Naruto: Tetsuden - 108

Chakra Wizard

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Sorry about the long wait. Been pretty active in the job hunt as of late. Now that I’m back, though, let's take a quick look at the other side of the battlefield and then jump back into the fighting;) lol As always, enjoy:)

Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:











Chapter 108: The Night


The last shred of color had already left the sky when Unagi finally returned to his chambers, aided by two of his surviving hunter-nin. After being sat up on the edge of his bed, he tried once again to flex his fingers and toes, revealing a sharp-toothed grin when he found that both had healed from the paralysis inflicted earlier by Mei’s technique.

Unagi: Ahhh…back to a hundred at last.

The hairs on his neck suddenly stood on end as his heightened senses picked up on the presence of a fourth shinobi in the room. The trio turned around, jumping back in a fright when the silhouette of their village’s most dangerous missing-nin appeared in the window. Unagi’s spine shivered at the sight of his former prey-turned-predator, but when he made no gesture towards his sword, the Mizukage ordered his two escorts to return the courtesy.

Unagi: Leave us. …It’ll be alright.

Knowing the history between the two, the young hunter-nin traded worried glances, but followed their leader’s orders nonetheless.

Masurao: You’re less cautious than usual.

Unagi: Well, it’s been a long day. I’m tired…and knowing you, if you were gonna kill me, you would’ve done it on the battlefield.

Unagi stood up and walked over to his closet as Masurao looked on. He removed his black tank top, which proved to be a chore with his hair as tall as it was. Doing so revealed a massive scar that ran across the entire length of his back, a scar that Masurao remembered well, though his mind was pondering something else.

Masurao: Why are you getting undressed in front of me?

Unagi: Because this is my room. And unlike you, I’m human and I still sweat. …Sorry to disappoint, but the rest is staying on.

Masurao: Funny.

Unagi: So what did you wanna know?

Masurao: Just your side of things. Before I report how you gathered your forces and scampered home the moment you sensed I was nearby.

Unagi: Yeah, because that’s what I would’ve done under any other set of circumstances. To them, you’re still a freak of nature, Masurao, not our ally in this war. That’s why I retreated.

Masurao: Your job’s not to keep up appearances. It’s to bleed the Union forces dry, which you can’t do if you pull back when you have the upper hand.

Unagi: Where the hell are you getting this logic from? When I left, I’d just lost my two right hands and they still had all their strongest players. If I’d have stayed, my side would’ve been the first to bleed out.

Genuinely annoyed, Unagi walked up and got right in Masurao’s face. He was considerably taller than the missing-nin, more so with his hair as it was.

Unagi: And let’s not ignore the fact that you killed three of my best shinobi out there and left a fourth one to be captured by the Union. Not to mention you let one of their strongest ninja get away when you had every chance to put your sword through his heart. …Yeah, word spreads faster than it used to, Masurao. I’m not the only one not doing his job.

He expected his words to antagonize Masurao, something that would’ve amused him greatly. Instead, though, the corner of the swordsman’s mouth rose ever so slightly, something Unagi had never seen nor even suspected was possible.

Masurao: You have a lot of guts, Unagi. Strange, I remember them being scattered across the ground at one point in time.

He heard Unagi gulp all the air in his mouth. His amusement promptly disappeared.

Masurao: The army approaching from the north allegedly massacred the forces you sent to drive them back. That puts their entire eastern division in perfect position to invade this village tomorrow at nightfall. I suggest you conjure up a plan to destroy them all before then. Or you know what will happen.

Unagi said nothing, staring at him dead-eyed until finally Masurao vanished just as he came. The Mizukage slouched back down on his bed and let out a massive sigh, the realities of war setting in for the very first time.

????: Lord Mizukage?

Unagi looked up, maintaining his cool as best as he could, holding back a sigh of relief when he found only the two shinobi who had helped him into the room.

Unagi: I’m fine. Both of you can head home. …Be ready to fight tomorrow night.

Confused though they were, the two complied and filed back out. As soon as the door shut behind them, Unagi reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. It didn’t take long to find the number he was looking for – his predecessor’s.

Far north, in the tallest tower of the village hidden in clouds, the elderly Raikage sat on a sofa facing the glass wall, allowing him a glimpse of the moonlit mountains and the buildings constructed around them. His Kage robes were set off to the side, choosing shorter, slightly darker ones for the nighttime slumber that was just around the corner. Having been given their orders already, Dageki and his other three subordinates quickly left the room, right as a young, dark-skinned kunoichi began to knock from outside. Their sudden exit surprised her, particularly since Dageki was among them. They passed her without a word before she could say a word herself, and she turned to Otori once they were gone.

Otori: Something just came up. They had to leave.

????: Oh, I see. …I’ll just come back later.

Otori: (He gave her a surprisingly warm smile.) It’s all right, my dear. What did you need to report?

????: Well…the tallies for today’s casualties have just finished racking up. …I thought Lord Raikage might want to know the final count.

Otori: (He walked over and took the tablet cradled in her arms, returning it once he read the numbers.) Thank you, Narui. You can leave now.

The young girl returned his smile, however feebly, before leaving the room. With her gone, Otori returned to his seat, his mind still too full to allow him to sleep.

Otori: (It’s a good start. Those numbers can always be higher, though. They have to get higher.)

Just as his eyelids started to grow heavy, the sound of a ringing phone brought him back out of his daze. He promptly answered it.

Otori: Go. …And? …Okay. Find out where and set up an ambush. If worst comes to worst, not one person escapes and I mean it.

As he hung up, he rubbed his eyes. His tiredness had now been replaced by annoyance.

Otori: (Unagi, you weaselly bastard.)

Massive storm clouds came with the night, and on a barren plain in an unknown land, Airon and Masurao silently approached each other. The rain began falling hard as the two drew their swords and charged one another, and the lightning struck as their blades clashed. Their swordplay was as skillful and mesmerizing as ever, but something was different this time. Airon was gaining the upper hand – and both he and Masurao knew it. The worry in the latter’s face built as quickly as the excitement did in the former’s, to the point that when the duel was finally over, an evil grin was etched across Airon’s face as his sword tore through Masurao, shattering his body like glass into millions of tiny indistinguishable pieces. With immeasurable satisfaction, he returned his sword to its sheath, only to pull it out once again as another opponent made himself known.

????: I thought you actively avoided killing in war, Airon Namikaze.

He turned to look for the voice’s origin, stepping back in shock when he found Dageki to be said origin. This brought the latter great amusement, which only unsettled Airon further.

Airon: I made an exception for him. Some dogs just need to be put down.

Each step Dageki took forward was matched by Airon with a step back. Each step became two when the next bolt of lightning to come down coincided with the emergence of Dageki’s White Lightning technique, shrouding his body in that notoriously impenetrable shield.

Dageki: We agree on that point, boy. That’s why I’m here.

Airon: I’ll bet. Now piss off before I make that same exception for you.

Dageki: (He barely contained his laughter.) Oh, you quivering little shit. You really thought it would be smooth sailing for you once you finally killed Masurao? That sword won’t help you against me, and trust me, boy…you’ll need all the help you can get to face me.

A flick of his wrist and a dazzling bolt of electricity shot out of Dageki’s arm, hitting Airon’s flesh and stripping it away before he had time to react. As he screamed in agony, Airon shot one last gaze towards Dageki. His eyes were shut, presumably to blink, and his pearly white teeth contrasted his exceptionally dark skin. When he opened his eyes again, Airon was taken aback by their sudden change in appearance. What was once an outward transition from black to brown to white was now replaced by a deep purple spiral he had never seen before, yet seemed strangely familiar. As his body began disintegrating away, a woman’s voice echoed through his mind. His first thought was the mysterious woman from his nightmares, then it quickly became more familiar.

????: AironAiron…Airon.

Airon sat up in a panic, his brow and chest dripping with sweat. A quick look around reminded him that he was still in Nakama’s tent, while a quick look to his right reminded him that she was laying beside him, eyes wide with fear.

Nakama: Are you alright?

Airon: (He took a moment to catch his breath.) …Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.

Nakama: (Seeing through his façade, her fear quickly became worry.) Was it that woman.

He gave her no response. Another answer quickly came to mind.

Nakama: Was it Masurao?

Airon: (He quickly turned and faced her.) No. …It was that guy from the summit. The one with the lightning technique.

One quick look at her made it clear that Nakama wasn’t buying into this half-truth. Quick-witted as he was, though, it didn’t take long to conjure up a viable explanation.

Airon: It’s been on my mind ever since. The things he could do with it…I still don’t know if I can face him alone.

Nakama: (Seeing the concern was true, even if its priority in his mind wasn’t, she reached up and caressed his face.) Then don’t face him alone. You have a whole army behind you, Airon. …Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even if you’ve never needed it before.

Briefly lost in her bright green eyes, he answered mindlessly with a nod before leaning in for a kiss which she welcomed, however questioningly. Believing his mind to now be clear, Nakama laid back down, pulling his arm over her when he did the same. Airon laid there for several minutes, eyes still wide open, before finally drifting back to sleep.

The storm had subsided for now, but Masurao and Dageki were still standing in the middle of the barren plain, waiting patiently for Airon to reappear.

Dageki: Just go back to sleep, boy. You’re not ready for either of us yet.

Fists clenched in fury, Airon drew his sword with one hand as chakra molded in the other, ready to start this imaginary brawl all over again.

Airon: (That’s why I need this. Because I need to kill you. …I have to kill you.)


Can Airon overcome his fixation!!?

The End
 

Genocide

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Sorry about the long wait. Been pretty active in the job hunt as of late. Now that I’m back, though, let's take a quick look at the other side of the battlefield and then jump back into the fighting;) lol As always, enjoy:)

Here’s my previous chapters, for those who missed any:











Chapter 108: The Night


The last shred of color had already left the sky when Unagi finally returned to his chambers, aided by two of his surviving hunter-nin. After being sat up on the edge of his bed, he tried once again to flex his fingers and toes, revealing a sharp-toothed grin when he found that both had healed from the paralysis inflicted earlier by Mei’s technique.

Unagi: Ahhh…back to a hundred at last.

The hairs on his neck suddenly stood on end as his heightened senses picked up on the presence of a fourth shinobi in the room. The trio turned around, jumping back in a fright when the silhouette of their village’s most dangerous missing-nin appeared in the window. Unagi’s spine shivered at the sight of his former prey-turned-predator, but when he made no gesture towards his sword, the Mizukage ordered his two escorts to return the courtesy.

Unagi: Leave us. …It’ll be alright.

Knowing the history between the two, the young hunter-nin traded worried glances, but followed their leader’s orders nonetheless.

Masurao: You’re less cautious than usual.

Unagi: Well, it’s been a long day. I’m tired…and knowing you, if you were gonna kill me, you would’ve done it on the battlefield.

Unagi stood up and walked over to his closet as Masurao looked on. He removed his black tank top, which proved to be a chore with his hair as tall as it was. Doing so revealed a massive scar that ran across the entire length of his back, a scar that Masurao remembered well, though his mind was pondering something else.

Masurao: Why are you getting undressed in front of me?

Unagi: Because this is my room. And unlike you, I’m human and I still sweat. …Sorry to disappoint, but the rest is staying on.

Masurao: Funny.

Unagi: So what did you wanna know?

Masurao: Just your side of things. Before I report how you gathered your forces and scampered home the moment you sensed I was nearby.

Unagi: Yeah, because that’s what I would’ve done under any other set of circumstances. To them, you’re still a freak of nature, Masurao, not our ally in this war. That’s why I retreated.

Masurao: Your job’s not to keep up appearances. It’s to bleed the Union forces dry, which you can’t do if you pull back when you have the upper hand.

Unagi: Where the hell are you getting this logic from? When I left, I’d just lost my two right hands and they still had all their strongest players. If I’d have stayed, my side would’ve been the first to bleed out.

Genuinely annoyed, Unagi walked up and got right in Masurao’s face. He was considerably taller than the missing-nin, more so with his hair as it was.

Unagi: And let’s not ignore the fact that you killed three of my best shinobi out there and left a fourth one to be captured by the Union. Not to mention you let one of their strongest ninja get away when you had every chance to put your sword through his heart. …Yeah, word spreads faster than it used to, Masurao. I’m not the only one not doing his job.

He expected his words to antagonize Masurao, something that would’ve amused him greatly. Instead, though, the corner of the swordsman’s mouth rose ever so slightly, something Unagi had never seen nor even suspected was possible.

Masurao: You have a lot of guts, Unagi. Strange, I remember them being scattered across the ground at one point in time.

He heard Unagi gulp all the air in his mouth. His amusement promptly disappeared.

Masurao: The army approaching from the north allegedly massacred the forces you sent to drive them back. That puts their entire eastern division in perfect position to invade this village tomorrow at nightfall. I suggest you conjure up a plan to destroy them all before then. Or you know what will happen.

Unagi said nothing, staring at him dead-eyed until finally Masurao vanished just as he came. The Mizukage slouched back down on his bed and let out a massive sigh, the realities of war setting in for the very first time.

????: Lord Mizukage?

Unagi looked up, maintaining his cool as best as he could, holding back a sigh of relief when he found only the two shinobi who had helped him into the room.

Unagi: I’m fine. Both of you can head home. …Be ready to fight tomorrow night.

Confused though they were, the two complied and filed back out. As soon as the door shut behind them, Unagi reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. It didn’t take long to find the number he was looking for – his predecessor’s.

Far north, in the tallest tower of the village hidden in clouds, the elderly Raikage sat on a sofa facing the glass wall, allowing him a glimpse of the moonlit mountains and the buildings constructed around them. His Kage robes were set off to the side, choosing shorter, slightly darker ones for the nighttime slumber that was just around the corner. Having been given their orders already, Dageki and his other three subordinates quickly left the room, right as a young, dark-skinned kunoichi began to knock from outside. Their sudden exit surprised her, particularly since Dageki was among them. They passed her without a word before she could say a word herself, and she turned to Otori once they were gone.

Otori: Something just came up. They had to leave.

????: Oh, I see. …I’ll just come back later.

Otori: (He gave her a surprisingly warm smile.) It’s all right, my dear. What did you need to report?

????: Well…the tallies for today’s casualties have just finished racking up. …I thought Lord Raikage might want to know the final count.

Otori: (He walked over and took the tablet cradled in her arms, returning it once he read the numbers.) Thank you, Narui. You can leave now.

The young girl returned his smile, however feebly, before leaving the room. With her gone, Otori returned to his seat, his mind still too full to allow him to sleep.

Otori: (It’s a good start. Those numbers can always be higher, though. They have to get higher.)

Just as his eyelids started to grow heavy, the sound of a ringing phone brought him back out of his daze. He promptly answered it.

Otori: Go. …And? …Okay. Find out where and set up an ambush. If worst comes to worst, not one person escapes and I mean it.

As he hung up, he rubbed his eyes. His tiredness had now been replaced by annoyance.

Otori: (Unagi, you weaselly bastard.)

Massive storm clouds came with the night, and on a barren plain in an unknown land, Airon and Masurao silently approached each other. The rain began falling hard as the two drew their swords and charged one another, and the lightning struck as their blades clashed. Their swordplay was as skillful and mesmerizing as ever, but something was different this time. Airon was gaining the upper hand – and both he and Masurao knew it. The worry in the latter’s face built as quickly as the excitement did in the former’s, to the point that when the duel was finally over, an evil grin was etched across Airon’s face as his sword tore through Masurao, shattering his body like glass into millions of tiny indistinguishable pieces. With immeasurable satisfaction, he returned his sword to its sheath, only to pull it out once again as another opponent made himself known.

????: I thought you actively avoided killing in war, Airon Namikaze.

He turned to look for the voice’s origin, stepping back in shock when he found Dageki to be said origin. This brought the latter great amusement, which only unsettled Airon further.

Airon: I made an exception for him. Some dogs just need to be put down.

Each step Dageki took forward was matched by Airon with a step back. Each step became two when the next bolt of lightning to come down coincided with the emergence of Dageki’s White Lightning technique, shrouding his body in that notoriously impenetrable shield.

Dageki: We agree on that point, boy. That’s why I’m here.

Airon: I’ll bet. Now piss off before I make that same exception for you.

Dageki: (He barely contained his laughter.) Oh, you quivering little shit. You really thought it would be smooth sailing for you once you finally killed Masurao? That sword won’t help you against me, and trust me, boy…you’ll need all the help you can get to face me.

A flick of his wrist and a dazzling bolt of electricity shot out of Dageki’s arm, hitting Airon’s flesh and stripping it away before he had time to react. As he screamed in agony, Airon shot one last gaze towards Dageki. His eyes were shut, presumably to blink, and his pearly white teeth contrasted his exceptionally dark skin. When he opened his eyes again, Airon was taken aback by their sudden change in appearance. What was once an outward transition from black to brown to white was now replaced by a deep purple spiral he had never seen before, yet seemed strangely familiar. As his body began disintegrating away, a woman’s voice echoed through his mind. His first thought was the mysterious woman from his nightmares, then it quickly became more familiar.

????: AironAiron…Airon.

Airon sat up in a panic, his brow and chest dripping with sweat. A quick look around reminded him that he was still in Nakama’s tent, while a quick look to his right reminded him that she was laying beside him, eyes wide with fear.

Nakama: Are you alright?

Airon: (He took a moment to catch his breath.) …Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.

Nakama: (Seeing through his façade, her fear quickly became worry.) Was it that woman.

He gave her no response. Another answer quickly came to mind.

Nakama: Was it Masurao?

Airon: (He quickly turned and faced her.) No. …It was that guy from the summit. The one with the lightning technique.

One quick look at her made it clear that Nakama wasn’t buying into this half-truth. Quick-witted as he was, though, it didn’t take long to conjure up a viable explanation.

Airon: It’s been on my mind ever since. The things he could do with it…I still don’t know if I can face him alone.

Nakama: (Seeing the concern was true, even if its priority in his mind wasn’t, she reached up and caressed his face.) Then don’t face him alone. You have a whole army behind you, Airon. …Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Even if you’ve never needed it before.

Briefly lost in her bright green eyes, he answered mindlessly with a nod before leaning in for a kiss which she welcomed, however questioningly. Believing his mind to now be clear, Nakama laid back down, pulling his arm over her when he did the same. Airon laid there for several minutes, eyes still wide open, before finally drifting back to sleep.

The storm had subsided for now, but Masurao and Dageki were still standing in the middle of the barren plain, waiting patiently for Airon to reappear.

Dageki: Just go back to sleep, boy. You’re not ready for either of us yet.

Fists clenched in fury, Airon drew his sword with one hand as chakra molded in the other, ready to start this imaginary brawl all over again.

Airon: (That’s why I need this. Because I need to kill you. …I have to kill you.)


Can Airon overcome his fixation!!?

The End

tldr?
 

Michael92

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Eh, I try getting back to it, but the new job takes up most of my writing time now. And I wanna use that to work on my real projects. U_U
You know, I was gone for almost half a year and by just taking a quick peek at this section again I remembered why I left xd :/ If it was dead before it is buried now. We all do what we must my friend. May you follow your path strongly, mhm.
 
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