Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto
Co-Author and Beta: ethereal-23
Well, if it's been a while.
So sorry to make you folks wait; we were dealing with far, far, far too many things in real life. So, we took a break. Honestly, it was the best for our mental health.
But we're back, and we're recharged.
So, we leave you the end of this arc, and we hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 72: Battle at Forked River Valley Act III
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If it were not for Karin's sensory abilities being so keen, none of them would have evaded the flaming blades attached to the wrist of a walking siege engine that charged at them like a bear. Massive in size with rock-like grey skin with glowing crimson cracks in places, hooved feet, a large head with two curved horns, and sharp teeth that sinisterly grinned from its maw. Its glowing, beady eyes glared at the humans and primates with murderous fury. Not once did it relent or slow down as it swiped and clawed at the group, roaring so loud it made the ground beneath them shake.
Yamakami's face showed a visage of pure horror, calling the beast a Baron of Hell. One of the most powerful and dangerous kinds of hellborn demons from the deepest pits of the Inferno.
The sheer aura alone from the colossal beast had nearly crippled Karin, who felt all of the monster's pure malice and hatred. If it were not for her cousins and the monkeys, the bifocal-wearing Uzu would have been lost in her despair.
Shirou glared hard before his right hand went to his left bicep, touching the tattooed seal. Glowing brightly, a hilt soon appeared as he pulled it out to reveal a Tsurugi. Fearlessly, he ran towards the Baron, followed by the Gibbons.
Shirou let out a war cry as he jumped at the demon, his longsword impacting upon one of the flaming wrist blades. Shirou soon gasped as his blade became red-hot, forcing him to let go of the blade lest it burned him. The monkeys surrounded the immense beast, striking at the heels with clubs and staffs while others shot longbows straight at the demon's head. The blows of their blunt weapons weren't even mosquito stings to them, and the arrows either bounced off or broke in half.
The demon growled, raising on foot and then stomping down hard.
A massive shockwave sent Shirou and the monkeys flying away, colliding with trees or skipping over the ground like rocks on a pond. The male Uzumaki summoned a jagged blade and buried it on the ground, anchoring himself.
"Stay back!" Hikari shouted; the martial artist took a deep breath, raising a foot high in the air before bringing it down in a swift motion, uprooting a large piece of stone from the ground, then, with a roundhouse kick, propelled the rock at high speeds towards the enormous demon.
The baron merely let the rock impact its body, this one crumbling into hundreds of pieces while the demon barely even flinched.
"Shit...!" Hikari swore, eyes widening in shock.
"This thing is too powerful!" Karin warned, "We don't have enough firepower on our end to take it out!"
"Well, we don't have much of choice!" Shirou replied, channeling the seal on his arm and concentrating. He jumped high in the air with a flair of his arm. He summoned dozens upon dozens of spears, longwords, and many other large, sharpened weapons. Some of the finest he had made and put on reserve for when the need arose. They fell upon the baron at great speed as missiles coursing through the air, yet to his horror, most of the weapons merely bounced off, with only a few managing to bury their blades into the demon's flesh, but the damage might as well be superficial, only slightly piercing through its thick hide.
A pure malicious chuckle escaped the towering hellborn's maw before it roared and raised one of its massive arms for its forearm blade to skewer the young blacksmith, who could not maneuver in the air. Golden chains shot forward, wrapping around the demon's arm, much to its surprise, veering it downwards.
Annoyance glowed from the Baron's eyes, following the chains to their source. Karin's face contorted with strain, her chakra chains expelled from her arms. With Hikari and Yamakami holding her, she pours her strength into holding the massive hellborn's arm. The young adolescent recalled the few lessons Kushina taught her about their clan's prized bloodline limit.
"Our chains work better against supernatural and demonic beings. Going against regular people it is a bit harder to hold them. Not to say holding a giant monster or demon won't be difficult. Trust me, binding that damn fox was a pain in the ass. Just stay focused on the target and hold it as best you can."
Shirou was able to land safely beside some of the gibbons, who snarled and primed their weapons for battle. Touching his bicep, he quickly created a spear with a battle cry and charged alongside their primate companions. The baron only spared a small glance towards the charging humans and primates before glaring back at the little child restraining its arm. It unleashed a powerful roar as it Pulled its arm to free itself.
Karin screamed, feeling like her arm was going to be torn off if not for Hikari and Yamakami holding her. "I can't hold it much longer!"
Shirou made a rain of steel, swords, spears, anything that could pierce the damn thing, yet still, the most he got was to wounding the upper layer of its skin. Nothing wounded the demon enough to make it stop. The monkeys around it might as well be mosquitos biting at an elephant; they were too small, too insignificant for it to notice.
One of the apes howled as he raised a giant bludgeon over his head, diving towards the demon's head. To his horror, the demon's giant hand snatched him right out of the air. He banged his weapon over its arm to minimal effect, and the monkey saw his death coming in its infernal gaze and savage smirk.
A simple squeeze and the monkey was all but snapped in half.
The baron threw the broken body towards the chain caster, the impact strong enough to knock the three back. The break in concentration caused Karin's chains to dispel as she stared at the dead eyes of the monkey at her feet, blood from the corpse splattered against them. "Oh gods..."
The earth rumbled, and the baron charged with a roar. Hikari staggered to her feet and sought to pull Karin to safety in her arms, but the demon's long strides allowed it to arrive far too quickly. They saw a giant fist rearing back...
A different body collided with them, and Yamakami was upon them in an instant, shoving the two aside at the last moment before the fist landed upon him.
There was a sickening crunch and an explosion of blood.
Karin screamed.
"You monster!" The monkeys once more descended upon the demon, clinging to its body, biting and slashing with untold savagery over their fallen comrades. The beast flailed around, trying to swat them away as one would a swarm of flies.
Hikari could only watch in horror at what was left of Yamakami's body. As her eyes looked over the battlefield, the sight of dead monkeys was becoming all too common.
Yamakami had died to save them.
All of them were dying to keep them safe.
The sound around her became muffled, and she stared at the bodies on the ground. Her vision grew hazy before she realized her left hand touched her right arm. Her focus and hearing returned as she stared at the seals.
Shirou landed back to Karin alongside several gibbons who were flung off the Baron. The bifocal kept her grief-filled gaze at Yamakami and the few other dead primates on the ground. "You need to focus!" the older teen yelled back.
Blood and torn flesh flew across the area as the Baron was able to grab the cursed mortals, pawing at its skin. A dark smile adorned its lips, ripped the monkeys apart, and tossed them like the trash they were. Thinking they could be a challenge to a being as mighty as a Baron. Shirou felt a cold chill down his spine once the Baron turned its gaze at him, Karin, and the few Gibbons left.
Terror and grief glowed from Karin when the Baron unleashed a ground-shaking roar. She fell to her knees while holding her head with both hands. It was just too much. The hellborn's aura was like a hurricane tossing her within its winds. Combined with Manda's transformation, it felt like a tsunami struck her. But both still paled in comparison to that thing Maw-Maw was facing over at the mountains. But the sheer presence of that being was like the sun itself.
Karin could feel that monster woman all around her and everywhere in between.
She was so lost in her fear and thoughts that she did not register her cousin and the Gibbons yelling for her to move. Once more, the Baron charged for them, only to be met with a grey-skinned fist to its face that sent the beasts staggering sideways and stopping. "FACE ME, YOU BASTARD!" Hikari roared, her body engulfed by crimson chakra.
Her scream was enough to shake Karin from her stupor, and her head shot up at the sight of her cousin. And a sight she had seen once before... Half of Hikari's form was... changed. Different, from her right hand up to her arms, and a portion of her upper body was now a dark grey skin color with horns beginning to grow. Her violet eyes became glowing crimson, and her breathing became erratic.
"You want to fight!" Hikari's voice was becoming deep and guttural. "Come and get it!"
Karin had seen this before, in Jūgo. The nature chakra was flowing in and out of her as naturally as breathing, but not in the same way it did for Tamamo, yokai, or experienced animals.
This was erratic and volatile, and her body was reacting accordingly...
"H-Hikari!" Karin shouted, trying to stand up, but was held back by Shirou, who watched their kin just as intently as she was.
"Don't come any closer!" Hikari snapped at her with an unprecedented amount of rage in her voice, like even forming sentences was a struggle. "I-I'm going to get this bastard away from here!" She once more turned to face the enormous demon, who merely looked at her like she was a curiosity. "And I don't think I'll be able to tell friend from foe once I'm too far gone!"
"Gone? But-!"
"I said," A glowing fiery jagged mark shined on her chest, "GO!"
The chakra exploded around her, and her body kept mutating further.
Her already toned limbs expanded in muscle mass, becoming enormous and dense. Her grey skin thickened as a layer of rock-like material formed over the surface. Hikari growled, panting like a wild beast, as her mind became a haze of fury and instinct.
She knew doing this risked turning her into a savage creature. But a mere human wasn't enough to fight this horror... another monster was required.
A sharp stab of pain coursed through her back, and her dorsal muscles expanded while her bones cracked and reformed themselves, larger and stronger, the rock-like texture on her firm acquiring a more defined shape, that of jagged scales. Her gi tore in half, and the remains fluttered away under the heavy pressure of the crimson chakra. She didn't care for her half-naked state; jagged rocky scales covered her bosom as the rest of her kept growing.
She had been alone for so long. Always kept herself at a distance from other people lest her other side emerged on a bad day. She wouldn't know how to live with herself if she ever killed someone...
Her ponytail came undone, and the red locks became neon as they expanded in length. The horns on her head stretched until they were at least four inches long, flowing back with her increasingly wilder mane of hair.
But then she met Saito and Samenosuke, kin she never knew she had. A clan that was still out there, who wanted her to live with them.
She had refused, fearing what she'd do if she ever lost control. Then they put a better seal on her, and suddenly, her fears were a thing of the past. They introduced her to a group of wonderful people who smiled at her and welcomed her with open arms, making her feel like she belonged.
She met Tamamo, who reinforced the seal even further. She met Shirou, who learned of her condition and just took it in stride. All of them, every single one of them, treated her like family the moment they met her. Giving her so much and asking for nothing in return.
And now here she was, trying to pay her kin back for their kindness... While others died for them.
Her teeth gnashed together, thicker scales forming on her jawline.
Already, many had died to keep her and her kin safe; she could not allow this; she would not let anyone die for her.
She would fight this creature, take it as far away from the others as possible... even if it took her own life.
It was a fair trade after all her clan had done for her.
She slammed a foot on the ground, cracking the earth around her; her sandals snapped under the expansion of her limbs, and her pants became less baggy while sharper scales pierced through the material.
Her mind was in a frenzy; she could barely keep it together; all she knew was that this thing needed to die.
"Your fight," She howled with a guttural, raspy voice, "is with me!"
She moved.
And in a blur, she had buried her first over the creature's stomach.
She had done what they all failed to do; she had made the Baron recoil.
It grunted, the first sign of pain since the battle began.
Then she moved up and brought down her sharp nails over its face. Hellish blood flowed from the fresh markings adorning the surface of its monstrous visage.
They were superficial at best, but still. They drew blood that sprayed into the air. The Baron snarled, glaring with annoyance and fury. Its hooved foot turned and soon made the motion to charge the young Uzumaki, who goaded the beast more to give chase.
A thundering roar came from the demonic monster doing as Hikari wanted with the two running out of the area.
"HIKARI!" Karin cried out in fear and panic.
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Drolta smiled sinisterly, raising her fist to strike at Jiraiya, who blocked with his forearms. Yet the force of her punch still sent the Sage reeling back a fair distance. He bit down the pain in his arms to perform a quick hand seal and unleash a torrent of flames at the winged vampire.
The dark-skinned woman laughed only, flying over the flames: "Most humans get so weak at your age!"
"Shows what you know about humanity," Jiraiya countered. "Since you threw away yours!
"Hah!" Drolta beamed in delight, fighting such a strong opponent. "This was a gift I gladly received from my Mistress Jeanne: to rise above mortality and become power itself!" Her hands glowed with flames before firing at her prey.
Close by, Sasuke's Sharingan aided him in avoiding the elves' daggers and swords. However it also proved difficult with just how fast his attackers were moving. 'Not even Lee or his sensei moved this fast!' Despite the gift of his Doujutsu seeing the moves coming, he could not outpace any of them, as it showed with the cuts and blood over much of his upper torso.
"You should have stayed home, child." A female hooded elf whispered, "Your soul shall be food for our goddess!"
It was no good. There were too many, too fast. The Uchiha's Sharingan was forced to observe it all, and even it was getting overwhelmed by the flurry of moments. Sasuke was forced to dodge and keep his distance, throwing kunai and shuriken as fast as he could. Yet these nonhumans kept moving around him in circles with such precision and fluidity that one might think they were dancing. Their movements were ethereal, mesmerizing in their way.
Three of the elves jumped above him, brandishing blades from their skintight leather armor, the metal shining under the moonlight.
And they would be the end of him unless he moved-!
Just as they were about to descend upon him, long, thin projectiles of crystal shining with a light-blue hue buried themselves in their chests. The elves grunted and fell to the ground, bleeding, for the shots had been deadly in their accuracy, ending their lives quickly.
Sasuke let out a soft sound of surprise as Ganyu appeared at his side. The blue-haired woman knocked another arrow on her bow. She did not pull it from any quiver but conjured it in her hands like Naruto conjured his crystal... or Haku her ice. Yes, his Sharingan spotted the faint mist coming from the arrow; it was ice.
She let loose, and sooner than the projectile flew, it exploded into icy shrapnel. Shards of sharp ice struck everywhere, forcing their opponents to retreat. A line of archers took positions behind them, knocking their arrows before swiftly letting loose.
Ganyu grabbed Sasuke and jumped backward; in her wake, he spotted what appeared to be a blue flower made of ice where her foot had been. The flower exploded into a massive construct of intricately shaped ice, more of a giant wall than a plant with how big it was. The arrows harmlessly buried or bounced off its cold surface.
"Stay close to me," the dragon woman said. "Dökkálfar are vicious and experienced; they will give you no quarter."
"Do-what?" Sasuke frowned at the strange word.
She explained, "Dark elves, each with at least five decades of experience. They live long lives, after all."
"Like you?" he mused offhandedly, watching as glowing flames shined behind her icy construct, quickly melting it down. He spotted at least half a dozen people moving around it, positioning themselves to surround them.
Ganyu warmly smiled, "A lady doesn't discuss her age." She put her bow aside for a moment, "Watch my back."
And took a deep breath.
Sasuke knew what was about to happen and did so.
The giant ice flower melted enough, and a group of elves burst through its weakened leaves, sending half-melted shards of ice flying everywhere as they rushed with weapons in hand.
Ganyu let out a long stream of frosty mist, a steady stream of pure freezing temperature escaping from her mouth, freezing the ground in its wake. These elves were unlucky enough to bear the full front of it.
Those who lost their balance found their fates sealed as the ice shifted and changed into spikes, impaling the elves through the chest and killing them. The few attackers who came from Ganyu's rear were met with Sasuke's kunai and shuriken. With the number of enemies reduced, Uchiha's fight was much more manageable. Sasuke evaded an elf's sword, which he overlunged, making him come forward and into the young teen's kunai through the heart.
However, instead of fearing death, he smiled as his life faded, "I... lay my soul for sacrifice..." He fell dead at the Dainin's feet.
The Uchiha only stared for a moment before resuming to fight, "They are fanatics."
"And that is the most polite thing you can call them," Ganyu quipped, forming an arrow of ice and firing it. "But stay focused, young Uchiha."
"Yeah"
Jiraiya leaped over blue flames from Drolta, who soon rushed at him. Flying through the air, she spun around with her leg up for a kick the Sage dodged. But he did not see the elbow that struck his chin and sent him to the ground by the vampire's woman's supernatural strength. The undead woman chuckled, "If I did not know any better. I'd swear you're getting slower on me." However, her taunt stopped hearing a sizzling sound. Looking down, she saw a tag paper on her dress.
Before she could react, her body was engulfed in a large explosion.
Spitting out some blood, Jiraiya chuckled and wiped his lip, "You don't get to my age without being crafty."
As the smoke settled, the vampire's silhouette was seen hunched out. He could hear her panting and pained groans. Honestly, it was a testament to her fortitude that she hadn't been blown to bits. The smoke cleared, and he saw her glaring hatefully at him with those piercing purple eyes. Bruises and burn marks dotted her skin and outfit.
"Your age?" she sneered at him with disgust and a sense of superiority. You arrogant mortal. How old do you think I am?"
Jiraiya tensed as energy began to emanate from her like a miasma. Her power was rising by the second.
"I'm old enough to have fed on many, MANY of your ancestors." Her hair began glowing, and the long, curly locks started moving wildly as that pink energy filled every fiber. It flowed across her scalp like fire. "And have seen civilizations crumble in what was a blink of an eye to me!" Horns began growing on her forehead.
The sounds of bones snapping and flesh twisted were heard as two growths emerged from her shoulder blades.
"Under the full moon, I shine with a glory your kind cannot hope to match." She seethed with a hungry smile; her fangs never looked sharper. Her mane of hair had transformed into pure pink flames, and the growths on her back fully extended to become two large bat-like wings, completing a demonic visage. "I am a vampire of the elder bloodlines! Cower in fear before humankind's apex predator!"
Jiraiya watched with wide eyes at the transformed woman, whose power alone sent sparks of electricity through the air. It felt ancient, malevolent, and voracious.
But he was Jiraiya of the Sannin, and he did not survive an enemy like Hanzo of Ame to cower before any monster that came his way.
"Lady, you might be one of the few women I feel absolutely nothing for," Two puffs of smoke appeared on his shoulder, summoning the Elder Toads. "Apex predator? You look like a leech to me."
Shima and Fukasaku both felt something was wrong the very moment young Jiraiya summoned them. Dark energies engulfed the area like an ocean. They eyed the undead vampire for a moment and the Dökkálfar, facing Ganyu and the Uchiha lad. The two Toads soon turned their gaze upwards at the unnatural night sky hung in the heaven above.
"What in the name of the holy creators is going on?" Shima's voice trembled with terror.
Her husband turned his gaze in several directions before skyward again at the sight of Genryu fighting a purple serpentine dragon whom he dreadfully feared looked like Manda!? His head sharply turned, feeling Meihui fighting... "IBUKI DOUJI IS ALIVE!?"
"WHAT!?" His wife squeaked out. Letting her eyes follow Fuksasku's, she soon felt the unmistakable power facing Meihui. "That is impossible! She is supposed to be dead!"
"You two can freak out later! There's a lady who wants to suck me dry in a way I am NOT down for!" Jiraiya yelled at the sages.
Drolta stared at her enemies, unimpressed at the sight of Jiraiya's features changing, "You truly are a pathetic Sage compared to those who came before. Even I had some respect for them."
"Well I'm no Tsukiko Uzumaki. But I'm enough to take you down." The Toad Sannin punches his fists together, and nature chakra surges through him.
His opponent scoffed with her hands on her hips, "Then let's see some action before I kill all three of you."
The ground cracked beneath her feet and took fly at blinding speeds. Her grin was filled with bloodlust as Drolta raised a clawed hand to swipe at the sage. Jiraiya dodged at the last moment, feeling the gust of wind created by her attack, and retaliated. He drove his fist straight for her stomach, only for Drolta to raise her knee and intercept it. The vampire's mighty resilience clashed against the sage's enhanced strength. She laughed, swiping her leg in midair towards Jiraiya, who blocked it with his free hand. He grunted, feeling the unnatural strength coming from the night creature.
Blow after blow was exchanged with increasingly faster speed until their strikes became blurry. Each collision of fists and kicks created a small shockwave, flattening the grass against the ground's surface. As the fight continued, Jiraiya's features kept changing, becoming more toadlike by the moment, even as the Elders kept the nature chakra from going too far.
Jiraiya jumped back, avoiding a downward punch that buried into the ground and uprooted the earth into jagged stones around her. Jiraiya channeled the nature chakra around him, slamming his foot down and then clapping his hand. The earth trembled, and two small hills rose to crush Drolta between them.
Yet the vampire managed to avoid it, flying upwards high into the air until the moon was framed behind her. Pink fire gathered in her hands, and she proceeded to throw fireball after fireball toward Jiraiya in a ceaseless bombardment. The Toad Sage grunted, darting from place to place, avoiding the fireballs that exploded with force and swaths of flame. Went through a series of fast hand signs, sending chunks of stone that flew and intercepted multiple of her bolts.
Earth and fire struck in mid-air, with Fukasaku collecting himself enough to keep the focus on the airborne vampire. "She is an old one. And with the power to back it up."
"Yeah, I figured that out," Jiraiya retorts as he keeps sending chunks of the ground to counter Drolta's fireballs. "The damn Cult is aligned with the Kurokiba."
"Yamata's resurrected spawn is proof of that," Shima lingeringly looked back in the direction she sensed Meihui before pointing to the battle above them all. "Is that Manda!?"
"They broke the curse!"
That was all that needed to be said, for the two Toad Sages grew steely with resolve. "Why are you lot here?" Pa questioned.
"We found Tsukiko."
Ma put her hands together, "Then let's deal with this abomination and get home!"
Pa mimicked his wife's actions by both taking a deep breath and unleashing a powerful chakra-laced sound wave when Jiraiya's jutsu ended, and their enemy began to swoop towards them. Sage Art: Frog Call!
Drolta screamed, holding her ears before glaring hotly, still keeping herself in the air. "You wretched amphibians!"
Going through several quick hand seals, Jiraiya took a deep breath and set loose a massive fireball at the moment incapacitated undead woman.
The blast that followed illuminated the night sky, and for a moment, Jiraiya dared believe that had been enough. The body falling towards the ground, trailing flame and smoke in its wake, led credence to that... until suddenly it changed direction and sped off towards him at high velocity. The sudden burst of speed washed away smoke and flame, revealing the charred skin underneath, yet the plume of pink fire that was the vampire's hair burned with even greater intensity than before.
Jiraiya bit back a swear as Drolta was upon him in a moment. He dodged just in time to avoid a sweeping kick, but Fukasaku wasn't so lucky. "Pa!" his wife shouted as he was sent flying off the ground. Jiraiya grunted as he felt the nature chakra inside him dwindle, reducing his physical capabilities.
Fukasaku bounced off the ground before finally stopping. The old toad groaned, trying to regain some semblance of control and return to Jiraiya before it was too late.
When suddenly, multiple dark elves dressed in cloaks jumped towards him, blades poised to strike.
"Fukasaku-sama!"
Multiple arrows of ice struck true, ending the lives of his would-be assailants before they could even hit the ground. The she-dragon Ganyu was upon him quickly, a cooling spell shining from her hand, providing a faint level of healing. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine, my dear," He panted, his body still reeling from the vampire's blow. "It's Jiraiya and Shima who need help!"
Indeed, with a significant portion of the senjutsu power reduced, Jiraiya was forced back as the vampire unleashed strike after strike that could tear flesh from bone. The white-haired ninja dodged as fast as he could, watching with a grimace as her horrible burns were healing right before his eyes.
"Witness the perfection of this eternal flesh!" Drolta raved with delight. The feeling of the night empowering her was one of the greatest thrills for a vampire, after all. "Watch as all your strikes are healed in the blink of an eye!"
Jiraiya made his hair grow, turning fibers into sharp spikes to shield his body. Drolta's hand was pierced by several of them, but she managed to break through, the holes in her limb quickly healing. She grabbed his solid hair and lifted him over her head. Jiraiya could barely release his technique in time before she slammed him on the ground with so much force it cracked. He gasped in pain as his body recoiled from the impact. "I can hear your heartbeat; it is like a drum!" She slammed her foot upon him and grinned in satisfaction at the feeling of something breaking apart. But soon turned to disappointment as what she had stomped on was nothing but a log.
Jiraiya reappeared ten feet away, panting as blood dribbled from his lips. This woman was a beast; she kept healing and recovering at inhuman rates!
She smiled and licked her fangs. "The sound of a mortal's heart quivering with fear is an irresistible pleasure. My beloved Jeanne taught me that when she bestowed her gift upon me," Hands ran from her thighs to her neck, "When she turned me into this vision of eternal beauty. Now forever a predator, never a prey, her blood is her blessing, and so to her, I give the heads of all those who defy her. A third-rate sage like you will make for a poor treasure, so I'll go for your friends too; I'll bring their still-beating bodies to her to feast upon, and we will share a romantic meal with your carcass."
She took flight once more, and Jiraiya was already going through another series of hand signs to form a defense.
"I hate to make her wait," Drolta laughed, "when my love's hungry!"
Razor-sharp nails poised themselves to strike, aimed directly at Jiraiya's head.
Her savage smile faltered, and with a grimace, she coughed blood.
Jiraiya's and Shima's eyes widened when an icicle the size of a spear pierced through her stomach.
Ganyu's gaze was fierce and filled with loathing. She relaxed her stance as she stood protectively next to the toad elder, glaring in disgust at the vampire. "You don't know what true love is..."
With a snarl, Ganyu summoned another icy spear and hurled it toward the vampire, pouring all her draconian strength. Her aim hit true again, though slightly below Drolta's heart. But the force sent the undead woman flying back, screaming before the spear lodged itself into a tree. She gasped with blood coming from her mouth and wounds. Fighting the icy pain, she glanced from the corner of her eye to witness the remaining numbers of her elven assassins had finally fallen to the human child, who turned his accursed eyes in her direction.
"No... No, no, no, no, no..." Drolta muttered before crying out in pain, pulling the spear from her stomach. Her teeth gnashed, willing her body forward. Feeling the frigid spear in her chest scrapping her insides to free herself. She gasped and fell to her knees once freed from being impaled.
Sasuke huffed, picking up one of his fallen enemy's swords. It resembled a katana but was slightly longer, with a straight blade and no guard. "You're done, vampire." He kicked the sheath of the dead elf's belt into his other hand.
Jiraiya quickly ran to Ganyu and fukasaku, who returned to the Sannin's shoulder, restoring his Sage Mode. Ganyu kept his angered eyes on Drolta, creating two swords in her hands. However, their foe only seemed to be in her little world, trembling with her hands on her head and mumbling. Ganyu soon began to stride toward Drolta, ready to finish this abomination and see an end to this horrible day. "Avernus awaits you..."
"No, no, no, no, no, no... I am a hunter of all mortals. I ascended beyond my human weakness because of my beloved Jeanne, my mistress, my world. My Jeanne. I must get back to my Jeanne..." Her head shot upward, her eyes fearful, seeing Ganyu closing the distance with great speed. Pink flames erupted around the undead woman, making the she-dragon leap back to avoid being burnt. The fire quickly faded to the sight that their enemy was now gone.
A low growl came from Ganyu before she calmed herself and let her ice swords fade. "Tch," Sasuke sneered, sheathing the blade and keeping it. "She ran off quickly when the chips were down."
"Don't be overconfident, young Uchiha," Shima reprimanded, "that woman could have likely fought all of us at once if not taken by surprise by Miss Ganyu."
"We need to find the others, get Tsukiko, and get out of here," Jiraiya addressed, which they all agreed.
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In the skies above, a dozen or more spears made of purple flames rained down, exploding upon hitting the ground. Their target nearly avoided each one by a split second. Tomoe could feel the unholy heat from the flames before raising her blade as Jeanne dashed through the very fires with a sword and spear in each hand.
The vampire woman's laughter was maniacal as she swung her sword and lunged with her spear. Her eyes gleamed with pure hatred and fury.
Jeanne smiled at her as they crossed blades. A friendly spar that had managed to turn into something so much fun. There was such a strong spirit in this young woman. Her laugh was the breeze on a summer's day.
Tomoe gritted her teeth as her red katana clashed with Jeanne's sword in a shower of spark; naginata and spear bounced off each other in a series of repeated blows before the shafts struggled against each other.
Jeanne grinned savagely and ignited her sword with hellish flames.
Tomoe twirled her katana, demonic blades trailing over the blade.
Their blades clashed, and an inferno was unleashed.
Jeanne fell on her backside, panting repeatedly, while the Japanese woman stood tall, smiling down at her with pride. "Well done," Tomoe said, planting her blade on the ground and offering her hand.
Jeanne smiled with one eye closed, accepted her hand, and stood up. "I almost had you there."
In the fires of their struggle, Tomoe bore witness to a monster.
Jeanne's visage was locked into a terrifying grin, her fangs standing out all the more prominently.
"Not in the least," Tomoe teased, which made the young girl giggle. "You are getting better every day; it is impressive."
"Well, of course," the young maiden said as though that was obvious. "I have to, after all."
Tomoe tilted her head.
"Can you feel the flames, Tomoe?!" Jeanne shouted, their skin peeling off and regrowing as soon as the fires burned them. "This is what I felt that day when I gave myself to the fires!"
Tomoe clicked her tongue, ignoring the searing pain of the fires licking at her skin. Those hellish flames were enough to hurt even a flame sage of the burning oni blood like herself.
"The day they abandoned me, the day GOD abandoned me!"
A demonic shape manifested behind the vampire as the flames grew in intensity, a reflection of the woman's rage and immense hatred.
"These are the flames of my vengeance!"
Jeanne's smile was so bright. "So many people depend on me!"
Tomoe's mind jumped from the past to the present. She remembered the time she had met the young woman in France who became a leader for her people against the forces of Hell. Now, this twisted, undead version came at her with the fury of a hellborn devil. No matter how hard she tried to center herself and keep focus on the fight before her, flashes of memory pounded and broke her concentration.
"For Christ and the Lord. I shall save France!"
The dark smile on Jeanne's lips grew as she parried her spear against her former friend's naginata and lunged forward. Upon being pierced in the shoulder, the Hanyou woman cried out in pain. "I want to hear more screaming, Gozen! Scream as I did!" From behind Jeanne came forth a dragon of pure flames that struck Tomoe with full force and sent her flying back covered in flame.
Her weapons fell from her hands while she struck and skidded on the ground like a tossed rock. She slammed into two trees and a boulder, which thankfully stopped her. But did not cease the flames as she burned. "How does it feel, oh Sage of Flame, to be burned yourself!?"
Tomoe fought through the pain, rolling on the ground to put out the fire. Though her body healed from the wounds, her clothes and armor were in disrepair and scorched, reaching to her knees. However, her former friend did not give her a moment to catch her breath as she was on her again with an armored boot kicked to the chest. The Sage struck the ground hard to bring up her forearms as Jeanne brought down her foot to smash against her chest. Her golden eyes glowing with malice, "Je vais te demander de mendier avant de te réduire en cendres!" She roared in the language of her dead homeland.
Stray tears fell from Tomoe's cheeks. "I should have stayed... I should have been there in France. I'm sorry, Jeanne." Perhaps had she stayed, none of this would have happened...
A sneer came from the vampire, "...You are several centuries too late for that apology, Gozen." She raised her sword and soon was cloaked in flames, "That sweet, gullible innocent Jeanne is fucking dead!"
Her words made Tomoe's red eyes blaze.
The vampire grunted, eyes widening in surprise as the half-oni grabbed her boot and twisted. The vampire yelled as her body was flung towards the ground, losing her grip on both her weapons. Then Tomoe was upon her, locking her arms under Jeanne's armpits, twisting her neck in a powerful hold. Tomoe's thin limbs had always hidden a devastatingly powerful strength to them, able to shatter bones and boulders with ease. Yet even then, she was holding back, choosing to subjugate Jeanne instead of ripping her head off.
"Not to me!" Tomoe cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Never to me!"
Jeanne gnashed her teeth and grunted at the display of sentimentality. The half-demon sage was always a powerhouse in such a small frame, but she was now pure vampiric might under the night sky. Even if her arms were locked in a useless position, she had other tools.
Her nails sharpened, piercing through her gloves before she clenched her fists tightly and drew blood.
Tomoe gasped when tendrils of blood coiled through the air, wrapping around her neck with razor-sharpness. She coughed and struggled, releasing Jeanne from her hold as she tightened the blood threads around the sage's neck; it was a testament to her body's toughness that her head hadn't fallen off already.
Jeanne licked her lips, "Always wondered what your blood tastes like~" She said, staring at the cuts in Tomoe's neck, giggling to herself as she saw the sage struggle helplessly.
She drew closer to sink her fangs into her neck...
And then Tomoe exploded.
A blast of powerful flames ignited from the sage, creating a beacon that illuminated the area. Such was its force that Jeanne was sent flying away, rolling on the ground before she managed to regain her footing and glare at the sage.
Tomoe was a living inferno, shrouded in flames that carried all the power of a raging volcano. Her red eyes watched with fierce intensity at the vampire as she summoned her weapons to her, each step making the ground become charred, leaving footprints of melted earth.
Jeanne smirked at the sight, "There she is..." She chuckled, standing up and invoking her weapons in a blaze of dark fire. "There's the demon sage."
Tomoe said nothing. If her friend wanted to do things the hard way, so be it. She'd drag her kicking and screaming if she had to.
At that moment, a dark void in reality opened behind the vampire, halting Tomoe in her tracks as she watched a skeleton in burnt robes emerge. "J-Jeanne, the ritual's failed!"
"What?!" She seethed in fury, looking back to the Lich. "What do you mean by 'failed,' Gilles?!"
Tomoe's eyes widened in shock. "Gilles..." Jeanne's ally and devoted friend. This... Was this lich him?
"They rescued the prisoner!" The bone man cried out in shame at his failure.
"USELESS!" The vampire shouted.
A wave of relief washed over Tomoe, hope blooming in her chest. "Sensei..."
"Sensei?" Jeanne's gaze switched back to Tomoe in confusion. "Why would you think... Ahhh, I see," The smirk was back. "Oh, you idiots had no idea, did you?"
Wait, what...?
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
"You have a son and daughter!?" Kaida's voice was loud enough to echo within the serpentine halls of the snake den nearly.
Kushina nodded, beaming, "Yup!"
The towering Uzu woman shot a look at Lyn, "Where the hell are yours!?"
"Uh, Aunty," the buxom redhead deadpans, "Kya and I don't exactly have the right parts for that... And we have been busy with a lot."
"Then make the time and study shapeshifting!"
At those words, Kushina squinted, "Shapeshifting isn't exactly easy to learn, dattebane."
"Hey, it took me two years, but I got it down. After this, that will be a lesson for both of you."
"... How did we get to this conversation?" Lyn quipped.
"I admit I got a bit lost between the vampire tree and the slavers," Kaida confessed, scratching her head.
Not long after they had begun their sojourn through the tunnels, their long-lost Aunt asked about what she had missed, which was not exactly something to summarize thirty years' worth of lost time. And while Kushina and Lyn did their best, they also butted into each other's explanations of what their Aunt had missed.
Which, to stress again, was A LOT.
Kushina cleared her throat. "So yeah, I had to Naruto. I adopted Karin legally a few months ago."
"So, she's your daughter, too."
"N... I mean, yeah," Kushina mutters. "Hmm, I guess I've kept thinking of her as a niece... sometimes."
By the way, it sounded to Kaida that it had not really sunk in on that. "And you had to use Mother's seal when that masked man showed up."
"...I missed twelve years of my son's life..." She stopped along with Lyn as Kaida stopped, turning to look at her.
"You're alive, Kushina. That is a miracle in itself. Regardless of how much you missed. Naruto has you back. That means more to him than anything, Kushi."
The former ANBU slowly nodded, glancing at Lyn, who rubbed her shoulder with reassurance. "Okay."
Nodding, the First Blade of Uzu turned around and resumed walking with her nieces following.
"Do you even know where we're going?"
"More or less," Kaida shrugged her wide shoulders. "I'm not familiar with the layout, but I can feel where my gear is. It all has tracker seals on it. Small things, hidden in places they wouldn't have seen unless they got real close at the right angles."
"Surprised they didn't destroy it," Kushina pointed out.
Kaida grunted, "You don't get rid of trophies," she muttered darkly.
Suddenly, there was a rumble. From one of the many hole tunnels connecting the underground chamber emerged a brown-scaled snake. It was as large as a house and had a maw large enough to swallow a person whole. It roared with a hissing noise and struck. Before Lyn and Kushina could counterattack, Kaida was already on the snake's head, having someone get on top of it and digging her fingers through the scales.
A sharp twist, a thunderous snap of bones, and the snake's head were facing backward.
It fell limp on the ground, instantly dead.
Kushina and Lyn stared in shock.
Kaida jumped down, groaning as she stretched her back and arms. Making the varied and sizable muscles of her torso ripple with the effort as she popped her rock-stiff joints. "Fuck I'm still working through my cricks..." The almost naked woman groaned and continued walking, casually moving around the giant snake.
The nieces idly followed. "I remember Aunty being strong, but... guess we never saw her in action."
"Those muscles aren't just for show."
"They're for show and function," Their aunt joked as she looked over her shoulder at the two. "You'd be surprised by the number of people who enjoy a large and strong woman."
The two shivered, "There are things you don't say to your nieces, aunty..." Kushina said with a droning voice.
Sporadically, more enemies came for them, from snakes to demons. Kushina's golden chains wrapped around a large Oni, restraining it long enough for Lyn's naginata to sever its head from its neck. "You two have gotten strong," Their aunt complimented, grinning while grabbing with both hands to the neck of a human-sized snake that pounced for her. With a firm twist, she snapped the reptile's neck before tossing it aside and resuming speaking. "Who trained you, Lyn?"
"A cranky old bitch of a demon slayer named Genkai."
Kaida froze and turned, "Tiny little woman?" Lyn nods, "Oh dear Gods!"
"Yeah, she told me she was a friend of the clan."
"Mom's friend... How is she?"
The buxom Uzumaki looked solemn, "She died... Three years ago, from cancer."
Kaida shut her eyes before shaking her head, "That had to piss her off."
"Yes, it did."
The First Blade vividly recalled the diminutive pink-haired woman who came to Uzu from time to time. She always sipped tea with her mother and talked about all kinds of things. Kaida felt an ache in her heart, knowing she would never see her again. Once more, the area rumbled and quaked from the battle outside. "They aren't calming down up there." Placing her hand on the earthly wall, the tall Uzu woman let her senses stretch out with her chakra flowing through the dirt.
Within her mind, she could see flashes of images of what was going on outside. But they were too fuzzy to get a full picture with all the ambient energy flowing about. But she could discern whose energy belonged to whom. Her senses sharply went towards the strongest one, fighting her grandmother. A shudder escaped her lips. Never in her life had she felt something this powerful.
She felt the tremors in the earth—the pulsing of nature's chakra going wild, the world itself shuddering at the presence of such beings. Her grandmother, mighty and ancient as she was, struggled against this unrelenting force that stood against her.
"There is something there, something incredibly powerful..."
"Yeah," Kushina nodded, a drop of sweat rolling down her forehead. "We felt it. It's... I have no words. It's different from anything I've ever felt." Even Kurama, who was a force of nature in his own right, felt like a lesser yokai compared to that thing.
"I've hunted demons aplenty by now to know to feel the nature of one," Lyn muttered grimly. "But I can't make heads or tails of what this thing is."
Kaida's answer chilled them to the bone. "It is both demon and god."
The two looked at the tall woman in shock, "Demon and god? Is... Is that even possible?!" Kushina exclaimed.
"The world is filled with many types of beings. It is impossible to classify them all in strict categories neatly," Kaida replied. "From what my mother taught me, it happens from time to time. Especially with beings that do not have to abide by our need to put everything in boxes." It was a fool's errand to make sense of the primal forces in the world.
And one was HERE, facing her grandmother.
"What in the gods' name is happening...?"
"They were waiting for us," Kushina said with severity. "They laid out a trap to split us up. We came in force, and they brought a force to catch us."
"We messed up so badly," Lyn shook her head. "We threw caution to the wind the moment we got a hint of rescuing Baachan."
"It was foolish," the two bowed their heads at their aunt's rebuke, yet her gaze dropped to the ground all the same. "Though I can't say I wouldn't have done the same in your shoes. Tch, the Uzumaki heart, it has always been both our greatest strength and weakness."
"We all came for her, and well..." Lyn shrugged, "We found you instead. Alive." She let out a soft, breathy laugh, lips quirking in a happy smile. "Saito, Samenosuke, Kosuke, Maw-Maw, they're all gonna be so happy to see you."
Kaida smiled joyfully at the thought of reuniting with all of them, "I'm eager, too." She continued her trek, "But first, we need to get out and deal with this. My gear is nearby, let's-"
"Ganyu's here too," Kushina blurted out before she could stop herself.
Their aunt stopped in her tracks.
Kaida slowly turned back to her nieces, "S-She's... here?" Her voice was near a whisper and full of emotion.
"Yeah, she came along to help," Lyn answered.
Their aunt's eyes seem to glaze over as if remembering the past. "Ganyu... My Ganyu... She is fighting up there."
The former ANBU was quick to Kaida's side, "If we knew it was you, she would have been right here with us."
Oh, if Ganyu knew, there would have been no doubt. Kaida shook her head before starting to move with a quickness to her steps. Kushina and Lyn followed with a jog. The First Blade had to focus. She could not let her emotions get the better of her. No, she needed her gear, her sword. She needed to be ready for the battle raging above their heads.
The First Blade of Uzushio was needed to fight.
Her crimson eyes stared steely ahead. She could feel they were getting closer and closer.
Deeper, they went into the maze of tunnels, slaughtering any opposition they found on the way. If not for Kaida's tracking seal guiding her, they would have gotten lost. Eventually, they reached a chamber that seemed to exist solely for the purpose of storing treasures and riches. Even the great animal clans utilized gold and such when bartering with others, so the great serpents were not exempt from hoarding shiny gems and coins.
There were also other types of treasures, various works of art in the form of vases, statues, wall scrolls, and more. Not to mention different types of weapons and suits of armor. At the end of the room, Kaida spotted her prized gear thrown haphazardly over a pile. "There!" They rushed towards it, "Now, just to find my sword-"
Suddenly, a giant blurring figure dashed from behind one of the piles of treasure, and a snake coiled in front of her armor with a malicious smirk. "Your blade, Uzumaki?" He chuckled and flicked his tongue at them, "Why, I wonder where it could be~?"
Kaida narrowed her red eyes, feeling the tracker seal giving off a much stronger single... from within the snake. "You have it."
"It's in my gullet now," The snake boasted and challenged the humans. "Do not worry, I will reunite you with it!" Slit eyes stared at her with hunger.
Kaida let out a breath full of annoyance and exasperation, "I don't have time for this."
She snapped her fingers.
The snake stared at her in confusion... before a grunt escaped from his large throat. Pained gurgling sounds kept coming as the snake recoiled as if physically struck, "W-Wait, no...!"
From his long, elongated body, a sharp object burst through the muscle and scales at high velocity, spilling viscera and blood on its path.
Kaida caught it in her hand. The item was covered in blood, yet a swift, mighty swing removed all the substance and pieces of flesh from its length, with the added side-effect of creating a short shockwave cutting through the air that severed the snake's head in an instant.
"...Gross," Kushina commented, to which Lyn nodded. "Badass, but gross."
Thirty years... It has been such a long time since Kaida held Uzuhime. The sword forged by her brother is one of his finest works. The blade resembles silver but is lighter and harder than steel. An extremely rare metal Rokuro brought home on one of his travels up north. Leaning the blade closer, she had it rest against her forehead, closing her eyes. 'I'll never lose her again. I make this vow to you, brother.'
Opening her eyes, Kaida took a kata stance. Slowly, she started moving, or rather, to the eyes of Kushina and Lyn. She flowed around the room, letting her body remember the moves she had ingrained into her being since she held a sword as a child. Uzuhime swished and slashed through the air around her wielder, so it almost made a sound as it moved.
Kaida stopped, pointing her sword directly at her armor. "It's time for the First Blade of Uzu to join the fray once more."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Roaring came from the skies above, with Genryu and Manda flying around the air. Whenever he got a chance, Gamabunta fired a massive orb of water out of his mouth and tried to strike the former snake, now transformed dragon, who evaded and mocked the Toad Chief. Way in the far-off distance, an explosion rocked what was left of the mountain where Meihui was facing down Ibuki-Douji.
Naruto and Homura, with Kosuke in front, huffed as they ran through the darkened forest. "This is worse than the Suna-Oto invasion!" the blue-haired swordswoman yelled.
"Hell, you should have seen Han'ei and Land of Trees!" Naruto quipped, shooting a glance at where Maw-Maw was fighting, "So, how do you like your first mission with Mom!"
"It is chaotic!"
Kosuke chuckled, "Just a normal Uzumaki Wednesday!" Their exchange of words came to an end as they found a clearing with two women the young teens did not recognize fighting. But a sparse memory came to Kosuke at one of them, "Kamika!"
Said she-dragon paused in her fighting to look back to see two of her cousins and Kushina's new apprentice.
Katsura also halted her advance at the sight of the trio, "Oh my, oh my... Well, this isn't good." Hmm, if she recalled, Zoros and Aezvyn were meant to deal with those three... Her eyes soon glowed as she spotted the whisker-cheeked blond. 'Kushi-chan's son.'
A confused blink came from Naruto, "Wait. That's Kamika?"
"You haven't seen her human form, have you?" Kosuke questioned before they ran up to their Dragon cousin. "Need a hand?"
Kamika huffed before they all turned a steely gaze back to the woman who smiled so eerily at them. But mainly to Naruto, who felt a chill down his spine being stared at. "The odds are in my favor, Ichimonji." The she-dragon addressed in a firm tone.
Sheathing her blade, Katsura tapped her chin in thought: "The battle turns against us. And I wanted to face my Kushina so badly..." She sighed dramatically before sweetly smiling, which looked so wrong: "But there is always another day." She waved merrily before a portal opened behind her: "I wish I could spend time with you, Naruto-kun. I hope we meet properly sometime!" These were her final words before walking backward into the portal as it vanished.
Once more, the blond shivered while he stared wide-eyed, "She knows my name."
"She is obsessed with your mother." Kamika explained while catching her breath, "And I have no doubt the Cult knows all about us."
Kosuke grunted, "Well, isn't that charming."
Inspecting the battlefield, Homura turned her gaze to Kamika, "That woman was a dangerous opponent." Throughout the area were countless craters of various sizes, uprooted trees, and even shattered boulders.
Naruto did not pay attention to the conversation as he looked back once more to where Meihui was fighting— Her. Absently, he rubbed his chest close to his heart. There it was again, that gnawing sensation he couldn't place. Mixed with this anxiousness, it made him feel more restless than usual.
But why was he even feeling this?
What was-
"Naruto." The blond came out of his mental musings feeling a hand on his shoulder to see Kamika beside him with concern in her eyes, "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah..." Naruto shook his head, focusing his thoughts. "We need to find the others rather than stay here."
His cousin nodded, looking up; she saw her father and Manda flying all over the skies. "It Would be too dangerous if I took flight right now. We would get caught in the crossfire between Father and that wretched Manda."
"Then we ran back to where we were before getting split up," Kosuke offered which the others agreed.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Hikari always kept this side of herself under lock and key, this savage beast that wanted to get out and violently strike at everything around it. She knew her fists could rend normal people apart like paper, that she would lash out savagely in a fury-filled haze.
But this thing she was fighting, this thing could take it.
So, for the first time in her life, Hikari let loose.
"RRRAAAAAGHHG!" The howl that came from her mouth was inhuman, anger-incarnate. Her blood boiled, her muscles burned and bulged, begging her to strike over and over, to feel meat tenderize under the blows of her scaly fists.
She struck with the speed of the wind. Only traces of her disciplined martial arts could be seen among the series of wild fists and kicks. She had descended into some primal style directed by pure instinct.
The enormous demon actually flinched under her blows, and she knew she was actually able to harm it. The flesh was bruised, wounds split open, and blood was drawn. It wasn't enough, not yet, not nearly enough.
But if she kept at it, if she kept attacking even if Hikari lost her mind, if the young Uzumaki descended to an unprecedented level of savagery, then perhaps reach the point where she could kill the demon.
But the baron's strength proved it was more than capable of killing her before that came to pass.
One eye closed as the side of her face burst into pain. The impact from the demon's fist on the side of her skull rattled her brain. Had she not been in this feral, empowered state, her head would have been reduced to red mush. The demon seemed entertained by the fact she had not died in one blow, letting out a gurgling chuckle as it delivered another strike, this one to her stomach, and the size of its fist made it so it covered most of the surface of her torso, even with her larger muscle mass and bone structure.
Hikara coughed blood. All the air knocked out of her with that blow.
Her body was already healing the damage. The nature chakra was a powerful force indeed.
Pure instinct erupted, and she latched her clawed fingers over the demon's hand. She pulled herself over its fist and jumped to its face, using its shoulder and chest as a base for support. There, she unleashed a barrage of punches that struck every visible part of its face. She panted, grunted, and howled in anger, at points forgetting why she was doing this. Why did she want this thing dead?
She saw a brief image of the family that had accepted her, and then her rage doubled. Flames erupted from her muscular arms as her fists ignited, gusts of flame escaping her lips with each pant as her now serpentine eyes blazed.
The baron staggered for a moment, small fractures forming over its skull, yet these were not enough to truly stop it. It reached out with both claws to pull her away. In the frenzy, Hikari screamed with a stone-shaking sound and snapped. Her sharpened teeth reached forward.
For the first time since the struggle began, the baron knew pain. It let out a roar of agony and rage as its eye was ripped out of its socket and caught in Hikari's teeth.
The monster glared with hatred and slammed upon the ground so hard the force made the earth break. A sudden cloud of dust and dirt rose and cleared swiftly by the force of the shockwave, their forms sinking further into the earth as the crater grew in size. Rocks of all shapes and sizes flew away under the sheer force of the demon's blow.
The dragonified woman gasped, her form laying limp on the crater. The Baron sneered, peering at its broken wrist blades. No matter, tearing apart this lowly mortal will be much sweeter to take its time.
Hikari coughed up blood with pain shooting through her limbs but couldn't get a quick respite as the demon lunged at her with both fists brought down onto her body.
And again, and again, and again, and again.
It laughed with pure cruelty, hearing the sounds of bones crunching and cracking. Only to be healed rapidly by Hikari's constant absorption of nature chakra. The more the hell beast struck her, the more the earth collapsed and cratered around them. Hikari's transformed body was bloodied from head to toe. She felt the agony of the constant unending hits and her body regenerating at the same time.
Yet her eyes were clear and calm. Staring up at the abnormal night sky above. 'A fair trade... My kin survive... All that... Matters...'
Memories of the recent past flash vividly in her mind. She remembers Meeting Saito and reuniting with the clan her parents had told her so much about. She remembers how they welcomed her, accepted her, and loved her as kin truly do. It filled her heart with warmth she had not felt in a long time.
For that precious moment of being with them. Hikari would be happy to give her life to protect them all from this horror. 'I'll be home soon, Mama... Papa...'
The one good eye of the Baron gazed curiously at the human now smiling so serenely. Ripping off her head should wipe that smile off and bring the terror it was craving to see.
It was too late to notice the two figures rushing towards him at full speed. The ground cracked under their heels as they jumped straight towards it, two fists, both carrying might beyond mortal prowess, slamming right in the center of its face.
"Get the fuck off her!" A male voice roared with a bear-like quality to it.
In her dizzy state, Hikari watched those two figures assault the great demon. Kosuke and... a woman she didn't recognize but felt familiar for some reason. They just attacked the baron relentlessly, dodging its savage strikes while countering with blows capable of turning boulders into pebbles. Hikari felt her body shrink down slowly, losing the added muscle mass as the scales retreated into her skin until they vanished. A painful sigh escaped her lips as the transformation ended, she was too tired to stand up, too hurt to do anything right now.
"Hikari-chan!" A blonde whiskered face right above her. Her eyes tiredly looked at Naruto, who stared at her with concern. He yelped, blushing before quickly removing his jacket and placing it over her naked chest. "You okay?" He asked, sounding embarrassed.
She couldn't help it; she laughed—or rather chuckled with a wet sound. "Where have you been?"
"To quote my teacher, Got lost in the road of life," He joked with a bright grin that made her feel better just by seeing it.
"Is she injured?" The voice of Kushina's student reached her ears, and Homura stood over her, inspecting her body for any signs of injuries. Thankfully, she had regenerated a lot by now, but there were still some gashes and horrible bruises on her figure. "Naruto, make clones and treat her."
"Got it!" A pair of clones burst into existence, while the main Naruto and the young swordswoman took off towards the demon.
"W-Wait...!" She let out a strangled protest, not wanting them to face that horror. She sat up, only to hold her stomach in pain, the jacket almost falling from her chest. Naruto's clones steadied her.
"Easy there," One said, pulling out a salve and bandages.
Hikari shook her head. "I need to-" Her words stopped as she tried to get up, but pain shot through her body like lightning. Naruto's shadow clones were quick to keep his older cousin sitting as they started basic first aid.
"You've done enough," A clone of the blonde nearly ordered with a hand on her shoulder. The clones blushed when the jacket fell off and quickly put it over their cousin again. "Let the boss and the others handle this." By Hikari's expression, she wanted to protest but was too exhausted and rested on the ground. "Good."
The older teen observed the fighting, "Who is the woman?"
"Kamika in human form. Caught me off surprise, too."
"Huh."
Dozens upon dozens of crimson-colored crystal kunai and shuriken formed in the air and soon launched themselves at the hulking demon once Kosuke and Kamika were moved out of the way when the original Naruto yelled out to them. The blond's crimson-slit eyes glared with irritation, seeing none of his weapons even penetrating the bastard. "The hell is this guy!?"
"A Baron of Hell. One of the strongest fiends within the depths of the Inferno." Kurama snarled within his host, "The mere fact the eight-headed jackass got one of them is horrifying enough besides his daughter being alive again."
'What the hell can we do!?'
"Not much! You would have to use nearly all of my chakra, and you can barely use two tails!"
A deafening roar came from the Baron attempting to strike Kamika, who evaded the demon's massive fist and caught it with both hands. With a showing of immense strength, she held the Hell beast in place for Kosuke to slam his fists hard into the monster's head. The force behind them reeled the Baron, who glared with annoyance; his one eye took note of another human holding a blade of pure energy over her head. Bringing it down, she fired a wave of pure energy that struck the demon's other arm, which was able to give a minor gash.
But still not even enough damage to hurt the massive beast.
Naruto and his clones kept to Hikari before sharply looking up to see figures running out of the forest. Naruto's clones half-created crystal kunai before stopping with relief, which washed over him, to see Uncle Saito, Aunt Kya, and Rin running toward them.
"What in the name of the blessed sun goddess is that!?" The Tohsaka heiress yelled out with definite fright in her voice.
Wind chakra danced around Kya katana, "Another devil to send back to hell."
It was with seamless efficiency that the others joined on the offensive. When the baron threw Kosuke away with a swing of his arm, Naruto dived in with a flock of crystal birds, impacting and shattering over the length of its arm with great force. Homura's shining blades cut through skin and muscle over its legs but did not manage to wound it too deeply before she was forced to retreat.
Kosuke shook his head as he regained his balance, looking at Saito, whose blade shined with chakra. With only exchanging a look, the musclebound man grabbed his cousin's hands and hurled him at the demon. Saito narrowed his eyes as the wind rushed over his face at high velocity, space bending over the demon's head as a series of slashes struck from all sides. Shallow wounds opened and closed in quick succession thanks to the baron's toughness and generation, and it swiped its arm at the flying Saito, who huffed in pain from the collision and was thrown back, rolling as he hit the ground.
Tribal markings appeared on Kya's face. The beautiful Namikaze called upon the chakra in nature and enhanced the power of the wind coating her sword. Finely honed currents of cutting air dashed through, cutting the demon's chest in a spray of blood. Kamika capitalized and summoned arcs of lightning from her fingertips, striking at the demon's open wounds.
It recoiled... and then roared in mounting fury, and a hellish glow emanated from its maw. With a terrifying roar, a stream of fire so concentrated it was more akin to a beam launched from its mouth, trailing a path of destruction and scorched earth, forcing its opponents to retreat. Kamika ended her attack and flew upwards to avoid it. Naruto ducked out of the way just in time while Kosuke grabbed the still-recovering Saito and jumped up.
Hikari and Naruto's clones, however, were sitting ducks. The clones hurried to move the martial artists out of the way, but the beam came upon them too fast.
"No, you don't!" The red-garbed Tohsaka heiress jumped in between, throwing six gems in the air that shined with pulsating power. A six-layered barrier appeared in front of them, right over the beam, causing it to spill on the sides. Rin grunted as the first two layers were swiftly destroyed, with the third following soon after. "Shit, too strong...!"
The baron continued its attacks, seeking to burn them to ash.
And then a giant boulder collided with its head, dragging the path of its beam away and carving another trail of scorched earth.
That was enough to end the Baron's attack with a blood-soaked Sakura huffing where she had tossed the massive rock. Samenosuke and Kuma ran out from behind her. Wrapping explosive seals on some of his kunai, the roguish man tossed them with precision at the Demon who recoiled as the blades exploded at his face.
Running with primal fury, Kuma roared, now charging beside a roaring Kosuke. The hulking man and overly large brown bear rammed their bodies hard against the demon, who skidded back, growling.
The original Naruto looked back as Sakura ran up to him, for which the pinkette was quickly hugged by the blond before detaching with the blood on her now on him as well, "Are you alright!?"
"Not my blood." Sakura's voice was a little unsteady but okay, aside from being paler than usual.
The two shot their heads back to the Baron, who roared with fury and swiped at Kosuke and Kuma. Only several arrows made of pure ice struck the fiend in the chest. Leaping high in the air, Ganyu made more of her frozen arrows and shot them from her bow in rapid succession.
"Goodness gracious, this is an eventual day!" Shima declared on Jiraiya's shoulder as the Toad sage arrived.
Fukasaku only stared in shock once more, "By the Gods! A Baron of hell!?"
Fireballs shot out from the treeline, and Sasuke, who landed next to his teammates, "You two look like hell."
"I dismembered a demon with my bare hands," Sakura muttered.
... Well, that explains the blood.
"You kids, keep your distance!" Jiraiya ordered as he leaped toward the enormous demon, a Sage-powered Rasengan spinning in his hand as he struck with unrelenting force. It was a testament to the baron's toughness that even under such a heavy blow, it was still standing. The sage was forced to jump back when a stream of fire spewed from the demon's mouth.
Ganyu discarded her bow, making it disappear into motes of light. The dragon woman got on all fours before propelling herself high into the air. Her body shimmered as an icy mist emanated from her form, elongated into a serpentine shape. What came out of the mist was a dragon no bigger than a large horse, with a light blue scale and a thick mane of blue fur coating the length of her spine. The black and red horns and its eyes were still distinctly Ganyu's.
She flew around the beast with great speed and agility, blowing pure frost from her mouth in a storm of icy shards and freezing winds. Ice built up over the baron's frame wherever the ice breath struck, but it shattered whenever it moved; the ice wasn't building fast enough to weaken the beast. Steam rose from the beast as it raised its body temperature by conjuring pure hellish fire to shroud it. It breathed fire upon Ganyu, who swiftly dodged out of the way.
"It's too tough...!" Hikari grunted in pain as Kya and Sakura adjusted a few bandages with Naruto's clones; the Namikaze was muttering something under her breath that was channeling chakra over the martial artist's wounded frame, easing the pain little by little. At the same time, the pinkette was putting her medical training to use. "I gave it everything I had, I let loose like never before, and all I got was a damn eye!"
"And yet you decided to go at it all on your own," The reproaching voice of Shirou spoke harshly. They saw the blacksmith and their smaller cousin Karin approaching with the remaining monkeys of their group. The few Gorillas that were with Naruto and the others have gone to search for them also came by their side.
Hikari lowered her eyes in shame, "I wanted to keep you safe. Too many died already..."
"We knew the risks," One of the monkeys said.
"I didn't ask anyone to die for me!"
"Then you have no right to give away your life either," Kya said in a neutral tone. It was enough for Hikari to hang her head in shame.
Naruto crashed right next to them with a huff. Even the shockwave from one of the thing's attacks was enough to send him flying. "Okay, I'm out of ideas..." He let out a heavy sigh and panted.
"It's too powerful," Sasuke narrowed his Sharingan, feeling his eyes sting from the sheer power on display from everyone here to get at the beast. All of its wounds were healing too fast, with the sole exception being its missing eye. Was its toughness and regeneration limited to missing organs?
"And we're exhausted," Sakura huffed, finding she didn't have more chakra to keep treating Hikari, bringing a deep sense of resentment for her own body's limits. "We've been fighting all day!"
Karin's focus shifted between the other facing down the Baron, the fight with Uncle Genryu and Manda above them with Chief Gamabunta doing what he could, and finally towards the distant battle of Maw-Maw facing that monster woman. The Baron unleashed a roar that shook the very ground, making the Uzu girl return her attention for a moment till sharply turning her head in another direction.
She felt something... Something was advancing towards them at such an acceleration it couldn't be human...
The others soon felt it, too, before the view of a human-sized comet of pure fire blazes passed everyone and collided with the Baron like a cannonball. This held enough force to send the Hell Beast not only flying but also hurt it with burns and cracks on its stony, hardened skin. The blazing comet of flame vanished to reveal Tomoe, who floated in the air. Her crimson eyes glared with a near-unholy wrath of her burning Oni blood within her.
The ground beneath the Baron cratered where it landed but was given no reprieve as Tomoe let out an inhuman roar, lunging at it with flames coating her katana. It extended her blade, now carved through the earth, as the Sage of Flame flew back towards the demon for another attack with a horizontal gash against its upper torso.
"We're here!" Tamamo Called out as she, Yugao, and Soujiro leaped out of the forest. The half-kitsune paused, witnessing Tomoe relentlessly attacking a massive demon she had felt, which led them to this direction and clearing. "She is... pissed."
"We noticed," Naruto muttered with exhaustion.
"Is everyone alright?" Soujiro questions with hints of concern in his eyes.
"We will be once that bastard is dead." Sakura quipped with a huff.
Her fox ears perked before Tamamo noticed and ran over to a very injured Hikari, "What happened!?"
"I... had to break the seals... on me."
Tamamo's tail puffed, her ears fox twitched before going flat against her head, a clear sign of anger and aggression. "You musclebound lug head!" She screeched, somehow timing her outburst with an explosion that went off in the distance with Tomoe and the demon's confrontation, making half her head shine, and the other be temporarily obscured in shadows. "Why would you have done something like that?!"
"Kid, you crazy?!" Samenosuke summed up his shock in fewer words.
"I... I had to get that thing away from Shirou and Karin, away from the monkeys," She gave a sad look at the surviving primates. "So many of you died already to keep us safe."
"We came here willing to lay down our lives if it meant the return of the High Sage," one of the gibbons said without a hint of remorse or hesitation. "Such is our duty."
"Ours is to reunite with our family," Saito addressed sternly as he approached the young woman with Kosuke at his side. "Do not dishonor their sacrifice by throwing your life away."
The martial artist's lips pursed as her brown eyes fell to the ground. "Dying for our clan is the least we can do."
"No," Soujiro replied, a generous amount of emotion present in his otherwise calm voice. "Living for the clan is what ought to do."
"We just recovered something precious," Shirou intoned with a heavy voice, reuniting with Rin as they tightly held hands. "Don't cast it away now."
Tears fell down her cheeks. "I'm sorry"
"You better be," a wave of relief washed over her as Tamamo's yokai magic began healing her at an impressive rate. "I might have to redo your seals next time you have an episode! Hopefully, you just released them instead of outright breaking them..." she grumbled with a puff of her cheek.
The martial artists smiled gratefully and tearfully at her yokai-kin. "Thank you"
"It's what cousins are for."
Naruto dispelled his clones and is now standing beside Jiraiya with Ma and Pa on his shoulders. All their gazes are on Tomoe, who is bearing down on the Baron alone, giving the others a chance to catch their breath. "We need to help her, don't we?"
"Yes, even Tomoe can't face down that demon alone," Shima said with a worried tone. Both she and her husband could feel Tsukiko's former student's emotional state was anything but focused. She was fighting out of rage with hardly any discipline.
A large silverback grumbled, "But how exactly can we help when we are all exhausted from fighting all day?"
While Tamamo treated Hikari, her ears twitched as her tail swayed before shooting up. Her eyes stared to the ground at her feet. A smile soon formed on her lips, "I think I can help with that last part!" Her tail curved with the tip pointing to the ground, "I can feel a leyline under us!"
Recalling what he remembered about the planet's life energy, Sasuke asked, "How does that help us?"
"I can tap into the leylines and perform a mass healing spell on all of us."
Fukasaku was quick to speak up, "Little one, that is pure, unfiltered energy. Harnessing that level of power requires immense experience."
Tamamo perked up, "I've been studying the arcane art since I could walk. But I know I can't do this alone. I need help performing this ritual."
"I'll help!" Kamika spoke up, coming over to her younger cousin.
The Yokai Uzumaki smiled before turning to the Toad Sage, "I'm going to need you three to help, too! We're all too exhausted, and this ritual will fix that.."
Jiraiya gave the Namikaze woman a grin, "Are you up for this?"
"I trained for this all my life," The faintest of smiles tugged at her lips.
"Hoho, I haven't done ritual magic in a long time!" Shima and her husband jumped down from Jiraiya's shoulder, taking a position with the man, Kamika, and Kya around the half-kitsune.
From there, what happened next wasn't ninjutsu or any methodical ninja technique.
If Naruto could describe what was happening, he'd use the word 'magic.'
The sages and dragon princess kelt over the ground while Tamamo closed her eyes, holding her hands together in a ram seal. They placed their hands on the earth and tapped into the power of nature below. Not the air, the earth, or the elements in their vicinity; they reached for something far deeper.
The very lifeblood of the world, a metaphysical river of pure primordial energy, fed all the chakras and mystic power that dwelled in every tree, every animal, and every living and non-living entity.
The masters slowly brought it to the surface. Tamamo's fur went up with the electric feel of its tendrils as she tapped into them, too.
"O' Gods of Izumo"
The ground began to glow, an ethereal water-like substance seeping from the depths of the world and coming to the surface. It was so raw and so filled with life that grass and plants grew over the torn areas of the battlefield.
"Aesthetically certain, breath of the soul."
Transparent constructs made of that energy manifested with a sudden burst of power, startling the Uzumaki and their allies. Torii gates of impressive size took position around the half-kitsune's ritual.
"Let this be the proof of your purity, the rivers and watery heavens!"
Talisman strips slipped out of her sleeves, and with a twirl, she launched them, flying as though they were kunai. They stuck in the middle of the torii gates as if sticking against an invisible wall. The gates shined brightly and then dissolved into more water.
The ethereal waves gathered around her, coalescing into a sphere right above her head. Despite its relatively small size, it *brimmed* with outstanding levels of energy, shining like a miniature star.
"The breath of the planet, a torrent of life..."
The sphere let out a drop fall to the ground.
And then light shined all around Tamamo in beautiful arcs.
"Eightfold Blessings of Amaterasu!"
Naruto felt a wave of energy wash all over him. He expected it to feel like a tidal wave, but instead, it felt like the most refreshing breeze—like a dip into cool waters after a hot day.
Karin gasped, feeling the soreness of her muscles. The tiredness in her limbs just seeped away, and she felt completely rejuvenated. Sakura gripped her hands into fists, staring at them.
This was different from a soldier pill. The pinkette felt more than refreshed. She felt more alive than she had ever been.
Soujiro rolled his sword arm, "This feels amazing."
Hikari rose to her feet without any issues. Wrapping Naruto's coat around her body to cover her breasts. "Okay, if I use your coat like this?"
"Better than being half naked." Naruto gave a thumbs up.
Kosuke rubbed his biceps while Kuma huffed and shook his furry body. "Yeah, it feels good to me, too, little brother."
Sasuke rolled his neck beside some of the Gibbons and Gorillas. "Are we all ready for round two?" a silverback grinned, showing his fangs.
"We can't just rush in." Yugao remarked, "We help Tomoe-San the right way and not get ourselves killed."
"I agree with Sempai." Homura also addressed her opinion.
Naruto stood in front of Kurama in his prison, "You ever faced one of those things?"
"I had faced down a Tyrant. A Baron is just below them. All I can tell you is to hit that thing with all you can dish out on it. They are powerful but not unkillable. Think you can win?"
Naruto's eyes did not waver, "We're bringing that bastard down and getting Tsukiko-Baachan home."
The Nine-tails stared back with a faint smirk, "Then show me, Naruto."
The blond Uzumaki's eyes opened. He saw crimson chakra coating his body in a fox-like shape and two tails swaying.
Jiraiya rolled his neck, popping the joints, as Ma and Pa jumped into his shoulders, helping him channel Senjutsu once more. "Karin," he called out to the girl. "Do you think your chains can hold it?"
"Not too well yet."
"Then you're going to help Kya and me with this," he said, looking at the apprentice sage, who nodded in turn. The mocha-skinned woman began going through a series of hand seals, while the Toad Sage did the same. "Everyone, keep it busy!"
No sooner had he spoken those words than they all sprung to action, invigorated by the energy filling their beings and bodies. They healed up and were ready to attack once more.
Naruto reached the monster first; this one was too distracted by its bout with the Flame Sage. The moment it took notice of Naruto, two dozen clones, all shrouded in red chakra, attacked at the same time, delivering a series of punches directed at its face, making it stumble. Tomoe took her chance to back away, discarding her weapons in a swath of flame and instead summoning her great bow, burning arrows fired at great velocity and impacted with tremendous force over the beast's body.
Homura dashed in and out with a body flicker, making her body appear to be a blur on the battlefield as her dancing blades twirled around the demon, a dozen, dozen cuts littering its legs. Soujiro, Yugao, and Saito joined in with precise and swift strikes, their katanas lacking the beautiful flourish of the sword mistress but more than making up for it with decisive swings.
They moved back just as the enraged demon lifted its foot to stomp on the ground, creating a shockwave that sent waves of jagged earth and rocks flying through the air. The troop of monkeys howled and roared, jumping over the blast and evading the debris sent their way. They did what they did best: attack with unrelenting savagery and experienced martial arts perfectly blended into an animalistic style.
Kuma's long, sharp claws dug into the soil as he ran at full speed towards the Baron. A primal roar came from Kosuke's furry brother, who stood on his hind legs to rise to six meters standing. His mighty paws clawed and scratched at the hellborn's skin while also biting the soft portions of exposed flesh of its leg.
A pained roar came from the hell beast's maw before Kosuke and Kamika's fists slammed into its jaw, rocking it backward. Flames took the shape of a Kanabō that Tomoe flew above the Baron and brought down upon its skull, breaking one of its horns.
Ganyu shot ice arrows through the air, leaping into the air with great agility and striking the demon's limbs with precise accuracy.
After going through several hand seals, Sasuke unleashed a torrent of fireballs enhanced by a wind jutsu from Sakura, who had learned from Naruto during their training sessions. The fireballs increased in size before colliding with the beast's chest. Grabbing several bottles from one of his numerous pouches, Samenosuke tossed them with accuracy at the Baron's good eye. It recoiled as not only did the glass break but also unleashed acid, burning its eye.
"Do not let up!" Saito commanded.
Foxfire erupted from Tamamo's hands with a fanged smile before firing it at the now-blind Baron, who attacked wildly in every direction.
"We're getting Tsukiko-baachan back!" Naruto declared creating hundreds of crimson crystal kunai above him before unleashing them with blinding speed.
Shirou charged, creating two swords in each of his hands with Rin running beside him with jewels glowing in between her fingers, "The Kurokiba and the damn Cult will learn not to mess with the Uzumaki!"
His blades cut through the demon's knee, already battered and weakened by the unrelenting assault, and brought it to its knees. Rin's spells bound earth over its limbs to lock it in place, accompanied by ice locking up the joints. Tamamo's talismans struck with multiple curses. Hexes weakened and brought sickness and enfeeblement to the beast. The greater demon gasped and let out a stream of ichor falling from its maw, sickly matter spilling all over the ground.
Hikari charged, finding much greater clarity and purpose in her mind without the haze of animalistic fury plaguing her. She did not need raw power at this moment; all she needed was precision. She jumped, spinning through the air before delivering a mighty kick on the demon's skull, right over its crown. She felt something crack, and the baron, already stunned and weakened, grew numb.
"Now!" Jiraiya called out.
Kya thrust her hands forward, "Sealing Technique: Step One; Kin!"
Long strips of thick fabric manifested around her, flying toward the fallen demon at great speed, wrapping themselves tightly around its body. The baron tried to resist, but its strength had been greatly diminished after constant assaults.
Jiraiya clapped his hands together, "Step Two: Bankin!"
Chakra coalesced into solid matter, forming sharp metal bolts around the demon and shooting towards it, piercing through cloth and muscle to firmly reinforce its bindings.
Wounded, weakened, entrapped, the mighty being that once held a high rank among the various types of hellborn had been brought low by the hands of mortals. And now it was at their mercy.
"Time to finish it off!"
A torrent of roaring fire ignited like a beacon into the night sky, and the Sage of the Flame invoked her red katana. Her red eyes were shining with ungodly intensity as the iris had become hot-white slits. "Allow me,"
The fires all completely coalesced into her blade, the inferno surrounding her disappeared in an instant, and her katana shined like a tiny fragment of the sun, the air around it growing hazy from the sheer heat.
Her friends and allies all stood clear, knowing what was bound to happen next.
Tomoe took a deep breath and changed her stance. She held her blade perpendicular to her head and pointed it right at the demon.
She closed her eyes for a moment... and when she opened them, she was gone. In a single step, she cleared half the distance between it and the monster, a gust of hot wind following after her with gale force. In the second step, she was upon it.
Her blade swung, and the flesh upon the demon's flesh burned a millisecond before the blade made contact.
Tomoe landed right behind the Baron of Hell, whose head slowly fell from its shoulders. Its entire body soon became charred, a coal-like texture spreading over the surface of its skin while red lines of pure heat cracked over it. When the head hit the ground, it shattered into bits of charcoal.
The group was silent as they witnessed the last of Baron's body crumble. Naruto stared wide-eyed beside Kain and Homura, who shared his countenance.
Did they do it?
Resting his hands on his knees, Sasuke caught his breath next to Sakura before a chuckle came from his mouth. The pinkette glanced in shock to soon see the Uchiha start laughing with a smile.
A pure, genuine smile with a full cheer that soon came upon the others one by one.
The Silverbacks pounded their chest with the remaining Gibbons hooping and howling. Kuma stood on his hind feet, roaring next to Kosuke, who did the same.
Kamika smiled proudly beside a jumping and cheering Tamamo. Soujiro faintly grinned next to his father and a dancing Samenosuke. Rin rested against her boyfriend, who hugged her back and rested his chin on her head. Hikari sat herself on the ground with a huff, but a smile never faded from her.
Within Naruto, Kurama chuckled, "...Keep impressing me, Naruto."
The blond did not hear that as he hugged Karin as they both cheered. Homura and Yugao high-fived with smiles on their lips.
"Well, this will make one hell of a debrief," Jiraiya chuckled with a smile. Kya snorted, sheathing her sword. Ganyu snickered beside the two.
Pa and Ma shared the positive vibe washing over the group, 'These little tadpoles are something else.' Fukasasku clapped with a smile.
Though a faint smile showed on Tomoe's lips, it did not reach her eyes before staring at the cave entrance that was a hundred yards away.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Kaida adjusted her hardened dragon leather short-sleeve top, which exposed her chiseled abs and the upper portion of her endowed breasts. She kneeled on one knee while Lyn and Kushina helped put her hair up into her signature ponytail.
Her hands fiddled with the knots of her leg guards, tying them tightly and adjusting her sandals before letting her loose pants cover them. She stood up just as the two finished doing her hair. Kushina held up a large shield she found nearby with a reflective surface to show it. It made her smile, remembering all the times she had done her nieces' hair when they were little; a gentle warmth settled on her stomach as she adjusted a lock of hair behind her ear and let two long bangs fall over her chest. "It looks great."
Lyn and Kushina smirked, showing all their teeth in that classic Uzumaki style.
Kaida adjusted the pauldrons that protected her traps and part of her shoulders, adding some protection while allowing enough space for her to move her arms more freely before she adjusted her top's collar. The last part of her outfit was a finely woven cloak she adjusted around her waist. A long strip of fabric fell on the front until it reached her knees. She tied a long red obi knot to secure it all in place.
Lyn held her katana in its sheath with reverence as she handed it to her aunt.
Kaida took it, holding it close to her face, and muttered a small prayer, giving thanks to her gods and her family's souls. Then, she slipped the sheathed blade inside the obi.
Lyn and Kushina had tears in their eyes upon seeing their aunt back in her full ensemble. She looked very much like this legendary figure they admired so much growing up—powerful yet kind, someone who made them feel safe just by being there.
The sage took a deep breath through her nostrils and slowly let it out through her nose.
Her red eyes snapped open, holding the intensity of the sun in them.
"I'm back"
She took out her blade and swung at the cave's ceiling.
The equivalent of a dozen slashes cut through rock and earth, carrying with them sheer force behind the attack.
Up on the surface, the ground exploded outwards.
The explosion of rock and earth was close to drawing the attention of Genryu, Gamabunta, and Manda.
Kushina and Lyn watched as their aunt's form became shrouded in flames; she jumped high into the air, leaving a blazing trail of flames in the wake. The trail began to take shape, becoming a coiling serpentine body.
Kaida's body disappeared within the flames, and in her place, the great maw of a roaring dragon formed, soaring high into the air. Its roar rocked the entire area before swooping downward and onto Manda, its teeth biting into his neck.
The transformed snake cried out in pain from the bite and burning that even his new scales could not resist. "THIS IS FOR THE THIRTY YEARS YOU STOLE FROM ME!" Kaida's voice came from the flaming dragon that slammed Manda into the earth near the Toad Chief, who covered his face as the ground exploded.
Out of the explosion and dust, the flaming dragon flew up and vanished, revealing Kaida floating in the air near her uncle, who stared at her back. "Kaida..."
The First Blade offered a warm smile to her kin and winked down to the Toad chief, who gave a thumbs up, "Damn good seeing you alive, kid!"
"Makes two of us, Bunta!" Kaida yelled back before returning her fierce crimson eyes glaring down at Manda.
The newly born dragon hissed with pain, holding his neck with a murderous stare upwards at the spawn of Tsukiko. With a few leaps, Kushina and Lyn made it up out of the hole their Aunt made. "Fuck that was awesome!" Both cheered in chorus.
Genryu flew close and beside his long-thought-dead niece. So many emotions ran through his being, but he kept his focus back on his old enemy, "The scales have tipped in our favor, Manda."
Bunta's tanto gleamed in his hands, "Time to make good on my word and make some leather belts from your hide."
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
Ibuki dodged Meihui's torrent of fire that came from her mouth and turned her attention back to where the others were, "OH! Someone really strong is over there!"
The ancient dragon froze as she felt it herself.
But...
That wasn't the aura of her daughter...
"...Kaida?"
"I want to meet 'em!" And with a single bound, the Daughter of Devastation jumped from the hilltop, traversing for miles over the river's valley.
Meihui watched, stunned in mute horror, realizing what was about to happen. "Oh no..." She quickly flew after the great demon, hoping beyond hope they could put a stop to this before it was too late.
XxX ~ xx ~ XxX
It was going to be a wonderful family reunion, skinning the leader of the treasonous and malevolent snakes who had hunted her family for so long. Who had tormented her for three decades for stealing her blood, for hurting her kin, and reveling in every moment of it? Perhaps it was unfit for a sage like her to want revenge and enact sadistic punishment like this... but at this point, she didn't care.
She was going to join Gamabunta in his attempt to skin the bastard... when it arrived.
"Hey there!"
Kaida swore all color drained from the world the moment she drew near. Standing in the middle of the air like that, the voluptuous and godlike figure clashed with the terrifying aura she was exuding. She had killed demons of all stripes, hellborn and earthborn, sorcerers, and malevolent magicians who used all manner of profane arts.
And now, here stood a being who felt like the embodiment of a flood... yet, at the same time, radiated such a holy aura that it made the sage in her want to kneel.
She smiled, showing her sharp fangs. "Ohhhhh, you feel strong!" She giggled, playing with a lock of her light blue hair. "You're kinda cute too! Nice muscles~"
Kaida was too busy fighting this feeling of dread to react properly.
"Ibuki-Douji..." She was certain Gamabunta had never looked so terrified in his entire life.
Genryu could only stare with a trembling maw.
On the ground, Kushina and Lyn could only stare while breaking into a cold sweat.
"Oh gods," The Uzumaki of Konoha trembled. "She feels stronger than Kurama..."
The leader of the Kurokiba recoiled, fighting off the pain as he looked up at the god. He bowed his head in reverence. "M-My lady!" he exclaimed. These are your father's foes! You must exterminate them at once!"
"Ehhhhh." She turned a bored and exasperated look at the dragon. "Are you telling me what to do?"
Manda made out a choked sound and bowed his head lower.
"I-I-I would never presume to order you, My Lady."
"Good. Nooooooow skedaddle!" Within seconds, Manda vanished in a puff of smoke as ordered by Ibuki, who beamed again back at a frightened Kaida, Genryu, and Gamabunta, "Hello~." She waved happily before glancing around the area, "Wow, everyone had some fun over here, didn't they?" She absently scratched her head, looking around seemingly scanning the grounds around her, "Why do I feel that one thing is around? Ugh, this is what I get for trying Zu Zhang's homemade sake before coming here!" She huffed shaking her head to look back to the trio in front of her.
"Ibuki-douji," Kaida cleared her throat. "I've heard many tales of you. I thought you were dead."
"Oh, I was." The daughter of Yamata nodded pleasantly. "Papa brought me back. But that is another story." She leaned forward, bringing the Uzumaki, her uncle, and the Toad chief back up. "You're really, really, really strong. Can you show me!?"
"S-Show you?"
"Hit me!"
Kaida blinked and stared for a full minute, "You... want me to hit you?!"
"I'm booooooooored!" Ibuki whined, waving her arms, "Fighting dragon lady was fun but repetitive. She kept bringing up this Kintoki guy over and over and over!"
Her words drew the attention of the three, along with Kushina and Lyn. She didn't remember Sakata Kintoki? How was that possible?
Ugh, now wasn't the time for that. If her mother's stories were true, Ibuki-Douji was a calamity of the highest caliber that made a Bijuu look like a child throwing a tantrum. This creature was guided by pure instinct and whimsy. She was as likely to play around as she was to slaughter them all from one moment to the next.
She had no time to waste.
"Stay clear!" She warned her uncle and the toad chief.
Kushina and Lyn heard the warning and quickly backed away as far as they could.
Kaida held her blade tight in her hands. Even if she wasn't at 100%, even if this only had a chance of working, she had to give it her absolute best if she wanted to slay this being.
She called upon not senjutsu, not the teachings of nature and mystic spirituality, but something even older. In ancient times, the craft of battle techniques was already being passed down by the wisdom of sages, not just to other sages but to warriors.
These were the oldest warrior techniques, predating jutsu or any other type of battle magic.
The astras.
Her mother had taught her these ancient techniques. They were so raw and powerful, like leftover primal force from when creation first dawned. The original weapons and powers unleashed by the gods in their wars.
And above them all, one stood as the epitome of the warrior techniques.
Her blade began to shine with golden light, and Ibuki made a sound of pure curiosity.
Kaida focused her soul on this one blow, this technique used by the greatest warriors of a long-gone age. Mighty demigods and warrior princes, sages of all stripes and knowledge. This technique, this weapon, could be anything.
From its original inception as an arrow to even a blade of grass, it can be discharged from any instrument of war to even the eyes or one's mouth.
Kaida thought back on her mother's tales about the legendary prince whose indestructible blade cut through the Rakshasha King.
Divine power erupted from Kaida's blade.
She took a deep breath and held her blade in preparation for a diagonal slash. The power coursing through it made the blade shake, arcs of golden lightning coursing through its edge.
At that moment, Kaida felt like she held the sun in her hands.
She swung her katana and called out the name of this revered technique.
"BRAHMASTRA!"
There was a flash of light, a wave of pure gold coming from her blade, shining so pure it contrasted sharply against the night.
It flew straight for the demon god, who could only smile excitedly in recognition as she pointed at the oncoming wave of power.
"Oh hey, I know that one-!"
The Brahmastra hit.
And a small sun was born into the night.
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The large group was already running towards the battlefield, where the great flaming dragon had emerged. They felt their hearts soar at the sight when it first emerged. They knew this was her; this had to be Tsukiko. The great sage had quickly brought Manda low so fast!
Tomoe's expression danced with concern. Jeanne's words rattled in her head before vanishing with Giles. 'If that isn't teacher… Who is it!?'
Naruto himself couldn't stop the smile from forming on his lips even if he wanted to. "I can't wait to meet you, gran-gran!"
Yet there was that underlying sense of dread when that *thing* appeared so close to them. Naruto felt his heart twinge painfully, once more making that strange sensation. He was certain the others felt the same dread, and none of them wanted to go near that woman... But for Tsukiko, they'd brave that storm. They had done so already; one more fight against another monster meant nothing.
Though they slowed their approach when they spotted the massive forms of Genryu and Gamabunta quickly approaching, he had to squint when he also saw the much smaller figures of his mother and aunt running in the same direction at full speed.
What the hell were they doing?
"Duck!" Genryu shouted.
No one heard the blast, and all had turned silent within seconds before the abnormally created night sky turned to day by the brightest light they had ever seen. It would have blinded them all if not for Genryu and Gamabunta coming and shielding them all as soon as the entire area was rocked by the biggest explosion ever witnessed and felt. The roar of the explosion nearly made all of their ears bleed.
The very earth under them and the sky shook with a pillar of holy light shot upwards into the heavens. At ground zero, trees, rocks, and soil were either vaporized or sent flying in every direction.
Meihui stopped mid-flight to shield herself as the wind whipped at her fiercely. But soon stared in awe at the sight of the Brahmastra's divine might being used.
Despite his mother covering him and Karin, Naruto could make out it was her who was caught in the attack. Her body vanished within the explosion's light into nothingness. Time stood still for a moment, not even feeling or noticing a stray tear fell from his cheek.
It felt like an eternity before, at last, the pillar of light vanished within several minutes. The vast area was shrouded by smoke and debris everywhere. The respective chiefs of the Dragons and Toads groaned painfully as they were struck by trees and rocks that were sent flying from the blast. "My ears will be ringing for days," Gamabunta grumbled, shaking his head.
As the two colossal animals moved, everyone took in the sheer devastation that was before them. The geography of the very land had been completely altered from how it once looked. The lush, beautiful forest was utterly left in ruins. The shift of the ground literally diverted the famed Forked River itself.
None could speak as they all stared while Kaida landed on the ground. Falling onto one knee with her Uzuhime, keeping her from falling on her face. Sweat dripped from her body while it also screamed from sheer exhaustion.
Was that overkill?
Well, that could be excused, given the nature of the opponent who had confronted her. But that would make her healing process a lot longer now. Still, a weak smile grew on her face. Kaida was back, and she was free.
Painfully, her body protested, but she rose shakily back to standing upon soon seeing her grandmother land in front of her. Tears streamed down Meihui's eyes, which were as wide as possible. Kaida's lower jaw trembled, unable to fight the raw emotions rising inside her. The ancient dragon almost stumbled forward but soon ran and embraced her long-thought-dead granddaughter.
The dragon matriarch all but buried her face in Kaida's chest; the taller woman stumbled, lifting her chin to avoid having one of her grandmother's horns hit her. Then, adjusting the position so she could rest her cheek upon the top of Meihui's head, she slowly yet firmly returned the embrace.
The grandmother wailed, sobbing with both heartache and relief at having Kaida in her arms again. "I thought I lost you...!" She sobbed, "I thought you were gone like the others!"
The powerful woman sniffed, a crooked smile forming on her lips as tears gathered in her eyes. She felt her grandmother's embrace for the first time in thirty years, and it felt amazing. "I know you were looking for Mom," She muttered. "I wish she were here too, I-"
"Hush," Meihui gently muttered, stepping away from the embrace a bit to look at her granddaughter in the eye, those same red orbs her mother and grandfather shared. She floated so she could better be at the same level, placing her hands on her girl's cheeks. "I found you after believing you were dead for decades. What greater miracle could I ask for?"
Kaida closed her eyes, a few tears running down her cheeks as her grandmother tenderly kissed her forehead.
The sound of dozens upon dozens of footsteps called her attention, along with the unmistakable figure of her uncle flying as he approached. She turned to see a myriad of redheads standing on the other side of the diverted river, looking at her like she was a sight straight out of a fairy tale—and, in the case of some, from their earliest and fondest memories.
"...Aunty Kaida?" One of the men muttered in shock. He looked so... familiar. Lyn and Kushina were so easy to recognize. But this man carried little of his old looks as a child. Yet a part of her felt instinctually this had to be Samenosuke.
They were here. All of them were here for her. Her friends and allies, her family. The one she had been aching for so long, in those long dark years of solitude and-
Kaida let out a sharp gasp as she spotted a figure in contrast to all the red.
Her hair was still the same blue, her horns the same black with red lines.
And her eyes... the same jewels she fell in love with so long ago.
Ganyu stared at her in shock, tears pooling in her eyes.
"How come you always take human form, Ganyu?" The teenage firstborn of Tsukiko asked the caretaker.
The dragon woman smiled gently, "I've always felt an affinity for them. I feel... comfortable taking this form," She explained to the youth. "I like being around humans; their lives are brief, but... that makes them all the more precious to me. To see their passions and their fallings in equal measure."
Kaida hummed, staring out into the sea. "But must be lonely, even we Uzumaki don't live as long as you do."
"It is what it is," Ganyu merely shrugged. "It's in your nature; I cannot expect otherwise. It just means each friend I make I treasure all the more."
The young woman made a thoughtful sound, "You know, I wanna be a sage like my mom. A big sage, the enlightened one, who will live on for so long and keep on protecting this world." She gave the dragon woman a toothy grin, "So when I do, that means I'll live way longer than most humans. I can be your friend forever!"
Ganyu stared at her with mild surprise, lips forming a circle, before she smiled fondly at her master's granddaughter. "Yes, I would love that."
Ganyu held both hands over her mouth, stifling a sob as her eyes openly wept at the sight of her beloved. "K-Kaida...!"
The large woman took a step, then another, and another. Before long, she had broken into a jog, not even bothering to walk over the river but instead slogging through it.
Ganyu let out a sound of desperation and jubilation combined as she, too, ran through the water, the one reaching her waist as the two women threw themselves at each other's arms.
Kaida fell onto her knees with Ganyu in her arms, neither caring how wet they got in the water, as she sobbed, holding tightly to the woman she loved and longed for so much.
For whom she thought she would never see again.
"I-I thought I lost you," Ganyu wailed uncontrollably.
Kaida tearfully smiled, "Never..."
"My days were empty and colorless without you!" She wept, holding even tighter against the larger woman. "I was missing a piece of me ever since that day…"
The swordswoman sobbed, "I kept thinking of you for thirty years; you kept me going for so long."
Ganyu let out a laugh, a sob, and a gasp. "I love you…" she held Kaida's cheeks in her hands. "I love you so much."
Kaida squeezed her eyes shut, letting the tears flow, and the pain leave with them. Ganyu's touch and declarations of love were the sweetest anodyne for all the heartache she had felt for those long three decades. "I love you too."
Their kiss was desperate and unrelenting, yet it carried an undeniable aura of utter joy and relief.
The family could only stare with happiness in their eyes at the sight of this reunion. Even if it were not Tsukiko who they found, they would never feel disappointed over the fact the one who came back to them was one of Uzushio's staunchest protectors.
She could have been any Uzumaki, and they still would have been overjoyed that they saved one from the Kurokiba's clutches.
Sasuke looked away, feeling he was witnessing something he had no business seeing. This… was a family matter. Instead, he asked, "You said Kaida?" He spoke up beside Saito and Samenosuke.
The normally free-spirited Uzumaki was nodding with heavy tears in his eyes, "Baachan's oldest daughter. Our Aunt."
"The First Blade of Uzu," Rin quipped in disbelief, "The legends told of her…"
Shirou couldn't help but smile, "And she is alive."
Sakura groaned, resting her head against Kuma's furry body, "It's finally over..." She absently petted the large bear.
Fukasaku and Shima hopped off Jiraiya, who rubbed his neck as he reverted from Sage Mode. "It's been years since I've had to use Senjutsu so many times." The Sannin grumbled.
Normally, the Toad elders would offer a quick rebuke, but they said nothing as they smiled with relief and happiness at the sight before them. Genryu grinned with a few tears falling. Gamabunta grumbled, finding his kiseru broken before tossing it.
Kushina could not help but cry, hugging Naruto and Karin. Her adopted daughter hugged her and her brother, who remained oddly still. He did not look at Ganyu and Kaida's embrace. But where Ibuki-Douji vanished in a blaze of holy light, his eyes were almost hollow, and he felt a deep ache in his heart.
Why was he feeling this? Why did it hurt so much when he saw her die?
"Hey!" everyone turned to Tamamo, who fearfully stared upwards. "It's still night..."
A chill ran down the spines of everyone as they stared, and indeed, the night sky remained.
"S-shouldn't it have faded?" Kya questioned with slight fear in her voice beside Lyn.
"We don't know what kind of ritual they used to create this artificial night," Rin pointed out, holding onto Shirou's as tightly as she could as though she feared he might disappear again. "It might be a catalyst they kept in place at their cave."
"No..." They turned to Fukasaku, who stared back at the moon, knowing full well it wasn't nighttime. The moon shouldn't be in this position, and yet he couldn't call any of this 'artificial' or 'fake.' "This is something more."
Before they could question what he meant by that, the world fell still once more.
"Ow-ow-ow-ow! Well, I asked for it..."
Shaking gazes turned to the center of the destruction Kaida's attack had brought. And from it emerged that powerful being that was making their spirits shudder.
Ibuki-Douji emerged from the crater, her steps wobbly and uneven. She rubbed her neck with her left hand because she was missing her right hand.
The right half of her body was gone. And the remains were only charred gore.
"You really showed me!" She giggled as though the lack of half her organs was only a minor inconvenience. She smiled at Kaida as though she wasn't losing buckets of blood, as though her entire form, even the ones still standing, weren't torn and burned. "I didn't know humans of this age could be this strong. That blow was worthy of a god!"
"Oh gods..." The First Blade of Uzu muttered, holding Ganyu protectively in her arms.
"Wooof!" She huffed a breath. "Didn't think you'd use Brahmastra, though; that's dangerous, you know?! Had you used the stronger variants, you'd have flattened this whole country." The demon god still grinned, "But man, I almost died!" She laughed as though finding the concept thrilling. "No dice, though; you have to cut off my head for that. I thought that was common knowledge." She rolled her neck a few times, making a sickening cracking noise that sounded more like broken bones than joints popping. "Ah well..."
And then she healed.
She healed everything.
In a blink of an eye, she had undone all the damage done. Missing body parts, burn marks, torn skin, shattered bones, it all returned to her swiftly. Even her clothing looked brand new again.
She didn't even look tired.
"NNNGH!" She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. "Well, I've got my fun and my exercise for the week! I think I'm allowed a few sweets and sake after all this!" Her red eyes opened, and she looked at the night sky above. "Oh, this is still here. S-Sorry, let me do this quickly..."
She reached up with her long-nailed hand, grasping the air, looking as though she was pulling at a semi-invisible fabric made from space itself and tugged.
The night shattered. Falling like broken pieces of crystal and revealing the sun in all its glory once more.
"There we go!"
Samenosuke gulped loudly, "W-What is this? What WAS that?!"
Shima answered his question, "Authority..."
It was not jutsu or magic. This was a god's power—their ability to change the world because it was their RIGHT.
Ibuki clapped happily. "Doesn't that bright sun feel good?" she beamed before tilting her head in thought. "I mean, sure, I love nighttime and all, but daytime is just as important." She placed her hands on her shapely hips. She noticed the small group near Kaida. "Oh wow, a lot of you survived!?" She gave a double thumbs up, "Good job!"
"That... thing is complimenting us," Sakura said utterly fearfully. The whole situation was so baffling that she barely knew how to react.
Kushina pushed back her fear and got in front of Karin and Naruto protectively. Dread and fright seized the hearts of all those close to the blond Uzumaki. Yet, the terror did not have its influence on Naruto.
'Thanks, the gods; you're all right.' His hopeful thought was almost like a prayer before he realized, 'Why did I think that?'
"Hmm." Ibuki shot her head in Kushina's direction as if she had heard something. Her crimson orbs gazed at the former ANBU and then at Karin, who tried to hide behind her adopted mother. Then came to a stop at Naruto before tilting her head, "...You..."
A torrent of flames sprang to life beside the daughter of Yamata, who turned away from her muses before jumping merrily, "Jeanne!"
The flames vanished as, indeed, the vampire woman stood with a dry glare, "Why did you remove the night spell?" She growled with clenched teeth.
"Well, everyone else is either dead or fled. No point keeping it up."
"You could have kept it up for me!" Jeanne groaned, ignoring the irritation she felt from the sun's light. "Oh, forget it." She shot a look at Tomoe and her group. "You actually survived against Targoth?"
Ibuki gasped in a near-dramatic fashion, "They killed Targoth?! Oh wow, didn't know they had it in them. Poor guy, though... No, wait, he was a dick. I'm not sad." Jeanne grunted, rubbing her eyes.
Fear ebbed away from Tomoe with revitalized wrath, and she shot a glare at a former friend, "You ran from our duel, and now you come crawling back, Jeanne?"
"Tch! Well, somebody had to inform her old man how this situation went tits up. Speaking of..."
Even if Ibuki's presence was a terrifying aura, it did not make what came next any easier to bear.
Blue flames erupted from the ground behind them, rising higher and higher into the air until they took on the spectral shape of a sneak, the flames still licking at the edges of its very long neck and head. It clearly wasn't here physically; it was a projection of some sort.
An enormous snake, not even Manda, had been so large. No snake they had ever faced could reach such size and project such a mighty aura.
This was less a living being and more a natural disaster—a calamity in physical form. The serpent's spectral visage was as frightening as it was familiar because many of those present had seen it before, in that vision shown by Mimir when he revealed to them the truth of the past.
But one individual in particular knew that snake personally.
Meihui made a draconic growl as she bared her teeth at the projection. "Yamata-No-Orochi"
"Oh?" The Great Serpent of Mount Ibuki smirked as he lowered his spectral head to examine the dragon in human form more closely. "Is that Meihui, I see? My, if it hasn't been an age~."
"And age too short, I assure you..."
Yamata chuckled darkly, amused by the sheer loathing in her voice. He rose his head to better look at the gathering. "Hmph, your clan has seen better days. Is this all you could muster?"
Meihui kept glaring.
"I've seen you go to great lengths to recover Manda's prisoner." He directed his serpentine eyes over to Kaida. "The fool should have taken care of you all already; I gave him some of my strongest assets to slaughter you." He hummed in thought, "I see my daughter decided to play around instead of finishing the job."
"I had fun!" Said daughter happily chipped in.
"I have no doubt," Yamata conveyed with surprising warmth but a firm tone. "However, I did tell you to destroy all threats that came to this valley, did I not?"
Shame soon glowed from Ibuki, lowering her head like a disciplined child, "I'm sorry, Papa."
"It's alright. This was a learning experience that we needed. I have had our group be far noisier than we should have been. Overeagerness. It won't happen again." The great serpent smirked at the crowd gathered before him. "Bear witness, mortals! I am the Dragon God of Mount Ibuki! The Eighth-Headed Serpent! I am Japan's Great Dragon of Devastation! Lord of the floods and famine! I am Yamata-No-Orochi, God of Destruction!"
"No…" Fukasaku muttered, all color draining from his face as he stared up at the greatest enemy of their ancestors. "I cannot be…"
"The Eighth-Headed Dragon of the stories," Saito gasped in horror.
Sakura trembled, "A god…"
This wasn't a Bijuu.
This wasn't a demon.
This wasn't any form of monster they had faced before.
This was a GOD. A being from a bygone age.
A creature who had vowed to destroy the world.
Ibuki jumped up and down, clapping in joy at her father's introduction.
"You have faced my servants and survived this battle; for that, some praise is due. I acknowledge your persistence and determination, but it shall be for naught in the end. For now, this confrontation is over. Ready yourselves for the next one."
Meihui snarled, "Too afraid I'll find you and finish what my boss started!?"
"Oh, nothing would delight me more than to fight you all again, believe me." The dragon-serpent smirked maliciously. "But it is not time yet. We're still in act one of this play. The curtain has just risen. The song goes, and we dance."
"Spare me your inane prattle!" The dragon matriarch roared. "We know what you're planning; you want to resurrect Ishtar!"
"Yes," It enraged her how smug he sounded about it. "The Jashin waits for her return… and this world will be born anew. And her faithful servants shall rule the world as god-kings."
Jeanne smiled, showing her fangs. "Amen," Tomoe bristled at her tone.
Meihui stared up at the god of destruction long and hard, "You are being far too cavalier about your intentions."
"This is a declaration of war, Meihui." The great serpent rumbled. "Bring all your blades, your fangs, and your fire. I invite you all to challenge us. The inevitable conflict that will engulf this world draws near, and from it, we shall bask in the Queen of Heaven's return."
"Because it is war, you want," The matriarch realized. "Through war, through bloodshed, it's all part of whatever plan you have to revive Ishtar, the goddess of war."
Yamata smiled.
"But you will need war on a scale unseen in ages. War across the world, so much so that every civilization on the planet will be locked in conflict. Years and years of conflicts…" She muttered. "That is why the Cult has been working on the shadows for so long, why you spread dissent and chaos in your wake, you manipulate people into fighting, so long as blood is shed, you don't care who fights. And when that's not enough, you send your forces."
Yamata's head leaned closer. "I invite you, White Lotus, to join this game with us once more. The wager: The fate of this world."
"…You may have cheated death all this time, Yamata-No-Orochi. But I promise you," Meihui swore with an intensity that rivaled the sun. "This game won't end with your goddess' return; it will end with your many heads decorating the palaces of the dragon kings!"
The deity let out a booming laugh that shook the area, "Oh! I have missed your fire, Meihui. HAHAHA! But as we both know full well, while your power I do respect. You are, at best, semi-divine. Not even a fraction of the power of that wretch." Amusement danced his eyes seeing the she-dragon seething. "Ahhh, we shall have such fun in the coming days… A pity, though, you could not find who you were truly looking for."
A stillness came over the ancient dragon. Her brow rose over her hairline before they furrowed with rage. "You..."
"I do wonder where on earth she could be~."
Fire cloaked her body, "It was YOU..."
Once more, Yamata laughed cruelly, seeing the rage flaring off Meihui, "Yes... I. Have. Tsukiko."
Meihui unleashed a roar that shook the area and made her family and comrades cover their ears, "YOU WILL GIVE MY DAUGHTER BACK TO ME, YOU BASTARD!"
The great serpent only mocked her with more laughter, "You are below me to give me commands, Meihui. But fear not, I shall continue to give Tsukiko the same privileges I give to all my guests." Yamata's projection vanished, as did Ibuki, who waved goodbye to everyone, and Jeanne, who smirked as they vanished into a portal.
Meihui shook with uncontrollable rage, and bitter tears fell on her face as she unleashed all her rage and grief, calling out the name of their hated foe.
"YAMATA!"
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