
Mangetsu's mind: ( Pant pant This is not looking good. I'm low on chakra pant and the Village has been overrun...need to find Suigetsu...)
Analyzing the situation from a rooftop, the streets of the Hidden Mist were filled with dead bodies of Mist shinobi and civilians, filling Mangetsu with an intense sorrow.
"I'm coming Suigetsu." Mangetsu muttered to himself as he stealthed his way through the village rooftops, taking special care to avoid detection at all costs.
Mangetsu's mind: (I just hope I'm not too late.)
Sneaking around the village, Mangetsu tried and tried to detect Suigetsu's chakra signature, to no avail. Mangetsu felt a sinking feeling in his heart grow more the longer he failed to detect Suigetsu's signature.
"Mangetsu, over here!" A voice called out from nearby.
Making his way towards the source of the voice, Mangetsu discovered that a group of Mist chunin and Mei were huddled around one another.
"Good you're here." Mei sighed in relief.
"Your brother is still alive in that nearby building. The only problem is that the area is swarming with Kaguya clan members. One of us will need to distract them so that another can rescue Suigetsu." Mei announced
"I will be the decoy since I'm the only one here who can take them head on. Mangetsu you will go rescue your brother. Understood."
"Understood." Mangetsu said.
Waiting for Mei's signal Mangetsu tracked Suigetsu's chakra signature, although it was very faint.
When Mei gave the signal to go Mangetsu towards Suigetsu's location. Unfortunately though some clansmen had detected him jumping from roof to roof.
Mangetsu had barely dodged a bone arrow aiming for his head, making him realise he needed to get to Suigetsu ASAP. Arriving at a destroyed building Mangetsu dug through the rubble.
"Suigetsu!" He called out, hoping for his little brother to reply.
"Mangetsu!" Suigetsu's voice called out.
"Stay where you are! I'm coming!" Mangetsu announced as he dug through the rubble, eventually finding his brother hiding beneath it with slight injuries.
"You're alright. Don't worry I'm gonna get you outta here." Mangetsu reassured his brother as he placed him on his back and began ninja running towards the exit of the village.
Mei on the other hand was fighting close to a dozen Kaguya clan members all at once, and while she was holding her own for know, she knew that due to their immortality, which she learnt after a few unlucky shinobi inflicted what would be lethal injuries on a few of them, only for said clansmen to regenerate their injuries as if nothing had happened.
"Mangetsu leave! I'll take care of them!" Mei said to the Hozuki brothers.
"Thank you...Mei-sensei." Mangetsu said as he looked back at Mei one last time.
"It is no problem, now go!" She instructed.
A terrible pain erupted from Mei's chest as a bone sword emerged from her abdomen.
"Hehe, a member of the Seven Swordsmen, running away with his tail between his legs to save himself instead of his village." The clansmen who stabbed Mei commented.
"The Mist really has declined a lot. Such cowards would rather run away than die an honorable death in battle." Another clansmen said.
"Anyway, you will be a worthy sacrifice to Lord Jashin."
"If I am dying today..." Mei began as she looked them all dead in the eye with a wide grin.
"I'm taking you with me!" She yelled as he did a hand seal that made the ground erupt all around her.
"Paper bombs!" A Kaguya clan memeber shouted as he and his fellow clansmen were blown to smithereens, the explosion large enough to be seen from kilometres away.
Mangetsu ninja ran as fast he could, he and his brother had already made to the nearby forest, only looking back when he heard the explosion.
"Mei-sensei..." He muttered sadly, a single tear flowing down his left eye. As much as he wanted to mourn and honour his sensei's sacrifice, Mangetsu knew he had to get he and his brother to safety first.
Mangetsu's mind: (Where do we go now? It will take a few days to reach the main land, while also adding the fact that us Mist nin aren't exactly welcome in neither the Land of Fire or the Land of Lightning)
As Mangetsu was lost in his thoughts of how he would get he and his brother out of the Land of Water, Suigetsu pointed towards a nearby beach.
"Mangetsu look! I see something!" Suigetsu cried out in excitement.
"What is it Suigetsu?" Mangetsu asked his younger brother as he stopped on a large tree branch.
"In the distance. I see something. It looks like some kind of old temple. Maybe we can hide there for the time being?" Suigetsu suggested.
Mangetsu flashed a warm smile at his brother. "You sure have an eye for detail huh Suigetsu? I didn't even notice it myself. We will go check it, but just remember to be cautious, and if any bad guys are there and they heavily outnumber us run as far away as possible ok?" Mangetsu advised his younger brother.
"But Mangetsu! I wanna fight along side you as well, so you can see how strong I've become!" Suigetsu whined.
"Maybe when you're older but not now ok? I promised mom and dad that I'd look after you no matter what." Mangetsu replied.
Suigetsu pouted in disappointment. "Ok big brother."
"Cheer up ok? I promise once I get us to safety I'll teach how to use Hiramekarei." Mangetsu said as he flashed his brother a reassuring smile.
The Hozuki brothers cautiously approached the weird looking "temple" on the beach. Suigetsu know had gotten off his brother's back and walked along side him.
The brothers approached the entrance of the "temple" and noticed a blue light that went in a horizontal manner.
"Spirit Energy Morality levels: Acceptable. Access Granted" A weird sounding voice boomed as the doors opened smoothly.
"Whoa!? Didja hear that voice Mangetsu? Also why did it say Spirit Energy?" Suigetsu asked as he looked at the inside of the "temple" in awe.
"I don't know Su." Mangetsu replied as he carefully anaylzed the place. It was made out of some type of black metal he had never seen in his life, just what was this place?
Sighing in relief that this place wasn't occupied by any less than friendly individuals, Mangetsu rested his arm on a nearby counter.
"So big brother. Are we gonna make this place our new home?" Suigetsu asked.
Mangetsu on the other hand started feeeling weak for some reason. His chakra energies were declining rapidly and his legs felt as if they would give way at any moment.
Mangetsu's mind: (It can't be! Was this place booby trapped to steal all of your chakra?)
Suigetsu ran up to his brother worried, placing his arm over his shoulder.
"Mangetsu! Are you alright?" Suigetsu asked his brother worringly
A light, that same blue one from earlier only more bright enveloped the room.
"Spirit Energy levels good. Preparing for dimension jump." The weird voice said again as the room became a mere zig zag of various colours.
Mangetsu felt his vision becoming steady again, and his energy levels while not as low as before, were not at 100%. Scanning the area Mangetsu noticed that he and his brother were standing on some type of seaside cliff overlooking a cliff except...
"Where are we?" Suigetsu asked.
"I don't know." Mangetsu replied as he sniffed the air.
Mangetsu's mind: (I can't sense any chakra here. How in the hell...?)
Then it all clicked in Mangetsu's mind as remembered what the weird voice said, it all made sense now.
"Suigetsu stay by side at all times. Wherever we are, we aren't in the Shinobi nations anymore."
Hi guys, Veteran here. Just to clear some things up here are the ages of some of the characters.
Shisui: 15 (Turning 16)
Mangetsu: 17
Suigetsu: 8
Kimimaro: 15