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'Tailed Beast Mode's off the table,' B thought, his expression tightening as he clashed with Utakata. The Six-Tails Jinchuriki had already shifted into Version Two - enough to stall, if not to win.
B still had the upper hand, but not by much. It wasn't enough to end things quickly, and going full Tailed Beast Mode this close to the main camp was too dangerous.
'I'll beat him eventually,' he reasoned, 'but A… he's fighting someone stronger than this guy. He might be in trouble.'
That thought alone made B uneasy. He did not doubt A's strength, but he could not shake this feeling that was bugging him. His movements grew sharper, more urgent, but Utakata's strength kept surprising him.
The next exchange came fast. Utakata charged forward in a blurry speed and landed a strike, but B's chakra tails whipped out, deflecting the blow.
'B, we should lure him toward the sea,' Gyuki offered from within. 'If we get far enough from the camp, we can let loose.'
The Eight-Tails had been calm throughout the battle, always offering suggestions, always watching. Their bond was strong, much stronger than most jinchuriki ever managed with their tailed beasts.
B darted sideways, preparing another attack, and responded in rhythm without missing a beat:
'Yo, yo, this guy's no fool,
Luring him out? That ain't cool!'
Still, even as he rapped, he didn't dismiss the idea. He pivoted with a burst of speed and struck Utakata with a powerful attack, aiming to knock him closer to the shore.
He didn't think it would work.
But he was still going to try.
<<<>>>
Maki's punch landed on A, sending a powerful shockwave behind him. The impact was much less problematic for the Raikage himself than for the other shinobi fighting nearby.
A and Maki had already killed quite a few ninja from both sides - some intentionally, some by accident. Each time someone got in their way, they would die, as being hit by either A or Maki was something none of them could defend against.
A kicked Maki, sending her skidding back, and then charged, trying to land a powerful kick from above. His heel was close to Maki's head when she tilted her body, avoiding the attack. As A landed, she countered with a one-two punch, shaking his head slightly.
The fight was a complete stalemate. It would ultimately end with one of them exhausting their chakra. And since Samehada was continuously absorbing A's chakra and giving part of it back to Maki, the Raikage was in a bad position. Unless he finished her off with a strong technique, he'd lose sooner or later.
Maki was about to follow with another attack when she felt the green fuinjutsu seal in her pouch disappear. It was a flicker of heat, impossible to miss for someone with senses as enhanced as Maki's.
'Ru completed his mission,' she smiled, pleased that her brother was so efficient.
She immediately reached into her pouch and pulled out a fuinjutsu seal inscribed on something resembling a rocket. Inserting chakra into it, the rocket launched upward and detonated, sending green sparkles into the air.
A's eyes widened as he saw such a neat fuinjutsu seal for the first time, but what mattered more was the analysis he made. 'This is a signal meant for her forces. They either accomplished their goal or failed.'
A was truly displeased with the news. It meant that Takimura and Kiri forces would be retreating now and stopping them would be nearly impossible.
'Our army was finally starting to regroup and reorganize…' he thought regretfully. Even if A couldn't win against Maki, he could definitely stall long enough for his army to overwhelm their opponents and for B to return to help him.
'Now that stalling is no longer an option, I'll have to try that move,' A's expression shifted to one of extreme focus and determination. Even the air around him distorted as his chakra flared once again.
Maki's eyes narrowed.
'He has more tricks up his sleeve?' No matter how she looked at it, A was impressive. He was truly a remarkable shinobi. 'I'll have to defend against this attack and secure the retreat route for my army.'
Takimura and Kiri forces were slowly retreating. They had set almost the entire camp on fire and destroyed all the provision storages they could find.
The momentary happiness Maki felt when she received the news from Kaoru was already gone after she saw A preparing his new, stronger technique. But her expression grew even darker when she felt a monstrous amount of chakra explode behind her. It came from the direction where she had left Utakata and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
'Did the Six-Tails Jinchuriki lose?' Maki knew Utakata couldn't create such a commotion. She speculated it must have been the Eight-Tails and her analysis was practically confirmed when she noticed a satisfied smirk on A's face.
'Shit, the situation got troublesome very quickly,' thought Maki, flaring her chakra as she charged toward A. But the Raikage was also done preparing.
He disappeared, almost matching Maki's speed. This time, instead of three fingers, he had stretched out just one, and the chakra coat covering it was much larger and more violent than the last time.
'This must be his ultimate technique,' Maki thought, and she was partially correct.
In the fraction of a second before the impact, the heightened and boosted nervous systems of the two nintaijutsu users analyzed their opponent's moves.
'Her chakra field is even denser. I didn't realize she still had more power,' A thought.
'If I survive this, I will win,' Maki thought.
The impact was deafening. Both Maki and A used lightning chakra and the sound reflected that. The shockwave was strong enough to kill every shinobi below jonin level within a fifty-meter radius, as the lightning dancing around them didn't differentiate between foe and ally.
The intense light was followed by a deafening sound, and then both Maki and A were sent flying in opposite directions.
They crashed into trees, leaving nothing but rubble in their wake. Soon, the dust and smoke settled, revealing A leaning against a tree, breathing heavily.
'I knew it, I'm still unable to use this technique.' The ultimate form of Hell Stab was still outside of A's reach. He managed to pierce Maki's defenses but then the technique stopped working.
And now the lightning chakra cloak that had covered his body was gone, leaving behind visible injuries. None of them were serious, but it was clear that A could no longer fight.
On the other side, Maki was kneeling, coughing blood. She had a huge hole in her abdomen, but it was closing at a rapid speed. Her rough breathing slowly steadied as she raised her head. The cyan vertical slits immediately scanned the battlefield, searching for A.
"L… Lord Raikage lost?!"
"We're doomed!"
"Lady Maki won!"
"Lady Maki is the strongest!"
Those who could see both S-rank shinobi had different emotions, and those emotions intensified even more when Maki stood up, preparing to charge.
However, she suddenly stumbled, her body refusing to listen. She was now struggling to even maintain a balance as her eyes returned to normal.
'What's happening? My injury is almost healed, and I still have chakra to spare. Why can't I keep fighting?' Maki couldn't understand what was happening. This was the first time she had exerted her body so much and used Predator's Pact against such a strong opponent.
'Is this Suijingan's backlash?' Maki knew how intense the Takime clan's dojutsu backlash could be. She had seen Kaoru struggle to even stay conscious several times during training. But it had never happened to her before, mostly because she had never relied on her kekkei genkai as it had been utterly useless to her… until Predator's Pact.
'It looks like I'll have to be satisfied with what I've achieved and retreat,' she thought, turning around to prepare to go back with her army. But then, her senses screamed at her.
Maki barely managed to move her head as a familiar blade grazed her cheek. She looked back to see B standing beside A, his expression dark and menacing.
'Now I'm in trouble,' she clenched her teeth, searching for a way out. Luckily, Maki wasn't the only strong ninja in her army.
A familiar figure appeared next to her, her long red hair flowing gracefully.
"Need my help?" Mei smiled. Despite her self-declared rivalry with Maki, she was still her best friend. She was more than happy to risk her life for her sake.
'That all sounded cool and everything, but how are we supposed to survive this?' Mei tried analyzing their situation. 'The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki isn't someone I can take down. All I need to do is secure the escape route for Maki and our forces and then follow them, but…' But it was easier said than done.
Even if Mei managed to stall B, he wouldn't let her leave afterward. If she faced the Eight-Tails head-on, she'd definitely have to lay down her life, as B was much stronger and faster than her. Everyone understood that, including Maki. That's why she still tried to activate Predator's Pact, but she simply couldn't.
'Shit, just give me five more minutes. All I need is to stall for five more minutes,' Maki thought, pushing chakra into her Suijingan. But the dojutsu refused to accept it.
"Lava Release: Lava Wall!"
Mei quickly formed hand signs as B charged toward her. A wall of magma erupted from the ground, rising like a barrier between them. But B didn't slow down. He drove his fist straight through it, shattering the molten stone with a chakra-coated hand. The tailed beast's energy coursed through him, partially cloaking his body - a technique unique to jinchuriki, allowing them to wield their beast's power without fully transforming.
"Maki, retreat and bring the army with you!" Mei screamed, angered that Maki still hadn't moved. But the moment she turned her head back, B was just a few steps away.
'God, he's so strong,' Mei thought, about to perform another set of hand seals when a blade flashed in front of her, cutting off B's advance. This time, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had no choice but to stop and even retreat a few steps as a giant fireball crashed into the spot where he had stood just a second ago.
"Child, take Maki and retreat," Meruem ordered Mei, taking a fighting stance.
"Let's show him how the Terumi fight," Tenma smirked, tightening his grip on his blade as he prepared to charge.
"It's been a long time since we last fought together," said Ao, taking his place beside them.
"Ao, you must also retreat. Takimura needs you more than it needs me now," Meruem said, his words carrying a clear meaning - one that no one was willing to admit openly. With Maki unable to fight, they needed someone to sacrifice themselves to ensure the retreat.
"Old friend, you need to go too," Meruem looked at Tenma, who didn't even spare him a glance.
"Stop wasting your breath, old man. I'm going nowhere," Tenma said and immediately charged at B, his blade nearing the Eight-Tails' head.
The Kumo shinobi had regrouped quickly now that the Takimura and Kiri forces were in retreat. Their formations were tightening, their ranks restoring order. And soon, it would be impossible to escape the island alive.
"Run, you idiots! Stop wasting precious time!" Meruem roared at Ao, Maki, and Mei as he formed a rapid string of hand seals.
"Fire Release: Fire Arena!"
A wall of flames burst upward, cutting off Meruem and Tenma from the rest of the allied forces and sealing off the path.
"Grandpa…"
Mei's voice trembled, tears running freely, but she was the first to act. She rushed to Maki, helping her to her feet. Ao moved in immediately, lifting Maki onto his back as the three of them joined the retreating forces.
The time Tenma and Meruem bought them was just enough. One by one, the Kiri and Takimura shinobi reached the shoreline and flickered toward the waiting ships.
Even though the mission had been completed, it didn't feel like a victory.
The rain came down hard, hammering the sea and making movement difficult. Several shinobi nearly drowned in the rough waters, dragged to safety by their comrades just in time.
When they finally landed on the deck of the ships, soaked and breathing hard, Maki pushed herself upright and scanned the crowd with wide, frantic eyes.
"Where is Kaoru?" she asked one of the shinobi guarding the vessel, her voice shaking with panic. "Where is my brother?"
**
A/N - Took a walk in the park today and realized spring's finally here. Trees blooming, birds screaming (politely), and a dog chasing its own tail... All in all, a fun walk xD
I'm usually not a summer person as I prefer winter, but spring and autumn are definitely the sweet spot ^^
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