Chapter 46: Pierced through the Heart
- For someone with such brave words, you sure aren't moving. - Yamato commented as he saw the still Inoue.
She was shaking from head to toe, fear was coursing through her. She looked at me and asked while covering part of her mouth so Yamato wouldn't listen.
- How long will you take to get out of that bush?
- Wha... - So she didn't even expect to fight Yamato at all. Maybe Renji was right about her incompetence. - Just shoot chakra slashes or whatever. As long as he keeps his hand in that position, I'm stuck here.
- Don't you have superhuman strenght? You're just surrounded by a bush!
- By several layers of bushes, mind you. It's not as easy as it looks.
- Are you two seriously bickering at a time like this? - Yamato commented, as he threw a kunai at Inoue.
In a fright she closed her eyes and luckily hit it with her sword. She opened her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Yamato commented:
- Purely a fluke. - With no more kunais in hand, he had to turn his remaining arm into the weapon.
Several tree trunks came out of his arm, aiming at Inoue, she once again closed her eyes, but this time you would need a lot more than luck.
- NOO!! - I shouted as I thought she would get impaled by the pure amount of trees, however I was wrong about her luck.
Her sword shone even more brightly gathering enough chakra to cut through
Yamato's attack as she sliced each approaching trunk perfectly. Her moves were elegant for someone with their eyes closed and screaming. Yamato was shocked:
- How did you do that?
She looked at her sword, and quietly mumbled as if she was giving a prayer to her weapon. She then said out loud:
- My father's spirit still screams loudly through his sword. He shall slice through every one of your attacks. Now it's my turn. 3 Heavenly Cuts! - Three shots of chakra came flying as Yamato jumped back to dodge two of them, as the other hit the bushes surrounding me, and weakened them. Now it's my turn to show my power.
With two inner gates still open, I put all my strenght in moving my arms to the side, extending the wood prison around. It was a lot more painful than I thought, especially when I couldn't even break out. The splinters from the branches pierced through my body, as I saw Yamato's hand close.
- The more ypu resist, the more pain you'll feel. Don't think a weak attack like that would cut through my jutsu! - He started doing hand signs with just one hand saying:
- Wood Style: Trunk Substitute! - Yamato's body became surrounded by wood, adopting his looks almost exactly. Once it perfectly emulated his tiger hand, Yamato left from behind it, now free to use both hands.
- You may have extreme luck, but now it's over little girl. - Yamato leapt at her, while his casket kept my prison active. This guy's array of techniques is more optimized than I could imagine.
Inoue's sword once again shone in baby blue, however it wasn't as bright as it once was before, yet it was enough to force Yamato to step back. Her father's spirit simply helped her channel her chakra, it didn't actually give her more than she had. It made me wonder what would happen if I were to wield my father's sword. Would he protect me like hers, or would it simply hide its powers like he did when alive?
Yamato began doing some hand signs, however something was wrong. Inoue now had her back against him:
- What are you doing? Turn around! - I shouted.
- It's not me, it's the sword. It's forcing me to face this way.
- All the easier for me. Wood Style: Floral Spikes! - An enormous rose appeared behind Yamato, revealing its deadly spikes to us. With a shake the spikes were shot out, aiming directly at Inoue, but the sword had its reasons to turn around.
From the other side, one of the escaped ANBU appeared frightened. He was pleading for his life, as a blue flash seemed to follow him. In a blinding fury, Renji appeared with both his arms covered in razor-like chakra as he spun in the air. Inoue's sword diverted the slashing spree, while the ANBU crouched nearly avoiding the attack. All the roses spikes got caught by Renji's show of power, as every slash he made, created a chakra air slash in response. I tried covering my face, however some hit it. Thankfully, so did the branches I was stuck to, as I was now able to break free.
- GRAAAGH! - Once he landed, a gutural scream was heard across the jungle, as Renji's pain was felt in the air.
I saw Orochimaru's mark now covering his entire torso. I knew that couldn't be anything good. I can't believe he is using his broken arm to fight. It must be affecting his head as well.
- Snap out of it! - My throat already felt like it was going sore from all this yelling, but I was too worried about Renji.
He seemed like he was trying to gain control of it. He attempted to put his hands on his head to calm down, but he almost sliced it away with the blades in his arms. Inoue was terrified by this sight, but Yamato seemed the most surprised. I heard him ask me:
- How can he have jinchurikki chakra? - Those words hit me like a boiled plate of ramen.
- What are you talking about?
- Those marks in his chest. Some fabricated chakra was injected into him, and this sensation... It's the nine tails. - He looked at me with dread. - How did he receive that mark?
- He got bit by a snake belonging to some weirdo named Ororchimaru.
- He must have gotten hold of it. Gathered whatever remnants of chakra left by the beast during its assault on our village. Is this why he destroyed those houses in the village? - The answer was obviously no, we only met Orochimaru after leaving the village, still...
- Yes. Once he got injected, he couldn't control himself. Thankfully Kakashi was able to tire him enough for me to get him out before he could do more damage.
Yamato looked down in apparent shame. Something seemed to ruminate in his mind, but once he decided what to believe in, he looked at me and apologized:
- I guess I misjudged y... - Renji leapt forward with both his arms aiming forward, stabbing through Yamato's chest.
For a moment, I thought it was clone. Kakashi had done something similar before, and these ninja tend to turn into logs the moment it seems they're killed, but this wasn't the case. Blood came rushing down from Yamato's back as he was pierced fully. Renji ripped his swords out, as splinters seemed to fly from the cut. The spot Yamato was cut at turned to wood, as he knelt down, laying roots on the ground. He wasn't dead, only barely incapacitated.
Renji noticing that, got ready to deliver the finishing blow, however I wasn't going to let him. I jumped forwards and was able to push him away, although grabbing him was more painful than I thought. His chakra felt like spiky fire as it burned off the shirt I was wearing. I let go of him almost immediately, and got back up.
- Come on, Renji! You can overwhelm this beast! - Renji only screamed in response, but he wasn't the one with the answer.
- No, he can't. - Yamato said between bloody coughs.
- How are you still alive?
- I'll explain that later, now I just need you to get him still in one spot. Once I've recovered a bit more, I should be capable of sealing the beast away. - I didn't need to be told twice.
- I'll get it done somehow.
- I'll... I'll help too. - Inoue said trembling. - I may be able to keep him in one place with sealing slashes.
Renji got up and looked at us with a bloodthirsty expression. You can get out of this, Renji. I'm saving you.
- Let's do this!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone