The Tale of Wesobi
Chapter 4 ±± The Path of Ages – The Mist Trail Ends±±
This chapter is the 4th on the Tale of Wesobi Saga and this particular release is the 3rd part of The Path of Ages Arc. Enjoy!
As Scorps laid on the hard ground, an immobile bloody torso, he felt at peace. He managed to save him…but not her. Its true that this wasn’t the time, the place or even the way he imagined he’d go, but still. He accomplished most of what he desired in life. It was time to leave the destiny of the world in the hands of a new generation. The only thing he regretted was being unable to save her… That was a regret he would take to the grave.
As Scary, Scorps and Jinbei stood surrounded by Kirigakure ninjas, they were in shock. They hadn’t prepared for that.
“The Rinnegan…” said Jinbei. “And 6 ninjas with it… How can it be?”
Scorps and Scary Yamato were both as surprised as they were in shock. There it was...an angle to their “invasion” that they hadn’t accounted for. Even the best battle plan could simply be obliterated by unknown variables.
“Scary, the only one I know that wields the Rinnegan is Hasashi…”
“Yes. He must be using the 6 paths technique…but… why? And why here? He isn't afiliated with Kirigakure!”
"He is a Sage..."
"... Indeed..."
They stood back to back, as they were surrounded by 6 kirigakure ninjas. In their eyes, the Rinnegan. Their bodies, pale and pierced throughout with metal rods and piercings, covered in the same simple blue uniform. All of them different and seemingly unrelated.
“Well, we know the strategy, even if we haven’t planned for it… Take out the Naraka Path, then the Preta Path and then the Deva Path. Question is…which is which?”
“Scorps-sensei, let me.” And Jinbei launched at a drastic speed forwards, hitting one of the ninjas in a blink of an eye directly in the stomach and sending him flying into a building 100 feet away. However, in Scary’s eyes and Scorps face, surprise was set. They knew the Rinnegan. The vision of all bodies were linked together. Considering that they were in a circle around them, Jinbei’s move was clearly seen. The path should have evaded it easily. Something was different. Something that Jinbei’s next move confirmed. He took a large scroll and unraveled it in a spiral around him as he spun. By doing the confrontation seal, tons of weapons were released from the scroll all around. Kunais, senbon’s, Shurikens. Most of the paths dodged the weapons, others took katanas or swords of their own and defended the projectiles directly. But one was hit twice, even if to no effect.
“6 paths are too hard to control…. its a technique that makes each of them individually weaker and slower than the original user. Only when you're incapable of fighting yourself do you use that technique and even so its a case of "better than nothing" rather than a viable strategy. Despite being 6 bodies, they are controlled by a sole individual. There is a limit to what one person can do. And how much chakra he or she can put into a remote body.”
“Yes Scary, but we can't spend time overthinking this. They are our enemy and we need tod defeat them. Simple." said a focused and somewhat angst Scorps. "What we need to consider is that the more paths we destroy, the harder the fight will get. We need something big.” and Scorps took the water goddess from his back and raised it above his head. As he lowered it, performing a vertical slash forward, a large blast of water followed from the blade, slicing through the ground and anything in front of him. A path rapidly converged to intercept the technique and created what appeared to be a shield, absorbing the attack as it connected with them. Preta Path, Scorps thought. Both Scary and Jinbei noticed as well.
“Well, I guess it could be worse…” said Scary as he slammed his right palm engulfed in White Flames into one of the Paths who had sprouted 4 harms and bladed appendages from his body in attempt to fight Scary in hand to hand combat from behind. It was the same path Jinbei had punched moments earlier and sent flying. Despite the damage received, it was still very functional, something its abilities surely had something to do with. An Asura Path. The path was almost immediately consumed by the flames, leaving only a small pile of ash. “They seem weak. Hasashi must be far”.
“That only means that we might be missing something and not that he is far…” replied Scorps as Jinbei flung a path towards him. He had engaged with it in a hand to hand fight and managed to grab hold of one of this legs and, in a display of immense strength, flung him towards Scorps who used the mighty water sword to try and slice the path in half. However, before he could, the path, still mid air, summoned a large rock-like animal, resembling a large bulky turtle right in his face. As Scorps tried to slice through the summon, the sword hit it like a bat and had only the effect of sending the animal flying back at Jinbei, forcing him to summersault above it to avoid. The Animal Path repositioned itself next to the Preta Path. “There is no way we can…” but before he could finish his sentence, he felt it. The immense chakra and power of the Rinnegan. It pierced through the field and his mind. Behind the paths that stood in front of them and had taken the lead into fighting, stood 3 paths who had been keeping themselves back and within them, the origin of the pressure they were feeling. Without noticing exactly how or when, the paths managed to alter the position of the fight and, instead of surrounding them, had come to form a frontal attack formation facing them. They were being “pressured back”. While they were being pressured and attacked by the Asura and Animal Path, with the Preta path defending their comrades from their Ninjutsu, 3 paths stayed behind. Likely, these were the Naraka Path, protected by Deva and Human Paths up front. If someone were to use Ninjutsu, the Deva would intercept it with their gravitational manipulation. If they were to approach for Taijutsu, the Human paths would intercept and, in that case, it was game over on simple contact. But now, 1 of those bodies was releasing an immense aura of pressure. Neither of them could see what it was, but those paths were doing something. Logic dictated it came from the Naraka Path using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to “revive” the Asura Path they had destroyed already. That was then their target.
“Scary, we need to obiterate those 3 now. We won’t be able to do this while saving chakra. We need to go all in. Jinbei, we’ll need you to handle the Animal and Preta Path.” said Scorps as he strapped the Water Goddess on this back.
“Will you need cover, Scorps-sensei?” said Jinbei as they took position.
“Yes, if possible”.
“Ok, 15 seconds.”
The 3 paths he intended to target stood about 50 meters from them. In between, about 25 meters away, stood the Animal Path, now standing on top a massive Elefant-like Summon and the Preta Path. He needed to act fast. Scorps took a more controlled and aggressive stance as he focused on his chakra an faced his targets. The Naraka Path. It came to the point where they couldn’t simply save up their chakras. They were now at around 90% of their chakras and they were being conservative in order to be ready for Alucard, Lili and possibly other Sages in Kirigakure. But against this, they couldn’t afford to be too controlled. Even if the paths were weaker than what they expected and even if Hasashi wasn’t there himself, they were at a massive disadvantage and being conservative had only made it possible to amass between them several minor injuries and made their bodies needlessly tired from trying to keep the fight in Taijutsu. Additionally, with 1 less path, the other 5 were already much faster, stronger and sharper in their reactions and attacks. No, the time for being careful was out of the window. Now is the time to show the world what they were capable of and to obliterate anyone that stood between them and Wesobi.
Rapidly, Jinbei punched the ground. It was their cue. Massive amounts of dust raised all around them and in the village in a shockwave-like effect. In a radius of around 50 meters, some buildings collapsed, weakened by Jinbei’s earth technique, creating massive noise within the dust cloud. This helped the big diversionary move since the noise came all around them, concealing any form of movement within the dust cloud. It was time for action. Scorps focused as much chakra as he could within this legs and bolted forwards. His target was the Naraka Path directly.
He passed between the Animal and Preta Paths and rapidly reached the Deva and the Human Paths in such speed that he appeared to have teleported. The Naraka path stood right behind these so when Scorps halted his movement, he stood right in front of it, arms reach. The Deva was the first to act. It lifted a hand and pushed the Dust cloud all around and away from the field. As the dust settled, Scorps had 2 hands held in the air, palms facing forwards in the direction of a small mushy pulp on the ground. “Ibiton…Tezawari no Niphilim!” Behind him, Scorps felt the approach of the undeniable killing intent of the paths right behind him; their attention and gaze completely on him. He knew that it was unlikely he could be fast enough to turn and defend from the Deva and the Human paths. They stood slightly more than arms reach behind him after all. He felt a small tremor and rumble and as Scorps looked behind, a large wall of earth had risen between him and the dangerous paths. “Scary…just in time!”
The one with the short straw was Scary however. His duties were now to keep the Deva and Human Paths occupied. He ran behind Scorps when he had set off to obliterate the Naraka Path so he was right in front of the Deva and Human Paths when he used the earth technique.
“Jeeezz…” Scary thought to himself. He lifted his hands from the ground. His last minute wall of earth stopped the 2 paths that were going for Scorps. But now they had all their focus on him. One bolted towards him at high speed. The Human Path most likely, trying to grab him. He couldn’t have that, could he? If that happened it would be the end. Branches and thorns, leaves and trunks bursted from the ground grabbing hold of the incoming enemy and attempting to crush him in between. What came next was fast, devastating and strong. Scary felt a massive presence behind him. He ducked just in time for a massive centipede-like enemy coming from behind him to miss him. But it didn’t miss his wood technique, rampaging and destroying his attempt to constrict his enemy and freeing him in the process, as it coiled around him to protect from Scary's attacks. Looking behind he saw that the Animal Path was now focused on him and, besides standing on top of the gigantic Elephant-like summon, had already summoned not only the Centipede that just defended the Human Path but also 2 identical bull-like summons. All were enormous. Jinbei? Well, he was trying his best to keep toe to toe with a gigantic dog-like summon and the Preta Path, both converging upon him and unleashing a flurry of combined attacks. If Jinbei used Ninjutsu, the Preta Path intercepted and nulified it. If he tried to approach with Taijutsu the massive dog would simply erase his existance. While they had destroyed the most troublesome path, they still had the massive abilities of the offensive paths to deal with and they were now scattered around the battle field. “SCORPS! JINBEI! COVER… NOW!!!!” yelled Scary as he blazed through 2 handseals and pressed his right palm on the ground and kneeled.
At first, nothing happened for what appeared to be too long of a moment. The now incoming Human path and his Centipede guardian continued hasted approach and were almost ready to grab him when he looked up saying “Bye…” and with a smirk, white flames engulfed him. And as they did, they blasted outwards, in a massive, blindingly bright explosion of heat and concussive force. “Shiroi Katon: Su-pa Shinsei!”
Scorps and Jinbei didn’t have much time to protect themselves. They knew that Scary had that technique and he would use it as a last resort. As they prepared the strategy for the assault on Kirigakure moments earlier, they had considered the possibility they would need to defend from it. As did they consider other strategies to deal with a myriad of other techniques in each of their individual arsenals. The techniques they considered might work to defend them against this one were as costly as the technique Scary used though.
Jinbei had just been tossed by one of this attackers and was still mid air when he deployed his technique. Such techniques weren’t his forte, thus the effort and chakra he’d need to spend for this technique were both great. “Hiru Banshō: Bōka no Jutsu!”. As he was about to touch the ground, he didn’t. Instead, he passed through it and remained falling within it, getting as deep as he would risk getting.
Scorps on the other hand, took his trusted old staff from his back, where it stood strapped next to the Water Goddess, and, holding it with both his hands, separated it into 2 identical swords. “Gaia no Buin… Hijutsu: Gaia no Futaken!” Holding both swords, he crossed them in front of him. A circle of kanji inscriptions made of pure chakra projected itself in front of him as he faced Scary’s direction. “Kami no Rifurekushon….”
As the large white fire technique ravaged through the battlefield, it destroyed most of the Village’s shore. The area which Jinbei had previously made some buildings collapse as a diversion was now a clear crater, thrice its original size, covered in molten rock and ash. Scary was in its epicenter, kneeled on his left leg, panting and steaming. Scorps wasn’t far, still with his protection technique deployed (a front seal that mean that a tear drop shape of untouched ground laid behind him) and Jinbei was emerging next to Scary. But they weren’t alone. The Deva Path was still alive and well. He took a step back before the technique happened and protected itself with its ability. Aside from it, another path remained completely unscaved. The Preta Path, standing in the opposite side of the field. At least they managed to erase the Human and Animal paths as well as all the summons.
Scorps had to think fast. The Deva path had a cooldown for its abilities and the more power it used, the longer that cooldown was. Considering the massive scale of Scary’s technique, it had to use a lot of that power which meant it was vulnerable. And he needed to act before the Preta Path could join his “friend”. “Jinbei, take Scary! NOW!” and as he said so, Scorps pointed his sealing technique at the Deva Paths. What followed was a massive blast of directed White Fire. The technique Scorps used had a dual function. It allowed him to defend himself from enemy techniques by absorbing its power and then allowed the user to unleash it back at the attacker in a powerful simple blast. A permanently open seal. Divine Reflection. One of the abilities granted to those that wield the Staff of Gaia and have mastered its hidden technique, Twin Swords.
As the massive blast of white fire raged against the Deva Path, Jinbei grabbed Scary and sunk back with him into the ground. The fast Preta Path tried to get to close to his “friend” but couldn’t be fast enough. The Deva burned to the ground, leaving only ash behind. As Scorps panted a bit and tried to grab his breath, Jinbei and Scary rose back up next to him. Assessing the situation, they all understood how lucky they were and how this fight ran in their favor. If Hasashi wasn’t using the six paths technique, the fight would have ran very differently.
“Scary Yamato-san and two kids… Baby-sitting now?” said the last standing path to the battered trio. Scary trembled slightly and had to make a big effort to stand up. Jinbei was pale and sweating. Scorps…well, Scorps was tired and it showed in the color of his skin and the sweat dripping from his body but his face was unfazed with determination.
“Hasashi-kun, I didn’t know you sold yourself and those around you so short. Whats the catch?” said Scary.
“There are some things that can’t be denied… Like your defeat. You do know that I’ll be going after you in person now, right? You had this much trouble fighting corpses, do you think you can beat me in person? You were all foolish. And you’ll get your assed kicked as a result.”
“I don’t think so…” said Scorps. In his hand, a black rod. “You see, I already know where you are… And so does a friend of mine…” And a large impact was felt, followed by the rising of a dust cloud, about a 2 kms away, in the east part of the village, in a small hill, dominated by a large building. The Preta Path dropped to the ground, seemingly an inert body.
“Well, that was unexpected…” said Scary as he looked inquisitively to Scorps.
“Scorps-sensei…what just happened?”
“Hum… The moment I attacked the Naraka Path, I took a chakra rod from him. Then, when Scary rose the wall to protect me, I knew I could use it without drawing attention. I used my sensory to, through it, find the location of Hasashi’s main body. I then summoned 2 old friends and pointed them in the right direction. They snuck into the village and infiltrated Hasashi’s location. Once there and judging from what we just saw, I’d say that Kuroi has defeated Hasashi.”
“Kuroi? You summoned the Panda siblings in that time frame? Well…nice!” said a surprised Scary. “It seems you still retain that ability to think with perfect clarity whileunder pressure”
“…” Scorps seemed to be hearing something and concentrating on it for moment before saying “Ok, take him. And thank you!” turning to Scary and Jinbei “It seems Hasashi wasn’t very hard to defeat. Shiroi has told me that Hasashi was very weak. His body was battered up and he had several seals on him, both surpressing his chakra and, as far as they could tell, his mind as well. They will be taking him with them. The Panda Sage might know how to help him and with them, we don’t need to worry about a Rinnegan user anymore.”
“Ok. So now we…” but before Jinbei could finish, a powerful presence invaded their minds.
“You will die today…for a stupid reason…” said a voice in their minds. It translated a complex set of feelings into them. It was angry and riddled with killing intent but also regret and sorrow, sadness even.
“Alucard…” said Scary. His face changed rapidly and where there was tiredness and fatigue now stood determination and strength as he blazed 3 handseals and clapped his hands. “Scorps and Jinbei…chakra… NOW!” both of them pressed their palms in Scary’s back. Focusing, they linked their chakra to Scary’s and felt as he draw a large amount from them and into his technique. “Now…”
It blinded both Jinbei and Scorps. A fire so bright and hot that everything it burned didn’t even leave ash behind. That was the essence of Scary’s unique element, White Fire. A beam of pure white fire blasted outwards from Scary’s mouth. More than flames, it was very akin to a Bijudama from an incomplete Jinchuriki. But its size…Empowered by Scorps and Jinbei, the technique was ridiculous. It was large enough so that, in one simple go, it obliterated the gigantic Mizukage tower in a flash along with a large strip of land and village, 100 meters wide and continuing well past the village limits.
A voice spoke from behind them in a low tone “You should have left us alone…”
As Reborn approached the fortress, he continued to wonder if his plan to enter it had worked. He hoped so. He owed a lot to Scorps, his former sensei. He had taught him Genjutsu and many tricks he now considered ingenius and of absolute importance.
He stopped, still a few hundred meters from the fortress. Still concealing his chakra and presence (something he did perfectly and like no other ninja he knew), he tried to sense into the fortress. He wasn’t exactly a sensor. No. He was more of an intuition driven ninja. Focusing on his senses he tried to feel if something wasn’t…right. His age betrayed his battle experience and he knew that if there was some dangerous threat he’d be able to sense it. No. He felt nothing other than silence. At least from the fortress. From the village behind him, he felt commotion. Looking back, he saw the defense cannons shooting someone approaching the village. Scorps. They were making their move. So had he.
He took a scroll and, drawing some blood from his thumb, he pressed his palm on scroll. Moments later, a ninja with an ANBU mask appeared right in front of him, kneeling on his right leg. As he raised his head, his eyes, seen from between the holes in the mask, were hazed, as if…not his.
“I have done what you asked, Mizukage-dono.” said the ninja in a very plain and emotionless tone.
“Ok, I have a new mission for you now. Go north and guard the northern port. There are reports it will face an attack and I need someone like you there.”
“Yes, Mizukage-dono!” and the ninja disappeared.
“Well, seems the technique worked.” he thought. What he had done was a gamble but it worked. After researching about the fortress, he became aware of how it was possible or not to enter it. He found the information of which ANBU members had access to the fortress in the Mizukage archives. Once he did, he tracked one of the ANBU and, without his knowledge, placed him in a very elaborate and complex Genjutsu. His goal was to manipulate the ANBU into adding his blood to the scroll inside the fortress so he could enter it on his own means.
But this posed great risks for Reborn. ANBU ninjas are, by default, skilled ninjas and normally very high in the power chain of a village, always being Jounin level and above. This meant that the illusion might not last or have the desired the effects. Genjutsu is, after all, more effective the weaker the mind of the target. However, if the illusion was too forceful, it wouldn’t endure against his conscious mind and the ANBU would release himself from it soon before doing what he needed.
No, the illusion needed to be simple and complex at the same time. For that, he used a skill only very few masters of Genjutsu knew off: layering. He layered various minor illusions into the ANBU’s mind instead of placing a single, complex and high ranked one. Because they were simple in themselves, they were harder to detect and because they were many, the final effect had a much deeper and stronger grab on his mind. The first illusion he induced was to change how the ANBU perceived him; he made the ANBU see him and feel him as if he was the Mizukage. More so, he didn’t make it so that the ANBU would see him as Alucard, the unnamed Sage that happened to be the Mizukage. No. He would see him as the Mizukage; he would see Reborn, the Mizukage. Additionally, he added various minor illusions that passed and hid themselves into his mind as memories. These were intended to alter how the ANBU felt and thought about Reborn. Adding various positive memories of past events, the ANBU would, unconsciously trust and be loyal to Reborn. He added various memories, raging from having saved the ANBU while on a mission or about having saved his family from bandits, all of which were made to make the ANBU see Reborn as a savior and one to whom he owed much. Finally, the last layer was to make the ANBU believe that there was a plot to overthrow Reborn from his position. By making it seem that someone or something was, from the inside of the village, trying to overthrown Reborn or kill him, it would make it much easier for the ANBU’s mind to accept taking dubious actions against his village as he would, in his mind, actually be defending his Mizukage and as such be serving the village in reality. Reborn needed to do all this to be sure this ANBU would enter the fortress and add his blood to the contract without telling anyone. And all of it worked.
Now, all that was left was to enter the fortress. Reborn put on his own ANBU mask and uniform and dashed to the fortress gate. Surprisingly, he was able to make it inside, with his plan seemingly working perfectly.
He had, just in case, studied various maps of the layout of the fortress. He couldn't get inside and then look like it was the first time. He knew more or less where the main holding area was but he also knew that a very strong and valuable target such as Wesobi wouldn't be in a regular cell. No. He would be in a special, unescapable one. He remembered seeing what appeared to be an open cell surrounded by a pit deep in the lower areas of the fortress. Deep in the rock there was a large deep pit with a massive pillar in the center. The only access to the pit was done through a single door that opened at the same height as the top of the pillar. He couldn't quite piece what that room was but he decided that it was a good place to start.
Making his way deep into the fortress he barely encountered any other ninjas which was strange. Not only was that fortress a key aspect of the village's military power as it had not only Wesobi but other valuable and powerful ninjas locked inside. It also seemed a bit too calm and quiet. The village was under attack by his mentor and yet...so quiet. So still.
As he descended deeper and deeper into the fortress, his unease grew. It had been 5 minutes since he encountered another ninja, one he thought he recognized as an Amegakure ninja for a moment. "No, it must have been a mistake. It couldn't be Howard of the Rain" he thought. Soon after, he reached it. The door. From the outside of it, looked like a simple metal door. No openings, no lock either, just a handle.
"This is strange..." he said to himself as he put his hand on the handle and pulled. The door opened without resistance and what it showed shocked even him. Beyond the door was a gigantic square room, 50 meters to each side. Above it, the ceiling was more than 60 or 70 meters high and the floor of the room was another 60 or 70 meters below the level of the door. In the middle, a pillar, leveled with the door's height, around 5 meters by 5 meters, with a bed and a bucket and...Wesobi. Wesobi, had finally been found. Though...rescued? Not so much. The pillar itself was surrounded by black flames.
"Amaterasu...." he quickly figured. But how was it burning without destroying the cell? In fact, what was it burning? He tried to look only to be surprised that in fact, the bottom of the large room was lava. The Amaterasu was burning the lava for fuel. They must have made the large fortress on top an active volcano. Constant lava allowed the Amaterasu flames to continue to burn without destroy the large room.
"Wesobi-san!!!!!" he said loudly.
"What the fricking....?" a very hazed Wesobi replied. As he stood up form the bed, he looked back and saw a young ninja standing in the door of the room. "Who are you and what do you...uh??"
"Scorps sent me. To save you!"
"Scorps? Is he mad?? He doesn't know what he got himself into!!! Get away! Leave me! And GET OT OF HERE! The Pervy s..."
"Is here..." said a voice from behind Reborn. Not filled with anger or mallice though.
Reborn however didn't speak. The moment a sound behind him was heard he took action. The Reborn at the door vanished into the air as a kunai laid pointed at Pervy's neck from behind. "I'm here to save Wesobi-san. You will not deny me, Pervy Sage...or should I say, the Dark King...the Betrayer Hokage?"
"You're young...but naive" said Pervy as he himself vanished only for Reborn's back to be touched by a palm. "If I wanted to, you'd be dead the moment you made that ANBU add your blood to the scroll."
Reborn was sweating. This man used his own illusion against him. He was out classed.
"Reborn, isn't it? Scorps and Wesobi are precious to me. They were always special kids. I saw them grow up in Konoha. I don't want any harm to come to them... I want you to save Wesobi however, due to...circunstances, I can neither do it myself nor help you. You have 10 minutes to get out of here. Thats the time window during which no one will bother you. If 10 minutes from now you're still here, then I'll need to kill you and lock Wesobi back. Be careful of the black flames though..." said Pervy in a low but caring voice. But before Reborn could answer, the pressure on his back disappeared without a trace and as he looked back, the corridor was empty.
"10 minutes...dam! Just to get here it took 10 minutes. And I still need to figure out how to take you from that pit!" his mind was racing. He had so many questions about what happened but he needed to focus on the task at hand. Amaterasu. Amaterasu. ****! He knew so little about it other than it can burn forever, cannot be put out and is one of the techniques of some Uchiha's with Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Take a scroll and write these Kanji down" said Wesobi as he gesticulated rapidly a set of kanji in the air. "Put this one in the middle and surround it with this word all around. Finally, toss the scroll into the Amaterasu flames as you do the Tiger, Snake, Ox and Boar handseals 3 times in a row. A large portion of your chakra will be consumed so...be prepared."
Reborn followed the instructions to the letter. He knew very little about Fuuinjutsu other than the ability to make explosive tags so he had to simply trust in Wesobi. As he performed the technique and threw the scroll into the Amaterasu pit he did indeed feel the large drainage of chakra from the technique but at first it seemed to have failed. For a moment or two, nothing happened. But suddenly, the black flames turned blue and, rapidly, seemed to be sucked into the scroll entirely. In a member moment, the pit was empty and dark, with only the light orang glow of the Lava bellow lighting it.
"Ok. You'll need to help me across. There is a seal engraved in this pillar that prevents me from using my chakra."
Without saying a word, Reborn kicked the ground with his left heel. A narrow but sturdy makeshift stone bridge projected from the wall of the pit and into the pillar, linking the door to Wesobi's walless cell. He crossed the bridge rapidly and as he approached Reborn, he quickly grabbed his arm and greeted him.
"I dunno exactly who you are but...thank you! Where is my brother??"
"Wesobi-san, there is no need to thank. I'm the one who needs to apologize for my village's lack of honor lately..." said a sorrow filled Reborn. "Scorps-sensei is currently in the midst of attacking the village as a diversion. His purpose was to allow me to take you away from here. Don't know exactly how he got the information you were here but he, Scary Yamato-sama and Jinbei-san mounted a massive assault on the village. Since I entered the fortress, I haven't been able to gauge the situation anymore so I dunno the stat of things."
"He's stupider than I thought...and more stubborn. Well, I need to go to him. Now! Lead the way!"
They rapidly and stealthly made their way to the surface. True to Pervy's words, they encountered no one until they reached the gate. Surprisingly though, the gate was wide open though they quickly understood why. Hundreds of Kirigakure villagers were swarming into the fortress, seeking refuge. Didn't take a genius to understand that the situation on the village must have escalated tremendously.
Using the confusion and the number of refugees, they managed to slip outside the fortress unnoticed. Outside, several ANBU were leading the operation. Reborn didn't know how this was possible though as the seal should prevent those hundreds of people from getting in. Could they have deactivated the barrier? That would explain why they managed to leave without having to do anything. Still, that was not the time to think about it.
Both rapidly made their way to the village. In the distance, they could see a gigantic crater and they rapidly noticed the absence of the Mizukage Tower. Wesobi could feel 2 powerful chakras in the middle of the large crater, going back and forth in an exchange of techniques. He activated his eyes to see better. The distance was significant but he could recognize one of the the chakras. A much more powerful ninja was fighting Scary Yamato. And Scary was being pushed back... Nearby, on the floor...
"NO..." he said as he dropped to his knees. "No...NOOOOO!!!"
"Wesobi-san, whats wrong?"
"Scorps...He...almost.... dead...mangled...thorn apart..." he mumbled as tears ran through his face. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be.
At the distance, he saw Scorps' mangled body. It wasn't actually body... it was just his torso and head. His chakra, so low that Wesobi was almost sure he wasn't alive anymore. More than that, he was sure he was beyond salvation. Nearby, Jinbei laid down on the floor, unconscious, his chakra also weakening though slowly and at dangerously low levels. He was, though, apparently uninjured.
Inside him, he felt it. A power so large he couldn't contain it. His eyes awoken to new levels and he could see the world differently. The 3 tear drop tomoe iris of the regular Sharingan changed and a new unique pattern appeared. Mangekyo Sharingan. The pain. The sorrow. The wound of seeing his brother dead awoke him. Ironically, it gave him the power he needed to defend his brother. But his brother is no more...
"No...I refuse...I REFUSE!" he yelled. Chakra poured into the field. He amassed chakra in his legs and dashed forwards. Reborn, as much as he wanted, couldn't fully understand what just happened and how fast it happened but couldn't also match Wesobi's speed. But he didn't need to. No. His role now was another one. Scorps had given him instructions to follow once Wesobi was saved. Considering he was out of the fortress and rampaging through the island to Scorps and Scary's location, he could consider him saved.
As he turned north he looked back at the village, thinking "Sensei...be safe, ok?" before making his way full throttle to his destination.
Alucard stood behind them. It wasn't the first time Scary Yamato and Scorps had met the Mizukage but the man sure had an aura of power and allure to him. Very tall, strongly built with long black wavy hair. Looking at the man he had no single strand of hair out of place nor the smallest of smudges in his clothes. The man was perfectly presented.
"Why would you come here?"
"You know fairly well why, Alucard-dono, The Unnamed Sage. You have my brother... I want him back." said Scorps as he, more than spoke, spat the words at Alucard.
"You really don't know her, do you?"
"Alucard, why would you betray your own village and your own people? I know you. You have many flaws but your dedication to Kirigakure is absolute..." said Scary, trying to find some common ground with the Mizukage. He knew that, as one of the older Sages like himself, Alucard was not someone they should fight against if they had the chance to avoid it. They were prepared for it but it would indeed be better if they didn't.
Before Alucard spoke though, they all felt it: they saw him but they couldn't feel him. There was a void in front of them, not a ninja. He had disappeared from their senses but not their ears or eyes.
"Its not my job to explain it to you. Its hers. I'll be taking it sooner than anticipated so all hell will break loose now. Scary, Nero and Bishamon are coming. Run now. While you can. While its possible." and he turned and faced the sea, vanishing from their sight completely "I hope we will one day, have a chance to meet again and talk. She loves you, Scorps-san. Like I never saw her love anyone..."
The three of them didn't know what to make of the last few moments. Alucard...was on their side?
"Scary, this changes things a bit...we need to.." but before he could finish his sentence, his right arm disappeared, seemingly thorn out of its socket. Rapidly following, his left arm and the lower part of his abdomen, more or less at the hip level. He fell to the ground in shock, focusing as much chakra as he could into keeping himself from bleeding to death but knowing wholeheartedly he couldn't avoid it. He was dead. And he didn't know how.
In what appeared to happen in slow motion, next to Scorps, Scary and Jinbei noticed what happened. Their placidness turning slowly into worry and fear as they see Scorps get injured and fall to the ground. Scary, however, older and wiser, more experienced, knew what was happening. This wasn't going to be easy, no.
Jinbei was the second to fell. Struck right in the middle of his chest, a seal had been placed. His chakra went from 60% to 1% in a mere moment and he lost consciousness immediately.
"Nero-sama...isn't this all a bit too much?"
A deep, raspy voice spoke, behind Scary. Filled with malice and anger, embedded with so much killing intent that Scary couldn't help but shiver.
"Scary-kun... You're too young. You don't understand nor can you. But I don't want to kill you. Surrender and I promise you, death won't await you."
Scary turned to face his older mentor. It seemed he hadn't aged a day since he last saw him, almost 15 years ago. Shorter than one would expect but bulky and thick, the man dressed in back heavy clothes, all covered by a large black hooded cloak. His deep black hair, long but messed up and out of place. And he didn't need to look at them to know that his eyes were red as blood and could kill him instantly.
Nearby, Scorps was still conscious but barely. He would die in a moment. He wanted to yell and scream at Scary! He wanted to say "RUN!" but he couldn't. Inside him, he felt pity and sorrow as the Yokai tried to comfort him in their death bed. He failed her. At least he saved his brother...he hoped. At least that...he wished. But he would pass away in peace, knowing that he loved and was loved. No greater feeling could empower him in this moment.
"Sorry, but I can't do that, Nero-sama..."
"Well, then you die..." around Nero's right hand the air shifted and became hazed as if it had suddenly become denser. Lightning crackled around it. Blitz Impact.
"I'm not a kid anymore." and Scary Yamato's eyes turned green with an unknown energy. The air shifted all around them, as if pushed by an invisible force. All of Scary's wounds healed and he took an offensive stance. He knew though, that the battle was decided. Nero would obliterate him from the face of the Earth and little could he do other than stall a few minutes. Stall for what though? That element was not even Nero's strongest weapon. What if he used...that? Or what would happen when he started using his eyes? Despair and doubt clouded his mind for a moment. Could this be the end of their path through the mist? Would their quest end here...without light?
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Next Chapter #4: The Path of Ages: The Crimson Curse
Chapter 4 ±± The Path of Ages – The Mist Trail Ends±±
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This chapter is the 4th on the Tale of Wesobi Saga and this particular release is the 3rd part of The Path of Ages Arc. Enjoy!
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As Scorps laid on the hard ground, an immobile bloody torso, he felt at peace. He managed to save him…but not her. Its true that this wasn’t the time, the place or even the way he imagined he’d go, but still. He accomplished most of what he desired in life. It was time to leave the destiny of the world in the hands of a new generation. The only thing he regretted was being unable to save her… That was a regret he would take to the grave.
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As Scary, Scorps and Jinbei stood surrounded by Kirigakure ninjas, they were in shock. They hadn’t prepared for that.
“The Rinnegan…” said Jinbei. “And 6 ninjas with it… How can it be?”
Scorps and Scary Yamato were both as surprised as they were in shock. There it was...an angle to their “invasion” that they hadn’t accounted for. Even the best battle plan could simply be obliterated by unknown variables.
“Scary, the only one I know that wields the Rinnegan is Hasashi…”
“Yes. He must be using the 6 paths technique…but… why? And why here? He isn't afiliated with Kirigakure!”
"He is a Sage..."
"... Indeed..."
They stood back to back, as they were surrounded by 6 kirigakure ninjas. In their eyes, the Rinnegan. Their bodies, pale and pierced throughout with metal rods and piercings, covered in the same simple blue uniform. All of them different and seemingly unrelated.
“Well, we know the strategy, even if we haven’t planned for it… Take out the Naraka Path, then the Preta Path and then the Deva Path. Question is…which is which?”
“Scorps-sensei, let me.” And Jinbei launched at a drastic speed forwards, hitting one of the ninjas in a blink of an eye directly in the stomach and sending him flying into a building 100 feet away. However, in Scary’s eyes and Scorps face, surprise was set. They knew the Rinnegan. The vision of all bodies were linked together. Considering that they were in a circle around them, Jinbei’s move was clearly seen. The path should have evaded it easily. Something was different. Something that Jinbei’s next move confirmed. He took a large scroll and unraveled it in a spiral around him as he spun. By doing the confrontation seal, tons of weapons were released from the scroll all around. Kunais, senbon’s, Shurikens. Most of the paths dodged the weapons, others took katanas or swords of their own and defended the projectiles directly. But one was hit twice, even if to no effect.
“6 paths are too hard to control…. its a technique that makes each of them individually weaker and slower than the original user. Only when you're incapable of fighting yourself do you use that technique and even so its a case of "better than nothing" rather than a viable strategy. Despite being 6 bodies, they are controlled by a sole individual. There is a limit to what one person can do. And how much chakra he or she can put into a remote body.”
“Yes Scary, but we can't spend time overthinking this. They are our enemy and we need tod defeat them. Simple." said a focused and somewhat angst Scorps. "What we need to consider is that the more paths we destroy, the harder the fight will get. We need something big.” and Scorps took the water goddess from his back and raised it above his head. As he lowered it, performing a vertical slash forward, a large blast of water followed from the blade, slicing through the ground and anything in front of him. A path rapidly converged to intercept the technique and created what appeared to be a shield, absorbing the attack as it connected with them. Preta Path, Scorps thought. Both Scary and Jinbei noticed as well.
“Well, I guess it could be worse…” said Scary as he slammed his right palm engulfed in White Flames into one of the Paths who had sprouted 4 harms and bladed appendages from his body in attempt to fight Scary in hand to hand combat from behind. It was the same path Jinbei had punched moments earlier and sent flying. Despite the damage received, it was still very functional, something its abilities surely had something to do with. An Asura Path. The path was almost immediately consumed by the flames, leaving only a small pile of ash. “They seem weak. Hasashi must be far”.
“That only means that we might be missing something and not that he is far…” replied Scorps as Jinbei flung a path towards him. He had engaged with it in a hand to hand fight and managed to grab hold of one of this legs and, in a display of immense strength, flung him towards Scorps who used the mighty water sword to try and slice the path in half. However, before he could, the path, still mid air, summoned a large rock-like animal, resembling a large bulky turtle right in his face. As Scorps tried to slice through the summon, the sword hit it like a bat and had only the effect of sending the animal flying back at Jinbei, forcing him to summersault above it to avoid. The Animal Path repositioned itself next to the Preta Path. “There is no way we can…” but before he could finish his sentence, he felt it. The immense chakra and power of the Rinnegan. It pierced through the field and his mind. Behind the paths that stood in front of them and had taken the lead into fighting, stood 3 paths who had been keeping themselves back and within them, the origin of the pressure they were feeling. Without noticing exactly how or when, the paths managed to alter the position of the fight and, instead of surrounding them, had come to form a frontal attack formation facing them. They were being “pressured back”. While they were being pressured and attacked by the Asura and Animal Path, with the Preta path defending their comrades from their Ninjutsu, 3 paths stayed behind. Likely, these were the Naraka Path, protected by Deva and Human Paths up front. If someone were to use Ninjutsu, the Deva would intercept it with their gravitational manipulation. If they were to approach for Taijutsu, the Human paths would intercept and, in that case, it was game over on simple contact. But now, 1 of those bodies was releasing an immense aura of pressure. Neither of them could see what it was, but those paths were doing something. Logic dictated it came from the Naraka Path using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to “revive” the Asura Path they had destroyed already. That was then their target.
“Scary, we need to obiterate those 3 now. We won’t be able to do this while saving chakra. We need to go all in. Jinbei, we’ll need you to handle the Animal and Preta Path.” said Scorps as he strapped the Water Goddess on this back.
“Will you need cover, Scorps-sensei?” said Jinbei as they took position.
“Yes, if possible”.
“Ok, 15 seconds.”
The 3 paths he intended to target stood about 50 meters from them. In between, about 25 meters away, stood the Animal Path, now standing on top a massive Elefant-like Summon and the Preta Path. He needed to act fast. Scorps took a more controlled and aggressive stance as he focused on his chakra an faced his targets. The Naraka Path. It came to the point where they couldn’t simply save up their chakras. They were now at around 90% of their chakras and they were being conservative in order to be ready for Alucard, Lili and possibly other Sages in Kirigakure. But against this, they couldn’t afford to be too controlled. Even if the paths were weaker than what they expected and even if Hasashi wasn’t there himself, they were at a massive disadvantage and being conservative had only made it possible to amass between them several minor injuries and made their bodies needlessly tired from trying to keep the fight in Taijutsu. Additionally, with 1 less path, the other 5 were already much faster, stronger and sharper in their reactions and attacks. No, the time for being careful was out of the window. Now is the time to show the world what they were capable of and to obliterate anyone that stood between them and Wesobi.
Rapidly, Jinbei punched the ground. It was their cue. Massive amounts of dust raised all around them and in the village in a shockwave-like effect. In a radius of around 50 meters, some buildings collapsed, weakened by Jinbei’s earth technique, creating massive noise within the dust cloud. This helped the big diversionary move since the noise came all around them, concealing any form of movement within the dust cloud. It was time for action. Scorps focused as much chakra as he could within this legs and bolted forwards. His target was the Naraka Path directly.
He passed between the Animal and Preta Paths and rapidly reached the Deva and the Human Paths in such speed that he appeared to have teleported. The Naraka path stood right behind these so when Scorps halted his movement, he stood right in front of it, arms reach. The Deva was the first to act. It lifted a hand and pushed the Dust cloud all around and away from the field. As the dust settled, Scorps had 2 hands held in the air, palms facing forwards in the direction of a small mushy pulp on the ground. “Ibiton…Tezawari no Niphilim!” Behind him, Scorps felt the approach of the undeniable killing intent of the paths right behind him; their attention and gaze completely on him. He knew that it was unlikely he could be fast enough to turn and defend from the Deva and the Human paths. They stood slightly more than arms reach behind him after all. He felt a small tremor and rumble and as Scorps looked behind, a large wall of earth had risen between him and the dangerous paths. “Scary…just in time!”
The one with the short straw was Scary however. His duties were now to keep the Deva and Human Paths occupied. He ran behind Scorps when he had set off to obliterate the Naraka Path so he was right in front of the Deva and Human Paths when he used the earth technique.
“Jeeezz…” Scary thought to himself. He lifted his hands from the ground. His last minute wall of earth stopped the 2 paths that were going for Scorps. But now they had all their focus on him. One bolted towards him at high speed. The Human Path most likely, trying to grab him. He couldn’t have that, could he? If that happened it would be the end. Branches and thorns, leaves and trunks bursted from the ground grabbing hold of the incoming enemy and attempting to crush him in between. What came next was fast, devastating and strong. Scary felt a massive presence behind him. He ducked just in time for a massive centipede-like enemy coming from behind him to miss him. But it didn’t miss his wood technique, rampaging and destroying his attempt to constrict his enemy and freeing him in the process, as it coiled around him to protect from Scary's attacks. Looking behind he saw that the Animal Path was now focused on him and, besides standing on top of the gigantic Elephant-like summon, had already summoned not only the Centipede that just defended the Human Path but also 2 identical bull-like summons. All were enormous. Jinbei? Well, he was trying his best to keep toe to toe with a gigantic dog-like summon and the Preta Path, both converging upon him and unleashing a flurry of combined attacks. If Jinbei used Ninjutsu, the Preta Path intercepted and nulified it. If he tried to approach with Taijutsu the massive dog would simply erase his existance. While they had destroyed the most troublesome path, they still had the massive abilities of the offensive paths to deal with and they were now scattered around the battle field. “SCORPS! JINBEI! COVER… NOW!!!!” yelled Scary as he blazed through 2 handseals and pressed his right palm on the ground and kneeled.
At first, nothing happened for what appeared to be too long of a moment. The now incoming Human path and his Centipede guardian continued hasted approach and were almost ready to grab him when he looked up saying “Bye…” and with a smirk, white flames engulfed him. And as they did, they blasted outwards, in a massive, blindingly bright explosion of heat and concussive force. “Shiroi Katon: Su-pa Shinsei!”
Scorps and Jinbei didn’t have much time to protect themselves. They knew that Scary had that technique and he would use it as a last resort. As they prepared the strategy for the assault on Kirigakure moments earlier, they had considered the possibility they would need to defend from it. As did they consider other strategies to deal with a myriad of other techniques in each of their individual arsenals. The techniques they considered might work to defend them against this one were as costly as the technique Scary used though.
Jinbei had just been tossed by one of this attackers and was still mid air when he deployed his technique. Such techniques weren’t his forte, thus the effort and chakra he’d need to spend for this technique were both great. “Hiru Banshō: Bōka no Jutsu!”. As he was about to touch the ground, he didn’t. Instead, he passed through it and remained falling within it, getting as deep as he would risk getting.
Scorps on the other hand, took his trusted old staff from his back, where it stood strapped next to the Water Goddess, and, holding it with both his hands, separated it into 2 identical swords. “Gaia no Buin… Hijutsu: Gaia no Futaken!” Holding both swords, he crossed them in front of him. A circle of kanji inscriptions made of pure chakra projected itself in front of him as he faced Scary’s direction. “Kami no Rifurekushon….”
As the large white fire technique ravaged through the battlefield, it destroyed most of the Village’s shore. The area which Jinbei had previously made some buildings collapse as a diversion was now a clear crater, thrice its original size, covered in molten rock and ash. Scary was in its epicenter, kneeled on his left leg, panting and steaming. Scorps wasn’t far, still with his protection technique deployed (a front seal that mean that a tear drop shape of untouched ground laid behind him) and Jinbei was emerging next to Scary. But they weren’t alone. The Deva Path was still alive and well. He took a step back before the technique happened and protected itself with its ability. Aside from it, another path remained completely unscaved. The Preta Path, standing in the opposite side of the field. At least they managed to erase the Human and Animal paths as well as all the summons.
Scorps had to think fast. The Deva path had a cooldown for its abilities and the more power it used, the longer that cooldown was. Considering the massive scale of Scary’s technique, it had to use a lot of that power which meant it was vulnerable. And he needed to act before the Preta Path could join his “friend”. “Jinbei, take Scary! NOW!” and as he said so, Scorps pointed his sealing technique at the Deva Paths. What followed was a massive blast of directed White Fire. The technique Scorps used had a dual function. It allowed him to defend himself from enemy techniques by absorbing its power and then allowed the user to unleash it back at the attacker in a powerful simple blast. A permanently open seal. Divine Reflection. One of the abilities granted to those that wield the Staff of Gaia and have mastered its hidden technique, Twin Swords.
As the massive blast of white fire raged against the Deva Path, Jinbei grabbed Scary and sunk back with him into the ground. The fast Preta Path tried to get to close to his “friend” but couldn’t be fast enough. The Deva burned to the ground, leaving only ash behind. As Scorps panted a bit and tried to grab his breath, Jinbei and Scary rose back up next to him. Assessing the situation, they all understood how lucky they were and how this fight ran in their favor. If Hasashi wasn’t using the six paths technique, the fight would have ran very differently.
“Scary Yamato-san and two kids… Baby-sitting now?” said the last standing path to the battered trio. Scary trembled slightly and had to make a big effort to stand up. Jinbei was pale and sweating. Scorps…well, Scorps was tired and it showed in the color of his skin and the sweat dripping from his body but his face was unfazed with determination.
“Hasashi-kun, I didn’t know you sold yourself and those around you so short. Whats the catch?” said Scary.
“There are some things that can’t be denied… Like your defeat. You do know that I’ll be going after you in person now, right? You had this much trouble fighting corpses, do you think you can beat me in person? You were all foolish. And you’ll get your assed kicked as a result.”
“I don’t think so…” said Scorps. In his hand, a black rod. “You see, I already know where you are… And so does a friend of mine…” And a large impact was felt, followed by the rising of a dust cloud, about a 2 kms away, in the east part of the village, in a small hill, dominated by a large building. The Preta Path dropped to the ground, seemingly an inert body.
“Well, that was unexpected…” said Scary as he looked inquisitively to Scorps.
“Scorps-sensei…what just happened?”
“Hum… The moment I attacked the Naraka Path, I took a chakra rod from him. Then, when Scary rose the wall to protect me, I knew I could use it without drawing attention. I used my sensory to, through it, find the location of Hasashi’s main body. I then summoned 2 old friends and pointed them in the right direction. They snuck into the village and infiltrated Hasashi’s location. Once there and judging from what we just saw, I’d say that Kuroi has defeated Hasashi.”
“Kuroi? You summoned the Panda siblings in that time frame? Well…nice!” said a surprised Scary. “It seems you still retain that ability to think with perfect clarity whileunder pressure”
“…” Scorps seemed to be hearing something and concentrating on it for moment before saying “Ok, take him. And thank you!” turning to Scary and Jinbei “It seems Hasashi wasn’t very hard to defeat. Shiroi has told me that Hasashi was very weak. His body was battered up and he had several seals on him, both surpressing his chakra and, as far as they could tell, his mind as well. They will be taking him with them. The Panda Sage might know how to help him and with them, we don’t need to worry about a Rinnegan user anymore.”
“Ok. So now we…” but before Jinbei could finish, a powerful presence invaded their minds.
“You will die today…for a stupid reason…” said a voice in their minds. It translated a complex set of feelings into them. It was angry and riddled with killing intent but also regret and sorrow, sadness even.
“Alucard…” said Scary. His face changed rapidly and where there was tiredness and fatigue now stood determination and strength as he blazed 3 handseals and clapped his hands. “Scorps and Jinbei…chakra… NOW!” both of them pressed their palms in Scary’s back. Focusing, they linked their chakra to Scary’s and felt as he draw a large amount from them and into his technique. “Now…”
It blinded both Jinbei and Scorps. A fire so bright and hot that everything it burned didn’t even leave ash behind. That was the essence of Scary’s unique element, White Fire. A beam of pure white fire blasted outwards from Scary’s mouth. More than flames, it was very akin to a Bijudama from an incomplete Jinchuriki. But its size…Empowered by Scorps and Jinbei, the technique was ridiculous. It was large enough so that, in one simple go, it obliterated the gigantic Mizukage tower in a flash along with a large strip of land and village, 100 meters wide and continuing well past the village limits.
A voice spoke from behind them in a low tone “You should have left us alone…”
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As Reborn approached the fortress, he continued to wonder if his plan to enter it had worked. He hoped so. He owed a lot to Scorps, his former sensei. He had taught him Genjutsu and many tricks he now considered ingenius and of absolute importance.
He stopped, still a few hundred meters from the fortress. Still concealing his chakra and presence (something he did perfectly and like no other ninja he knew), he tried to sense into the fortress. He wasn’t exactly a sensor. No. He was more of an intuition driven ninja. Focusing on his senses he tried to feel if something wasn’t…right. His age betrayed his battle experience and he knew that if there was some dangerous threat he’d be able to sense it. No. He felt nothing other than silence. At least from the fortress. From the village behind him, he felt commotion. Looking back, he saw the defense cannons shooting someone approaching the village. Scorps. They were making their move. So had he.
He took a scroll and, drawing some blood from his thumb, he pressed his palm on scroll. Moments later, a ninja with an ANBU mask appeared right in front of him, kneeling on his right leg. As he raised his head, his eyes, seen from between the holes in the mask, were hazed, as if…not his.
“I have done what you asked, Mizukage-dono.” said the ninja in a very plain and emotionless tone.
“Ok, I have a new mission for you now. Go north and guard the northern port. There are reports it will face an attack and I need someone like you there.”
“Yes, Mizukage-dono!” and the ninja disappeared.
“Well, seems the technique worked.” he thought. What he had done was a gamble but it worked. After researching about the fortress, he became aware of how it was possible or not to enter it. He found the information of which ANBU members had access to the fortress in the Mizukage archives. Once he did, he tracked one of the ANBU and, without his knowledge, placed him in a very elaborate and complex Genjutsu. His goal was to manipulate the ANBU into adding his blood to the scroll inside the fortress so he could enter it on his own means.
But this posed great risks for Reborn. ANBU ninjas are, by default, skilled ninjas and normally very high in the power chain of a village, always being Jounin level and above. This meant that the illusion might not last or have the desired the effects. Genjutsu is, after all, more effective the weaker the mind of the target. However, if the illusion was too forceful, it wouldn’t endure against his conscious mind and the ANBU would release himself from it soon before doing what he needed.
No, the illusion needed to be simple and complex at the same time. For that, he used a skill only very few masters of Genjutsu knew off: layering. He layered various minor illusions into the ANBU’s mind instead of placing a single, complex and high ranked one. Because they were simple in themselves, they were harder to detect and because they were many, the final effect had a much deeper and stronger grab on his mind. The first illusion he induced was to change how the ANBU perceived him; he made the ANBU see him and feel him as if he was the Mizukage. More so, he didn’t make it so that the ANBU would see him as Alucard, the unnamed Sage that happened to be the Mizukage. No. He would see him as the Mizukage; he would see Reborn, the Mizukage. Additionally, he added various minor illusions that passed and hid themselves into his mind as memories. These were intended to alter how the ANBU felt and thought about Reborn. Adding various positive memories of past events, the ANBU would, unconsciously trust and be loyal to Reborn. He added various memories, raging from having saved the ANBU while on a mission or about having saved his family from bandits, all of which were made to make the ANBU see Reborn as a savior and one to whom he owed much. Finally, the last layer was to make the ANBU believe that there was a plot to overthrow Reborn from his position. By making it seem that someone or something was, from the inside of the village, trying to overthrown Reborn or kill him, it would make it much easier for the ANBU’s mind to accept taking dubious actions against his village as he would, in his mind, actually be defending his Mizukage and as such be serving the village in reality. Reborn needed to do all this to be sure this ANBU would enter the fortress and add his blood to the contract without telling anyone. And all of it worked.
Now, all that was left was to enter the fortress. Reborn put on his own ANBU mask and uniform and dashed to the fortress gate. Surprisingly, he was able to make it inside, with his plan seemingly working perfectly.
He had, just in case, studied various maps of the layout of the fortress. He couldn't get inside and then look like it was the first time. He knew more or less where the main holding area was but he also knew that a very strong and valuable target such as Wesobi wouldn't be in a regular cell. No. He would be in a special, unescapable one. He remembered seeing what appeared to be an open cell surrounded by a pit deep in the lower areas of the fortress. Deep in the rock there was a large deep pit with a massive pillar in the center. The only access to the pit was done through a single door that opened at the same height as the top of the pillar. He couldn't quite piece what that room was but he decided that it was a good place to start.
Making his way deep into the fortress he barely encountered any other ninjas which was strange. Not only was that fortress a key aspect of the village's military power as it had not only Wesobi but other valuable and powerful ninjas locked inside. It also seemed a bit too calm and quiet. The village was under attack by his mentor and yet...so quiet. So still.
As he descended deeper and deeper into the fortress, his unease grew. It had been 5 minutes since he encountered another ninja, one he thought he recognized as an Amegakure ninja for a moment. "No, it must have been a mistake. It couldn't be Howard of the Rain" he thought. Soon after, he reached it. The door. From the outside of it, looked like a simple metal door. No openings, no lock either, just a handle.
"This is strange..." he said to himself as he put his hand on the handle and pulled. The door opened without resistance and what it showed shocked even him. Beyond the door was a gigantic square room, 50 meters to each side. Above it, the ceiling was more than 60 or 70 meters high and the floor of the room was another 60 or 70 meters below the level of the door. In the middle, a pillar, leveled with the door's height, around 5 meters by 5 meters, with a bed and a bucket and...Wesobi. Wesobi, had finally been found. Though...rescued? Not so much. The pillar itself was surrounded by black flames.
"Amaterasu...." he quickly figured. But how was it burning without destroying the cell? In fact, what was it burning? He tried to look only to be surprised that in fact, the bottom of the large room was lava. The Amaterasu was burning the lava for fuel. They must have made the large fortress on top an active volcano. Constant lava allowed the Amaterasu flames to continue to burn without destroy the large room.
"Wesobi-san!!!!!" he said loudly.
"What the fricking....?" a very hazed Wesobi replied. As he stood up form the bed, he looked back and saw a young ninja standing in the door of the room. "Who are you and what do you...uh??"
"Scorps sent me. To save you!"
"Scorps? Is he mad?? He doesn't know what he got himself into!!! Get away! Leave me! And GET OT OF HERE! The Pervy s..."
"Is here..." said a voice from behind Reborn. Not filled with anger or mallice though.
Reborn however didn't speak. The moment a sound behind him was heard he took action. The Reborn at the door vanished into the air as a kunai laid pointed at Pervy's neck from behind. "I'm here to save Wesobi-san. You will not deny me, Pervy Sage...or should I say, the Dark King...the Betrayer Hokage?"
"You're young...but naive" said Pervy as he himself vanished only for Reborn's back to be touched by a palm. "If I wanted to, you'd be dead the moment you made that ANBU add your blood to the scroll."
Reborn was sweating. This man used his own illusion against him. He was out classed.
"Reborn, isn't it? Scorps and Wesobi are precious to me. They were always special kids. I saw them grow up in Konoha. I don't want any harm to come to them... I want you to save Wesobi however, due to...circunstances, I can neither do it myself nor help you. You have 10 minutes to get out of here. Thats the time window during which no one will bother you. If 10 minutes from now you're still here, then I'll need to kill you and lock Wesobi back. Be careful of the black flames though..." said Pervy in a low but caring voice. But before Reborn could answer, the pressure on his back disappeared without a trace and as he looked back, the corridor was empty.
"10 minutes...dam! Just to get here it took 10 minutes. And I still need to figure out how to take you from that pit!" his mind was racing. He had so many questions about what happened but he needed to focus on the task at hand. Amaterasu. Amaterasu. ****! He knew so little about it other than it can burn forever, cannot be put out and is one of the techniques of some Uchiha's with Mangekyo Sharingan.
"Take a scroll and write these Kanji down" said Wesobi as he gesticulated rapidly a set of kanji in the air. "Put this one in the middle and surround it with this word all around. Finally, toss the scroll into the Amaterasu flames as you do the Tiger, Snake, Ox and Boar handseals 3 times in a row. A large portion of your chakra will be consumed so...be prepared."
Reborn followed the instructions to the letter. He knew very little about Fuuinjutsu other than the ability to make explosive tags so he had to simply trust in Wesobi. As he performed the technique and threw the scroll into the Amaterasu pit he did indeed feel the large drainage of chakra from the technique but at first it seemed to have failed. For a moment or two, nothing happened. But suddenly, the black flames turned blue and, rapidly, seemed to be sucked into the scroll entirely. In a member moment, the pit was empty and dark, with only the light orang glow of the Lava bellow lighting it.
"Ok. You'll need to help me across. There is a seal engraved in this pillar that prevents me from using my chakra."
Without saying a word, Reborn kicked the ground with his left heel. A narrow but sturdy makeshift stone bridge projected from the wall of the pit and into the pillar, linking the door to Wesobi's walless cell. He crossed the bridge rapidly and as he approached Reborn, he quickly grabbed his arm and greeted him.
"I dunno exactly who you are but...thank you! Where is my brother??"
"Wesobi-san, there is no need to thank. I'm the one who needs to apologize for my village's lack of honor lately..." said a sorrow filled Reborn. "Scorps-sensei is currently in the midst of attacking the village as a diversion. His purpose was to allow me to take you away from here. Don't know exactly how he got the information you were here but he, Scary Yamato-sama and Jinbei-san mounted a massive assault on the village. Since I entered the fortress, I haven't been able to gauge the situation anymore so I dunno the stat of things."
"He's stupider than I thought...and more stubborn. Well, I need to go to him. Now! Lead the way!"
They rapidly and stealthly made their way to the surface. True to Pervy's words, they encountered no one until they reached the gate. Surprisingly though, the gate was wide open though they quickly understood why. Hundreds of Kirigakure villagers were swarming into the fortress, seeking refuge. Didn't take a genius to understand that the situation on the village must have escalated tremendously.
Using the confusion and the number of refugees, they managed to slip outside the fortress unnoticed. Outside, several ANBU were leading the operation. Reborn didn't know how this was possible though as the seal should prevent those hundreds of people from getting in. Could they have deactivated the barrier? That would explain why they managed to leave without having to do anything. Still, that was not the time to think about it.
Both rapidly made their way to the village. In the distance, they could see a gigantic crater and they rapidly noticed the absence of the Mizukage Tower. Wesobi could feel 2 powerful chakras in the middle of the large crater, going back and forth in an exchange of techniques. He activated his eyes to see better. The distance was significant but he could recognize one of the the chakras. A much more powerful ninja was fighting Scary Yamato. And Scary was being pushed back... Nearby, on the floor...
"NO..." he said as he dropped to his knees. "No...NOOOOO!!!"
"Wesobi-san, whats wrong?"
"Scorps...He...almost.... dead...mangled...thorn apart..." he mumbled as tears ran through his face. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be.
At the distance, he saw Scorps' mangled body. It wasn't actually body... it was just his torso and head. His chakra, so low that Wesobi was almost sure he wasn't alive anymore. More than that, he was sure he was beyond salvation. Nearby, Jinbei laid down on the floor, unconscious, his chakra also weakening though slowly and at dangerously low levels. He was, though, apparently uninjured.
Inside him, he felt it. A power so large he couldn't contain it. His eyes awoken to new levels and he could see the world differently. The 3 tear drop tomoe iris of the regular Sharingan changed and a new unique pattern appeared. Mangekyo Sharingan. The pain. The sorrow. The wound of seeing his brother dead awoke him. Ironically, it gave him the power he needed to defend his brother. But his brother is no more...
"No...I refuse...I REFUSE!" he yelled. Chakra poured into the field. He amassed chakra in his legs and dashed forwards. Reborn, as much as he wanted, couldn't fully understand what just happened and how fast it happened but couldn't also match Wesobi's speed. But he didn't need to. No. His role now was another one. Scorps had given him instructions to follow once Wesobi was saved. Considering he was out of the fortress and rampaging through the island to Scorps and Scary's location, he could consider him saved.
As he turned north he looked back at the village, thinking "Sensei...be safe, ok?" before making his way full throttle to his destination.
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Alucard stood behind them. It wasn't the first time Scary Yamato and Scorps had met the Mizukage but the man sure had an aura of power and allure to him. Very tall, strongly built with long black wavy hair. Looking at the man he had no single strand of hair out of place nor the smallest of smudges in his clothes. The man was perfectly presented.
"Why would you come here?"
"You know fairly well why, Alucard-dono, The Unnamed Sage. You have my brother... I want him back." said Scorps as he, more than spoke, spat the words at Alucard.
"You really don't know her, do you?"
"Alucard, why would you betray your own village and your own people? I know you. You have many flaws but your dedication to Kirigakure is absolute..." said Scary, trying to find some common ground with the Mizukage. He knew that, as one of the older Sages like himself, Alucard was not someone they should fight against if they had the chance to avoid it. They were prepared for it but it would indeed be better if they didn't.
Before Alucard spoke though, they all felt it: they saw him but they couldn't feel him. There was a void in front of them, not a ninja. He had disappeared from their senses but not their ears or eyes.
"Its not my job to explain it to you. Its hers. I'll be taking it sooner than anticipated so all hell will break loose now. Scary, Nero and Bishamon are coming. Run now. While you can. While its possible." and he turned and faced the sea, vanishing from their sight completely "I hope we will one day, have a chance to meet again and talk. She loves you, Scorps-san. Like I never saw her love anyone..."
The three of them didn't know what to make of the last few moments. Alucard...was on their side?
"Scary, this changes things a bit...we need to.." but before he could finish his sentence, his right arm disappeared, seemingly thorn out of its socket. Rapidly following, his left arm and the lower part of his abdomen, more or less at the hip level. He fell to the ground in shock, focusing as much chakra as he could into keeping himself from bleeding to death but knowing wholeheartedly he couldn't avoid it. He was dead. And he didn't know how.
In what appeared to happen in slow motion, next to Scorps, Scary and Jinbei noticed what happened. Their placidness turning slowly into worry and fear as they see Scorps get injured and fall to the ground. Scary, however, older and wiser, more experienced, knew what was happening. This wasn't going to be easy, no.
Jinbei was the second to fell. Struck right in the middle of his chest, a seal had been placed. His chakra went from 60% to 1% in a mere moment and he lost consciousness immediately.
"Nero-sama...isn't this all a bit too much?"
A deep, raspy voice spoke, behind Scary. Filled with malice and anger, embedded with so much killing intent that Scary couldn't help but shiver.
"Scary-kun... You're too young. You don't understand nor can you. But I don't want to kill you. Surrender and I promise you, death won't await you."
Scary turned to face his older mentor. It seemed he hadn't aged a day since he last saw him, almost 15 years ago. Shorter than one would expect but bulky and thick, the man dressed in back heavy clothes, all covered by a large black hooded cloak. His deep black hair, long but messed up and out of place. And he didn't need to look at them to know that his eyes were red as blood and could kill him instantly.
Nearby, Scorps was still conscious but barely. He would die in a moment. He wanted to yell and scream at Scary! He wanted to say "RUN!" but he couldn't. Inside him, he felt pity and sorrow as the Yokai tried to comfort him in their death bed. He failed her. At least he saved his brother...he hoped. At least that...he wished. But he would pass away in peace, knowing that he loved and was loved. No greater feeling could empower him in this moment.
"Sorry, but I can't do that, Nero-sama..."
"Well, then you die..." around Nero's right hand the air shifted and became hazed as if it had suddenly become denser. Lightning crackled around it. Blitz Impact.
"I'm not a kid anymore." and Scary Yamato's eyes turned green with an unknown energy. The air shifted all around them, as if pushed by an invisible force. All of Scary's wounds healed and he took an offensive stance. He knew though, that the battle was decided. Nero would obliterate him from the face of the Earth and little could he do other than stall a few minutes. Stall for what though? That element was not even Nero's strongest weapon. What if he used...that? Or what would happen when he started using his eyes? Despair and doubt clouded his mind for a moment. Could this be the end of their path through the mist? Would their quest end here...without light?
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Next Chapter #4: The Path of Ages: The Crimson Curse
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