Naruto: Tales of Ashihara
Kakumei – Arc 4: Might Makes Right
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Chapter 95 – The Union counter attacks
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It has now been 2 weeks since the 7th Hokage's disappearance and Izuna Uchiha's kidnapping. In Konohagakure, the Kage council is united in a strategic meeting room with Sakura Uchiha, the temporary replacement for the Hokage, gathered around a war table with a map of Shin no Kuni's shore and its surroundings.
Together, with their assistants, advisors, and with Konohamaru Sarutobi, the Kage have spent the last few days planning their offensive against the enemy. They're now settling it and deciding on the final plan. Each nation will have its role, and each has to choose their captains.
"So… Konohamaru will be the chief general of this operation." Sakura reminds everyone. "Hinata and Hanabi Hyuga will lead the reconnaissance squad. They will locate the main targets and Izuna. These are the parts of Konoha in this. We still have to choose who will lead all the other squads."
Darui turns around to stare at Samui behind him, and together they think in silence. Gaara does the same with Kankuro, and Chojuro with Mizuno. The Mizukage is the first to speak.
"My battalion will directly enter the village from the sky. They'll be led by Suigetsu Hozuki until they reach the ground. Then, … Takeshi Minamoto will take on."
"Suigetsu Hozuki is a former member of Akatsuki…" Kurotsuchi mentions. "Are you sure about leaving him such a responsibility?"
"He is very important to my village, and has my boundless trust." Chojuro confidently answers.
"… Ok for Suigetsu, but Takeshi?" Sakura says. "I know that he's taking this personally and really wants to do all he can, but isn't he too young? Why not Tsubai?"
"Tsubai is on the reconnaissance team, and he can't lead that one." the Mizukage justifies. "Takeshi is 17. I know he's not an adult but he isn't a kid anymore either. Besides, his skills go far beyond his age. He's honestly the most talented ninja I've ever seen. It will be his first time leading such a mission, but not his first time as a captain. With him as a team leader with no superior, he'll be free to follow his own lead, and the tengu in his body. It fits him perfectly."
Sakura doesn't argue with that. She knows how powerful Takeshi is, and is actually to hear that his role is justified. Gaara, the Kazekage, is next to speak.
"My ninjas from the sealing squad will enter by the front gate. So others will have to clear the way for them. Our objective will be to free the Kyubi from his host. So the reconnaissance squad first has to locate the jinchuriki. If needed, I'd like to have Kiri's ninjas inside the village to occupy the target until we get there. Kankuro will lead the sealing squad."
"I'll clear the way to the entrance for you." Darui says. "My men will go forward to reach the castle and Kakumei's leader in person."
The Kage, their supporters and everyone else in the room gasp in surprise at this announcement.
"What? Why would you do that?" Sakura asks.
"Lady Hokage…" Samui, the Raikage's assistant, says. "You have to understand that Kumo's will to participate is in no way motivated by the wish to free the Kyubi or your son. Our purpose is solely to put an end to the enemy. This means eliminating their leader."
At this remark, Sakura holds her words back. Despite Naruto's situation, her missing son and the ambiguous case of Sasuke, she didn't think about killing Oshio at all. She's not sure if she's ready to let this happen. Gladly, before she has to bring this up, Shikamaru speaks his thoughts for her.
"Raikage, with Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha gone, Oshio Uchiha is now the most powerful individual in the world." he says. "How can you be any confident about engaging in combat against him and hoping to win?"
"Sorry if it sounds any rude, but this kid's just a kid." Darui answers. "He may have a Rinnegan, a Mangekyo Sharingan and whatever kind of gifted power, he's too young to be considered a threat like Madara."
"He's 17. The same age as Sasuke when he saved all your asses with the same powers!" Sakura exclaims, frustrated by the naivete of Darui's reasoning.
"Can we please keep calm?" Gaara demands, wanting the focus to stay on the topic.
"Lord Raikage, …" Temari says, agreeing with her brother and her husband. "I reckon no one here is in the right to stop you, and we won't try to. But I'm sure everyone here agrees with me when I say that no one with such eye prowess should ever be underestimated."
"… Naruto… I mean the 7th Hokage is without a doubt the wisest and most powerful ninja to have ever existed." Darui declares, to justify his plan. "He is the pillar that holds the peace he built and brought to us. For the world to go on without him is too much to ask. Yet, as long as we'll be in this situation, our only hope is to go as far as we can ambition. This enemy, Oshio Uchiha, is an incarnation of the new normal that this world has to live with. Himself and his allies are proof that the new generation is far greater than any other before. But this youth exists in all our nations. Without Naruto and Sasuke Uchiha, they're who we have to put our trust in, and I'm 100% ready to do so."
Sakura, not knowing what to answer, looks at Shikamaru and Konohamaru to guess their feelings about this. The advisor slowly nods, accepting Darui's statement. The new generation he is referring to must be his pupils, his daughter and apprentice, Aoki and Yukai. Their heroism and reputation are on par with Naruto's when he was their age. They are certainly far stronger than the other nations know now.
Gaara thinks the same. After all, his own son, Shinki will also be first in line in this operation, and Takeshi of Kiri will even be in charge of his village's division. Kurotsuchi, who didn't speak until now, looks at her own pregnant belly, and decides to make the announcement she was waiting to do.
"Guess it's my turn to speak." she says. "And to apologize for not being able to participate in this… As you can see I shouldn't even be here. I could go into labor anytime soon, and I just got the news this morning that the capital of my land is currently under attack by Kakumei. I don't ask any of you to help. Striking their HQ is a better initiative than stopping any offensive. But understand that my priorities have to be in my Daimyo's territory."
"We understand…" Chojuro says, before having a sudden question popping in his head. "Um… Raikage, you didn't name the leader of your troops."
"I will lead them myself." Darui replies. "Wouldn't be dull that at least one of the Kage is physically present in such an operation, don't you think?"
"Ok… then we're just missing Konoha's leader." Chojuro adds. "We know that Sarutobi will lead the operation, and that the Hyuga clan's head is in charge of the reconnaissance division, but someone's gotta be put in command of Konoha's squad on the field."
Everybody looks at Sakura, expecting an answer. When they notice that she's instead staring at Konohamaru, they all follow her gaze, and the Sarutobi is now who's expected to respond. He takes a deep breath in after quickly thinking of it, and looks at Sakura.
"Saku… I mean, Lady Hokage, I recommend we choose Boruto Hyuga." he suggests. "If my nephew, Takeshi Minamoto, is leading for Kiri, then Boruto can do the same for us. I've seen him in many missions and I know that he'll succeed in such a task, especially if it consists of assisting me."
"… But he's still a Chunin." Shikamaru says.
"It's okay. I'll promote him to Jonin. He's well deserving of it." Sakura says. "And honestly, the only reason Naruto didn't do it is because of his inverted family bias."
Darui lightly nods, agreeing with this fact. He himself will have his daughter and student next to him in the coming battle in which he will pursue a secret purpose defined by his village's honorable council, and that he carefully kept secret from the other nations, to avoid their hostility.
Shikamaru, Samui, Mizuno Kankuro and Temari look at the war table and how it's been set for now. They all nod together, estimating that the plan is ready for action.
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Still in Konoha, in front of the academy, Boruto Hyuga is sitting on the swing and waiting for his sister to arrive. His mother is busy with express training at the Hyuga main house with Hanabi. Having been away from her ninja life for long, she is making sure she's still capable of what she once could do.
While Boruto sits here, he's joined, as usual, by Kanojo Doroku, the daughter of the janitor, who comes sitting on the second swing next to him. Unlike the other times they met, Boruto stays silent and doesn't even acknowledge her. Kanojo understands very well why he's quiet. She knows what happened to him, and she thinks it's worse than it actually is. It is the first time they meet since the attack.
"Um… It's been a while, hasn't it, Boruto?" she first says, attempting to start a conversation.
Boruto doesn't answer. He keeps looking at the ground, deep in his thoughts. She tries to insist.
"Do you feel any better since that happened?" she adds. "Maybe you'll feel better if you talk about it?"
He still doesn't say anything. Actually, he's amused by her good will. In reality, his mind is busied by the thought of getting to fight the one who did this to his father. He will also meet with Takeshi again as well. For him, this ultimate mission will be a test. An evaluation of the progress he made with Sasuke. According to his missing master, he should have caught up to his rival now. Is that really so? He wonders.
"You know… Lord 7th was really an example to follow for everyone." Kanojo says, still trying to sympathize. "I find it hard to believe that the world is still standing without him."
After this sentence, she hears Boruto grinning, which alerts her. Why would the son of the Hokage laugh at this? Suddenly Boruto raises his head and looks up. Without staring at her, he speaks up.
"What makes you say the world is still standing? How do you know it's not on the verge of collapsing? This is how it looks to me, at least. And it's up to us to hurry and make things right, before it's too late."
At the gate of the academy, Himawari walks out, calmly, not as cheerful as she used to be. She simply stares at her brother, waiting to be noticed, and then turns left to walk to her home, expecting him to follow. Boruto stands up and quickly gazes at Kanojo before leaving. He just now notices that she's not wearing her glasses. He hides his feelings and speaks with a made up confidence.
"It's the first time I see your face so well…" he comments before quickly changing topic and turning around. "Soon, I'll meet with Kawaki again. And this time, I'll win."
After these few words he disappears and goes to find his little sister. Kanojo stays sitting there, amazed by what he first said. She brings her hands to her face and analyzes herself, to guess what Boruto meant by this. Alone in daydreams, she's interrupted a while later when she notices her father coming out of the academy. She breathes in, and goes to follow him, to make sure he gets home quickly without stopping by any place that her mother wouldn't like him at.
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2 days later, in the lands of Heart, in Hikarigakure, Oshio Uchiha sits quietly in front of his mutilated captive brother, waiting to be noticed. Izuna felt his presence several minutes ago, but just chose to stay silent. Having understood this, Oshio starts a conversation.
"The world is definitely up to something…" he says. "Why were there no great funerals for the Hokage? Why is the news so slow to spread? And about our father, it seems like they still didn't figure it out. Are they afraid of looking for him?"
"Why do you not hate him?" Izuna suddenly asks. "You said he died by your fault, as if you felt any guilt from it. Why? Isn't he who put you in this situation? Isn't he the reason you had to become who you are?"
"Why would I hate him for this?"
"Because you hate yourself."
Oshio raises his eyebrows, taken by surprise by this analysis. Did he make himself too obvious to Izuna, or is it just him who's good at reading people, even without eyes? After a few seconds, he makes sure that no one but them is in this room, bends over to get closer, and replies.
"You know what? You're right. I hate what I am and what I have become." she honestly says. "I can't stand myself. I despise every single aspect of my existence. In fact, I tried to put an end to this… miserable life more than once. But I never could. Not because I lack the willpower to do so, but because of something I can't understand that makes me hate myself even more."
Izuna stands still, agape. He didn't expect such sincerity from his brother, and certainly didn't expect to hear that either. Oshio attempted suicide, several times. What is going on in his older sibling's mind is starting to make sense to him. Oshio, disturbed by his own truth, plays it down.
"But our father isn't at fault in my fate at all." he says.
Just when he thought he understood, this last statement makes everything even more confusing to Izuna. Oshio can't be bland enough to consider himself the only responsible for his misery. If not his father, who does he blame? Momoshiki? He can't deny that Sasuke could have saved him.
"Yes he is at fault." he argues. "He's the reason for your mother's death."
"Interesting…" Oshio leans back and rubs his chin, changing the topic. "I guess you're referring to what you think you learned from Jin Heihachiro. Is it? Go on, I'm listening."
"… Your connection to him is the reason Momoshiki came after you, abducted you, and killed your mother. It all happened because Dad was naive enough to let you exist without knowing."
"So I'm the unwanted child of Sasuke Uchiha with a woman he met in his youth?" Oshio spells. "Of course this is what my supposed grandfather told you."
"What? What do you mean?" Izuna questions, intrigued by how his brother's tone implies disagreement.
"Anyway,… If this is how you think of me, why do you even see me as part of your family?" Oshio answers. "I don't even know the said family… How are they? Sarada, our little sister, and Sakura?"
Izuna raises his head toward Oshio and frowns, somehow deeply angered by this question.
"Why are you asking?" he says. "Were my eyes not enough? You want to take this from me too, now?"
Oshio makes a disappointed face, unsettled by how his brother understood this question. Deranged by this hostility, he stands up and turns around.
"It's not what I meant… But know that all this was supposed to be mine. Not yours." he tells Izuna before going, leaving his brother with even more questions to keep him busy.
He walks past Minoka who comes in with a cup of hot chocolate milk just as he exits, and stops behind her for a moment.
"Get whatever is in his forehead, and dispose of him." he says before leaving back to his office, unpleased by his brother's ignorance.
Minoka raises her head and looks to the clueless prisoner. She shrugs, and thinks she might do as asked later, but not now. Izuna stays quiet, he can feel that Oshio left and that he's now alone with the scientist that he identified by the strong odor of chocolate spreading in the room. He clenches his fists in anger, more willing to leave than ever.
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Oshio goes through the long corridor behind the steel door and reaches the meadow in the forest behind the village. He then takes the passage back to the main castle's garden and returns to his territory. There, he crosses paths with Mikitaka and Akiko arguing as always. When she sees the Uchiha, Akiko takes it easy and starts acting more responsible, but Miki doesn't.
Bored by these endless scenery, Oshio leaves the castle and goes for a walk through the streets of the village where the people greet him as a hero, as usual. There, he's stopped in his pointless wanders by a young blonde girl calling his name in a very formal way.
"Lord Oshio, please!" she yells.
He turns around to face her and senses her chakra to guess who she is.
"You're… Akiko and Fuyuko's sister?" he suggests.
"Uh… Y-Yes. My name is Karina Yamanaka. Did they speak of me?" she asks.
"Fuyuko did mention you many times." he replies. "What do you want? Is it about them?"
"Yes, Lord. It's just that… They're in this village. They've been here all along, but since they were abducted, they didn't come back home, not even once."
Oshio listens quietly, curious to learn more about his friends' family situation. Karina continues.
"I'm sure Fuyuko would come to visit at least, but Akiko wouldn't, and Fuyuko is too focused on following him everywhere, or… Sorry, should I say her and not him?"
"It is 'her' for Akiko. Go on."
"Well, about that actually. I know our dad's a dick, honestly. I know Akiko doesn't want to see him at all, but Mom and I… There's no reason to stay away from us. They grew up and have means now. Why are they not thinking of us?… I'd just like to ask you, Lord Oshio, if you can speak with them about us?"
"How old are you?" Oshio asks promptly.
"Um… 16?" Karina replies.
"So you're their little sister. I see." the sovereign thinks aloud. "I will discuss with them, no worries. Also, I have no objection to letting you enter the castle to see them by yourself."
"Um… I'd prefer that you speak with them first."
"Of course. I will." he accepts, understanding that the young girl might be unsure of who her siblings became, and would rather be sure to be introduced before meeting them again.
"Oh… Thank you, Lord Oshio."
"Stop being so formal. I'm a friend of your siblings. The kind of guy you'd see hanging around with them if we were all normal people. No need to be this respectful."
"Uh… As you wish." Karina replies, a bit troubled by the leader's friendliness.
As they speak, they're interrupted by a loud explosion that can be heard coming from the distance, beyond the gates of Hikari in the forest. Oshio turns around to face this place. Karina stays standing behind him, intrigued and worried. Suddenly, in Oshio' mind, he hears the voice of Akiko.
"Oshio, This looks serious! We're under… uh? What are you doing with my sister?" Akiko asks, sensing these two chakra at nearly the same spot.
"It doesn't matter for now." Oshio replies. "We're under attack, you were saying. The nations have chosen war."
"Um, yeah. They're doing us a Marine ford arc, I guess." Akiko says. "But I doubt they brought a White Beard with them."
"Akiko, be serious!" Oshio exclaims, sensing ninjas unleashing their power toward the village. "Who's at the gate?"
"Ninjas of Konoha, Kumo, Suna." she says. "No one else for now. They're making their way through the forest. Fuyuko is close to there. What should we do?"
Oshio takes a moment to sense where all his friends are. Meinu is in the land of Earth with her girls. Mikitaka is at the castle with Akiko. Fuyuko is at the gates. Kawaki is training with his squad not far from there, and Minoka is at her underground lab, beneath the village, on the other side.
"Tell Kawaki to go with his squad and block the entrance. Mobilize all the troops to keep the gates. Fuyuko should go with Kawaki. You and Mikitaka will defend the village from inside. Minoka needs to stay hidden in her lab, with Izuna."
"What about you?" Akiko asks.
He turns around and senses Karina and other villagers standing there, staring at the smoke of the explosion rising to the sky. With a simple sign of his hand, he tells everyone to run in a specific direction, toward a passage that will lead outside the village from behind. Doubting that they'll have enough time to evacuate, he makes a decision.
Tajuu Kage Bunshin
With a series of hand signs, he creates 3 dozens of clones that leap through the village to assist the population in different areas.
"I will let the people escape with Chimatakami." he tells Akiko. "I'll send everyone to a nearby village for now. Then, I'll return to the castle."
"Evacuating everyone with your eye will be too costly in chakra, man." Akiko worries.
"We're under attack. No time to account for this kind of issue." Oshio promptly replies before getting to work and leaving all his friends to do the same.
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In the enormous forest in which the village of Hikari is hidden, the shinobi of Kumo, Konoha and Suna are gathered many hundreds of meters away from the gate that Suna just attacked from a distance with explosives, to reveal the village hidden by an illusion.
The 3 armies are in ranks in front of Konohamaru Sarutobi, the chief general. Leading the first squad, Konoha's attack team, is Boruto Hyuga. In the squad are mostly older ninjas, including Shino Aburame, Udon Ise, Choji Akimichi whose missing hand he lost against the Daitengu years ago didn't hold him back, and Mirai Sarutobi. But there is also Inoue Yamanaka, who refused to be part of the reconnaissance team and got what she wanted.
Leading Suna's sealing squadron is Kankuro, in front of Shinki and his teammates Mira Fuhatsu and Shakiro Araya. Other puppet and seal masters such as Mariona Shirogane (the woman that Inoue fought in the chunin exam) and Maki (former student of Pakura) are also present.
Kumo's first line rush squad is led by the Raikage himself and contains Omoi, Aoki, Yukai, W, Atsui, Maroi, Narui, Kaminari and a lot of other high elite ninjas of the village. A medical emergency squad, led by Ashi Rinha, the captain of Kiri's medical department, and C from Kumo is dispersed through the other squads.
Finally, in the back is the reconnaissance squad, led by Hanabi Hyuga. Under her commandment are Hinata Hyuga, Yome Horikawa (the Tomegan user of Suna), and other people with eye powers. There are also members of the Yamanaka clan together with Tsubai Minamoto who ensure the communication with Ino Yamanaka, the clan head who stayed at Konoha to coordinate the operation with Sakura, Chojuro and Gaara.
Konohamaru gazes through the crowd and stops to look at Hanabi. He goes next to Boruto and makes a quiet remark.
"Honestly, Hanabi may be stronger than me, and she already fought their army's general. Having her by our side and leaving the reconnaissance to Hinata would be a good choice."
"It's too late for changes, uncle." Boruto answers. "We don't need Aunt Hanabi to beat the general. I'll take care of him myself."
"There's no way I leave this to you alone." Konohamaru answers.
"They're in ranks!" Hinata exclaims when she sees Kawaki and his squad arrive at the front gate of the village.
Kawaki looks back to see the 23 young members of his personal squad, and all the other ninjas of the village behind. They seem to be at a number disadvantage, which is why he intends to be the first defense line himself. This should considerably reduce the enemy's amount.
In the crowd, Minako Onikuma is readying a little voodoo doll that she straps to her belt and a collection of little patches marked with a distinctive pentagram on them. Kawaki turns around and goes by her side. He takes the patches from her hand and looks at the other ninjas of the squad.
"Sorito, Akira, Imi, you'll assist Minako." he says while distributing the patches to these 3. "Follow her and stick these to all the enemies she'll indicate."
Imi Nakamori, the mute 12 year old ninja, takes the stickers and nods. Sorito Kijima, the former test subject of Minoka, is unsure of this decision as his durability could have other uses on the field, but accepts. Akira Shiin, a 14 year old red haired green eyed man with a haircut similar to Kawaki's but with a hair lock almost hiding the right half of his face, just complies without a word.
Next to Julia Tomoe, the blonde haired 16 year old member of the squad with black eye rings and thick eyelashes, Fuyuko Yamanaka arrives and stands next to her. He and Kawaki quietly nod at each other, as a greeting. The Yamanaka then looks at the woman next to him.
"Hey, blondie!" he calls her. "Is this natural or is it eyeliner?" he asks about her eye rings.
"Um.. I was born with these eyes… And you?" she replies, then asking about his eye contours.
"Looks cool. For me it's eyeliner." he answers.
"You're Fuyuko, right? Not the girl, Akiko I mean?" Julia tries to guess.
"Yeah. The one without eyelashes." Fuyuko answers. "Whatever, we better focus on the bastards in front of us."
He steps forward and gets next to Kawaki who activates his Shojo seal and Byakugan to briefly look at the enemies in ranks. He stops after noticing Boruto standing as the captain of one of the 5 squads.
"Akiko, Imi and Sorito, you stay grouped. Minako, follow them. Everyone else follows Fuyuko. No one behind me. I will go to the front immediately to meet the enemy leaders."
After these words he jumps off the border of the wall surrounding the village and runs across the forest, toward the troops of Konoha, Kumo and Suna.
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"The general stepped forward!" Hinata shouts to her troops.
Konohamaru breathes in and out, gets in position and speaks to everyone as the chief general.
"The primary objective is to find and rescue Izuna Uchiha. Each squad has a second objective defined by your village. As soon as we engage the main forces, Kiri's squad will join the battle from inside the village. Division 1 from Konoha, you stay outside and occupy the main army. Division 2 from Suna, you go forward, enter the village as soon as possible, and find the Kyubi's containment. Division 3 from Kumo, you open the gates for Division 2, and go forth to the main castle. Intel Division, you stay back for recognition."
Darui stares at C and Omoi who stand next to him. He quietly says a few words.
"You two stay with me. You know what our real objective is."
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As Kawaki runs forward alone, he hears the voice of Oshio in his mind. The ruler is still proceeding with the evacuation of the village.
"It was to expect, wasn't it?" the Uchiha says. "We, who invaded the capitals and territories of their nations, couldn't end this conflict without getting a taste of our own medicine. Whatever happens will be to blame on us."
"Are you ready?" Kawaki asks, not in the mood for remorse anymore.
"Almost done. Engage." Oshio simply answers.
At these words, Kawaki raises his hand straight, for his first line squad, Fuyuko, and the rest of the army to see. Fuyuko sees and understands this signal first. He slaps his hand in Sorito's solid back and exclaims. "Let's go get these bitches!". Hikarigakure's army jumps down the walls and follows the general into combat.
"Here they come!" Hinata and Hanabi yell together.
"Engage!" Konohamaru immediately shouts in response to the Shinobi Union's troops.
The ninjas of the 4 villages scream out their war cries before rushing deeper in the forest toward the enemy's village, to collide with the army of Kakumei.
2 weeks. It is what time it took for the ninja world to engage itself in another large-scale battle between men of different territories in the name of revenge and human pride after the disappearance of Naruto Uzumaki, the god of peace who was protecting them from these conflicts.
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On the other side of the village, Oshio keeps a gigantic space rift open and lets the people of his village escape through it. While he's at it, he thinks of how this invasion was orchestrated. Since Sakura Uchiha is the one who took the Hokage's place, is she who ordered and planned this attack? Is this to free her son? To free the Kyubi? To get revenge? To kill him? To find Sasuke? All these pointless unanswered questions are interrupted by the voice of Akiko in his mind again.
"Man, look at the harbor!" she yells. "That's a fucking Tsunami!"
Oshio raises his left hand and sees what indeed looks like a colossal wave, over a hundred meters tall, coming toward the village. The sovereign sighs, and nods on the shoulder of the elder woman next to him, indicating her to quickly get in the portal, away from danger. She was the last to evacuate.
Oshio closes the rift and takes a few steps forward while staring at the tsunami with the eye in his palm. He can see the chakra flow in it, like it would flow in a human body. Inside he also sees many other chakra sources, that seem to be people, hundreds of people.
"This wave is the body of a Suika user, merged with the sea." he tells Akiko before dispelling his clones. "I will take care of it." he adds as the coming of the wave starts to be felt through the trembling ground.
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End of Chapter 95 – Next Chapter: The Battle of Hikari I