Memories

Return to the Battlefield

I'm REALLY struggling on how to portray the war... there's just too much going on. Short chapter, sorry.

Chapter 12

'Anko Mitarashi was taken by the enemy. We have already clashed with many reanimated people, including Sasori of the Red Sand and other members of the Akatsuki. Kakashi's unit has run into the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Gaara and I are currently facing four former Kage, including my mentor.'

'That sounds eventful. It seems that we're right on time.'

'Yes. You are the closest to Kakashi's unit. The Kazekage and I can handle things here.'

'Got it. We'll head there, then.'

'Be careful.'

'Are you kidding? I have one of the strongest clan on my side. We'll be fine. Worry about yourselves.'

The Tsuchikage hummed. 'Whatever you say, Kira.'

We flew at top speed through the air, leaving the Land of Earth within a few minutes. Kakashi's unit was somewhere in the Land of Fire, probably near the coast, since the Swordsmen of the Mist specialized in water-related jutsu. I had no doubt that Kabuto would release them there.

It was easy to track down Kakashi's unit; we just followed the strong chakra signatures until we found a bunch of people gathered together. From what I could see, Kakashi was fighting Zabuza and Haku – who brought back old memories – while the rest of his division faced off against other random swordsmen. There was a sealing team on hand as well, which was good.

We masked our chakra and I held up three fingers. Three... Two... One!

A few of us dropped from the sky while others – mostly the ones who had jutsu they could use to attack from the air – stayed hovering above the battle. I landed in front of Kakashi, blocking Zabuza's giant sword before it could slice through Kakashi's front. Zabuza's eyes widened in recognition.

"Nice to see you again," I greeted him, ducking and slashing as a follow-up attack. I cut his arm, but it healed immediately, as I'd expected. "Looks like you're on the wrong side, yet again."

"I can't help it this time," said Zabuza, one eyebrow raised. "And I thought the Izanami clan was dead."

I smiled at him. "I thought so too." The next moment, Zabuza fell to the ground, encased in flickering lightning. I leapt forward and sealed him as Saraki blocked Haku's attack.

Behind us, Kakashi watched, his jaw hanging open. "You'll catch flies," I warned him, patting him on the shoulder before moving to assist Saraki. We disarmed Haku without too much trouble, sealing him away. I smiled at him. He smiled back.

Looking around, it seemed like we'd done a pretty good job handling the Swordsmen in general; with the assistance of our clan members, it wasn't too difficult of a battle.

"Stop crying," I teased Kakashi, seeing his eyes start to water. "Seriously. Lord Tsuchikage did his job well, and very convincingly, it seems."

He wrapped his arms around me tightly. "You're impossible."

"You're impossible," I mumbled, trying half-heartedly to free myself. "Come on, buddy, we have a war to fight."