Yo. Hope you all enjoy. More at the bottom - Freedom.
"Numbers Four and Five! What a coincidence running into you here, huh?"
The cheery voice, laced with sarcasm, echoed loudly through the trees.
Light brown eyes swiveled left, the figure's wide brimmed crimson hat cleaving through the air. Han's head remained fixated on the familiar voice. The towering figure of Iwa's Jinchuriki of the Five Tails tensed, the man instantly preparing himself for combat.
But he was swayed from the prospect of combat by an even more sudden reaction.
A hand tightly gripped his arm.
The limb belonged to his traveling companion.
"Oonoki's Invisible Man? Here in grass country by chance? Don't make me laugh"
Standing by the Five Tail's side, Roshi, Jincuriki of the Four tails, was a head shorter than his comrade.
But while he had been the one to engage in conversation against the sudden arrival of another traveler, he too was prepared for combat.
Black eyes were locked upon the large man that had come across the duo.
Chakra boiled.
So too did another force of energy…
"Easy there, four tails, we both know how that ends"
The light hearted smile sent a chill of ice trickling down Roshi's spine.
'Oonoki's Invisible Man…' the Four Tails container thought to himself, barely keeping a frown from curling his red bearded lip, 'has he come to try and kill us again?'
"I was in the neighborhood…" the black haired man gestured to the forest around them, his spiky black hair lazily drifting beneath his dull stare "...thinking about going snake hunting, but it seems two hooligans beat me to it…"
He smiled at the Jinchuriki, the right cut on his lip folding alongside the eerie expression.
"Nevertheless I thought you should know" the man cocked his head slightly, his gaze keen and evaluating, "Some mutual friends of ours in Konoha have big news. Seems as though the Leaf has another vessel"
"Impossible" the clear and calm denial from Han boomed out.
The Invisible Man shrugged, "and that's what I said. Thing is, those friends of ours say it isn't one of your accursed kin, but something else entirely"
Roshi's gaze narrowed.
'The Tsuchikage had dispatched his best man to retrieve an intelligence report from one of our spies in Konoha…. Those poor leaf bastards wouldn't even have realized the monster they'd let stroll through their front gates… and now on his return trip home, he's run into us?'
Roshi cursed under his breath.
This monster of a man was a fickle being. While he complied with his Tsuchikage's orders, he wasn't a true soldier. None truly knew where his loyalties laid…
'So it's certainly possible this is just a coincidental meeting…'
Roshi held the Invisible man's gaze for a second longer.
The still expression and flat smile revealed nothing.
'Damn' roshi internally muttered, before asking his own question aloud.
"Do our mutual friends say anything else, Toji?"
The black haired man ruffles his head for a moment.
"Ah. Something about a demon with four eyes? There was a name, too"
Toji hums for a second in thought.
"Oh. Yeah. Sukuna, or something, I wasn't really paying attention"
A dull thud of energy bubbled up from Roshi's core.
Han tensed, having experienced the same feeling as Roshi from his own Tailed Beast.
Both beings had reacted suddenly to the name.
And because the containers for the Fourth and Fifth tailed beasts sported a far deeper connection with the partners than other Jinchuriki, they felt the resonating words of fury suddenly froth up.
The Yonbi and Gobi reacted the same way.
And a full name was spoken, a title for their violent wroth.
"Ryōmen Sukuna"
"Sensei"
Itami looked away from the drifting leaves in the midnight wind.
Ryo had finally spoken, his voice softer than she was used to.
The youth was brash and explosive at times, steady and calm at others, this melancholic silence was something new.
She'd respected the silence when she had arrived at the training ground, quietly finding a place upon the dirt a few feet from the sitting youth.
And Itami had waited quietly.
It had been immediately clear something was on Ryo's mind.
In fact, if the youth hadn't even said a word, she would have respected it.
She inclined her head to him, her slowly spinning Sharingan catching his blue glowing gaze.
His features were drawn into a weak frown.
"How… how do you deal with killing people?"
The Uchiha tilted her head ever so slightly.
"Deal?" Itami repeated his word choice softly, "I'm not sure what you mean"
Ryo's expression relaxed.
His gaze glossed over slightly as he lazily looked away from Itami.
"If I kill someone-" he stopped, a bitter laugh caught in his throat before he instantly corrected himself.
"When I kill someone… I'm not sure how I'm going to react, and I want… I want to know how I'll…"
He was grasping for words, his thoughts unknowingly lingering on the dim hope some Shinobi still carried.
"Are you afraid of change, Ryo?"
Bright blue eyes instantly snapped back to her.
But he said nothing.
Itami smiled softly.
"As a Shinobi, you are tasked to do what others cannot. In exchange, your home may live another day"
Her Sharingan was capable of making out the youth's Cursed Energy now, the slight haze in the air telling her that Infinity was active.
"But that is a general textbook understanding. The life of a Ninja is filled with pain and suffering… This is an unavoidable fact. The Shinobi lifestyle demands much from you, and as such you will either be molded or broken by it"
Ryo snapped at that.
"Why?! Why's that got to be the deal!? What the fuck is everyone suffering so damn much for?!"
Itami just smiled at him.
The outrage on his face… reminded her of Sasuke. A part of her was glad that her dear little brother had two headstrong teammates to rely on.
"Shinobi kill. But not out of an intention to cause harm. We do what we must, in order to protect. Our homes… our friends… our families… we fight to protect, Ryo. You fear becoming a senseless killer, do you not?"
The youth couldn't speak for a second.
He grinned a moment later.
"Damn Ninja"
Itami smiled at his defeated chuckle, knowing she'd hit the nail on the head.
"While you may not have found your Nindo, your reason for fighting, Ryo, your fear is encouraging"
The youth blinked.
"Huh?"
Itami's smile was a little wider than polite.
The pink haired youth always made hilarious expressions of befuddlement. She looked away for only a moment, glancing at the trees once more as she spoke.
"You fear becoming a monster, Ryo" Itami slowly turned to him "and thus you know…"
Her words trailed off into silence as soon as she got a look at his face.
His expression was stiff.
'Damn'
…she'd said something wrong.
But what?
Blue eyes were focused on the dirt before him, his attention almost certainly focused inward.
"Ryo?"
"Did you have any training planned for tonight, Sensei?"
Itami respectfully shook her head.
"Your upcoming mission is a C rank. A good rest without strain is an underutilized boon in the Shinobi lifestyle. I will not deprive you of it"
Ryo nodded at her.
"Then if it's all the same to you, I'll be headed home"
And he stood, bowed politely, and walked away.
"Pah!" the smelly old man grunted, "these are my guardians?"
Tazuna was exactly who I expected him to be.
Drunk, first and foremost, going by the bottle in his left hand.
But with an air of grit and consternation.
This man was a bridge builder.
A very good one.
He'd toiled with rock, stone and mortar with his bare hands till the point he was considered a master of his craft.
His gruffness and doubt was built around years upon years of toil and work, examining his great structures for any fault or flaw. So I understood his dismissal of a couple teens and Kakashi's openly visible pornographic literature.
Still.
"Fuck you old man" I glare at Tazuna "we're enough to take care of your drunk ass"
Naruto gaped at me.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
Tazuna barked out a laugh.
And Kakashi swatted me over the back of my head with two fingers.
"Be nice"
'Ow that fucking stung'
"Hai, Sensei"
Kakashi smiled at the client, his tone a complete switch in direction as he greeted our VIP.
"Tazuna-san, I am Hatake Kakashi, Jonin of Konoha. And these-"
Kakashi gestured at the three of us.
"-are my Genin. Together we are a unit. We will do everything in all our power to protect you as our client, so until then, each of us are expected to fight and die for your safety"
The Jonin's gaze turned serious, getting a flinch out of the bridge builder in response.
"As such you will listen to every command and order that comes from my student's and treat them as an extension of my own. Do you understand?"
Tazuna nodded, a little sweat on his features.
"Of course, Sir"
"Good" Kakashi eased up, "let's get to it, shall we?"
What little embers of the fire remained eventually flickered out as Kakashi rolled the coals with ash, extinguishing them for good.
As a slight increase in darkness slowly crept in, he glanced across the silenced fire to the only other person still awake.
Tazuna was the first to sleep.
Naruto the second.
Sasuke had waited, but after realizing what was about to happen, then decided to also turn in for the night.
"I have first watch, Ryo"
"Sensei, respectfully…" the youth's glowing blue eyes remained fixed upon him, "...you don't have to bother"
Kakashi frowned at his student.
"You shouldn't push yourself unnecessarily"
And the only reason he said this to Ryo, was because Kakashi had realized something key regarding the youth's Cursed ability.
In order for his Infinity to function, Ryo must be conscious.
And he wasn't planning on turning his Infinity off once they left the village.
However…
'Ryo stands with Tazuna as we travel…. The old man is certainly untouchable so long as Ryo keeps Infinity active'
Kakakshi's head tilted.
'No… so long as his Infinity is active… all of us are untouchable. Infinity guarantees that we will retain the upperhand, no matter the opponent '
There was no way any other Shinobi, should they cross paths with any in the first place, be capable of finding a way through Ryo's Infinity before Kakashi could neutralize them.
No Ninjutsu technique could bypass Infinity.
Genjutsu was not only a death trap for any potential hostiles, but bothering the Entity could lead to a swift victory.
Ryo was a dangerous foe to meddle with now.
You can't hide from him.
You can't touch him.
And you most certainly don't want to hurt him.
Kakashi knew what he had to do. It made sense, tactically.
And thus, even during their down time, if Ryo could indeed keep his ability active….
"Will you burn out before we reach Wave?"
"Nah" Ryo scoffed, tapping his head, "I got this"
Kakashi studied Ryo for a moment longer.
"If you're sure"
The Jonin stood, offered his student a nod, and walked to his tent.
And Ryo sat there, awake, his eyes not truly looking anywhere even though he saw everything.
The sun rose six hours later.
We hadn't gotten very far before we came across our first hurdle on the way to wave.
I saw them all.
My attention was first drawn to the puddle of water almost a hundred meters away and still out of our line of sight. But as I honed in on the world around me, I also let my senses move to the woods surrounding our little group.
I turned my head left and right, studying the trees.
'Not just the Demon Brothers then?'
I stop walking.
Regardless of whether Kakashi had sensed all of the additional Shinobi, I knew he'd picked up on enough of them to know we were walking into an ambush.
And I'm gonna spring it early.
Including the Demon Brother's tucked away in the puddle, there are five other signatures.
I both see and sense their Chakra, evaluating all of them.
One is larger yet more refined than the others.
'Likely Zabuza. Unless things have changed enough…'
Either way, I knew one thing for certain…
"Sensei, you want me to deal with these idiots on my own?'
'Kill or be killed'
Cursed energy flared up all around me in reaction to Infinity's auto response. Tazuna let out a yell as Kunai and Senbon-
'Haku?'
-suddenly found itself floating in the air surrounding all of us.
Kakashi had put his book away, a Kunai of his own twisting in his offhand. He hadn't pulled up his headband though…
Sasuke and Naruto were both ready for combat.
Each flanked Tazuna, the Uchiha with his blade drawn and Naruto with his fists up.
He hadn't summoned any clones yet, but I knew my friend would be itching to-
For a second I notice Naruto's expression.
He was… nervous, fearful even, what-
'Focus'
I snap my attention away from the blonde.
"Don't be like that!" I yell out boisterously grinning as I pluck a Kunai from the air. I can't help but grin as the sealing tag wrapped around it fizzles.
The exploding seal detonates a second after I force Infinity between myself and the trapped Kunai.
"Ryo-!"
The call for my name goes ignored as the small cloud of smoke and haze slowly leaves my form.
Waving a hand through the dirty air, I let out a few exaggerated coughs.
"Yuck!" I waft the smoke away from my face, "What? Can't a couple Ninja's just talk?"
As the smoke clears and my spotless form is revealed to all of the hostile Shinobi, I glance over at my team.
Kakashi's expression is still evenly serious. But he hadn't tried to take charge of the situation yet…. He was trusting me to attempt to deal with this…
Sasuke's gaze was focused on me completely.
He'd fought against my Infinity in its early stages, so for him, I would guess he was finally coming to terms with how absurd my potential capability truly was.
And Naruto was shocked.
He'd been the one who'd yelled my name as the blast went off.
…huh.
That had scared him.
I would apologize for that later. Even if I was enjoying grandstanding right now, I wouldn't stress out my friends unnecessarily.
But that was an issue for later.
My head's already turning to the tree line, my eyes focusing on the exact spot four of our seven unexpected assailants would appear from.
My grin beams out from behind the wall of weapons.
Every weapon bereft of an explosive tag suddenly falls to the floor.
Automating the targeting between threats and harmless projectiles was the only thing making this defense feasible at my current level.
I clear the air with a concerned statement.
"Well, some of you are a bit shy, that's fine I suppose"
They say nothing.
I point my finger at the tallest, and most familiar face in their group.
"Momochi Zabuza? Demon of the Mist?"
The tallest of them straightens. Though his face is covered in bandages and he's wearing a much darker version of it, I recognise his features and the outfit.
That and the big fucking sword on his back.
But my observation drew a response.
"You know my name brat?"
'So it probably is him…'
"Read enough books, ya know? Plus, sometimes they come with pictures or drawings next to the names"
He actually barks a laugh at that. I grin myself.
"HA! What's a half pint like you digging around in Bingo books?"
Even though we are bantering, I take careful note of Zabuza's entourage's stiff posture. They're all prepared to attack at any second. Two more signatures have approached us, meaning the Demon Brother's had abandoned their failed ambush decision.
They were to our backs, lurking behind the trees with the other hidden attacker.
"Know thy potential enemy?" I shrugged, "it doesn't hurt though… keeping tags on people you may come across"
Zabuza snorted, pointing a finger over my shoulder.
"Oy. Mister Copy Cat Ninja. You really letting your brat dig you into an early grave-"
'Don't wanna talk eh? Fuck that'
"Sensei!" I call back over my shoulder, cutting through Zabuza's words "you want me to kill these guys or negotiate?"
That certainly charged the air.
Dark energy erupts from the hostile Ninja, the source of it being the biggest bastard of them all.
I felt Zabuza's Killing Intent wash over me.
My cursed energy… reacts to this… but while I don't exactly know what's happening, I find myself unaffected by what I assume to be a crippling wave of Killing Intent.
And since I am unaffected, I keep my gaze on Zabuza while I begin lazily stretching.
"There's only seven of them. Besides the big guy, there's two Chunin- make that three, Chunin. The last two are riff raff"
Kakashi mulls over my words.
It was time for him to finally speak.
"Zabuza Momochi" he addresses the wild eyed man, whose Killing Intent still washed out of him in droves.
"Konoha has no quarrel with Kiri-" he nodded upwards at the man, referring to the headband as he spoke, "- or its wayward Children. But if you mean to attack us here and now, you will die"
Zabuza grunted.
"And I'd never seek a fight with the Leaf, Kakashi Hatake" Zabuza growled, "but I can't let that old man you got there reach Wave in one piece"
Zabuza drew the sword from his back.
"No more talking"
"I see," Kakashi hummed, reaching up to lift his headband. He issued only one more command as Obito's Sharingan was revealed.
"Ryo…"
His gifted eye began to spin.
"...kill them"
Zabuza is ready for the fight.
Confident even.
But he felt on edge.
He figured the kid was a Sensor with how he knew how many Zabuza had brought with him. Not to mention calling out his allies' rough level of strength? A damn good Sensor.
But then there was the protective field….
He had assumed it to be some kind of advanced Fuinjutsu, but judging by the glowing blue gaze of the pink haired brat…
Zabuza then had figured this was some kind of ocular technique.
But which one?
While he spotted the Uchiha, these glowing blue eyes weren't Sharingan… or the Byakugan for that matter.
So what was its function?
A ' resistance field' had been his first guess, because as soon as their Kunai and Senbon stopped dead the boy was able to interact with them.
Would it stop Ninjutsu? Advanced Ninjutsu?
Genjutsu?
Zabuza had gleefully smiled as the boy had picked one of the tagged Kunai from the air.
'One down' he had thought to himself.
And then the kid manhandled the explosive tag's detonation, essentially catching an explosion in his hand, before glibly addressing them all.
All the while barely any Chakra was emitting from him.
A technique this powerful had to have drawbacks…
On top of the utter unknown that was a supposed 'Genin' was one Kakashi Hatake.
With the second factor alone, Zabuza expected there to be some casualties amongst his own comrades…
"Hai, Sensei!"
Glowing eyes fix upon Zabuza's own.
A chill runs up his spine.
The lifeless and detached look… he'd seen it on another face before, a madened Jinchuriki that had sentenced his own village to an age of torment, slaughter and betrayal.
Zabuza scoffs.
"Monster"
The kid reacts to the admission with a horrid grin, uttering one word.
"Blue"
I don't target Zabuza. Not yet.
If I can peel away at his cronies, myself and Kakashi can take him down together.
So I have to make this a quick and decisive reduction of enemy combatants, while still remaining within range of the now cowering Tazuna.
Rather, I decided to alleviate them of their next most skilled.
The one Chunin signature behind me is selected, as well as the burly fellow by Zabuza's left. Young but large and carrying a short handled axe, he's likely a close quarters fighter somewhat like myself.
An axe of all weapons?
Feels like a novelty.
Still, he'd make an excellent example alongside the other fellow behind me.
As the small point in space and time appears, the Kiri missing Nin are suddenly and violently pulled directly toward me.
Stepping aside just slightly, I avoid them as they crash into each other.
Admiring the heap I let one hand rest in my pocket.
"So? Which of you two's gonna be first?"
It's the axe-guy who recovers the fastest, gaining a footing in seconds before immediately dashing for me with a lateral slash aimed at my torso.
'That's it… come closer'
I stride forward to meet him.
At this range, he can't stop me from slipping into his guard, batting a slowed block aside, and diving a Kunai right into his chest.
That… had been so simple to do.
His eyes are focused on me, wide and shocked. By the time he realized he lost, he was half way out the door…
There's a pang of something in my chest, but I squash it down violently.
The man gurgles once, blood rushing up into his mouth, before he drops like a cut puppet.
I'm allowed to contemplate my first kill for only a few seconds at best, before the second Chunin level Ninja instinctively takes a step away from me, stumbles, and falls onto his back.
His plight caught my eye.
I feel almost nothing right now, besides some numbing cold…
Regardless of the feeling somewhat bothering me, I've already begun… I can't stop now.
"Next"
The other Ninja never made it to his feet.
He remained on his back, like a turtle, eyes wide in horror as he gazed at the body of his comrade. The corpse was only a few feet from him.
And when he looks up at me, the terror in his eyes is palpable.
I hold the fearful gaze with what I hope to be dispassionate professionalism, but something in my eye must have spooked the poor fellow.
Honestly I should have just killed him then and there, otherwise I would have spared him the dreadful fate of giving him a few more seconds to make a fearful decision.
The Yin Chakra bubbled up beneath my eyes from the man's core.
'Oh you poor bastard'
"Demonic Illusion: Phantom Pillar of-"
The man freezes exactly as a dark power bursts forward.
It takes me a second to realize the source is me.
A voice thumps in my head.
"Need a hand?"
I want to growl.
'I got this' I think back.
"Good" the Entity replies, "What a waste you'd be, if you couldn't make it over the first hurdle?"
Ryomen Sukuna mockingly laughs at me me, within my own mind.
"Hmmmm…. have your fun, brat. But remember-"
The sensation of another technique being channeled through my body is surreal. Because that's what Sukuna did.
"No one touches my soul"
He pushed the application of his technique through my brain.
For once in my life… my eyes registered the cut and what I was seeing. I saw it spring forth, as if someone had painted malice across the air… the Cursed Energy that had comprised the strike was as black as night. An all consuming darkness, honed and sharpened into a visceral weapon.
The criss cross of slashes reached their target.
And the Ninja before me?
He found himself split into nine chunks-
"Consider this a gift. Cleave. And Dismantle. Try not to get too reliant"
-and violently hurtled away.
With everyone's eyes on the suddenly gorey and explosive demise of a human being, I'm left staring at my wrists as bands of black markings appear on my skin.
….
'Holy shit' I can't help but think to myself.
Sukuna really just did that…
I'm ashamed to admit that even if there is a lurking ulterior motive, I honestly couldn't care less. A powerful technique, regardless of its origin, speaks for itself.
And Ryomen Sukuna certainly seems like the top dog around here.
I can still feel the lingering sensation of the technique.
That was… Cleave. My eyes track to the bands on my left arm. That was the source of the sensation.
I quickly glance at my right.
'This one is Dismantle'
But to use the ability-
I glance up at the enemy Ninja before me. My focus settles on the biggest threat of them all.
'Who better to test this on?'
Zabuza is standing wide eyed beside two other Shinobi.
They're both masked… meaning I can't tell which one is Haku.
'If you're even trying to spare him at this point?' I can't help but think to myself. After all, I did fully intend to kill Zabuza. Haku certainly wouldn't let that slide.
Unless things were different in this world?
But I can't bank on that.
After all, it's kill or be killed out here.
So I flick a finger toward Zabuza, my cursed energy replicating the feeling of Sukuna's technique activating.
"Dismantle"
Zabuza is knocked off his feet as his flak vest and some of his torso explodes open, dousing his allies in a shower of blood.
It's a vicious strike… but my eyes don't lie to me.
'...the cut wasn't that deep'
This was more of a laceration… certainly not lethal to the man, just damaging…
Would I have to train this stupid ability too?
I want to sigh, but am forced to respond to a peculiar counter attack.
Seems the instant I had struck the big fellow, two things happened.
First, all the other Missing Ninja's just legged it sans one.
Second, the Ice user decided to reveal himself.
Haku wasn't going to sit around and do nothing while I sliced up his precious people.
No sir.
As the other Ninja ran, only one remained by Zabuza's fallen form.
This was Haku.
His eyes were locked upon the Missing Nin's bleeding body beside him, the fallen Zabuza doing his best to stay conscious against the sudden and agonizing pain of being partially sliced open.
I got a good look at Haku as he rounded on me, fury in his eyes.
His hair was shorter in this world…. His face was covered in a little half mask, similar to Kakashi's, that he viciously yanked off.
His face was the same.
How quaint.
Even as Haku prepares to attack, I can't help but ask myself a quiet question.
"Would we have been friends?"
No one heard the words, whispered beneath my breath in the midst of a battle, but I felt better for asking the question to no one in particular.
Haku…
I'd hoped I would have been able to save him from his Canon fate.
He was truly kind.
…a part of me hates that we are fighting now, knowing what I know about the Ice User.
'But I suppose none of that matters now, does it?
Here we are.
However, while I had anticipated the possibility of this event, what I did not expect was that as Haku hissed out his Technique it wasn't Chakra that surged forth.
"Ice Formation: Frost Calm"
It was Cursed Energy.
….
The fact that Haku can utilize Cursed Energy is pushed to the side for the sake of the immediate situation. After all, I've never had to block a Cursed Technique before…
And I've only been given a split second to react.
Can I maintain the field around everyone and prevent this attack?
Catching Ninjutsu was easy, but a Cursed Technique?
Fuck
I'm not sure.
And that means I've gotta gamble on this…
Haku's palm is completely coated in Cursed Energy, the waves of roiling power ebbing and flowing as he gently blows it forth, like dust in the wind.
I saw the frost creep through the air at incredible speed.
But over such a large area… it can't be lethal, not with that amount. While impressive the technique was unrefined, untrained.
It would seem that Haku hadn't had many chances to use this ability.
Thus I gambled that its lethality would be diminished. And since it probably wouldn't kill my team or Tazuna upon direct contact….
I make my choice.
Infinity's spread tightened around me, my full attention focused on the fabric of reality which encased me.
My eyes see everything after all.
With this degree of precision and focus, I watch as the wave of frost begins to slow, Haku's technique inevitability yielding to Infinity.
At the same time, her Ice ability has reached everyone else.
Sasuke and Tazuna are instantly frozen up until their shoulders, large spikey pieces of ice poking out from their now rigid forms.
I felt Kakashi's Chakra fluctuate as he substituted with a log.
With his Sharingan active he'd likely seen the wave of cursed energy coming at him and quickly evaded. He wasn't a highly decorated Jonin for any reason.
My attention remains on Haku though.
The Ice User's eyes are wide with surprise. After all, I'm completely untouched. I've also gotten a feel for how Cursed Energy is against Infinity.
'Thanks Haku' I think to myself raising my other hand 'Now, let's try Clea-'
A flare of power sparks up beside me.
I turn to look at the source.
Naruto is standing there, a look of total confusion on his face which was likely due to the fact he wasn't completely frozen.
'Huh…' I take a visual note from the fact that there's a ring of Ice encircling the boy, but the frost never actually reached his form.
'It's about a foot or two of a gap…'
The Nine Tails had done something then…
But it could combat Cursed Energy?
…can all tailed beasts do that?
A bigger question skims my thoughts.
…do they know what Cursed Energy is?
Fucks sake, so many damn things I want to know.
Still, I slash a finger in Haku's direction.
"Cleave"
Haku's head rolls from the top of his shoulders.
I raise an eyebrow.
'Well. No going back now'
I suppose I should have expected something like that. Even though I was the one responsible for it, the suddenness of Haku's death managed to catch me off guard.
No last minute speeches.
No savior to leap in and push the person aside. Zabuza was still on the floor, grunting in pain and agony as he fought to keep himself from going into shock.
'He likely doesn't even realize what happened…but it's cruel to leave him like this'
I want to sigh.
Instead….
"Cleave"
And Momochi Zabuza also dies.
Naruto Uzumaki didn't think he was going to see four people die today.
The possibility of watching a stabbing, beheading and an entire person get turned into chunks of meat wasn't even within the realm of possibility, let alone happening in quick succession… the sight before him caused his brain to short circuit.
Naruto's mind slowly played back the moments as he processed what had just happened.
They'd been attacked by Kunai.
Ryo had been blown up, but then been fine.
Then he'd dragged the Ninja in.
Stabbed one.
And the other-
Naruto's eyes trail towards the smear across the ground.
His mind isn't thinking about how his body had naturally warmed up as the Ice grew upon Sasuke and Tazuna.
No, he was thinking about the large pieces of human flesh which had once constituted a person that now littered across the well beaten path.
Naruto looked down further.
An unfrozen chunk of flesh was near his feet…
Naruto recognised it as a piece of a face-
The youth hurled suddenly, his body violently rejecting the sight before him.
"Naruto!"
A hand settles on his back. The blonde gags once more, his vision almost blurry as he looks up at the voice.
It's Ryo.
"Easy. Deep breathes"
Cerulean orbs clashed with a soft blue gaze.
The glow was gone.
Ryo had fully deactivated his ability.
Between shaky breaths Naruto manages a sentence.
"You just, killed, them"
The words are filled with an invisible accusation, the slightest hint of emotional inflection coating his voice that suggested Naruto was conflicted.
Ryo's expression flattens somewhat.
"It was us or them"
No.
Naruto wanted to shake his head at that.
No, he didn't need to accept that cold logic.
They could have convinced them to leave, they didn't have to-
His eyes drift toward the headless and bisected corpse.
"Hey. Look at me Naruto"
The blonde refocuses on his friend.
"Just stay with me man. Keep breathing"
Naruto manages to comply, slowly but surely composing himself.
"There we go" Ryo pats his back, "you don't have to accept it now, Naruto. But outside of the village, it's kill or be killed"
The blonde winces at that, pointedly looking away from the scenes of death.
"You could have spared them"
"I gave them a choice"
The blonde almost growled but held his tongue.
"The smart ones ran," Ryo grunted, "so whatever may happen past that is out of our hands. They chose to face us. They will bear the consequences of that, not us"
Naruto feels cold.
He shrugs Ryo's hand from his shoulder.
And Naruto doesn't know how to properly express what he wants to say, but still tries his best. He takes a second to grasp with the feeling that bothers him, and why Ryo was just… wrong.
"They died… bad"
After having his grip pushed away, Ryo kept a professional distance from the blonde.
"Many people die bad, Naruto. What're you gonna do about it?"
"I-" the Jinchuriki's mouth slowly closed.
Ryo glared at the blonde.
"It's Us or Them, Naruto. And I don't care what I have to fucking do to stay standing, but I'll do it. You-"
Ryo's head snaps left.
"What the fuck..?"
Two blurs come hurtling out of the tree line.
Naruto watches as a bodily strike connects with Ryo's stomach before his friend is sent flying away.
The two blurs give chase.
Frozen in place, Naruto can only watch as the large men swiftly converge on Ryo's form, the two of them leaking a considerable wave of Chakra and Killing Intent.
Naruto can't move.
The attack was too sudden, the crushing presence of these two mystery Shinobi completely locking him down.
Naruto feels faint.
The pressure is increasing, but he is also feeling a deep response from within.
Something stirs deep in his being, a grumbling voice deeply pleased with something suddenly rattling around its words within his head.
"Kill him. Now. For Father"
The Jinchuriki collapses into unconsciousness a second later.
And that's that. Hope to see y'all for the next chapter.
All the best,
Freedom.