1 Year Anniversary Special - The Forest Of Death Incident Part 1
Hey hey!
Welcome to the (Quite late) 1-Year Anniversary Special.
The reason there is an Author Note here is to provide a lil bit of context to this special chapter before we start:
(1) This is an Alternate Timeline.
(2) This is NOT Canon and the chapter after the ending of this special will proceed Phase 5: Struggle... Though some part of me thinks ya'll are gonna want to call this special CANON after the proceedings lmao.
(3) This is the Alternate Timeline in which Akira DOES NOT get a Full Restore of Chakra from Uzumaki Karin. (Karin the hidden MVP of this arc ngl)
(4) In this scenario, Orochimaru manages to catch up to Akira an hour earlier. In a way, the dialogue does not change much.
(5) Akira had not commanded Whiskers to converge. He hadn't the Chakra to leverage printing them out nor calling for the Emergency ones to converge."
(6) You can probably tell where this is going.
On that note, take this 2 part special with a grain of salt and enjoy a glimpse of...
Shippuden Powah.
(Credit to Glorious4EyedKing for the Beta Reading Labor!)
-Story Start-
-Third Person POV-
Akira was under no illusion.
This was not a battle he could win.
His gaze dissected that easygoing and sadistic expression.
Even with a calmer mind, it was hard to ignore or suppress Orochimaru's killing intent.
"Curious… that kick," Orochimaru mused, his eyes narrowing with a hint of recognition.
"It's reminiscent of Tsunade's early experiments." His smile tightened, no longer lazy, as his gaze sharpened, grappling with a mix of recognition and disdain.
"I'm intrigued... Who imparted this crude Chakra Control Taijutsu to you? Certainly not her," he scoffed, a note of contempt in his voice.
Akira seized the talkative opportunity to act.
His hands flew into the shadowgraphic sign of the Toad, whispering its name under his breath.
"Toad."
The chakra flooded and overloaded.
Once... Twice...
Thrice
His chakra was drained with glee as shadows pooled and twisted, shaping into a massive, pitch-black toad, its belly gleaming with the mirror of Okitsukagami.
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with intrigue as they shifted to the toad, "Ah, the Eight Shado-" His speech ceased, as he had gazed into the mirror on Jeff's belly.
The roughed-up Akira's eyes narrowed, 'Eight seconds. I'll dismiss him at seven to keep a twinge of chakra just in case.'
"NOW! JEFF!" He yelled.
The toad obeyed his master's command, bringing his hands together to make a hand sign:
Announcing in Akira's mind:
'DOMAIN EXPANSION - MOONLIT REFLECTION OF THYSELF.'
While Akira was essentially out of chakra, he wasn't out of options.
As the barrier had begun forming, Akira's hands moved to make the shadowgraphic hand sign of a tiger head, muttering under his breath, "Tiger Funeral."
Liquid shadows twisted and solidified in seconds, constructing the figure of Tiger Funeral while the Domain was nearly complete.
Akira hadn't dallied, he burst into motion, his muscles clenched as he burst forward with closed eyes, only feeling the change of environment through the air and the splashing of water under his feet rather than seeing it for himself.
Jeff acted quickly in support of his master, the instant the domain was complete, in the direction Akira was headed, a small opening formed.
Allowing the boy to escape, and leaving Jeff and Tiger Funeral to combat the dangerous snake.
Relying on his instincts, and feeling the drastic transition from muddy water to thick grass, Akira opened his eyes to find himself back in the forest.
He had not turned around to see if the Domain was behind him or anything redundant like that.
His goal was simple.
Run away.
Escape.
The clear feeling of his chakra dropping rapidly rang in his mind as he hopped from tree branch to tree branch.
The seconds trickled by agonizedly, his movement a little slower due to exhaustion and the mounting small injuries in his body.
Ignoring the pain, he pressed forward.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Four seconds.
Tiger Funeral perished.
Akira's eyes twitched at that revelation.
Five seconds.
Six seconds.
'Dismiss me. Mirror on stomach. Shattered. Big Inju-'
It was a second earlier than intended, but Akira did not need to hear anything else.
Dismissing the injured Jeff.
...
He had covered little ground in these mere seconds, nevertheless, he contemplated his route.
'I've got no Whiskers around me... There's no telling where the ANBU or Anko is... Gotta avoid the big snakes while I'm at it.' Akira lamented the direness of the situation, as he referenced the mental map in his head.
He must not be disqualified or allow the Exams to cease.
While he was against meeting up with the ANBU and Anko due to changing variables.
He wasn't against luring them to Orochimaru.
Something he could not do right now, only hope the Domain was visible from afar.
He ran and ran, the wind on his face, as he contemplated the adjustments necessary for his plan.
He needed to rest.
He was critically out of Chakra.
...
It truly was one thing after another.
Gaara had proven to be much more troublesome than expected.
And this damnable snake was hot on his case.
He's been forced into Plan B so quickly...
Hopefully, there's no need for Plan C-
...
A coiling head raced through the air at disturbing speed towards Akira, its jaw unhinged, intent on taking a bite.
It was sudden.
It was unexpected.
Akira had managed to react in the nick of time.
It was truly thanks to his years of training that he had managed his next moves:
Weaving his head to the right, dodging the speeding bullet, Akira's right hand instinctively moved to a punch.
With a resonating crack, the punch hit squarely in the snake's head, his extended neck flying towards a tree, impacting it with a loud thud.
Not wasting a moment to process how Orochimaru had caught up to him so quickly, Akira attempted to dive into the shadows with what little Chakra he held.
'It should give me two seco-' He processed, only for his eyes to widen as the extended neck recovered in mind-boggling speed, flying towards him to take a bite at breakneck speed.
Time had crawled to a halt in Akira's mind.
...
He bit his lip in frustration and resignation.
He had realized that he had no opening to escape.
Orochimaru was intent on marking Akira with the Cursed Seal Of Heaven.
Akira was sure of it, given this was the exact sequence and move that had marked Sasuke.
...
A seal that had a 1 in 10 survival rate...
He had no chakra to get Rudolph to heal him in the 9 out of 10 cases in which he doesn't survive its effects...
...
Akira had something up his sleeve that gave him a more attractive percentage of survival.
...
'Plan C it is...' He grunted internally, giving the signal to all Emergency Whiskers at hand.
He wasn't intent on dying.
If he had to use it... He'll leverage it for its entirety.
"HERE'S YOUR HONEY BADGER YOU SLIMY BASTARD!" Akira roared with a mad glee.
Orochimaru's slitted eyes narrowed, yet he had not ceased his intended trajectory to mark Akira.
That was until...
Akira lifted both his arms at a rapid pace, bringing them forward, yelling, "WITH THIS TREASURE I SUMMON-"
...
It was the milliseconds of those words being uttered that made Orochimaru's eyes widen.
A dreadful feeling invaded him.
It was not Chakra.
Nothing of the sort...
It was as if...
As if a Natural Disaster was before him.
His sharpened instincts cried for him to tread with caution.
Instincts he relied on.
He instantly retracted his neck to his main body, flying towards each other and connecting in a bizarre sight, as the snake stood with a mix of both excitement and intrigue before the boy that kept surprising him.
'Was that Toad with a Space-Time Barrier Genjutsu not his trump card?' He couldn't help but wonder.
The world crawled to a halt in his mind as well, as he processed that feeling invading his body, making his hair stand on end.
'Clearly not~' His gleeful smirk broadened.
It was then, that something odd started happening before Orochimaru's eyes.
The orange glow that emanated from the evening sun pierced through the thick branches and leaves of the tall trees in the forest...
That light.
That glow.
It was being swallowed up.
The grassy floor of the forest and clearing the two Shinobi found themselves in lost all its light, as it was covered in darkness and shadow.
Within Akira's mind, a foreign, unfamiliar sound reverberated.
The door to the Garden Of Harmony opened.
With it, his mind shook as a keen feeling of shadows being stolen and shaped against his will thundered.
Orochimaru's eyes only widened and gleamed with further curiosity as the shadows on the floor shaped into obscure, lifeless Toads and Wolves.
As if being controlled, they appeared in a line...
They howled.
They roared.
And as they did...
That dreadful, apprehensive feeling only intensified for Orochimaru as Akira continued his strange chant.
And with it... A cocoon appeared.
[Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga]
-------------------------------
It was nothing short of a drag.
No, scratch that.
Drag would be the lightest term for this... Mess.
Shikaku's brows furrowed with worry as he took the mantle of Stand-In Hokage.
Sitting on the lofty chair of authority in the grandest of offices swarmed with paperwork.
Why had he taken it?
Well, very recently, a Chunin had rushed here with news of Orochimaru on the loose in the Chunin Exams Second Stage.
A Chunin Exam in which his two sons as well as the sons and daughters of fellow friends and clan heads were also partaking in.
So, as to not make a mess of things, Lord Third was resolute on heading out himself alongside an entourage of his personal guard ANBU.
Now, what was the evidence regarding Orochimaru's presence?
Akira's Rabbit and the message written on it, apparently.
The mere thought made Shikaku's eyes twitch.
Akira was likely fighting for his life with an S - Rank Rogue Shinobi.
...
The only reason Shikaku hadn't burst out of this office and assembled an army to march onto the Forest Of Death was his trust in both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Akira.
He and especially the elders are keenly aware of Akira's skillset.
Akira could easily claim the title of the most Slippery Shinobi in the World.
Perhaps even most durable given that Deer of his.
...Only surpassed by the very snake he's probably facing in terms of slipperiness.
The most calming gesture, however... Was the very rabbit sitting contently on the table.
As Shikaku mindlessly read papers and signed them, his task facing difficulty due to the worry of a parent, the rabbit kept silent.
Original Whiskers.
He's not Shikaku's favorite out of Akira's Shikigami, but definitely a contender.
The Toad was most frustrating.
Nevertheless, the rabbit's presence signaled the fact that Akira was still... Alive.
It was a couple of minutes later that the productive silence was broken.
By none other than Original Whiskers.
Shikaku's grip on his pen froze, he lifted an eyebrow at the rabbit that moved to sit on the paper he was signing.
Then... Suddenly, it bent down and began to... Puke.
Shikaku's eyes widened as he lifted the rabbit up and placed him on the floor, letting him do his business.
Looking at the rabbit with a disgusted grimace, he chuckled lightly to ease his own nerves, "Must've eaten something bad..."
The rabbit vomited on the floor, yet the outcome was not what Shikaku ever expected.
There... Was a balled-up piece of parchment covered in some kind of oil.
Whatever the oil did, it made it resistant to the rabbit's stomach acid.
Original Whiskers lifted himself up unperturbed and pointed frantically at the paper.
Shikaku's eyes narrowed, "If he went to such lengths to..." He lowered himself to lift the balled-up piece of parchment.
Ignoring the disgusting slimy feeling on his hands, he opened it.
From it, a crumpled yet intact paper was formed.
Lowering his head, with a sharp gaze, Shikaku began reading the letter.
-Letter Start-
Father.
I'll keep this as short and as informative as I possibly can.
But I need you to trust me fully.
Everything stated here is not a lie nor a delusion, it is the absolute unfiltered truth.
You must follow my instructions and form an even better plan if necessary according to the information I provide:
An enemy I have no hope of surviving as appeared, and my last resort, my trump card has been used.
You may have suspected this, but I do not have Nine Shadows.
I have Ten.
And this is the last one.
He is a beast on the same scale as the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga is his name.
My information is limited and lacks nuance, but it is critical to his defeat:
He's likely Elite Jonin or higher in terms of physical prowess.
He has a wheel on his head that allows him to progressively adapt to ANY and ALL phenomena.
With each progression, he heals himself completely.
He has a sword that may or may not cut through Ninjutsu...
To put it bluntly, the only method to defeat him is to annihilate him completely with an attack he hadn't had the chance to adapt to.
Here's my suggestion:
Gather all the A-Rank and above Shinobi we have available.
Head to the Forest Of Death.
Let Lord Hokage distract him or find some other method to distract him or match his insane prowess.
Find or form a method by which to hold him in place, even for an instant to get hit by a powerful, devastating Ninjutsu THAT HE HAS NOT HAD THE CHANCE TO ADAPT TO.
DO NOT ATTACK MAHORAGA UNLESS YOU ARE TRULY CERTAIN IT WILL ANNHILATE HIM COMPLETELY!
IN THE CASE THAT YOU MUST DISTRACT HIM, KEEP USING ATTACKS OF A SIMILAR NATURE AS LONG AS YOU CAN FOR HIM TO NOT GET VARIED ADAPTATIONS AND IT WILL BE TOO LATE.
The reason behind such a vague solution is...
I myself am not so certain of a method to assuredly kill this Monster.
Shadow possession by a group of Nara Jonin and a collaboration jutsu of fire and wind?
Perhaps it could work.
But there's no guarantee.
I trust you, Father, to find a method.
Should it come to it that those dear to me will face death by Mahoraga?
I will end the ritual myself.
In terms of recognition - His appearance is a hulking and towering, muscular humanoid figure with four wings protruding from his eye sockets and a tail-like appendage extending from the back of his head with that troublesome Wheel that allows him to adapt above his head.
Remember - Whatever vile being I have unleashed Mahoraga upon... Do not try and assist Mahoraga.
In fact, it'd be smarter to bide time and plan to defeat Mahoraga.
Or... Team up with the vile being.
Whatever is preferred.
It is likely that the vile being is dead by the time you arrive, Father.
I will do my best to assist evacuation attempts while it is distracted.
Eventually, it will come for me once the enemy perishes.
By then, I hope you all will reach my side with a plan of action.
-Letter End-
With each sentence, with each word, Shikaku's grip on the parchment grew tighter and shakier, his face paler and paler.
And an instant later... The composure fitting of the Nara Clan Patriarch and Jonin Commander washed over Shikaku's expression.
He rose up, grabbing the rabbit and placing him forcefully on his shoulder.
"Tell Akira to stay alive." He demanded as he ran towards the door.
His mind was on overdrive, attempting to form a coherent plan and strategy according to Akira's information.
Akira hadn't given him nearly enough to work with.
A part of Shikaku couldn't help but bitterly complain at the lack of trust in not conveying such vital information much, much earlier.
Regardless of how justified it might be to not do so.
But...
"I'll make do," Shikaku muttered under his breath.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Since buildup was necessary.
I had to split this into two parts.
Why split it?
Because I had to insert just one last Mahoraga Edge before I post the actual fight (Next chapter).
Now, a bit of forewarning.
Mahoraga's adaptation works in a very complicated manner in this fic (It isn't nerfed at all so calm yo asses, I just broke down the logic of it).
I will repeat for the none believers!
NOT.
NERFED.
It follows a strict set of logic and rules.
So...
For the sake of letting yall (And Future Akira) figure it out, you'll only be seeing the results of the adaptations.
The wheel spins, Mahoraga does or is resistant to something.
No thorough explanation.
No nothing.
Cause and Effect.
You piece together the in-between.
That is all!
Cya'll tomorrow.
Yes, I'm posting the next part tomorrow.
(Tomorrow cause I'll be gone for an entire week so i'ma have to speedrun this shi)
Also, important to note.
Akira isn't certain Rudolph could even remove the Cursed Seal. So just keep that in mind in his play of affairs.
Also also...
Don't think I'm saying anything new here but...
Mahoraga is a Special Shikigami in comparison to the other 9.
Is all, bu bye!
If ya'll feeling frisky and rich you can donate to my P A T R E 0 N to show some nice and kind support.
Here's the link:
patre0n.com/BurgerNoTomatoes