The cave stank of death and twisted experiments, the thick mist amplifying every sound – dripping water, growls, and the clinking of broken chains.
Makima stood at the center, her body marked by Jūgo's blows and Karin's chains. Blood flowed from her gashed cheek and pierced shoulder, but her smile remained, a mix of contempt and excitement. Facing her, Suigetsu smirked, his Kubikiribōchō slung over his shoulder, water dripping from his liquid body.
Jūgo, half-transformed, growled like a beast, his muscles swollen with natural chakra, his yellow eyes glowing with rage. Karin, in the back, adjusted her glasses, her red hair disheveled, her chakra chains ready to strike.
"You're screwed, redhead," Suigetsu drawled. "You might've killed some Anbu, but now you're in the big leagues."
Makima tilted her head, her smile widening. "Big leagues? You're insects who think you're lions."
'They're strong, but it's mostly because I'm getting weaker after the fight with Sasuke,' she thought. "Which one of you do I break first?" Her gaze locked on Karin, the most vulnerable.
"You."
Without warning, a chakra chain shot from the ground, wrapping around Makima's arm to pull her toward Karin. But Makima anticipated. As the chain drew her closer, Suigetsu burst forth in a splash of water, his massive sword slashing the air to decapitate her.
Suiton: Liquid Blade! Makima dodged at the last instant, her body bending like a shadow, the blade grazing her red hair. She landed near Karin, who gaped, shocked by her speed.
"You're too slow!" Makima growled, seizing Karin by the hair. Before the redhead could react, Makima sank her fangs into her neck, tearing the flesh.
Blood spurted, hot and metallic, and Karin screamed a piercing shriek. Makima sucked, drawing Karin's chakra, regenerating her wounds – the gash on her cheek closed, her shoulder stopped bleeding. But barely had she finished when a kick from Jūgo, charged with brute force, struck her flank.
*CRACK!* Her ribs cracked, and she flew across the cave, crashing into a stalactite that shattered into splinters.
"Bitch!" Jūgo roared, his skin scaling under his enraged transformation, claws growing on his hands. He charged, a juggernaut of muscle and chakra.
Makima got up, spitting blood, but her smile didn't waver. He hits hard, the bastard, she thought, wiping her mouth. Suigetsu seized the opening, summoning Suiton: Raging Wave.
A roaring torrent of water, mixed with sharp liquid blades, sped toward her. Makima raised a hand, a telekinetic wave pulverizing the water into droplets, but Jūgo was already on her, his fist slamming down like a battering ram.
She blocked with her forearms, but the impact made her retreat, her boot heels sliding on the damp ground.
Karin, panting, formed new chains, which wrapped around Makima's legs. "Hold her!" Suigetsu shouted, swinging his Kubikiribōchō in an arc. Makima growled, shattering the chains with a burst of mental force, but Suigetsu's blade gashed her flank, drawing a trickle of blood.
She stumbled, and Jūgo sank his claws into her shoulder, lifting her like a doll.
"You're nothing!" he bellowed, hurling her against the wall. The stone cracked, and Makima spat a mouthful of red, her body screaming in pain. Karin, still on the ground, snickered weakly. "Thought you had us? Pathetic."
But Makima burst into laughter, a chilling sound that froze the air. "Pathetic?" she murmured, getting up. They've hurt me. Good. Now, let's play. Her eyes blazed, and a crushing pressure filled the cave. "You're finished."
She charged Karin first, ignoring the pain. A chain tried to stop her, but Makima sliced it with a telekinetic blow, grabbing Karin by the throat.
She lifted her, her fangs sinking into her neck again, drawing another scream – AHHHH! Blood flowed in streams, and Makima drank greedily, her wounds closing at a visible rate. Karin scratched the air, her glasses falling, but she was powerless.
Suigetsu tried to intervene, summoning Suiton: Water Cannon. A high-pressure water jet shot forth, but Makima hurled Karin like a projectile, blocking the attack.
The redhead crashed against a wall, coughing blood, barely conscious. Suigetsu growled, raising his sword for a Suiton: Liquid Decapitation. The blade extended with water, aiming for Makima's head. She dodged, but Jūgo returned to the charge, his claws gashing her back in a spray of scarlet.
Makima roared, her patience exhausted. She pivoted, seizing Jūgo's wrist. With a gesture, she snapped it, the bone protruding from the skin. He screamed, but she didn't stop. Her fist slammed into his chest, fracturing his ribs.
She lifted him by the throat, her claws shredding his flank, tearing chunks of flesh. "You're just a beast!" she snarled, smashing his skull against the ground. Blood spurted, and she continued, dismembering Jūgo in a frenzy – an arm torn off, a leg twisted, his torso opened like a carcass. He stopped moving, reduced to a mass of smoking meat.
Suigetsu, horrified, attempted a Suiton: Water Prison. A liquid sphere trapped Makima, but she exploded the prison with a telekinetic wave, charging the swordsman.
He parried with his Kubikiribōchō, but she was too fast. Her fists plowed his face, breaking his nose, splitting his lips. He tried to liquefy, but she seized him, her claws shredding his liquid body, forcing him to reform. A final blow shattered his jaw, and he collapsed, bloody, unable to continue.
Makima panted, covered in blood – hers, Jūgo's, Suigetsu's. A movement caught her eye: a small snake slithered away, disappearing into the darkness. Orochimaru, she thought, That bastard saw an opportunity to escape, but she didn't care for now.
Her attention turned to Karin, slumped against the wall, coughing blood, her clothes torn. Makima advanced, her steps heavy, and seized her by the throat, lifting her like a broken toy.
"You're still here?" she growled, sinking her fangs into Karin's tender flesh. The redhead screamed a piercing AHHHH!, her body convulsing.
It's been a while since I've been this messed up, she thought, her anger boiling. "Thought you could stop me?" She tightened her grip, ready to shatter Karin, but stopped, her smile returning. "No... you're more useful alive. For now."
She dropped Karin, who collapsed, whimpering, and turned her gaze toward the depths of the cave. Orochimaru, you're mine.