Chereads / A Snake's Obsession / Chapter 72 - Chapter 72

Chapter 72 - Chapter 72

Kyoshiro was a proud ninja of Kumo. He made Jounin the hard way, grinding his skills, taking on missions that were often beyond his abilities, and fully committing himself to the work of being a shinobi. He wasn't a born prodigy, not like those churned out by Konoha. Not like the Sandaime Hokage nor the Copy Ninja. He was also a man that knew loss. Those losses connected him to the young man he was currently surveilling.

His paternal grandparents died during the sacking of Uzu, their bodies were never recovered and it left his father an orphan just as he became a genin. That very same man was struck down by the Yellow Flash himself. Kyoshiro never forgot what a Rasengan wound looked like nor the shock on his father's face. And lastly, his wife… killed by the son of the Yellow Flash and Uzu's legacy. The ambush planned by Ay-sama was to be her last mission. They wanted to start a family, they wanted to see their children grow into adulthood but they wouldn't. And Kyoshiro never even got her body back, wasn't able to give her a proper burial.

Now, he had to watch as the personification of every major loss he's ever endured strode through his village as if he were home. The bile in his throat and reddening of his eyes were ignored, along with his years of practiced control. The kunai was in his hand just as he decided to shunshin over to his target. His frizzled, platinum blond hair swayed in the wind and for the first time in months, he felt alive. He was going to get revenge.

He flooded his body with chakra, paying no mind to control. He wanted to blitz his target, to be the lightning his people wielded like no other ninja. Quick, piercing, powerful. One strike, one kill. And from his vantage point, he disappeared, reappearing right beside his target. Kyoshiro's swing neared its apex but was stopped by the Uzumaki's hand.

"This isn't a training ground, friend," the redhead informed him. Kyoshiro ignored the boy's words as the rage of having been stopped, easily, overtook him. He couldn't even remove his arm from the boy's grip. He swiftly looked to his new Raikage, the man's eyes filled with pure disbelief. He likely wanted to disavow him but it was too late. One broken man's action cascaded as several others swooped down to attack the Uzumaki. It confused him, how the boy remained motionless. That is, until he didn't. One flare of chakra and his figurative spiky mane became literal as the tendrils of chakra laced hair punctured five of his comrades.

Having no time to come to terms with the nonchalant slaying of five ninja, Kyoshiro was struck with a backfist while being relieved of his kunai. Sailing backward, eyes watering from the broken nose, the Kumo Jounin watched Darui-sama begin to perform a series of hand seals. He also saw his kunai become a kodachi as the Uzumaki swung it at the Raikage. The blade didn't make contact but, confusingly, Darui-sama stopped his hand signs and muffled a scream. An ANBU took him away, several others attempted to assault the foreign invader.

Kyoshiro speculated he had a concussion, in addition to everything else, but for some reason, it gave him a brief moment of clarity. The ANBU tried and even though he couldn't fully track the fight it was obvious they weren't up for the task. The Uzumaki was dismantling them. Two fell to his kodachi, their weapons having been cleaved through with little resistance. A third tried to sneak up from behind but was greeted with the flung blade sinking into his chest. The last two were dispatched with a brief exchange of taijutsu.

He was losing consciousness, had no hope he'd awaken if he did but Kyoshiro didn't fight it. As a pillar of water began to circle the Uzumaki, he resigned himself to the fact he'd unleashed this thing unto his village. No matter the result, his best-case scenario was to be forgotten but it was much more likely he'd be remembered as a fool. A no-talent lifer that barely made it and couldn't keep his composer when it counted. He closed his eyes so didn't see the liquid coming as it washed over the surroundings. He was mildly surprised as it wasn't water but oil.

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"Inform everyone that they are not to use suiton jutsu to put out that fire," Darui commanded. Somehow the Uzumaki had frozen his hands right to the edge of frostbite and if the medics couldn't reverse the hyoton attack fast enough then he'd lose them. He'd watched the massive sea serpent created by the Jinchuuriki and saw the katon that followed it. If anyone used water to put out an oil fire… they'd just be making matters worse.

"We've lost track of him..." one of his ninja relayed. Darui said nothing as he awaited the rest of the report. The immediacy of the moment and the pain in his hands caused him to lose his patience.

"Out with it!" he commanded.

"We've got no eyes on Uzumaki proper but several clones henge'd as other ninja, grouped in various parts of the village." Darui looked at the man, wondering why he should care about the transformation of the clones. "The first pair were of the Shodai Hokage and Madara Uchiha, sir. The second reported group was the Ni and Sandaime Hokage. A third group was the Yondaime Hokage and… Ay-sama. The, we assume, clones haven't done anything and all are being actively surrounded."

Darui chuckled, now they are waiting for orders to attack when part of the village was on fire and an enemy was loose. He almost wanted to defect right there. "Deal with the clones but have all available sensors on the search for the real Uzumaki then send Kirabi and Yugito to his location."

"We don't know where Kirabi is, Raikage-sama," the man said after a moment's hesitation.

"THEN FIND HIM."

"Sir!"

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"They look weak, Hashirama," the legendary Uchiha said, boredom imbuing every syllable. The Shodai laughed and slapped his friend and rival on the back.

"Don't be like that, Madara. I'm sure they'll defend their village valiantly," Hashirama defended, though hadn't denied they looked weak. As more and more ninja surrounded them, the duo continued to bicker until they saw the Kumo ninja tense; they were finally ready to attack. Madara wanted to instill the futility of such action promptly so appeared before a cluster of ninja, grabbing one by the throat and snapping her neck before any of the others could react.

The shock ended fast enough as the rest exploded upon whichever of the pair were nearest to them. Madara grinned as he dismantled the Kumo fodder, none comfortable in utilizing such large numbers for two targets. Their unease with using their full repertoire slowed them down and he capitalized, punishing every mistake his enemies made.

Holes in their defenses resulted in broken bones or unconsciousness. Those foolish enough to attack with weapons found themselves impaled with their own instrument. One enemy went for a poorly timed stab and found his throat slit, Madara used the arterial spray to blind several approaching ninja and stabbed each in a vital organ as he flowed through their broken formation. When the Kumo ninja became reluctant to near him he unleashed an inferno to punish their cowardice. Their pained screams a fitting soundtrack to Kumo's last dance.

While not as gleeful, Hashirama was just as merciless in his dispatching of the enemy nin. He unsealed his long sword and sliced through all so foolhardy as to get near him. When the close combat ended and they switched to long-range weapons and ninjutsu, the Shodai demonstrated why when it came to ninjutsu he was in a class of his own. The forest he manifested tore at the mountainous surface, ripping and removing all that would stand in opposition to their emergence. And then, Hashirama disappeared, instantly having altered the battleground to his liking. Konoha ninja were unparalleled when fighting in the trees and none more so than the Mokuton wielder.

Whatever reluctance the remaining ninja felt about following Hashirama into the uninviting trees, their decisions were made when the other option was Madara's fire jutsu. They rushed into the tree cover, not a single one believing they weren't running to their deaths, haunted by the darkness of the forest and Madara's menacing laugh.