Chapter 25
KARIN UZUMAKI
Karin watched as Shinso stood straight on the arena floor. The sand around him turned to glass, now glistened in the sunlight. Her heart was racing slightly as she noticed the red-haired kid from Suna starting to laugh maniacally.
She clenched her fists as she prayed silently in her heart.
"You do not have to worry so much," a feminine voice added from the side, startling her. She looked up and saw a black-haired woman smiling at her.
"According to my husband, he is amongst the most hardworking and intelligent shinobi he has ever seen. Your fiancé is going to be just fine."
Karin was still staring at the woman, trying to match her face to the various matriarchs of the clans. The woman then sighed,
"Hah, I just wish my son had the same spirit." Her tone held adoration as she said those words. The woman then turned to her once more. Seeing her perplexed expression, she giggled and Karin felt embarrassed.
"Oh, you don't seem to remember me. Oh dear, it is fine, you are new and young. No need to worry about it. You will catch up soon enough."
And Karin felt slightly easy. Then the woman introduced her.
"I am Nara Yoshino. And my husband is Nara Shikaku." As soon as the words left the woman's mouth Karin's eyes widened. The Naras were one of the major clans of Konoha. She immediately began to apologize.
"I am so sorry, Nara-sama." Karin said and bowed slightly; her face flushed in embarrassment.
"No need to apologize dear. As I said, it is fine. And call me Yoshino. No need for the formality." The woman replied as she spoke up once more. And Karin looked up once more.
Karin's eyes turned to the arena floor once more. And her eyes widened as she saw, Shinso continually blurring around the genin from Suna, attacking him from various sides.
The sand was protecting the kid from Suna, but his defense was failing as she spotted several cuts on his body. Shinso was showing his top speed. His body was nothing more than a blur.
"As I said you shouldn't worry too much." The woman said once more and Karin nodded her head. Her eyes were still focused on the arena.
Then suddenly she saw sand gush out from Gaara's gourd and thousands of needles were sent everywhere. She saw Shinso jump back, throwing his sword to the ground as he made several hand seals.
'Lightning style: Lightning cage.'
And the sand needles collided with the cage of lightning that had arisen around Shinso. He then landed on the ground and picked up his sword once more. Lightning arched over his body as he crouched, pushing the sword into its sheath.
'Lightning style: Thunderous calling.'
And she saw a lightning bolt rush towards the kid from Suna, her eyes following everything as she saw the ground crack as Shinso swung his sword. A thunderous whirring sound went through the arena as the ground was covered with smoke and debris.
She clenched her fists once more and began biting her lips. The smoke cleared and she saw that the kid from Suna was still standing. There was a loud cheer from the crowd as they spotted that the match was still ongoing.
She saw that the sand from the whole arena was now coalescing around the red-haired kid. Half his body was getting covered with sand.
There was some whirring in the ground at that. And then she saw the change in expression on red haired kid's face. Half his body was now covered by sand. Sand gushed from him, and hundreds of sand whips began thrashing around the arena floor.
Shinso was dodging them all. But the footing was getting destroyed and his field of vision was getting limited. Then she saw him jump to the walls, as he swung the scroll from his back opening it once more, she saw him smear blood on his thumb and summon another sword.
Now he was holding two swords in his hands both of them looked identical.
She then saw him look towards her booth. Even though from all this distance between them their eyes connected, she noticed him smiling at her. Her face flushed slightly, despite her trying to hide it seemed that she had been unsuccessful as Yoshino-san gushed over her.
"Oh. To be young again. I wish Shikamaru would let me set him up as well." Karin flushed more at the remark, but she recognized the name.
"Shikamaru-san is your son, right." She asked Yoshino-san who just nodded her head.
"Yes, though he seems to find everything in life a bother. Just like his father that one. I had to work him up and now, someone will have to do the same to him as well," the woman elaborated and Karin just smiled, not knowing how to react.
Her attention returned to the arena once more. The whole arena was flooded with lightning, and Shinso was blurring through the cracked and broken ground. Lightning coating and racing over his whole body.
He was now very close to the kid from Suna, she saw the kid rush at Shinso himself. His body was getting larger and now only half his face was visible through the sand covering him.
The kid held his hand up and then sand began converging toward Shinso from all sides. She saw Shinso crouch to the ground as he jumped up, as he was in the air she saw him making several hands seals the sand was now once again converging towards him.
Lightning gathered once more and then she saw him, shout the word.
'Lightning style: Abyss prison'
Now for the first time she saw, the black ink marking present on the ground, and the whole area blew up. Lightning crashed and thrashed everywhere. The whole arena floor became covered with smoke once more.
Her heart raced as the dust settled down. She noticed Shinso first. Though his clothes were dirty and his breathing was hard. He seemed fine. This should have finished it. Yet that was not the case.
She saw that someone was standing on the opposite side of the arena. The sand around the kid was falling off, his body was bleeding yet that was not what scared her.
It was the chakra she was feeling. It was sinister and ominous. It felt ancient, the sheer volume and emotions associated with it made her senses tingle. Her senses were warning her about it. She then heard him shout.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh," And sand from every crook of the arena rushed toward the red-haired kid.
The presence of chakra thickened and the whole stadium had fallen silent. The sand formed a dome surrounding him, but before she could focus on that she felt shivers run down her spine.
What is this?
She had noticed another sinister chakra. This time it was something different and coming from a different direction. And just as she was about to pinpoint its location.
BOOM.BOOM. BOOM.
There were several explosions throughout the surrounding. The biggest one coming from the Hokage booth.
"LOOK OUT!" someone shouted from the side and she looked up and saw that the ceiling had caved and was now falling towards her. She noticed Yoshino San stiffen beside her and she jumped to cover her. She closed her eyes, but the impact never came.
'Eight trigrams: Vacuum Palm.'
And the whole chunk of the roof was pushed away, crashing into the wall at the back. She could still hear the sounds of explosions and shouting around her as the environment just exploded.
Yoshino-san got up and helped Karin as well, thanking her profusely.
"Is everyone here ok?" she heard a man with white pupils and long black hair shout. The crest on his clothes indicated him as the head of the Hyuga clan. She then saw several shinobi wearing porcelain masks appear around them.
"Sunagakure and Otogakure have betrayed us. The village is under attack. Please follow the evacuation protocol." The one with the lion mask shouted.
She saw several people nod. Those who were active shinobi blurred, probably to help stop the invasion. And the words finally registered to her. Konoha was under attack. An attack by Suna and Oto both of whom were their allies.
She felt her hand getting squeezed and looked up and saw Yoshino-san looking at her. Her gaze hardened and filled with determination.
"Do not worry. You are one of us now." She said resolutely.
Karin's eyes widened slightly at that, she then looked towards the arena. Shinso was standing, holding his sword as he fought against two enemy shinobi. By his side were two shinobi, Kakashi Hatake with his silver hair and a shinobi wearing a green uniform.
She noted that the chakra around the sand dome had begun condensing and the feeling around it had grown far more dangerous and ominous. The dome was getting bigger each second. His body began to shiver as she sensed the chakra inside it. It was larger than anything she had ever seen. She was having a sensory overload. There was just too much chakra in the air.
She closed her eyes. The various inputs ended and just as she was about to open her eyes.
BOOM.
There was a huge explosion. The whole ground was shaken. The ground beneath her feet broke down and she was about to fall.
"Haaaa," and then she felt her body getting picked up by someone. She looked up and saw a kunoichi she had met just a little while ago holding her and jumping through the debris.
"Thank you," she said to Kurenai Yuhi. She was Shinso's sensei. The kunoichi just nodded and then they reached solid ground. An ANBU had picked up Yoshino san as well.
"Make your way to the shelters, Yoshino knows the way." Shinso's sensei said to her.
"But I can help," and before she could continue Kurenai-san just placed a hand on her head.
"Believe in us. We are going to get through this and this way Shinso will not have to worry about you," Karin san said kindly and Karin could see that ANBU were appearing each carrying people from the devastated sections of the arena. There was the sound of fighting everywhere. She nodded her head.
"Don't worry I will guide her," Yoshino-san said from the side and held her hand. Kurenai-san nodded her head and after giving her a small nod vanished once more.
"LET'S GO, EVERYONE. THE SHELTERS ARE THAT WAY. DO NOT PUSH ANYONE. BE CALM. TRUST THAT OUR SHINOBI WILL REPEL THE ATTACK."
Yoshino-san shouted and began to move toward the great Hokage heads. Karin looked back, and her heart stopped as she saw the scenes at the arena.
On one side a huge purple barrier had gone up. But what scared her more was the huge shadow creature, towering over the whole arena. It was a giant monster, made of sand. The sand was filled with bluish markings. Its huge singular tail was thrashing around, destroying portions of the arena.
She felt her legs weaken at the sight, her heart getting filled with dread and worry. But then she felt her hand getting squeezed once more. And she looked up and saw Yoshino-san walking forward, her gaze hardened and filled with determination as she moved through the village streets.
0000
KAKASHI HATAKE
Kakashi Hatake dodged another swipe from the Ichibi as it rampaged. Striking the attacking shinobi and killing him immediately. He looked up at the towering figure and his teeth gnashed once more.
Attacking using a jinchuriki. This way of attack annoyed him. He landed on the ground once more. Asuma, Gai, and Shinso joined him. Just then he saw an ANBU appear at their side. It was the ANBU commander.
"Sandaime-Sama and Jiraiya-sama have been trapped in the Four Violet Flames Formation. They are facing Lord Orochimaru. You will have to combat the Ichibi without their help," and then the ANBU vanished.
Kakashi was surprised by the news. The attack had been well planned. Without Lord Third or Jiraiya-same, it was impossible to reseal the Ichibi. He looked at his side and saw their slightly worried faces.
"It seems, we will have to combat the Ichibi ourselves. Shinso can you seal the Ichibi?" he asked the genin. The kid was getting attacked by two ninjas. The Kid suddenly ducked and both of them were caught by an attack by Ichibi.
"No, its chakra is too much. Any seal I use will just break easily."
Kakashi nodded his head at that. His Sharingan now spinning in his eye.
"Then we will have to push it out of the village and wait for Jiraiya and Sandime-sama," he spoke but was cut off.
"WAIT! I might not be able to seal it but I could incapacitate it." Kurenai's genin shouted as he landed behind Kakashi. Kakashi looked at the kid. The kid's face was determined. Then Kakashi saw the Ichibi begin to move, its speed slow yet now it was slowly creeping towards the resident district. And he made his decision.
"What do you need?" he asked the kid as Lightning gathered into his hand once more.
"You and Asuma-san use fire style and try and aim your attacks toward the sky. And keep it occupied."
And Kakashi nodded. Asuma beside him started making hand seals,
'Fire style: Great Majestic Flame.'
And a huge wave of fire erupted from his mouth. Kakashi moved through the various hoards of shinobi, his lightning-coated hand piercing through their bodies. And as he killed the eleventh one the lightning faded from his hand The sound of chirping ended and his hands formed hand seals in an awfully familiar pattern.
'Fire style: Phoenix Flame'
After some time Kakashi saw dark cloud appearing in the sky. Unnatural and chakra-infused dark clouds. His eye landed once more on Kurenai's students. He was bleeding now, his body littered with cuts as he held his sword in a single hand and fought off several attackers. His other hand constantly making hand seals.
"ROAAAAR!" and he had to look up once more at the towering figure of Shukaku, the sand beast. Gai' had opened the sixth gate and was constantly attacking the harrowing the giant creature.
"AOE technique, cover me for one minute!" Shinso shouted, and Kakashi shunshined to his side. Skewering the two attackers.
"I hope you know what you are doing kid," he said as the kid just began making hand seals pushing his sword into the ground.
"I hope so as well."
0000
Karin meets the Nara matriarch.
Shinso is about to face the One Tail. Are we about to see the limits of his strength?
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