Another Word For Monster

by Kuma Akuma

Konoha's Boogeyman. Jinchuriki. Hero. Traitor. Murderer. These were the names of Naruto Uzumaki. He left Konoha 3 years ago a broken man, looking for a peaceful life. But the shinobi life doesn't let peace come so easily. It calls you back. Through violence. Through war. Through blood. Monsters didn't get peace. And shinobi? That was just another word for monster. Light AU.

25. Chapter 25

Mikoto knew from the second she leapt into the fray of enemy shinobi that her priority had to be to find the snake. The traitor. The most dangerous rogue shinobi in Konoha's history after Madara Uchiha. Orochimaru. She carved a path through the chaff, her eyes racing as she tried to find the man. There was no way he wasn't here. They had the musical note on their forehead protectors. A telltale sign he was here. He could have faked another headband. He wasn't. There was no need for subtly. No, the man was here.

And she was their only hope of defeating him.

To be honest she wasn't sure she could. The man was a Sannin, even if he was old. He had years more experience. He was one of the best ninjutsu users in the world. He had a mastery of poisons, a lethal summon, and countless more abilities. He had versatility, speed, and power. Her? She was out of practice. And being out of practice meant that she could lose. Being out of practice meant that she could die. If she was in her prime, maybe she could stand a chance against him.

Like this?

She would need to play this smart.

Ten more of the enemy shinobi leapt at her, screaming something. She wasn't paying attention. Orochimaru required her full attention. Sasuke covered for her instead. The Uchiha leapt towards them, his blade flashing in the moonlight before ten bodies lay at the ground before them both, dead. Their blood spilled over the snowy ground, staining it red.

"How I do love the sight of blood in the moonlight."

Mikoto turned, her body going cold at that familiar silky-smooth voice. She turned, expecting to see a looming elderly man, only to see a younger man staring out at her with magenta eyes and pale-green hair. She frowned, watching him cautiously. He seemed to calm for the situation. And he certainly sounded like Orochimaru. But he clearly wasn't him. What was going on?

"Who are you?"

"Oh me," the man called out. "Forgive me I must have not introduced myself."

The man bowed, his jade-green kimono crinkling at the action.

"My name is Yukimaru."

Sasuke grunted, shooting forwards and his blade flashing out only for Yukimaru to weave between the attacks with ease. Sasuke snarled, preparing to increase the intensity of his attacks only for Mikoto to suddenly grab him and leap away from the foreign man. No sooner had she done that had Yukimaru's fist speared through the air Sasuke once was. The Uchiha would have been hit by the attack. Sasuke frowned at the sight and gave a begrudging thanks. Mikoto didn't respond. Instead, she turned her attention to the threat before her.

"Why do you sound like Orochimaru?"

The man raised an eyebrow, and a coy smile escaped his lips. Mikoto tensed at the sight.

"I sound like Orochimaru-sama? What an honor."

Mikoto frowned. The words just felt so...fake. However, before she could say anything else a massive explosion ripped through the battlefield, attracting Sasuke and her attention. The two Uchiha's turned, shock on their face as they saw a storm of Kumo and Konoha shinobi sent flying into the air. Mikoto's eyes narrowed. Was there where Orochimaru was?

"Tch. Kagero knows better than to be causing such a ruckus. Well, I suppose that's in his nature. He's just so eager to fulfill Orochimaru-sama's orders."

Mikoto frowned. So that wasn't Orochimaru either? Then where was he? She had to find him, but she couldn't exactly leave this Yukimaru to wander either. Sasuke clearly couldn't handle him, and another threat, this Arashi figure, had revealed himself elsewhere in the battle. She couldn't be everywhere at once, and Sasuke certainly couldn't defeat Orochimaru. The woman bit her lip before her eyes turned to her son.

"Sasuke, go stop that Arashi. If you must lead him into Kumo or Shimo forces but keep him away from Konoha. Understood?"

"But what about you?"

Mikoto's eyes narrowed at the threat before her. The man's chakra was astronomical. The Sharingan was no Byakugan, but she could still get a decent grasp on the amount of chakra he had. It was dense. It was powerful. And it was plentiful. It felt like she was looking at a Jinchuriki. Even Naruto didn't have this much, although the last time she had seen his chakra was over four years ago. This man...whoever he was, he was a threat. A massive one. But that wasn't it. This chakra...it looked familiar and yet...it didn't? As if she had seen it before but not in this form. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at. But she knew one thing.

Orochimaru be damned she would have to handle him and then handle the snake.

Great.

More odds against her.

"I'll handle him," she muttered. "Go."

"But-"

"Sasuke!"

The Uchiha's eyes widened at his mother's stern tone.

"Have faith in me. You want to prove to me that I no longer need to protect you? Well let me prove to you I don't need you to worry about me."

"Yes, that's right," Yukimaru stated. "The grownups are speaking."

Sasuke growled, raising his blade only for Mikoto to raise her hand, stopping him.

"Go."

Mikoto smiled.

"When you get back, we can have that match for the blade."

Sasuke glanced at Yukimaru one more time before he nodded. He left her parting words before he left.

"Stay safe."

"I always do," Mikoto whispered, although he couldn't hear her. Yukimaru smiled.

"You know, you would have needed his help and more if you plan to kill me, Ms. Matriarch."

"I won't need any help killing an arrogant twat like yourself."

"Oh? You've been out of the action for years. You think you can beat me as you are?"

Mikoto frowned. This guy...he knew a lot. Sure, her retirement wasn't exactly unknown, any shinobi whose death wasn't found by other shinobi who hadn't been seen in long periods was either assumed to now be black ops, died of another reason, rogue, or in retirement. It wasn't like he had many options to guess for. But that was only a twenty-five percent chance of getting the assumption correct.

And he hadn't hesitated.

No, he knew about her. That meant he probably knew about her abilities. At least her regular ones. It was unlikely he knew about her Mangekyou.

And she had a feeling she would have to use it.

Slowly, she began to draw the Kogarasumaru. Her eyes hardened, the crimson orbs locking onto his magenta. He was unafraid of any genjutsu. Interesting. Such confidence was either arrogance, ignorance, or a justified confidence that he could handle whatever genjutsu she could dish out. She doubted it was ignorance considering the fact that Uchiha were well known for their genjutsu. No, it was either arrogance or confidence. She would have to test to see which it was.

"Yukimaru," Mikoto called, a screeching echoing as she unleashed her blade. The black blade danced in the moonlight, the silver detailing of the moon and sun dancing off of it. "I'm going to kill you."

Yukimaru smiled as he saw her drawn blade.

"A beautiful sword. The Kogarasumaru. The weapon of the Uchiha Clan. Masterfully crafted. It's an honor to fight against a fellow swordsman."

"Fellow?"

Yukimaru smiled, and his mouth opened wide, cocking at an unnatural angle. Mikoto's eyes widened as she saw a blade erupt from his throat, covered in saliva, and wrapped around an abnormally long tongue. She tensed. There was noway this guy hadn't studied underneath Orochimaru. That was something only he knew how to do. Maybe he was Orochimaru's prodigy? It would explain the honorific, and his keen ability to use his techniques. The sword dropped, Yukimaru catching it in his hand and swinging it. The tip of the blade cut into the snow finely, forming the straightest line she had ever seen a blade cause. Mikoto's eyes narrowed.

"That blade..."

Yukimaru smiled. "The Kusanagi. I'm sure you've heard of it as a fellow master of the blade."

Mikoto's eyes glistened. She wanted to smile and frown at the same time. Frown because the Kusanagi was the telltale sign that this man was not to be trifled with. Orochimaru wouldn't give up his blade to just anyone. She was surprised he had given it up at all! Yet, despite that, she wanted to smile. She had always wanted to clash blades with the Kusanagi. To see if the blade was all it was rumored to be. To prove the Kogarasumaru was superior.

This was her chance.

She raised her blade.

Yukimaru smiled.

"Ah, no more words?"

He raised his blade.

"Good."

The two charged. Their blades sparkled in the moonlight. And then...they clashed.

The Kusanagi and Kogarasumaru clashed with a ringing clang, snow dancing across the battlefield from the force. Both combatants stepped forwards, going shoulder to shoulder as their blades clashed in a fight for dominance. The two grunted simultaneously before they pushed off before instantly swinging their swords once more, clashing in another clang that sent snow flying into the air. Mikoto cursed, breaking the engagement, and swinging at Yukimaru's front leg only for the man to step backwards to avoid the slash while simultaneously swinging his blade down. It smashed against the Kogarasumaru, swinging it wide but Mikoto spun with the momentum, coming down in a horizontal slash. Yukimaru stepped backwards, letting her blade slice against the snow-covered ground. However, the Uchiha was nothing if not persistent. She twisted her wrist and swung, slashing at his other leg that he lifted to avoid the slash. The man then raised his blade, bringing it down for the two weapons to meet again as Mikoto swung up her blade in defense. Yukimaru grunted, repeating the assault once more with a heavy overhand slash. It was blocked. Mikoto's stance was wide. Too wide.

Yukimaru surged forwards, getting in close and using the strength of his positioning to almost send her flying backwards. Quickly she broke the engagement, forcing both of their blades upwards with a surge of chakra-enhanced strength before she curved her arms and brought the blade to bare horizontally. Yukimaru was prepared. He stepped wide, the Kusanagi descending tip-first towards the ground to block the slash. He grunted, raising his offhand to place it against the flat of his blade and push against it. Mikoto's eyes widened as he forced her blade up and around, forcing it to the other side of her body. His offhand suddenly snapped back, aiming to smash into her nose only for her own off hand to block the strike. She stepped towards him, her shoulder smashing into his before she quickly used her offhand to grip her blades hilt, pushing him back with the additional leverage. Yukimaru hissed at the display of strength, chakra pumping to his legs and offhand on the hilt of his blade as he pushed her back, their blades still locked. Mikoto turned, her back facing Yukimaru with her arm reached up behind her to maintain their locked position. One hand left her blade and her arms pulsed with chakra as she slowly forced their blades over her head to the front of her. Yukimaru's eyes widened at the display of sheer physical superiority. Mikoto turned her blade, swinging it towards Yukimaru's head as the metal screeched against the Kusanagi like nails on a chalkboard. The man ducked underneath the slash, and instead spun to slash out at her, only for her to parry the attack. He grunted, not hesitating, and slashing at her legs instead but she leapt over the blade, coming down with a one-handed overhead slash. The man blocked, one knee touching the ground as he grunted. He shot the tip of his blade to the ground, the cross-guard slamming into her own and pushing her off the correct angle. The momentary stun allowed him to shift his blade and slash at her neck, only for her to step backwards. It wasn't enough. She leaned backwards, avoiding the slash by a hair's breadth.

Yukimaru wasn't going to let the opportunity be wasted.

He twisted his wrist and repeated the attack from the opposite side, but she rolled onto her back to avoid it. Yukimaru's mouth ticked upwards into a smirk as he slashed the Kusanagi against the ground only for her body to leap from the ground as if it had a mind of its own, snow blowing away from her. His eyes widened.

'Such chakra control!'

Mikoto landed on her feet as he finished his spin, bringing her blade downwards on the man only for him to block it with his own blade. The weapons rattled off of each other, but Mikoto regained control first. She slashed downwards towards his lead leg, but Yukimaru was quick to recover. He deflected, their blades locking once more. The two both spun forwards, lashing out with attacks. Yukimaru aimed at her midsection, desperate to cleave her in two only for his wrist to be blocked by her torso, stopping the attack. Her attack on the other hand spun upwards, towards his neck. It was only a quick Kawarimi (Body Replacement) with the snow her blade actually cut through that saved his life. The Uchiha turned, her crimson orbs staring at him as his magenta ones stared back.

The man smirked.

She raised an eyebrow.

"I must admit you are better than the legends make you out to be with the blade. I've never met one person who could outclass me in it. You're far better than you were even when you were younger."

Mikoto's eyes narrowed.

"When I was younger? I'm afraid I don't remember you."

"No of course you wouldn't," Yukimaru claimed, beginning to circle her. Mikoto returned the favor. The two fighters circled each other, eyes never leaving one another.

"After all, you didn't know me. Not like this anyway."

"What does that mean?"

"Impress me and maybe I'll tell you."

"Impress you? If you aren't aware, you lost that exchange. You almost died."

"Your spin was just slightly faster than mine."

Mikoto snorted, shaking her head.

"No," she whispered. "Your sword swing was too wide. You were faster than I was. I'm just better."

"Oh," Yukimaru stated, readying his blade. "Let's test that theory."

Mikoto was all too willing to take him up on the offer. This time, confident in her superiority, she pressed the advantage. Her blade swung at his neck, only for the Kusanagi to intercept. Once more, the hollow clang of their weapons cried out through the battlefield like a shrieking banshee. Neither shinobi cared. Mikoto spun her blade upwards before coming down on the other side, but once again it was blocked. She grunted, powering through the edge of his blade to have it slide off at an awkward angle before she slashed at his front ankle, a knee touching the ground. Yukimaru was too quick, raising his foot above the slash with his blade raised high overhead. He stepped downwards with power, the force indenting not just the snow but the ground itself as he came down with an overhead slash. Mikoto raised her blade, both hands gripping the handle as she blocked it, but the force wasn't something she was expecting. Snow and dirt flew from the shockwave of force, the frigid ground erupting in a spiderweb full of cracks from the sheer force. Chakra pumped through her arms like lava as she desperately tried to protect herself from the blade. Yukimaru grinned as his blade descended. Mikoto's eyes narrowed.

She cried out, chakra pumping through her entire body like a roaring ocean as she forced herself forwards. The force threw Yukimaru's arms up, and luckily for him the power behind her attack made Mikoto unstable. She couldn't press the advantage. She spun her blade, regaining herself before she thrusted at his stomach. However, he had enough time to recover. He stepped to the side, snow and dirt flying into the air as his blade slid downwards, blocking her thrust. Mikoto stepped away as he spun forwards, blade slashing at her head only for her to duck underneath. She rose, but his arm quickly reversed directions and in doing so the blade aimed to cut her head off her body. Mikoto was prepared. She swung her blade out, one hand on the hilt the other on the blunt side of her weapon as she blocked the attack, her arms straining. She thrusted her offhand once more, forcing the blade out. Yukimaru span with the force to maintain control, leaping into a tornado kick that the Uchiha Matriarch ducked. He wasn't done yet. His blade howled at her arm, only for her own blade to block it. He quickly pivoted, this time aiming at her leg from the opposite side. It didn't matter. She blocked that with Kogarasumaru as well. The two spun, their bodies moving in tandem like a dance before their blades clashed once more, locked together.

Yukimaru smirked, pushing against the lock. This time it was his blade that guided hers in a wide circle, both weapons cutting across the surface of the snow as they fought for dominance. He forced her blade up and Mikoto retreated, pulling her blade back to slash at his head only for him to duck underneath the weapon. His snapped up like a rabbit, his hand flying forwards to smash into her face. Her head snapped backwards, pain in her eyes. She stumbled back and Yukimaru leapt forwards, eager to follow-up only for Mikoto's mouth to uptick this time. Her leg lashed out like a whip, smashing into his stomach with a side kick that sent him flying onto his back, the Kusanagi clattering out of his hands. Yukimaru leapt to his feet, but Mikoto had recovered by then. Her blade swung down in a desperate attempt to cut him in half, but his hands shot upwards, and he caught the weapon in between his palms. Mikoto's eyes widened.

"What? You shouldn't be able to catch the Kogarasumaru!"

Yukimaru smirked, and Mikoto's eyes widened as she saw coral growing around the man's hands. He gripped the blade tightly with both hands, an eerie screeching sound echoing through the battlefield as the metal scraped against the substance. Yukimaru pulled her blade downwards and his leg flew up, smashing into her chin. Mikoto's head snapped to the side, and the force shook her, forcing her blade from her hands. Yukimaru smirked, wresting the blade away only for a powerful surge of chakra to force him to drop the weapon. His eyes narrowed. Mikoto smirked.

"That blade doesn't like it when non-Uchiha members touch it."

The most she got was an annoyed tsk. He shot forwards; his coral covered hands swinging at her. She weaved the blows, eyes sharply tracking his movements. The second she saw an opening, she struck. Her fist flew out only for the man to catch it with his own hand, a smirk on his face. Her eyes widened as she realized she had been baited. His leg flew up, smashing into her side once more and sending her skidding backwards. She grunted with the blow, pain flashing in her eyes. Yukimaru wasn't done, chasing after her. His hand flew at her head, but she batted it wide, and the process repeated immediately after when Yukimaru tried it with his other hand. He continued his offensive, swinging his leg upwards at her head only for her to duck underneath the kick. She lashed out with a punch at the man's face, the blow landing solidly along his jaw and twisting his head harshly. He spun, stumbling backwards. Mikoto pressed her advantage, realizing that this wasn't a bait like the last time. She smashed her foot into his back, forcing him to the ground. She rushed to press the advantage only for his leg to snake upwards at an awkward angle that she hadn't expected. Her eyes had warned her of a move, but the Sharingan didn't actually see the future. It merely showed muscle patterns. And that wasn't something she was familiar with. Still, she managed to mostly avoid the attack, his sandal just barely skimming against her chin. Still, he wasn't done. His leg reversed directions with a speed that could only be described as chakra induced. He smashed against the back of her knee, dropping her to the ground as well. The man lashed out with another kick, aimed at her head only for her to block it with her hand and push it backwards. He didn't seem to care. He spun on the snow, his leg flying up towards her only for her to raise her leg to block the attack. Both shinobi lashed out with kicks of their own right after their legs separated, the flats of their feet connecting. Both grunted, chakra flooding their bodies as they used the connection to flood their feet with chakra and flip to their feet. The two sources of chakra counteracted each other, allowing them both to land on their feet but destroying all the blowback from overloading the tree walking technique.

Mikoto wiped her nose before she hulked forwards, more cautious this time. She lashed out with a one-two the man easily deflected before lashing out with a back fist that she blocked. He wasn't done, his hand shooting forwards again in a haymaker. She cursed, realizing this wouldn't be as easy to stop. Instead of blocking she ducked underneath the attack, snapping up as it ended to lash out with a back fist of her own at his head, but he blocked the strike. He countered with a back fist of his own that smacked against her cheek that stunned her but didn't do much else. The man snarled, lashing out with a haymaker she leaned out of the way of before countering with an uppercut at an awkward angle. It didn't land with much force, but it did stun the man, allowing her to regain her center. The man stumbled back ever so slightly, but the move was clearly intentional as his foot lashed out at her leg, hitting the back of her knee once more and dropping her to a knee. Mikoto wasn't one to stay there. She snapped upwards with her hand reared back for what would be a devastating punch if it landed.

If it landed.

The man ducked. Mikoto snarled, her other hand reeling back to launch a backfist only for his leg to fly up out of the corner of her eye. Desperately she tried to raise her hand to defend, and it got there in time.

It didn't matter.

Coral covered the man's foot and it blasted through her guard, blood shooting from her mouth as she flew from the attack. Still, the Uchiha couldn't have been entirely out of it. She rolled with the force, picking up the Kogarasumaru in her roll before she raised the blade at the man. He snorted, picking up the Kusanagi in response.

"This dance again," he whispered.

"Please," Mikoto stated, spitting her blood onto the snowy ground. "Don't act so confident. You know how this dance ends."

"Oh? Last I remember, we both lost our blades, and I was winning our taijutsu fight."

"Last I remember, you'd be dead without some quick thinking."

"Good thing I can think quick then, can't I?"

Mikoto shook her head. "You don't get it."

"Oh? What don't I get?"

"This fight," Mikoto stated. "If it stays like this, I'll win. Not you."

"Oh? And what makes you so sure about that?"

"Simple. The fact of the matter is, it may take a while but if this fight is purely kenjutsu I'll beat you."

"I'm better in taijutsu."

"You won't disarm me again."

"And you think you can disarm me?"

"I don't think it matters."

Yukimaru smirked, shaking his head. He raised his blade at her, one hand free. His off hand was hidden behind him.

"Fine. Then how about I do this?"

The man then spat a surge of water at her. The one-handed handseals behind his back would have taken most opponents off guard. Allowed the surprise jutsu to hit its mark.

Mikoto saw it all as it was happening. His handseals. The surge of chakra in his body. She even saw the muscles contracting to spew the liquid. She leapt away from the attack with ease, landing aside the liquid to stare at the man. He stared back, a smirk on his face.

"I'll add ninjutsu to the mix. Let's see who's better there."

Mikoto grunted.

"Gladly."

The two charged.

---

Sasuke carved through the horde of shinobi. They were too weak to pose any threat to him. No, his mind raced a mile a minute thinking about his mother and the man he had left her with. Yukimaru. The man was...strange. His Sharingan wasn't as tempered as his mothers, he wasn't as experienced. That was natural. There was nothing he could do to read the subtleties of chakra like she could, it would simply come with time. But he didn't need it to see that man's chakra. It was dense. Like a deep ocean that had no bottom. Just an inky pit of blackness. That type of chakra...it wasn't normal. He knew that much. He had seen it before.

In Naruto.

And Naruto had very specific circumstances.

So, he was worried. His mother was stronger than he was, even with her being out of practice. Sure, wasn't someone to underestimate. But in the face of that man...of that chakra...

If he was what he thought, he was...he had to hurry.

So, he moved like the fear of God was in him, because it was. And he reached the section of the fort where he saw another explosion, this time shinobi from all three factions, or rather four considering the Shimo shinobi, were sent flying into the air. He stopped, eyes flying over the area before he saw a figure in the smoke. He saw him them. A short, hunchbacked man. Beady black eyes stared out at the world dispassionately, but those were nothing to the massive buck teeth that protruded from his mouth. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

That was Kagero.

It had to be.

He dashed forwards, eager to make quick work of the man. Unfortunately for him, Kagero reacted. The man turned; his arm flashing forwards to catch Sasuke's blade in his thick hand. Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight.

"What?"

Kagero didn't answer, swinging him wide and sending him flying. Sasuke rolled when he hit the ground, suffering little damage as he looked up at the threat before him.

"Who the hell are you," Kagero called out.

"Sasuke Uchiha," came the answer. "Who are you?"

"Ah...Uchiha."

Kagero tilted his head, as if deciding whether or not he should answer. Eventually he did.

"Kagero Fuma."

"Never heard of you."

Kagero frowned, clenching his fists. His beady black eyes burned with something Sasuke knew all too well. Rage. He didn't know why, and he didn't really care. This man was a threat in the way of reaching his mother. And that was not something he could tolerate.

"I'll make you regret that."

Sasuke didn't bother with a retort. Instead, he dashed forwards. His eyes widened however when he saw Kagero launch himself forwards as well, and despite the man's massive size one thing was clear.

It didn't mean anything for this fight. Kagero appeared before him, fist rocketing towards his head. Sasuke cursed, raising his blade and blocking the strike with the flat of it, although he cursed the second it impacted. Chakra roared through his legs as he withstood the blow, the muscles in his arms screaming at him in protest. Strong and fast. Not a great start. But he could handle this. Kagero seemed eager to prove him wrong, launching another punch at him that Sasuke quickly sidestepped, allowing Kagero to fly by him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, looking at the man. His chakra had acted strange. What was that?

Kagero gave him no time to ponder, rushing in once more. However, this time Sasuke was prepared for the speed at which he moved. He swung downwards with an overhead slash, only for Kagero to stop on a dime and instead spin downwards, lashing out with a kick that struck the back of Sasuke's knee. The blow dropped him to a knee, but Kagero followed him, leaping and lashing out with a kick from the opposite side Sasuke blocked with his sword. He grunted, the force blowing him backwards. The Uchiha flipped, landing on his feet not far from the man. His head snapped up to look at Kagero only for the man to appear in front of him, his fist already flying forwards. Sasuke's eyes widened as the blow impacted with his chest. He coughed, blood flying from his mouth onto Kagero's face before he shot backwards. He flipped through the air before crashlanding in the snow, grunting at the rough impact. Slowly, he stood up his eyes boring deep into the man's head. He wiped the blood that dripped from his lips with his offhand.

'What the hell? His chakra isn't moving naturally. It's still a mouse and then suddenly it shifts ever so minutely. I've never seen anything like it! But there's no way this strength is his pure physical power, even Lee isn't this fast without his weights off! What the hell is he doing?'

Kagero shot forwards, bodying surging at speeds that bellied his form once more. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He raised his blade. Kagero swung a punch wide, but Sasuke slipped it, feeling the gust of force behind it whip his hair wildly. Still, he could move. His knee shot upwards, smashing into Kagero's chest. The hunchback grunted but otherwise didn't make much of a sound. That was fine. Sasuke stepped inwards, his foot landing in between Kagero's stance. He swung his blade downwards, aiming to cut the man's arm off. The man snarled, shooting away in a burst of speed that was faster than before. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the action. He twirled his blade, circling his opponent.

'That speed...that was different. Faster. He has another gear. But why only use it defensively?'

Kagero shot forwards once more, not as fast as his retreat. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he swung his blade. Kagero snarled, drawing a kunai and clashing with the weapon. The metal screeched against each other only for Sasuke's eyes to widen. Chakra surged through his body and his blade was coated in electricity. Kagero's eyes widened but he couldn't react to the blade's increased power. Sasuke's blade carved through the kunai like it was butter, slashing downwards on the man's tricep. The hunchback hissed, the hand on his uninjured arm leaping up to cover the wound. Sasuke pounced at the opportunity. He leapt forwards, only for Kagero's beady eyes to meet his, rage in them. The man sunk into the ground just as Sasuke's blade sliced through the air where his neck once was. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, only for his eyes to widen as he felt the ground churn. He stumbled before he was suddenly sucked downwards. His eyes widened when he saw the chakra pumping through the ground. Snow, dirt, rubble, and corpses surged downwards towards the middle of it. The Uchiha's eyes widened as he descended. It was like an antlion's pit trap!

The Uchiha grunted, quickly yanking his feet free of the fast-moving debris but it wasn't enough. He couldn't keep his balance. He couldn't leap away like that. Not effectively. He cursed, raising his blade. That was fine. He could still counter this. A technique like this had to be a Doton (Earth Release) technique. He had a counter for that. He sheathed his blade quickly, hands weaving through handseals as he neared the epicenter. He didn't have much time, having already been near the center of the jutsu when it started.

"Raiton: Jibashi (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder)!"

Electricity sparked throughout his hands before he smashed them onto the fast-moving slush. The surge flew through the fast-moving pit trap, streaks of lightning smashing into debris and rubble and ripping through them violently. They weren't the only things effected. A scream ripped out from the center of the pit, and it suddenly stopped moving at the same time. Sasuke smirked, leaping into the air now that he had his sense of balance back. Electricity coated his blade as he dived downwards at the source of the threat. However, before he he reached his target a gas flew up towards him. He ignored it.

A mistake.

The gas sparked with the electricity, erupting in a surge of flame that blew him out of the sky. Sasuke crashed to the ground, burns covering his body. He hissed in pain, writhing on the ground momentarily. The gas was flammable! Shit, he should have expected that. He wouldn't fall for the trick again, but it had worked. He was hurt. Slowly he pushed himself to his feet, using his sword to help balance him until he felt comfortable once more. He turned, glaring at the hulking form of Kagero that was rising out from the ground. Judging by the fact that the man had taken so long to capitalize on his injuries his electrical current had hurt him.

Judging from the fact there were multiple copies of Kagero rising from the ground perhaps he hadn't hurt him enough.

Sasuke cursed, eyes swiveling between the copies. His eyes narrowed. His Sharingan snapped between them wildly as they charged. He raised his blade prepared for an attack from all angles. Two shot from the ground, punches flying at his head. The remaining two shot at him from the front and behind. He was completely surrounded.

His eyes snapped to the one behind him, a smirk dancing along his lips.

"You thought a Bunshin (Clone Technique) would fool my eyes?"

Sasuke slashed upwards to slash through Kagero's face. It was only thanks to a quick stop that caused Sasuke's eyes to narrow that the man avoided the attack. The remaining forms of him flew through the Uchiha harmlessly, complete illusionary copies like he had claimed. Kagero back peddled away but Sasuke was quick to catch up, blade sparking dangerously. Kagero's eyes narrowed before he shot backwards even faster than before, completely escaping Sasuke's range. The Uchiha frowned, stopping his pursuit.

"What are you doing?"

Kagero paused, taking the time to rest after the engagement.

"What are you talking about?"

"I can see your chakra. It's not moving naturally. When you move towards me...it's like it doesn't move at all. It barely qualifies as chakra usage. But I can see it loud as day when you move away. It's a clear difference in speed. But something doesn't add up."

Sasuke raised one finger.

"First, there's no way someone with your build is naturally this fast without the use of chakra."

Second finger.

"And then, even if you were why are you only using chakra to augment your speed defensively? You could just as easily use it offensively. There's no way I could have caught up to you, even if I can see your movements. You're doing something."

Kagero gave no visible reaction, not even a twitch of his eyebrow. Instead, he raised his fists. Sasuke frowned, taking that as a decision to not answer his question. That was fine. He would figure it out. He had to. He knew there were rules, but he didn't know what they were. Some sort of jutsu that only worked in a defensive application? Outside of barrier techniques he didn't know of any class of jutsu that were exclusively defensive, and he was stretching that with barrier techniques. But what was it? The man clearly knew who he was, or at least what Uchiha's were capable of. He had been careful to only use jutsu's he had mastered to the extent he didn't need to use handsigns or handsigns when he couldn't see him so he couldn't copy his jutsu. But he also was confident enough in his genjutsu skills to look him in the eyes. Sasuke smirked.

He could test that and figure out the answer to his question in one go.

Kagero shot forwards, lashing out with a punch at Sasuke. Sasuke grunted, slashing out only for Kagero to dip underneath the blow and sink into the ground. Sasuke's eyes widened, only for Kagero's hands to reach out from the ground and snag him by the ankles. Before he could react Kagero surged from the ground seamlessly, roaring as he began to swing Sasuke wildly. The Uchiha cursed, completely unable to control his body. Before he knew it he was sent flying, spinning throughout the air before he smashed into a stone column. He cried out in pain as his back cracked at the impact before he slumped to the ground. He opened one of his eyes, fighting through the pain to see Kagero stomping towards him. He cursed, forcing his body to move. He flipped just as Kagero's foot shot forwards, smashing through the stone column that held up the fort. The structure cried out in stress before it crumbled into pieces. Kagero grunted, his hands reaching up to grasp two massive pieces of stone before he hurled them at Sasuke. The Uchiha dodged one, but the second was too close. His blade lanced with electricity as he carved through it, the two pieces smashing into the ground beside him and kicking up a storm of snow. His eyes widened when he saw Kagero in front of him, punch already flying. He had used the stone to cover his movement! He barely dodged the punch, stepping forwards and leaning low to do so. But that wasn't enough. Kagero's leapt forwards, his knee flying and cracking into Sasuke's ribcage. The Uchiha howled in pain as he was sent flying backwards. Blood shot from his mouth onto Kagero's clothes.

He flipped through the air in the middle of his hacking fit but managed to land on his feet despite the pain. His eyes snapped up to look at Kagero, crimson orbs blazing with rage. He was trying to conceal his movements huh? Did he not want him reading his chakra or was he just trying to avoid the Sharingan's ability to read someone's musculature? The Uchiha shook his head. It didn't matter. He simply needed to remove the ability to use cover, and then get the information he wanted. He dashed forwards; his blade sheathed. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Kagero, preparing to draw. Kagero's eyes narrowed. Just as Sasuke got close, he lashed out with a punch that Sasuke spun to avoid, his eyes not leaving Kagero.

"Uchiha Kenjutsu: Menamu-gawa (Uchiha Sword Technique: Destructive Hailing River)!"

The Uchiha spun by the punch as he drew his blade. The weapon lashed out, slashing across Kagero's stomach and biting deep. The man hissed, his blood flying from the cut that formed on his stomach. He turned, but Sasuke was there this time, blade howling out at the man's neck. Kagero sunk into the ground on instinct, avoiding the attack. His hands reached up not long after to grab Sasuke's ankles but this time he was prepared for such a maneuver, leaping into the air. Kagero followed after him, rocketing out of the ground like a missile. Sasuke prepared to slash only for Kagero's hand to reach out, snatching Sasuke's wrist and stopping him from completing his motion. The Uchiha smirked, seemingly expecting the move, and lashing out with a punch that Kagero tilted his head to avoid. The hunchback's other hand reached up, grasping the back of Sasuke's head before his knee flew upwards. However, the Uchiha saw it coming thanks to his eyes. His own knee shot upwards, and the two blows collided. Sasuke winced on impact. The size and strength differential matter. His knee lost and Kagero's won. The hunchback's knee flew forwards, throwing Sasuke off balance. Kagero smirked, taking the opportunity to lash out with a punch that smashed into Sasuke's side and sent him towards the ground.

Sasuke rolled with the impact, his eyes flipping up to track Kagero only for the man to have already landed. He had hurled two kunai at him, only for Sasuke to deflect them. Kagero smirked and the kunai exploded in a blinding flash of light, flooding Sasuke's eyes. The Uchiha hissed, snapping his eyes shut and waving his sword in desperation. The blind attacks were useless. Kagero was before him, a punch smashing into Sasuke's chest. The Uchiha stumbled backwards as blow after blow rained into his body, rattling his bones and shaking his muscles. His body bruised before he managed to recover his vision, slipping underneath a punch with half-opened eyes. Kagero's eyes widened but Sasuke's were filled with annoyance.

The Uchiha's free hand shot forwards to smash into Kagero's crotch. He expected the man to drop, only for it to fail. His eyes widened, and Kagero looked like a combination of annoyed and embarrassed as his foot smashed into Sasuke's side. The ferocious kick sent the Uchiha skipping across the snow before he came to a stop. He spat a mouthful of blood on the ground before he looked up at Kagero.

"You're a girl?"

Kagero grunted.

Sasuke snorted.

"I guess it doesn't matter much to me either way," he muttered. His eyes danced around the battlefield. They had little cover around them. Kagero wouldn't be able to hide his-her movements easily. That was good. It allowed him to force the woman into allowing his Sharingan to read her. She was fast but he could react to her. And then he got her secret.

Kagero dashed in and so did Sasuke. The Uchiha slashed out with his blade, but Kagero dodged it, leaping to the side before she leapt to tackle him. Sasuke could have dodged it. He was fast enough to and he saw it coming.

He let her make contact.

The two rolled on the ground before Kagero came up on top. She raised her hands, ready to pummel him only for Sasuke to lock eyes with her at the last second. His eyes spun wildly, his genjutsu weaving out through her mind. Insidiously it spoke words to her, whispering words.

Kagero couldn't react to them all.

Who are you?

What is that jutsu you're using?

Where is Orochimaru?

The woman snarled but couldn't break free of the jutsu immediately. And begrudgingly words left her mouth. Her concious mind knew what was going on. But her unconcious betrayed her.

"I am Kagero Fuma," she whispered, her body getting off of Sasuke. "Member of the Fuma Clan. We were taken in by Orochimaru-sama. He promised to return us to glory. Our clan had been slaughtered in the last war, leaving us with precious little left."

Her neck muscles twisted, straining as she tried to fight against the genjutsu.

"I'm controlling my chakra. I'm enhancing my body with chakra both when I attack and when I defend, but my chakra control is so fine-tuned that it's almost impossible to tell I'm using it. Defensively...I...I..."

Sasuke grit his teeth. She was breaking through. His eyes spun with more intensity, increasing the power of the genjutsu. His eyes focused.

"...I'm using my chakra more freely because you can't react to it and I don't want you to figure it out!"

Sasuke was taken aback by the screams of the woman. She had incorporated chakra in that? She wasn't lying about her chakra control then, genjutsu or no. That was no easy feat. She had broken free of the genjutsu. He grunted, stumbling back from the force behind her yell. He grunted, raising his blade to the woman.

"I see. Now that I know that...I can beat you."

Kagero's eyes narrowed. Her chakra roared.

"No," she hissed. "Now that you know that I don't have to hold back."

Kagero snarled and shot forwards to meet her Uchiha foe. She moved faster than she had previously offensively. Sasuke should have been taken aback by the speed, but he had expected this. The second an enemy shinobi figured out how your jutsu worked it was almost a death sentence to keep using it. She had nothing to hide anymore, therefore she would fight harder. She appeared before him in a blur. Her punch rattled outwards like a death sentence. The Uchiha could see it.

But he couldn't react.

The blow smashed into his face, smashing his nose and sending him flying backwards. Kagero chased after him with rage in her eyes. Sasuke landed only to be met by a kick to his side that sent him skidding across the ground, blood leaking from his mouth. He smashed into rubble that forced his body to a stop. Groaning he wearily looked up, his blade slashing outwards only for Kagero's palm to smash against his hand at the hilt, stopping the attack cold. Her foot rose before it smashed into his face, snapping his head back and sending him flying through the rubble. He skipped across the ground, moving at such a velocity that the snowy ground ripped part of the skin on his shoulder off. He came to a stop in a pile of snow, groaning on impact.

He glanced upwards only for Kagero to be in front of him. The woman reached down, picking him up by his leg before she began to swing him violently. She smashed him on the ground repeatedly, the Uchiha man coughing violently at every impact. It was a miracle he managed to hold onto his blade. Kagero seemed intent to make him let go of it. She threw him upwards before she leapt, foot lashing out to smash into his stomach. Blood flew from his mouth onto her form before he rocketed higher in the air. She smirked at the sight, watching as he reached the apex of his rise before he began to fall. She readied her punch. She waited, watching as he fell hopelessly. Like a ragdoll. Good. This would work. Right as the Uchiha reached her she flashed out with a punch, the blow smashing into his head. Sasuke screamed in pain before he was sent flying, smashing into a pile of snow. However, he didn't stop there. He flew through it, digging a trench through the ground from the force until he was forced to stop by smashing into a wall. He lay against the wall, wheezing in pain. Blood leaked from his mouth and ear, his eyes looking up at the moon. They were glassy, almost completely out of it.

Kagero smirked, stomping forwards. The sound of her approach seemingly snapped Sasuke out of it, getting his eyes to focus on the behemoth that approached him.

"You think you can beat me just because you figured out my little secret," Kagero whispered. "You don't get it you arrogant prick. I was holding back against you, all to make sure you didn't figure out my technique. I'm stronger than you."

Sasuke rose, a frown forming on his face. Kagero growled when she saw his face, covered in blood, sweat, and snow.

"You people from these notable clans are all the same. Uchiha, Senju, Hyuga, Hozuki, Kaguya, Uzumaki, it doesn't matter! You all think you can beat me, that you can look down one me, just because you're from some famous clan and I'm not! Well guess what! You can't. And you're about to pay the price for that."

Sasuke smirked.

"So that's what this is about," he muttered, his voice clearly reflecting how much pain he was in. "You're upset because you're from some minor clan from the middle of nowhere and no one took you in. No one acknowledged your clan's strength, is that it?"

The Uchiha smirked, raising his blade.

"Well, I'm sorry to say I don't care! I don't care what clan you're from! I don't care about your sob story or any shit like that!"

He grinned.

"You're standing in my way. That's all the reason I need to cut you down."

Kagero snarled.

"Try it if you can Uchiha prick."

Sasuke smirked, but internally he was worried. He couldn't keep up with her speed. She was far faster than he was. He could see her movements, but he couldn't react to them. But there had to be a way around that. If his brain could process it but his body couldn't keep up all he needed to do was speed up his body, right? Like what he had done when Kakashi had trained him to use the Chidori. But he needed to take it further. He couldn't increase his speed mid-fight.

His eyes widened as he thought to his mother.

Maybe he could?

(-Flashback-)

Sasuke grit his teeth as he strained against the Kogarasumaru. His blade and arms shuddered underneath the pressure of Mikoto's blade. Mikoto's crimson orbs met his own, a small smirk on his face.

"You're not going to win like this, Sasuke-chan."

Mikoto pushed even harder, trapping Sasuke's blade against the ground. She smirked, stepping into him. He stumbled as her weight unbalanced him, and she capitalized. She lashed out with a fist, smashing it into his stomach. He groaned but was forced to leap away as she lashed out with her blade at his chest. He landed on a tree in the Forest of Death, staring down at the woman with annoynace in his eyes. She smirked.

"You can't run from me and expect to win."

She disappeared in a burst of speed. Sasuke's eyes widened. His Sharingan could track her, but just barely. She was a blurry motion to him. Still, he could see the black glint of her blade. He raised his own, but it didn't matter. With the velocity she was moving at she possessed too much force behind her. Her blade blew through his guard, causing him to flip in the air. He grit his teeth, but had no time to mount any defense. His eyes merely could track her as she smashed a fist into his stomach. Blood flew from his mouth, sending him careening towards the ground. He impacted roughly but had no time to stick around. Mikoto leapt towards him, blade thrusting downwards to pierce his heart. Sasuke wanted to curse. She was just moving so fast. He couldn't keep up with her! There was nothing he could do. He was going to die here! Die because he was too slow! Too weak! Just like he had been when he fought the Amekage. Just like how he was when Sakura was taken from him!

The panic fled his mind as Mikoto's blade pierced the ground next to his head, her eyes back to their familiar black. Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight. She looked at him, her face a mask of different emotions that Sasuke couldn't differentiate. She stood, offering him a hand only for him to smack it away roughly and stand up on his own. A frown formed on her face, but she said nothing.

"Let's go again," Sasuke muttered.

"No," Mikoto stated calmly.

Sasuke whirled, irritation on his face. "Why not? I can react to you this time."

"No, you can't," Mikoto stated, sheathing her blade. "You don't gain speed like that in the gap of one battle in short succession. That's not how this world works. Not unless you have some secret technique you haven't shown me, and if you're holding a technique back from me, you're an idiot."

Sasuke frowned, his nostrils flaring at her words.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to do then? I couldn't keep up with you. You're stronger, faster, and more skilled. I could see you, but I couldn't react to you."

"Move faster then," Mikoto stated, sitting on a nearby tree stump. Sasuke looked at her as if she had grown a second head.

"What? You just said I couldn't do that just because I wanted to."

"Right?" Mikoto stated. "But you don't necessarily need to move faster by training. Use a technique."

"I'm not Shisui. I can't just use the Shunshin (Body Flicker) in combat like it's nothing."

"I'm not asking you to," Mikoto stated. "I'm asking you to reverse the principle Kakashi taught you back when you were training for the Chunin Exams."

Sasuke frowned, confused. "Reverse the principle? What principle? He didn't teach me any principle."

"Yes, he did. Speed. He trained your body to be able to keep up with the speed required to utilize the Chidori because of the tunnel vision generated when using the technique. Your Sharingan provided the rest. Well, your Sharingan is providing right now, but unlike last time you don't have the time to train up your base speed. So, if you cannot train your body to keep up with your technique..."

"...use a technique to make my body keep up," Sasuke whispered, as if the answer was obvious. Mikoto nodded, satisified.

"Exactly."

"But...how?"

"Well...that's not up to me. That is up to you Sasuke-chan."

(-Flashback-)

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Use a technique to make his body keep up. That was the principle he had failed to attain during their training. Yet, that was the principle he had to master now or else he would die. There was no way around it. He couldn't keep up with Kagero's speed. So, he needed to force his body to. His mind blazed through all the jutsu that he knew that did such a thing. The Gates? No, he had no idea how to activate one of the Gates, and the drawbacks were immense. That wasn't something to risk at this time. The Shunshin? No, like he had said, he wasn't Shisui. Regular chakra amplification wasn't enough, and he wasn't Sakura. He couldn't maximize it to the apex of the ability. He didn't have the control. Kakashi didn't have a technique that increased his speed, the man was simply fast. Neither did Itachi or his father. But who did? His eyes widened.

Naruto did.

Naruto utilized his wind to increase not just his defense and slashing power but also his speed. Sasuke just needed to replicate that. But how? He couldn't use wind, at least not as freely as Naruto could. His jutsu didn't require handseals either, so it wasn't like he knew how to copy it via the Sharingan. It was pure control over Futon (Wind Release). He couldn't learn that in a minute.

But maybe he didn't have to.

Naruto had modeled his jutsu off of the information Konoha had about the Raikage's lightning cloak. He had adapted the technique beyond elemental styles to create something entirely new that rivaled their legendary armor. But Sasuke didn't need to do that. He could start at the source. Channeling electric chakra all around his body? He wasn't sure he had the reserves to do that for a large period of time. Sure, he had larger than average reserves, but it was common knowledge that Raikage typically had absolutely massive reserves. That jutsu was draining. But he didn't need that. That technique sped up their entire bodies, including their processing speed. Sasuke didn't need his processing speed increased. The Sharingan already did that. He just needed his reaction speed increased. And that was based on how fast his brain could send signals to the rest of his body.

Signals that were used by electricity.

Sasuke smirked.

This was dangerous.

Trying this with no testing.

With no iryonin readily available.

In the heat of battle, with immense pressure.

Life or death.

That was what this was.

The Uchiha smirked. He'd have it no other way.

It seemed he didn't have much of a choice. Kagero shot towards him. He saw her move, her feet stomping across the ground with surges of snow following behind every footstep. She had mastered overloading her chakra. She wasn't lying when she said her chakra control was amazing. She could probably do a jutsu like this if she had any aptitude for Raiton (Lightning Release) techniques. But it didn't matter what she could do.

It mattered what he could do.

Chakra sparked through his body; his mouth pressed into a thin line as electricity surged in his body. He felt a terrible pain echo through his body, as if someone had poured lava down his mouth. He wanted to cry out. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. This was impossible. Speeding up the electrical signals throughout his body? If he failed, he would die.

Sakura flashed through his mind. He grit his teeth. The Amekage had taken her from him. And he hadn't even told her how he had felt. How much of a failure he had felt like.

How much of a failure he was.

He refused to be that person again.

His mother was in danger.

Konohamaru was in danger.

Konoha was in danger.

He would not fail again.

His chakra strained, then it sharpened, then it boiled, then it electrified. Kagero's punch was just in front of his face. Inches away. He could see it. He could see it. But could he...could he...

Kagero's fist shot through open air. Her eyes widened at the sudden disappearance of the Uchiha, only for her pain to flash in her eyes. She saw an arm appear in her vision, a blade in its hand. Her chest exploded in a shower of blood, a deep wound from her hip to shoulder erupting. She stumbled backwards, clutching at the wound. Before her, Sasuke stood, leaning his body weight on his front foot, arm raised high as blood dripping from his blade onto the ground. His hair stood on edge, as if his body was made of lightning. His eyes followed her with ease, and he smirked.

He could see her before. Now?

Now he could move.

"Raiton: Ōbādoraibu (Lightning Release: Overdrive)."

Sasuke smirked as he finished the name of the jutsu. It just felt natural of him to say. A flow of the tongue. It was an apt descriptor. It did exactly what it said it did. He wanted to laugh. It seemed Naruto wasn't the only one from their Genin team who could create their own jutsu.

"I've got you," Sasuke stated, rising. He raised his blade. "Now, let this notable clan member show you how it's done."

Kagero snarled, raising her blood-stained fists to continue the fight.

"Don't get cocky you little shit."

Sasuke smirked.

"Make me."

Kagero was all too eager to oblidge, shooting forwards at top speed once more. The ground exploded behind her as her body blurred forwards. Her fist sung for the heavens, but Sasuke easily dodged it. His eyes showered her form before his blade rang out. She cried out in pain as his blade danced against her flesh, cutting her open. Blood poured from her wounds, forcing her to leap away. Sasuke followed, eager to press his advantage. The Uchiha shot in front of her, blade thrusted at her heart. The woman cursed. He was faster than her now. But he couldn't outclass her either. Her hand shot up, only for lightning to spark along the blade right before it pierced through the palm of her hand. She hissed as the blade kept going into her shoulder. Her eyes locked onto his. His processing speed increased as well.

Sasuke smirked.

Kagero had no time to react as her body froze taught. She strained her muscles as hard as she could, but try as she might she couldn't do anything. It was if the signaling from her brain and the rest of her body had been completely cut off. What was-Uchiha!

Sasuke smirked as the realization dawned on her face.

"You looked me in the eyes, you overconfident nobody."

Sasuke pulled a kunai, slashing it outwards at her throat only for her body to suddenly disappear in a puff of smoke. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. She had broken the genjutsu rather easily. It had to be related to how quickly she had churned her chakra there. He looked around, waiting for any sign of the hunchback only for a fist to smash into his chin. He flipped backwards through the air; his sense of direction completely lost. He smashed into the ground in a heap, but quickly managed to rise to his feet. His eyes snapped upwards, fury and confusion in them. Before him stood a small, frail looking little girl with teal hair and dull blue eyes. She had pale skin, so pale that it was hard to tell where her skin ended and the blanket that covered her form began. The blood that decorated her body was the best indicator, clearly the wounds he had caused earlier.

"What? Some kind of Henge (Transformation)?"

"No," Kagero stated, shaking her head. Her locks danced with the motion. "The hunchback was my Henge."

"No way. They don't stand up to the damage I gave you."

"Mine is more durable," she explained casually. "This is my true form."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his eyes analyzing her. It didn't really matter if she was telling the truth or not. She had caught him off guard with the sudden size change but that was it. He would kill her either way. He supposed the idea of killing a child didn't exactly sit well with him, but such was war.

"Before we do this," she began. "I have something to say."

"Final words? I guess I'm polite enough to let you do that."

Kagero's eye twitched.

"You arrogant brat. You think just because you're from a major clan you can talk to me like that?"

"I think I'll talk to you however the hell I want to."

Kagero's eyes glowed with power.

"I'm going to show you," she hissed. A shroud of chakra exploded around her. Sasuke tensed at the action. The ability to summon a shroud of chakra was not something to be disregarded. Few could do it. Many shinobi could exert the pressure of their chakra on the environment. But precious few had enough chakra to manifest a physical aura around them. If she could do that...she was no joke, at least when it came to her raw chakra capacity. His Sharingan all but confirmed this theory. She was a brilliant blue light, an incredibly challenging to look at directly.

"I'm going to show you to respect your elders," she hissed.

Sasuke's eye twitched. Elders? She definitely wasn't older than him. She barely looked older than he was when he graduated the Academy!

"And I'm going to show you to respect the Fuma Clan!"

"Fat chance."

Behind Kagero four firefly-like chakra wings exploded outwards from behind her. A loud buzzing filled the air before she began to fly off of the ground. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. That was a new variable. The chakra wings buzzed rapidly, sounding like a swarm of mighty insects before she disappeared. Sasuke's eyes widened until he saw a fist blur in front of his face. He...he couldn't react?

"You're going to die here."

Her fist connected with his face and Sasuke flew through the air.

---

Mikoto ducked underneath the bolt of lightning that careened above her head, smashing into a wall of the fort and causing it to erupt in a shower of debris. Yukimaru shot forwards, the Kusanagi glistening in his hands. Deflect she deflected the attack, her crimson orbs idly noticing just how close the man had gotten to her head before she managed to block. Her eyes narrowed. Was he getting faster? She certainly wasn't tiring, at least not yet.

Yukimaru grunted, his other hand weaving through handseals once more. Her eyes narrowed as it finished in half of the form of the tiger seal. A Katon (Fire Release) jutsu? Shit. She leapt into the air just before the gout of flame left his mouth, scorching the ground and leaving a sizeable cloud of steam to leap into the air after her like hungry wolves, courtesy of the superheated snow. Yukimaru capitalized on the steam, weaving through handseals before the steam shifted into dozens of needles of water that rushed towards her. She swung the Kogarasumaru like her life depended on it, her Sharingan allowing her to track each and every liquid needle. She cut through them, breaking them into smaller and smaller pieces of water with every swing. It didn't matter. All it did was multiple his options. The needles became smaller, but more numerous. She couldn't deflect them. It would not end the technique. She shifted to ninjutsu quickly, hands weaving through handseals. The decision to switch tactics was effective, the lightning that coursed out of her body fried the water and the steam lifted high above her, the jutsu rendered ineffective. But it had taken time. Small holes that leaked blood dotted her skin courtesy of the time it took to weave the signs. It wasn't major damage, but it was damage. She landed on the ground, eyes staring at the threat before her harshly.

Yukimaru smirked at her before he charged forwards, his free hand weaving through one-handed seals as he ran. Behind him a deluge of water stirred, formed by the snow. It surged behind him like a mighty wave, ready to crush her underneath it. A smirk graced the man's face. Mikoto frowned, leaping forwards. A tight flame licked Kogarasumaru courtesy of her chakra. The black blade surged to life in the night, a beacon that attracted attention to all. As she neared the water following behind Yukimaru began to steam. The man's eyes widened. Intense light and heat from an intensely focused flame, one that barely leapt from her blade at all. What amazing control. It was evaporating the water behind him without even touching it. He swung the Kusanagi as he neared, the rest of the water that was surging behind him flowing to cover his blade. The two weapons met with a clash of steam, causing light burns to form on both of their bodies. Still, they neither lost focus.

Yukimaru broke the engagement first, his eyes narrowing as he saw the water that surrounded the Kusanagi completely gone. She had evaporated it all! That was fine. Her skills related to kenjutsu were great, but he could overcome them. He swung downwards, but Mikoto's blade met his once more, stopping the attack cold. Mikoto shot her arms out, the cross guard of her blade batting the Kusanagi wide. She quickly reversed her arms, attempting to slash at the man's neck only for him to raise his blade and deflect the attack. Still, Mikoto's blow was powerful. She blew through the guard, her sword missing his neck by a hair's breadth as it swung to the other side of his body. Yukimaru raised his blade, twirling it downwards towards her shoulder only for her to deflect the attack to her side before she thrusted at his stomach. He stepped back and turned as he brought his blade down, smacking her black blade to the ground. Her snarled, blade slashing at her head only for her to duck and spin to avoid it. She flowed into a counterattack, her blade swinging towards him only to be met by a slash of his own, the two blades locked for supremacy.

Yukimaru smirked.

The chakra beneath his feet exploded as he flipped into the air, weaving through handsigns once more. This time it was matched by Mikoto, the woman replicating the exact same handsigns with her free hand. Just as he landed the two spat out their identical jutsu.

"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)!"

Two massive dragon heads surged at each other, smashing together in a gout of flame and force that sent steam into the air and forced both fighters back. The massive storm of flame roared its existence to the world, demanding respect. The snow falling near it evaporated, steam rising in the air to complete the majestic sight. Yukimaru smirked at the sight. That smirk was quickly wiped off of his face when Mikoto appeared from the storm of fire, the flames of the fire hovering above her skin but not harming her. Her blade flashed forwards and Yukimaru desperately raised his blade to block. He managed to block the technique, but she pushed her advantage. Her fist shot forwards like lightning, smashing into his stomach. Yukimaru wheezed as spit flew from his mouth over Mikoto's shoulder and onto the ground. The Uchiha matriarch snarled before following up her attack with a spin kick to his chest. Yukimaru stumbled backwards, defenseless. Mikoto lunged forwards, the tip of her blade angled towards the man's heart in her thrust. This was her chance!

Her eyes narrowed when she saw the man's chakra network flare in response before he sunk underground. She cursed, eyes flaring across the ground. He had escaped! A Doton (Earth Release) technique? Before she had time to react the Kusanagi burst from the ground like a snake, the tip thrusted at her throat. She deflected the attack and leapt away. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Yukimaru appear from the ground, the blade wrapped around an unnaturally long tongue. She frowned at the sight. The man weaved handseals with the blade's hilt still wrapped around his tongue. Mikoto's eyes narrowed. She knew what jutsu he was using. But she couldn't believe it.

"Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)!"

The man thrust his hands forwards, a massive gale of wind following after him. A deluge of storm and dirt ripped towards her, an attack from the very elements themselves. She grit her teeth as it approached, watching as it caught the rubble from the destroyed wall in it as well. She couldn't avoid an attack like this. It was too widespread. At least, not through normal means. No, she had to counter it. So, counter it she did. She had seen the handseals.

She could copy it.

And copy it she did, her own windstorm blasting forth from her mouth towards the approaching deluge. Hers was smaller, a combination of her unfamiliarity with the chakra nature and the relatively smaller amount of chakra she had put into the technique. She didn't need to match that output. Frankly, she wasn't sure she could match that level of output effectively. Not for a drawn-out fight when Orochimaru still lurked anyway. She just needed an opening. And an opening she got. The two windstorms clashed, sending their contents flying in every direction at high speeds. But right in the center was an opening. A gap that she could use to reach her opponent. She shot forwards, her concentrated fire licking her blade once more only for Yukimaru to shoot from the center gap before she could. Desperately she raised her blade, blocking the man's technique. He grinned, pressing the attack but she knew what to expect. Unlike him she had Eye of Insight.

She ducked underneath his follow up kick that swung over her head. Her hair whipped to and fro from the force behind the attack, but she had dodged it. She leapt upwards, knee flying at his chin only for his free hand to push her limb down and force her to land awkwardly. She cursed, watching as his blade shot towards her head like a kunai. She raised her blade to desperately block the attack, but she was off balance. The blade sliced into her cheek, but that was a worthwhile sacrifice for losing an eye. She leapt away from the man, eyes closely watching him. Yukimaru smirked but began to weave through handseals as she leapt away. Mikoto frowned. She could tell what jutsu he was using but she couldn't counter this one by copying him. Perhaps that was her mistake in the first place. She needed to play to her strengths. Thus, she too began to weave through handsigns.

"Doton: Dosekiryū (Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon)!"

"Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet)!"

A snow-covered dragon made of stone and dirt short towards a massive fireball. The two collided, detonating in an explosion of dust and smoke that covered the battlefield. Neither opponent paused. Yukimaru weaved through handseals as Mikoto charged. By the time she reached him the smoke cleared, revealing a storm of rocks sent flying at her courtesy of Yukimaru's Doton: Tobi Tsubute (Earth Release: Flying Thrown Stones). Mikoto cursed, but she did not hesitate. Fire surged around her free arm, not burning any part of her skin. She lashed out with the weapon, slashing through the first line of earth. The heat split them in two, the molten slags shattering not long after impact. She wasn't done. Her arm moved furiously, and the flame whip followed suit, slashing through wave after wave of the stones. She was doing good. But it wasn't enough. For every stone she destroyed three more replaced them. She needed another strategy. So, she moved. Her flame whip wrapped around her arm before she dashed forwards. She weaved between the storm, closing the distance. Yukimaru grit his teeth and applied more of his chakra to the technique, increasing the amount of stone that was sent flying towards the woman. Mikoto grunted, leaping to avoid the attack but the stones followed her into the air. She kicked off of them, only for her eyes to widen as one suddenly appeared in front of her, hiding behind another. She cursed, her blade carving through the stone only for dozens more to appear before her. Her whip unraveled itself as she avoided them. She flung it upwards, wrapping around a stone that had flown above her head before she swung arcing through and around the continuing deluge until she reached the apex of her swing. She flipped, her feet smashing onto a stone. Her crimson orbs spun before she kicked off, the stone transformed into a fine powder from the force. She shot downwards like a meteor, both hands on the hilt of her blade as she descended straight through the deluge, crimson orbs spinning wildly. A storm of flame covered her body, causing Yukimaru's eyes to widen. He raised his blade just as she brought her blade down.

BOOM.

A massive explosion of force and flame rocketed through the battlefield, cratering the ground and sending debris flying into the air. When the smoke cleared it revealed the Kogarasumaru pressuring the Kusanagi but not breaking it. Mikoto's eyes narrowed as she saw her opponent, the man covered in burnt coral armor. The attack hadn't worked. He had defended.

She was rewarded with a kick to the stomach, causing blood to fly from her mouth. She flipped through the air but managed to land on her feet. Her head snapped up as she came to a stop, revealing Yukimaru walking out of the crater she had formed, his face unable to be seen through the coral protecting him. Her eyes narrowed. Five. This man could utilize all five elements effectively. Well, she supposed that was in line for someone studying underneath Orochimaru. Five elemental releases, which meant that she had no ninjutsu advantage. Matchups would not decide the battle. Skill would. And if one could utilize high level techniques from all five of the major elemental releases, especially without the assistance of a Kekkei Genkai well...that person was very skilled.

Mikoto frowned. She was outclassed in two areas of battle. She only superseded the man in kenjutsu so far. He outclassed her in taijutsu and ninjutsu. And that said nothing about that strange coral jutsu he could utilize. Was that a Kekkei Genkai? She had no idea. But it was strong if its ability to repel her Katon techniques were any indication. Her frown grew more pronounced. This was a recipe for disaster. There was one other path, one that could potentially balance the scales of the battle once more. Genjutsu. Judging from his competency it couldn't be any weak genjutsu either. This would have to be one from her Sharingan. Which meant she had to rip that armor off of him, at least temporarily. That was fine.

She had an idea.

Coral was alive. But to be able to create it on the fly left only a few possibilities. The first was summoning, which clearly wasn't happening. There was no blood being drawn to summon it, and it was unlike any other summon she had ever heard about. The second option was a Suiton (Water Release) elemental release that allowed one to create coral. While it lined up with where the invertebrate lived in the world and explained its resistance to her flames, it wouldn't explain why it was so durable to her blade regularly. The other option was Doton. It would explain its durability, but it didn't explain why it could withstand her flames. Doton techniques were great for repelling stabbing, slashing, and blunt force trauma. But her flames should destroy them just as it had destroyed those boulders. No, it wasn't that either. Which left the third option.

It was a combination of Suiton and Doton. It would give it the necessary durability to withstand her blade strikes and the ability to resist her flames. The best of both worlds, with none of the drawbacks. But how did she break that?

She smirked. She had a way.

"Your control over Katon is truly amazing," Yukimaru stated. His voice sounded somewhat distorted thanks to the coral. "I've only theorized that shinobi could negate elemental attacks of their own nature, but you've proved it. You can control your chakra to such a minute detail that you can create a thin layer of flames around your body that allows you to leap headfirst into fire with no fear of being burned. It is why Katon jutsu have no effect on you. No fire can burn you...can it?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere."

"No, I do mean it," Yukimaru stated. His eyes raced, as if he were looking at an opportunity. "You are a worthwhile opponent after all. I can learn much from you. Use it in my experiments to progress my mastery over all jutsu."

Mikoto frowned. That was...too similar to the man's master for her liking. The only person she knew that spoke like that was Orochimaru.

And she hated it.

"I wonder if such a thing is possible with Suiton or Fūton? No, of course it would be. Raiton is already possible. The Raikage and their lightning armor. And I'm sure Fūton must be considering Naruto Uzumaki's own notorious armor. His even negates Katon techniques much like your ability. You must have known him. Did you train him in the development of his jutsu?"

"Come out that armor and I'll tell you."

Yukimaru smirked, not that Mikoto could see it.

"Oh no," he stated. "I'm afraid that won't do."

Mikoto's eyes flared, crimson orbs spinning. Flames surged around the Kogarasumaru once more.

"Then I'll rip you out of it."

"Kukukuku. Well, by all means..."

Mikoto sheathed her blade, her chakra roaring in her body. Yukimaru stared at her, waiting to see what she would do. Her eyes flared. An intense light flew from her sword sheath, a hint at what was to come.

"Katon: Uchiha Kenjutsu: Karyu Issen (Fire Release: Uchiha Sword Technique: Firework Flash)!"

There was a flash of light as Mikoto's blade was unleashed. It slashed outwards towards Yukimaru despite how far apart they were. Then, a blade of flame cut through the ground, leaving a molten trail from its intense heat. Snow melted around it, the steam trailing next to it. The attack neared Yukimaru like an angry god, a molten strike intended to blow that armor of his away despite its elemental advantage.

Yukimaru smirked.

The man charged forwards, leaping into the flaming slash. It detonated, a massive explosion of flame that filled Mikoto's vision. The tornado of flame showered over her, but she didn't care. Like Yukimaru had stated, she couldn't be burned by fire. Not by this fire. That wasn't what she was worried about. No, Yukimaru appeared in front of her in the center of the flaming inferno, the Kusanagi in hand.

"Nice try!"

Her slashed downwards, but Mikoto smirked. She leaned out of the way of the attack with contemptuous ease. Yukimaru's eyes widened. How had she done that? She shouldn't have been anticipating him being able to handle such an attack. That was the most powerful Katon jutsu she had used thus far. She had to have used it because she thought it would rip the coral armor off him.

Right?

"Like I told you," Mikoto stated, electricity arcing around her blade.

"I'll rip you out of it."

Her blade flashed upwards, and the roles were reversed. Instead of Mikoto being surprised, it was Yukimaru. Her blade carved through the coral, cutting deep along his body from hip to shoulder. His blood flew into the air, and he screamed out in pain as electricity sparked around the duo. His coral armor cracked before it shattered, his eyes wide at the sudden turn of events. Mikoto smirked.

Now.

She turned to meet him, their eyes locking. And then.

Her crimson orbs spun.

She smirked as she saw the genjutsu enrapture the man. His body went slack for a brief moment. She lashed out with her blade, aiming to slice off his head. She had won.

Yukimaru smirked.

Water poured from his mouth in waves, smashing into her. The surge sent her flying backwards as well as quelled the mighty flame that was the inferno they were in, a storm of steam shooting into the air. Mikoto shot backwards from the force, only stopping as she was smashing into a wall. She groaned as her back creaked from the impact. Her head snapped back and smashed into the wall, causing her to curse. She was forced to lay against the wall, watching the mass of steam waft into the air until the attack ended. Her mind spun a mile a minute as she waited. How had he broken out so fast? He didn't have a dojutsu, at least not one that she knew of. To instantly break out of a genjutsu was something only dojutsu users should be capable of doing. Sure, his chakra control had to be great to be able to utilize five elemental natures, but that didn't mean he wasn't vulnerable to genjutsu. What other reasons could there possibly be? Did he have another ace in the hole?

Had she even trapped him in the genjutsu in the first place?

She frowned. No matter the reason, it was clear that genjutsu currently wasn't on the table. He hadn't been overconfident after all. She wasn't like Itachi. She didn't couldn't keep weaving levels of genjutsu on top of each other with ease. She was far more like her husband. She was dedicated to straight combat, likely the result of their wartime raising. Itachi had already been firmly entrenched in his genjutsu training by the time he truly saw the battlefield. If this man could break out of that genjutsu, until she found out what the reason was and negated it, she was down three to one. That was a death sentence for most shinobi. And he wouldn't fall for the same trick she had used to wound him again. She would have to earn her attacks now.

She wanted to curse. She hadn't even faced Orochimaru yet and his disciple was giving her this much trouble. Finally, she was able to power through as the ninjutsu weakened, forcing herself to her feet. Her eyes watched, careful to see where her opponent was, only for her eyes to widen as she saw him standing in the same spot, a smirk on his face. Burns covered his body, courtesy of the steam that he had stood in the center of. Still, he had put out her fire. He had withstood her sword. Some burns wouldn't put him down. Nothing less than an attack on his vitals would.

"How the hell did you break my genjutsu?"

"Oh that?"

His voice was sickeningly sweet. Patronizing. Just like Orochimaru's. She hated it.

"Well of course they wouldn't work on me. I'm a Perfect Jinchuriki after all."

Mikoto's entire body froze as those words reached her ears. Perfect Jinchuriki? No...no that didn't make sense! Orochimaru wasn't in possession of a Bijuu, which meant he couldn't be in possession of a Jinchuriki. Naruto was still alive, so the Kyuubi wasn't on the table. Iwa had the Gobi and Yonbi. The Ichibi was running wild in Earth, Fang, and Wind. Kumo had the Nibi and Hachibi. Taki had yet to deploy the Nanabi, for obvious reasons. The exact locations of the Jinchuriki of the Rokubi and Sanbi weren't known, but there was no way Kiri would be continuing their war effort without one of their Jinchuriki...right? Konoha was but Konoha was different. Konoha had the most powerful shinobi on the planet.

"You're lying."

"Ah, but I'm not. And you know it. I see the gears turning in your head."

She wanted to deny it, but it was beginning to add up. She tried to match the abilities he had displayed with what she knew about the Jinchuriki. Sure, some of them gave access to elemental natures, but that didn't give away anything. Hiruzen had been able to use all five elements at the level of a master. No, she couldn't pinpoint which Bijuu he would claim to have access to like that. His more unique abilities were the clue. The ability to break out of genjutsu easily? She had heard rumors than B, the Raikage's Perfect Jinchuriki, was immune to genjutsu but she had never fought the man. She didn't know. But there were technically other explanations for that than simply dojutsu. Tsunade and her disciple, Sakura. They weren't explicitly immune to genjutsu, but the chakra control required to use iryonin and their fighting style made them able to easily break out of most genjutsu. She supposed they would be able to break out of her genjutsu. If this man was at least on the level of them it would be possible. With the ability to use all five elements...maybe. But that just left...

Coral.

The ability to use coral.

At first, she had assumed it was a Kekkei Genkai. It explained most unnatural abilities in the shinobi world. But this...this did make sense. The Yondaime Mizukage had been known to use coral in his fighting style and he was a Perfect Jinchuriki as well. The Jinchuriki of the Sanbi. But he was no longer Mizukage, Mei Terumi was. She had assumed upon the rebel victory in Water that Mei had replaced Yagura with a new Jinchuriki. But nothing had ever been reported by spies or by the Mizukage. If she had killed the man...there was a possibility someone else had gotten to the Sanbi before Kiri had. They wouldn't report that either. But Orochimaru? How? Why? And why seal it in this man? How had he gained such control over its abilities?

"I see it's starting to add up, but you're missing one vital piece," Yukimaru stated, a smirk on his face. The man reached up towards his face, his burnt skin beginning to flake and fall off of his face. Mikoto's attention was entirely his as he pulled his face off of his body. Her eyes widened in abject horror as she saw what was underneath. That sickeningly white skin. Those shimmering golden eyes that pulsed with contempt and superiority, as if he was looking at a test subject. The slitted pupils, much like a snake. The purple markings that decorated his eyes and the small fangs that protruded from his mouth. Even the black hair that now overtook the green that had previously been on his head. She had thought she had been fighting his disciple the entire time...but she was wrong. But how had he done it? How? That wasn't his body? A million questions ran through her head as she looked at the man before her. The man who had tutored her in kenjutsu. But none of them could leave her agape mouth. Her mouth was too dry.

The man smirked. A sickening visage that didn't belong on a being as twisted as he.

"It's me, Mikoto-chan. Orochimaru, the Perfect Jinchuriki of the Sanbi."

Mikoto's body almost froze in fear as she heard the words. This man...this man was already S-class. He had no need to pretend to be a Jinchuriki. He could beat most of them in single combat already. No, the only way he would claim to be that would be if he actually was the Jinchuriki of the Sanbi. How he had gained the ability didn't matter. How he wasn't in his real body didn't matter either. All that mattered was victory. She had been fighting Orochimaru the entire time. It explained how 'Yukimaru' knew so much about her. It explained his skill much better than him simply being a well-trained disciple. Orochimaru rarely took interest in people to train them that closely. He had only taught her kenjutsu. He had only taught Anko his snake techniques. To take a fully trained disciple wasn't in his character. But there was an upside to this situation. Yes, she used that to center herself. She had been fighting Orochimaru the entire time. She didn't have to worry about conserving chakra. Just like he was undoubtedly going to use his full power against her now, she could use her full power against him. Her crimson orbs shifted, revealing the advanced stage of the Sharingan. The traitor's eyebrow ticked upwards at the change.

"Oh?"

"And I am Mikoto Uchiha. Matriach of the Uchiha Clan. Wielder of the Kogarasumaru. And user of the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Mikoto's eyes narrowed.

"And slayer of snakes."

Orochimaru smirked.

"Let's see...shall we?"

The two charged.

---

Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I really enjoyed making it. I've been looking forward to Orochimaru's full reveal for a while now. His fight against Mikoto was something that I've been waiting to show since I thought of it. I'm sure you all have plenty of questions, like how the hell is he a Jinchuriki? Honestly, the alias he gave should really explain it all if you remember that arc from the anime. The question is who wins? The wielder of the Mangekyou? Or the Jinchuriki? Buckle up, it's gonna be a big one. I told y'all this is an AU. Throw all that canon power scaling out the window.

As for Sasuke, who is getting the somewhat less interesting fight, he's winning! Or was. Poor guy, first time in the series he gets to win a fight and it gets ripped from under him so quick. How the hell is he gonna beat Kagero? Btw, Kagero is also not an OC, she's from a filler arc, like Fuka.