Huff… huff…
Ayaka pants slightly as she is surrounded by the crazed rogue shinobis.
"Preserving my chakra isn't an option against these numbers. I will finish the battle with my next move."
Bzzt…
Ayaka closes her eyes and concentrates. Red lightning gathers in Ayaka's hands.
Fwish…
Multiple markings appear over her body and a chakra cloak forms around her.
"Storm Release: Raijin no tenbatsu,"
She discharges the red lightning toward the sky.
Fwoosh…
The red lightning disappears in the sky. A few seconds later, multiple storm clouds gather in the sky.
Bzzt… Crackle…
Lightning crackles through the clouds as they continue to expand in size. The clouds almost cover the entire area of the isolated space. Multiple bolts of lightning flicker through them.
"It should be enough."
Ayaka slowly lowers her raised hand. The lightning bolts in the air gather at a place and transform into lightning spears.
"Discharge!"
Bzzt… Boom…
The lighting spears rain down on the rogue shinobis and claim their lives. The powerful lightning discharge scorches the ground and creates an electric field around Ayaka as the lighting lingers on the ground.
Ayaka rests against the remains of a boulder and stares at the sky as the clouds slowly disperse.
"Have you found it?" Ayaka takes a heavy breath.
'I have found the weakness of this jutsu. To destroy it, I will transport your consciousness to the illusory space created by this jutsu. Till now, I was protecting your consciousness from the invasion of this jutsu.' Sin relays these words to Ayaka.
Hmm…
Ayaka's vision distorts slightly as everything turns red in her vision. She looks around and notices the strangeness of the surroundings. There is a giant red moon hanging in the sky.
"This is a separate dimension?"
"Yes! The consciousness of everyone is bound to this space. It took me some to invade this space without affecting the consciousness of others. Human consciousness is so fragile. If not for them, I could just destroy this simple gimmick with a wave of my hand." Sin's contemptful voice echoes in Ayaka's head.
"That's not good, Sin-chan! They are my family. I have to protect them." Ayaka shakes her head.
"So, what should I do now?" Ayaka asks Sin.
"Fine! The only safe method to dispel this jutsu is to destroy it from both inside and outside. I have already located the external medium responsible for this jutsu. We are currently standing beneath it. It's a giant crystal orb. Once you destroy it, the medium withholding the jutsu will shatter. However, this illusory reality has become self-sustaining. It requires everyone's combined effort to break it.
I will project their illusory realities in front of you. Currently, all of them are separated from each other."
The projection of multiple illusory realities appears in front of Ayaka.
Hmm…
Ayaka frowns at the scenes in the illusory reality.
"All of them are fighting against the rogue shinobis we fought earlier. There are stuck in a disadvantageous battle. I want to help them out." Ayaka clutches her fists.
"It will take a toll on your spirit." Sin warns her.
"I will take the risk!" Ayaka firms her resolve.
"Alright!"
Swoosh…
Ayaka's vision distorts again, and she appears in a secluded forest.
"This place!"
Ayaka narrows her eyes and looks around.
"This is the mist forest outside Kirigakure. That means…"
Clang… clang…
Sounds of metal clashing against metal echo in the surroundings.
"I have to hurry up!"
Ayaka hurriedly dashes in the direction of the battle.
-------------------
Tch…
"I didn't expect them to set an ambush in the forest. This area is still a part of the Kirigakure, so how could these people infiltrate Kirigakure under the watchful eyes of the patrol teams? Unless…"
Kuku… Haha…
Laughter echoes in the surrounding as some footsteps approaches them.
"… unless someone from the village sided with them, right?"
An elderly figure walks out of the forest. There are multiple rogue shinobis behind him.
"Uncle?!" Mei is shocked to see one of the village elders who is a close friend of his father.
"Why are you with them, uncle? What's the meaning of this?" She quickly regains her composure and questions the elder.
"You are asking me why I am with them? Then listen… Kirigakure has weakened under your rule. Your husband is a shinobi from Konoha and thus we are overly dependent on Konoha for even trifling matters.
Our Kirigakure is one of the five great nations with great power and yet we have recently degraded to such an extent. Both of our tailed beasts were stolen right under our noses in your rule. All of our mist swordsmen died and we have yet to find a replacement for them. Our military forces are heavily restricted and far less skilled than the previous generation, thanks to your lenient rules in the academy.
You are nothing but an incompetent Kage. So, together with the rest of the elder council, we have decided to eliminate the Terumi clan and that also includes you, the current Kage. Later, we will appoint a competent Kage and lead Kiri to greater heights again."
The elder criticizes Mei's action.
"Tch…" Mei clicks her tongue.
"Not all things aren't like how you portray them. My predecessor left such a huge mess that Kiri is still recuperating from it. Most of the mist swordsmen deserted the village during the reign of the past Mizukage. The tailed beasts had no reliable jinchuruki and Akatsuki was too big of an organization that even other great nations were afraid of their power. All of you shunned the jinchuruki of the six-tails which led him to desert the village and ended up being a target for the Akatsuki."
"LIES! All of them are blatant lies and excuses you made to placate the villagers. But all of us know… that your incompetency is the reason Kiri is in its weakest state." The elder fervently accuses Mei.
The elder's voice has a hypnotic effect on the nearby shinobis, as even Mei's entourage is swayed by his words.
"This is the only way to deal with this incompetent Mizukage who ruined Kiri. It's executing her." The elder orders his subordinates.
All of them surround Mei, and even her allies draw their weapons.
"That's enough falsehood!"
Swoosh…
Ayaka appears beside Mei with a blade in her hand.
"A… Ayaka!" Mei's eyes widen as she recognizes Ayaka.
"You are the real Ayaka!" Mei gently strokes Ayaka's face.
Crack…
The seal on her memories slowly lifts and restores her memories. The curtain of falsehood vanishes.
"Nee-san, we never had an opportunity to battle side by side. Let's use this chance." Ayaka slashes her blade toward one of the rogue shinobis.
"You are right! This illusion almost fooled me."
Mei makes some hand signs.
"Lava Release: Bone Ash Annihilation Meteor,"
Mei spews out a large blob of lava from her mouth. The lava blob turns into a giant meteor and strikes the approaching rogue shinobis. A hesitant expression appears on Mei's face for an instance.
"Don't hesitate Mei Nee-san. All of this is illusory. Trust me!" Ayaka's voice rings in her ear.
"A… alright! I believe in you, Ayaka."
BOOM…
The lava meteor explodes and creates a gigantic pool of lava on the ground. The lava engulfs the nearby rogue shinobis and traitors.
Bang… Crack…
Without a loud bang, the surroundings shatter like a glass fragment. Mei clutches her forehead as all of her disorderly memories are pieced together. She appears in a dark black space with a red waning moon.
"What a terrifying jutsu?" Mei recalls everything.
"You are back, Mei Nee-san!" Ayaka appears beside her.
"Where are we, Ayaka?" Mei asks her.
"Nee-san, you are still trapped in the illusory dimension. You have freed yourself from its influence, but we have to shatter the external medium to break free of this isolated space. I will help others break free from this illusion and then I will shatter the medium from the outside." Ayaka relays her plan to Mei.
"Be careful, Ayaka!" Mei ruffles her hair as Ayaka hops into another projection.
"That's… that's Tsunade-san's projection." Mei takes a closer look at the projections in front of her.
"It seems normal." Mei frowns slightly.
----------------------
Swoosh…
Ayaka appears inside Tsunade's illusory space.
Swoosh…
Suddenly, a kunai flies past her year.
Whoosh…
Ayaka swiftly dodges to the sides and avoids the kunais.
"Who are you? What are you doing on Hokage-sama's boat?" Naruto and Sasuke point their kunais toward her.
"Naruto Nii-san, Sasuke Nii-san! It's me, Ayaka!"
"Ayaka!" Naruto and Sasuke stare at each other.
"Do we know her?" Both of them ask each other.
Shiing…
Ayaka activates her Sharingan.
"Hmm… an Uchiha!" Sasuke frowns.
"I never saw you in the clan. Who exactly are you? Are you a spy who stole the eyes of a member of the Uchiha clan?" Sasuke clutches his kunai.
"What's the matter, Sasuke, Naruto?" Kakashi appears beside them.
"Sensei, there is a suspicious girl on the ship." Naruto points towards Ayaka.
"Who are you?" Kakashi questions her.
'Looks like all of them are illusions formed by Tsunade Nee-san's imagination. They won't recognize me and even attempt to get rid of me. I have to approach them carefully.'
"I have a piece of important information for the Hokage-sama. I am a member of Hokage-sama's secret force In-Yō." Ayaka uses Izuna's organization as her cover. She takes out a seal from her pocket and presents it to Kakashi.
'Nii-san gave this pass to me in case of emergencies."
Hmm…
"Very well, follow me!" Kakashi nods at her after inspecting the seal.
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A/N:- My new Naruto fan-fic, 'The Rogue Demon of the Shinobi World' is out.
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