Title: End 9
...
As the ice castle trembled under the unexpected assault of both physical strength and searing heat, Kakashi and the others tensed, preparing for whatever formidable adversary approached. The air crackled with anticipation as the oppressive aura of power loomed closer, sending shivers down the spines of even the most seasoned Shinobi.
The castle gradually melted as a figure emerged from the intense blaze, a silhouette wreathed in flames that danced and flickered. The heat radiating from the newcomer was so intense that it seemed to distort the air around him, creating a shimmering mirage-like effect that added to the already tense atmosphere.
As the flames subsided, revealing the form of their foe, everyone's expression sank as they found this person unfamiliar. And in this war, unfamiliar meant enemy. To make matters worse, he was visibly a Reanimated Shinobi and from his head band, he was a Kumo ninja.
Glances were immediately exchanged between the Allied Shinobis and a general consensus was reached by them all - They didn't recognise him. Not even the Kumo Jounins with them recognised this person.
"Oh? Seems like Lord Anel was right...I would find worthy opponents if I jumped down." The man said as his aura around him dissipated completely, returning the temperature back to normal.
"Akarui! Jumping down like that is irresponsible! Even for an undead like us." Another voice rang out as space shimmered beside Akarui who turned to see someone walk out of the space.
"I didn't ask you to follow me y'know? It's not like I needed you here in the first place." Akarui said in obvious distaste for the newest arrival.
However, as they spoke, the temperature suddenly lowered as they found themselves being bound by the Ice they stood on.
"I don't know who you both are, but looking down on us that way...is not wise at all." Yusano said with annoyance, however, as the Ice made to freeze their heads, her expression changed.
Akarui smirked as the heat he emanated previously appeared again, and this time, with more intensity, melting the ice around him in mere moments. As for Tenkuji, he merely walked out of the ice and distanced himself from Akarui.
"Forgive my comrade for his crass behavior, but we both are here for different reasons." Tenkuji said with a small and apologetic smile.
"What does that mean?" Kakashi asked as he kept his rotating Sharingan on the man.
"It's simple, we're actually reinforcement for the Allied Force, but my friend there felt a Chakra he would like to clash with. I just came to keep him in check in case things go awry,"
"And you expect us to believe that?" Hayato asked as he brandished his sword.
Tenkuji shrugged but didn't say anything before turning to Akarui. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Of course I do. Who do you take me for?"
"A block head...like Anel-sama."
"Hey! I take offense at that...but still, who doesn't want a challenge or two when they get too strong?" Akarui said as an axe from nowhere appeared in his hand.
"Little Ice girl, I can tell you're the strongest of everyone here. What do you say? One on one, or one in many?" Akarui smirked as he asked.
Yusano however wasn't paying attention to him but had her eyes fixed on the axe. "You must be Akarui of the Sun...I've heard about you."
"Oh?!" Akarui exclaimed in surprise.
"What? Who's that?"
"You know of him Yusano?"
"Hmm, not him per se, but the axe in his hand." Yusano began. "Our clan has had five weapons directly passed down from the days of the Sage of Six Paths. An axe, sword, bow, rod and cape. They give their wielders unique powers at the expense of something."
"The Sword helps its wielder unleash flames of immense proportion. Flames capable of turning anything it touches to ash... depending on the wielder's chakra."
"The bow enables its user to shoot air arrows that move at speeds and precision beyond human perception. It however, saps its wielder of their spiritual or mental energy."
"The Rod helps its user channel World ending lightning while putting immense strain on the users body. The cape helps its user fly while also providing an impenetrable defense. The axe..."
"That axe...it gives the owner immense power and chakra...not just any chakra, but pure natural sun chakra. However you want to imagine it. With that energy pouring into the user's body, their physical strength, aura and chakra explodes to reach levels so high that I can't even explain."
"That's impossible...right?" One sand Jounin asked in trepidation.
"And there aren't any drawbacks?"
"No…there is…In exchange for this power…his lifespan will be shortened with each use."
"Why haven't we heard of this?" Another Jounin asked, this time from Kumo.
"It's normal that you've never heard of it. Those weapons chose their wielders. The only exception was the Sword. It was Given away to Hashirama by the First Hanakage."
"We don't have such a sword." Kakashi said after some thought. He was an Anbu and village secrets were always available to him.
"It's no wonder. Even a replica such as the thunder sword of the second Hokage was stolen, why would the Ash-Bringer be safe with the village?" Yusano snorted.
"It's stolen?"
"Nah, if you so much as tough it without its permission, you'll be burnt to ashes,"
"How does that happen?"
"It simply sucks your chakra till every single drop of energy in your body is consumed. Then, you'll be nothing but ash..." Yusano tried to explain as much as she could. After all, she'd never seen or touched the sword. All she was saying was speculation on her part.
"Then this man..."
"Yeah...he's probably the strongest foe we'll face in this war... however, we have an advantage." Yusano said with a confident smile
"It's night...isn't it?" Kakashi asked and she nodded.
"Kakashi, you keep an eye on the other one. He seems to be proficient in space movement. As for the others...watch yourselves." As she said that, her figure disappeared and the next moment, swords made of Ice clashed against a fiery axe.
"You are very well informed. But don't you think it's a little bit stupid to use Ice against me?" Akarui asked as his figure bent over a little.
Compared to Yusano who was around 5'9, Akarui was borderline 6'5, a giant in his own right. And to have been suppressed by Yusano, it was testament of her physical strength.
"If you knew me, you wouldn't look down on me for an instant." She said with a smirk of her own as the star in her eyes spun as eyes began coating her entire body before settling in the form of an armor.
"Impressive. As expected of a Tengen." Akarui said with a laugh. As he laughed, the aura pouring out of him increased as the ice close to him began melting, but Yusano didn't give him a chance.
"[Domain Expansion: World of Infinite Ice!]"
All Akarui saw was a pure white light that caused him to close his eyes, when he did open it however, he found himself in a whole new location. For as far as his eyes could see, it was Ice. Even the heat pouring out of his body couldn't affect the ice in this world. At most, it kept the ice from touching him.
"The domain expansion...it truly did live up to its name. A pity I didn't get to fight you when I was alive...you may have won." Akarui said and raised the hand holding the axe up.
Yusano frowned a little bit hearing his words, but she didn't allow it to get to her. She knew full well that someone of this caliber wouldn't be defeated just by her domain.
People have been known to have defeated Tengens even with their domains. Someone on the level of the first generation Kages wouldn't be too far off from that class.
"You see, young Tengen, the Axe of Annihilation doesn't just absorb Sun energy and pass it to me..." Akarui began, and as he talked, the Axe began heating up, and unlike his own heat, this one actually affected her domain. "It also absorbs and holds in, the excess energy I'm unable to absorb."
Watching the ball of flame that was once an axe-head, Yusano's expression turned grim. The heat she was feeling from this axe wasn't just any heat...not even the heat from flames were this hot...it was as if-
"[Cruel Sun!]"
As Akarui unleashed his technique, Yusano knew she had to act fast to counter the devastating attack, not even her Rikugan could give her a counter for that technique. Drawing upon her deepest reserves of power, she channeled her chakra into a protective barrier of ice, forming a crystalline shield around herself to deflect the searing heat of the approaching inferno.
The collision between the scorching blaze of the Cruel Sun and the icy barrier created a spectacular display of elemental Energies clashing in a fierce battle for dominance. The intense heat radiated outward, melting the surrounding ice and vaporizing the air, while the frozen defenses strained under the overwhelming pressure.
Yusano gritted her teeth as she poured more and more chakra into maintaining her barrier, her expression was one of determination despite the immense strain on her body. She could feel the oppressive heat seeping through the cracks in her defenses, threatening to overwhelm her with its blistering intensity.
But just as it seemed like all hope was lost, a sudden surge of energy surged through her veins, revitalizing her weary spirit. Drawing upon her willpower, she reinforced her icy barrier with newfound strength, pushing back against the relentless onslaught of the Cruel Sun.
With a mighty roar, Yusano unleashed a powerful counterattack of her own, channeling her chakra into a focused beam of frigid energy aimed directly at Akarui. The freezing blast collided with the fiery inferno, creating another spectacular explosion of elemental forces that sent shockwaves rippling through the Domain.
As the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Yusano stood and looked on grimly as Akarui stood without so much as a tear on his clothes. His axe was relaxedly placed on his shoulder as he whistled.
"Damn! That almost got me. Unfortunately for you...I'm immortal."
Yusano frowned as she began to reassess this man in front of her. Her Thought Acceleration was put to good use as she thought of countermeasures, finally, she could only come up with one possible future for winning.
-She has to separate him from his axe-
The axe granted him power. Power he had absorbed over his many years of living. And this was an axe that continually absorbed Sun energy on a daily basis.
In a nutshell, he was unbeatable. Truly invincible and Immortal in its truest sense.
'Taijutsu it is then.' She thought and swiftly repaired and reinforced her Ice armor before stepping on a flash step and shooting towards the man, her ice swords gleaming as she closed the distance between herself and her foe.
Akarui, undeterred by Yusano's advance, met her head-on with a confident smirk, his fiery axe poised for battle as he braced himself for the impending clash. As Yusano lunged forward with lightning speed, Akarui deftly sidestepped her attack, his movements fluid and precise as he danced around her with ease.
Yusano, unfazed by Akarui's evasion, pressed on with relentless assault, her ice swords flashing in display of skill as she unleashed a flurry of strikes against her opponent. With each blow, she aimed to find an opening in Akarui's defenses, but Alarui proved to be formidable, his reflexes honed to perfection as he parried each of Yusano's attacks with effortless grace.
As the battle raged on, Yusano and Akarui became locked in a deadly dance of blades, their movements a blur of speed and agility as they traded blow for blow with unmatched ferocity. With each clash, sparks flew and the air crackled with energy as their weapons collided with bone-jarring force, sending shockwaves rippling through the Domain with each impact.
But despite Akarui's formidable strength and skill, Yusano refused to back down, drawing upon the energy of the domain to continue fighting with unwavering determination, her ice swords slicing through the air with precision and power as she sought to overcome her fiery foe.
As the battle reached its climax, Yusano saw her opening and seized it with all her might. With a lightning-fast movement, she lunged forward with a powerful slash, her ice swords aimed directly at Akarui's right hand with deadly accuracy.
But just as her blade was about to make contact to separate his hand from his body, Akarui unleashed a sudden burst of flames, enveloping himself in a blazing inferno that sent Yusano staggering backwards in surprise.
With a triumphant grin, Akarui seized the opportunity to counterattack, his fiery axe swinging down with devastating force as he aimed to deliver the finishing blow.
But Yusano, undeterred by Akarui's sudden onslaught, willed her Domain to move her as leaped into the air with a graceful spin, narrowly evading his attack as she landed on the ground with a determined thud.
"You're good. Too good in fact. Are you by chance a Kage?" Akarui asked, intrigued but Yusano snorted. Her mind was entirely focused on the minute movements within the Domain.
The Domain was an extension of her chakra, which was also an extension of her. Within it, she was akin to God...not in the sense of Shun but in the sense that she could will anything to happen.
She could will Ice mountains into existence, as far as she had the chakra to execute it. She could also will Akarui to be sealed in Ice, as long as he doesn't fight back or was weakened enough to be sealed.
It was that simple, but against the might of the Axe, she was humbled, even within her Domain.
With a fierce cry, she channeled her chakra into her ice swords, infusing them with newfound power as she prepared to unleash her ultimate technique. As she did that, her Domain gradually cracked and by the time she unleashed the technique, her domain was no more.
"[Frozen Hell!]" With a mighty roar, Yusano unleashed a powerful torrent of ice, sending a wave of freezing energy hurtling towards Akarui with unstoppable force. As the icy blast enveloped him in its frigid embrace, Akarui found himself frozen in place, his fiery aura extinguished by the overwhelming power of Yusano's ice.
With a victorious smile, Yusano stood tall as she saw the frozen figure of her foe, she turned around to see that no one from the allied force had made a move since she left and neither had the one called Tenkuji.
Pointing her sword at Tenkuji, she said. "Your move."
...