content warning: hi. just continuing from last warning, more creepy incest stuff and it's spelled out this time so if you're not a fan of it at all, heads up. still no graphic stuff to worry about. enjoy the chapter.

Scarlet Justice: Full Blossom – ep. 48
"Equalizers"
[Golden Girls, Part 4]

"You've hidden yourself away quite well, but that only makes sense."

The rest of the day went by without making contact with Fuu. I decided to settle down for the night, downed a ration bar along with some nuts and water in the morning, retrieved my full set of equipment, and then went back into the forest to look for her again.

"On the right track. You're in this area."

A familiar head of hair slowly reveals itself from behind a nearby tree. I would recognize that mint colour anywhere.

"Lili. Is that really you? You know who I am, right?"

"Ah. Choumei, it's certainly lovely to see you again. Is everything alright?"

A smile comes onto their face as they run towards me, and I'm smothered in a hug not a moment later.

"Yeah, we're both okay. Thanks for coming back, Lili. I'm gonna hand things over to Fuu again, so I'll see you later."

"Of course, love. Take care."

Fuu's eyes return to their normal state, and she clings tightly to me again.

"I'm so glad you're okay…"

"Everything went well enough. I managed to escape without a scratch, and gained some useful data. Defeating the two of them on the first go wasn't possible, but we haven't lost yet."

"Yeah."

"I bet you're starving by now," I say as we separate. "I am too, frankly. Haven't eaten much between yesterday and today."

"I'll help you make lunch, then!" Fuu says. She has her wings form and rises into the air ahead of me. "I actually found a small village in this direction, they've got eggs and stuff we can buy."

"Fabulous. Lead on, my love."

"Gotcha!"

The villagers are friendly, and enamoured by Fuu's cheerful disposition. We get our ingredients and a few treats besides, then find a place that's relatively out of the way with some sturdy enough ground. This will be more than good enough to build something that will suppress smoke.

"Are we gonna make one of the field kitchens again?" Fuu asks.

"Something simpler this time. Standard fire pit. In the meantime, would you mind preparing the vegetables for us?"

"Sure thing."

I build the fire pit with its exhaust tunnel, then start a proper fire. Fuu carefully starts to chop up the vegetables, and I join her as soon as I'm done. A few eggs into the pan, and some light cuts of meat with vegetables to make an omelette. We slice and toast a whole loaf of bread afterwards, and tea is brewing on its own in the background. Finally, it's time to eat.

"Awesome! Oh, this looks super tasty…"

"Something to be proud of," I say to her as I hand over a plate. "You've done well, Fuu."

"Thanks. I can't believe I'm actually learning to cook and stuff. This'll be huge for all the times I have to go out on my own. Alright, let's get to eating! Been way too long!"

We eat together in relative silence, with Fuu making her usual happy noises while enjoying herself. The tea finishes brewing, and we have ourselves a few cups before letting everything settle.

"Delicious as always. I'm so going to miss your cooking, Lili."

"That's very high praise, thank you."

"No sweat. Can't be less than honest, you know. I guess, related to that…"

"What is it?" I ask.

"Well, I don't…" She lies on her back and closes her eyes. "I don't think I can go back to the village. Or that I should. Or that I even want to at this point. There are a lot of things to think about, really. But I know that I can't go back to the Waterfall, no matter how important I might be to them, or what sort of trouble it might cause."

"Mm. It is a net loss strategically."

"I guess." She opens her eyes and stares up at the sky. "That, and…I never liked the place that much. I always wanted to run away for good, but I was too scared. I didn't have anyone, and I always assumed that someone would just notice that I was a jinchuuriki somehow and snitch on me, or whatever."

"You would also end up in the Bingo Book," I add. "There might be dire consequences for desertion on your part."

"Yeah. That's true. But I don't care anymore. I wanna be free, and Choumei does too. We're gonna hit the open road together and junk. What pushed me towards this so quickly was you, Lili. What you said the other day hasn't left my mind, that you believe in me and think I have the power to change the world."

"I do, yes."

"Then I think it makes sense that I start improving myself now, instead of sitting around and waiting until it's too late to do anything. I'm definitely not the smartest person around or anything, but I know that I'm capable enough to find my way through the world, and gain some knowledge. I might be able to help change the future for real, you know?"

"I understand what you mean, Fuu. I think you will be great. Your energy and enthusiasm have carried you this far already, so working hard to improve all of your skills will yield even greater results."

"I think so, too. Yeah, so that's what I'm going to do. I can fly around the shinobi world and check out what's happening, maybe lend a hand whenever I can. Like doing missions and all that for people who don't have much money. And since I pretty much know how to cook now, I don't have to wait around for someone to make me a meal. I don't tire easy as it is, but every little bit helps."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Fuu? The road ahead will be tough," I say to her.

"I'm sure," she says as she sits up again. "Life has been hard before this, and I don't think it will get much harder after this. I can handle the tough times like I have before. Actually, I can handle them better since I have you now. And Choumei, but they've always been there to pick me up. I just have an extra bit of motivation now. As much as I would love it, I can't go home with you. It would cause so much pain and suffering, and I don't think I could handle being the reason for conflict between two hidden villages. This is the next best thing."

"It is unfortunate, isn't it…hm. I should work on a temporary lodging for you in Fire Country one of these days. So that you at least would have a place to lay your head in this world."

"Really? You would do that?"

"Of course I would. What are rich friends for?" I say with a playful wink.

"Lili…gosh, you do way too much for me already! But I wouldn't say no to something like that. Thank you so much."

"It's always my pleasure, darling. We'll definitely work out the details in time. And I know that your journey of discovery will be fruitful. Thank you for all that you've done, and all that you will do to help me. I could never do something as dramatic as changing the world without help from friends and loved ones."

"I'm just glad I could be here for someone as awesome as you." Fuu scratches at her head and frowns. "Before that, we have to figure out what to do with the man of steel and his super creepy sister. It only clicked in after I left yesterday…"

"It makes sense that they're like that," I say as I swirl the tea around in my cup. "From what I could piece together of their story…they lost their parents at a young age in the Blood Mist era. Many people who were opposing the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, were purged. Sometimes he would do the job himself, but most of the time it was the work of his loyal shinobi. Kai and Ishako must have come upon their parents' bodies…or worse, saw them killed in front of their eyes before escaping. The trauma would have done many things to them, and with only each other to lean on…"

"I get it now. Feelings towards each other that would normally be good got twisted into something else, right?" Fuu asks.

"Yes. And as Ishako said, they had to do terrible things just to survive the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. A cruel, cruel struggle to simply live. I know that feeling."

"You mean when you lost your mom and dad?"

"I…watched Momma take her last breaths. She was destroyed slowly, by someone who wanted nothing but her fortune for himself. That person was my father. And then, years later as a kunoichi, after I fell to pieces trying to save him from himself…I was the one who delivered the vengeance from heaven that he so deserved."

"So you know about pain and darkness too…that's so awful."

"It is, yes. Though I have recovered brilliantly from that trauma, and even used the experience to better myself and the people I love dearly…it is also something that I will never forget. Something that shapes me even now. Much like Kai and Ishako, I too revel in the destruction of my enemies. I enjoy the hunt, and tearing my prey to shreds. I love to feel the warmth of their blood against my skin. To watch their last breaths leave their bodies as I squeeze and choke the life from them, with my own hands. I am so much like them that it must sicken you."

"You would think so, yeah. But…I already understand the differences between you."

"And what are they?" I ask.

"Even though you've been hurt, and have all this stuff as baggage…and even though you have a dark side, like they do. You're so much different. I know what it means to be hurt and angry, too. To want to just lash out at the world and destroy everything in your way. I resonated so much with Choumei, who did nothing wrong and still was treated like garbage. I…used to hate humans so much. Holding back the anger hurt, it made me cry when I was by myself. I know how it feels to hate the world and everything in it. And that's why I understand who you are, Lili. I understand that you're not like Ishako and Kai. Even after being hurt and suffering alone, you chose to trust people. You reached your hand out towards someone else who was alone and hurting, just like you were. You overcame all the bitterness in your heart, and you did everything you could to protect your village. And now, you're friends with so many people, and you changed Gaara, and you helped save my life from Akatsuki. When you were hurt, at your lowest point…you chose to stand up again, and love the people who were in need of it the most. Someone said something a long time ago about never meeting your heroes, because they won't live up to your expectations. Well, that's wrong. Because I love you even more after getting to know you, Lili."

"Fuu…thank you so much for that. I already knew that I was different from those two, but hearing it like that makes me so happy," I say with a smile.

"I'm always happy to make you happy," she says, smiling back. "And I guess…as opposed to us reaching outward, those two have only ever looked at each other. They don't care about anything other than their own happiness, and it doesn't matter what they have to do or who they have to destroy to get to it. I can understand a bit how much it must have hurt to live that life…"

"Even so, to turn inward like that, and willingly destroy the lives of others in the way that they do…it isn't right. We can have sympathy, even empathy for them. But at the end of the day, they have chosen to be ruthless destroyers. And that is something that I cannot allow."

"Yeah, I agree."

"On that note, I really will need your help if we encounter them another time. Another pass or two should reveal their secrets and limits, but it will be much less dangerous for us both if we attack together in our more powerful forms," I say.

"That makes sense. That Kai guy, he had a lot of scars on him. I don't think all of them are old or anything."

"They're not. It means that however high, he does have an upper limit for durability. I also have my signature technique to rely on, and I don't think his body can resist it in the way that it can with other types of attack. Ishako is a problem herself…she can use her brother as a durable shield, coordinate attacks with him near flawlessly, and is quite skilled with her arrows and jutsu. Not to mention that she has the ability to sense for enemies."

Fuu folds her arms and nods. "Yeah. They're both big trouble…I wouldn't be surprised if they got one or two of the other jinchuuriki by now…"

"I think that's what she was acting smug about earlier, bragging about how boring things were. If the jinchuuriki die, then the tailed beasts do as well, from what I know."

"Yep. Choumei told me that it's only a temporary thing for the tailed beasts, and they reappear in another place or something like that. But dying still really sucks for them, so they definitely avoid it whenever they can."

"I see. And that man would definitely be set back in his plans, since he wants all of the tailed beasts. Although, with his knowledge of the Leaf…"

"Hm? Lili, what're you talking about?"

"I was just musing about the plans of Akatsuki. Actually…there is a secret that I can share with you and Choumei. It might help in the future."

"A secret? Wow, okay. I can totally keep my mouth shut for those, seriously. I promise."

"I trust you, Fuu. So…there is a leader of Akatsuki, called Pain. I suspect that he has some form of power related to the Rinnegan."

"Wow, you think…"

"Of course, he is the leader that the others are aware of. Pain himself is taking orders from a masked man, who is going by Tobi, but in reality is Madara Uchiha."

Fuu blinks. "I feel like I know that name. Isn't he the guy who had that big fight with Hashirama? The wood guy who made the Leaf?"

"Yes, and they were co-founders before Madara left the village, feeling betrayed by it."

"So wouldn't he be like, super dead? Or even if he somehow survived that whole thing, a spooky skeleton and stuff?"

"Yes. And this is the true secret that I'm entrusting to you. It is my belief, along with that of certain colleagues, that Madara Uchiha was keeping himself alive in order to find a successor. That successor is using the name of Madara Uchiha, as a means of power."

"So…there's a guy, who is disguised as another guy and using his name, and then while using that name is disguised as another guy. Uhh…" Fuu's eyes start to cross.

"Yes, that is the gist of it."

"O-okay. So…there's a real identity, then. Who is it?"

"His true name is Obito Uchiha. He was reported dead during the Third Shinobi War, and known as the Hero of Kannabi Bridge for his bravery and self sacrifice. He somehow survived thanks to his Sharingan ability, and at some point came across the real Madara Uchiha. Madara is using him as an avatar to carry out this devastating plan, capturing the tailed beasts for some terrible and unknown purpose."

"I see…hm? Okay, you can switch with me. Lili, Choumei thinks there's stuff they should mention." Fuu closes her eyes, and they fly open a moment later with the seven pointed stars in the middle. "Hey again!"

"Hello, love. What did you have to tell me?"

"You were mentioning Madara Uchiha just now? That's one way awful dude, you know!"

"So I've heard through the ages," I say.

"Yeah, he was super strong and stuff. The Sharingan can control tailed beasts, too…it just takes a wicked amount of effort, and it does real bad things to our brains. Turns us into zombies, pretty much…"

"But the cost of doing such things must be high. Obito couldn't reasonably control all of the tailed beasts for the required time to carry out his plan, not while having to perform space time transport and evade the authorities."

"Guess so. You remember how Kurama ended up in the Leaf in the first place, yeah?" Choumei asks.

"Madara used his doujutsu to take control of him in the fight against Hashirama. Hashirama used his Wood Release to subdue Kurama, defeated Madara, and then kept him bound until he was sealed away in Mito Uzumaki, the first host of the Nine Tailed Fox."

"Yeah."

Talking this out has made me realize something. If Madara could control Kurama to the point where he could be used as a tool in battle, then maybe…oh, of course.

"So that's it. Sixteen years ago…the attack on the Leaf. That was Obito's doing all along," I say. "With the Founder's cells giving him extra strength, he attacked on the one night that the seal was weakest."

"Attacked?" Choumei asks.

"Kurama was being controlled sixteen years ago when he was released upon the Hidden Leaf. The Fourth Hokage lost his life defending the village, and so did the previous host, Kushina Uzumaki. She was Mito's successor. Obito must have presented himself as Madara at that time, and with the fear that would create…I understand now. The Fourth must have thought that half of the power would be enough, and so separated the two. And he intended for Naruto to master that power so that he could one day fight against the masked man."

"So this Obito guy used Kurama for a rampage but lost control of him?"

"That was certainly the Fourth's doing. He was an expert in sealing arts, and broke Obito's hold on Kurama before the fight was through."

"How'd he…ohhh. I know how." Choumei nods. "The elders have always talked about this sort of stuff, and kept real heavy tabs on any host that was a girl for that reason. The power of the seals used to hold us in place start to weaken when our human hosts have babies, and the seals are at their absolute weakest points during childbirth."

"Yes."

"So this Obito guy must have been snooping around the village and figured it out. But…why would he do that? I mean, he survived the war, why wouldn't he go back and find his friends to hug them? Why would he destroy his home?"

"Obito was revived during the war itself…and he bore witness to something terrible. Isobu had a host at that time, incompatible and deliberately chosen. Her name was Rin Nohara, the girl that Obito loved like no other. Knowing that she was captured and set free as a living bomb, she manipulated Sharingan Kakashi into killing her, so that she could protect him and the village. Both she and Isobu passed on at that moment."

"And let me guess…Obito got there just in time to see what happened," Choumei says sadly.

"That would be the correct guess."

I watch as they look towards the cloudy skies solemnly.

"Really…this world is just the worst sometimes."

I sigh and close my eyes.

"Unfortunately, you're right about that as well. Unbearably cruel."

We continue on our way south, towards the northern border with Grass Country. What we mean to do is exit this country together, and then part ways once everything is in order.

"So Naruto doesn't know anything about his parents yet?" Fuu asks as we walk along the side of a river.

"Not at this moment. One of the things I will need to do is reveal the truth of his heritage to him."

"I kinda get it, even if it's an awful thing. I don't remember anything about my parents, either. But I don't think they saved a whole village. I guess giving him his mom's name made him a little less of a target, and keeping the secret that his dad was the Fourth Hokage meant that people wouldn't immediately try to wipe him out. That doesn't explain why he was so hated."

"It was purely backlash from what took place before. Oyaji wanted him to be seen as a hero, believing that it was what the Fourth wanted in the end. But humans are irrational beings, especially in the face of grief. They refused to see Naruto as a person, instead projecting their hatred of Kurama onto him. The old man then forbade the villagers from speaking of Naruto's status, and so their tactics changed. They instead excluded him socially, and told their children that he was a danger without explaining why. This caused them to do the same. Naruto could capture their attention for a little while by doing silly things and making a fool of himself, but those shallow connections always disappeared quickly."

"That's really awful."

"It was. Fortunately, he did have someone looking out for him, and that was what provided a light in the darkness. At least, before I arrived," I say proudly. "Out of anyone in this world that's not Hina, I love him the most, and the best. I'm building him a house in the village."

"Wow, awesome! He's definitely super lucky to have you taking care of him!" Fuu says.

"He certainly is."

"I really can't wait to meet him one day soon. Hmm…maybe I could head over to the Hidden Sand as my first stop, and see how Gaara is doing."

"If that's your plan, be sure to confirm it. I can send him a letter to prepare for your arrival, as I know that he would love to speak with you about many things."

"Really? Oh, right. I almost forgot you were friends and stuff. Okay, could you please do that for me?"

"Certainly. I'll draft the letter in a bit…right now, I'm picking up some familiar signals." I lick my lips slowly. "How about we drop in and pay our friends a visit? They must be missing us after all of this time."

"I bet they're real lonely over there…you're right." Fuu flashes a grin with sharpened teeth. "We should do something nice for our neighbours."

"Lovely. Let's take to the skies this time, and make it a surprise."

"Got it. I can carry you all the way there, I'm pretty strong!"

"That won't be necessary, hmhm~. I have my own way of traversing the skies."

I hop upwards and start running in place with Sky Grasper, keeping myself well above the ground in the process. Fuu's eyes widen as she watches.

"Are you like, freaking serious?! Absolutely no way! You can run through the sky!" She slaps at her cheeks a few times. "You're totally not human, no way. What even…dude!"

"I knew you'd like it. Shall we start our trip over?"

"Heck yeah! Let's get to flying!"

We dash back in a northern direction, moving over the trees before encountering some flat plains. It feels like we should be high enough to keep Ishako in the dark until the moment we strike.

"There we are. Target locked!" Fuu says. Kai's unmistakable bulk comes into view as he and Ishako walk through the grass together.

"Let's give them something to think about," I growl. "Ready!"

"Ready!"

"Here we go!"

Fuu follows my lead as I shoot downwards, picking up speed with each controlled step. Ishako suddenly turns her head towards us, eyes widening as she realises what's about to happen.

"Kai! Get out of the w-"

We move with one last burst of speed before rotating into flying kicks side by side.

"Chew on this!" Fuu yells.

"Combination Art…!"

"Twin Meteor Drive!"

Our chakra modes come to life at the last moment, boosting our attacks further as our feet slam into Kai's face. He flies backwards through the grass as we land, a sizable trench being carved in the dirt with his body.

"You like that? We've got plenty more if you're hungry for it!" Fuu says.

"Your cute little combination attacks aren't worth much," Ishako replies, having already taken her bow in hand. Kai quickly pops onto his feet, and cracks his neck as if nothing happened. Showing off, eh. Everyone can tell he felt that in his bones.

"Back again, Scarlet Viper? I suppose you're looking to try and finish us off before you move on…that was a mistake on your part. Maybe you think you have some kind of formula worked out to hurt Kai, but I can assure that none of your little tricks are difficult to counter," Ishako says. "Oh, and your little scheme to try and push Kai and I apart? Have a look and see how well that went."

Kai draws his massive sword and slams it into the ground, throwing up dirt in a show of force. I can just barely make out his eyes again…and I suppose it's as I thought it would be. It's different now. He is no longer someone who seeks to understand and connect, but…he has already made a decision on what I am to him now. It's sad in a way. It was nice to have the thought that there was a fellow warrior who sought the same things that I did, who had the same love for the battlefield and strove to reach new heights. But here, I stand disappointed once more. Not the deepest of sighs, but a sigh nonetheless.

"So that's all I am to you now," I say with false anger. "Just a fucking trophy in the end. Pathetic. I should have known that you two were just posing as humans…in the end you're nothing but wild dogs, rutting against each other in the grass and gorging yourselves on rotting meat."

"Yeah, I didn't get all of that but it sounded really, really harsh," Fuu says to Ishako. "Maaaybe you should figure out what's making Lili so mad before you regret it?"

"Excuse me? Wild dogs?" Ishako repeats, incredulous.

"All of that connection and meaning, turned into garbage at the drop of a hat. For what? To please your sister-wife?" I say to Kai. He grunts loudly and points towards Ishako.

"I will always be the most important person in his life!" she says. "I told you already, you will never become closer to Kai than I am, no matter how much you want to have his babies. I love and care for him more than you ever could. That's why you're so upset, because you tried and failed to pull him away with your whorish words and deeds." Ishako gives me a smug smile. "I guess you can't handle rejection, can you? Always getting your way because of your money and plastic beauty…stealing away men just for the sake of tormenting others. Kai is not as shallow as you think he is. He's not just strong, he's smart, too! He's in tune with his emotions, and has a deep understanding of things. That's why he could break out of your little spell and realise the truth…that I'm the only one for him, and that our true path is to slaughter you!"

"Men? You think I want to fuck your brother?"

"What…do you mean by that?" Ishako asks, confused. "You've been flirting with him this entire time…"

"So much for your intelligence. I don't need to desire a man to find him attractive, or fun to play with," I say while rolling my eyes. "But I suppose that's what happens. Straight women think the world revolves around them, all the time."

"Straight?"

"Yep!" Fuu says. "Lili's a connoisseur of cuties! The most lesbian to ever…uh, lesbian! Yeah!"

"And proud of it," I add.

Ishako looks at Kai, who I can tell has raised a brow while looking back.

"What do you mean 'didn't I know'? How could you tell? I…ugh, fuck all of this!" Ishako whirls around and sets an arrow on her string. "I don't care how gay you are or that you like to munch carpet or whatever deviant bullshit you get up to!"

"You're one to talk. I'm surprised your knees are still intact, with how much time you must spend on them servicing your little brother."

"You fucking bitch."

"Wait, what? Lili, what are you talking about?" Fuu asks.

"You…didn't understand? They're having sex with each other, Fuu."

"They're doing WHAT?!" she screeches.

"What are you acting so offended for? What Kai and I have is fine! It's perfect! We love each other, and the only reason you find it so gross like all the other idiots is because you're ignorant!" Ishako yells.

"Dude! You're having sex with your little brother."

"Go fuck yourself, you stupid animal! We're going to beat you half to death, and then pull the chakra out of your body so that it can be of use to someone."

"Super gross." Fuu gags loudly and Ishako fires an arrow at her.

"Kai! Put this loud mouthed whore into the dirt! Now!"

Fuu quickly dodges, and Kai starts to charge us. He can move quickly for his size, but not as fast as I can.

"No need to worry about finesse, love. Line him up with whatever you have."

"Yes, ma'am!" Fuu makes handseals and claps her hands together, then swipes at the space in front of her. A thick line of wind chakra forms in the wake of her swing. "Wind Release: Tornado Wire!"

The line moves towards Kai, slicing through the air. He blocks some of it with his large sword, but the rest makes contact and cuts through his clothing. And from what I can tell…it has broken his flesh in small amounts, too.

"Confirmation that concentrated attacks will work," I say to myself. "Good, it means we're in business." I flicker towards Ishako and throw a punch at her head, which she dodges before using a body flicker of her own to gain distance.

"Don't mess around too much with that animal, Kai! We know what they can do when they're cornered!" Ishako yells, her attention still locked on to me. "I can handle this loser here on my own!"

"You really think so?" I say. "Maybe your masked clown of a boss didn't tell you exactly how much trouble I can be. Would you like a proper demonstration?"

"Talking so much will get you killed, scarlet whore. Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Smart enough opening move, trying to strip the chakra mode from my body. She puts three arrows at once on her string and fires, sending them twisting along the wind currents with erratic motions. Her hands blur into more seals and she claps her hands together.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

I stand calmly in the path of everything, waiting for Ishako's next move. It should be…there. A shift to her right, back near her brother. Fuu is currently twisting around his sword swings, trying to find a new opening.

"I'll go past it all this time."

I charge my chakra mode up to the second level, and burst past all of the incoming attacks before Ishako can properly react. She notices me at the last moment and raises her bow to guard, but I find a gap quickly and drive my fist into her stomach.

"Guh…!"

"Type Four: Aegis Impulse."

The pulse of lightning chakra bursts from my fist and sends her flying backwards. Kai moves on instinct and takes a last swipe at Fuu before launching into a body flicker, catching his sister before she can hit the ground.

"Thank you, Kai," Ishako says with a wince.

He grunts and brandishes his sword as she recovers.

"That kind of speed…I think that's the Raikage's level, and we don't have much we can do against that. Dammit…"

"Fuu, pressure up," I order.

"Roger that! Let's get mean and nasty, Choumei!"

Fuu crosses her arms over her chest as chakra gathers around her form. The blue colour becomes darker as her transformation goes on, skin seeming to peel itself from her body in chunks and blood starting to mix with the aura around her. It accelerates in the next instant, and she's surrounded by a dome of blood that explodes outwards, sending a thin beam of light into the sky.

"Time for you to experience Version Two, you sickos."

Fuu's voice has deepened, and her body has changed completely. Now she's become much like a miniature version of Choumei, cloaked in blood red chakra that is like armour. She has her hands and feet, along with four large wings and a long tail, bringing her up to five tails in total. Her head is now the same as her partner's, in the shape of a helmet with a large horn on top that has a mask with vertical bars. A pair of orange eyes glows brightly in that dark space.

"This is going to be trouble…Kai, let's up the pressure on our end, too. I'll provide support!"

He growls before drawing the demonic sword, holding it in his off hand before charging us both.

"I'll cover the first attack," I say to Fuu. "Hit him hard once you have the opening."

"Got it!"

"You won't be doing anything like that!" Ishako yells. She rapidly fires arrows into the sky as Kai moves, stopping to swing both of his blades at once. A massive blade of wind combines with one of blood, tearing across the plain towards us both.

"Type Six: Artemis' Umbrella."

I wait until the last moment before making the forcefield explode outwards, negating both of the attacks immediately. Fuu takes off like a missile a moment later, slamming headfirst into Kai's chest and dragging them both through the ground. Ishako's arrows fall from the sky and I weave past all of them as she makes seals.

I slam one foot into the dirt while running and let the thrown katana fly past me. I have to wonder where he picked up that habit of throwing blades from. Something catches my eye and I duck as somehow the sword makes its way back while spinning.

"Remote control…so that answers my question, he can call this sword back to him."

"Waaah!"

I watch Fuu fly backwards from a punch, recovering in time before a blade of blood can reach her.

"This guy is still stupid strong!"

"Don't get too reckless, we've no idea if that blade can bypass defences as it is," I call to her.

"Good point, Lili! I'm gonna start something up, follow my lead!"

"Ready when you are."

"We're going to push them back, Kai! Here!" Ishako spits out a mass of water that starts to gather at Kai's ankles. He raises his large sword above his head and starts to twirl it rapidly, then stabs into the earth with the demon sword, making the water turn red. The water is dragged up into a tornado around him.

"I can use that! Lili, get ready to react!"

Fuu flies up into the sky before swooping downwards, sparkling orange dust trailing her movements. I see now…it's reckless, but if it works, we'll definitely do some damage. She flies into the tornado of blood, to Ishako's shock.

"What the hell…Kai, they're planning something, you have to fire now!"

A single shimmer of powder is all I need to see. My hands blur into seals while Ishako moves to cover her brother.

"Fire Release."

"No!"

"Great Fire Annihilation."

Fuu leaves the now sparkling tornado as I breathe out a sea of flames, easily consuming Ishako's barrage of arrows as it is sucked up into Kai's attack. It races upwards before igniting all of the powder at once, throwing up a massive explosion.

"And now…we shoot to kill."

I raise my hand with two fingers extended, locating the reeling Kai through the smoke and debris.

"Mobius: Double Barrel."

The attack punches through the dust and strikes something…and it's not the target I wanted.

"I can't believe we've been reduced to this…by one damned woman!"

As the dust clears, I can see that Ishako has the demonic sword stabbed into the ground, and a trail of hardened blood leads from it to the area in front of Kai. A solid, angled shield has just barely redirected the attack so that it ripped through Kai's shoulder instead of his heart.

"Too close…it's too close! How could he have gotten it so wrong, that worthless fucking idiot!" she screams. "Kai, we have to go!"

The blood running down her arm is being sucked up into the sword quickly. She lets it go and it flies back to Kai's grip, her hand steadily dripping blood.

He looks at me, in what seems to be a state of shock. Then he immediately gets to his feet and shoves his fingers into the earth, making it tremble harshly.

"What's going on?" Fuu asks.

An earthshaking roar comes from Kai's throat as the surface starts to shift. I can feel myself moving, as if my altitude is…what?

"There is no fucking way!" I manage to get out.

"O-oi! Oi!"

He is lifting the ground that we are standing on. The next moment, I can feel the wind in my hair as we go through the air on a miniature island.

"They…got away, I guess."

I look over to Fuu, who has started her transformation back to normal. The only thing I can do is sigh and nod.

"Wonder how long it'll take us to land. At least the view is nice," she says.

"..." I look up at the passing clouds. "What do you want for dinner? I still have left over chicken back at camp."

"Stew again tonight?"

"Alright. That sounds fair. We do have that bread we need to use up, too."

"Yep."

I suppose this is a novel experience, if anything. And another fun story to tell Naruto when I get back. Yes, he'll be excited to hear this one.

I just hope we land inside this country. Border crossings can be a hassle these days, worse when they're unauthorised.