"Let me out!"
Ritsu bangs the walls of the earth prison, but the group ignores him and enters the desert. Ritsu grits his teeth in anger and frustration. After banging, kicking, and punching the wall for a few minutes, he gives up and rests against the wall with closed eyes.
Kaito, the sole Senju member left behind, heaves a sigh of relief.
"Little Ritsu, don't be too impatient. You must learn to trust in others. Have faith in their ability and resolve!" He tries to appease Ritsu.
Mm…
Ritsu responds with a low mumble.
"Can you let me out?" He pleads.
"I can't do that!" Kaito shakes his head.
"It's Baru Senpai's decision. I can't go against it!" He sighs.
"Ok!" Ritsu mutter weakly.
"Don't be so disheartened! I will tell you a short story about your father and others while you wait for their return." Kaito attempts to appease Ritsu.
"What kind of story?" Ritsu's interest is slightly piqued.
"It's an encounter from the Third Shinobi War!" Kaito adds.
"Your father fought alongside the Fourth Hokage and defeated a thousand shinobis. Do you want to hear it?" He asks.
"Please tell me more!" Ritsu replies with slight hesitation.
"This is an event from the later years of the Third Shinobi War. Konoha was fighting multiple battles on several fronts against the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning. The Land of Lightning was very aggressive in its tactics. We lost several outposts on that front and the shinobis of the Land of lightning invaded deeply within the Land of Fire territory. Their target was the former Jinchuriki of the Nine-tails."
"Former Jinchuriki of the Nine-tails?" Ritsu mumble.
'Wasn't that Kushina Uzumaki, Naruto's mother?'
"Yes, they were after the Nine-tail's Jinchuriki. They wanted to control the Jinchuriki, to use its power against Konoha." Kaito adds.
"Back then…"
-------------
Meanwhile, deep inside the desert.
Bzzt… Crackle…
The dark clouds in the sky swirl and release a long purple lightning bolt, hitting the center of the massive sand hurricane. A thunderous roar that shakes the entire desert follows the lightning bolt.
The target of this lightning bolt was no other than the giant Asura, trapped within the eye of the storm.
ROOAR…
The Asura also releases a blood-curdling battle cry and makes several strange hand seals with its four hands.
Shua… Shua… Shua…
Suddenly, several blood-red energy barriers surround it, blocking the bombardment of the lightning bolts. Tens of sandworms also discharge their 'lightning beam' targeting the shields.
Ripples spread across the blood barrier's surface as they withstand attacks from all directions. Even though the shields block the attack, the force from the beam still transfers to the Asura's body, pushing it back by several steps. Large trenches appear on the ground as the Asura slides further.
"Resilient like a cockroach!" The Puppeteer harrumphs.
After firing the lightning beams for a while, the sandworms run out of stamina and pause to recover.
"My turn now!"
The giant Asura summons a massive bow in one hand and a spear in another.
A blood-red arrow appears on the bow's notch while a crimson light shrouds the spear.
HAAH…
The three-headed Asura tosses the long crimson spear towards the three-giant sandworm. While its other arms pull the string of the giant bow taut and raise the blood-red arrows towards the sky.
Peng…
He releases the taut bowstring, and the arrow flies towards the sky, leaving a crimson trail.
BOOM…
It explodes in the sky, clearing the vast black clouds. The arrow disperses into several smaller homing red arrows.
Shua… Shua…
These arrows fall towards the ground, accelerating as they reach the ground.
Boom… Boom…
The small, homing arrows target the several body parts of the tens of sandworms. They explode in a blood mist on contact with the bodies of these sandworms.
The blood mist is corrosive, melting the thick plate armor of these sandworms and drilling holes into their soft inner flesh. The blood mist absorbs the blue-green blood of the sandworms to strengthen itself. The powerful regenerating ability of the sandworms triggers to counteract the corrosive property of the blood mist, but it's useless.
GREEE….
The sandworms shriek in pain as their flesh melts slowly. Some blood arrows also strike the bodies of the hundred-meter-long sandworms. But it's useless against their thick plate armor, further reinforced by several minerals and metals from the earth for centuries using the earth's release.
Yugo's previous attack was no less than a miracle as it managed to blow a hole through the massive body of a hundred-and-fifty-meter-long sandworm which had undergone even more transformations and reinforcements. In a way, it was also a testament to his strength and strong will. A desperate attack like that is a final trump card and can't be performed in continuation. Even that single strike came at a significant cost.
While the blood arrows were useless against the hundred-meter-long sandworms, the crimson spear wasn't. It targeted their weak spots and pierced the chakra gland near their maw.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
It rapidly flew around the three sandworms like it had a mind of its own, piercing and penetrating their body like a needle. However, if one were to pay closer attention, one would notice that an invisible force was controlling the spear's every movement. The Third Oni head was the one responsible for this manipulation of blood spear and blood arrows.
Shua… Splat…
However, just as the Asura dealt with all sandworms and turned its attention to the 'Puppeteer, a massive stinger pierced through its chest.
Bleugh…
The Asura pukes a mouthful of blood. Its eyes widen in shock.
Clitter… clatter…
Suddenly, a massive centipede crawls out of the ground. Its pair of caudal legs penetrating through the Asura's heart.
Guffaw…
The Asura pukes out another mouthful of blood. Its six eyes turn cold and it grits its teeth.
"A demon centipede!"
The Asura grabs the centipede's caudal legs with its four arms and yanks them with its full strength.
Rumble… Rumble…
The ground trembles violently as the Asura forces the massive centipede from the ground.
Bang… Bang…
The centipede struggles in the Asura's hand and tears off its caudal legs to free itself from the firm grasp.
The massive centipede's long body stretches over the length of fifty meters. Its sleek, segmented body is covered in hard, iridescent plates that reflect a sickly, purple glow under the faint light. Each segment has long, barbed legs, numbering a thousand in total. These countless legs twitch and move in a wave-like motion, allowing the centipede to crawl across the desert sand at an unsettling speed.
The centipede's grotesque head is filled with large, multifaceted eyes that shimmer with an eerie red hue. In the center of its head is an old, wrinkled, humanoid face. Its mandibles are massive, curved like twin scimitars, and drip with a viscous venom that sizzles upon hitting the ground. Long, sensitive antennae extend from its head, waving through the air to detect the slightest vibrations.
Hiss…
It hisses and grunts at the three-headed Asura for ripping its ultimate legs.
"So, that's your trump card!" The Asura cast a frigid glance at the 'Puppeteer'.
However, the puppeteer ignores his cold gaze and the giant centipede releases a screech and charges towards the Asura.
"Damn, bug!" The Asura roars in anger.
It raises its two massive upper arms, summoning a huge club in each arm.
Bang…
It slams the clubs on the ground to smash the giant centipede. However, the giant centipede slithers past the attacks at an unprecedented speed and coils around the giant Asura.
Clat… Clat…
Its two giant mandibles clatter and bite the giant Asura's neck, releasing a paralyzing toxin.
ARGH…
The Asura's six eyes turn red with rage. It channels the blood energy within its body to expel the toxin and enter a berserk state.
Bang… Bang…
Its enormous arms drop the clubs and grab the giant centipede's body with bare hands.
The sharp, spear-like legs of the centipede attempt to pierce and dig into the Asura's flesh, but a thick blood armor keeps them at bay. The wound on Asura's chest regenerates rapidly.
RIPPP…
The Asura exerts its strength to rip the giant centipede in half. Cracks appear on the giant centipede's body from the force.
SCREE…
It releases another scream and cracks spread throughout its entire outer carapace. The centipede, after sensing certain doom, decisively molt, leaving behind its thick, hard, outer carapace in the Asura's arm.
Its body slithers out of the molten outer carapace and hisses at Asura in anger.
"I am running out of time!" The Asura casts a glance in Ishiko's direction as he mouths these words.
The summoning contract time is almost over, and it has already dealt with lots of trouble for its summoner. It went as far as to double the summoning duration and even lost one of its hearts in an ambush.
"Even If I can't kill this wretched demon, I will pay for this humiliation."
Shiing…
Suddenly, the third eye on the central forehead glows dimly with a bright crimson light. The centipede senses the danger and attempts to flee inside the ground.
"I won't let you escape so easily!" The Asura mutters with a sinister gaze.
Zeng… Zeng…
Suddenly, several blood-red chains erupt from the ground and bind the giant scorpion's body into a place.
Hiss… Roar…
The giant centipede struggles violently in a frantic attempt to break free.
Crack…
Some cracks appear on the chains as the giant centipede's entire body emits a dark purple glow. A crimson reverse pentagram circle appears on its head and its entire body blazes with demonic fire.
The Asura also notices the transformation, but its gaze is locked on the giant centipede.
It rapidly channels its remaining blood energy towards the eye on its forehead. The energy hums with an ominous, vibrating frequency, slightly distorting the surrounding air.
Shua…
It concentrates within seconds and shoots towards the massive centipede at an incredible speed.
ROOAR…
The giant, grotesque human head on the centipede's forehead also opens its mouth and fires a condensed beam of dense, purple flames to counteract the crimson blood beam.
Boom…
Both beams collide with each other, releasing crackling noises throughout the desert. The immense heat from their collision scorches the nearby ground, turning the fine grains of sand into fulgurite glass tubes.
Swish… Swish… Swish…
At this moment, the remaining members of Yugo's team reach the battlefield. They notice the heated exchange between the two giant behemoths.
Gulp…
A few rookie members gulp their saliva while the battle-hardened people like Baru and Kazetsu turn serious.
"That giant centipede has a dense demonic aura around it. It must be the enemy." Kazetsu mutter.
"Attack and disrupt it with everything you got!" He signals to his teammates.
"Yes, vice-captain!"
The Senju clan member rapidly makes a series of hand signs and fires several jutsus toward the centipede to disrupt it.
"Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin,"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade Barrage,"
"Water Release: Tearing Torrent,"
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bomb."
"Lightning Release: Electrocuting Jolt,"
A barrage of jutsu bombards the giant centipede, targeting its weak spots.
The earth in its vicinity crumbles and folds around to confine it in a place. Several rock spikes emerge from the ground, but they fail to pierce its body.
Ding… Ding… Ding… Slash…
A barrage of wind blades targets various spots on its body. Most of them disperse upon striking its thick carapace, but a few manage to slash its soft flesh hidden beneath the hard carapace.
Splash…
Large amounts of greenish-grey blood splatter on the ground. The Flame bomb explodes in contact with its massive body. The smell of disgusting roasted meat wafts in the air. Unlike the sandworm, the hard carapace of the giant centipede is weak from fire.
Splash…
A massive torrent of water floods the giant centipede's surroundings, striking and splashing its entire body with powerful waves. The giant centipede's body undulates back and forth with the waves.
Bzzt… Crackle…
In the last strike, the lightning discharges quickly travel through the water and zaps the giant centipede's body, monetarily paralyzing and numbing its massive body.
HAAH…
The Asura uses this momentary distraction and increases his blood energy output.
SHOOM…
The crimson extinction ray pushes back the purple flames, ripping through them.
Shua… Fwoosh…
It strikes the giant, grotesque human head, evaporating it into dust.
Crackle… Crackle…
Crackling and popping noises echo through the giant centipede's body as it dissipates into particles after losing its base.
Poof…
The giant Asura's body also disappears into a cloud of white smoke.
"Such a loss!" Its resentful voice echoes as it departs the world.
"I hope you like my parting gift!" The Asura cast a glance at the puppeteer before vanishing in the white clouds.
The group of shinobis heaves a sigh of relief after the death of the fearsome giant centipede. The pressure it emitted was even more terrifying than the sandworms from before.
"Lady Ishiko!"
They turn in Ishiko's direction, ready to assist her.
"The battle is not over yet!" Ishiko's urgent voice reaches their ears.
Kuku…
Suddenly, a demonic laughter echoes throughout the battlefield.
The 'Puppeteer' slowly stands up from the ground. Its previously shredded body regenerates rapidly as multiple dark purple threads spin together to form his flesh and skin.
The Puppeteer's purple eyes glow with a sinister gleam. It removes its cloak to reveal its puppet body.