CW: lots of blood lots of injuries lots of violence
"I'm starting to think Lord 5th doesn't like you." Asuma spoke from beside you—the four of you were all standing by idly. "Or maybe it's Shikamaru who resents you. Second mission in a row you're sent on dealing with the Akatsuki."
You were silent—you'd never even spoken to any of the three people standing beside you. "It wasn't on purpose last time..." You answered, side-eying the group you were with. "Tsunade said the missions I'm sent on would be with upmost consideration. If she allowed me to come, she must've had faith in me."
"You're nothing like Guy. He got stuck with pretty serious students, didn't he?" You turned your head to look at him—"First that Hyuga kid.... Going on a mission with him was unbearably silent. Now you, taking what I say so serious." You felt your face heat up in embarrassment. You weren't supposed to take it seriously? "On the other hand, that Rock Lee kid was a carbon copy. Though, he's actually youthful like your Sensei loves to praise."
He was calling your Sensei old—but he looked older than Guy. So he was calling himself old.
It seemed your staring began making him awkward, he shifted his feet before he spoke. "Well, let's get going. If Shikamaru thought you were his best replacement..." Asumas jaw almost dropped when he realized Shikamaru recommended a girl, but Asuma was a trained jounin--he wouldn't let the shock get to him. "Then I'm not gonna doubt you."
You were all about seeing the dead, but being around so many dead bodies at the same time wasn't something you experienced day to day. In a cementary, ghosts always wandered. They were loud, too, you could hardly hear the conversation Asuma was having as your eyes flicked from place to place.
"Given the fact Chiriku's head carries a 30 million bounty with it, I'd assume the Akatsuki..." Izumo didn't want to finish his sentence, it fell short from his mouth.
"... You're probably right." Asuma answered. "Those bastards could be running around to any collection office around here...." It was silent for a second. And suddenly, they all turned toward you.
The bead of sweat on your cheek completely sold the poker face you were trying to pull. "You can use your Poltigan to summon him... He can lead us straight to his body, right?" Well, you weren't sure if ghosts had some sort of uncanny track on their body, but you could try.
"... Ghosts look a little scary if you summon them shortly after death. They retain injuries and any physical damages for about a week after death... If he's beaten pretty bad, it could be pretty traumatizing..." You answered scratching your cheek, eyes flickering from each of their faces to the next. They looked all looked between eachother before nodding.
"Summon him. If they wanted a bounty, they'd keep him recognizable." Asuma and explained, and you nodded. The sound of your Poltigan activating rung in your own ears, the voices of ghosts getting louder. Nothing you never learned to ignore though. With an image of a bald head and a first and last name, he appeared in front of you. He wasn't to roughed up, but given a few signs, it was definitely a dead man.
Your reached your palm out to his wrist, pouring a set amount of Chakra in him. The two jounins practically cringed, Asuma stared wide-eyed—this was his old friend, and knowing it was a ghost now was off putting. You knew the feeling, it was the same gut wrenching feeling you felt summoning Wendy.
"Chiruku." Asuma let the name fall out of his mouth. The ghost had a hand on his head—the feeling of being alive, dead and a physical ghost all in a week messed him up. It took him more than a few moments to straighten out, but when he did, his eyes landed on Asuma. His name fell out of his lips in a similar style.
"I lost. I failed to protect the temple." Chiriku said in shame, lowering his head.
Asuma placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling. "You look beat up, that's a telltale sign you put your all into protecting it." You stood by awkwardly, you were no stranger to grown men acting touchy with each other, given your sensei was Guy and Kakashi was the target of passionate rivalry. But outside of that, it was almost disturbing.
"Not to interrupt the sweet reunions, but we should get moving." Kotetsu suddenly spoke—you seriously doubted he could speak though... He and Izumo were even touchier, on a level you were beginning to think was more than platonic.
"Right... Chiriku, I'm assuming you'd have some unordinary sense for where your body is. We need to find it right away, we can't let those Akatsuki members get away."
Chiriku was silent for a second, glancing at the group of you. "You'll all die. Those men were far stronger than anybody I've ever been up against." It was a harsh sentence, but it served as a fair warning, too. The last time you were up against a few Akatsuki, they were only messing around—and they still managed to land Shikamaru in the hospital.
Asuma nodded. "Given the fact they're out for bounties and mines even higher than yours, it'll probably be me." You couldn't help but frown, that was the last thing you wanted to hear after what you told Shikamaru. You'd bring them all back... Well how would you with two Akatsuki members around?
Oh, right... Your bounty was higher than any number—you were the vessel they chose for all those dragons. Maybe they'd be distracted by the mission of getting you. But... Did they need you dead, or alive?
"The nearest bounty collection building. That's where my body is, but refrain from fighting!" He was practically pleading.
"If a mission calls for death, then that's what'll happen." He answered, eyeing you before tilting his head toward Chiruku. It was a subtle way of telling you to make him go. "You rest in the afterlife, Chiruku. I'm not a fan of tampering with the dead." It was the last thing he was able to say before Chiruku was gone, your outreached palm falling back to your side.
"If we've got a location, we're moving." He said, jumping ahead. Kotetsu and Izumo were quick to follow. Given a moment, you reached into your pouch and threw a tagged Kunai into the nearest tree. You were already thinking about the possibilities, and teleporting here was one of the many solutions.
To not delay further, you caught up with the three.
"If Shikamaru didn't land himself in the hospital, this would be a lot easier." The group of you finally made it to the building, voices quiet as you settled on the roof. "If we could restrain him and catch him off guard, we could get rid of him just like that."
The sound of your Poltigan activating caught his attention, but it wasn't loud enough to expose your position. "I just need a name... A semblance of a face would help, too..." You mumbled, hands together to form a hand sign.
"I'm not sure about features, but Ensui Nara is someone I used to know." Asuma answered for you, "Think about their slim eyes—all Nara have them."
Right—you managed to summon Kibaki because you thought of the Hyugas pale eyes. Slim eyes were not very specific, but thinking of Shikamarus eyes helped with the summoning. The ghost materialized beside you, and another ring swirled in your eye, possession stage.
It was a bit weird at first, having a new soul possess you always made you feel wonky—and it was no exception for a Nara.
"The Nara Shadow Possession technique requires a lot of chakra." Asuma advised. Chakra reserves weren't something you typically worried yourself over, but you nodded at his warning.
"I'll follow your orders, captain." You assured.
Asuma thought a plan up as quickly as he could, one that incorporated all four of you. He'd distract whoever came through the door, you restrain him, and Izumo and Kotetsu attacked and finished the job.
Simple enough, at least it would be if he hadn't been so unfazed by the blades that pierced his chest. You couldn't tell from so far, but you were sure they hit his vitals—he should be on the floor.
Immortality was your immediate conclusion, you heard of a few different ways one could be immortal. But you never actually thought it possible.
"Ah man... You're a one way ticket to the collection office," His eyes that were on Asuma landed on you. And you're the little shits sister the boss is looking for." He grumbled, "I don't feel honored meeting either of you."
"Well, you should already know we don't care whether you're honored or not. Our mission is to either capture or kill you." Asuma responded, wielding his chakra blades. "You and your partner..."
"What a coincidence. My orders were the same over that girl up there." He answered plainly before grinning. "To bad you ended up meeting us first."
You sweat dropped, holding your hands together tightly in order to not lose focus. But the focus you tried so desperately to keep was broken at the sound of an explosion behind you—you didn't give yourself the time to turn around and instead jumped off of the roof. The momentum called for a duck and roll in order to get yourself out of there as uninjured as possible.
Of course, the movement meant you failed to keep the other restrained. Instead, you had to keep your guard up against the new one that showed. "You're disturbing..." You spoke honestly, a nervous smile on your face as you reached behind you to unseethe your blade. "I'm guessing you're immortal, too... But even the immortal rot, huh?"
"Don't provoke the enemy, [Firstname]! Regroup!" Asuma demanded, and you did as told, jumping back and into the group you were assigned.
"You've struck gold, Hidan..." The new one spoke, stepping beside his teammate. "Not only did you find the Jinchuuriki, but someone with a high bounty." His voice was grating your ears.
"Yeah, yeah..." Hidan answered, "Hands off, got it? They're being used for my ritual before I turn them in to anyone!"
Ritual... Well, explained the sudden ring under him. "I'll need you to hold the immortal one back as long as you can with the Shadow Stitching Jutsu. Got it?" Asuma explained to you, and you sweat dropped once you caught his eye. He seemed laidback until now, here was a scary passion in his eyes.
"Understood, captain." You nodded, not finding it in you to protest. You doubted your abilities with the Nara's speciality Jutsu would be good—even if you were possessed by someone with knowledge of it, it was a complicated technique. Even a second of broken focus could mean failure in the words of a mission.
You watched closely as he charged at Hidan—who charged straight back. The head of sweat on your cheek rolled down as you struggled to keep up, the speed of the Jutsu to slow and the movements of the men in front of you to fast. You hadn't even noticed Asumas cheek getting scratched—and even then, your proficiency wasn't high enough to capture the Akatsuki member.
The sudden explosion from Asumas Jutsu had you completely retracting the shadows you set out. The strain was to much, however Shikamaru dealt with it daily was beyond you—no wonder the Nara clan was full of geniuses.
"Oh, that burns! And you still don't have the nerve to leave me alone for a second!" Hidan complained through the clearing smoke, your eyes were to concerned over Asumas burn marks to notice the other man's sudden skeletal look.
"But this is all I need to begin my ritual. And I'll show you real pain!" Your eyes finally trailed toward the Akatsuki member, and you reeled back.
"Freaky, I've never seen a Jutsu like that before..." You mumbled, craning your head forward and narrowing your eyes. "Asumas more burnt than the opponent..."
Even if that was the case, Asuma wasn't threatened. He wielded his blades before charging ahead. Instead of sharing the sentiment as he had before, Hidan pierced his own leg. You would've cringed if it weren't for the fact that once again, Asuma was more damaged by the move than Hidan was. You were starting to get the gist now, a body linking Jutsu far more advanced than the shadow stitching jutsu.
"Use the shadow possession Jutsu, avoid using the stitching Jutsu at all costs!" Izumo yelled, and you nodded hastily—the difference between those Jutsus was something you hardly noticed, but would cost a life if you didn't hurry. "We're calling for backup!"
You had to get closer to stitch his shadow to yours, the distance was to great, and that blade he was aiming at his chest was to fast. Right now, you wished a Nara's IQ was something that passed onto you, too—your brain was sputtering.
He had drawn something into the floor and ran into it before he turned all skeletal looking. The only conclusion you came to was that the ring he drew was important to this Jutsu of his.
You reached into your pouch without a second thought, pulling out another of your marked Kunai. Kotetsu yelled something about idiocy, that you'd only hurt Asuma throwing something at Hidan. But you didn't see much movement coming from them, you put it upon yourself to teleport toward the Akatsuki member the moment the Kunai was about to hit.
Your hand gripped around the Kunai the instant you teleported. You didn't give it a second of thought as you wrapped your hand around the blade Hidan held to his chest, yanking it away from him.
The man stared silently, wide-eyed. You actually managed to catch him off guard. "A teleporter... No one ever told me you teleported—you'd think that'd be an important bit of information."
You stared back silently, your blood dripping from his blade to the floor. Maybe if your blood hit his blade, that meant his body was linked to yours instead of Asumas now—going about testing that theory without hurting Asuma seemed like a big problem, though.
"So... What was the big plan here?" He asked, tilting his head before he attempted to knock you back with his arm. But you managed to hold on to it with your hand, your other hand sliding down his blade before pressing against his shoulder. You were trying to push him out. You could feel your foot lose its grip, physically you weren't the strongest—and it was clear by the way he didn't even wear his shirt right that he was built. Obviously a fight leaning toward a certain victor, but you only had one plan—either get the Akatsuki member out of the ring he was in, or ruin the circle.
"I'm sorry Captain," You suddenly yelled out, "Maybe I wasn't cut out for this mission like Shikamaru said—I always let myself get overwhelmed by emotions...." Your foot skid across the dirt, smearing the blood across the floor.
"I'm no genius, but I've noticed he jumped in here right before your explosion. I think it's what ties his Jutsu all into a pretty bow. If he's not in it, or it he doesn't have it at all—it won't work." You summarized, grinning at the man in front of you. He was finally beginning to push back in order to get you to quit it. "If my hypothesis is right, then you shouldn't feel this one!" Your grip on his shoulder tightened as you brought up your knee, aiming straight for his crotch. A move you loved to use.
The man groaned in pain, and you looked back. Asuma was fine—he stood up. "Would you look at that... I've never seen a more uncalculated and wreckless attack, but it worked." It was a form of praise.
Hidan quickly recovered, heaving a sigh as he jumped back, licking your blood off of his blade. "How many times has it been now? I'm telling you... It hurts!" He was angry now, evident in his tone and the look in his eyes.
"I've heard you the first twenty time." Asuma assured, circling the chakra blades in his hand before tightening his grip over them—he looked toward you, eyeing the marked Kunai you forgot you had in your hand.
You looked down at it yourself, catching his silent idea before you threw it—your hand resting on Asumas back as you waited for the right moment. The moment it grazed the man's cheek, the two of you teleported. The Kunai just out of your reach as you lowered yourself to the ground as to avoid getting in the way of Asumas attack.
His chakra blade struck Hidan right through the neck, slicing it off in one smooth motion. Asuma gripped onto the back of your shirt, dragging you back along with him as he jumped back to regroup.
"You guys did it..." Izumo pointed out, eyes wide. You fell to the floor once Asuma let go of your shirt.
Asuma held his breath, he was never one to have high hopes. You lifted up your head, sitting yourself up--just as you were about to stand, Asuma pushed you, causing you to lose your balance and fall again.
He pushed you out of the way so you wouldn't get in the field of Kakazu's sudden attack—it threw Asuma a respectable distance away. "Captain!" You called out worriedly. Turning your head toward said man.
"We've been standing here like headless chickens..." Kotetsu scolded himself, "We've gotta do something, Izumo!"
"I hear you!" Izumo answered, watching as Kakazu retrieved Hidan head and put it back in place.
"Thanks..." Hidan twisted his neck, before his eyes wandered toward you. "Doesn't matter how many times you destroy my ritual, I'll make a new one in a second!" It wasn't just a boast, there was a new ring right beneath him.
"Don't target the girl. Go for the man, first." His comrade advised.
"How about you help me then, Kakazu?!" Hidan barked.
"You told me to butt out." Kakazu answered swiftly.
"Well, butt in!" He huffed, gripping onto his blade before he brought it up to his chest. "I'll kill the damn girl! I don't care!"
"Don't." Kakazu's tone was harsher. "The protocol was to capture her if she was found, not kill. You'll drag yourself in trouble by killing her off!"
Without thinking, you attacked. It was a fire attack, something that was able to reach him quickly and not hurt you in any way. You never imagined a scenario like this where your immunity would come in handy.
It didn't do much to stop Hidan, as the smoke cleared along with his vision. His scythe was inches away from his chest—which meant your death. With wide eyes, you had to come to a solution fast, the distance was to far and the spear was to close for you to tackle him. His ear was split because what damage happened to Asuma happened to Hidan—so you looked down at what hand he was using. His right hand, whether that was/wasn't your dominant wasn't your concern. You brought your left hand up and reached behind your back, in an instant, you brought it down against your hand. You muffled any pained screams by biting your lip, shutting your eyes. The sound of metal hitting the floor was what you assumed was his scythe.
You didn't allow yourself to hunch over in pain for a second longer, the adrenaline allowing you to grip onto your sword tight and run straight for him.
"[Firstname]!" One of the Jounin called out, but your step didn't faulter for a second as you built up momentum—throwing yourself at him last second and elbowing his chest. It took everything in you to not hunch over at the pain, you landed a rather strong hit.
You promised you'd bring Asuma back, and that's what you planned on doing. Though, missing a hand plus cracking your own rib didn't leave much hope for you—but you got him out of the circle as you'd hope. For confirmation, you threw a Kunai at his left over hand, your aim still good enough to pin it against the floor. There was no pain in your hand.
"You son of a bitch!" Hidan seathed, hand straining against the Kunai that dug his hand into the ground. Suddenly, the scenery around you changed. You teleported back to where you came, a good distance away from the bounty collectors, but put you a respectable amount of steps closer to the backup being called. "That hurts! Son of a bitch, that hurts!"
"Trust me, I know." You sighed out, blood dripping from your open wound as you dragged your feet across the dirt, most of it you kicked landed on Hidan.
He spat out some that landed in his mouth and rolled his eyes. "Was losing a hand really worth a short victory? You can't kill me, didn't you hear me the first time?!"
"I heard." You assured, nodding your head once. The rampant blood loss was making you drowsy, along with the fact your adrenaline was wearing off--you felt like you were dying. "Messing with a life like that lands you a one-way ticket to hell you know," You peered down at him, "Or maybe, a life time of suffering. Not sure, but my clan members now all about it."
You seethed your sword, shutting your eyes to concentrate on keeping yourself standing. "Is invincibility worth anything when you're in a state like this?"
"Oh, spare me the philosophical talks!" He barked, straining his arm as he tried to sit up. "The one dying soon is you, not me! No matter how much you beat me or yourself up, I'm getting out of here alive!" He was grinning now, he almost looked psychotic. "When I get pissed off, I want to kill. And you've just pissed me off!"
You stared down at him, eyes unmoving as he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. It was a clone jutsu, and the real him was behind you now. Luckily, you did the honors of destroying his barrier, but it wouldn't help much now. He wrapped his arm around your neck, keeping you in place. "And when I want to kill, I don't show any mercy. Not even on little kids."
You were silent, face unmoving as you looked ahead. Asuma and the others were bound to come soon, you teleported the two of you pretty far. "I've died once before. You're not the only one that's invincible." You were bluffing—you seriously doubted Diaval had the ability to revive you once again. And if he did, he'd only make a deal. "Whether it's by my hand or someone else's, you're gonna suffer for the rest of your life."
Having had enough of you, he kicked the back of your knee, making you fall forward as he let go of your neck. He grabbed the sword you put back in its seethe, and pointed it to your back. "Well, this life won't go to waste. I'll make sure to sacrifice you to Jashin himself!" He was beaming, stabbing the sword harshly through your back, right through your heart.
Blood immediately spilt from your mouth, your eyes pressing together at the pain. The feeling of your heart bursting was eerily familiar to you, you blocked it out of your mind last time. Your heart being burst in the forest of death, where you became a murderer—and you smiled. "I'm starting to think bad people get what's coming to them." You couldn't move your body at all. "Even those who think themselves invincible."
"There! I see someone in the distance! Their Chakra is getting fainter!" A voice called out, one that sounded similar to Ino. "Hurry, Choji!"
"I'm right behind you!" Another voice reassured, Choji.
"I already told you, someone's put you through hell worse than this... You son of a bitch." Your heart stopped, and for the second time in your short life, you were dead.
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A sharp pain edged its way into his chest--it was sudden enough to make him shut an eye in surprise. He rested his hand on his chest, looking down at the pool of blood beneath him, blood that wasn't his.
He shut a single eye, the sharingan deactivating. "[Firstname]..." Your name fell off of his lips, his eyes wandered over to the unconscious body on the floor. He wasn't sure why the sharp pain in his chest reminded him of you—[Sistername] had convinced him you were alive as a plead for her life... That worked.
It was a different story for your father, the one that bloodied Shisuis shoes as he stood. He hadn't killed him, no, he left the man on the verge of death—and now that he was unconscious, he was getting the uncanny feeling that you were hurt.
"M'lady... Please, be okay." He plead to no one in particular, walking past the pool of blood beneath him along with your unconscious father. He had to leave the dark room for his own sanity, the feeling of the sun on his skin had never felt so good before.
He wondered if you were feeling it too.
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i was bored. i needed a little action. 😪 hey!! 40th chap!!!!happy 30th chap in a row survived mc 🫶 or not ig