Kugutsu no Shinigami

| 41 | Parallel Yet Alike

Previously...

What's happening to me? This extreme reaction has never occurred before, so what would this have been caused by?

He coughs up more blood, splattering the grass with it.

Present...

Moratorium delves into his chakra network, sifting through millions of chakra points, gaining an innate view of his whole working system that powers all life.

It is within here that lies the problem.

It is noteworthy to mention that Moratorium's natural chakra colour is the shade of the night, the colour that encompasses all null and void. Black.

It signifies the lack of emotion, the lack of good, replaced by something that is utterly adaptable.

Entwined in it, however, are strands of red, symbolising the malice that he has embraced as second nature.

However, some sort of anomaly makes itself known, like a parasitic substance that simply exists to harm.

It is a great, earthly green colour that seems to have entered his chakra network in overabundance, the substance slowly taking over.

This can't be Tsumetai, nor can it be my God Mode Appearance 2 form, so it must be... the nature chakra!

He recedes his view from the chakra network and exudes most, if not all of the nature chakra that had entered his system around the beginning of the battle.

Likewise, the pain recedes and Moratorium finds himself able to stand once more.

He wipes the blood from his face and ascends, allowing the monstrous hurricane to slowly drive him to the top.

He stands atop the hurricane, staring down at Konan, whose cloak's hem had been lost to the initial two hurricanes of wind as well as the residual fire energy.

Moratorium hops off, now facing Konan, a fiery hurricane raging behind him as he simply stares, earning a shudder from her in turn.

She has to resort to taijutsu or genjutsu, judging by the fire. Either that or other nature transformations.

She bears her fist, charging towards Moratorium and swinging wildly.

Clearly, she has no defined style. Most unrefined. Pitiful.

Moratorium weaves, ducking in and out of her punches like it is nothing, his movements fluid and flexible like that of water in a river.

She punches, going for a right hook in an attempt to slug him, and, surprising her, he catches her fist, twisting it to move behind her after which he performs a spinning kick that slams into her spine, thus sending her flying back.

"Pathetic. You can't even contest me in taijutsu, arguably the least complex ninja art."

Konan grits her teeth, wincing in pain as she lies down, seemingly helpless.

"Your weakness will be your downfall."

Flinching, she begins to stand, rising to her feet and displayed just how weak in comparison to Moratorium she is.

Her Akatsuki cloak is battered, her face bruised and the flesh on her skin slightly charred, though not by much.

She settles into a loose taijutsu stance, something showier. Perhaps it had been inspired by some clichéd movie stance?

The stance itself seems like it. Her legs are evenly spread apart by her body width, her arms settled in a boxing stance.

"Try me."