"Let's be real here...", Shisui began, his eyes were fixated on the raging Naruto, "we've already used up too much chakra up until we got to this point"
I simply let a breath loose as I tried to cope with the burn on my back silently. Naruto was raging all over the place, which caused the ground to cave in even more.
"At this rate, the Nine-Tails will eventually unleash", Shisui gritted his teeth together as his body tensed stiff at the whole migraine of the situation.
I let my damaged blonde hair flail over my shoulders again as I regain my composure and steady myself accordingly. Itachi was worried as usual, which is why I let him keep a hand on my back.
"The terrain of the mountain wall is starting to dismantle", Itachi informed, which put Shisui on his nerves again, "we have to try generating the Susano'o humanoids again or else..."
"No", Shisui interjected sternly, "you were right Itachi, we can't just stand back and watch him set this place ablaze, generating the Susano'o will just replenish your chakras quicker, and we can't afford that", he hissed the last bit, making me hold tight onto my breath.
The greenery of the terrain was spiralling everywhere around us. The tails were causing more havoc than Naruto was. This demon entity raged on as we remained cemented under the grace of Shisui's Susano'o.
"Hanabi", Shisui turned around towards me and inquired, "can you manage with that wound of yours?", his tone was careful and concerned.
I knew that if my reply to that question was a 'no', then they'll falter with the task at hand. I'll simply be dead weight if I allow them to know how burning this wound really is, and so with a steady breath and a determined stare, I state my reply, "yes, I can"
Shisui's eyes scrutinized my determined face for any trace of doubt or contradiction, which I didn't allow to show. Itachi simply fanned his breath in my face as gesture that my white lie didn't go unnoticed by him.
In return, I snaked my hand to where his hand was rested and grasped his wrist firmly before giving him back his hand, "I you told I'm alright".
A wound like this will never refrain me from fighting for the sake of those I care about most.
"We have to stop him on the count of his four tails", I asserted, stepping away from Itachi, "the terrain of the mountain wall is crumbling as it is"
"Too bad", Shisui informed, "he's already generating his fifth tail".
"We can't attack him with basic Ninjutsu attacks, he'll take the damage and return it twice as hard", Itachi remarked.
"In all integrity, nothing comes to my mind", Shisui admits, his tone was stern and serious, "it might come down to us evacuating this place completely. It's getting way more risky"
I let my lips seal together as I unwillingly accepted that possibility. He has managed to generate five tails out of nine, which makes it all the more complicated. His fifth tail emerged and began to sway with the rest.
Naruto had stopped attacking us all together, instead, he beagn to focus in his place.
"What's he trying to do?", I asked no one in particular.
"Whatever it is, it can be good", Itachi replied.
I scrutinized Naruto's current state, the more my eyes bore onto him, the more unsettling I felt in my stomach. I couldn't quite make out what he was aiming to do, which is why the atmosphere felt even more eerie as time passed by.
The luminous light of the crescent moon hung loose on us. Shisui was trying his best to keep up the Susano'o, so we remain protected.
Yet through is unsettling circumstance, I refrained from asking the question on my mind due to the intensity of this whole situation. It'd paced through my mind back and forth, but I'm still unsure of the accurate answer.
"What's going on?", Itachi muttered to himself, snaping me out of my trance.
I located my eyes to where his were glued and began wondering the same thing. The spiralling storm caused by the aggressive movement of his tails had stopped. The greenery of the terrain no longer swirled and danced in the air. The ground had refrained from caving in and the terrain fell in utter silence.
My mind couldn't exactly pinpoint what he's planning to do, which is all the more reason for me to put up my defenses.
"Is he conjuring another tail?!", I panicked on spur of the moment as my mind tried to come up with a decent explanation to what this could mean.
"No", Shisui replied, as a bead of sweat trailed past his faded scars, "it's not that...I'm afraid he's planning something of his own..."
"So what now?", Itachi asks in a concerned voice as I keep reminding myself to breath.
"I have no idea I'm afraid...", Shisui confessed, his eyes remained scrutinizing Naruto intently.
Is this the best we can do? Stand aside and witness Naruto self-destruct himself?
No...I refuse to believe that...there must be something we can do...something we're too stressed to even have thought about.
"Guys we can let this happen-"
"Hanabi", Itachi cut me off as I looked back at his crimson eyes, "don't...", he trailed off when he spotted my tearful eyes.
"I'm afraid that I can't keep up the Susano'o any longer, it's replenishing my chakra, which I already used up while fighting the Kekki Genkai user", Shisui spoke in a careful tone.
"That's fine, you can undo the Susano'o, but this sudden calmness isn't reassuring at all", Itachi remarked.
"The others should catch up soon with us...", Shisui trailed off, "till then...we have to-", Shisui's breath suddenly hitched in his throat, the color went pale from his face and his eyes were rendered unblinking.
Naruto's body began trembling as if it was boiling something up. Abruptly, I'd held onto my breath when his body began emitting off spheres and orbs of what appeared to be chakra.
"Goodness...", Itachi gasped as his three tomoe Sharingan inspected the scene ahead of us.
The two of them had to look in order to feel the arising calamity that has yet to strike. I however, didn't need to look, because I'd sensed the entirety of that calamity in my bones thanks to my sensory skills. But I'd refrained from looking, because the sensation of this mass chakra alone made my heart sink and my stomach to twist and turn.
With a pounding heart, I'd forcefully directed my eyes in the direction of the demon entity again. The chill that had scattered through me is indescribable and once again I was rendered stiff and rooted to my ground.
My lips had fell parted as I struggled to keep a normal rhythmic breathing at this insane sight before me.
The tips of Naruto's five tails were pointing inwards towards his widely opened mouth. Spheres and orbs of chakra floated around in the crisp air.
"No way...", Shisui gasped, before I fliched towards Itachi when the green Susano'o came undone so abruptly that Itachi got the cue, because I'd felt this calamity; which is why he wrapped a protective arm around me. Engulfing my aching wound with his arm.
I struggled to steady my trembling hand as I witnessed Naruto conjure his attack by merging the blue spheres of his chakra with the dark ones of the Nine-Tails. The attack was conjured at the entrance of the demon's mouth, which he kept adding and merging more chakra into it.
"T-this is the same as eleven years ago...", Shisui gasped as the wind began whistling loudly again.
Scrutinizing his attack with my Sharingan, I'd figured that the ratio of the Nine-Tails's chakra to his was eight-to-two. This clearly called for nothing less than trouble.
"Brace yourselves...", Shisui trailed off as the unsteadiness became conspicuous in his tone of voice.
My eyes had widened even more when the forming sphere made another crater ring in the ground. Naruto's mouth cracked open at a very wide angle, and we had to yet behold the sight that was going to unfold.
Naruto encased his mouth over the sole sphere he'd produced and quickly swallowed it down, rendering the three of us to stare in utter anticipation.
I was not going to wait and see the three of us die to this attack, which exactly contributed to my next surge of adrenaline.
I grasped Itachi's wrist, then lunged for Shisui's shoulder. I glanced back up at Naruto as I struggled to pour my chakra into their bodies. My chest had clenched and my breath was cut off. I couldn't muster up the appropriate concentration to help us teleport somewhere save, not as long I witnessed his entire body puff up due to the amount of chakra that's out of his league of control.
He was to explode something out of his mouth...what could it be?
A detonating bomb or a beam of destructive chakra that's aimed narrowly at the defenseless three of us.
"Hanabi..."
Concentrate...
This is the end for us if I don't concentrate...
"Hanabi..."
My legs can't move, our only option is my Teleportation Technique
...concentrate for goodness's sake...concentrate.
"Hanabi!!", Itachi's bark set my mind detonating out of my train of thought, making me witness the calamity that'll strike if I don't...concentrate...
It's a beam of light...a very narrow beam of light that's aimed right in our direction. The ground had more crater rings forming around it as his offensive attack progressed further.
My heart had skipped beat after beat, breath after breath. Shisui and Itachi both stared at me in anticipation as I forcefully calmed my arising nerves and finally broke the barrier of my thoughts.
Chakra had been poured in the two of them successfully, and I bit down my lip, not having the time to form the words. Instead, I simply narrowed down my eyes and braced myself for entering these two in the Teleportation Dimension with me, completely unaware of where we will land.
I held onto the two with all my might from the entrance to the exit of the Teleportation Dimension. When we reappeared again on the terrain, unscathed I'd been rendered in shook when I saw boulders of the mountain wall crumbling and tumbling over one another.
"This can't be...", Itachi gasped in utter shock, as the two of them went into unblinking mode.
Enticed by the magnitude of the destruction he caused, I let go of Shisui and Itachi, then regain my composure before barking, "charge at him, NOW!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Itachi rapidly coordinated the dragon towards the raging Naruto. The aftermath of the attack's collision was thick vapor radiating off of Naruto's tailed beast body.
In resonance, Shisui sprang into action and pelted shurikens to aid Itachi's offensive attack. I refrained from doing anything, since I knew that my talents would be needed for what's upcoming.
The terrain had been severely damaged towards the Hidden Rain's side of the platform, which means that Orochimaru's hideout is still thriving intact into this mountain wall.
I pursed my lips together and held my breath from anticipation. Itachi and Shisui kept delivering striking attacks towards Naruto, not giving him a chance to conjure a strike of his own.
He's lethal in this state, probably the most lethal a cheerful boy could get. I kept my teeth gritted tight as I reconsidered our options.
My heart had halted momentarily when he screeched out another flamboyant roar that almost made my ears bleed out. He pierced his five tails into the ground, which he shaped like a barrier that'll shield him from our various attacks.
Itachi and Shisui halted their attacks via a single gesture from me.
"He's up to something...", I declared, feeling that same unsettling feeling in my stomach again.
"Try looking through the spaces between his tails", Itachi inserted, snapping my eyes to where he said to look.
As I stood in my weak ground, under the crescent light, in the center of the wind's spiralling void; I had felt every single spark of emotion in this nerve-stricken moment.
"They're near...", I gasped, earning both of their attention.
"What?"
"I feel our comrades chakra..."
"How long before they get here?", Shisui inquired.
"Can't pinpoint that exactly...", I replied in a hoarse voice as I never tore off my eyes from Naruto's upcoming attack, which by the feels of it, is more lethal than the last.
I lowered my torso a bit. I could feel the spark of hope those words lighted within these two. Help is on its way.
"Get ready, this attack feels more menacing than the last", Shisui advised, to which I questioned, "could it be what we witnessed eleven years ago?"
"The possibility is very high on the spectrum", he responded back.
Help is on its way...
Abruptly, Naruto had ripped his tails out of the ground and pinned them back behind him, revealing that same enormous sphere that was going to wipe out the Hidden Leaf village eleven years ago.
But we remained calm, we had to. Panic will do us nothing in this state, we have to fight rather than drown in fear even if memories strike. This has to end tonight.
"Hanabi", Shisui called out, his expression was nothing less of serious as he inquired, "you do know how Lord Fourth prevented the calamity of the tailed beast bomb don't you?"
"I do", I sternly reply, looking at him just as hard.
"You also know that you can't damage this land any further than Naruto has", he went on, making me breathe a little heavy.
"I do"
He simply looked back at me with creasing brows and an unsure expression.
"Shisui", I sternly said as I saw that the sphere was growing bigger and bigger, "four years ago, we formed a formation when we trained together"
"What are you getting at?", Itachi pulled me back by the shoulder, making me look at him directly in his red eyes.
"I presume you still have it", my remark got Itachi by surprise as it deliberately sank into his mind.
He looked back me while letting his breath fan my face. I took that as a yes.
"Like Shisui said", I informed, "we can't damage this land more than we already have, so I'm counting on you for this part...", I looked at him somewhat pleadingly.
"Hanabi..."
"Itachi..."
"Guys..."
"We know...", the two of us replied in unison, "let's get this over with...", I whispered all the while trying to conceal the aching of my wound.
"Alright get into position", Shisui announced, and I sensed the approaching chakras of our comrades.
Naruto roared out flamboyantly again, before delivering the sphere of detonating destruction right towards us.
"It's Formation B, not A", I stressed hard to make my point clear.
"Roger"
"Understood"
And suddenly, everything good seemed possible. The plan was simultaneous and depended heavily on the instinctive thinking of the Sharingang. But we were way past the stage of second guessing what our instincts could be. The plan was clear as the light of day.
Subsequently, the three of us hurried straight in the direction of the raging bomb while I took lead in the middle.
This plan could work for real, the Wood Style user will be here just in time, he'll spring into action and restrain Naruto.
With a thump of adrenaline I hurry towards the ball that's aiming to obliterate me. I leave Itachi and Shisui behind, since they have an important part to play in all of this as well.
The surge of adrenaline was instant as I propped my palms in front of me and radiated off chakra. When I was sure I'd hit it, I shouted out, "NOW!"
The following events occurred in a form of a flash, where Itachi had pelted my kunai as high up in the air, before I said, "Lightning Style: Flying Raijin Jutsu!!"
I'd smirked curtly when the bomb disappeared above, and the chakras of our comrades had finally arrived.
"Wood Style!"
I hastily turn back on my heel where I saw Itachi and Shisui's hands clasped together so we could perform Formation B.
I ran with all the might I could muster up, then leapt in the air while holding my breath captive. I saw my two comrades stiffen as we only practiced this four years ago, nevertheless, they remained unfazed.
And with a determined heart, I land a foot on their intertwined hands, where they catapulted me with all their might up towards the bomb.
Earlier on, I'd gotten my answer to the question that nagged my mind. Now, mid-air, I know why my Mangekyo is patterned like a Yin-Yang.
Single-handedly, Itachi and Shisui weaved the signs of the Fireball Jutsu to give out a signal to the rest of our comrades who have yet to catch up.
"Mangekyo Sharingan", I hissed, feeling blood seep out of my sockets, and aimed my eyes right at the bomb.
Yin-Yang power is the only thing that can cut through Ninjutsu. So with my left eye, I shaped and pinpointed my attack, and with the right eye, I aimed the generated strike of the Yin-Yang right at the bomb, where it tear through it thoroughly, making the sky roar a thunder of lightning.
This is the other power of my Mangekyo Sharingan, tearing right through Ninjutsu.
I finally let out a breath of relieve and used my Teleportation Technique to land right behind Itachi's body, which was swaying off balance from all the exhaustion. My shoulder blades rest against his to physically support his body from falling.
It's over...
Finally...
Itachi's back collided with mine, covering my wound as we stood back to back, while everyone watched the two of us in amazement.
Itachi had breathed out heavily as I knew that he used all his might to conjure that Fireball Jutsu. Our back wounds collided with one another, and I took him by even more surprise when I interviewed the fingers of our scarred hands.
The wind whistled like this for a moment as we stood back to back like this. Everyone witnessing this exclaimed in disbelief at the sight of me. My heart beat even faster when Itachi gave my hand a small squeeze and I heard him scoff triumphantly.
"Older brother!", the voice of who my ears registered as Sauke called out, only to be halted by Shisui of The Body Flicker, who pulled him back aside and said, "Sasuke, she needs to borrow your brother for a moment", I heard the smile in his voice.
Sasuke stared back at us like the rest before I felt another squeeze from Itachi's big hand.
Right now, all that mattered to me was Itachi and our long series of taking the very leaps that lead to this very compensating moment. And in order for us to figure everything out together, we'll have to be alone. And so I whispered only audible to him.
"Lightning Style: Flyin Raijin Jutsu"
_________________________________
A/N:- So I'm hoping that y'all liked this, after all I spend six hours writing this, so any form of support is appreciated✨✨It's happening y'all the book is ending, for real tho. What do you think of Hanabi's Mangekyō ability, cool huh?
Two more chapters are left, you may or may not be wheezing, screeching and nose bleeding 🩸 in the next chapter✨✨
Yes, I did that digital art :D
Can't believe it's been more than three months already I-
~A