Chapter 24: Zabuza's Woes

A/N: 

16 chapters ahead on p.a.t.r.e.o.n

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ZABUZA POV

The night was thick with silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the cool breeze. I crouched low, my muscles taut, eyes fixed on the distant figure of Sukuna. 

The name fell from Kimimaro's lips, a silent utterance I caught only through the movement of his mouth.

The air around me felt heavy, laden with the weight of my mission and the consequences it could bring.

Sukuna is strong.

And, we need him.

The rebellion against the Mizukage teetered on a knife's edge, and Sukuna's allegiance could tip the scales in our favor. But approaching such a volatile ally was like trying to harness lightning. One wrong move, and we might find ourselves destroyed by the very power we sought to control.

For days now, I'd been trailing Sukuna, ever since his encounter with the Kaguya Clan leader. The memory of it still sent a chill down my spine.

But there was no need to think what happened in the past. It seems he has killed someone else.

I arrived just moments ago, and Sukuna is standing before a pile of ashes. The location is, at least, familiar – the same arena where I'd witnessed Kimimaro's brutal fights against the prisoners. The Yashiki of the Kaguya Clan, now destroyed, had its part spread around.

As I watched from the shadows, Sukuna engaged in conversation with Kimimaro. To my surprise, the kid chose to follow him. They retreated to a remote hut deep within the island's dense forest. Hours passed, and still, they remained inside. My mind raced with possibilities.

What could be keeping them in there for so long? Some sort of treasure, perhaps? The thought gnawed at me, and I felt a pang of envy. Oh, the difference such wealth could make for our cause! I could almost picture it – stacks of gold, ancient scrolls of forbidden jutsu, or perhaps weapons of unimaginable power. After seeing how the clan leader managed to hide his kekkei genkai all this while, I'm open to consider every outlandish idea.

Woe is me! Here I am, skulking in the bushes like some common thief, while they hoard riches beyond measure! Oh, cruel fate! How you mock my noble quest for revolution with these tantalizing glimpses of what could be!

I had to stifle a snort at my own melodramatic thoughts. Get a grip, Zabuza. You're a fearsome shinobi, not some weeping protagonist in a third-rate stage play.

When Sukuna finally emerged, I blinked in confusion.

The four arms that had been his most distinctive feature were gone. He appeared... almost normal. A transformation jutsu, perhaps? I mused. But why waste chakra on such a thing? Unless...

My mind whirled with possibilities, each more crazy than the last.

They set off, leaving the island behind. I steeled myself for what I knew would be a grueling pursuit.

Sukuna made an unseen hand sign, and suddenly, a massive bird unlike any I'd ever encountered materialized from his very shadow. Kimimaro and Sukuna then mounted the creature with ease.

I gritted my teeth, knowing what lay ahead. Running across the ocean using chakra was no small feat, even for a shinobi of my caliber. The strain on my reserves would be immense, but I had no choice. I couldn't lose them now.

The first few hours were manageable. The cool night air whipped past me as I sprinted across the water's surface, my eyes never leaving the silhouette of that strange bird against the starry sky.

But as dawn broke, painting the horizon in hues of pink and gold, the true challenge began.

They came without warning – massive, writhing forms breaching the waves around me. Oceanic chakra beasts, drawn to the constant pulse of energy beneath my feet.

The first to attack was a Suiryūdan, a water dragon with scales that shimmered like liquid sapphire. Its maw gaped wide, revealing rows of teeth that could shred steel.

I leapt, barely avoiding its lunging attack, my hands flashing through seals. "Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!" The dragon's head became encased in a sphere of water, which I used as a platform to put distance between us.

But there was no respite. A Kaijinhada, a creature with the body of a shark and arms ending in wickedly curved blades, erupted from the depths. Its eyes gleamed with predatory intelligence as it slashed at me. I parried with a sword, the clash of metal echoing across the waves.

"You picked the wrong shinobi to mess with," I growled, my voice low and dangerous. With a burst of speed, I vaulted over the creature.

Zing! Slash!

My blade singing as it cleaved through flesh and bone.

The ocean itself seemed to rise against me. Tentacles of living water, infused with malevolent chakra, lashed out from all directions.

They were Mizuhebi, serpentine creatures that could merge seamlessly with the sea itself. Dodging became a frantic dance, each near-miss sapping my strength and slowing my pursuit.

I can't keep this up forever!

My breath coming in ragged gasps. But I can't lose sight of them either. Everything depends on this.

Hours blurred together in a haze of constant motion and intermittent combat. My muscles screamed in protest, chakra reserves depleting at an alarming rate. Yet still, I pressed on.

The strange bird carrying Sukuna and Kimimaro remained a distant speck on the horizon, maddeningly out of reach.

As the sun began to set once more, I finally caught sight of land.

Relief flooded through me, quickly tempered by caution. I had no idea what awaited me on this new island, but at least it would be solid ground beneath my feet.

Sukuna and Kimimaro dismounted as soon as they reached the shore. To my amazement, the massive bird simply... vanished. One moment it was there, and the next, it dissipated like morning mist. Was it just the summoning jutsu? Or something else entirely?

I followed them into the dense forest, careful to maintain my distance. The foliage provided excellent cover, but it also limited my line of sight. I pushed forward, determined not to lose them now, not after everything I'd endured to reach this point.

And then, in the span of a heartbeat, they were gone.

I blinked, disbelieving. They had been right there, just a few kilometers ahead. I could have sworn... but no. The forest stretched out before me, empty and indifferent to my growing panic.

I pushed forward, certain I must have simply lost sight of them momentarily. But as the minutes stretched into hours, a sickening realization began to take hold. I was lost.

The more I walked, the more disoriented I became. The trees all looked the same, the undergrowth a repetitive tangle of green. I could have sworn I saw clearings in the distance, patches of open ground. But no matter how I tried to reach them, they remained frustratingly out of reach.

This isn't right!

My mind raced. I'm a trained shinobi, an expert tracker. How can I be going in circles like this? 

Doubt began to creep in, insidious and corrosive. Had I imagined the whole thing? Was I chasing phantoms, driven by desperation and the weight of my mission? The very ground beneath my feet seemed to shift and waver, reality bending in ways that made my head spin.

No, no, no!

I chanted internally, trying to center myself. This has to be some kind of trick. A genjutsu, maybe? But when could he have cast it?

I formed the release seal, concentrating my chakra. "Release!" 

Nothing changed.

Frustration boiled over, and I let out a roar of pure rage. The sound echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight. Their wings beat a frantic rhythm as they took to the sky.

I sank to my knees, my hands fisting in the soft earth. How could I have failed so completely? The rebellion, my comrades... they're all counting on me. And here I am, lost in some godforsaken forest, chasing after a man who I don't even know if he will help.

The weight of it all crashed down upon me. All this planning and careful maneuvering, all of it potentially undone by this one misstep. I could almost hear the Mizukage's mocking laughter, see the disappointment in the eyes of those who had put their faith in me.

Is this how it ends? I wondered, a bitter taste in my mouth. Not in glorious battle, not changing the fate of our village, but alone and confused in some nameless forest?

The injustice of it burned like acid in my veins.

I don't know how long I sat there, trapped in a spiral of self-recrimination and despair. Time seemed to lose all meaning, the forest a green prison with no discernible exit.

My mind conjured increasingly dire scenarios – starving to death in this endless maze, my body never to be found. Or worse, being discovered by the Mizukage's forces, dragged back to the village in chains to face execution as a traitor.

Just as I felt I might truly lose my grip on sanity, the air around me seemed to... shift. There's no other way to describe it. One moment, I was alone in the suffocating green twilight of the forest. The next, a familiar figure stood before me.

Sukuna. 

But not as I had last seen him. This was the Sukuna of nightmares, four arms spread wide, the grotesque mouth on his stomach twisting into what might have been a smile. I scrambled to my feet, hand instinctively reaching for my blade.

"Well, well," Sukuna's voice was low, almost amused. "What have we here? A little lost shinobi, far from home."

I tried to speak, to demand answers, but my voice caught in my throat. How long had he known I was following him? Had this all been some elaborate trap?

Sukuna's eyes gleamed with an intelligence that was somehow more terrifying than any physical threat. "You've come a long way, Zabuza of the Mist. Tell me, what is it you seek?"

"When did you trap me in your genjutsu?" I managed to mumble out.

He flashed a grin at my face," From the time I fought against the Kaguya Clan leader. You were spying, were you not?"

What?!