章節 16: Smoulder
He was cross legged, he had woken up not even 20 minutes ago. His eyes were closed, his chakra thrumming as he felt the natural chakra.
Memories of his time atop Mount Myōboku leaped through his mind, an involuntary smile tugging at his lips. He never really got the hang of sage mode, his smile growing further at memories of his and Jiraiya Sensei's time there.
He had already tried to summon Gamabunta, only for nothing to happen, his Chakra just sinking into the ground below uselessly.
The natural energy was different in this world, far dirtier, much less peaceful but still as his body was surrounded in the dangerous but beautiful Chakra he couldn't help but grin.
At the end of the day, Chakra is Chakra whether it be unsullied or pure as a fresh spring, he would always embrace it.
He was a shinobi afterall.
—-
His mind reached outward, the sun shining harshly seemingly even piercing his closed eyes. He couldn't detect anyone nearby, the red cloaked man shooting through his mind.
He was always keeping an eye on his surroundings, his fatigue still present yet put onto the back burner.
He couldn't-wouldn't get caught off guard again.
While his mind reached outward…he felt something, a burst…no…a pulse, of erratic chakra. His head turned rapidly, his eyes still closed as he focused his senses.
Natural chakra thrummed around him, increasing his sensing tenfold and then he saw.
The pulse reverberated through him, a steady thrum, then a sudden spike, like a heartbeat gone wrong. It flickered, unstable, unpredictable.
One moment, cold and empty, the next, burning with a wild, chaotic energy that reminded him of unstable jutsu or malfunctioning seals.
His eyes snapped open. Whatever that thing was, it was out there, lurking, waiting.
—-
His chakra flowed through him, warm and thrumming with life. His cloak blowing behind him and his kunai pouch clanking with every step.
The light of the moon lit the sky overhead, he would have preferred to arrive at this odd, unnatural energy sooner but he had a shift and his rent needed to be paid at some point.
His hand ran through his hair, curiosity and caution brimming within him as he approached.
He was surrounded by abandoned factories, it seemed like a bygone era, the city seemed so futuristic, bright lights shining all day and night.
Yet here, his eyes shot up, the streetlights weren't even turned on.
The whistle of wind blowing through the shattered windows and rusty shells of a once thriving industry.
He eyed the building he had shown up for, it looked like every other building in this same area, overgrown weeds filling the path to the property.
But it wasn't, the thrum of energy whirred and pulsed chaotically. The cold energy pressing against him, almost a physical weight as his chakra pulsed in response.
Minatos hand wrapped around a metal sign, placing a seal, he was ready for the potential of an ambush.
He approached the door to the factory, the pulse grew louder, no longer just an echo in the back of his mind but a steady, thrumming beat that sent a shiver down his spine.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. His senses flared outward, chakra thrumming in his veins, but even now, there was something off about the energy here.
It fluctuated wildly, out of sync with the natural order of things.
Minato's eyes narrowed as he placed a hand on the door. For a moment, the world held its breath. Then, with a soft creak, he pushed it open.
White filled his vision, bright artificial lights illuminated his form. His vision was limited by the door, all he could see were large screens and a singular large white table.
For a moment, he hesitated at the threshold, his senses straining for any hint of movement outside.
Nothing.
His grip tightened around his kunai, and he stepped into the odd room. His eyes instantly assess the room for any present threats, finding none.
The room wasn't just empty, it was sterile, unnervingly so. No dust, no debris. And the table, large and pristine, sat in the middle like an altar to something long forgotten.
Gently, silently he took another step into the room, then another and another.
The black screens gave him no information, the wires hanging from the roof crackling with the blue sparks of electricity.
He could feel the energy, it was surrounding and running throughout the whole room, seemingly to press onto his own chakra.
It wasn't just the energy's erratic behaviour that unsettled him, it was its very nature. It felt like a twisted parody of chakra.
He walked around the large table, his eyes silently assessing the odd wires and plates of metal laid carelessly across the large workstation.
Almost as if he had interrupted something.
Once he reached the end of the table he came to a sudden stop, a metallic body laid on the floor, forgotten and hidden by the table.
The polished steel torso, wires jutting out with no sense or reason, he slowly dropped to a knee, his eyes assessing the chrome torso, his reflection staring back at him, warped.
He eyed where a head would be placed and came to a startling conclusion, this robot wasn't in the process of being built when he had arrived.
Rather the opposite, the head had clearly been torn off.
He clenched his jaw, he was about to rise but noticed an odd movement in the reflection, his eyes narrowing and then widening as a panel in the wall slowly, silently slid to the right.
A shadow filling the newly revealed space, two red lights gently flickering, the form soundlessly stepping forward, revealing itself.
A chrome humanoid body, it's form lithe and tall, the eyes suddenly burned in a dark, smouldering blue light. The chrome reflecting the pure white light like a star.
It took a silent, but deafening step forward.
He couldn't help but clench his hand around the kunai.
That set it off, its head turning and the blue eyes meeting Minatos in the reflection.
It lunged, crossing the room with inhuman speed. A large blade slid seamlessly from its reaching, open palm aimed directly for the back of Minato's neck.
The blade was inches away, and then Minato was gone, the air around him gaping at the sudden disappearance.
The blonde man appeared by the sign outside of the factory.
Staring at the metallic man through the open door, the luminescent moonlight wrapping around Minato's shoulders, sharp blue eyes locked onto the robot, his jaw tight.
The robot however reflected the artificial light from the lab, its smouldering glowing blue eyes focused on him, the palm blade had disappeared, a chrome tanto now held in the figure's clenched fist.
A silent second passed.
They both shot forward at blinding speed, sparks flying as the kunai met the flawless tanto with a clash. A metallic knee shot up, Minato reflecting it with his own knee.
Minato kicked out, his foot connecting and sending the robot skidding back, Minato again shot forward, ducking under the silent yet blindingly fast slash.
His other fights in this world had been flashy and loud, costumes and bright colours but this, this was what he was used to.
The sharp, the precise, the thrumming of chakra and the cold, ruthless efficiency of ninja.
He leaned back from another lethal strike, the tanto missing his jugular by centimetres, he rotated with a perfect spinning kick sending the robot crashing into the panel he came out of with a crash.
Minato unleashed his Kunai with blinding speed towards the off balance target, then blinked from existence reappearing just in front of the metallic form.
A kunai already slashed forwards, the smouldering blue eyes of the robot assessing it and leaning its head back, taking his eyes off of Minato having already calculated the trajectory.
As a ninja you did not learn from your mistakes, you died to them.
A kunai crashed into where its liver would be, Minatos left hand quickly slicing up and across the torso of the metallic man tearing the steel with a screech.
The smouldering blue eyes flickered, its now empty fist clenching around nothing as it dropped down to the floor with a crash.
Its other hand pressing against the large hole in its chest, the torn wires sparking, clear thin fluid running from the open wound.
Its eyes flickered once more before slowly fading black.
——
How do you guys feel about this chapter? I had fun writing it but as of the time of writing I am exhausted so please, please point out any of my inevitable poor spelling and grammar.
每周推薦票狀態
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榜單 
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