30 A War We Don't Belong In - Chapter 4: Collapse
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
(Warning Extremely Brutal and Morally Questionable Stuff Will Be Depicted, Hinted at, or Shown. Read at your own discretion. Also Psychological elements, manipulation and other not so family friendly stuff. Really, read at your own discretion.)
-Story Start-
-Akira POV-
The cries for salvation whose volume only increased.
The furious curses and shouts.
The infuriating melody of burning, collapsing, buildings and the silence that follows.
The somber and yet disturbingly familiar smell of burnt flesh.
All were ignored by me.
I had no time to worry about others:
Not the helpless civilians.
Not my teammates who were in intense combat themselves.
I couldn't afford to worry about those right now.
With my opponent in front of me.
His confident grin, so assured of his victory.
There was no doubt in my mind there were more Iwa Shinobi other than him.
Nevertheless...
He's the current problem.
Just like that, at least, in my mind.
The world was silent.
He stood relaxed amid the chaos, his tone a mix of amusement and curiosity, "Beasts made from shadows... The new Kekkei Genka-"
'With me.' I ordered.
Only for him to be cut off by the collective charge of me and the wolves.
The three of us arrived before him with momentum, I aimed at his vitals with a kunai in hand whilst Noc and Mir aimed at his limbs to not allow him a chance to block.
Our simultaneous attack was met with the opponent not losing any cool as he responded with an unnerving level of skill.
He kicked Noc with his left leg, only to miss with Noc turning into liquid shadows.
"Similar to the Hozuki Clan." He exclaimed his observation.
Mir seized the opportunity to take a bite of that very same leg, only for him to swiftly take out a kunai and attempt to critically wound Mir by stabbing him in the mouth before Mir could react and liquidize.
I had to pivot from offense to defense as I weaved the trajectory of my slice to protect Mir from potentially dying.
At that, Noc reformed and continued the offense and tried to take wild bites of the Jonin.
I joined Noc and went on an onslaught of strikes.
He blocked each one much to my frustration as the two of us pushed him back.
We passed through buildings and multitudes of people that were running away.
Reaching the battlefield of Naruto and three other Shinobi.
Naruto was enraged, his body engulfed in a blood-red chakra like a cloak.
A single tail formed out of it along with a pair of ears - His cloak resembled a fox.
Each of his strikes and movements shook the ground and air as the flustered Shinobi's blows that drew blood were healed by Naruto without trouble as he pummeled them.
"The Leaf brought their Jinchuriki here?!" His eyes widened momentarily at the sight as he was distracted by the sight of Naruto.
Even so, I ignored the sight, as I was fixated on my own battle - Noc, Mir, and I continued to press on the Jonin, we continued to change battlefields as we moved and fought.
The world only consisted of myself and my opponent at this moment.
Sensing the opportunity at Jonin's distraction, I managed to land a punch to the liver as he weaved out of Noc and Mir's bites.
He grew mad momentarily, "Lucky shot kid!" Throwing a punch to my face, which Noc blocked with his horn as I failed to dodge it.
Indeed, as the threefold onslaught seemed to outwardly overwhelm the Jonin, that lucky strike was the only one I had managed to hit on him all this time.
Having to keep myself and especially Noc and Mir safe from any fatal strikes in our teamwork.
Even with Chakra coating my fists my powerful strikes were weaved out of the way, as I hit the ground where the Jonin was at with my right fist.
A small impact, and then with a slight delay due to the usage of Shatter Fist, the ground tremored a little, Jonin chuckled, "Wouldn't be ideal to get hit by one of those."
Clicking my tongue I formed hand signs and unleashed, "Water Style - Wild Water Wave."
'You know what to do.' I ordered after I spat out a large torrent of water at the Jonin who simply created an Earth Wall as he touched the ground with the wave of two hand signs.
'Whiskers get on them!' I ordered the last two Whiskers clones hidden in my sleeves at they hopped out of them and got on top of Noc and Mir.
Noc and Mir burst through the wall and water followed them as they aimed at the Jonin's throat, who blocked their mouths with two Kunai, holding them both in midair with notable strength.
The explosive tags on the two Whiskers clones glowed, only for the Jonin to spit out two rocks without weaving a single hand sign, the small bodies of Whiskers hit by the rocks were pushed back as they exploded without causing any damage to Noc and Mir who were supposed to liquidize for the plan.
The sound of the explosion was my cue to rejoin the attack.
Out of the shadows beneath the water, I appeared behind the Jonin, noticing Noc and Mir were still in solid form.
That failed...
I aimed and sliced the Jonin in the neck.
Only for him to duck below my strike and slam both Noc and Mir to the ground.
I was only momentarily surprised at how he managed to not be caught off-guard by my appearance from the shadows before I blocked a retaliatory kick from him as he turned around swiftly, my forearm taking the brunt of it.
His kick was extremely heavy, a slight crack resounded in my ears as I was sent flying.
I wasn't deterred as I threw a kunai amid my flight only for him to grab it and throw it back at me so fast I hadn't seen it coming, barely reacting, I managed to narrowly dodge it by twisting my body mid-flight.
But...
The Kunai grazed my leg.
Shit, the poison.
'Noc, Mir distract him while I drink the antidote.' I ordered coldly.
I backed off, whilst Noc pressed on at the Jonin - Turning into liquid shadows whenever a life-threatening blow was about to occur.
Nevertheless, the Jonin was landing painful blows at Noc.
At this rate, he'll be down soon...
My arm's still shaking from that blow, but it's usable.
Mir meanwhile charged ahead and attempted to pierce the Jonin with his horn while he was busy with Noc.
I carefully kept my eye on them as I pulled the bottled antidote from the shadows popped it open gulped it down.
Noc was grabbed by the throat only to fail to liquidize himself in the face of a powerful punch in the belly, sending him flying.
The Jonin hopped above Mir, who jumped in a chase with his mouth wide open to take a bite.
The Jonin grinned as a single-hand sign was weaved.
"MIR LIQUIDIZE NOW!" I yelled out in a panic as I ran towards the two of them, Noc dashing as well only with a noticeable limp in his run.
But it was too late, as the Jonin spat out a sharp stone, considerably more powerful than the one he used against the Whiskers clones out of his mouth at Mir with great speed, causing him to swallow it, and it continued its speedy trajectory through his body, piercing straight through it and landing with an audible impact on the ground beneath them.
A loud pained whimper escaped Mir for just an instant before I immediately dismissed him, his body melting at my dismissal.
'BACK OFF NOW!' I order Noc as I create some distance and cease my attack on the Jonin.
I was now left to deal with this Jonin with a limping Noc.
Damn it...
With an opponent of this caliber, especially when Noc and Mir can barely react to him - I was wary of using any other Shikigami that are weaker so that they wouldn't just be instantly killed before they could respond.
If Jeff was here or even Nue, Mir wouldn't have been out of commission.
Big mistake...
The Jonin seemed incredibly smug, his guard loosened completely, "What's wrong? Did you finally realize how outmatched you truly are? Konoha's newest "Prodigy"? Ha!" He mocked with a wave of his hand.
He's not wrong.
I had to reevaluate my strategy against him.
I was fighting Chakra cost-effectively and tried my best to not risk death for any of my Shikigami.
But against him...
I have to resolve myself to lose Shikigami for the sake of victory.
Or... Even better.
An idea formed in my mind, one that is unlike the standard methodology and stratagem of Shinobi and is the complete opposite of any agreed-upon core principle of assassination.
A prospect that is completely insane, stupid, and inane.
Something... Only I can do.
With my ability...
The Limbs, Organs, and Vitals of an Opponent are much more expensive than my own.
A disturbing grin formed on my face as I replied to the relaxed Jonin's question, "Something like that."
The Jonin snorted, in pure amusement, "You're not a bad kid for a treehugger that is, your Kekkei Genkai as well." His smirk turned into an annoyed frown, "But that expression on your face ticks me off... Don't you get it that I've been toying with you?"
As he said his words a sound emanated from a considerable distance away - Thanks to us moving through this town during our battle.
Once again, for the second time so far - The sound of a thousand chirping birds resonated even from so far away.
A knowing smirk took charge of my expression as I tilted my head, "You sure wasting time toying with me is a good idea when you have to deal with Hatake Kakashi?"
His eyes narrowed at me, his humor dying down as he clicked his tongue, "Even he will fall - We have more than enough Shinobi to deal with him."
There was a hint of hesitance in his tone which I picked up on.
Noc by my side I tensed my muscles, "You don't sound so convinced."
My sentence was the cue for the start of Round Two, as he charged towards me with murderous intent.
Yet, that intent pales in comparison to Makoto's or even the monster that is the Nine Tails.
Noc met him head-on whilst I stood in place and formed a hand sign.
Managing only to pause him for a moment, Noc was forced to liquidize to survive a strike in the throat from a kunai.
Even with the synergy Chakra reduction, I was not willing to keep Noc here any longer with his limp.
With that encounter, it seems he's no longer a viable player for this battle.
Forming the shadowgraphic handsign of an Ox head, I announced, "Piercing Ox."
A noticeable dip in my chakra was felt as the form of Beeflejuice formed at blinding speed.
Perhaps out of arrogance, whatever the reason was, I didn't care.
I was planning on laying on the damage, and he seemed to oblige.
The Jonin decided to meet Beeflejuice the moment it formed, charging forward against it.
Much to my surprise, the Jonin grabbed Beeflejuice by the horns and began to push it back.
...But that was only for a moment as Beeflejuice hadn't even begun his charge.
The Jonin quickly lost the battle of strength as Beeflejuice started his run, his loud steps cracked the ground and began to push the Jonin back.
Gaining strength at astounding speed, the Jonin hadn't even managed to blink before Beeflejuice's point-blank charge managed to overwhelm him and send him flying a considerable distance.
With the sound of cracked ribs followed by a spit of blood, the Jonin was sent through a couple of buildings, the impact being much to my satisfaction and I followed Beeflejuice's straight charge, barely keeping up with his mounting momentum.
I was within eyesight of the impact crater of the Jonin, seeing him gone I swiftly dismissed Beeflejuice to retain Chakra.
He wouldn't be any more help now.
"Damn it... Just when I decided to dismiss Noc." I cursed my frustration, my eyes narrowed and my head turning in all directions.
But... That had to have done some damage, I eyed the impact crater and recalled the crack and blood Beeflejuice had elicited.
Likely broken ribs and hopefully... Internal damage.
Luckily, the Jonin was overconfident and underestimated my Shikigami.
But, that was not my main tactic - That was a gamble.
Despite appearances, I'm still a little reluctant to go against all my natural tendencies and teachings.
This will be the deciding factor.
I felt vibrations from below as I jumped instinctively, dodging the Jonin popping out of the ground.
I hadn't had the time to react and dive into the shadows in time.
His expression was pure and utter rage, his mouth bloodied.
Yet, his jump from underground was with much greater velocity than my instinctual hop as he quickly hit my gut with a powerful kick, launching us a great distance above the ground.
I gasped momentarily but grabbed onto his leg with both hands as tightly as I could, my nails lengthened clawing at his leg to latch onto it drawing blood from his leg, ignoring my own pain.
"YOUR WIDE OPEN YOU DUMB BRAT!" He yelled in rage as he drew a kunai and began to stab my chest and abdominal area dodging my desperate kicks in the process.
My head was a harder target for him as I could simply weave out of the way.
But with my body unmoving... I was asking to be stabbed in all the important organs.
HERE'S THE GAMBLE!
Pain, unlike anything I have ever felt in my entire life.
None of my conditioning and training could ever prepare me to endure anything of this level.
My heart, my intestines, my lungs, everything drew blood and was thoroughly sliced through and mutilated.
The only thing keeping me conscious was the adrenaline and determination.
I spat blood as I sluggishly relaxed one of my hands that held his leg to form a hand sign.
The only Shikigami capable of being summoned with a single-hand sign...
I roared out a bloody, guttural, desperate cry, "GREAT SERPENT!"
Overloading the Chakra once... Solid's Level 2 formed swiftly from the shadows below us as we descended to the ground.
A large-scaled snake, opened its mouth as it rose towards the both of us.
With the pinpoint accuracy that I had relied on - Solid with great speed grabbed the Jonin's body.
Except the very leg that I held.
Without much resistance, with the combined pull of gravity and the contrasting force of Solid's speedy rise and my own solid hold on his leg.
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The melody of his screech was particularly audible to me.
The Jonin's leg was cleanly ripped off with a squelch.
At that, I dismissed Solid released my hold on the ripped-off leg, and formed the shape of a deer's head with my hands.
"R-ROUND DEER!" I let out as an immense dip in my remaining Chakra was felt and below me, Rudolph began to form.
With an impact that was painful but paled in comparison to the pain coursing through me at the moment, I landed on the ground.
My eyes began to close from the pain.
I was barely holding onto consciousness.
I was dying.
And then...
I wasn't.
A glow enveloped my body as I opened my eyes in relief, noticing Rudolph pressing his nose on my body.
My entire shirt was mauled and sliced through, yet there was no mark of injury, as I felt my organs being healed and restored to their prime.
Even the subtle pain in my arm from the Jonin's kick was gone.
For all intents and purposes - It was as if I was never injured at all.
I slowly got up and mumbled a relieved, "Thank you." Promptly dismissing Rudolph as he melted.
My Chakra's at a bad spot... With all that, I'm at thirty percent.
Not a moment after another resounding impact on the ground was heard, kicking up a cloud of dust.
I turned to look at its source and saw the agonized and absolutely livid figure of the Jonin.
He mumbled, "DAMN THAT INSANE BRAT! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED HIM EARLIER! HE NEVER SHOWED ANY SIGN OF BEING CRAZY ENOUGH TO DIE JUST FOR MY FUCKING LEG!"
A missing leg is much worse than a missing arm.
A Shinobi without a leg is a useless Shinobi.
Such a thing usually turns a skilled Jonin into less than half the Shinobi he was.
I won.
I made my way towards him, his rage-filled expression quickly turned into bewilderment and... Horror at the sight of me being uninjured.
"H-How?"
I didn't answer as I sped towards him, and he quickly weaved handsigns in a panic to shake the ground beneath me.
I suddenly find myself enclosed in an Earth Prison.
But, that was only a desperate move.
I didn't need to break through the prison as I simply dove into the shadows and appeared before him.
He had already managed to lift himself up and stand on a single leg, placing up a desperate defense.
This time though, there was no competition.
It was a valiant effort as he managed to block a couple of my strikes with my poisoned kunai, but with one less limb than me and what he is used to...
My kicks managed to hit him multiple times, eventually dropping him on the ground with a thud.
Throwing a kunai at his chest, he caught it with his hand, I stepped forward and slammed my foot on it, attempting to push it down.
He took hold of it with his second hand and did his best to guard his life and push me back.
Even desperately spitting stones at me weakly, hitting my chest only slightly hurting me.
"Now, Whiskers." I ordered.
The single Whiskers clone in the area approached the Jonin.
He kept on struggling stubbornly, yet seeing the little rabbit approaching him caused him to whimper, "D-Don't kill me!"
From proud, smug, and overconfident... To this.
Whiskers having reached his head, opened its mouth.
Yet, in the face of assured death, he wanted to go out with grace.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD I CURSE YOU AND ALL THE LEAF VILLAGE! I PRAY LORD TSUCHIKAGE ENDS ALL OF YOU TREEHUGGERS! GOOD LUCK WITH THE OTHER-" Was his last words as Whiskers bit down on his eye, causing the man to roar out in agony and release his hold on the kunai, allowing my foot to push it into his chest.
Ending his life as the light in his eyes slowly dimmed down.
The tensing of my muscles relaxed for but a moment as I let loose a sigh of relief.
Shaking my head, and having taken my single moment of respite I narrowed my eyes in the direction of the chaos - My battle dragged me, and that Jonin to one edge of the town.
A place unaffected yet by the chaos through a quick survey of the area, I can see multiple people doing their best to hide and some running away.
Thankfully no civilian got hurt in my battle with the Jonin.
At least, one that I noticed...
My eyes caught sight of crying women and children as well as numerous injured people.
Detach.
With that dismissal, my muscles swelled and I burst forward towards the chaos to help my teammates.
The loud impact of my steps accompanied my thoughts as my mind raced on the situation.
That Jonin claimed there were enough Shinobi to even bring down Kakashi.
If there's truth in his words...
Hopefully, they're still fine.
Luckily, I gave them a rundown of what to do in case the worst was to come.
And it did...
-Scene Change-
Running along the roads and streets was no longer effective - Debris, bodies, and crowding blocked my path.
Poisonous gas clouds from the release of my traps also covered certain areas.
I hadn't taken any survey of whether those slain in those were allies or enemies.
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop of whichever building still stood was the optimal method of travel.
That was also no longer viable as I reached the completely demolished area surrounding the Food Center.
All this, while ignoring the pleas for help from those who recognized my role in this town.
There was no sign of Kakashi, but multiple bodies of Prajna as well as Akuma were visible.
"So he died as well..." I bit my lip as I gazed at the cracked mask of Akuma, his body specifically his entire upper body mutilated.
I didn't know the man long - Though, he was a good man...
Shaking my head once again, I headed towards the site where Sasuke's battle took place.
Eerily, the closer I got there, the more comparatively silent the place got.
The distant explosions and cries were much more audible than the silent wind here.
It seemed so ruined and deserted.
I misjudged the place with the most chaos - Perhaps my teammates had moved along towards the Town Hall to save Satsuki.
Yes... That made sense.
Just in case though, I used Silent Step as I ran through the demolished area.
Eventually... A familiar voice was heard.
"HO?CO?LD?Y?OU?!"
The anguished cry emanated from Naruto, that much was clear.
However, the distance served as a muffling barrier.
I needed to close the gap and move nearer.
A minute later I was met with the sound of a childlike laugh of glee and a spine-chilling sight:
Naruto was on the floor, no longer with that chakra cloak of his yet his eyes burned red.
His expression was of pure bewilderment, rage, and betrayal.
From a quick glance, his legs were bent and his supernatural regeneration hadn't a clue as to how to fix that.
Sasuke was much worse, his chest weakly rose as he breathed weakly, unconscious on the floor - The reason unknown yet still concerning.
Luckily, Kakashi was there.
Yet he didn't look great either.
His left arm was hanging limply in the air and his Sharingan eye was covered once again - Presumably due to his chakra running low.
His expression was unreadable but was nevertheless intense and steely.
Finally, there was Kyokan the son of Kenzo Kozuki the current leader of the Conservative Group.
His vest, particularly where the emblem was drawn was cut off and his expression was of despair.
Tears marred his expression and he was on his knees.
A lack of hope in his eyes.
The issue at hand, of course, was the five people that surrounded them.
Four of them wore the Iwagakure headband proudly on their head.
Their posture is confident and their aura tells me one thing...
They're Jonin.
All four of them.
I can't take on a single Jonin in my current state, let alone four.
Yet, despite their confidence and smirks their muscles were tensed and their eyes told a different story.
They glared warily at the wounded Kakashi.
He's that scary for them.
Nevertheless, the true nail in the coffin was the fifth person that surrounded my teammates and allies.
An absolutely blissful and giggling Satsuki.
Holding the ripped-off head of Kenzo in her hands like it's a trophy to display her parents.
...So she was Faceless.
A somber and regretful realization crossed my mind.
Things were just not going our way... Huh.
For a moment, I had lost hope and my arms grew weak.
Why did we have to accept this dumb mission?
Why...
Why...
As the pointless emotions and complaints ran rampant and the reality of the situation grew too heavy...
Detach.
It seems she's in the middle of a monologue and thankfully the others have not yet noticed me thanks to Silent Step.
'Whiskers, make sure to look for a path for us to escape. Line up according to the plan after you secured a path. Signal me when everything's ready.' I ordered.
'Roger.' Whiskers replied.
Naruto roared out, his fist slammed onto the ground, "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION DAMMIT WHY?! WHY?! WHY?!"
She giggled, waving the head she held around as she lectured, "Don't be silly Ruto! For Lord Jashin of course!"
Jashin...
I've never heard of that name before.
Naruto roared out, his fists clenched and blood dripping from them, "DONT GIVE ME THAT CRAP-"
Only to be cut off by one of the four Jonin - A bulky man, "Shut up brat." He then turned to Satsu - Faceless, "Stop preaching your religious crap Faceless, we've had our fun, let's get this over with." He shrugged as he stepped forward, only for Kakashi to glare at him.
Causing him to flinch momentarily and pause in his step.
"BAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! YOU LITTLE PUSSY! MAYBE I SHOULD SACRIFICE YOU TO LORD JASHIN AS WELL! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!" Faceless burst out in laughter, soliciting the other Jonin to relax for a moment as well, as they chuckled at the mockery of their partner.
He clicked his tongue, "Oh shut up. You try and be the first to try and kill Hatake Kakashi."
Why isn't Kakashi doing anything?
Ah, never mind that.
We have to get out of here.
Understanding what exactly happened here can come after we're safe.
I dive into the shadows and reappear in front of my teammates and Kakashi.
A look of relief comes across them all, except the hopeless Kyokan and the unconscious Sasuke.
Before Naruto could react my eyes turned to Kakashi who glanced at my torn-up shirt with a questioning gaze alongside his relief at seeing me.
"Later," I respond.
He nods and narrows his eyes at the enemies who gaze at my arrival in curiosity, "Naruto, get ready. Akira is going to do it." He orders steely with a hushed tone.
Naruto gritted his teeth - Seemingly against the decision but not going to protest Kakashi's orders when the situation was this dire.
'We ready.' Whiskers reported.
Good, no need to stall then.
"Akira! You're back!" She waved Kenzo's head happily toward me.
The disturbing fact was that she seemed genuinely happy to see me.
I snarked back, "Would have been better if you kept that little girl act until we left..."
My eyes narrowed at her - My only concern was that she was aware of our emergency strategy.
It would make sense for her to tell those Iwagakure Shinobi about it...
Her smirk widened knowingly at my narrowed gaze, as if reading my mind she replied, "Don't worry~ Tricks only make things more fun!"
She... Didn't tell them?
...
...She's insane.
The clues were all there - Easily disguised by the persona of a traumatized child.
Ah, fuck it.
I whispered, "Get ready. When he makes his move, follow the plan. The direction is northwest of here. We cannot be split up."
Kyokan seemed to still be in despair, as he didn't listen to any of my words.
He's this country's last hope if we make it out of this.
We need him alive.
I gave him a sharp slap, "Listen to me. We'll win this. We'll save the country from Satsujin's hands. If you want to lament and cry about it, do it later. Not Now. Just listen to my instructions and run with your eyes closed when I give the signal." I whispered with a sharp and threatening tone, mixing truth and lie to force him up.
At the sharp chastising and slap, his earnest nature was easy to get worked up.
He sluggishly rose up, still hesitant but he nodded his agreement.
That's good enough for me.
Naruto and Kakashi nodded resolutely.
"Akira you carry Naruto, I'll carry Sasuke and Kyokan if he slows us down," Kakashi added his order.
The only woman amongst the Iwa Jonin mocked, "Whatever you're whispering about would only make killing you treehuggers that much more enjoyable. So do go on~" She purred as she threw a piece of paper on the ground.
It glowed and we felt a barrier form around us.
Is she a barrier master?
...Was that how they got past Akuma's detection?
Nevermind.
The barrier is inconsequential in the face of him.
I can only use him for about fifteen seconds with my current reserves.
Hopefully, that's enough for us to escape.
I gazed at Kakashi who nodded at me, "I'll cover you."
I nodded, "Guys, just make sure to not look at his belly now."
Let's do this.
My hands moved to form the shadowgraphic hand sign of a toad, "Toad." I whispered.
I overloaded the chakra required.
Once.
Twice.
And finally thrice.
My Chakra dipped incredibly low - And liquid shadows moved at blinding speed to form the figure of a toad.
A car-sized toad.
The color of his body was pitch black - it looked like it swallowed up light and never reflected it.
An anomalous sight to see as the sun had already risen and the day was bright.
A dark liquid dripped from every spot on his body onto the floor.
His eyes, were pure white - Indicating his blindness.
A serene grin that one could never glimpse was etched on his face.
And the most notable part - The only other part of his body that was not pitch black except the eyes.
On his stomach where once was the symbol that resembled the Mirror Of The Deep of the Ten Sacred Treasures.
Replacing it, attached to his stomach like it was a part of him - Was the Mirror Of The Deep itself.
The genuine article.
The Okitsukagami.
A pearly white framed mirror in the shape of the mark that was previously on Jeff's stomach.
This figure was - Level 4 Jeff.
The First Treasure Bearer.
However...
The mirror was not the main aspect that made Level 4 Jeff a trump card of mine.
No.
It was just a part of the puzzle.
Even Level 3 Jeff had it.
Level 4 Jeff is not stronger, not faster, nor is he tougher than Level 3 Jeff.
There is just one difference.
A single new ability.
The differentiating ability between them is...
Something I had thought impossible in this world.
"NOW!" I yelled, much to the shocked and curious onlookers.
I lifted the injured Naruto and Kakashi promptly did the same with the unconscious Sasuke.
The pitch-black Jeff moved his eery black limbs together, meeting them together in the form of a hand sign.
In his mind, Jeff announced the abnormality he was about to unleash:
'DOMAIN EXPANSION - MOONLIT REFLECTION OF THYSELF'
At his announcement, all of us who knew of the plan quickly followed it - We closed our eyes and charged northwest.
Kakashi, Kyokan, and I with our teammates on our hands began to run.
A weird sensation came across us as the space around us transformed, we weren't able to witness the miracle as we had no intention of dying or getting stuck.
Without pause, the barrier jutsu the Iwagakure Kunoichi formed collapsed as a superior barrier took its place.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Was her reaction and I hadn't gotten the chance to hear any other reactions at all.
Kakashi, Kyokan, and I managed to escape Jeff's Domain thanks to keeping our eyes closed and him creating a small opening in the barrier for us to leave.
"DON'T PAUSE! WE'VE GOT 8 MORE SECONDS!" I yell as I feel my Chakra being sucked out of me at a rate I haven't experienced in a while.
We speed ahead, Kyokan having been too slow was picked up by Kakashi midrun.
'Jeff thanks, and do as much damage as you can.' I reported as I ran.
-Scene Change-
-Third Person POV-
The Iwagakure Jonin and Faceless find themselves in a strange space.
Their legs were covered with water and in front of them was a giant moon.
The moon is the only major source of light in this otherwise pitch-black pocket of space.
Clicking his tongue, the more jumpy of the Jonin complained, "Should've gone for them from the beginning."
As he complained, he narrowly dodged a speedy strike of a tongue sent his way, as he jumped out of the way.
If it was a tongue, anyway...
The projectile was pitch black much like the Toad itself - The one who brought them here.
"You got that right Daiki... He collapsed my fucking barrier." The kunoichi spat to the side.
Yet, the tongue hadn't retracted... It came at the now-named Daiki from a different direction.
They narrowly dodged that as well, "What?!" He exclaimed in confusion as the tongue didn't retract after the initial strike.
Taking a surveying glance at the space around them he was met with the most bizarre sight and a recognition of where they were.
A large swamp, overlooked by a giant moon.
The swamp itself is surrounded by numerous strange mirrors at every nook and cranny of the place.
But it was when his eyes caught sight of even one of the mirrors that he made his mistake.
Daiki was met with memories he was not comfortable with.
Voices, people, situations...
All reflections of his own weaknesses and insecurities.
It was all so... So real.
So... Vivid.
So... True.
So... Nostalgic.
And it was when his mother slapped him in that reflection - That he realized that he was inside an illusion.
Breaking out of the Genjutsu, he found himself lying on the water of the swamp, a pain in his gut.
He must have been hit by that toad...
From afar, his teammates cried out whilst Faceless danced around in joy, weaving out of the tongue strikes of the Toad.
The nigh invisible tongue only visible under the light of the moon bounced from one mirror to the other as it attempted to strike her and the others.
Onri, one of the Jonin that seemed awake had his eyes closed, "CLOSE YOUR EYES! THE MIRRORS ARE A GENJUTSU! EVERY TIME YOU LAY YOUR EYES ON THEM, IT TAKES EFFECT!"
Yet, in the heat of all that action as Daiki closed his eyes and was about to rely on his other senses to fight - Space began to warp and collapse around them.
Like a natural disaster - The anomaly that encroached upon the spacetime of the Elemental Nations disappeared as quickly as it appeared alongside its Toad Harbinger.
It only lasted but a few seconds - Yet numerous Jonin found themselves in pain and struggling, forced into the defensive without a single chance to retaliate against the Toad they couldn't even see amid the darkness.
They were humiliated physically and mentally.
One of them, the weakest amongst them was still stuck in the illusion, his tear-struck face was met with a resounding slap by Faceless.
"Come on~ Kayo! That was fun! Let's go butcher the others in the name of Lord Jashin!" Faceless cheered as she still held onto the childish form of Satsuki.
Kayo hiccuped, "R-Right. Sorry, that was a moment of weakness." Shaking his head.
Onri placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, it was absurd in of itself. That was a Genjutsu on a level multiple times deeper and stronger yet similar to the Hell Viewing Technique. On top of being cast on a barrier... It is something I have never seen in my entire lifetime."
Mumbling, Onri added as he stroked his chin, "It seems we have much to report to Onoki-sama once we return. A Kekkei Genkai capable of something like that is frightening."
Mio, the barrier Kunoichi scoffed, "The weakness seems to be Chakra - The ending was abrupt. Also, It's only formidable if you have something to reflect on... You looked like you had fun in there, right?" She glared at Faceless as if she were an aberration.
Faceless gave a hearty laugh, slapping her knee, "All I do is for Lord Jashin! I reflect only in his name and presence! A dumb mirror isn't going to make me do something like that~" She mocked.
Kayo having gathered his bearing narrowed his eyes, "Shouldn't we make chase? Letting a man like Hatake Kakashi go would be a problem."
The others nodded and were about to set off only for Faceless's words to stop them, "They're probably gone by now. But if you want to run around with a risk of an exploding rabbit on you, be my guests~!"
Mio gritted her teeth as she lifted the small Faceless to eye level, "You crazy little bitch... We paid you for this job and you suppress information?!"
Faceless lifted her arms in a placating gesture, "I only follow the orders of Lord Jashin~! Besides! The Conservative pussies are already done and dusted, so there's no point in arguing! My job is done and so is yours! Those weaklings will go crawling back to Konoha at their defeat. Wouldn't that be a more juicy ending~?"
Before Mio could process and react to Faceless's words, Faceless came closer and whispered in her ear, "Besides~ I know that you wanted to have the prestige of killing Hatake Kakashi Of The Sharingan all to yourself. Who knows... Maybe they'll come back to try something?" Her words were like honey to Mio's ego as she slowly lowered Faceless back to the ground.
Faceless laughed, pointing at Mio, "Next time you lift me up like that! I'll kill you! HAHAHHAHAHAHA!"
Onri, the more levelheaded of the Shinobi as well as squad leader, replied, "Although the girl could have worded it better, she's right. Our mission here is mostly complete. Only a little cleanup left and confirming things with Satsujin as well as keeping guard and our S-Rank is officially over."
Kayo folded his arms, "What about the son of the Conservative's leader? He's ran away no thanks to Faceless's antics..." He sighed.
"Don't talk like you guys didn't enjoy it!" She exclaimed.
Onri shook his head, lecturing wisely, "He has no Conservatives to rule over to speak of... It is but a questionable mercy rescue in my eyes. Regardless, we have two more months of stay here whilst Satsujin solidifies his rule and allegiance. The Konoha Shinobi are much too injured to do anything and any reinforcements would spark a war. By all accounts - Knowing Hatake, he will retreat as he never hesitated to do so in the past. A great Shinobi knows when to retreat from a losing battle. It is why he has lived and survived as long and much as he had."
Kayo nodded, "Alright, that sounds good to me. We've still got work to do, though." He gazed at the mostly demolished town, seeing that there were still people needing elimination.
Mio narrowed her eyes with a tired sigh, a complaint escaped her, "That retard Shingo rushed on ahead and is still gone for so long? With his musclebrain, I'd have expected him to have already killed everyone."
Faceless tilted her head innocently, "Maybe he's dead?"
Mio questioned, "You think that Nara brat killed him? He seemed uninjured - Though his torn shirt is a little suspicious."
Onri hummed, "Torn shirt... Huh?"
He recalled the sight of the boy with tears in specific vital areas of the body.
It concerned him.
'Perhaps we'll have to be more vigilant than expected...' He thought, just in case.
After all, that Kekkei Genkai User managed to do the impossible and unimaginable once.
Who said he couldn't do it twice?
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Yo yo yo! My lovely readers!
Been a while!
As always, I have hoped the chapter was to your enjoyment and was up to snuff in quality and stuff.
How was the chapter overall? I'd love to hear your thoughts! (Did it come out hype or did I undercook it?)
Hopefully, I haven't created any glaring plot holes or stuff like that lol :P
As for the descriptions of the Iwagakure Jonin - You'll be getting them pretty soon (I wasn't lazy I promise!)
Next chappie you'll be learning what actually happened outside of Akira's POV. So don't worry about that.
And as you can see as well - We are forced into a tactical retreat!
Naruto did go crazy though - 1 Tail already? Gawd damn.
But! Desperate times call for desperate plot armor! XDDDDDDDDDDDD
Also... Jeff stood on business.
And you got a hint about the abilities of the Max Level Shikigami - So have a cookie lol.
There's a reason why he hadn't used him against the Jonin he narrowly beat - Think it through and you'll get it.
Also, the usage of other Shikigami will come into play in this arc don't worry.
Nue and Dumbo have been neglected for a while lol.
As for their leveled-up version that will come into play as well.
Also if you hadn't noticed, Level 2 Solid doesn't have any glaring differences - He has harder scales for one, and is much faster and stronger.
Level 3 is where he gets... Abilities.
Also, truth be told, I was considering the return of Omakes really heavily here - But I can't break the theme so here we are.
I've got some really good ones in storage so it'll be really nice once this Arc is over.
(Spoiler Alert the next arc is Chunin Exams so I'm a little fucked with so many serious arcs and little goofy potential - Onto the Gojo Fic it is!)
Also, I wonder if you guys can guess the titles for chapter 5 and 6!
We are 2 or 3 chapters from the ending of this arc so don't worry.
(All according to Keikaku, oddly my chapter prediction was accurate for this arc, how funny)
-Shikigami Ability Section (What was shown this Chapter and NOT kept vague purposefully)-
I decided to add this lovely section thanks to ya guys suggestions!
Hopefully, this makes it easier to understand - Again, the abilities of Shikigami that are purposefully shown to be vague in a chapter and not obvious won't be written in this section.
Like if Level 3 Toad has made his appearance but hasn't used an ability that he has - That won't be shown.
Not that he has anymore in his pocket at that level but that was just an example.
Now... Onto it!
-------------------------------
Do note, again, that leveled-up Shikigami MAY still hold an ability that has yet to be shown - This is only a summary of what you see in the chapter.
Divine Dogs (Noc & Mir):
Level 2 >>> Overall Strength & Speed increase and partial Shadow Liquidation. (Not shown this chapter, but I'll show the previous levels in the case of the upper level making an appearance)
Level 3 >>> Overall Strength & Speed increase and full body Shadow Liquidation and Horn popping out of where their Treasure Mark is at.
Great Serpent (Solid):
Level 2 >>> Overall Strength & Speed increase, Length Increase, and hardened scales.
Toad (Jeff):
Level 2 >>> Overall Strength & Speed increase, Bulk Increase (Bro was hitting the Gym) and Size increase
Level 3 >>> Strange Black Liquid dripping from the body, Body Color that swallows all light, and Forced Blindness? Tongue Length immensely increased (You saw this in his Level 4 version), and Tongue velocity, power, and speed immensely increased, and finally Okitsukagami on his belly.
(How does the Toad see you may ask? Figure it out! :P)
Okitsukagami - Mirror Of The Deep Of The Ten Sacred Treasures.
He who gazes upon the reflection of the Mirror is forced into a powerful Genjutsu forged from the internal turmoil and struggles of the individual - Forcing him to self-reflect on his life, insecurities, weaknesses, etc...
The Genjutsu created by the Mirror may be affected when it is under moonlight.
Level 4 >>> Domain Expansion (Incomplete) - Moonlit Reflection Of Thyself.
Moonlit Reflection Of Thyself is a Domain set in a seemingly pitch-black swamp with its only source of light being the overbearing large looming moon that shines above it.
The swamp is covered in every corner and possible angle of sight with piles of Okitsukagami.
It seems at its current state that the Domain lacks a sure hit effect.
So that's about it!
-Down here is the copy paste stuff-
As always people! If you see any inconsistencies, wrong information, Illogical statements, etc... Notify me, please! I'll fix it ASAP! And or explain it later on in case I had planned to make it vague in the first place.
Also, all comments, reviews, constructive criticism and so on Are much appreciated! I especially love Constructive criticism because it allows me to improve the story in real time! I try my best to follow your advice!
I enjoy responding to you all! So do send them comments! Also, ideas are also welcome! I'm not that creative so assistance from you guys is always nice! Yup!
I hope you lovely people have a fantastic rest of the day/week. And I'll see you in a week's time or so :P
The Largest Living Structure on Earth is the Great Barrier Reef: It's visible from space and is composed of over 2,900 individual reefs. Here's this week's random fact.
-Author Note End-
