Shika had no idea who these people were, but since he didn't recognize them, he figured they couldn't be that strong. After all, the story followed the strongest characters, and if he didn't remember these five, then they shouldn't be that significant.
Utakata's eyes glowed, turning into his Biju's eyes. Shika was now officially unsure whether he was fighting alongside a human or a monster. Out of all the Biju, he knew the least about the Six-Tails. It was a slug, and technically, no real information about it was available anywhere.
"Don't completely transform. You'll cause too much destruction like that," Shika warned before rushing at the new Akatsuki members.
"It seems like we have no other option but to kill him," Kazuma frowned. He hadn't liked working with others in the first place, and now this newcomer was making his job even harder.
Kazuma raised his blade while Fuen and Fuka moved to flank Utakata, and Fudo and Hiruko circled around to attack from behind.
Shika lunged forward with his sword in hand, delivering precise strikes at Kazuma. His movements were swift, but Kazuma blocked them easily—only to find himself suddenly paralyzed.
'Ah, blade vibration technique. Sneaky and low-key, but it can be deadly in close combat.' Shika grinned before delivering a roundhouse kick to Kazuma's face.
Though he couldn't use his shadow possession—or by extension, Ten Shadows—to conceal his identity, this was the perfect time to show off the other little tricks he had up his sleeve.
He blocked an attack from Hiruko, keeping his guard up. In fact, he was more wary of the child than the adults. If Akatsuki had taken him in, then he had to be formidable.
Shika countered with a sharp kick, sending Hiruko stumbling back. Too bad he couldn't use chakra-infused strength with his legs, but his footwork wasn't bad.
While Shika handled Kazuma and Hiruko, Utakata was dealing with Fuka, Fuen, and Fudo. He released a stream of water, forming large, shimmering bubbles that acted as both shields and projectiles. One of the bubbles enveloped Fuen, forcing her back with a sudden burst of force. Meanwhile, Fuka attempted a surprise attack from the side, but Utakata anticipated the move. He dodged gracefully and struck Fuka with a palm blow, knocking her off balance.
He seemed to be doing a good job, so Shika wasn't worried—aside from the possibility of him snapping and turning full-blown Biju. But Shika could tell that this Jinchuriki had much better control over his Biju than a certain knuckle-headed ninja he knew.
Seeing him handle so much of his Biju's power, Shika knew he would be a valuable addition to Yūgure. He would make sure to bring this man back to the base if possible.
The fight, to be honest, was kind of boring for Shika. The enemies were strong, but not so strong that he felt pressured. They could push around a Jinchuriki—so long as the Jinchuriki wasn't going all out and turning into a nation-destroying monster.
However, since they were here and part of Akatsuki, Shika was certain they had a plan to capture a Biju. He was holding back, waiting for them to reveal whatever gave them the confidence to believe they could take a Jinchuriki down.
While Shika merely held back both Kazuma and Hiruko, Utakata was seriously starting to dominate the other three.
Then, what Shika had been waiting for finally happened. Just when Utakata was close enough to possibly kill one of his three opponents, a massive shadow passed overhead. The sheer size told him that even if he poured all his current cursed energy into Nue, it wouldn't be able to match whatever that thing was.
Immediately, Shika created distance from his opponents and looked up—only to see a giant bird soaring above.
"That..." Shika's sixth sense flared as he locked eyes with the creature descending from some ancient Jurassic Park.
Completely purple with ripple-patterned eyes.
Shika knew exactly what he was looking at. Hell, this was the last person he wanted to fight right now.
It was none other than Pain. Not just the Animal Path, but all six of them had arrived.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...' Shika's heart pounded. He hadn't planned on fighting the final boss this early in the game.
A little voice inside him told him he could take them on, which wasn't entirely wrong—he had his own trump cards. But he wasn't planning on revealing them so soon.
"Can I win?" he asked himself the moment he saw Pain descending, and he didn't like the answer. It was a 50-50 chance.
That was more than most could claim against the Six Paths of Pain. But for Shika, that wasn't enough. Even a 60 or 70 percent chance wasn't enough.
No, he wouldn't act until he had 100 percent certainty he could defeat Pain if he had a choice.
And thus, he was ready to get out of there as soon as possible—but then he realized that if he did, he would lose the Six-Tails.
"Utakata, run! We can't win!" Shika shouted as he retreated from fighting both Kazuma and Hiruko and rushed toward Utakata.
However, he wasn't fast enough. Just as he was running, he saw a missile coming right at him.
"Tch..."
xxx
[Word Count: 800]
Sorry for the smaller chapter, got work to do.
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