The feeling of weightlessness, so ethereal that it was strange to even describe it as a “feeling” as its consciousness was a matter of great debate, was all Mana could sense as she plummeted down from above. Something big, blazing and explosive had hit her while she was scouting the battlefield below her. She had never experienced war before, she has read plenty about it but now had Mana’s mind and eyes been conscious she’d think she’s experiencing the feeling of war first hand.
The feeling of powerlessness, the roaring, confusing whirlpool of madness shedding blood all around. The sensation of fear, for one’s own life and those of one’s friends and loyal companions. There was no control in war, about as much of it there as there was in madness. Madness couldn’t have been controlled, contained or studied. It started, it ran its course and it ended “ it was like a force of nature. No one was safe, everyone died. That was war.
Mana’s eyes snapped open, open from shock, a thought so small and insignificant, so spark-like that it was generous to even describe it as a thought. Once the magician’s eyes were wide open, the thought grew into a smoldering blaze of fear. In war, people died. In her world there could have been no war, no one was supposed to die. Mana couldn’t force her world into being, she couldn’t force the people to stop killing and accept her ideals. She could only make them change themselves through example.
The magician clutched as she slammed into the ground. She could feel her bones leeching off of what remained of her massive, for her age and rank, chakra pool. At this point it cost less chakra to plummet to the ground, clutching to minimize the damage and chakra consumed by forceful augmentation of her body subconsciously as it was damaged, than to do anything else. War was economy, counting one’s resources, calculating if after firing this shot one could still wage war for as long as it was waged or if death would be one’s only option.
An uneasy feeling made Mana look behind her, sprawled on the ground and wide open for an attack, an Imarizu was ready to punch her right between her eyes with his bladed knuckle duster. Knowing how intensely coated with chakra those things were “ Mana’s fleeting chakra resources would offer no resistance. She’s as good as dead! A blade came out from the Imarizu’s back, all the way through his abdomen making the tanned man spit out blood on Mana’s face as the dangerous invasion of her personal space was abruptly ended when a Demon used his signature chained gauntlet to pierce through the Imarizu’s gut and pull him back to him, away from Mana.
War was decisions. Planning before the battle and then planning during the battle when none of the plans worked out. All those little thoughts and decisions one made when all of their plans failed. Those golden thoughts made in a moment’s notice that made one be the winner and preferably a living one. Being a winner was not what Mana wanted, she wanted to be a hero. If dying would’ve made her a hero she was fine with that. But dying in this battlefield would not make her a hero, she’d only be another name, another file shredded in the Administration, one of dozens that hypothetical day. That didn’t sit with Mana. Feeling burning infection in her knees and elbows, bleeding all over the rocky beach Mana stood on her feet, stumbling like a baby deer during its first time on its feet.
She needed to bring this in front of him, she had a way to resolve anything “ her new way. It was about time she broke through the ranks and walked up to that man. It was about time she offered him a way to win on her terms. That was her way, the new way. This was no more the time to hold back, no more the time to preserve her chakra. Mana wondered if she had enough chakra for her Sweet Lullaby Jutsu, most likely not, even if she used it the Imarizu would simply maim themselves and escape it. Neither the Demonlings nor the Imarizu looked too feeble in the face of pain…
The shrieking and crunchy sound of insects swarming behind her alarmed Mana as she noticed Yanagi’s barrier of his living symbiotic partners protecting her from the returning Imarizu. Likely the ex-criminal had already dispatched of his opponent. In his current state, beaten and bleeding profusely Mana could take him. There was no time! She needed to stand in front of Inomame, she did not yet know what she’d say to him but… Heroes needed the right thing to say. Always! That was something Mana was yet to learn.
“What are you waiting for!?” Yanagi shouted when the Imarizu continued to punch and the Aburame built up more and more insects to protect the magician. His own partners since birth were dying by thousands and it was seen on Yanagi’s pale and pissed face. Mana nodded, made her hand seals and soared up again, locating Inomame further away from the fray and diving at him like a pelican at the sweet, succulent flesh of fish.
“We need to talk! This has to end!” Mana shouted trying to reason with the man through the deafening noise of grunts and screams.
“I have no idea who you are or why you’re protecting me girl, but I couldn’t agree more. Hand me my bride and I shall get married somewhere in the Archipelago, away from the Cloud’s reach…” Inomame smiled at her looking at Mana like he was in any position to order her around, a condescending stare which Mana had seen from her peers many time before and of which she was sick to death already. This was no time to be mad…
“No! Enough of this! I need both of you to walk away from this, I need to stop everyone from dying and I’ll either appeal to you or to Imarizu. Trust me, you do not want to hear my offer to them!” Mana’s voice spoke more quietly however it hit visibly a more sensitive chord with the Kirigakure politician.
“It is I who has a proposition to you…” Inomame smiled, ever the condescending looker. One thing war was not, was the field of negotiations. War was a manner of action which occurred when negotiations had failed, Mana should have known that on a deeper level. If only she wasn’t that hopeful, that optimistic about people…
*****
“The Demon trainees are running thin! Step aside and let us do our job!” the Imarizu warned Yanagi one final time. Usually pale-skins deserved no warnings before being taken out by the dark assassin but the Aburame had deserved his own fair share of respect. He was fighting to protect his comrades, obeying the young genin’s word like it was law and placing his own life on the line. That was what intrigued the Imarizu about the girl, the fact that a higher ranking ninja listened to her commands.
Maybe it was just proof that pale-skins were an inferior race deserving to be ruled by the northerners? If only the Raikage was not so soft-toothed…
Yanagi lifted his arm up, a swarm of black as night chakra devouring locust-like insects scoured from his long sleeves and rushing in a mad frenzy at the Imarizu. The black assassin began bobbing and weaving madly attempting to avoid getting surrounded and overwhelmed. Insects were more troublesome to evade, even if they had one commanding mind, even when following their swarm mind mentality each and every one was a separate being and they were not afraid to split their formation to land and attack the Imarizu.
The ruthless assassin was introduced first hand to the painful swarm of blade carrying and chakra devouring locusts. Witnessing that there was no way to evade this crazy swarm, the Imarizu flipped back while forming a pair of hand seals.
“Cloud Style Taijutsu Art: Pressure Cross!” the assassin shouted out as his powerful blow created a surrounding area of air pressure which blasted the swarming insects away. That was his own natural advantage over the Aburame, insects were light and easy to manipulate using stronger wind or air pressure techniques. Luckily enough the Imarizu successfully practiced a style of blade boxing which came with just that kind of techniques “ penetrate the opponent with a bladed knuckle, disabling their chakra augmentation response and tear their flesh apart with air pressure around the punch. It was not an efficient assassination technique, but a good fighting style to rely on when one was exposed.
The Imarizu began bobbing and weaving again, dodging blows from an imaginary opponent in an almost hypnotic dance that kept him moving. That was essential in any battlefield. He was already weakened by stray Demons attacking him from aside and that battle last night. Yanagi moved back, more chakra locusts came from under his coat lifting the Aburame off the ground lightly and moving him back rapidly, moving him in between fighting units that would’ve gotten in his way and allowing the Aburame to focus on what was in front.
“Cloud Taijutsu Art: Glass-Jawhammer!” the Imarizu forcefully threw all of his air from his expanded lungs while throwing a powerful air piercing blow in the direction of the Aburame using his right hand. The surrounding air pressure once again pushed all the insects away, while the taijutsu technique did not connect with its target by a far mile, the air pressure knocked the Aburame off his feet.
The Imarizu’s image blurred, in just a fraction of a moment he appeared right on top of Yanagi’s knocked down frame throwing a punch right to his exposed neck, aiming to cut it open and leave the loyal ninja bleeding out in the battlefield. As Yanagi leaped back on his feet throwing up a defense from his living barrier of insects the Imarizu appeared to only be an after-image. It was not a technique, just a natural occurrence of the immense speed of the physical combatant.
A weakened tap connected to Yanagi’s shoulder from behind. The insects failed to completely block the attack as they only rushed in from the side to redirect the blow and not absorb it. The Aburame felt warm blood rushing down his exposed shoulder, a sensation that disappeared somewhere down his elbow where the blood was absorbed by his raggedy cloak.
The Imarizu member no longer offered any words. He was beyond reasoning at this point and any attempts to do so would only squander his advantage. The taijutsu using assassin leaned his fist back and prepared a powerful and focused cross. Since the mask which the Imarizu normally wore to hide their humanity no longer blocked the sight of the man’s face it was quite clear how his thick lips twisted in a smile just a millisecond before the punch connected. The Imarizu’s biceps tensed up all the way applying massive pressure on his shoulder muscles that simply exploded from his barely still intact bodysuit through sheer flesh pressure on the cloth.
Instead of connecting with the singular blow, the Imarizu’s arm cocked back again and repeated the same strike as a combination with ten thousand times the same striking speed. It was almost like after softening the opponent’s defenses the taijutsu user exploded out of nowhere instantaneously with an impossible to see, block or avoid combination. The first blow being a checking strike for blocks or parries or simply an opener for his combination.
“Cloud Taijutsu Art: Technical Rabbit Combination!” the Imarizu yelled out as time appeared to freeze around him and his opponent. Yanagi’s body began exploding from inside, like each of the strikes carried a small explosive tag which was shoved deep inside the opponent’s flesh, but was actually just built in air pressure “injected” into his opponent, pressed so hard that it erupted and made the body implode.
However where blood and guts was supposed to shower the battle hardened Imarizu an overwhelming and unexpected flock of insects only came at him. It was like Yanagi bled those blasted insects but as the body dispersed it became apparent that the Aburame was only a clone comprised entirely of insects “ a clever trap placed to surround the close distance combatant with his worst nightmare.
Standing further and giving a careful glance at his shoulder wound Yanagi went through a combination of hand seals.
“Parasitic Insects: Swarm!” he chanted releasing a ten times larger swarm from under his torn clothes than before. Unleashing his symbiotic insects with much greater intensity and carrying enough blades to leave nothing but softened cut up chunk of flesh from his opponent.
Dashing back the Imarizu began evading the attack, having regained some distance on the Aburame the Cloud assassin began scouring the battlefield and allowing the insects to surround and attack whoever they got their mandibles on. There was no way he’d evade this whole swarm without some dirty trickery. Usually he’d try a smoke bomb but he was aware that these Aburame insects had sensory abilities for they preyed on chakra and so were able to sense it without their smell or sight. He had killed enough Aburame to know that much…
“Cloud Taijutsu Art: Pressure Cross!” the Imarizu repeated the attack a couple of times to blast the incoming swarm of insects further and then to try and nab his opponent with one or two good aerial long range waves.
Yanagi clenched himself overwhelmed by the aerial pressure of the continuous combination of taijutsu techniques by his opponent. The Imarizu found his opponent. Placing his palms together in a position of a modified clone hand seal he created three shadow clones, all of whom dispersed throughout the battlefield. The Imarizu himself also charged at Yanagi with his clones rushing in from aside. This time it worked out!
Yanagi’s body bent up and twisted in awkward manner as multiple clones connected their hits with his body, luckily enough not possessing near the amount of chakra coating to their imitated knuckles as the real deal. Still, upon impact the Aburame’s body let out a gut wrenching sound as more blood was spilled all over the worn combatant. Focusing his insects on the real deal, following him the whole way and keeping him away from his body the whole time was a good choice of strategy if one wished to prolong their suffering needlessly. Had the Imarizu connected his central attack together with the clones the Aburame would’ve been assassinated instantly and almost painlessly. There was no use for this kind of bloody and gruesome battle…
“Parasitic Insects: Cocoon!” Yanagi shouted out in pain as the insects moved in from behind and pushing the Imarizu together with his clones in closer. This obviously gave the assassin a chance to take out his opponent but fearing of what the technique would do if he didn’t bother defending from it the Imarizu performed another “Pressure Cross” technique on the approaching and increasing in thickness wave of insects from behind. It was barely efficient “ Yanagi figured him out! He let the insects leave some space between them allowing for easier air passage in between the swarm and greatly reducing the pressure force on the overall swarm, given the added weight of the carried blades now the air pressure was almost ineffective…
The insects closed down in a bladed and spiky cocoon and finally the silent and all-cool Imarizu shouted in pain as both his body and his chakra pool were attacked at the same time. It was so impossibly difficult to augment one’s body when one’s chakra was being sapped at the same time. It was possibly the most difficult damage to protect against and so the Imarizu assassin was tormented both physically and spiritually. Chakra was both spirit and body therefore getting it attacked directly affected both one’s body and mind, no matter how hardened by cruel training it was.
Through sheer pain hardened force the Imarizu burst out from the cocoon. Carefully crawling away as the insects returned to their usual formation. Finally Yanagi regained some manner of control over the battle and so he commanded his insects onwards. Raising his hand in a hand seal position, “Parasitic Insects: Hive Pop!” commanded as locust-like parasitic insects rushed surrounding the Imarizu. These ones had explosive tags on each one of the blades. Ready to create a whirling vortex of living swarm around the opponent before detonating and completely annihilating them.
Suddenly the insects dissolved from their formation and rushed in to protect their symbiotic partner from an attack by a pair of Demonlings from the side. The Imarizu smiled as he had ran out of options at the moment and he may have been in trouble had it not been for the inclusion of his secondary targets into the equation. Yanagi fell on his knees struggling to keep off his attackers. An overwhelming air pressure sent both the Aburame shinobi and his assailants to the sandy floor on their knees. Powerful shockwave emitting thuds sent both Demonlings down and out from behind.
Yanagi stood up and looked around. He couldn’t see his opponent anymore. After taking out the pair of Demonlings the Imarizu had fled. That meant that he was lucky enough to match up against one of the Imarizu and survive, even if he did have the natural advantage as a long range shinobi going up against a mostly physical combatant… Yanagi smiled to himself, feeling prouder of himself than he has ever felt. Everything hurt and he was beginning to seriously weaken from his bleeding and internal injuries but it was something he’d have never seen or felt working in Eden Prison Complex. This was what real ninja did and felt. This was the road to doing something great, something he always dreamed of doing to make a mark on the world…
These guys may have looked surprised that he tagged along with Mana, that he allowed a little girl boss him “ an outranking ninja around. Truth be told she gave him what he always wanted “ a chance to experience an opportunity to leave his mark. He’d have followed a baby to war if that baby spat out its soother and promised this chance!
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