The Raging Battle! The battle bode well for the Konoha kunoichi. Though Tenten was faster than Panda, the wind charged shinai cut anything it touched. Not even metal was able to stand up to the bamboo blade. Tenten wasn't daunted at this; she was a weapon master after all. If she couldn't close enough to strike with her dao, then she just keep her opponent at bay while she thought a strategy. Tossing her doa into the ground and drawing out her scroll, she unrolled it and summoned a wave of kunai that flew forth at Panda. Panda smirked. With a swing of her shinai, she cut through the projectiles without any effort on her part. "Is that your best?" the girl taunted. Damn, as long as she can channel her chakra through that blade, she's untouchable, Tenten thought. She must have some sort of weakness... The kunoichi's gaze drifted towards the Hyuga. Hinata on the other hand, despite being able to sealing the tenketsu of any creature was to get within striking range without having to evade the giant branch of bamboo Daiko carried. Where ever the bamboo struck a giant crater was left, showing that the branch was more resilient and harder than natural. Hinata looked at the branch intently, wondering how she was going to get passed the giant roadblock. Slowly backing away in a defensive stance, she observed the giant creature. Its so quick! I can't even get close to it. Tenten noticed something: Daiko's reach was impressive, but only in front of it. If somebody were to strike it from behind, it would be defenseless. Then it donned her. The reason why Daiko was summoned in the first place so that Panda would only have to deal with 1 opponent. Otherwise, they'd been able to flank her. Smile crossed Tenten's face. "You know, your swordsmanship is like your Taketon, cheap and easy to read." "Shut up, you stupid odango girl!" Panda charging her. Tenten waited until the girl was a few from her before jumping away, and summoning forth a wave of exploding kunai aimed at Daiko. Panda, who was forced to come to a sliding stop as she ran past Tenten saw the kunai with shock. "Daiko look out!" She cried. Daiko, hearing Panda's warning, turned and saw the kunai. With a sweeping of its bamboo shaft, it knocked the kunai away. The kunai exploded too far away to reach Daiko much to Panda's relief. However, she had taken her eyes off of Tenten who took the opportunity to flank her. Before she react, the kunoichi grabbed the dao resting in the ground and attacked her from behind. Coughing up blood, the girl fell to her knees. "I guess I under estimated you odango gi-" Death cut her off, claiming her life. Daiko, having lost its master, disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I didn't actually expect to happen that way," Tenten said, "Though I guess that worked." Nekomi and Kurotora evade several attacks from all sides as the Inuzuka and her skeletal companions attacked relentlessly. Holes were scattered across the ground from each spiraling attack, making dodging gradually more difficult. Stupid mutts! I hate every one of them! I will never forgive them for what they did! Nekomi thought angrily. But I can't beat them like this! We need to press our own attack, not dance around like fools! More focused on thinking than looking where she went as the instinctively sidestepped and jumped around the attacks, she didn't see the hole before her until she stepped in. "Eep!" Felling into the hole, one of the assailants brushed above head, missing her by inches. "Wow that was close," Nekomi said, peeking out of the hole. It seemed that none saw where she went since they all had turned their attention to Kurotora. As much as she was worried for her feline companion, she had too much confidence in the tiger to loose hope and instead actually formed a plan. Tossing a vial of pink liquid, she ducked into the whole and pinched her nose. Kurotora, seeing the vial, leaped backwards, outside of the liquid's range as it shattered and released its contents, strong smelling perfume. The Inuzuka and ninken howled in rage as they shook their heads, trying desperately clear their nose of the perfume. "I've made that perfume from the strongest smelling plants I could find. Do you like it?" Nekomi said, smiling victoriously. "You think this will stop us?" Mimi growled. Her eyes watered from the strength of the perfume. "No, but it will cloud your mind and slow your reaction speed!" Nekomi said tossing more vials of the perfume. Mimi and the ninken leaped away to evade the perfume. One made the mistake of jumping towards Kurotora who retaliated by pouncing on it as it landed, biting it on the neck. The Mimi disappeared in a puff of smoke revealing its true identity as one of the puppies. Placing a paw on its skull, Kurotora shifted its weight onto it. "No!" Cried the Mimis, but before they could react, the skull was crushed under the tiger's weight. Howling in rage, they leaped at Kurotora, spinning through the air to create shredding whirlwinds of fangs and claws. Kurotora tumbled, leaving them to strike the ground where it had been. On impact, an explosion knocked the Mimi's backwards, causing all, but 1 to disappear in a puff of smoke and reveal their true forms. W-what just hit us? The real Mimi thought as she and the ninken fell to ground and rolled. As soon as they stopped rolling, a serious of explosions went off around them. Mimi was showered by dirt, rocks, bone; the last causing her to pale. Slowly forcing herself to rest on her elbow, she looked at her companions. Two more puppies had been lost judging by the shattered bones strewn across the battlefield. Tears beaded in her only good eye. "Nooo!" "I'd be careful each time we dodge your attacks, we left a little present for you. It's been dumb luck none of you have actually hit them up until now," Nekomi said coldly, flicking a small marble wrapped in a paper bomb at Mimi. Mimi rolled dodging the explosion by inches. "I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!!!" Mimi howled. She and the remaining ninken charged the Kiri kunoichi evading random explosions. I'll tear her shreds! Mimi thought in her rage. Smiling Nekomi formed a single handed seal causing a mist to form between. "Idiotic girl! I can still smell you!" Mimi growled, not slowly once so ever at the sight of the mist. She pounced on the girl, ripping out her throat as the body exploded in a burst of water. "A-a Mizu Bushin? Impossible!" Suddenly she heard the yelp of one of the puppies and the shattering of bone. "No!" She cried, furiously trying to locate the sound. Unfortunately, no matter where she looked, all she saw was the mist. She couldn't smell nor hear anything. "What is this?" She heard another yelp and then another, but remained helpless to defend her comrades. "Nooo!!! I won't ever forgive you!" Then suddenly a sharp pained rushed through her. The mist instantly disappeared as she saw Shiroko biting into her leg. Looking around, she saw the remains of the skeletal puppies. Even though it was clear from the smoking craters from which their remains laid around that they had been blown apart, she never heard the explosion nor smelt the smoke. "I guess the dead aren't affected by genjutsu," Nekomi said behind Mimi. "Usually my task is to make sure that our village secrets aren't discovered by the enemy, but I'll make you the exception. The technique is called Obake Kiri no Jutsu (Phantom Mist Technique) and it was created by one of my comrades to mimic Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique). In fact, it's ten times better than Kirigakure because it also allows me to control what you hear, smell, feel, taste and touch all because its genjutsu! In fact you never felt me run you through..." At the last part, she pulled out the blade of her nekode that had pierced Mimi's midrift. "Baka... you missed my vitals," Mimi said, clutching the wound. "I know. I'm going let the poison keep you while I tell you a little story," Nekomi said. "Shiroko, kill her!" Mimi hissed. "You mean her?" Nekomi said pointing to a spread of bones scattered on the ground with half of them broken. "If she was alive, she'd would have died nobly, protecting her master until the very end. That's why I hate dogs; their dumb and unquestioning! They'll obey their master no matter how badly they're treated! They have no qualms about dragging you back kicking and screaming to be poked and probed, subjected to experiment after experiment! Man's best friend they're called! WELL I HATE ALL MEN!" Nekomi said, gradually growing unrepentantly remorseful and dark. "No matter how much begged to stop it and how much I promised I'd never run away again or do anything bad, they stuck me with needles and forced feed me pills, pushed my body to the limits to just make me into a weapon. Then, when I was old enough, they were going to mate with me.... But then Master Tachi came and killed them all before they could even get the chance. She killed everyone of them and saved me from that hell hole! There were others, experimented on endlessly like me, but half of them were no longer human and she killed them to. The other half had just wanted to die and killed them to, to ease their pain and their suffering. I was almost like that half, wanting to die, but my Master gave me a reason to live," the girl's voice grew soft and gentle. She reached out softly to lovingly to stroke the head Kurotora who sat by her side. "In a way I guess I became just like those dogs, blindly loyal and though never obedient," Nekomi said, smiling to herself. "Tell me, did that thing, when it was alive serve you lovingly, willing to set its life down for you?" "Yes," Mimi said. Though what the girl barely made any sense, she felt sympathy for the girl. "Then why did you bring her back to this cruel world?!" Nekomi screamed accusingly at the girl. Mimi was startled. One second ago the girl was remorseful and sad and now she was angry. "If she died unjustly, then you should have avenged her!" Nekomi said. "I did," Mimi said. "Then why did you bring her back to this cruel world?!" Nekomi repeated herself. "Because I didn't want to let her go," Mimi said, tears streaking down her face. "I forsake my village, my clan, my friends to avenge her and she came to me! She promised she could bring back Shiroko if I served her. I was desperate!" "You made her and her puppies live in this horrid existence between life and death, yet they served you willingly? That is why I hate dogs!" Nekomi said, shaking her head. "Well, truth be told, there's one dog I don't hate, but it's time for me to send you to Yomi like I promised. Good night, Inubaka." With a slash of her nekode, Nekomi felled her opponent. "What's wrong?" Kuroki asked as miko in crimson, seeing the unhappy expression on her face. "Panda and Mimi have been 'broken'," the miko said. "Ah! All the time that Ningyo put into making them perfect too!" Kuroki replied. "I guess there's more for me to kill!" "I wouldn't underestimate them, keep in mind that Panda and Mimi were at Chunin level in their power. This one is probably a Special Jonin," the miko said. "I believe her sister was a full Jonin and I killed her with ease!" Kuroki said, cackling. "Nonetheless, underestimate her like the others and you'll be broken too," the miko said before walking past. Broken? Tachi thought as observed the Kuroki. Their conversation didn't make any sense, but it didn't matter. She had to dispatch Kuroki here and now. Grabbing a kunai, she tossed it at the woman in white. Kuroki raised a hand, blocking the kunai even though pierced her hand.. "Hay, don't you know its rude to attack somebody when their back is turned?" A long, black tongue slid out of her mouth, wrapped about the kunai and tossed it back at Tachi. Tachi cut the kunai down with a single swing of her Odachi. Leveling the blade in a thrusting position, the jolted forward. Kuroki made no attempt to evade the attack, but instead allowed herself to become impaled with the sword. "It's not very fair for you to be armed while I'm not!" She grabbed the odachi by the handle, smiling madly. Tachi yanked the sword with all her strength, but it wouldn't come free instead, the rouge pushed the long blade deeper into her with each tug. Realizing that there was no retrieving the sword while the woman lived (if she could call it that), the swordsman reluctantly relinquished the sword and drew her dual kodachi. "Thanks for the sword!" Kuroki said, pulling the sword out and grabbing it. "In fact, I remember putting your sister in the same predicament, though she didn't any other swords on her." "You like to talk about my older sister a lot. Are you obsessed with her?" Tachi said calmly. She had yet to lose her temper or show much of any emotion towards the woman, despite her sister's murderer. It was as though she killed her own heart so that she wouldn't be waited down grief or anger. "Obsessed? Maybe. I get that way with every strong opponent I fight... there's not many: Besides your sister there was that man everyone was calling 'Aka Oni' and I believe he's the only one to live after fighting me! I admire such strength! In fact your sister came close, but she made the mistake in the assumption she could kill me! The same mistake you've made!" Kuroki said, throwing back her head in a crazed laugh. "That voice of yours is grating on my ears!" Tachi said, leaping forward and slashing with her kodachi. "Is that so, then let me sing though I prefer to hear you sing; the song of pain!" Kuroki said, finishing drawing the sword from her chest and turning it over in her hand to block the attack and knocked the kunoichi back. She's inhuman! However, the stronger the opponent, the bigger their weakness... I just have to find it! Tachi thought as she fell back. She charged forward, feinting to the left and then to right, dodging to the left again and stepping back, then lunging forward in a flurry of attacks. Kuroki blocked the attacks with ease. "Yo-ur-e to-o sl-ow," Kuroki mocked, speaking slowly to express her point. She must love to hear herself speak. Tachi thought. However, she has a point. She saw my every movement. Also it seems like she's toying with me. Is that really strong or is she merely bluffing to try to make me drop my guard? Whichever it is I have no time to waste. Suddenly, Tachi was forced jump back as the long blade thrust forward, piercing her head hadn't she moved. She also has the advantage of reach with that Odachi. Until I can get that back, I have no chance in defeating her. There's very little water around, thus my suiton's limited. However... Tachi threw a smoke pellet into the ground and began to form hand seals. Setting the odachi in the ground, Kuroki rested on it waiting for the smoke to clear. The smoke screen disappeared, but it seemed Tachi had disappeared with it. Giggling to her self, Kuroki put a finger to her chin and began pretend ponder where she had gone. Looking at the ground, a cruel grin crossed her face as put her weight on the odachi and shoved the sword into the ground. Shoving it until the tsuba hit the ground. Her grin widening, she pulled the sword back, or at least tried to. The blade refused to budge no matter how hard she pulled. Wander and puzzlement crossed the rogue's face as she studied the sword. Tachi exploded from the ground, kicking Kuroki away. "I'd prefer to keep that sword in one piece, thank you." The girl said. The rogue attempted to stand, but suddenly she was engulfed by an explosion underneath her. Once the smoke cleared, body parts could be seen strewn across the ground. "Good one, child, but you have yet to win!" Slowly the body parts began to crawl back together. Acting quickly, Tachi pierced each of the body parts with a kunai until the head remained. Making a hand seal, she grabbed the Odachi by the hilt and drew out of the ground. Walking over to the head, she raised the sword above, blade down and said "In the name Kagetora Kenko and the rest of our clan, I slay you!" before stabbing the blade deep into the woman's head. "So you win the battle, but the war has just started!" Kuroki said with a cackle, before closing her eyes. The minutes that passed felt like decades for Tachi, but she needed to determine if she was dead for real. When none the body parts moved nor the head speak for a good five minutes, the girl determined she was dead. No, she corrected herself, she was "broken". Not yet retrieving the sword, Tachi began to the process of disposing the rest of the body. "I told her to not underestimate them," miko in crimson said as she ushered her undead army into the capital. To her dismay, every one of the soldiers that the Hitsugis already finished were rushing to form the first line of defense as the civilians were evacuating behind them. Arms at ready, they stood their ground. "So the vanguard has arrived. I guess we're going to loose after all." Shrugging the woman turned to leave the capital just a new arrival faced her. The arrival stood in the shadows thus details were difficult to determine, however the miko seemed amused. "So the villages are sending reinforcements already. Good evening, my name is Byoshi and what is yours?" "Bochihana Momo," the shadow said, "of Iwagakure!" The shadow stepped into the light revealing itself to be a young girl dress in a gray qipao with overly long sleeves under a Iwa style flak jacket. Her hair was drawn up for in oxhorns covered in white cloth. "And I'm here lay my before the one that is precious to me! As long as I live I will atone for the wrongs I've done her and I'll start by killing you!" "How romantic, too bad, you're going to die in vain!" the miko smiling sinisterly.
Back to Kunoichi-Ai Index - Back to Naruto Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction