A/N: Okay guys, great news! We're caught up to ao3 now! So, from this point on, the chapters will be published weekly every Sunday, with interludes/extra stuff being published every Wednesday. Well, it's probably not good news for u guys since you have to wait a week for new content instead of a day. Oh well, it's still an update that you all definitely need to know. Anyway, enjoy the chp, Lytn out o7
ϟ—Chapter Sixteen — Domain of Death—ϟ
Hey, Nibi! Since this place is called the Forest of Death, I guess it should be your domain, right?!
I am not entertained by your sense of humor.
Ka'rai pouted, drawing the attention of Hane. "What's wrong?"
"Nibi doesn't think I'm funny…" mourned Ka'rai as they traveled through the canopy.
"Well, I don't either, so…" murmured Yowui.
Ka'rai gasped in outrage. "Hey!"
"I think he's very funny," defended Hane.
Yowui rolled his eyes. "You two are a match made in hell."
Ka'rai laughed loudly; Hane shushed him. "You'll draw attention to us!"
"Isn't that the point? We're supposed to kill Konoha Shinobi, y'know," said Ka'rai.
She frowned. "I guess…"
Ka'rai went silent for a bit, then sighed. His attention was drawn to the scent he picked up. Black fire danced across his face paint and his senses heightened. Yowui looked toward him. "You smell someone?"
"Yeah, it's Naruto and his team." Again, guilt clawed at his throat. "Let's go somewhere else."
"Didn't you just say we're supposed to kill Konoha Shinobi?" asked Yowui.
Ka'rai shook his head profusely. "Not him or his team. The same goes for Shinrai and his team. We leave them alone." His tone was hard and unabrasive… far from usual.
Hane looked at him. "I'm happy to see you're finally feeling bad about this."
"You're happy I'm feeling sad?"
"Being sad is a good thing sometimes, Rai-rai."
The feeling weighed down on him. He felt slower, breathing was more difficult… Suddenly, he barked out blue flames. "I disagree!" Ka'rai inhaled deeply. "I have a different scent." He took his eyes off of his team to scan the area where he caught the smell.
"C'mon!" he called. Both Yowui and Hane sighed before following behind him. The scent got closer as he approached, not just because he was getting closer, no. The scent came closer to him as well.
He was spotted.
Ka'rai laughed. "They know we're here!"
Yowui cursed and pulled out a kunai while Hane silently equipped her blade. Through the trees and shadows, he spied three Konoha Shinobi. One was a Hyuuga, his hair long and brown with his Byakugan glaring with hate. The other was a dude with thick eyebrows and a bowl cut dressed in a green jumpsuit. The last one was a girl with dark brown hair and a shit-ton of scrolls.
Immediately, Ka'rai shot out a cobalt blue firestorm from both hands. The Hyuuga leapt forward and rotated, making a dome of chakra that dissipated the flames. Even still, his hands were still burned.
"Neji! Scroll!" yelled the girl. His Byakugan pulsed with chakra.
"Heaven," he answered… Neji, apparently, was his name.
The bushy brow kid cheered. "JUST WHAT WE NEED!"
Ka'rai furrowed his brow, grabbing the pocket where he hid the scroll. "How the hell do you know?!"
"The Byakugan can see through objects!" answered Hane, standing in a defense stance.
Ka'rai laughed. "You're looking through my clothes?! That's kinda gay dude!" He pointed at Yowui, then back at that Neji guy. "Yowui! Look, go shoot your shot!"
He rolled his eyes. "Do you see me shipping you off with every straight girl I see?!"
"No, I have a girlfriend!"
Yowui tilted his head. "Good point."
Neji's Byakugan cracked with intensity, and utter malice seeped from his glare. "You bastards…"
"What the hell did we do?!" yelled Ka'rai, teeth and nails growing as he summoned Nibi's chakra.
Neji grit his teeth and stomped forward. "Your village killed my father!"
"What?!" questioned Ka'rai.
He must be the son of Hizashi Hyuuga. Some years ago, we sent a Shinobi to kidnap the heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. He was killed. Lord Raikage demanded the head of the Hyuuga Clan's head as payment. It was delivered. We later discovered that it was the head of the Clan Head's twin brother. It was not a big enough issue to push to war.
"Interesting…" murmured Ka'rai. He smirked at Neji. "Well, if you're so angry about your father's death, then how about I send you to meet him?"
"How dare you—!" he shouted before the girl on his team grabbed his shoulder. Ka'rai started to charge, but Hane stopped him as well.
"Ka'rai… we don't have to kill them," Hane suggested, looking him intensely in the eye.
He raised his brow. Yowui didn't seem to care either way. "But Lord Raikage said—"
"—if we just prevent them from passing, it'll serve the same purpose, right?" she proposed, shaking him a bit—almost desperately. "Please Rai-rai… Our village has already harmed him…"
He sucked his teeth. With a deep breath, he sighed. "Fine. I won't try to kill them. "
Hane sighed as Ka'rai stepped forward. The girl was whispering to Neji, trying to get them to do… something. He couldn't quite hear them. With the help of Nibi's chakra, that wasn't an issue for long.
She was trying to get her team to run away. Neither of the boys wanted to. Good. Ka'rai laughed and Jinsei flame seeped from his skin. "Sorry girl… but y'all aren't getting the chance to run away."
In the blink of an eye, Ka'rai was in front of Neji. He responded with a palm strike to his chest. A sudden numb ache echoed in his chest. It was soon followed by another, then another, and then another. Ka'rai wrapped Jinsei around Neji's neck and pulled him off the branch. Both boys collapsed into the canopy.
Yowui immediately had to block a hard kick from the bushy brow dude. "DAMN!" he shouted as his bone creaked. His grip on his kunai tightened as lightning shocked through it. Yowui stabbed it at the guy's chest, but a second kick to his throat sent him flying through the canopy. Quick thinking, ninja wire, and another kunai helped him dodge the third kick.
He swung himself out of the way. Then, Yowui pulled the kunai from the tree and hurled it at bushy brows. The guy deflected it, but Yowui leapt back and channeled lighting through the kunai he yanked. Voltage cut through his shoulder and he cried out in pain.
Yowui caught his kunai then weaved hand seals. Halfway through his sequence, he was punched in the nose. The sound of it breaking hit his ears. "Take this!" yelled bushy brows as a terrible punch was dug into the side of his ribs. Those also broke.
"Leaf hurricane!" A kick to the side of his head sent him flying through the forest. He barely managed to wrap his kunai over a branch to dodge the next assault. A quick half seal and a Genjutsu was cast. This kid's taijutsu was insane. But if he didn't know where his target actually was… then it meant nothing.
Meanwhile, Hane was fighting the other girl. Sparks flew in the bladed dual they had. Hane's blade was still in its tanto form, while the girl wielded an exotic blade with serrated edges. A strategy popped into Yowui's head, while he hid behind a tree.
He weaved hand seals, getting to finish them that time. An illusion was cast on bushy brows… To him, it looked like his girl teammate was him, and that Hane was his girl teammate. The guy growled in outrage. "How did you sneak over there?!"
In a flash of green, he charged what he thought to be Yowui. The girl's eyes widened in horror. "Hey! LEE! WHAT ARE YOU—?!" She was shut up by another one of those 'Leaf Hurricanes.' Quickly, Yowui regrouped with Hane.
"Okay, what's the plan here?!" asked Yowui, disheveled, with a disfigured nose. He only just now realized how much breathing hurt.
Her eyes widened. "To get you healed."
"But, Ka'rai's fighting that Hyuuga guy—"
"He's Ka'rai."
"Good point."
The two rushed down the burning leaves to Ka'rai.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
To fight this Hyuuga, he had to keep up a constant shield of Jinsei. His assault—the Juken, Yugito called it—attacked his insides. He never felt a cut on his lungs before; it was fun to experience! Ka'rai's amusement only seemed to piss Neji off.
"I'll wipe that infuriating smile off of you!" he declared before striking his palm at Ka'rai's face.
That only made Ka'rai laugh as the numb ache radiated through his face. "Let me stop playing…" A cobalt blue eruption forced Neji to shield himself—but it wasn't the fire itself he needed to worry about. Flames wrapped Ka'rai's claws and he slashed at Neji. He barely blocked it but the fire still charred his skin black.
Ka'rai kicked Neji in the gut, sending out a firestorm that made him scream. Fury enveloped Neji as he pounced forward and attacked with the Juken again. Another attack to his lungs. When he took his next breath—it didn't work.
Nibi's intent filled him and so did Jinsei flame. All the damage he received was gone. With his Byakugan, Neji saw that and he sneered. Stop fooling around. You'll get yourself killed.
Ka'rai pouted before keeping up his assault on Neji. His claws ripped through Neji's defense—he could barely keep up. Neji roared and grabbed his wrist. Next, he shouted, "ROTATION!" and Ka'rai was whirled in a dome of chakra. It made him sick—he wanted to vomit. With the little consciousness he had, he used the hand that Neji grabbed and sent a plume of flame into the dome.
Once again, Neji screamed as the fire enveloped him. Ka'rai was launched into the hard bark of a tree and he groaned. When he saw Neji writhing on fire, he put out the flames. "Oh no, don't burn alive yet!"
Neji leapt to his feet, barely dodging a claw strike from Ka'rai. What Ka'rai did next was weave hand seals. "Fire Style: Flaming Cat Hairballs!" A dozen balls of fire tracked Neji in the air. With the Juken, he struck them individually and they all dissipated.
He bolted forward, and Jinsei enveloped his claws. A strike across Neji's chest brought him to his knees. The wound didn't even bleed—that was how burnt it was. Ka'rai's foot pinned Neji to the ground.
"Your scroll… I'm going to need that," informed Ka'rai with the Nibi's eyes.
Neji strained futilely against him. "Go to hell!"
"I could send you there," bluffed Ka'rai, flicking his Jigoku Blade. Which he hadn't touched throughout the entire battle. He leaned down, looked Neji in the eyes while he heated up the sole of his foot. "Scroll. Now."
Neji growled and thrashed in response. Fire erupted from Ka'rai's foot. Neji screamed again. "I said scroll!"
Suddenly, two thumps behind him drew his attention. Hane and Yowui ran toward him. "Yowui needs Jinsei!" yelled Hane.
Ka'rai tilted his head and ignited Yowui with the Jinsei flames. "What happened to the other two?"
"I put them under a Genjutsu, they're fighting each other—"
"LEAF HURRICANE!"
A kick to Ka'rai's head sent him flying off of Neji. The girl set off a series of smoke bombs— they smelled terrible. Ka'rai's sense of smell was thrown all the way off and his disgust was audible. The smoke had a constant hiss; he couldn't hear a thing.
All of his senses were compromised.
A violent Juken strike struck the core of his chakra. His entire system jolted. The smoke whirled around Neji. Even with his burns and wounds, he dropped into a stance he hadn't seen before. "TWO PALMS!" he shouted before two of his chakra points were sealed.
"FOUR PALMS!"
"EIGHT PALMS!"
"SIXTEEN PALMS!"
"THIRTY-TWO PALMS!"
The relentless strikes to his system blocked his chakra completely and utterly—Ka'rai could barely react to them. And yet… that wasn't the end of it.
"EIGHT TRIGRAMS! SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!" roared Neji, sealing shut sixty-four of Ka'rai's chakra points. He collapsed to the floor, unable to move an inch.
Fuck…
"What happened to sending me to meet my father?! Answer me, you cat-brained fool," Neji sneered, panting and out of breath.
"Cats are smart, dude… I don't know why you're using that as an insult," mumbled Ka'rai as he channeled Nibi's chakra. It was as if the floodgates were opened. Neji's Byakugan eyes granted him vision of his impending doom before it came.
A cobalt blue firestorm below back the smoke. Ka'rai roared and the flames spewed like lava. Trees burned, grass was turned to ash, and Neji could barely defend himself from the attack. Smoke rose and choked the air…
The chill of death rattled anyone that wasn't Ka'rai. "If I was anyone else, that attack probably would've worked. But not me, definitely not me."
A single tail of fire whipped behind Ka'rai with his feline cloak burning. However, something that wasn't the terrified Neji caught his eyes. Hane was on the floor—bleeding from a massive gash on her shoulder. Funnily enough, a triumphant smirk was on her face.
Ka'rai didn't notice that.
With a weapon raised, the girl prepared to bring it down. Before he could even think, Jinsei shot from Ka'rai's cloak and into a spear that punctured the girl's heart. Now thinking, Ka'rai clenched his fist with fury. The spear sprouted into flaming tendrils that burned countless holes into her. Additional Jinsei flames made their way toward Hane.
The girl screamed. Neji roared as he attacked Ka'rai furiously. He flung the girl's burning body at Neji, knocking them both to the ground. With a scream, he ignited them both with Jinsei's wrath. The girl was already dead by the time Neji wailed with his agony.
"You…" began the bushy brow guy with a tremble. "You killed Tenten."
"The fuck are you going to do about it?!" shouted Ka'rai with the Nibi's glare. His power rose even more in the presence of a corpse.
His fists clenched and hard. Tears poured from his face—and he sobbed. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!" he screamed. Suddenly, two weights were tossed at him—leg weights.
When Ka'rai caught them, his arm dropped to the floor. "SHIT!"
"FOURTH GATE! GATE OF PAIN! OPEN!"
The charred earth shattered as Ka'rai's ribs broke. A green-glowing foot sent him flying with blood spewing from his mouth. The green beast flashed toward him, but this time Ka'rai managed to block.
He cackled as he felt his bones creak. "SO! YOU WERE THE STRONGEST THE WHOLE TIME?!"
The Gated Ghoul screamed in response before kicking Ka'rai's skull. He flew into a tree, but caught himself. Fire surrounded his claws and he pounced at the same time as bushy brows did. His claws shattered when it made contact with his kick.
Ka'rai clawed at his back. No blood was able to spew through the burns. He flipped back like a feline to dodge an attack. Bushy brow's next strike was blocked, and both boys erupted with a shockwave of chakra. They skidded back on the ground.
"You… what's your name?"
"MY NAME IS ROCK LEE! REMEMBER THIS NAME! IT WILL BE THE ONE TO SEND YOU TO THE GRAVE!" he shouted and even more chakra roared from him. "FIFTH GATE! GATE OF LIMIT! OPEN!"
Ka'rai barely saw flickers as he was knocked around. A new bone shattered each time he was hit and boy was he loving it. Bandages wrapped around Ka'rai's body, burning away in the cloak. Before it burned to ash, Rock Lee pulled him into his fist and shouted, "HIDDEN LOTUS!"
A dust cloud the size of a building was kicked up. The ground shattered into rocky shards. It collapsed into a crater with Ka'rai broken and battered in the middle. "Yeah…" he managed. "You're too strong to die."
Kill him now, demanded Yugito. He's nearly as strong as you are in the one tailed cloak. If you let him live, then there's most definitely a possibility that he'll cause a problem.
But he's strong… Hane's going to be mad at me, too.
I do not care. The Raikage gave you orders. You follow them.
But, I care. Ka'rai looked at Rock Lee, his fist still in his chest. The kid could barely stand. Plus, it doesn't look like he can handle doing that a lot…
Ka'rai ignited Jinsei into his body. It didn't take long for his bones to snap back into place. He looked at Neji and the girl he just killed. I killed one of them, anyway. He put out the Jinsei flames that burned the two.
In this state, they're not passing. Don't you agree, Yugito?
An ache pained Ka'rai's head. Lord Raikage said kill them. So, you kill them.
The thought of Hane's frown crossed his mind. Yugito saw it. His head hurt worse. What if I disagree?
That is disobeying direct orders. Nearly treason.
Call it that… but I don't want Hane to be sad anymore. With that, Ka'rai knocked Rock Lee off of him. He collapsed to the ground, then forced himself up.
"You… get… back here…" he managed with a sickening tremble.
Ka'rai's cloak evaporated as he stood up himself. "Just give up… You've lost. You're not getting promoted, either."
"Yes I will!" shouted Rock Lee. He stepped forward but immediately fell to the floor afterward. His nails bled as he crawled on the shattered rock.
Ka'rai frowned… it was sad. Instead, he looked away and marched toward Hane. She was sitting in the Jinsei flames, with Yowui standing guard. "Did you get the scroll, Yowui?"
"No, because I got it!" announced Hane with a cheeky smile. An earth scroll was in her grasp. "The girl had it, so I made a gamble. I reached out to grab it while she attacked me with her sword. I took the wound to get the scroll, because I knew you'd heal me!"
"Ah." Then Ka'rai frowned. "Sorry for killing her…"
"You tried your best," she assured with a sigh, her smile fading a bit.
Ka'rai chuckled in response. Yowui let out a breath. "So, we head to the tower now?"
"But we only took out one team!" argued Ka'rai.
Hane hummed, standing up while still on fire. "Well, any team that wins is gonna be at the tower, right? We could just camp out there and pick off any Konoha teams we see."
"Great plan!" agreed Ka'rai with a smirk.
Yowui shrugged. "Yeah, that seems smart."
"Then let's go!" said Hane. Jinsei flames were put out and then the three set off.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
When Cirru became a part of this team, he expected to be the leader. But… Clowui ended up taking that position. She favored Sami over him as well—despite her not being any form of nobility. All of that resulted in him being the odd one out.
He respected Clowui as nobility… but as time went on, it was evident that she was simply above him. Especially since his father was still trying to curb his behavior. 'Your heritage doesn't matter if you can't back it up…' that was what he said. Is he correct?
Am I simply a disgrace? Even Sami… she's beginning to catch up to me. That farm boy as well. Cirru gulped. He managed to buy himself some presentable clothes. A gray sweater with a clouded design, flexible so it wouldn't get in the way during action. Black, tight-fitted pants as well. It worked well enough for him.
Sami's outfit was still better.
"I see a Konoha team," informed Clowui with her eyes glowing. Above all in the trees, they looked down on him. It was some blonde girl, a fat boy, and another boy with spiky black hair.
A determined smirk crossed his face. This is my chance to prove my heritage. "I'll take them—"
"No," denied Clowui. "I have a new jutsu I would like to test out."
"So do I!" he argued.
Unphased, Clowui spared him a glance. "You can fight the next team."
Cirru sucked his teeth before rolling his eyes with a scoff. "Fine…"
When Clowui leapt down in between the three, she didn't make a sound. In a single fluid motion, she retrieved a kunai and embedded it in the blonde girl's heart. The two boys screamed out her name.
Clowui's Ketsuryugan glowed as she weaved hand seals. "Exploding Human."
Immediately, the blonde's body expanded, turning disfigured and morphing into the color of a bruise. Clowui leapt back up into the trees and weaved a half seal. "Detonate."
The girl cried out in agony before detonating. Blood and gore blew out in all directions. Fat boy was closest to her—bone and blood ripped across his throat and he screamed. Her head managed to stay largely intact, and it tore through the spiky-haired boy's chest like a cannon-ball. He didn't get the opportunity to scream.
Cirru couldn't believe his eyes. The grotesque scene he stared at made him sick to his stomach. Even Sami was visibly unsettled—despite being used to Clowui's antics. Clowui herself, tilted her head in a sort of satisfaction. "So, my jutsu is effective…" she said to nobody in particular.
"Good," she concluded. All three made eye contact with each other. "You'll get your chance to prove yourself when we hunt down the next team."
"Okay…" was all he could bring himself to say. I knew she was the morbid type… but I'd never expect this. Yes, it was their orders to kill any Konoha Genin they saw—but like this?! Every part of him was disgusted. Yet, he couldn't find the strength to say anything—to object to her.
Cirru looked to Sami for some sort of assurance. She just gave him a blank stare in return. It was only then that Cirru noticed the tremble in his hands.
"Are you two ready to go or no?" asked Clowui.
They both gave a shaky nod. Then they set off.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
It'd been a while since they reached the tower. Not a whiff of anyone—especially not from Konoha. Ka'rai sighed. "Man… this is boring."
"We're going to fight soon again," assured Hane with her usual smile.
He huffed. "Soon needs to be now."
"Soon could afford to wait," said Yowui with a whistle.
Ka'rai groaned. "Y'know, I thought that being beat up by Cirru for months straight would make you less of a bitch."
"Oh, I'm not scared, I just don't want to do it!" he responded with a fake and sarcastic smile.
Hane let out a laugh, while Ka'rai simply shrugged. "Fair enough." His eyes drifted to the face of his girlfriend. With the Nibi's vision he attempted to decipher if she was faking the smile or not… He knew not to bring it up, in case she wasn't—
A familiar scent filled his nose. Ka'rai grinned and cackled like a madman. "GAARA!"
Yowui paled. "Oh no—No, no!"
"YES!" he yelled before leaping from atop the tree near the tower and sprinting off. "C'mon! You know you two can't take a team by yourselves!"
Yowui scoffed. "We could take a weaker team by ourselves, right?" he asked to Hane.
She just shrugged. "Let's not let Rai-rai die all by himself…" Yowui's sigh was long and hard as he watched Hane flicker toward Ka'rai. With a heart heavy with reluctance, he followed.
In a plume of blue fire, Ka'rai leapt in front of the Suna Team. The three stopped in their tracks—Gaara's two teammates were certainly panicked as well. Ka'rai couldn't help but grin at the sight of Shukaku's Jinchuriki.
"Hey… Gaara."
"Ka'rai Uzumaki…" he rasped. Yowui and Hane joined Ka'rai, all three of them facing the plume of flames. "Have you come to prove your existence to me?"
"If that's what you wanna call it, then yeah, I have." Teeth grew past his lips as his claws grew. Sucking her teeth, the girl on Gaara's team stepped in front of the two.
"Hey! You guys can't be fighting like this!" she shouted, sweating profusely and trembling. "You know about the plan! If Gaara loses, it'll ruin everything!"
"Move out of the way, Temari. If you interfere again, I'll kill you." She froze at the impersonal—apathetic—threat. The bastard didn't care about his own teammates.
It wasn't his problem. He just needed to fight. Before Ka'rai could charge, Gaara spoke again. "Those two… they're the source of your weakness." He pointed his finger to Yowui and Hane. Shadows crossed his face, and his expression hardened. "If I fight you the way you are… then it will be meaningless, because I will win. You're like me, but infuriatingly different at the same time."
Sand crawled out of the gourd on his back.
"I'll take away what makes you weak, then I'll prove my existence by killing you."
It was too late when Ka'rai realized his feet were digging into sand. Was he preparing this the whole time?!
Shukaku's domain is the desert. This boy can create sand. He will be a powerful opponent for you.
An eruption of fire signified Ka'rai's explosion into a one tailed cloak. The sand beneath his feet shattered into glass and he pounced forward. Gaara's attack wasn't toward him.
'I'll take away what makes you weak.'
Both Yowui and Hane screamed as they were overtaken with sand. Yowui barely managed to react with a Stormbreaker Fist—Hane barely reacted as water coated her blade. Ka'rai burned a second tail. He moved at speeds he never thought possible for himself. Instinct drove him to grip his blade.
"Sand Burial."
At the same time hellflame roared blue—Hane and Yowui cried out in agony. A hellish firestorm shattered the sand into glass and the two were barely freed. Gaara rasped a frustrated growl. "They're weakening you, Ka'rai Uzumaki! Why must you be so stubborn?!"
"YOU BASTARD!" screamed Ka'rai with an abysmal roar of his cloak. The trees caught fire from the misfortune of being near. Beneath his feet, he stood upon molten sand—melted by him. His lips were pulled back, bearing his fangs with a glare of agonizing fury. "How DARE YOU! How fucking DARE YOU!"
Before he could attack Gaara, Hane's pained cry hit his ears. He stared down at her, fear and fury shaking his green and yellow pupils. Blood poured from her lips, her lower body was bleeding profusely.
You need to go if you wish to save your teammates!
Ka'rai screamed before picking up the half conscious Yowui and Hane. He pounced into the trees, fighting the sand with infuriated plumes of fire. "The next time I see you… Gaara, you're not going to live for another fucking second."
Gaara only growled in response. "Get back here!"
In a cobalt blue flash, Ka'rai bolted away, searching for shelter. With Nibi's eyes, it didn't take long. The moment he sat Hane and Yowui down, he ignited them with Jinsei. He stayed in his two tailed cloak to empower the flames… but his mere presence inside of the tree burned the wood.
Your Jinsei isn't refined enough to heal such severe injuries. On top of that, your rabid emotions are slowing the process down; your hate is fighting against your care.
That only made Ka'rai more furious. Jinsei immediately reacted with a jolt—Hane and Yowui were burned. Fear spiked and Jinsei calmed. He dropped out of his two tailed cloak, onto his knees.
I… I can't do anything?! He asked, desperation cracking his tone even in his own head.
Take them to the tower. They should get urgent medical attention there, suggested Yugito.
He clenched his fists. Was that fucking Gaara right?! There was nothing he himself could to to help them. He was too weak. He wasn't strong. His strength meant nothing if the weak around him didn't benefit—Ka'rai profusely shook his head in utter denial. If he didn't have Hane and Yowui with him, then Gaara wouldn't have been able to attack them.
He attacked his weakness—they were his weakness.
For the first time ever… powerlessness clasped Ka'rai's spirit.
He would never forget its sickening grip.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Sami's skin still crawled from the grotesque scene Clowui left. She hated death… everything about it. That was why she wore the glove and never used it. All it brought was death. But… to think her own closest friend would be so comfortable with death. It truly brought her fear. Memories of the darkness opened up like a maw.
Her friend's arms… they were so cold when they were lifeless.
"Clowui… did you really need to do that?"
"Their deaths were quick. They didn't have the time to dwell on their suffering," she reasoned with her apathetic gaze, yet her tone had a comfort to it. "You have no need to worry, Sami," she said next… somewhat assuring.
It was only because Sami knew her, that she was sure it was genuine. She let out a sigh. Clowui looked back at her. Something resembling warmth was in her eyes. "I apologize if you were disturbed."
"It's fine…" murmured Sami.
Cirru let out a breath. "About time you apologized for something. I accept—"
"I wasn't apologizing to you, Cirru," corrected Clowui with her tone growing cold.
He rolled his eyes.
The next hour of traveling was less stressful for her. She didn't need to think of death anymore. Clowui… seemed human again. Cirru was still silent. Quite out of character… But, it was peaceful. At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a bit bad. Oh well, it was Cirru, after all.
Clowui's attention was caught. "I see another team. Two, actually. One from Oto, one from Konoha. They're battling."
"Oto are our allies. We should leave them be," suggested Cirru.
Clowui shook her head. "No… they're fighting a Hyuuga. I'm interested. Don't you want to prove yourself, Cirru? Well, here is your chance."
He sucked his teeth and chuckled. "I suppose you're correct…"
Sami tilted her head. "A Hyuuga? But didn't you give us those seals that allow us to circumvent the Byakugan's vision? It seems pointless to me."
"I did…" admitted Clowui. "But, to battle a Hyuuga is something I wish to do."
"Fair enough," conceded Sami with a sigh. It didn't take them long at all to reach the battleground. They were in Clowui's line of sight, after all. The Hyuuga Clowui described was a girl. Her hair was all black besides a white streak that ran down the front of her hair. The other person there was a girl with long, pink hair.
Immediately, she weaved hand seals to take care of her. "Lightning Style: Thunderbolt," she said under her breath, leaping down. The charged voltage shone with a hint of twilight as it hit the pink-haired girl in the chest. All it took was that one hit to take her out of the battle entirely.
Sami quickly dashed to Clowui's side. Cirru floated in the air. The Oto team that attacked the Hyuuga and the other girl were entirely unconscious… aside from the leader of the group. He stood beside Clowui, ahead of her… fuming.
"Kumo…" sneered the Hyuuga in a hateful tone that made her skin crawl.
When Sami laid eyes on the Hyuuga, every instinct inside of her screamed at her to run. The girl's pale lavender eyes were shot with fury. The grass and dust below blew from the radiance of her anger. Despite all that, Clowui remained stoic. "Your eyes are useless here… Are you a Branch Member or Main?"
The Hyuuga ignored her question entirely. "Come one step closer and nobody will be able to recognize your corpses."
Fear gripped at her—the girl's rage glowered at her like an omnidirectional storm. Sami couldn't help but stumble backward. "Clowui… I don't like this." Her tone shook like a rock on stilts.
Clowui hummed in response. "She is not a target… she is from Konoha… so we must kill her."
"Yeah, there's no way this girl can beat us on her own!" boasted Cirru with his arrogant bravatto. His usual smirk twisted his face, but there was no denying the cracks of fear that seeped through.
"This is your final warning to leave," she spat. It seemed too gracious for the being of hatred that she was. Cirru responded by growing his smirk, a poor attempt to mask his fear. The Hyuuga saw that. She sent a glare into Cirru's eyes—a face of utter horror shattered onto his face.
The whole time, Clowui remained unphased.
A growl of frustration hit Sami's ears. The Oto Genin dashed toward the Hyuuga with compounding irritation. That act… proved to be his last. It only took a single hit from the Hyuuga to evaporate his torso into a gory mist. Again, Sami's stomach churned at the sight of death. His dismembered arms and head rolled across the forest floor unceremoniously.
The Hyuuga girl was trembling now. Her eyes were glossed over with malice and fury. Sami clenched her fists… Cirru seemed about a step away from vomiting. All Clowui did was tilt her head curiously. "I've never seen that technique before… Our ally would be interested in you."
With haggard breaths, the Hyuuga began a countdown. "Five…" Another Breath. Every fiber of Sami's being begged her to run. She didn't. "Four…"
The bloody glow of the Ketsuryugan signaled Clowui's attack. The blood covering the Hyuuga glowed into confines. In a moment, Clowui was in front of her with a blood-soaked kunai. "I'll present you to him."
They two delved into a bloody skirmish. Fear raced the blood through Sami's body—she couldn't move. Terror paralyzed Cirru as well. The girl struck Clowui's kunai with her palm. It shattered. At the same time the skin was peeled from Clowui's hand, the Hyuuga's palm was splintered with shattered and bloody metal.
Her Ketsuryugan glowed as she jumped back. Clowui weaved hand seals even as The Hyuuga stayed upon her. "Blood Style: Bleeding Edge Jet!" A jet of consecrated blood shot from Clowui's mouth. It impaled the girl through the side.
With another bloody glow, Clowui commanded the Hyuuga to kneel. "I am in control of your blood; you can do nothing now."
"You Kumo bastard!" roared the Hyuuga as she forced her hand to clench into a fist. Clowui glared and she glared back tenfold. The Hyuuga's breath accelerated. Sami's heart raced. Nothing felt right. This was all going to go wrong—
It was for the first time she saw Clowui break. Horror crossed her face. The Hyuuga pounced out of the control of the Ketsuryugan. Her palm radiated with the same power that could decimate a human body to mush. It was going to hit Clowui.
No.
It wasn't.
In a heartbeat, Sami ripped off her glove. On her own palm, a violet diamond glowed with darkness. She blitzed toward the Hyuuga and grabbed her wrist. A malevolent maw of twilight consumed the chakra fueling the Hyuuga's palm.
Now, it wasn't just the Hyuuga that Sami was afraid of—no it was herself. If she dared to touch her teammates—they'd die—just like her friend. Even without the chakra, the Hyuuga's palm was strong enough to knock Clowui off her feet. A sudden kick to the side blew her away from the Hyuuga and Clowui.
Another devastating palm strike was prepared by the Hyuuga. Fear drove Sami's palm and another maw of pitch consumed the chakra. The Hyuuga spat Sami a frustrated glare—she pulled a kunai and sliced for her throat—
A gust of wind from above held down the Hyuuga. Her own action knocked Cirru out of his daze. Clowui recovered from her blow and slashed out the back of one of the Hyuuga's knees.
"ROTATION!" she screamed. A dome of whirling chakra blew all three of them back. Sami was on the floor, panting and panicked. The chakra she absorbed… it was violent. Everything about it exuded utter fury—its mere presence in her system made her feel angry.
She looked up to see the Hyuuga's next target. It was Cirru—he had the misfortune of landing nearest to her. The leg Clowui slashed barely had an effect as she dashed toward him—another malevolent palm ready. Cirru managed to blow her back before he was killed.
He blitzed through hand seals quicker than she'd ever seen him do before. "Typhoon Style: Category Three Winds!"
Dust picked up and the deafening sound of sonic winds tore at the Hyuuga. Unrelenting wind and rain bombarded her nonstop. Finally, her leg gave out and she was flung into the bark of a tree. Somehow… she got up. Splinters were embedded in her skin. She was bleeding from multiple points on her body… and yet she stood with a glare filled with endless hate.
"I… will… kill you all," she said as if it was a promise.
Cirru managed a smirk as they stood against her. "It's not looking like that."
"She may not kill you… but I will."
Sami's head whipped around to the second voice—male—somehow just as vile sounding as the Hyuuga's. Crimson-red eyes glared from behind a violent violet aura. Sami's skin crawled even more—Cirru's visceral screams rang out through the forest. She barely registered that he moved. He had kicked Cirru—she could see the figure of his snapped spine through his clothes.
"CIRRU—!"
—It all went black.
⁑ —ϟ— ⁑
Dammit, dammit, dammit, cursed Clowui in her head. I had no idea Sasuke Uchiha was there… or that Lord Orochimaru already got to him. I was forced to reveal my Curse Mark to escape. Clowui bit her lip as she mulled over her mistake.
She looked toward Sami. Her nose was battered, there were many cracks in her skull. Even her eyes wept with blood. There wasn't much she could do. By cutting open Cirru and using his blood to force his spine back into place… she prevented any permanent injury.
In that empty hole made inside of a tree, she had no choice but to realize that she compromised the mission. Her Curse Mark would reveal that she was working with Orochimaru… No, not exactly. She could play it off. Yes. She was targeted before coming for the exams and learned how to use that power.
That was her story.
None else would object.
Orochimaru being after a Chinoike Clan member was quite usual for him. It was very believable. Clowui let out a relieved sigh. She managed to deal with the collateral damage. Now, she had little choice but to head to the tower. Her teammates were in poor condition. It was lucky that the Konoha team she killed had the correct scroll they needed to pass.
Carefully, she picked up Cirru and threw him over her shoulder. Even more carefully, she did the same to Sami. With a hard grimace of apathy, she set off toward the tower.
ϟ—Chapter End—ϟ