Chương 55: The Fight Continues
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. His iconic golden hair shone under the sunlight, but his eyes, though sharp and focused, betrayed the faintest flicker of regret.
"Are you... Hino Kure's daughter?" His voice was steady, not cold, but there was no time for pleasantries.
I tightened my fists, My body ached from my previous battle. "I am," I replied, keeping my voice firm despite the fear I felt. I knew there was no chance of victory, but that didn't mean I'd let him kill me without a fight.
His body flickered, disappearing in an instant. Even with my Sharingan I didn't see him disappear. "Dodge to your left," he said almost casually, his voice tinged with regret. I spun just as his kunai sliced the air where my head had been, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.
He was already in front of me again, his blue eyes locked onto mine. "Rasengan," he warned, the swirling sphere of chakra forming in his hand. I body flickered backward, the attack grazing my side as I tried to put distance between us. The air seemed to explode around me, the force sending me skidding across the rooftop.
I coughed, blood splattering onto the rooftop as pain erupted in my ribs. "Fuck," I hissed, forcing myself back to my feet. My Sharingan spun desperately, but it didn't matter, he was too fast.
"I did warn you," he said, his tone oddly calm. "You should have moved faster."
Chakra surged through me as I quickly went through the hand signs and unleashed a fireball jutsu, the flames roaring toward him. He flickered again before reappearing above me.
"Rasengan." His voice rang out. My Sharingan caught the barest hint of his trajectory as I threw myself to the side, but one of the spheres grazed my arm. I cried out, clutching the bleeding wound, but there was no time to dwell on the pain.
He landed a few feet away, watching me with an almost pitying expression. "Your movements are sharp, but you can't match my speed. You'll die if this continues."
"And Ill die if I do nothing," I spat, my chakra flaring as I activated my storm release. The crackling energy coursed through my veins. "Storm Style: Gale Breaker!"
The electrified winds surged toward him in a violent storm, forcing him to flicker away once again. He appeared to my right, a kunai aimed directly for my neck.
"Move," he warned again. I twisted my body just in time, but not without consequence, the blade sliced through my shoulder, blood pouring down my arm as I stumbled.
"You're resilient," he said, almost like he was impressed. But then his expression hardened, and I saw his hands move through a series of seals faster than I could track. "Flying Thunder God Slash."
The world seemed to slow as he vanished entirely from my view. I had no idea where he was until it was too late. His kunai slashed across my back, the sharp edge biting deep into my flesh. I gasped, staggering forward as the pain blossomed through my body. Blood dripped onto the rooftop, pooling beneath my feet.
"Fuck... this hurts," I muttered, my voice shaking. But I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stand. Pain tolerance or not, I was running out of options.
Minato watched me with a mix of calculation and regret, his kunai spinning idly in his hand. "You can't keep this up," he said. "Retreat."
"I cant out run you." I wiped the blood from my mouth.
He didn't reply, but his movements spoke for him. He flickered again, faster this time, his kunai slashing across my thigh before I could react. I dropped to one knee, blood pouring freely from the wound.
"Storm Style: Ryuu ga waga teki o kurau!" I shouted, pouring every ounce of chakra into the attack. The massive, crackling dragon roared to life, surging toward him with terrifying speed.
But then he was gone again, the dragon smashing harmlessly into the rooftop. He reappeared behind me, his voice low. "You're too slow."
Pain erupted in my side as his fist connected, sending me flying across the rooftop. I crashed into the edge, the impact forcing the air from my lungs. Blood filled my mouth as I coughed violently.
"You're strong," he said, his voice softer now. "But you know you can't win."
"Yeah I know," I croaked, forcing myself to stand.
Blood dripped from countless wounds on my body, my breaths ragged as I stood. Suddenly, something shifted within me. My muscles tensed as a presence surged through my mind, pushing aside my consciousness.
**Moonhydra's voice cut through the haze.**
*"You're too weak. Let me handle this."*
Before I could respond, my vision blackened, and my body was no longer my own. I felt my limbs move, but I wasn't controlling them anymore. My chakra flared violently, twisting and warping into something entirely different.
**POV: Moonhydra**
The girl was resilient, but her mortal body was still young and there was only so much it could do. But against this man, Minato Namikaze, she was but a fly in a storm. *No more.*
It surged around me, forming the beginnings of a tailed beast cloak. The energy burned white-hot, acidic and searing, encasing her battered frame. Two sharp horns of light formed atop her head as the cloak solidified, tendrils of dense chakra writhing.
Minato's eyes widened as the transformation unfolded. For the first time. "A Chūkichi?" he murmured, confusion flashing across his face. "But what tailed beast...?"
I didn't waste time answering. Words were useless. The cloak pulsed violently, the ground beneath me cracking as I unleashed the full brunt of the transformation's power. My lips parted, and a guttural roar escaped, the vibrations shaking the air. [think King Ghidorah roar while not as cool as G mans roar I still think its pretty cool] A energy condensed in my throat, building rapidly into a devastating beam.
I unleashed it, a searing, concentrated blast of chakra, It surged forward, obliterating everything in its path.
Minato flickered away, barely evading the attack, but the sheer force of the blast sent shockwaves across the rooftop. Debris scattered, and the building beneath us groaned in protest. He reappeared several meters away.
"That's… on par with a tailed beast bomb," he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief. His voice grated on my nerves. I charged, the cloak amplifying the girl's body far beyond its limits. Each step cracked the rooftiles beneath me as I closed the distance. My claws, formed of pure chakra, lashed out at him.
His Flying Thunder God technique keeping him just out of reach. Each time I struck, he was gone, reappearing behind or to the side, his kunai slicing through the cloak. It repaired itself almost instantly, but the speed at which he moved was maddening.
"Rasengan!" he called, his voice sharp. The spinning sphere of chakra appeared in his hand, larger and more potent than before. He lunged, and though I twisted to avoid it, the attack grazed my side, tearing through the cloak and sending me skidding across the rooftop.
I growled, forcing myself upright. The cloak rippled violently, reforming as my energy surged once more. *This body is holding me back,* I thought, annoyed at the girl's limitations.
I retaliated with another beam, this one faster. Minato barely managed to teleport out of its path, his kunai left behind in the blast's wake. His reappearance was slower this time, his expression grim.
"You're forcing that body past its limits," he said, his tone almost pleading. "Stop this before it's too late."
I snarled, a guttural sound that echoed across the rooftops. The chakra around me expanded, glowing brighter as I prepared another attack. The horns atop my head grew longer as another horn was beginning to branch off of my left one. And before I could react, he was upon me, his kunai aimed for my throat.
I twisted, the blade slicing across my shoulder instead. Blood sprayed, staining the rooftop, but I ignored the pain. Pain meant nothing. I countered with a swipe of my claws, forcing him to retreat.
This time, I didn't let up. I chased him, the cloak amplifying every movement. Each of my strikes landing closer and closer.
"Rasengan!" he called again, this time forming a sphere of chakra. He lunged, one aimed for my chest and I felt something from behind, it was a clone with its own Rasengan. The sphere collided me in the middle, the force of the impact shattering bones before they exploded and sending me crashing into the rooftop.
The pain was immense, but I pushed through it, the cloak repairing the damage on this body. I rose slowly, blood dripping from my mouth as I snarled at him. "You're strong," I admitted, my voice a guttural mix of the girl's and my own.
Minato's expression hardened. "This power will destroy you. Stop now, release control back to the girl."
I ignored him, gathering chakra for another beam. My mouth opened, the energy building rapidly.
Minato's eyes narrowed. He knew he couldn't dodge this one. His hands moved in a blur, forming seals faster than I could track. "Earth style stone walls" he called, as multiple walls of stone formed a shield Infront of him just as the beam erupted from my mouth.
The collision was cataclysmic. The beam met the barrier, the force of the explosion shaking the entire rooftop.
The dust hung in the air, thick, as Minato emerged from the rubble unscathed. His Edo Tensei form repaired itself, but his expression was grim, his blue eyes locked onto me. Blood dripped from the edges of the white-hot chakra cloak encasing my host's body.
"You can't sustain this," Minato said evenly. His voice was calm, but I could hear the undercurrent of urgency. "If you push her body any further, it will break."
"You think I am not aware of this?" My voice, guttural and warped, echoed across the rooftop. I bared my fangs or rather, the cloak's manifestation of them. "No matter the damage this body takes, I will repair it with time."
Minato's fingers twitched, and I knew another attack was coming. My chakra surged in response, burning brighter as the horns on my cloak lengthened, the third horn branching off fully.
He flickered. Even with the cloak's amplification, he was blindingly fast, his kunai slashing for my throat. But I was ready this time. My claws surged forward, intercepting the strike with a crackle of energy. Sparks flew as our chakra collided, the force throwing both of us backward.
"Storm Release: Arc Shatter!" I roared, launching a jagged arc of lightning toward him.
Minato vanished again, reappearing above me with a glowing Rasengan in his hand. "You leave me no choice," he murmured, his voice heavy with regret.
I lunged upward, meeting him mid-air. My chakra-infused claws swiped at the Rasengan, deflecting it slightly, but the sphere detonated on contact, sending a shockwave through my cloak and forcing my hand back so fast that I felt the bones crack. I hit the rooftop hard, the impact cratering the tiles around me.
"Damn it," I growled, the cloak rippling as it worked to repair the damage. My host's body was durable, but even I could feel the strain. The white chakra hissed and pulsed, as I forced myself upright.
"Is that all you've got?" I taunted, though the effort to maintain the cloak was taking its toll.
"Not even close," he replied. His voice carried no malice, only regret. He flickered again, his kunai slashing across my ribs before I could react. Blood sprayed, and I staggered, the cloak rippling violently as it repaired the damage.
"You're slowing down," he observed, his tone almost apologetic.
Before I could react, he flickered again. His hands moved into another series of seals, and my instincts screamed a warning.
"Eight Trigrams: Sealing Strike!" His palm slammed against my stomach, and I felt it immediately, a sharp, searing pain that spread through my entire being. The cloak faltered, the horns dissolving as the seal flared to life.
"You bastard!" I roared, thrashing against the invisible binds locking me away. But it was too late. The seal's energy surged through my host's body, forcing me back, cutting off my control.
**POV: Ayumi**
My knees buckled as the tailed beast cloak vanished completely, leaving me gasping for air. Every muscle in my body screamed in agony, and blood soaked my tattered clothes. My hands instinctively pressed against the seal on my stomach, the pain from Minato's Eight Trigrams: Sealing Strike still radiating through my core.
Minato stood a few feet away, his kunai held loosely in his hand. His expression was heavy with regret. He stepped forward. "It's over," he said softly, raising his kunai. "I'm sorry, Ayumi."
I tried to move, to summon even a flicker of chakra to defend myself, but my body betrayed me. My breaths came in short gasps, each one more labored than the last. *So this is how it ends,* I thought bitterly.
Before Minato could strike, a sudden glow illuminated the rooftop, stopping him in his tracks. A rush of familiar chakra filled the air. My eyes widened, barely able to process what I was seeing.
Grandpa.
He moved, his golden kimono flowing behind him. His demon-red eyes locked onto Minato, a strange mixture of sorrow and anger etched into his face. "That's enough, Minato," he said, his voice firm but calm. "This ends here." Many of my Grandfathers clones were holding him in place with some type of tags, which were burning up. It seemed those things wouldn't hold him forever.
He raised his hand, and for the first time, I noticed the markings on his arm glowing ominously. My heart sank as realization dawned. He wasn't here to simply stop Minato; he was here to seal him.
"No," I croaked, forcing my battered body to move. "Grandfather, don't-"
He shot me a sharp look, silencing me. "This is the only way, Ayumi. Stay back."
Minato's eyes softened, a flicker of gratitude crossing his face. "You're using the Reaper Death Seal," he said, his voice low. "You know what that means."
"I do," Hayai replied evenly. "And I have no regrets. Your soul deserves peace, Minato. Not this mockery Orochimaru has forced upon you."
Minato hesitated, lowering his kunai slightly. "Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hayai's hands moved into a series of seals. The air grew heavier, the pressure almost suffocating as the spectral form of the Reaper appeared behind him. Its pale, ghastly form loomed large. I could barely breathe as its glowing eyes locked onto Minato.
"Grandfather, please stop!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face. My voice cracked, raw with desperation. "There has to be another way!"
"There isn't," Hayai said. He glanced at me, his red eyes softening. "I am sorry Ayumi for what I had done to you. I should have been a better Grandfather....."
My heart shattered. I tried to stand, to stop him, but my legs gave out beneath me. All I could do was watch as he completed the jutsu. The Reaper's blade slashed through Minato's body, its ethereal chains binding his soul. Minato didn't resist, instead, he closed his eyes, a peaceful expression settling over his face.
"Thank you," Minato said again, his voice fading as his body began to disintegrate. "Protect the village, Ayumi. And… live well."
The glow around Minato intensified, his body dissolving into light as his soul was released from Orochimaru's control. Hayai staggered, the strain of the seal evident as the Reaper turned its attention to him. Its skeletal hand reached out, grasping his soul.
"Grandfather!" I screamed, forcing myself to crawl toward him.
He turned to me one last time, a faint smile on his lips. "Ayumi… I love you and Im proud of the Ninja you have become..."
As the Reaper claimed him, his body began to fade, golden chakra dissipating into the air. My vision blurred, tears streaming down my face as I reached for him. But he was already gone as my hands touched his face.
But then, something shifted. A sharp pain erupted in my eyes, blinding me momentarily. I clutched my face, gasping as my vision darkened, then sharpened into startling clarity. When I opened my eyes again I was brushing hair out of my grandfather's face as I kept crying.
"I'm sorry grandpa....," I whispered, my voice trembling. I stared at the shattered reflection in the broken glass, barely recognizing the person looking back at me. Blood streaked my face, mingling with the tears that wouldn't stop falling. My reflection in the glass stared back, and that's when I noticed it, my eyes. They weren't the same anymore. The familiar three Tomoe of my Sharingan had vanished, replaced by an intricate, swirling pattern. My fingers dug into the cracked tiles beneath me as I let out a choked sob. I couldn't help but let out a scream as I sobbed louder while tightly holding my grandfathers body.
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