content warning: uh. murder happens near the end of the chapter. it's not a particularly good thing. it's not shinobi on shinobi violence. there's also blood and stuff, and instances of graphic violence. but the big thing is killing happens and yeah. as always be careful when reading. things are pretty tense and intense so.

also there's esoteric japanese attack names in this chapter because I'm a huge weeb. enjoy.

Scarlet Justice - ep. 94
"Caroline"
[Crimson, Part 3]

"You're a little on the dangerous side, so I'll try to end this quickly. Anyone who has managed to learn a chakra mode like that should be taken at least a little seriously."

Kakuzu unclips his robe and tosses it away. There's a rumbling coming from his body and suddenly masses of black threads explode from his back, forming into distinct, almost humanoid shapes. These are the thread monsters mentioned earlier by Emi, all wearing a different type of mask. Two of them have decided to appear at Kakuzu's command.

With my senses tuned sharply, I can feel the chakra natures before even seeing them. The tiger-like mask charges flame, while the one with a beak and four legs charges wind. A large scale attack, then. Luna will be killed if I fail to neutralize it. Therefore, I must make an impact in the fastest possible time. I make seals quickly and gather water into my mouth.

"Disappear. Jiongu: Kimen no Bakuen."

"Suiton: Bakusui Shouha."

"!"

I breathe out and spit the water against the floor below me, cracking tiles from the pressure. It rebounds just as I planned out, creating a high and dense wave that continuously smothers the incoming flames. The chakra cost will be high for this single usage; I will have to adjust accordingly once this sequence has been completed. However, I still have more than enough chakra at this juncture to take down this opponent and any others that might come by. There is a high amount of heat coming from the clashing techniques. Thick steam has formed. Visibility will be low temporarily. Kakuzu may or may not be a sensor type, but it seems unlikely that he is. Theory must be tested.

"You really are a handful. Mister Rothschild...I wonder if you've miscalculated when it comes to that daughter of yours," I hear the old man say.

"..."

There is no reply. That man must be nervous by now.

"Luna-nee. Please follow my instructions post-haste," I say with no tone.

"Yes..."

"There will be no time to get to the door, and no chance that you evade Leonidas Rothschild in your current state. Please ascend the nearby staircase to a higher level, one floor above us. I will be able to monitor and defend you efficiently from that position."

"Will..."

"There is no need to worry about me. Your concern is noted, but ultimately unnecessary. My apologies."

"Y-yes...I'll go."

"Thank you. I will finish this battle expeditiously and return to you in good health. Ane-ue is presently locating the barrier in order to disable it. We will place our trust in her."

"Yes. Good...luck, Lili."

"Understood. Please ascend to your position, Luna-nee."

She gets up with my help and hobbles towards the nearby staircase that sits in the middle of the foyer. Grand and majestic in nature, it has survived the earlier fires and assaults with minimal damage. I will be able to make the fastest assessments with Luna in that position. Calculations will be readjusted.

"Crimson Depths, activation," I say to myself. The tracking technique is now active. Pain inhibition will be a boon. In this state, I can see the colours of chakra and the way it flows. This must be because of the mental alterations that came with the current transformation. Information processing has been improved. This is a positive development. The mask creatures orbit around Kakuzu. They seem to be limited by sight and sound, as is he. Each creature contains its own chakra. There are also...three more sources inside of Kakuzu himself. More creatures, for a total of five. No...I misunderstood. Four, including his own heart which I can see in the usual position. But the mask creatures have the same sort of circulation running through them, much like they are hearts of their own. I see now, along with the differing colours of chakra.

This is his secret.

Each heart has a different element. Fire. Water. Earth. Wind. Lightning. He can make use of any of them at any time he wants, and he can have them separate from him as he is doing now, leaving them free to attack with powerful techniques. Combinations of many kinds. Pressure tactics. Ambushes. And his body...there are many stitches all over, most notably on his arms which are split into segments. He must be able to expand his body parts with the threads and subsequently sew himself back together. This can also be done for others - the explanation of the origin of Hidan's strange arm patterns. I see. Luna decisively defeated Hidan, only to be ambushed by Kakuzu. Kakuzu then used his unique ability and Hidan's special physiology to sew the latter's arms back into place, allowing him to move and fight at full capacity again.

A truly despicable ability. No human could stand properly against this combination of immortals. It means that it was good that they separated. I will be able to properly conserve energy if I only have to deal with one of these men. Kakuzu is clearly the stronger one. Midori will therefore be able to crush the other, even if her efficiency is diminished by the barrier.

Kakuzu. With access to five hearts, and the ability to remove and install them inside himself, I must destroy them all. Thus, in effect I will be killing him five times. It is not lost on me that my old self, as Lili, would be immensely excited at this prospect. A divine hunt that would tickle the senses and extract the maximum amount of pleasure from an encounter. Something that would be classed as 'severe bullying'. However, that part of myself has been sealed away, possibly permanently. I must evaluate this upon conclusion of this battle.

The immediate dangers have passed. Luna is safe, and I have neutralized the combination technique. I have not used many arts yet, including my signature one. This is another advantage that I will use to crush my opponent.

"Lightning and Water...it seems we have a prodigy here," Kakuzu says as the steam finishes clearing. "But you're a hundred years too early to think about getting one over on me."

"A hundred years. Your taunt is very specific," I retort.

"A cheeky little Leaf brat. You remind me a little of the first shinobi I fought...someone you might have heard of named Hashirama Senju."

"The Founder. I see. So you have lived a long time. I suppose that information was supposed to intimidate me, and force me into making several hasty mistakes. You assume that with your advanced age, you will have a significant tactical and strategic advantage over me. It would be a fair assumption to make in most situations."

"You've got a mouth on you."

"I wish to know if you are truly an immortal. You and your partner."

"Hmph. There's no such thing as immortals in this world. I simply take the hearts of others before my own expires. That is how I can live longer. Yours seems potent enough, with that advanced lightning technique. I'll take that, along with the little maid's."

"You continue to utter profanities and conspire against me. Your punishment must be more severe," I say. "Your life is forfeit, along with the ones you have stolen to progress through the ages."

I will make him guess my intent. He likely has made certain assumptions about my attacking style, based on his years of experience. I will take his base of knowledge and twist it to use against him. I move forward with a body flicker and signal an attack subtly. The first move he makes is to form the black armour by hardening his skin once more. As proven before, it is an Earth-based technique, weak against Lightning. He has calculated that he can at least absorb some impact even with the disadvantage.

He will suffer for that assumption.

I jump towards him before bouncing through the air, defying his expectations. The brief appearance of water beneath my feet allows me to flip myself over as I charge my attack in my right hand. I float over his head and aim while upside down, putting the most troublesome of the mask creatures in my sights before it can react.

"Raiton: Moebius."

The blast is precise. It punches through the head of the wind creature, taking pieces out of its mask on the other side. My body twists at my command, and I line up another burst before firing. Kakuzu's body rotates, seemingly on instinct, and it causes my attack to miss the vital area I was aiming for by inches. It seems his battle experience was fruitful in that instance. I land properly and reset my position, facing the old man squarely. His face is slightly distorted in anger.

"I see. It looks like I will have to end this quickly."

"You seem unamused now. Was the earlier display of confidence simply a front?" Psychological attacks will have increased effect. I have successfully removed twenty percent of his battle capacity. The animal mask clatters to the floor ahead, and the monster lets out a wail before melting into a mess of black threads. Kakuzu stretches a hand out and the threads return to him, flowing beneath his flesh before he settles again.

"I have no idea how or where a little girl like you obtained these abilities, but it's getting bothersome. Now I really will have to take at least one of your hearts before I leave. I won't waste any more time or resources on you."

"A very bold claim to make. Unsubstantiated. Very rude as well. You underestimated me multiple times in the past few minutes. You carry much in the way of arrogance because of your advanced age. Living a long life does not entitle you to respect."

"No more games." A multitude of threads starts to emerge from his body, some shooting upwards and making him look like a potted plant. They come from his mouth as the covering falls away, and cause his arms to become segmented, held together by the mentioned masses of tentacles.

He looks very similar to a rag doll, with stuffing that has started to seep out after years of use and abuse. It is fitting in a way for this tired and tormented old man, who spends much in the way of time stitching himself and others back together again.

I have ruined his strategic endeavours with the last attack; he would seek to replace a more expendable mask, such as the water one he is sure to have on his person, in order to preserve his ability to use the combination of wind and fire for a devastating attack. But I have thwarted him. He fuses the fire and lightning masks to his shoulders. This new scheme has already been deciphered.

He means to use the lightning mask to disable my techniques of the same nature, while capitalizing with the fire mask. Simple. His boasting of battle experience was merely the barking of a wild dog. A plan with so few dimensions cannot hope to succeed. I will prove it quickly.

"Come on. Your luck is going to run out soon, brat."

"So you say. I will fulfill your request, old man. Be ready."

He growls before having the lightning mask fire its attack.

"Raiton: Gian!"

I track the attack and step swiftly to one side, dodging the bolt of lightning easily. So he also knows False Darkness. Very fascinating. It is quite a useful technique, which is why he stole the heart of the shinobi who made use of it in life. If he hopes to use me as a replacement, I will have to disappoint him. The next attack comes, splitting itself into three jagged bolts. I weave seals and open my mouth.

"Raiton: Gian."

"What-!"

My attack takes on the same form, the three bolts of lightning meeting his. A bright flash of light appears as the attacks clash against each other before disappearing.

"This...is ridiculous. It ends now..."

"I promised to fulfill your request. Here I come, mercenary."

"Tch...!"

I burst forward and violently slide to a stop in front of Kakuzu, just as he has the fire mask start to attack. My body shifts to one side before I accelerate again, evading the jet of flame. My energy is stable and in a good place. It should be a good time to pull the trigger on my next move.

"Full Boost, activate."

The red sparks fill my vision briefly before clearing. I dodge another burst of flame and circle Kakuzu before advancing, timing myself along with his quick turn. He launches several of the threads at me and hits nothing but air as I pass by. My feet push against the ground and I body flicker behind him before he can react.

"Shit...!"

My aim is true. I fire Mobius and obliterate his heart before the threads can reach me. I skip backwards before sliding to a stop against the worn and damaged tile. Kakuzu lurches for a moment before I see his hearts switch places. The water element mask emerges from his body and wails loudly like the last, the animal mask crumbling to pieces while the threads melt back into Kakuzu.

"No. No...for this to happen. Losing two of my hearts...to a damned child like this." He is seething with anger as he looks at me. "You little bitch..."

"I warned you. Over and over. You will pay for your sins. You will not escape me. Are you frustrated? Do I frighten you?"

"You...you little...!"

"Come. Show me the extent of your rage, Akatsuki. I will show you the extent of my function in return," I say calmly.

"You had better wrap this up."

Leonidas Rothschild emerges from the shadows with a steel implement in hand. I wonder what plans he has for its use. My disassociation from him at current is...quite complicated. I will resolve it at the conclusion of this battle, as planned.

"The barrier is down. It looks like the snake woman has foiled our cunning plan, and is on her way to invade this clubhouse of ours. A shame," he says, sounding amused. "I was enjoying this display. What my daughter lacks in mental fortitude, she makes up for in battle prowess. Those dance classes were not a complete waste after all. Kakuzu...unless you're feeling confident, you should leave and take your zealot friend with you. Unless your quest for human hearts is more important."

"I'm going to finish this job," Kakuzu replies with malice. "Now...it's a matter of personal pride. I won't let this bitch get away with mocking me and destroying two of my hearts. You said you wanted them dead. Customer satisfaction is what I do."

"I see. Very well, then. If you could make it quick, another generous bonus will be added to your pay." Still smug and confident, despite this recent setback. I try to figure out if there is something he knows that would give him an immediate advantage. Nothing comes to mind. Must investigate later.

This news means that Emi and Midori should be safe, and Luna will be able to help herself with summons. This extends to me as well, though I will not have any use for them with regards to finishing this battle.

"You're dead." Kakuzu transforms further. His headgear falls off, revealing a head of thick, shaggy brown hair. More threads emerge from his stitched-up mouth, merging with the others as they take the form of massive, compacted limbs, like that of a spider. And his chakra is building, spreading through the threads and the rest of his body. Reinforcement against attacks that might come his way. Prudent.

Ultimately futile.

"I recall a promise I made to a certain someone. Someone I shed tears for, because of the pain that he went through for the sake of a world that continues to reject him. I will keep my promise to him as well."

"What are you yammering on about?!" Kakuzu roars. His control is slipping.

"Because you are Akatsuki, I absolutely cannot let you escape. Even on a whim. I will take measures to end this strife where we stand."

"Shut your damned mouth...go ahead and die!"

The threads move and converge on my position, all of them meaning to crush and skewer me. The chakra mode activates once more in a torrent of red, just as the space around me is thrown into darkness. I easily push backwards with one foot and evade his attack completely, leaving him attack to plow into the floor ahead of my position.

"You...! I won't...let you...! GrrraaaaAAAAAH!"

He is no longer in control. His anger has consumed him. The threads reach for me as we move, and I step back and forth to dodge each of his attacks. They are not very fast, considering the circumstances. A stream of flame comes from the fire mask and I swiftly move under it, back into the immediate range of his threads.

"You're mine, brat!"

"Tragic." I focus my chakra into both hands and slide under the mass of threads as they try to crush me. My hands move upward and I take advantage of the new opening. "Moebius: Kouzokuhou."

I fire and hit my targets precisely. The masks on his shoulders shatter into pieces.

"You...DAMN YOU!" His head swivels to one side, and I already know the exact place he is going to aim for next. I shoot forward towards the staircase and gather chakra into my hands. Energy consumption is now the least of my concerns. I will take every measure to keep my loved one safe.

"Twin Drive System, activation."

"DIE!"

The threads shoot straight at Luna, who has already braced for impact. I stop in front of her and swing my hands out toward the incoming attacks.

"Moebius Sankata: Epyon Futago."

The blades fire out from my fingertips as they move, cutting away the masses of threads as soon as they arrive. Luna's heart is beating fast, but she is safe. It means that I can put an end to this once and for all. My body tenses briefly and I use a body flicker to clear the stairs, ending up in front of Kakuzu before he can register my presence.

"Your time is up, mercenary."

"!"

I jump and cover my arm in lightning chakra before plunging it into his chest. He freezes before he and his threads go limp, coming down to his knees as I stand with my hand around his beating heart. He is powerless. This fight is over, and soon his life will be extinguished by my hand.

"This is im...possible...to be beaten by...a child..."

"..."

"How...how did someone like you get so...strong. Not even...that Shodai Hokage..."

"I was born with this hidden gift," I reply plainly. "From the moment I entered this world, the strength you see here was inside of my body. All that I needed was a means to bring it to the surface. But to call me a child...you are mistaken, old man. I have not been a child for many years now. My innocence was crushed and swallowed by the darkness of this world."

"Nonsense..." He tries to move and I surge lightning through my hand in response, making him shudder uncontrollably.

"Nonsense. Is that your conclusion, with your years of experience and worldliness? Intriguing, if true. I am sorry that you feel this way. Especially since you stole the lives of many to continually fuel your own. Coming to that conclusion is, in a word, pathetic."

He coughs violently. "What...exactly are you..."

"I am the Crimson Nightmare herself. The one who will devour this world in her jaws at the promised time."

He finds the strength to laugh bitterly, looking down on me. "You think yourself...a god? Foolish. There is a man called god among us that I answer to...you may be strong, but you are nothing compared to him..."

I tighten my grip around his heart. "How many times do I have to teach you this lesson, old man. You continue to blaspheme against me. Do not talk to me about gods in this world. I am the envoy of heaven, the one who was gifted the title of Bushin by the blessed mother wolf of the frozen forest. I have seen the shining fields of Almighty God. I am she who has touched the heavenly plain itself, and absorbed its essence."

"What...no. Itachi's...inane ramblings...you're the one he...?"

"I tire of you and your insolence. The strife ends here. The evil is defeated. Fare thee well, false immortal."

I squeeze and crush his heart in my hand. He groans quietly before starting to slump forward, and I withdraw my blood-soaked hand to let him fall over. Blood starts to spread around him, his black threads lying limply in heaps and surrounding his corpse.

"It is done."

My head turns toward the remaining belligerent. He walks a short distance with the steel object in his hands before coming to a stop.

"Well? You've won. What will you do now, Lilith?"

"Leonidas...your ambitions are over. Stop trying to torment her," Luna says as she slowly descends the staircase. Two snakes are coiled around her arms, and even with one eye swollen shut, she is determined to protect me.

"Luna-nee. I will handle this from here on."

"I can't...say that is a wise decision, Lili. Even if you are resolved now...you still..."

"I realize that. But I must make this decision on my own. If there is a means of stopping him, I will find it. However, he is still a hostile at this moment in time."

"A hostile? What happened to me being family? Your precious Daddy?" Leonidas taunts. "Are you just going to pick and choose who you kill? A hypocrite, just your dear mother."

I can leave him alone.

I can run away with Luna, and leave things where they are now. I can end this by doing nothing at all. And my heart is telling me that this is what I should do. That it is the correct option.

But that will not be enough.

He will do this again. As many times as it takes. He will aim for the people that I love and cherish. He will go back to Akatsuki with his resources, he will hire more assassins, he will burn down our homes. He will torment my loved ones. Not just this family of mine...Hina, and Shino, and Kurenai. Ino, Erika, Naruto. Hanabi and Nami. Kakashi, Ruki. More and more people. Every connection I have. If he finds out about Temari, or Aiko, or Ittan...that sort of reach. That sort of terror over every inch of my existence. He will do everything he can to try and kill me. Over and over. And over. And over. And over.

This man is a part of me. He always will be, no matter how much it hurts to know. And it's for that reason...this must be resolved here. He must be cleansed. He has to start changing. Even after he shattered me, I still...irrationally, want to see him change. He is my father. I deny him, but it's the truth.

Even so, I have been awakened to reality.

I cannot feel myself tremble. I have no wavering within myself. I know and understand the objective that I set at the start of this conflict. The moment he becomes a threat, I will erase him. It will be the only thing that makes sense. He stands before me, supremely confident. Making the assumption that I still held tightly to the humanity that made me shed tears for him before. His expectation is that I will falter again, that I will break down and cry in the same manner as before. Perhaps if I was anything like the Lili that entered this mansion today...but at this moment, I have sealed all of the unnecessary parts of myself away in order to focus on the earlier battle.

My emotions are swirling in the space surrounding my head. Violent and heavy, they demand more energy to manage than I could possibly spare. I understand where the limit is now. Perhaps this is the last movement before I experience another change...if I am not already broken beyond repair.

I can only focus on the here and now. I am an assassin. Thus, I will default to my function.

"Leonidas Rothschild. You will stand down and surrender yourself immediately."

"I am not going to do anything like that. And you will not make me do anything like that, Lilith." He starts to walk towards us.

"Leonidas...stop this at once," Luna says.

"I tire of you and your insolence, Daidouji. In fact, I tire of all of you. Of your whore mistress who calls herself my wife. Of your degenerate fiancee who has stuck herself into my affairs. Of this worthless brat who dogs me at every turn, who has been nothing but a burden for as long as I have known her."

"You are scum."

"That is a compliment coming from the likes of you."

"Leonidas Rothschild," I repeat. "I do not care about your assessments of me, or of my loved ones. You will stand down and surrender yourself. Severe consequences will follow if you fail to comply."

"You really have some nerve," he says as he continues walking. He refuses to stop.

My function is...to eliminate the threats to my loved ones. What is my father to me...in this moment?

What is my family?

"Father. This madness must cease," I say. He finally pauses, now ten feet away from me.

"Father? Is that what you still think?" He chuckles and shakes his head. "And here I thought you ascended beyond yourself. You're just like your mother." He starts to reach into his jacket pocket. "You've lived in the same foolish way that she did."

I know what the weapon is before I even see it. His eyes drift towards Luna, who is oblivious.

Chakra flows into my right arm, pressing against my fingers.

I have already made my choice.

"I'll make sure you suffer and die as she did too."

"Leonidas Rothschild. This is your final warning. Stand down and surrender, or the consequences will be severe. You must stop."

"Lili is your daughter, you son of a fucking bitch!" Luna screams. "Listen to her!"

"You've said enough, Miss Daidouji. Consider this your severance package."

"!"

This is the end of it all.

I...wanted...

"Raiton...Moebius."

In one smooth motion, I raise my hand, point my finger forward, and fire. The beam of searing lightning chakra pierces his heart and exits the other side in an instant. He drops the handgun to the floor, along with the metal pipe in his other hand.

I watch as he slowly touches his chest, staring at the blood coating his fingers. Then he stares at me, with an expression that I can just barely parse.

"You worthless bitch."

A flash of heat passes through me, and I fire another burst through his neck. He stumbles before falling backwards onto the tile floor. Blood starts to pool, spreading around his form. His chakra has faded away...his heartbeat has stopped.

"My apologies for taking so long...Luna-nee. All threats have been neutralized."