บท 88: Catching a Shadow
"Wait!" Kaname whispered.
"What is it?"
"I noticed an ANBU unit in the distance in front of us, Mei-chan."
"Wasn't your decoy pull most of the forces away from here, Mei-san?"
"I believe they did. It's Yagura-kun's personal escort that's left. Any ideas, Kana-chan?"
"Yes, I can eliminate them quickly, but it will mean that we start with my plan."
"It sucks if you ask me." Kaname turned her head away from Utakata.
"Geez, thanks for your input, Snail Boy." she whined, "If you have a better idea that allows us not killing the Mizukage, I'm all ears."
"*Sigh* You could give me a heads up. I said that we should neutralize the Three-Tails first."
"We talked about it before, you know that my plan is better in the long run." she shot back.
"Kana-chan." the auburn-haired woman interrupted their little quarrel, "We are just worried for you. Utakata-san is concerned for a good reason, he knows the way you fight. You are not someone that cares about your self-preservation, are you? We understand that you know what you are doing, but that puts you in a very tight spot."
"Yes, but I believe in both, no all three of you. The faster you do your job, the faster I do mine. Whatever, are you ready?"
"Just a moment!" he stopped her, catching Uchiha's arm.
"Hmm?" With a swift pull, he drew Kaname in front of him. Utakata bent his neck and brushed his lips over hers.
"For luck," he added, letting her arm go.
"Eh?" Kaname was gaping, shocked by an unexpected kiss, she had her eyes opened in astonishment.
"Ugh... You may need some luck out there, Kana-chan." Utakata grumbled out in an explanation.
"Pft... Hehehe." She laughed out quietly, "Snail Boy, look at me." Waiting for his head to rise, Kaname smirked. She jumped towards him and caught Utakata's shoulder, giving him a much more sensual kiss.
The world around Utakata disappeared and did not matter at the moment, there was only him and Kaname in his arms. The chaste pecks very quickly transformed into searing-hot kisses, his left hand was tightly holding the back of her head, while his right one was massaging her back. Unconsciously, his hand ventured south a tad bit too far than he liked, feeling the softness under his right palm, his hand automatically squeezed, his mind was shattered by Kaname's slight moan and the marshmallow-like squishiness under his palm.
"*Ehem*." Mei disrupted the two, making Kaname take a step back.
"Now, I think you will have enough luck for today, Snail Boy." Kaname seductively licked her lips.
"AT LAST!" Saiken exclaimed in Utakata's mind, "You have got a good mate. Find a hole in the ground for her to lay her eggs. I hope the first batch of your mollusks will have her looks."
"*Sigh* We're mammals, Saiken, we do not lay eggs. But, thanks nonetheless."
"Sorry for interrupting you two lovebirds. But it's not the best place for that, you can shag all you want later."
"I know Mei-san, but-" Utakata tried to admonish her.
"Yeah, I know. Kana-chan has a nice ass."
"Ugh..." he grunted, flushing lightly.
"Don't worry, Mei-chan. Once we finish today's job, at last, you will get your own private snogging tool."
"*Growl* I'm not old!" the woman argued back.
"Better late than never." Kaname laughed out.
"Shut up, or I will kill you!"
"Meh, this threat works only on Ao. You can try to kill me, but then no snogging for you, Mei-chan." Kaname trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. The movement of her sashaying bottom was mesmerizing for Utakata, his right hand unconsciously twitched in a grabbing motion. Kaname turned her head back, her red evolved Sharingans looked into Utakata's eyes, with a victory grin, she winked with her left eye.
Utakata watched three small crimson-red butterflies fly away from Kaname's side, leaving behind a trail of light, "Your summons? What are you going to do with them, Kana-chan?"
Her eyebrow shot up in amazement written on her face, "You see them?"
"What do you mean? Of course, I noticed your summons."
"Hmm, so it evolved further than I thought..."
"*Sigh* Can you tell us what is going on?" Mei questioned.
"This was my eye's second ability, I rarely use it, it's hard to train and has a lot of requirements for it to work."
"Like?"
"I need someone that feels bad about his first kill, ANBUs are the cream of the crop, but most of them aren't emotionless assassination machines, Snail Boy. It's one-time use per person and guarantees a kill once a butterfly touches the target."
"So, it's your small fry skipping power?"
"Yes and no, Mei-chan. Most shinobi do not mind when a butterfly flies around them - it's an easy and silent solution for most of the fights. But some ninjas are so ruthless that they do not feel anything about their kills, those I gladly eradicate personally."
"Hmm, I see. So you're a judge and executioner at the same time. That's a lot of responsibility."
"What's worse, I experience all those deaths in my mind." Kaname's face scrunched in disgust. "A rapist..."
"I hate them as well, which one?"
"He is dead already, Mei-chan." The Uchiha massaged her forehead, experiencing the feelings of the Mizu ANBUs' victims.
"Are you okay, Kana-chan?"
"Yeah, Snail Boy, not my first time with the jutsu, I got used to this already." She shook her head, getting rid of her nausea, "Are you both ready? We're clear."
The rebel leader nodded her head, "Let's finish this."
---------
Kaname noticed a young grey-haired teen sitting on the bank of the lake, calmly fishing without a care in the world. He had short, messy, grey hair, which fell over the right side of his face and spiked up on the left. He also had pupilless pink eyes and what seemed to be a stitch-like scar running from under his left eye, all the way down his cheek. His attire included a grey, sleeveless shirt with the Kiri forehead protector attached to the front, as well as short-sleeved mesh armor, which he wore as a green scarf. He also wore a turquoise sash around his waist, paired with a matching green apron over his pants and a pair of brown boots.
"You have come to kill me." the boy stated.
"No, Yagura-kun. We have come to free you."
"Hmm, I didn't know you swing that way, Mei-chan. You like them very young." Kaname mocked.
"Kana-chan, Yagura-kun is older than you."
"You miscalculated. A Mizukage won't be defeated by a bunch of monsters." he stood up, pulling out a club with unevenly sized hooks, which bared a green flower on the larger end from his back.
"WAIT A MOMENT, CHIBI-KUN!" Kaname shouted out. [tl. Chibi - a small child or person]
"Ch-chibi-kun?" he spluttered.
"Yeah, your body contains a much-needed secret for all the females in the world!" Mei and Utakata already were groaning on the side, listening to Kaname's antics, "What do you use to make your skin look so young?"
"Kaname Uchiha, the Bloody Monarch, I heard of you. I hate those demonic eyes of yours the most. You will die today first." Yagura stated, preparing for a fight.
"I prefer the Uchiha's Butterfly title." Kaname sighed out.
"Wait, Yagura-kun! Do you even remember me? I am-"
"An abomination of nature. A bloodthirsty monster that will destroy my village to gain more power." His words deeply hurt Mei. Noting that the woman was momentarily stunned, he bolted towards the most imminent threat. He swung his club at Kaname's head, only to be tackled by a slimy tendril.
"No-no. You are fighting against these two, Chibi-kun. I will stand on the sidelines for now." Kaname pointed at Utakata and Mei.
"Brother? Why would you fight on the side of these monsters? You know how they treat us, the jinchūrikis."
"*Sigh* Wake up, you know nothing about these two. You are delirious Yagura-san."
"Hmm, it's her." the pink-eyed teen pointed at Kaname, "She found a way to blackmail you. Nothing I didn't expect from an Uchiha."
Kaname, with her arms crossed below her bust, lightly pushed them up and leaned towards the brown-haired jinchūriki, "I don't know, Snail Boy, Do you feel I should tighten the leash on you?" With a small chuckle, she remarked that behind the armor, her barely noticeable B-cup cleavage drew Utakata's sight.
"Hmm... You will have to try harder than that, Kana-chan," he replied back unsurely.
"Hah, you got some balls, Snail Boy." Kaname winked.
"Don't listen to It, brother. With the help of our Bijūs, we can defeat anything! I will help free you from Its influence!"
Kaname rolled on the ground laughing loudly, "Hahaha! That's a perfect example of a pot calling the kettle brown! Hahaha!"
"ENOUGH! So it was you who sowed the lies about me being controlled. After I kill you, I will have a much easier time ruling my village. Furthermore, Konoha will be next. I can't let Kekkei Genkai monsters like you calmly plot the destruction of one of the Great Villages. It would plunge the world into another war."
"Hahaha! Let's call it a double!"
"*Sigh* Thanks, Kana-chan. I wasn't ready to hear that from him again. I needed to hear your sarcastic side. Yagura-kun, why do you come to this lake, if I can guess, daily? Can you recollect what's on the other side of it?"
"*Growl* I... I don't need to listen to the preaching of a monster!"
"There is a grave of our third teammate, do you even remember her name? Or how did she die?"
Mei's words stunned the Mizukage for a moment. His startled expression instantly turned into a snarl. The young-looking adult put the end of his club towards the ground and swung it upwards, rising pillars of sharp corals towards the auburn-haired woman. When a pointy spike hit her in the midriff, Mei popped with a sound of a soap bubble releasing a thick fog cloud.
Kaname was calmly sitting on tree bark, watching the fight. Utakata walked towards her, "Why are you pouting so much, Kana-chan?"
"Have you seen Chibi-kun? I spend hours to keep my skin young and healthy. It's just not fair!"
"Kana-chan, who cares about Yagura-san's young looks?" Utakata sighed out, "You are the most beautiful and caring woman I have ever met."
The black-haired Uchiha lightly flushed at his words, "Hmm~" she acknowledged his words melodiously, "Thanks. Now go. Show me what you got, Snail Boy."
-------
"<Fūton: Taifūikka>!" (Wind Release: Passing Typhoon) With a swing of Yagura's hand, the mist cleared out, uncovering Mei spitting a large amount of acidic cloud towards him. He jumped away, snarling at the rebel, "I can't allow you to survive, the bloodline power you have could destroy Kirigakure!"
"Come on, just like the old times, Yagura-kun." the woman made a 'come hither' finger motion towards him.
"How many times do I need to repeat myself! I do not know monsters like you!" he swung his club, releasing an edge of quickly moving water. Mei side-stepped the attack losing multiple strands of her long auburn-red hair in the process.
Utakata jumped into the rumble, releasing a storm of soap bubbles that headed towards the Mizukage. "I will free you, brother!" Yagura exclaimed, dispelling all of the exploding foam using a wind release technique.
"Yagura-kun, who gave you your green scarf?" Mei snorted, taking a spot on the grey-haired Kage's back, encircling him.
"You- you are wrong! I can't be controlled. It's impossible to dominate the mind of a perfect jinchūriki!"
"I'm one as well, Yagura-san." Utakata explained, "When was the last time you talked with your Bijū? I talked with mine and another one, they are in agreement that even a jinchūriki can fall under someone's control."
"I talk with Isobu daily! I researched the topic myself. You are wrong!"
"Are you talking with him, or his illusion? Did you study it before you started murdering your own people or after? Think about it, you are a Kage! Saiken could not chat with the Three-Tails for the last five years!"
"NO! Everything I did was for the good of Kirigakure!"
"Yagura-kun, our hidden village is, at its long history, the weakest right now. Whatever you are doing does not work out."
"It's all because of your rebellion!" he shouted out, punching the ground, with a loud tremble, the earth exploded in multiple spots. A scalding hot geysers shot out towards the sky, making the two take cover below the closest trees.
"You made him angry, Mei-san," he whispered, cloaking the woman from the rain with his arm turned into a tendril.
"All according to the plan, Kana-chan needs the Three-Tails here, and I will deliver him to her."
"Great... Now wh-?"
"GRAAH!" Yagura jumped towards the massive tree they were hiding behind. With a single punch, he unrooted and sent it flying.
The two ninjas jumped away and looked at their target, he was covered by a bubbling aura, with a single dark-purple tail swinging behind his back.
Feral pale red eyes with yellow irises looked straight into Utakata's, Yagura disappeared from their sight, the Six-Tailed jinchūriki noticed him standing behind them. With a swing of the hooked club, both ninjas got blasted away, tumbling on the ground.
"You sure you don't need my help, Mei-chan?" she landed next to Kaname, the Uchiha instantly put her healing palm on Mei's back.
"*Cough* Thanks, but it's not your fight Kana-chan, I'm just warming up! You have your own job, is the seal ready?"
"Almost, Chibi-kun needs to release more chakra into the air for the seal to work."
"I see." Mei stood up and bolted back into the fight.
Utakata was pelting the purple-clad jinchūriki with his special soap bubbles. He vigorously bombarded the Kage angering and keeping Yagura in the same spot for as long as possible.
"Yes, partner!" Saiken cheered him, "Explosion to the right! Now to the left! And left again! Just like Kana-chan shown you! Now aim a small one to the head!"
A small firecracker-like blast popped on Yagura's forehead. The jinchūriki dangerously squinted his eyes at Utakata growling and sprouting a second tail.
"The red-head is above! Now partner!" The Six-Tailed beast shouted out.
The Six-Tails jinchūriki joined the fingers of both of his hands, creating a cross-like symbol, "<Kage Bunshin no Jutsu>!" [... No, I won't translate this! ~Author :-P]. Utakata jumped away when his clones released thousands of floating bubbles. As they neared Yagura, the bubbles popped, covering the field and angered Yagura in a black oily substance.
"<Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu>!" [<Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique>] burning red, the molten rock fell down from the sky. As Mei's ninjutsu touched the oil on the ground, the battlefield blazed in a mighty explosion.
"*Cough* Are you okay, Mei-san? Weren't we trying to keep Yagura-san alive?" Utakata walked out from behind the cover.
"He is a jinchūriki of Three-Tails, you don't have to hold back against him."
A low growl and glistening pupilless white-eyes gave credit to her words. When the dust cleared, they saw a miniature red-black beast with three tails swishing behind a black spiky shell.
"What is it, Saiken?"
"A second form, I did not ever let you reach it."
"Why?"
"It hurts the jinchūriki like hell, you gain a massive boost in power, but the transformation burns off your skin. My previous host died from the aftershock of its use."
"Great... now what, Saiken?"
"... Survive?"
"Damnit!" using his pipe Utakata released tens of exploding soap bubbles, intending to stun Yagura. With Mei's acidic cloud coming from the other side, they had the rampaging beast caught between a rock and a hard place.
Yagura raised his hand above his head and slammed it on the ground. His attack grew hundreds of enormous corals on the field, effortlessly dispersing both techniques. Before Mei was able to dodge, a hand sprouted from the ground, trying to catch her.
"Look out!" Utakata flickered next to the auburn-haired woman pushing her away, "Agh!"
"Do you need my help, partner?"
"Not yet, Saiken. It's scalding hot, but I can hold out for a little while longer."
"<Suiton: Mizurappa>!" [Tl. Water Release - Water Trumpet] Mei shot out a highly pressured jet of water, hitting Yagura's extended arm and freeing Utakata from his clutches. Under a quick cover of mist Mei created, she flickered towards Utakata and helped him get away from danger.
"Thanks, Mei-san."
"No problem, I need you for the plan to work, any ideas?" she questioned.
"RAAH!" With a swish of his tails, Yagura has blown the camouflage out. Noticing his two enemies, he started concentrating all of his chakra into a small black ball.
"Saiken?"
"Yeah, none of you can deal with a Tailed-Beast Bomb, I will take ov- Ah, scratch that. You are safe."
"What?"
"She is here." the slug explained.
As the miniature Isobu gulped down his ultimate attack making his throat bulge trying to hold it down, his eyes looked at Mei. As his mouth opened up, Kaname flickered next to the chakra beast, at the last moment, accurately kneeing his chin and turning his head upwards towards the sky.
"Bad Chibi-kun, very bad! You do not shoot such things from a close range!" her chastising was met with a very low and angry growl, she shrugged walking towards her friends, casually showing her open back to Yagura.
He swung his clawed hand at her head. Kaname caught the attack with the flat side of her blade, her body not moving even an inch from where it stood. The fact that was recognized by Yagura as well, Kaname smirked, seeing his bright white eyes opened in astonishment.
"<Chō Modo>" her weaponless arm lighted up in a red chakra. She punched back, her swing connected with the mini-Bijū's snout. With a loud *Crunch*, Yagura was sent flying through the tree-line.
"*Sigh* That easily?" the rebel groaned.
"Are you ready, Kana-chan?"
"Nah, I came here to snog you up a little." she mocked, earning a chuckle from Mei, "Of course I'm ready. Mei-chan, it's the seal, you will need to disable Three-Tails movements before you put it on him."
"How much time do you need, Kana-chan?" the woman asked.
"Hmm, about five minutes?" the ground trembled when an enormous mix of a purple turtle and crab rose into the air.
"Okay, Snail Boy. Bring out our slimy friend."
"Yeah, yeah. Saiken, they're yours!"
Soon the two women stood atop the head of a Six-Tailed Slug.
"Isobu, do you remember me?" Saiken probed his younger brother, but no reply was given.
"Just as we thought, Saiken-kun."
"Yes, Kana-chan. Whenever you are ready."
"Hee~ Impatient are we?"
"When was the last time you saw a flying slug?" Saiken asked a rhetoric question.
Kaname's eyes spun madly, "<Kanseitai Susanoo>!" [Full Body (Perfect) Susanoo]
Saiken instantly got covered by a white armor, giving him more reptile-like looks. His back sprouted two gigantic butterfly wings that were covered by five swords flying in circles.
"Hahahaha! Defense rivaling Isobu's, and the power rivaling even Kurama's! Thank you, Kana-chan! I'm glad we met you."
"Likewise. I'm going now, take me towards Isobu's opened eye."
"As you wish!" Saiken rushed at his brother head-on. When they clashed, Kaname found herself right in front of the enormous yellow iris, using her Sharingan she connected to the genjutsu.
Finding herself in an open blank world, she looked around. Behind her back, she noticed the sleeping Three-Tailed Beast with an Orange-masked man sitting on top of its head.
"Hmm, so you have come. About time for you to die."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Orange one."
"Hmm. It was your mistake coming in here. This is my genjutsu, you know what that means, Uchiha-chan. I'm a god in here." he replied tirelessly.
"Let's cut the chatter, Obito-chan. I will make you scream." Kaname replied, hushing her late-friend up.
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dahnik
dahnik 3.3k words. Hope you liked it :-) Can't wait to see your comments and ideas :-) Next chapter should be posted like always - at the end of the week :-P.
If you found any mistakes please inform me, I don't like mistakes :-)