Chapter 13: Monsters Clash

(While reading this chapter I recommend listening to Monster by Skillet, Natural by Imagine Dragons, Born For This by The Score, and Invincible by Adelitas Way. Anyway sorry for this and let's get on with the story)

Jūgan was confused as he looked at this woman, this form something he'd only ever heard of but never got the pleasure to actually see. He smiled as he stood to his feet, hand over a now closed chest wound. "Jinchuriki!" He half snarled, half laughed as he manipulated the skin on his back into natural jet boosters, rocketing him towards Kushina.

She watched him rush towards her and snarled as she ran towards him on all fours. Her speed was even greater than that of Minato as they both met in the middle of fallen trees, their clash sending shockwaves throughout the forest and splintering the wood around them.

Kushina sent a kick at Jūgan's left who was just able to raise an arm to defend, said arm shattering as he was sent flying away. Jūgan was speechless as Kushina appeared behind him and swiped with her now clawed hand, the cloak of chakra around her body forming over her arm to become an extra claw to increase the damage. Jūgan couldn't react as his chest was slashed open, blood gushing from his new injury. Kushina then sent another kick at the man as he was sent to the ground, a crater now forming from his impact.

Jūgan struggled to rise as he wiped some blood from his mouth. Looking to the top of the crater he saw Kushina standing above him with a disappointed expression. "Damn you. DON'T THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME THAT EASILY!" He yelled as he advanced up the 20 foot crater and went for a punch with his right hand. Kushina grabbed his punch with just her left hand and looked up to him, not saying a word to him as she threw him away from him with no effort. Jūgan grabbed the trunk of a tree and rose, his wounds healing far slower then they should have. 'What is going on? I should have healed by now and yet.' Jūgan grasped the tree and began to lift it. Soon it came loose from the ground as he swung it at Kushina, smashing it into her and sending her flying.

Using this opportunity he flew at her and hit her with a strike to her stomach, shattering the earth from under her. Grabbing her leg he began to swing her around and slam her into the ground, not noticing a second tail beginning to form from her cloak. Lifting her up he laughed as he brought her down with all his force. Instead of hearing her bones shatter however he felt his chest get impelled as he looked down to see her arm through it. He couldn't understand what just happened until he saw that his right arm was gone from the elbow down. Looking at Kushina all he saw was an animalistic snarl before he noticed her left hand begin to glow purple. "I'm going to borrow this Minato." Jūgan whimpered unintentionally from hearing her voice, sounding like a demon. Kushina's hand formed a purple orb surrounded by the red chakra as she brought her hand back.

"Rasengan!" She yelled as she removed her arm from Jūgan's chest and replaced it with her Rasengan. Jūgan yelled out in anguish as the orb surrounded him and the forest around them both was destroyed.

XXX

The two men stared down one another with their weapons in hand. They didn't move for a moment before Tao ran towards Musket, trying to close the distance. Musket shot at Tao, missing by only a centimeter as an explosion erupted from behind him and sent him to the ground. Tao shook his head as he heard another shot and jumped to his right, missing being hit by the bullet that exploded next to him. Tao hit the ground from the explosion and rolled, dodging more shots on barely. Musket continued to shoot at the man, trying to keep him at a distance. Firing again Musket noticed this shot would hit Tao as he smiled. Tao looked up as he was just able to see the bullet just inches from his face. He knew he couldn't dodge this as he closed his eyes.

The blast erupted as Musket looked at it with a hint of shame. He didn't want it to get this far but knew deep down this was likely the only way. Suddenly a blade pierced Musket as he looked behind to see Tao unscathed. "N-No." Musket gurgled as Tao kicked him in the back, releasing the swords in the process. A golden aura surrounded Tao as he looked down at the man.

"Really, you know what I can do and you still hoped that was all you needed to beat me. Well!" Tao kicked him into the air.

"That!" Jumping up he hooked his blades into Musket's stomach and began to spin.

"Isn't!" They both began to fall as Musket was helpless to stop this next hit.

"GOOD ENOUGH!" Musket was slammed onto the ground with a crash, blacking out in the process.

XXX

Musket awoke, rising to a sitting position before finally feeling the pain all around his body and flinching. "AH! Damn it." Opening his eyes after the pain subsided he noticed the rest of his team, say for Kushina, all passed out. Looking to Minato he noticed him bleeding profusely as he ran to the man. "Minato!"

Getting to his knees he saw the large hole through the middle of the man's chest as he began to panic. "No No No. Minato. Minato!" He shook the man but was given no response. Musket began hyperventilating. "Oh God, what do I do? Wait. That's it!" Looking down to his hands he began to focus on gathering magic. "Come on, come on." His hands began to glow green as he felt a great amount of relief fill his body. "Good."

Musket clapped his hands together as a wave of healing energy erupted around the clearing. All of the men began to get healed of all their wounds. Musket looked down to see Minato's chest begin to close as he released a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Finally he looked around the clearing to find a large path of trees knocked down. "What happened?"

Suddenly a large explosion erupted from somewhere in the forest. Musket could feel the ground shake around him as he looked around. "What's going on!"

A crash came from the forest before a cloud of dust erupted in front of Musket and blinded him. Coughing, Musket tried to make out what had landed as he looked through the dust cloud. After a moment he saw Kushina standing in front of him, red chakra surrounding her as she looked to the ground, tears running down her face.

Musket was shocked to see her like this as he began to rise, cautious of what she might do. Noticing movement Kushina looked to find Musket next to Minato. Her expression became one of anger as she rushed towards the man and hit him away from Minato.

Musket was sent flying as he hit a tree and gasped out for air. 'Damn, what was that?' Trying to catch his breath, Musket looked up to see Kushina on all fours, her features that of a wild animal.

"Kushina it's me, Musket. What's gotten into you?" She didn't answer as she just stared at him, teeth baring fangs. Musket was confused as he rose to his feet and uncliped his pistol from its holster. "Kushina, I don't know what happened to you, but I'm not going to let you hurt anyone."

Kushina only charged at him as she slashed at his neck. Musket disappeared as if he was made of smoke as Kushina became confused and began to scan for him. Hearing a lighter from behind her she turned to see Musket light a cigarette as he took a drag from it and looked at her. "Want something to chill out?" He asked before flicking it at her. She moved her head to the side to avoid it, only for it to begin to smoke before it exploded into a ball of fire that engulfed her. Musket took the moment to slam the ground with his hand, unleashing hundreds of muskets all around him, all with bayonets attached to them.

Grabbing one of them from out of the ground, Musket looked to see Kushina standing with no damage from his last attack. Musket put out his hand as magic flowed through it. "Kushina please calm down." He commanded as he hoped his spell would take effect. Kushina stopped for a moment and looked like she was regaining her senses before she closed her eyes and grasped at her head. Musket didn't know what was going on as she stumbled and fell to her knees. Worried for his friend, Musket began to approach her but stopped when she looked at him with anger clear across her face.

Musket backed away as she charged at him and tried to grab him with her chakra arm, Musket stabbing it with some of his muskets scattered across the battlefield while the rest began to float around him. The red chakra began to erode the guns that were stabbed into it as Kushina stared down the man, paying attention to where the other weapons currently were. Musket felt a bead of sweat drop from his forehead as Kushina got to all fours and seemed like she was preparing to charge. Musket felt his body tense at Kushina's glare, feeling like he needed to run before it was too late.

Suddenly Kushina charged at speeds Musket could barely track.

"Damn!" was all he could shout before she slammed her whole body into him and began to kick and punch him. Musket instinctively raised his arm to block an attack to his chest, his arm gaining a black shine to it, before he was sent flying. Using some of his muskets to land on, he regained his balance before riding on top of his makeshift platform, shooting at Kushina with a flurry of hellfire.

The chakra around her started to condense and harden as it blocked the shots before she noticed a musket coming straight at her. Distracted by the gunfire she wasn't able to dodge it as it impaled her in the stomach. Blood leaked from her mouth as more began to stab into her body. Blood leaked out as she fell to her knees, her cloak starting to diminish in size. Musket stayed on his platform, wondering if it was over.

Kushina couldn't move as her body felt like it was made of lead. She wondered if this was it as she heard the laugh of the demon. "You think this will stop me. No, I'm no weakling!"

Musket flinched at hearing Kushina's voice sound so demonic as the red chakra began to expand out, fully engulfing the guns stabbed throughout her body. They were quickly dissolved away as a third tail formed from the chakra. Musket was terrified as he looked at her in this state, before she suddenly vanished.

Unable to move, Musket looked for her but couldn't find any clue of where she went off to. Turning to look behind his back he was met with Kushina looking at him with pure furry as she stabbed her hand through his stomach. Musket coughed up blood as his platform fell to the ground with him and Kushina still on it. Releasing her hand from his stomach, Kushina kicked him to the ground. Landing near the fallen man she began to laugh as she watched him bleed out.

Musket's vision began to blur at the edges as he coughed up more blood. 'I-I ca…' He began to black out as his memories brought him back to that fight. 'No. Not again. Not this time" His thoughts became words as he stood with much effort. "Kushina, don't think I'm done just yet." he said as he brought his right hand out and behind his back. Grabbing it, he pulled out his dragon cannon and looked at her.

Kushina didn't seem all that bothered by this as she looked at him with an almost smug face. Musket didn't say anything as in a speed even Kushina found hard to track he shot at her. Kushina's smug face went to surprise as an explosion erupted behind her, a small scratch forming on her cheek. Lifting a hand to her face she wiped some blood off her cheek and looked down at her hand. Her hair began to rise and whip around inside of the chakra cloak as her anger began to build. She got ready to charge but was instead sent flying back from a shot that exploded in front of her chest.

Grabbing onto a branch with one of her tails she jumped off it and wound back one of her claws for an attack, which never came as another shot erupted in her face sending her flying once more. Musket stood with his left arm supporting his gun so he could keep it steady. Watching Kushina try to get close once more, Musket allowed it as he dodged her claw swipe and pointed the barrel to the back of her skull. Not even looking, he pulled the trigger as she was sent face first into the ground. Turning he noticed she disappeared as he began to look for her.

As he looked he noticed the ground began to rumble as he jumped to avoid a chain surrounded by the chakra cloak from impaling him. It retreated back into the ground as three more emerged, each even harder to evade. Thanks to his injuries he wasn't able to dodge a chakra arm that exploded from the ground and enveloped him. It began to squeeze as he choked out for air.

Kushina exploded from the ground a few meters away and lifted the chakra out of the ground, making a mini canyon from it, before she retracted the chakra arm towards her. Musket couldn't move as she wound back a punch, this one landing, as she slammed her fist into Musket's face and sent him through the air only to have his legs grabbed by another chakra arm. He couldn't do anything more than put up his left arm to block this attack, only for a crunch to follow.

Musket flet the searing pain from his arm as he lifted his gun and fired it into Kushina's face, finally having her release him as she hit the ground. Musket hit the ground and rolled, losing his gun as he fell down a hill. He continued to fall until he hit the bottom, landing on his left arm, as another crunch sounded through the forest, followed by a scream. He tried to get up but fell as the pain just kept him there. Looking up he saw Kushina looking down on him, a purple ball beginning to form in her hand as four tails were now formed, all of them having a chain inside them.

Musket's already blurring vision became worse by the second as his eyelids became heavy. His breathing slowed as his mind came back to that fight.

XXX

Tao looked down at the unconscious man, only a blank stare on him as he turned to walk away. Slowly he walked as he hoped it was finally over.

"NO!" Turning he was amazed to see Musket standing, a golden aura forming around him as his weapon glowed. "I'm not done yet!" he said as his eyes shined with the fire of one that would never give up. Tao's weapon's glowed as they stared down one another. Only one word shared between the two of them as the battlefield glowed with more light than the sun.

XXX

Kushina was amazed to see the man still standing. He looked at her as his weapon glowed. "Not this time." he said as it glowed brighter, to the point Kushina had to block the light from hurting her eyes. Musket's broken arm flailed as the area began to shake and a powerful gust of wind erupted around him. Lifting the weapon into the air his eyes shined once again as he said that one word once more.

"ACTIVATE!"

End of Chapter

Author's Note: Happy New Year everyone. Glad for everything you guys did for me for this long and I can't wait to keep giving more stories for all of you to read. Anyway I'm off so again thanks.

ABILITY LIST:

MASS CURE WOUNDS: a powerful spell that heals a group of people

CHARM MONSTER: a spell that has the chance to pacify a monster but has a harder chance to succeed if your fighting it