A few precious seconds passed as they waited, both of them tense, on edge.
He released a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding, and quickly began to breathe in and out.
His body ached in ways he hadn't experienced in a long time, his Chakra depleted so much that it was a wonder he hadn't slipped into a coma already.
He moved to stand up, and his companion quickly supported him as he did, shifting his weight onto her shoulders.
"It worked?"He could read her well enough to know that she was surprised about that.
His breathing slowed as he answered, both to reassure her and himself. "Of course."
It had been a gamble, yes. Reviving the Juubi in such an incomplete state could have led to any number of outcomes, successes and failures alike.
If it had failed, it would have brought the entire plan to an end.
But it had succeeded.
"How long do we have?" She asked.
"Long enough." He stated.
There was no other option. It would have to last long enough, or they would fail.
After having come so far and done so much...
Failure was not an option.
"We're retreating." He stated.
He was low on Chakra, his Paths were destroyed...
Yahiko's body was lost. He...
It was a shame.
Konan nodded, and channelled her Chakra into the seal hidden underneath them.
"Naga-" He caught only the beginning of a shout before they vanished.
I struck at the Juubi, slicing at its head.
It, displaying an incredible agility for something of its size, leaned to the side, and instead of slicing its head, the Proof of Courage instead passed by its shoulder.
Its arm fell to the ground- but that hadn't been my doing.
The joint between the shoulder and the arm looked more like it had been ripped off, not slice off like a Keyblade would have done.
The arm hit the ground and changed, the previously solid skeletal mass rapidly shifting into a brown-white humanoid, though both of its arms ended in scythes.
The humanoid leapt at me, swinging the scythes wildly.
I used the Proof of Courage to deflect one, shifting it to the side.
The other, however, slammed into my Armour, not damaging it but still carrying enough raw, physical force to launch me backwards.
I sliced at the scythe as it hit me- but much like the arm, it separated where my unnamed Keyblade would have hit it, and didn't actually take the strike.
It was doing everything it could to avoid getting hit by my Keyblades. I wasn't entirely certain why, but it would fission off parts of itself to avoid getting hit.
Only the Keyblades, however.
I teleported, righting myself and landing on the ground, my Keyblade rising to point at it.
Lightning lanced out, too fast for it to dodge.
It bubbled grotesquely where the electricity hit, seeming like pustules of burnt flesh, which was absolutely disgusting to look at.
The main body attacked, its hand shifting into something that sort of resembled a hammer if you squinted, and hit me on the side.
It was much stronger than its smaller counterpart, and it sent me flying.
Not too far- not because it was weak, but because there was a cliff in the way.
I slammed against the rock, cracking and breaking it. Another fast strike from the main body buried me into it, though not enough to obstruct my sight.
The smaller humanoid leapt at the main body, dissolving as it did.
The white-brown mass hit the shoulder, and quickly reformed into the arm it had lost, though it was perhaps a little bit spikier than before.
Annoying creature.
I pulled myself out from the rock, purple flames blossoming around my Armour.
What an annoying creature.
So close- so close.
Nagato and Konan had been right there, and...
Jiraiya let out an aggravated grunt.
That seal again.
It had been a problem beforehand, but now it had rapidly developed into a severe danger. It allowed far too much freedom of motion, far too much ability to attack, far too much ability to escape...
He'd have to do something about it, and soon.
"Hokage-sama." Shikaku landed on the ground, bowing his head slightly.
Hiruzen himself was frowning, examining the area with a stern look.
He was angry, Jiraiya knew. Not just because he had been Hiruzen's student, but also because of a subtle feeling of danger in the air, Hiruzen's Killing Intent.
That he could feel it at all was a testament to how angry Hiruzen was; normally even a talented sensor would be unable to sense it.
"Report." Hiruzen answered.
"There have been a few casualties." Shikaku began. "No deaths, but multiple Jonin are currently under medical attention."
It... both was and wasn't surprising.
Despite the strength of their opponents, there was no equalizer like sheer weight of numbers, good teamwork, and intelligent strategy.
Everyone who engaged would have been cautious, and skilled enough to avoid dying immediately. With multiple teams of people to cover each other, then the main threat would have come from unknown abilities rather than raw strength and skill.
Admittedly, unknown abilities wasn't something Nagato had apparently been lacking in, but still...
S-Ranked Nagato may have been, but the average Konoha Jonin wasn't a chump.
Hiruzen nodded, so Shikaku continued. "The village was not damaged. All fighting was contained to outside of the walls."
That was also unsurprising.
There really wasn't an attention grabber quite like a massive explosion of purple fire in the middle of the day. Many Jonin had investigated immediately, grouping up for safety in the face of the unknown, and had subsequently engaged outside of village limits.
Hiruzen nodded again. "Thank you, Shikaku-kun." He turned away. "Organise a search through the village. I want everything double-checked to make sure that are no sudden surprises."
One could never trust the craftiness of an S-Ranked ninja.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shikaku bowed.
"After that..." Hiruzen continued. "Call a meeting. It's time we become a little more pro-active against the Akatsuki threat."