"Kankuro...I want you to have my mother and father puppets as well...And, when you die, pass them both on...To the next generation."
Sasori
Haji stared at the still bodies of Sarutobi. Half crushed by debris, their unseen faces had to be twisted in a mix of anger and agony. There was definitely hatred in those lifeless dull gray eyes-had been hatred. There was just no way around that-as strong willed as the Sarutobi were, so to war their hatred and anger. Parts of torsos were completely missing, splattered or crushed somewhere. Blood steadily flowed, but it wasn't near as copious as before, and slowly it was starting to freeze.
He turned away from the grizzly scene, eyes on Shuji who observed everything with a sharp gaze, before turning his own focus back onto Haji.
It was done.
The long and fierce battle was over.
They both remained where they were, even as civilians began to clamor, and more of their comrades were hauled out of the wreckage. Only the footfalls sounding in the close distance-of their comrades and Shisuke's soldiers were tangible.
It was eerie. Just before there had been the chorus and raucous screams and cries, the incessant and deafening pounding of steel on steel chipping away at the walls and at one's very sanity. The earth shaking boom as Machi-Inn collapsed. The clatter and pounding as other buildings became battlegrounds.
They both stayed silent as they turned towards the approaching Yamaguchi.
The buildings across the street were completely demolished. The buildings right next to them, and behind them were also completely devastated some ravaged to the point it couldn't even be considered a building anymore, it looked like an explosive tag went off. Other buildings walls and foundations were gashed and torn from the blades, their wooden pillars split right down the middle.
Blood stained and smeared the immediate area, melting the snow, while also being matted over by the snow. The sheer heat of the crimson liquid made it an ongoing battle between warmth and cold. Balconies and roofs were just but shadows of their former selves. Balconies being ravaged to the point only a tenth remained. Roofs were caved in and indented, others were completely shattered-all from impacts and collisions.
Pitiful arms and legs littered every stepping point, bodies hung off from railing and segments of the surrounding wreckage, fingers and toes decorated just about every place, the bits of bone and tendons, the lengths of sinew, were scattered about on the ground.
"The bridge area is really bad..." Yamaguchi informed, several cuts dotting his body.
"I should probably get over there." Shuji mused.
"That's good. Shisuke should be arriving here shortly. Are the Sarutobi finished with? Injuries. Yamaguchi, assist." Haji pressed ahead.
His eyes zoned towards Asuko who sat on the ground both elbows resting on her knees, her broken sword lying next to her. Nao and Nobu were just a few feet from her. Todou was close by with Asuna and several others, helping haul out any of their comrades still buried in the wreckage. Daisuke stood a few feet from everyone inspecting his chipped blade with narrow eyes of scrutiny. Any of his comrades that were able, were resting, those that weren't-were injured. Everything from minor to severe.
"More than a few people are severely injured, some just have cuts, and others have broken bones. We should probably start moving as soon as possible. The Sarutobi are finished here. Tsugi is hunting down those that retreated. The damiyo's soldiers are finishing off those that they cornered." Asuna supplied.
"There's not a single survivor. Except for Sasuke and Genzo." Asuko said a little bluntly.
"A shame. I'd like to know what pushed Sasuke to such lengths in the first place. He's always been hot blooded, but doing something this drastic..."
"He did take a chunk of land in the desert region. He was launching fireballs. It is just in the nature of shinobi to be this way." Haji turned towards him, eyes focused.
"I suppose you make good points." Shuji conceded with a nod.
"Clear the way! All of you onlookers, get back to your business! Go back to whatever it was you were doing, this is none of your concern! Go back to your drinks!"
Shisuke's voice boomed through the area. The crowds of people began to fearfully part a path, stepping further back, murmurs echoing being carried by the gusty wind fading in and out. Shisuke stood at the helm of his soldiers, along with Danzo.
"I see things have cleared up. The damage is minimal as well, compared to what could have happened. The area around the bridge is already taken care of, your comrades should be returning shortly, or at the gates. You've all done excellent."
Both Haji and Shuji were caught off guard by the man's last statement. Shisuke gestured towards the tall man at his side donning war armor, and with no hesitation the walked deeper into wreckage of the inn, barking out orders and starting to delegate. He did his best not to stare too long at the grizzly, ruined scene all around him.
Shinobi were beyond brutal.
Subatsu were just savage.
Shisuke took a small breath, watching things proceed. Carts and wagons were hauled to their destination, and bodies were heaved atop them. Soldiers did their best to clear away debris, and also herding people back that refused to leave. "The Capital has been preserved and maintained. At such crucial times, stability is needed for there to be absolute victory."
"We will be taking our leave then." Haji said.
"Are you sure? It looks like some of your comrades aren't in any condition to move."
Shisuke knew shinobi were durable, but they were still human. They were still mortal. Their bones broke. They had to eat. They had to drink. They felt pain. They had to sleep.
"We'll manage. Because my comrades are so wounded, this is why it is prudent we take our leave at this moment." Haji narrowed his eyes just slightly seeing the carnage surrounding him. There were more than several of his comrades that were unmoving or had labored breathing, there were even more that had serious cuts that continued to bleed. He knew Sasuke, Genzo, and the Sarutobi were strong willed, but to leave this much...
It seems like Sasuke and Genzo were really serious about burning this place down. This should be a deathly blow to them, and they shouldn't come out from under their rock for a while after this...That just leaves the Akimichi clan, I suppose. Haji gathered his thoughts, focusing on Shisuke as the man continued to speak.
"The threat has been neutralized, that much is clear. Do you disagree?"
"I don''t." Shuji stated bluntly. No way in hell was he going to be hauling these bodies out or the ones still outside. "I'd rather not shove my way through these people. Do as you wish."
"Good." Shisuke said firmly, he had his mind made up when he gathered his army and began his trek over here. "You may head back to the estate, there will be maidens there waiting for you to arrive, they will help you take off your armor and unwind. You may only do this if you wish, it'd give you time to heal your comrades as well. And, I would insist that you head back and get some rest at the very least no matter how slight. But, again, this choice is yours. You've already got the payment."
He was satisfied seeing Haji give a small nod, but everyone else gathered didn't make any response, and that worried him on a level he couldn't begin to explain.
"Well, you heard him." Ryoku spoke up, clasping the hilt of his broken sword and resting it against his shoulder. "That is an oh so gracious offer."
"It'd be better if we take our leave now." Nao all but told Haji in a very stern, but blunt manner. "We don't have time to entertain him."
"I actually have some medical staff at my estate, feel free to help yourself to some of their expertise." Shisuke encouraged.
"Thanks, but no thanks." Tsugi said with a small smirk. "It's cold as shit here, and I don't like cold weather. Even if I am indoors."
"It is rude to not accept Shisuke-sama's offer." Danzo said softly.
"Indeed, but we have our own pressing matters that need to be attended to. Just as Shisuke-sama has his own pressing matters to take care of now. Delaying anything more now, will only hinder both of us."
"You wouldn't happen to have a smithy here?" Nao asked Shisuke, paying no attention to Haji and Danzo staring at one another. Danzo, this boy really overstepped his boundaries. Seeing Shisuke's eyes narrow, she showed him her sword that was riddled with chips and breaks running up the entire length of the blade.
"He lives alone in the outskirts of the village. No where near this Capital."
Noa nodded. That was a good answer. My sword looks like a chopped and whisked bamboo stick..
"In any scenario it's time we take our leave." Haji steered them back on course, and halted Danzo's next retort before it could even come out of his mouth. "We have to meet up with Usagi anyways."
"That's right." Shuji nodded slowly in agreement. "It seems she's caught wind of someone and is in pursuit. Her current location, it should take us no longer than twenty minutes to reach her."
Hashirama paused, eyes pulsing wide, then drawing narrow. He lifted broken blade and stared at the white-hot stump that held now only half a useless sword. Usagi smile.
Rukuro lunged.
Obi-Wan parried.
Pieces of steel sunk into the snow matted ground. Hashirama looked down at the blade-just one hunk of steel was all that he had left in his hand, then up at Usagi's shining blade, at Rukuro's shining blade, at Itsume, then down at his hands again, and then he seemed to suddenly remember that he had an urgent appointment somewhere else.
Anywhere else.
Usagi stepped toward him, but a shock made her leap back just as a thick branch struck the ground right where he'd been about to place her foot. Usagi rode atop the branches, flipping in the air to land upright between a pair Hashirama's clones that were busily trying to keep her and the rest of her comrades busy, which they continued to do until they found themselves falling in pieces to the ground.
Itsume spun. In the chaos of exploding branches and dying clones, Hashirama was nowhere to be seen.
Itsume waved her sword at Rukuro. "The Senju? Which way?"
Rukuro circled his arm as though throwing shuriken back toward the formation of trees they first entered, where Tobirama had first skidded to a stop. She followed the gesture and saw, for an instant, the back split ends of a curtain of hair, struggling to gang themselves together.
Hashirama was very good at running away.
"After him!" Usagi shouted, and cut a path through the tangled mob of branches all the way to just a few inches from the retreating man in a single sustained surge, reaching the opening just in time to see Hashirama turn in her direction; he had his hands gripped together in the Snake seal, a look of intense concentration and desperation starting to come over her face.
More than three dozen branches sprouted from his body, digging into the ground around him to carry him down the side of a small ravine, angling away at a steep slant.
Hashirama seized Usagi's blade just below its hilt, barely holding it clear of his vulnerable flesh.
Usagi yanked on the hilt, while Rukuro yanked her back, both actions nearly pulling Hashirama out of his shield of branches, then jabbed it back at him, sparks discharging in his face as he barely kept it at bay. Hashirama hung on grimly, teeth gritting, muscles straining.
Through her sensory perception Usagi could feel Hashirama's exhaustion, the buildup of anaerobic strain and lactic acid turning the tall Senju's strong legs to cloth. A swath of trees opened up into a makeshift arch just a few feet ahead. Hashirama barely made the turn, and he raced side by side along the empty forest, joined by the spark-spitting of blades clashing, or splinters and projectiles from his branches.
As they cleared the archway to a small, concealed formation of trees, Hashirama leapt from his cover, yanking both of his legs forward to swing both his feet hard into the side of a nearby tree. The roots screamed at the sudden impact and shift of balance. These cycled up to bursts of snow and fragments of wood as their catastrophic failures sent one tree toppling aside-the roots just as wide and massive as the tree trunk itself.
Hashirama leapt again, chakra lifting him free of the back blast.
Itsume's reflexes sent her out of the formation of trees in the opposite direction. Rukuro flipped over the edge of a thick branch and into the shadowy abyss of the snow covered trunk of a tree close by. Snow trailed all the way down to a distant, delayed, and very final silent thud. A few fallen branches rolled away, coming to rest against a tree a few meters away, that stood proud a couple of meters from Hashirama.
Behind Usagi, the archway back into the forest's system was filled with her panting, exhausted, but still dangerous comrades. Their fatigue hardly showed as they kept their weapons raised.
Usagi looked at Hashirama. Hashirama looked at Usagi. There was no longer any need for words between them. Usagi simply stood, centered, waiting for Hashirama to make his move. A concealed pouch on the Senju's right thigh sprang open, and his hand flicked, taking hold of a slim kunai. He brought it up and threw it so fast that his arm blurred to invisiblity.
Usagi reached...
Her blade flipped into the air between them, catching the projectile before deflecting it. The impact sent the projectile whirling, right into the trunk near Hashirama's head. There came one instant's pause, while they looked into each other's eyes and shared an intimate understanding that their relationship had reached its end.
Usagi charged.
Itsume and Rukuro came from her flanks and blind spots.
Hashirama lunged away, unleashing a stream of shuriken and branches as fast as his chakra could knead, and his hands could flash. Rukuro spun his blade, deflecting and smacking any shuriken, not even slowing down as he mowed through thress, and when he finally reached Hashirama he came just a centimeter away from cutting the kunai out of his hand, and the whole hand itself.
With a clang of a sword that sent blue lightning scaling up his arm. Hashirama's following strike was a stiff jab into Rukuro's stomach.
Hashirama hit him again in the same place, denting the armor plating, cracking it where it met the smaller, but just as thick plates of his shoulder as Rukuro tanked each hit with a sharp hissing inhale. When he spun the sword for his next stroke, Hashirama's flailing arm flailed itself against the middle of the blade itself, and his other hand found its way around the hilt.
He yanked Rukuro upright against him, but his foe's face crashed right into his own, drawing a pain scream out of him. Hashirama barely had time to recover, and hastily lunged several feet away.
Rukuro snarled. "Do you think I am that foolish or weak enough to allow you to just yank me like that?"
Instead of waiting for an answer he spun, heaving Hashirama right off of his feet with effortless strength, whipping up him over his head to slam him through a tree trunk with killing power.
Hashirama could only allow the chakra bursting out of him to angle his slam into a stumbling, harsh roll. Usagi sprang after him, swinging the her blade and slamming it across Hashirama's flank before Hashirama could fully recover his balance. The impact sent Hashirama skidding sideways before he began tumbling and the snow matted against his skin and armor
Usagi stayed right with him, attacking before Hashirama could even realize exactly what was happening.
When Usagi spun the her blade overhead, cleaving it down at Hashirama's head for the killing blow, Hashirama went to the inside. He met Usagi chest-to-chest, his upraised hand blocking both of her wrists-halting her blade in its place. Usagi snarled something incoherent and bore down on the Senju;s block with all her weight, driving the blade closer and closer to his face, putting more and more strength behind her stroke.
Hashirama stared in disbelief at the bone protruding through his skin-even as it hissed with steam, the bone jousted. Usagi had been adding more and more strength, Hashirama had been able to hold her at bay for a while, but it only lasted son long. Now his arm was between breaking and healing. Hashirama looked down, feeling something grip his ankles.
"What?"
That's as far as he got before Rukuro spun harshly. slamming the point of his elbow right against Hashirama's chin in mid spin. Itsume heaved with what strength she had left, yanking the Senju up into the air as hard as she could, and swung him back towards the earth. Above her, Usagi came flying down like a meteorite, both knees smashing against Hashirama's skull, driving them both into the ground.
Hashirama howled in pain. He could definitely feel cold steel piercing into his skin.
He slammed his hands together, forming a wood clone, and seized Itsume by the wrists. He lifted the woman off of her feet and hurled her towards Rukuro, both tumbling across the ground before they gathered themselves and separated. Reaching out with his chakra, Hashirama was able to connect with the tree itself as if he were anchored to it with a cable; instead of forming a seal he kneaded his chakra into the tree, forcing thousands of tendrils to sprout.
"Damn that Senju and his wood clones!" A Hagoromo barked.
Usagi clenched the hilt of her sword tighter than before, snarling as she went on the attack once more. Hashirama still couldn't breathe. His wounds were still healing. His mangled arms-riddling with holes, were still healing. He had no hope of rising to meet her attack. He had no hope of coming close to stopping her attack. He wouldn't be able to match her.
All he could do was knead his chakra. This may exhaust him. It may bring him to his breaking point.
But, it was either that or die.
"Mokuton! Dīpuforesutoburūmu!" Hashirama screamed.
As Usagi loomed over him, blade poised for the kill, the tree Hashirama connected himself to exploded, tendrils and branches shot forward, and with no hesitation, no second thoughts, not even the faintest pause, they wrapped and coiled with the same madness Hashirama so desired to escape. They weren't like his usual Mokuton jutsus-these branches were lighter in color, more massive, and appeared to have vein-like roots spreading across them. They ripped through the ground, unpacked the snow, and forced the frozen crust and dirt of the earth to rip itself free.
Usagi's blade ripped through his attack, shredding into his gut. Hashirama's guts would have exploded in a foul-smelling shower of gore, if his healing prowess didn't already seal the wound partly.
Branches chained up at Usagi and a yellow mist of poison pollen spread from the blooming red, blue, green, and yellow flowers. With one swing, Usagi's blade cut through more than half of a portion of the forest, followed shortly by Hashirama's forehead. She took a threatening step forward as he connected himself to another tree, wounds almost completely healed.
"Don't you look pitiful, Hashirama." Usagi said. "Now you finally know your place."
Hashirama wheezed, eyes focused on Usagi. "True as that may be, your comrades are succumbing to the poison pollen of my flowers."
Usagi chuckled. "Hardly. Here comes everyone else."
"Usagi!"
She turned towards the owner of the voice, eyes settling on Haji before the flicked onto Shuji.
Hashirama ground his teeth, neck taut.
"Who executed this jutsu?" Shuji asked once he was close enough, voice harsh.
"It was Hashirama." Itsume replied.
Shuji's eyes narrowed dangerously as he observed his surroundings. He turned them onto the tan skinned man a second later, setting his jaw.
"He's going to be a problem."
"We should finish him now." Todou interjected, eyes on the dissipating pollen. They sharpened when he picked something up. "We can cover fifty miles, he won't escape."
"He's not actively fighting us, escape is on his mind. We ran him through but he used a wood clone, or a replacement involving wood to evade." Rukuro remarked.
Ryoku smirked, leveling a gaze with the younger man. "I guess Senju are good at running."
Hashirama shifted his feet warily, his eyes landing on Shuji, and then Haji. One of his fears was becoming a reality, was a reality. The Subatsu and Hagoromo were allies. They were getting on the same page. the Mo clan was also allies with both of them-Todou, Nao, and Yamaguchi were present as well. He had been on a razor's edge before, but now he was off the edge and free falling.
"Poison pollen..." Tsugi observed the yellow mist surrounding the entire area. "Looks like the Senju is desperate to escape, if he's using this type of jutsu. Let's finish him!"
Hashirama seethed in pain as he was run through, one blade after another ripped into him. It tore through his chest, through his arms and legs, through his neck. It ripped his sinew in two, severed his tendons, tore his ligaments, and broke his bones. Shuji's polearm smashed into his torso, breaking it in half. But, just as victory seemed to be set, his real body pulled itself into the ground like a root, speeding away, while a replacement remained above ground.
Usagi noticed the shift immediately, and tore her blade free from the replacement. She went to work on cutting down the flowers and dissipating the pollen, until the only thing left was a deformed landscape. It fit well with the forest though.
Todou flicked his sword to the side, eyes hard. "I don't like the idea of that Senju getting away. Sasuke and Genzo evaded us and now he has."
"Chasing after him would be a waste of time." Itsume said.
"I disagree. Between him and Tobirama, I'm not sure who is more dangerous. They were in the Fire country's Capital for a reason. Sadao was always wary of Butsuma."
Nao frowned at Todou's brusque demeanor. "We can theorize and come to a conclusion. We ran him through, and Usagi practically gutted him. If Hashirama wasn't such a great healer, I'm certain he'd be disemboweled right now."
"Actually, I would have cut him in two. The fact he just received that wound means his healing is truly a tier above."
Haji nodded in agreement, but conceded with the facts of the matter. Their mission was complete. They were on their way here to assist, if things were cleared up, they'd be taking their leave. If things weren't, they'd still be taking their leave. Hashirama wouldn't die until his 'Konoha' was founded and prospering, once his village was a reality...
Then and only then would he be ripe for the kill. They could chase him down now. They could catch up to him in just short of an hour. But, he'd still use his Mokuton in some way to stall or delay them. He'd use his wood clones, or his wood replacements. He may just make the whole landscape one giant blooming forest again. Sasuke and Genzo were their original targets, with their plot foiled, there was no need to continue on.
"He'll just wiggle himself away, again. Our time can be better used on important matters than chasing down one Senju. We have wounded that need to be taken care of. Wherever Hashirama is, Tobirama is, wherever they are, Mito will certainly be with them. We can predict and anticipate their movements."
Todou slowly sheathed his sword, nodding begrudgingly. "I'll concede with that."
Shuji nodded, relaxing his eyes the slightest as he focused on Haji. "That means..."
Haji shook his head, knowing where Shuji was going. He was pressing for this to happen, but patience was keen.
"No, not quite. In any case, let's move out."
However, something else had to happen...And, Haji would ensure it happened.
Hashirama collapsed on the ground-his right knee almost sliced in half, his left leg having one gash on its length. Both bled profusely, even as he lay on his back, staring at the dark, cloudless sky above him while he gasped air back into into his spasming, burning lungs. His joints were mangled, his ligaments torn, parts of his cheeks and face were cut and gashed.
He barely managed to roll over far enough to smother the burning sensation in his side. He rolled back onto his back, letting his lungs suck and wheeze, suck and wheeze. Sizzling and steam reached his ears as his severe wounds began to heal without impediment.
Still, it took a while for them to heal. He had been able to stay on par with Usagi during their sword fight, but as time went on, and the numbers began to play in favor. As Rukuro started doing unconventional and unorthodox techniques, he began to back pedal. He began to suffer wounds. Usagi did gut him, technically. It was only through his chakra and healing prowess that he was able to prevent his organs from splattering on the ground.
The last attack, when they all charged...Had he not made measures before they began to attack, he'd be dead. No doubt, Daiki suffered the same fate when he fell in battle. He was stabbed, bashed, smashed, cut, sliced, and everything else. By the end the man felt no pain, and his corpse was just mere pieces of what it had once been. He just narrowly escaped with his life just now, and he was just thankful that Madara hadn't been there...
If Madara, or any Uchiha had been there...It'd be a different story.
Uchiha would chase down Senju, and vice versa for the most part. But, the Senju would prioritize their numbers. The Uchiha didn't.
Shaking the thought from his mind, Hashirama remained still. He didn't move until his body stopped its perspiration. Until his lungs stopped burning. Until he stopped wheezing. He didn't move until everything was back to even, as if he were relaxed. The sweat remained on him, and the scorching heat of his body remained, but slowly, he began to catch his wind again. His wounds mended.
Much too short a time later...Long before he was actually ready to get up—a shadow fell across him, accompanied by the smell of strange perfume.
"Brother." Tobirama started.
"Are you okay, Hashirama?" Mito asked, worried.
"Give me a second." Hashirama said reluctantly, carefully moving and bending all of his joints.
Subatsu targeted the digits of fingers and joints. Toes. Ankles. Wrists. The face. The cheeks. They all met their mark on him, and Usagi was especially ruthless in her attacks.
"I might need a few more minutes." Hashirama admitted, noting that the wound spread across his stomach wasn't completely closed yet. Usagi, would have, did, cut him in two-only thanks to his healing prowess did he not suffer that fate. His joints were also less than one hundred percent. Getting up now, he'd fall apart like a glass window.
Slowly, painfully, and carefully, he pushed himself to his feet after ten minutes passed. He picked up his broken sword, and stabbed into the ground, jamming his weight on top of it to assist his ascent. He didn't rise right away. "It appears we've managed to buy Sasuke and Genzo enough time to retreat, the Sarutobi didn't fall to their doom." He raised his arm, and swiped away at the crusted blood on his face.
"You should have reconsidered this, Hashirama..." Mito said, the worry in her eyes increasing steadily.
Steam sizzled across the man's face, and she did all she could not to grimace.
Hashirama shook his head. "No. The Sarutobi, Sasuke, and Genzo are needed in Konoha and the Fire country. Letting them fall to their doom would have been foolish. I don't condone what they've done."
Tobirama snorted. "And, trying to take on Usagi, Haji, Rukuro, Shuji, and everyone else that was with them wasn't foolish?"
Hashirama sighed and clambered painfully onto his feet. "Both decisions are foolish."
"You're too much, Hashirama-san." Mito rubbed her forehead, sighing tiredly.
Making her worry like she had, and now this...
"What do we do from here, brother?" Tobirama broke the silence, eyes intent on Hashirama.
"First we should go back to the compound. I'll call a Council Meeting."
Tobirama looked increasingly wary and skeptical. There weren't a lot of meetings called, for a reason. Usually, it was something severe or urgent. Usually, the elders would call the meeting itself. Hashirama was doing it this time around-take the initiative. He was going to make waves, and with the elders so set in their ways...
"Brother, is that really necessary?"
"He can't just make this decision himself." Mito reasoned.
Tobirama crossed his arms over his chest. "Things may be different in the Uzumaki, but we Senju do things differently."
Hashirama sensed the tension brewing, and quickly dispelled it. "There is a system in place, and we have to proceed accordingly. Saotshi has already defected. Disuke may have fallen in battle. More Senju could have or may have defected. I can't wield my power and influence so boldly, Tobirama."
"Fine, I will support you, as always."
"I'll also need to send out messages to the clans that joined us at the meeting, so we can follow up."