Chapter Forty-Eight
Naruto's heart sank as he watched a mass of chakra energy stream through the sky. After a bright flash, he felt and heard the concussive wave, and a wall of dust and rubble flew past. He activated his Byakugan, and he felt cold all over – the Hokage's Box had disintegrated, and there were only intermittent flickers of life showing up within the rubble. Uncle Kakashi! The man's signature was there but flickering weak. Alongside him, a series of just as weak signatures were flickering out like candles reaching the end of their wax.
There wasn't time to cry, scream, or react otherwise. Naruto's eyes fixed on three incredibly powerful chakra signatures. Fuck! The threat hovering over the stadium had just decapitated the leadership of the village and the Land of Fire with a snap of fingers. If anyone survived, they would be out of commission for months easily.
"Naruto, what the hell is going on!" Ino called in his head.
Ino, get the arena evacuated now! Ōtsutsuki are attacking! Naruto turned to see Sasuke and Gaara leap down from the stands. And we need someone to try and dig out Lord Sixth and the Fire Daimyo! They won't survive long without emergency care!
"Boss!" Konohamaru leaped down from the stands and ran to join the group, as did Sai and Rock Lee. The Ōtsutsuki sent what looked like tailed-beast balls in all directions, rocking the stadium in a series of explosions. To Naruto's surprise, the attacks were not into the dense crowd, but areas already deserted. If they wanted to kill everyone here, they could do it, and they know it. They're trying to cause panic and unnerve you in the process. Don't let them!
"Everyone keep calm," Naruto ordered with passive stoicism; he began breathing in Nature Chakra to augment himself, careful not to tip his hands with Tailed-Beast Chakra just yet.
"Ah, Naruto Uzumaki," an oily, male voice came from the mouth of the center of the trio. All three creatures were pasty white as Kaguya or Toneri. "I must say, you cease to amaze me." The Ōtsutsuki speaking had sharp features and a hair style reminiscent of horns.
"I don't think I've had the pleasure," he struggled to keep calm.
"Call me Momoshiki," the man gestured to himself with a bone-white hand tipped with nails more akin to talons than actual fingernails. He moved his right hand out towards a burly, beast in humanoid form. "This is Kinshiki," Momoshiki reached out with his left, spreading his arms, "And that is Urashiki." Urashiki grinned; he had the softest, perhaps most human features of the three. His face wore the mask of someone pleasant, charismatic. Yeah, the type of asshole that will keep that disgusting looking grin on his face as he stabs you through the heart and watches the life drain out of your eyes.
"Naruto, medics and rescue teams are enroute to the Hokage's box, but they won't be able to get close unless you draw them off!" Ino called through the telepathic link.
Is everyone linked in?
"Yes," Sasuke, Sai, Konohmaru, Gaara, and Rock Lee replied in unison.
Everyone, I can't ask you to fight here; we all stand to die today. If any of you think it isn't worth it, please go, now! No one responded. Ino, where is Hinata?
"She didn't tell you?" Ino's surprise caused Naruto's toes to curl.
No way! Everything froze, and Naruto felt doused in liquid nitrogen as his brain computed things – the unusual scent on Hinata, the unknown chakra signature on their bed, and Nine-Tails rushing to quell any suspicion of infidelity.
Ino confirmed what he now knew, "Yes, she is pregnant; her mom has ordered her to evacuate, but she's remaining nearby to help with triaging wounded!"
Pregnant… oh god! Cold lightning traversed Naruto's spine as the three Ōtsutsuki grinned at him like Hyenas about to slaughter prey. A fixed moment in time, something that couldn't be moved. INO GET HINATA AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE AND GET A PROTECTION DETAIL ON HER AT ONCE!
"I think he's figured it out, boys," Urashiki stared, amused as a sadist about to torture a small animal to death.
Guys, whatever you do, don't let them touch you! Lee, Gaara, take big bruiser on the right. Konohamaru, Sai, take the creeper on the left.
"What about me?" Sasuke asked.
We'll take tall, dark, and horny in the center; now move!
Momoshiki remained unmoved, "Gentlemen, killed them!"
Gaara had never fought an Ōtsutsuki before. The prospect made his bladder tight and his heart race like a runaway train. Aside from his sheer size, Kinshiki, emanated an aura of brutish malevolence on par with what he'd sensed from Ten-Tails during the Fourth War. The creature's lack of emotion reinforced that this was some kind of killing machine whose only instinct was to devour.
Lee took a fighting stance beside Gaara. Their opponent was at least a full head height taller than either of them and was easily two-hundred kilos. In most circumstances, he considered it suicide that Lee, who could barely mold chakra, would join this fight. Of course, he's not like other fighters.
Kinshiki charged at both of them, pulling a glowing red axe out of think air and swinging it like a lumberjack on steroids. The air wooshed as the blade split the air – a warning that one blow could split either Lee or himself in half.
Gaara retreated backwards at the next swipe, going back further into the damaged tournament ring. Lee, on the other hand, took a different approach, instead closing the distance after ducking the ax swing. That crazy bastard! Lee got in Kinshiki's face and slapped the man with enough force to leave a red palmprint in the alien's pallid flesh.
"Guys, whatever you do, don't let them touch you!" Naruto called out via the telepathic link.
"Well, super," Lee replied.
"I think it is safe for us to hit them, but I wouldn't linger!" Gaara shouted as he uncorked the gourd holding his sand. "Here comes daddy!" Gaara formed a giant fist of sand and sent it straight at his opponent as Lee rolled out of the way. The sandy mass split in half on impact as a hellish red glow cleaved through it like a hot knife through butter.
Holy Shit! The mass should have hit with the same force as a freight train. Instead, the target was charging at Gaara with the abandon of an enraged bull. NOT GOOD! Gaara let his sand go forming a thin layer on the cracked pavement. Kinshiki brought his massive ax up and Gaara began to roll, realizing he wasn't going to get clear of the blade's arc.
A solid tug, and Gaara went flying forward, the ground thundering beneath him as the ax's impact cracked the ground behind them. There was the low crash of rubble falling, and the ringing of bells in his ears after the airburst ended. Gaara looked down, miraculously not injured except his pride – having pissed his pants in the process. "OH GOD! HELP!" a scream pierced the air.
Gaara and Lee both looked up, seeing a young, pregnant women with thin features and black hair, pinned beneath heavy concrete rubble crushing her legs. "Ah, fuck!" Lee spat out blood, "Get her free! I'll take this asshole!"
"How the hell do you intend to do that!?" Gaara boomed as they both got to their feet.
"With style," Lee loosened his hand and ankle weights, letting them drop to the ground. He pulled out a hip flask, unscrewed the cap, and took a long swig, beginning to sway side to side, "Whip styled," he spoke with slurred speech. Without another word, Lee capped the flask and began running headlong toward the hulking opponent.
The pasty white dress and skin of Urashiki made Konohamaru's heart jump several beats. The last time he'd fought an Ōtsutsuki, it had ended with him quadriplegic with a broken neck. Toneri had been obsessive, but this freak was something entirely different. Before Sai or he could act, the ghostly figure threw a barrage of black receiver rods at the two of them. "SHIT!" Konohamaru rolled, only to feel the solid impact of being kicked in the air as he dodged the lethal strike. Damn, he's fast!
The roar of two lion summons didn't even distract the grinning bastard from staring at Konohamaru. Urashiki raised an arm to his side and pelted the summons with black receiver rods without taking his eyes of Konohamaru. "I think I'll kill you first," he said casually.
Konohamaru began summoning wind chakra to his hands, building, swirling, and concentrating into a Rasengan. His eyes remained locked on Urashiki, and what he saw chilled Konohamaru to the bone. The man's pale lavender eyes, clearly Byakugan turned blood-red and black, locking Konohamaru with a demonic glare. He can do Sharringan, too!? "Ah," Urashiki mimicked the movement to summon wind chakra, forming a larger, more powerful sphere, "Mine's bigger!"
Urashiki rammed the mass of chakra toward Konohamaru, and Konohamaru rolled diagonally across his enemy's attack. First rule of battle, never play by rules that favor the opposition. Urashiki could predict his attacks and seemingly be in two places at once. Konohamaru wouldn't win in a match of speed or moves. He held the Rasengan up behind his head and prayed this would work. Urashiki appeared behind him as expected, but the man didn't have time to dodge the Rasengan held out.
The airburst knocked Konohamaru forward and to the ground. The ground thundered, and Konohamaru looked up to see twin golems summoned by Sai menacing toward Urashiki. The Ōtsutsuki merely stood, dusted himself off, and summoned what looked like a fishing pole from his chakra. "Neat trick," he cast his line, striking Sai in the chest with the hook, "I think I'll take it and your chakra!" Sai screamed, and his summons dissolved.
Ino, we need back up, NOW! Konohamaru didn't want to think what she was going through watching her boyfriend being sucked dry. Konohamaru froze, pausing to think. You attack head on, you're fucked. He eyed the fishing line. Yes, there is that.
Swirling air currents began forming around Konohamaru's right hand, forming first a Rasengan, and then flattening into a Rasenshuriken. Konohamaru charged at Urashiki with a loud war-cry. As the distance closed, he brandished the Rasenshuriken, drawing the eye and a grin from Urashiki.
Konohamaru's own grin stretched out, finally caving in some of the arrogance of his opponent. At the last second, Konohamaru flung the swirling, bladed mass of chakra one way and rolled the other way. As hoped, the Rasenshruriken severed the fishing line as Konohamaru rolled behind his enemy's left flank.
"Insolent child!" Urashiki boomed, turning a glare on Konohamaru that could cut glass. Konohamaru tossed a series of plane metal shuriken and a kunai. And took off running for Sai. From the corner of his eyes, he watched Urashiki turn into a distorted blur as he dodged around the thrown weapons with perfect timing. No one, not even Sasuke could have timed that so perfectly.
"Sai, come on!" Konohamaru came up beside his fallen ally and helped him to his feet. Ino, where in the hell is that back up?!
"Inbound," she thankfully replied, "Give them just a minute to get in position!"
Urashiki began gathering wind chakra again, forming the sphere before flattening it into a bladed shuriken of pure wind chakra. WE DON'T HAVE A MINUTE! Time froze; Konohamaru knew he couldn't move the two of them out of the way of the strike that would bisect them; however, he couldn't abandon Sai, either.
The ringleader of the Ōtsutsuki, Momoshiki, flew right at Sasuke and Naruto, and Sasuke barely pushed Naruto out of the way of being impaled by a receiver rod that sprouted from the alien's hand. "Shit, he's fast!"
"You don't say," Sasuke groaned, "Even Rinnegan barely saw that strike in time!"
Kurama, I need all the help you can give!
"Be careful, Naruto," Nine-Tails warned, "If he causes you serious injury or managed to kill you, Hinata and the baby could be in lethal peril."
The warning would have froze Naruto in place had his opponent not been intending to strike again. Momoshiki again moved forward faster than Naruto could fathom, this time dragging Sasuke out of the way.
"This is ridiculous!" Sasuke groaned, "How the hell can we fight something we can't catch!"
Naruto focused his vision. The obvious answer was to move faster, but Momoshiki clearly could outmatch them. He has to be displacing to move that quick! Naruto activated his Byakugan, seeing through the world around him, focusing until he could see the glow of spacetime – the very essence of the cosmos.
The very fabric of existence rippled in front of Naruto and Sasuke. Two can play this game! Naruto shoved Sasuke clear and tossed a kunai about a meter ahead. Momoshiki appeared in Naruto's face, grinning shark's teeth ready to devour Naruto and shred him like fish meat.
Naruto grinned in return, teleporting to the kunai, and kicking Momshiki square in the ass. The pasty man stumbled forward, face planting into the ground. Not immortal, not invulnerable, just powerful and egotistical. Sasuke recovered from the shock of being tossed and summoned lightning chakra to his left hand, the air screamed with a hawk's war cry as he drove the Chidori attack toward its target.
Momoshiki balked, displacing from the ground. The concrete cracked under Sasuke's strike, and the static discharge made Naruto's spiky hair stand on end. "Insolent worms!" Momoshiki yelled at the two as he rematerialized a few meters away.
"This worm just kicked your ass," Naruto spoke with a shit-eating grin.
"You!" Momoshiki pointed a long, ivory finger at Naruto, "How did… no…"
Naruto maintained his vision, watching for Momoshiki to attack. Instead, the Ōtsutsuki's Byakugan changed focus. Naruto drew the line in his vision to the wreckage where Kakashi was barely holding on – where Hinata and Sakura were desperately trying to rescue him. Momoshiki disappeared without a word, and Naruto teleported himself to Hinata.
"WE DON'T HAVE A MINUTE!" screeched in Jiraiya's head as he and Shikamaru raced toward Konohamaru and Sai.
"Shikamaru, now would be a good time!" Jiraiya commented.
"What a pain," he reached out a tendril of shadow, paralyzing the Ōtsutsuki calling himself Urashiki. "Boss, I won't be able to hold him for long!" Sweat was beading down Shikamaru's face and his voice shook.
As warned, Urashiki shook loose after only a second or two. Slimy oil formed in Jiraiya's throat and he spat toad oil bullet in a barrage at his target. Urashiki weaved between the oily drops with speed he normally would find unfathomable.
"Got any better ideas?!" Shikamaru shouted, eyes expanding as the Rasenshuriken flew toward them.
"Yeah, hit the dirt!" Both men fell flat, as did Konohamaru and Sai.
It only took a second for the bladed mass of chakra to whip overhead, high and wide. However, as Jiraiya moved to stand, a violent force pulled him up by his long, grey hair, and he was face to face with the pallid caricature of a man. "You're supposed to be DEAD!"
"I get that a lot, asshole," Jiraiya brought the back of his right wrist up in an ostrich strike under the man's chin, followed by hitting the man's throat with his fingers in a pecking motion.
"AHH!" Usashiki shouted as he guarded his assaulted throat. So, Naruto is right. They are just flesh and blood like the rest of us. Except, their powers are beyond anything we can muster.
The thought came to Jiraiya. Flesh, blood, and time. He snapped his fingers, "Of course!"
"Care to share with the class?" his sensei's grandson asked.
"Everyone, brace yourselves. When I give the signal, swarm him with whatever attacks you can. Doesn't have to be potent, just enough to keep him distracted!"
"Dude, what?" Sai asked, regaining his footing.
"Summoning: Crushing TOAD STOMACH!" Jiraiya made a seal and slammed his hand into the ground. The brilliant sunny day was replaced with the dim, pink-tinged interior of a giant toad stomach. "Now boys!"
Sai summoned lions, birds, and a swarm of stinging insects. Shikamaru whipped tendrils of shadow. Konohamaru summoned a dozen shadow clones and began a shuriken rain technique – while not on Naruto's level, definitely effective. Jiraiya summoned more toad oil bullets, and spat with sickening rapidity. Not as bad as when the triplets began projectile vomiting a few months ago!
Jiraiya grinned as Urashiki handily skipped and dodged their attacks without so much as breaking a sweat. "You're boring me!" Urashiki taunted, "It seems the legend of the gutsy toad sage were just legends."
"Keep at it," he heaved between spitting toad oil, "We've got him where we want him!" Just a little longer.
"Dude, this isn't working!" Konohamaru shouted as he summoned another dozen shadow clones, clearly becoming exhausted.
"This idiot is fucking with us!" Shikamaru huffed in frustration, not one of my attacks has landed!"
"We're the ones fucking him," Jiraiya laughed, again raining bullets at his target.
"I don't see how," Sai fretted. The man was already partially drained of chakra.
"Konohamaru, save some charka for a Rasengan, be about two more minutes!"
Konohamaru, heaved, "I expect to be dead in one!" Urashiki was closing with them.
"Just trust me!" Jiraiya stopped his attacks.
The others' attacks fell off. Urashiki began clapping, laughing like a deranged killer clown as he approached. "Amusing! Definitely amusing!"
Shikamaru dropped to a knee, as did Konohamaru, and Sai. Jiraiya dropped to both. TEN, NINE, EIGHT!
Urashiki stood over Jiraiya, continuing to laugh, "I don't know what the hell any of us ever feared from a windbag like you!" SEVEN, SIX, FIVE!
Jiraiya let out a throaty laugh, chuckling. "You still don't get it, do you?" FOUR, THREE!
"Get what?!" Urashiki drew out a black receiver rod, preparing to impale Jiraiya through the heart." TWO, ONE!
"I'm still here," he winked, "which means you still lose!" On cue, Urashiki dropped the rod, clutched his throat, and began gasping. About a minute before the rest of us do the same!
Urashiki dropped to his knees, both hands now clawing at his throat as he began hacking violently, "Wha… what!?" The man's pale Byakugan began turning crisscrossed red as blood vessels broke under his sclera. "WHAT HAVE…" his words cut off a hacking fit erupted a fountain of black and crimson blood from the man's mouth and nose, followed by bubbling foam.
Jiraiya promptly made a hand seal and dispelled the toad stomach, and everyone was back in the ruined arena. After a few seconds of fresh air, the others noticed the difference of their environment. "Ugh, what's that smell?!" Konohamaru asked.
"Us," Shikamaru answered for Jiraiya, "You may want to shake yourself out to get any lingering gas off you." Shikamaru began waving out his arms and shaking his legs as he spoke.
"Gas, what gas?" Sai said through a mild cough.
"The digestive acids of a giant toad stomach are odorless and tasteless," Jiraiya explained. "Most people can breathe it for about ten minutes before it starts causing any noticeable harm."
On cue, Urashiki let out another blood-soaked coughing fit. "So, why the hell aren't we like him?" Konohamaru asked.
"He was able to dodge our attacks by skipping around time," Jiraiya continued, "by forcing him to skip through time and exert himself, the gas affected him faster than us." He shrugged, "We would have had about another minute before we'd start hacking up blood like him."
"Dangerous gamble," Shikamaru chided, "assuming that would work, Lord Jiraiya."
"You had a better suggestion?" Jiraiya smirked at Shikamaru who remained silent, "No, I didn't think so."
"Insolent ones!" Urashiki gasped through blood-crusted lips, black and crimson dripping to the ground. The wounded alien pushed itself upright and began clawing at its eyes.
"What the –" Sai asked as Urashiki pulled out his eyes and popped them into his mouth. Urashiki began pulsating, his body becoming misshapen.
"I don't think we want to see where this is going!" Jiraiya spoke frantic, "Konohamaru, now might be a good time to build your Rasengan, but wait on my signal to use it!"
"Hinata, you heard the order, get out of here to safety!" Sakura boomed; Hinata ignored her friend and teammate as she continued running toward the fading charka signature of her Hokage, her sensei, as they traverse the wreckage of the stadium. "Hinata!" Sakura called at her again
"Sakura, we can get to Lord Kakashi; it's going to take too long for any other rescue team to get to him!" Hinata chided as she jumped across a gap in the steel and concrete.
"Hinata, you are pregnant! Now is not the time to test the limits of what happens if you overuse your chakra!"
Sakura's warning chilled Hinata to the core. She could guess she was carrying her son, Boruto. Get injured or killed, he disappears from history. If that happens, what happens to Himawari and all of this?! Hinata risked activating her Byakugan. While using release techniques and gentle fist were considered a dangerous drain on a mother's chakra, most sources agreed that using Byakugan by itself was not dangerous for a pregnancy. Kakakshi's flickering chakra signature became more intermittent. "If we don't, he dies, Sakura! I can guide you, but you have to get him out!" She stared at her friend's emerald eyes, "You know if either of us were buried under there, he'd do the same!"
Sakura gave an exasperated growl, "Okay, but you are not to use any chakra other than your Byakugan!"
"This way!" Hinata leaped and cleared another gap, turning her attention back to Kakashi. She could see the Fire Daimyo's wife's chakra signature extinguish. Judging by the faint signature of the Daimyo, himself, he'd be dead before they could get the rubble clear. "Sakura, he's there!" Hinata pointed to a collapsed section of the roof of the Hokage's box.
Sakura summoned her chakra and flung the wreckage away to the vacant levels below. Mild relief came over Hinata seeing they could extract Kakashi from here. "OH GODS!" Sakura suddenly collapsed to her knees beside Kakashi, clutching her stomach.
Hinata froze as her focus went from Kakashi to Sakura – and the tiny flittering of a baby she was carrying. "Oh god!" Sakura groaned as she fell onto her side. She'd just used a significant amount of chakra. Thankfully, Hinata could still see the fetal heart still pumping.
SHIT! Ino we need immediate evac! Sakura is in prenatal distress!
"WHAT!?" the telepathic voice boomed.
She's pregnant, and she just used a significant degree of chakra! We have no means of moving Lord Sixth, now!"
As she finished transmitting her thought, Hinata noticed a malevolent presence towering over behind them. She turned and drew a kunai, but her arm was snatched by a bleached white hand. "Spirited, even in this existence!"
Hinata froze, remembering being turned into a puppet by Toneri, being violated by his kiss. Naruto's warning, "Don't let them touch you!" sent shivers along her spine. This Ōtsutsuki had her by the arm, and there was no way out.
"I must admit," the Otsutsuki grinned, his face morphing from human to something more demonic, white skin turning black like warpaint, "Leaving Toneri's head as a warning was quite the flourish!" he laughed.
"We'll do the same to you before long!" Hinata spat defiant in the man's face.
"It'd be poetic justice to mark you," He held up his free hand, and a black lozenge shape formed in the center of his palm. His demonic grin child Hinata as he stared into her, through her, at her son. "But let's say, your son and I are going to be great friends!" He winked, "See 'round, Boruto!" He winked and teleported away.
Naruto appeared a split second later. "Hinata!" He raced toward her, wrapping her in his arms.
"Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura!" she cried, "HURRY!"
"Sakura?!" He looked at their stricken comrade.
"She's pregnant! She used her chakra without knowing. HURRY!" Naruto got the message, dragged Hinata into a group huddle with Sakura and Kakashi, and teleport the group to the hospital.
"AHHH!" The lady pinned by wreckage screamed as Gaara approach.
"It's okay, miss, I'm here to help!" he comforted.
"Oh GOD!" she screamed, "Th-the baby is coming!"
Oh fuck! Gaara wasted no time summoning his sand, wedging granule after granule in a delicate attempt to lift the heavy concrete. While Gaara was no medical-nin, he knew the dangers of crush syndrome – he assumed being in labor wouldn't help the situation. Ino, can you hear me!
"Loud and clear!"
Ino, I have a pregnant woman whose legs were pinned under rubble from the stadium. Am I going to kill her if I take the load off her legs? Sweat dripped down his armpits as he slowly built up a layer of sand, preparing to lever the rubble away.
"No faster than if you leave her there! Get her to the hospital as fast as possible once you free her!"
Gaara eyed Lee and Kinshiki. By some miracle, the drunken shinobi was still alive. Kinshiki would slash with his axe, and Lee would duck or dance clear of the blade. The man would swing his elephant-sized arms, and Lee would block, parry, or otherwise twist out of the way of an attack and follow up with punches to the man's face.
Against a human, Lee would have taken big bruiser down. They might still be flesh and blood, but they are powerful, nevertheless. Get this done quickly! He pushed upward with the sand until the heavy rubble gave way. Gaara took her by her arms and dragged her away. Both of her legs were mangled, easily with multiple broken bones and bleeding wounds. The fact that she hadn't gone into shock and died was a miracle in its own right.
Lee leaped back, unsteady on his feet, but showing clear signs that the alcohol was wearing off. "Lee, take the lady and get her to the hospital, hurry!"
"What about you, man?" Rock Lee asked, voice no longer slurred.
"Lee, trust me, I can take this guy, now go!"
Lee cradled the injured woman and took off running. Kinshiki eyed Lee and the woman, drawing back his axe. Oh no, you don't! Gaara realized the man wasn't paying attention to him, and took the shot, blasting a jet of sand into the man's eyes.
"AHHHH!" the burly Otsutsuki roared as it tried clearing sand particles from its eyes. Just flesh and blood. Gaara summoned the sand around the creature, creating a sand tomb, and clapping his hands together to close the summoned sand.
"AHHH!" Kinshiki wrenched the sandy tomb apart. Dammit, he's too strong to crush! Gaara eyed the man's face, preparing to do something he was loath to do. For my son, for my future, for Naruto! Gaara sent two needle-thin bits of sand up through the man's nostrils. Kinshiki dropped the axe, dispersing its chakra as it fell. He buried his face in his hands, trying to claw away granules pressing inward in the man's sinus.
Gaara send everything he had left into the sand, breaking bone, blood vessels, and connective tissue. Tough on the outside, but the brain is just as soft and squishy as ours! Sandy needles torn through meninges and shredding neurons into ground beef. Gaara kept pressing more sand through even as the Otsutsuki's eyes burst from their sockets. Blood and brain matter began spilling out through empty eye sockets and ear canals.
Satisfied that his opponent was finished, Gaara released his sand, finally taking a deep, gasping breath. When he was a child, not in control of Shukaku, he'd regularly lose control, waking up covered in the blood of anyone unlucky to have been in the way. Gaara had killed since learning control, but every time sent shivers up his spine. He wanted to throw up. He want to hold his wife and child.
A loud crash from the opposite side of the arena shook the ground. Gaara turned to see one of the massive Toad Sages sitting in the middle of the ring, looking satisfied with himself. It seems I'm not the only one here today that bagged one. He hurried to join the others.
Konohamaru took several deep breaths, noting that his mouth, throat, and nose all felt as if he'd been breathing desert air. Watching Urashiki hacking up blood and foam over his pasty white clothing and skin gave Konohamaru an appreciation for how quickly the deadly trick could have turned against them.
"Insolent ones!" Urashiki gasped through blood-crusted lips, black and crimson dripping to the ground. The wounded alien pushed itself upright and began clawing at its eyes. No fucking way! No one could survive that!
"What the –" Sai asked as Urashiki pulled out his eyes and popped them into his mouth. Urashiki began pulsating, his body becoming misshapen.
"I don't think we want to see where this is going!" Jiraiya spoke what everyone thought, "Konohamaru, now might be a good time to build your Rasengan, but wait on my signal to use it!"
"You want me to what?!" he asked in disbelief.
"DO IT!" Jiraiya boomed as the made another seal, "Summoning, Bring Down the House Jutsu!"
"Mongrels!" Urashikia began misshaping into a beastly form with the sickly noise of bones cracking. Much of his face turned jet black except where his eyes had been – now the sockets were filled with what looked like sickly yellow Rinnegan. His already long, slender fingers elongated, and head shaped like an avian predatory reptile Konohamaru had seen in books, and Urashiki's boots shredded to reveal razor sharp talons to match the ones forming on his fingers. Urashiki began elongating, growing to at least a full two meters in height. His voice began shrill, like the screech of a hawk, "I'll feast on all of you!"
A pool of shadow began forming around Urashiki, and Konohamaru made ready to run as he summoned wind chakra, beginning to build and rotate it into a Rasengan. At first, he worried Urashiki might have copied Shikamaru's shadow possession, but Konohamaru noticed the pool of black was growing larger only around their opponent. "You know what they say guys!" Jiraiya laughed, "The bigger they are…"
There was a solid impact that shook the ground, almost causing Konohamaru to fall over. As he caught himself, he continued drawing in chakra, building it to the size of a beachball. The dust cleared, and there was a massive toad sitting where Urashiki had previously been.
"Oww… the more bones they break!" Sai winced. Jiraiya dispelled the summoned toad. Urashiki stirred, somehow still alive after been crushed.
Jiraiya summoned chakra to his hand, building a Rasengan, much the same as Konohamaru had. "Ready, kiddo?"
Konohamaru held up his own Rasengan. "Ready."
"Aim for the head, both at the same time," Jiraiya instructed.
Konohamaru centered his vision on his target. He'd been paralyzed by an Ōtsutsuki, but this wasn't revenge. No, not revenge. These parasites won't stop until this world is drained of its chakra. Konohamaru ran towards his target, Jiraiya keeping pace. About three meters to target, they pressed their Rasengans together, forming a massive rasengan, man-sized in diameter. "DIE!" Konohamaru shouted as they rammed the mass of chakra into their foe.
The effect was as hoped. Konohamaru heard the disgusting crunch of bones breaking, and the creature's neck bent backwards at an angle incompatible with survival before coming clean off. The creature's deranged body went limp and collapsed forward - avian features withering as both head and body died.
The world became still and quiet as Konohamaru stared at what he and Jiraiya had done. There was no doubt, this was no doubt that the situation had been kill or be killed. Nevertheless, he felt cold and empty as he'd been at Grandpa's funeral.
"Look alive, everyone," a stern, commanding voice shook Konohamaru. He looked up to see Sasuke, dressed in his typical black and grey, stony as ever. "The Hazmat team will be coming for us, and them," he gestured toward the Ōtsutsuki bodies.
"Is this really necessary?" Konohamaru griped. He knew the answer was yes. Naruto had warned everyone of the danger of Kama Marks.
"You know the rules, we all face twenty-four hours quarantine plus full physical inspection. No exceptions." Sasuke replied. The thought of having to get naked with the other guys and be inspected head to toe left Konohamaru with the same excitement as someone going to the dentist for a root canal. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it. Shinobi in white hazmat gear approached to collect the bodies and take the group away to quarantine.
"Sasuke," a surge of worry came over Konohamaru, "Hanabi?"
"Ask her yourself, she's right behind you," Sasuke gestured to a figure garbed in a white plastic coverall and a black respirator mask.
Hanabi waved, voice mechanical through the mask, "We got evacuated immediately, been triaging casualties, mostly fragment injuries, for the past while."
"You're all right!" Konohamaru rushed forward, wrapping his arms around her.
"Konohamaru!" she yelped.
"Kid, serious, now is not the time to take using protection to the next level," Sasuke chided.
"Is he always so grumpy?" Hanabi asked.
"You have no idea!" Konohamaru laughed.
Author's notes: Hi everyone, I hope everyone has had a good start to the new year. I apologize for this taking so damn long to get out. Battles are a tricky thing for me to write, and I hope I got in right. It also doesn't help that the holidays to present have been a non-stop nightmare of complications with life.
As some of you may guess, some significant events are due in the aftermath in the next chapter. I will be posting a poll to my FFN profile about the future of this work. I'd greatly appreciate your input.
Thank you all for reading. Stay healthy, stay safe, and I'll see you next chapter.