Hi guys! I'm back for a week, and then I'm off to Taiwan for almost three weeks... :P
Chapter 16
"You're an idiot," Kakashi deadpanned. I patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks."
"Did you contact Sakura?"
"Yes, but she's busy with the Kage."
"... Did you even tell her about your injuries?"
Silence.
"Kira."
"No. If I did, she'd come over immediately or otherwise divert their operations, and I can't have that. I'll survive. The Kage are hanging on by a thread."
"What are you going to do in this state? You can't fight."
"I..." I trailed off. There was truth to his words.
Ino was currently patching me up as best she could; she wasn't as well-versed as Sakura was in medical ninjutsu, but she knew a little more than the rest of us. She managed to set my arm right, attach a splint, and bandage it up. She was currently wrapping up what was left of my wings, too, to avoid further harm to the stumps. They would eventually heal on their own, although it would take a while.
I had no doubt that the war would be over by then.
I said, "The Five Kage are currently in a bad state. Our leaders are down. The Allied Forces have incredible morale, but we can't depend on that alone."
'So you're saying you'd rather stay on site,' Shikaku concluded.
"Yes. I would prefer to stay on-site as a temporary figurehead. I've been involved in this war from the beginning, and I'd like to be the only one involved until the end."
"A little late for that," said Kakashi.
'It's a bit late for that, isn't it?' Shikaku's words echoed Kakashi's, but I ignored both of them. 'However, I see the merit in your words. Please continue.'
I thanked Ino for her help and turned to Katsuki, who easily hitched me onto his back and spread his wings.
"Wait," said Kakashi, stretching out a hand to stop us. "What are you doing?"
"I'm fighting in the only way I can," I said. "Naruto, Sakura's almost done helping the Kage and will be here soon. You need to get ready – both of you."
"Don't be reckless," Kakashi warned.
"Don't be stupid," I said, smiling softly. "The tactician's job is always the safest."
I nodded to Katsuki, who took off from the ground. We gained altitude quickly as he drifted back toward where Madara and Obito were standing. As I watched, two Tailed Beast Bombs collided with each other, cancelling each other out.
"Do you have a plan?" asked Katsuki.
"Not yet," I said, "but I'll aim to give the forces a bit of direction, at the very least. Direction and organization."
"Crucial in a war," Katsuki agreed.
"I need two of your fastest fliers," I said.
"That would be Subaki and Oboro," he said. I searched for them, vaguely remembering who they were.
'Subaki, Oboro, I need you to fly to the destinations I'm sending to you. There, you'll pick up Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, respectively, and get them back here as quickly as possible. Is that alright?'
'Of course,' said Subaki. 'A pleasure. I'll head there now.'
'As will I,' said Oboro.
'Sakura, Sasuke, I'm sending someone to pick you guys up. Minato-sensei and Lord First, Second, and Third, we'll be needing you here. Kakashi, take Gai and a few others and prepare to battle Obito, once again. As the only other wielder of Kamui, Kakashi, your role is inevitable and irreplaceable.'
They all responded with affirmatives.
'I'm on my way,' said Minato. Knowing he would be here in literally a few seconds, I quickly located Naruto.
'Naruto, your father's on his way. The best thing you can do right now is to spread your chakra cloak to the rest of the alliance – or at least, as much as you can. That Ten Tails isn't going to stop anytime soon.'
'Got it!' said Naruto cheerfully, likely at the prospect of meeting his father. I glanced down below. Naruto, easily recognizable by his flaming cloak, was moving fast. Kakashi had located Gai. Minato-sensei's chakra signature was getting closer, and very quickly.
The Ten Tails began to build up a bigger Bomb – one of the same magnitude he'd tried to launch at HQ. Bee wouldn't be able to counter this – not even with Naruto's help. I wracked my mind, before finally realizing something.
'Minato-sensei!' I practically screamed at him. 'The Tailed Beast Bomb – you can transport it!'
'I'm on it!' he replied, and a few seconds later, I just barely saw a streak of yellow, and then the bomb disappeared. I breathed out a sigh of relief.
'Kira, we can create a barrier to contain the Ten Tails,' said Lord Third, the other Hokage agreeing with him. 'We've almost arrived.'
'Thank you,' I said. 'Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto – once the Ten Tails is trapped, the three of you will launch a combined attack to greatly weaken it. I don't think you should aim to destroy it, especially when it's attached to a person. But until Obito finds a way to truly become a jinchuriki, this'll do.'
'I'm going to completely destroy it,' Sasuke announced. 'And then I'll become the Hokage.'
'Hey, hey, Sasuke-teme! Is this a joke?'
'Not at all. I'll beat you any day.'
'Calm down, kids,' I said, rolling my eyes. 'Sasuke, I'm telling you not to worry about destroying it. Just land a solid hit, yeah?'
'Fine.'
'Shikamaru, keep watch and take an opening when you see it. Lord Hashirama is going to battle Madara. They're legendary, sure, but...'
'But even the most powerful shinobi have brief openings,' Shikamaru finished for me. 'No problem. I'll relay the message to those around me.'
As I watched, the previous Hokage arrived on the scene, getting to work immediately with the barrier. Hashirama diverted from the rest of the group, making for Madara immediately, who prepared to battle his former rival.
'Kira, Gai is determined to battle Madara as well,' said Kakashi, sounding a little stressed. He was probably trying to convince Gai to stay out of it, but we all knew how determined (and sometimes idiotic) the other man could be.
'This is my last chance,' said Gai, determined. 'I will hold him off until Lord Hashirama arrives.'
I hesitated. 'Alright. Don't get yourself killed.'
'Thank you!'
And with that, Gai was off. I just hoped he wouldn't open too many gates and end up dead before Hashirama arrived.
I was sweating, but whether from the effort of keeping myself awake or from stress or from the sun, I didn't know.
In the distance, the beast roared, Obito and Madara still atop its head. Barely fast enough for my eyes to follow, wooden projectiles shot out from it, heading right for the mass of shinobi gathered around it. 'Intercept!' I ordered, and the Izanami clan shot into action right away, snatching the fatal projectiles away – in some circumstances, just barely before they impaled someone.
I looked down and faintly saw a mass of Hyuga, all patting Neji on the back. He had nearly died.
"Isn't it useless?" shouted Obito, loudly enough for us all to hear. "Your resistance is absolutely futile! Just give up now, before anybody else dies!"
"Never!" shouted Naruto, and a cheer went up from the Allied Forces.
'Kira, I think it would actually be best if we separated the Ten Tails from those two,' said Shikaku. 'Although you weren't wrong in thinking that it's easier to battle one person than three, once the Hokage arrive and set up the barrier, it should become an advantage.'
'I understand,' I said. 'Long-Range division, launch a combined attack to distract them. All short to medium-range attackers, using Naruto's chakra cloak for assistance, sever the connection between the Ten Tails and Obito. Lords, that'll be your opportunity to set up the barrier. Kakashi, on standby, please. And... now!'
As Gaara and Onoki's divisions sprang into action, I continued,
'Lord Hashirama, Naruto, seal Madara away the first chance you get. Don't leave Gai hanging. Sakura, glad you're here – I need a chakra pill and some quick healing. Ah, Sasuke! Go find Gai and please don't let him die.'
"You need more than just some 'quick healing,'" Sakura chided, hanging in the air beside me as green light appeared around her hands. She quickly closed my wounds and fixed my shoulder, wrapping everything up tightly so that I would still be able to fight. She then handed me a chakra pill, which I took quickly.
"Thanks," I said. She had done her job in an extremely short amount of time. Below us, the short-range divisions – including the Izanami clan – were just about to launch their assault, all cloaked in Naruto's flaming chakra. Sasuke had located Gai and probably saved him from his sure death. I spotted the former Hokage, including Minato-sensei, hidden within the Allied Forces and waiting for their chance. "Lord Katsuki, I need to go down now, please."
Katsuki lowered us to the ground, and I quickly hopped over to where Kakashi was crouched, waiting for orders as he stayed out of the line of fire. He looked up as I approached. "What's the plan?"
"We take on Obito," I said simply. "This way, we've separated all of them. The Allied Forces can take on the Ten Tails, the most unpredictable enemy, together. Sasuke, Gai, Naruto, and Hashirama will overpower even the God of Shinobi himself. And we need to confront the only human in this whole ordeal."
Kakashi nodded. "Let's go."
We quickly ran across the sand, hopping up onto the rocks as we got closer. To our left, the short-range division had succeeded, with some last-minute aid from Katsuki. The former Hokage were moving into position. In the distance, Sasuke had confronted Madara, shielding Gai behind him within his Susanoo. Naruto was headed for them, his chakra flaring around him.
'Separate Madara and Obito,' I ordered, as Kakashi and I drew closer. 'Now, Sasuke, Naruto!'
Sasuke slashed his sword violently, forcing Madara to leap backwards, away from Obito. Naruto followed up with another attack from the side, which was blocked easily. However, it was enough time for us to reach Obito, who turned and glared at us.
"Back again?" he sneered. "When will you learn that your resistance is futile? When will you realize that I'm trying to do the world a favor?"
"We would really rather not kill you," I said, motioning for Kakashi to stop moving. "Are you sure you don't want to take the diplomatic way out?"
"This is the diplomatic way!" shouted Obito, furious. "This is the closest to peace that the shinobi world will ever have!"
"Then we have no choice." I drew a kunai. "Kakashi, 296."
Kakashi understood, recognizing our plan number. I attacked first with two kunai, which he easily whisked away into the other dimension. As I'd expected, every solid attack was deflected either by his fist or by the fact that I went right through him. At some point, I dove right at him and landed on the other side. He turned to face me. I attacked again as Kakashi did the same, but Obito was prepared. None of our attacks landed.
"How troublesome," said Obito. "I'll just take you to the other dimension myself."
Before we could react, we were sucked away into darkness and found ourselves in a dimly lit hallway, lined with stone pillars. It stretched on endlessly – literally.
Obito appeared before us, spinning a kunai I'd thrown at him. "You know," he said, "you shouldn't feel guilty for killing Rin after all, Kakashi."
Kakashi froze. I narrowed my eyes. "I do feel guilty," he said. "At the time, Rin – "
Obito held up a hand. "I know," he said. "I was there, at the time. I saw how Rin pleaded for you to kill her before you could reach Konoha. I saw you refuse. And I also saw you kill her."
Kakashi shivered, just a little bit.
"I'm not as angry about you killing her as I am at the circumstances," Obito continued. "This world is full of nothing but hate and despair. It's a terrible world. And that's why I'm trying to change it, once and for all."
"But there are nice things in this world, too," I said, subconsciously stepping in front of Kakashi as though to shield him from Obito's words. "What about the good times we had? All the times you and Kakashi quarreled? What about the new generation, who will hopefully grow up in a much more peaceful time than we did? What about the flowers and the – "
"Silence!" Obito roared, and the next second, I had been roughly jerked away from Kakashi. The kunai was at my neck, Obito holding my upper arm firmly. This time, in a dimension that he controlled, it would be nearly impossible to escape.
Kakashi's eyes widened. He staggered forward, but Obito gripped the kunai more tightly.
"If you try to attack me, she dies," he said, and Kakashi froze immediately. I understood at that moment; in order to carry out his threat, Obito was more or less bound to where he stood now, right behind me. Even if he used Kamui to avoid fatal damage, there was no way he could escape with all his limbs intact. If Kakashi sacrificed me, he could land a good hit on Obito, granting us a clear advantage in the war.
"Better idea," I said, holding up a hand, where a blue Rasengan began to form. Obito pressed the kunai with a little bit of force, and it drew just a tiny bit of blood against my throat. I didn't flinch. "Kakashi, the moment you attack, I'll attack, too."
"You'll die," Kakashi protested, as though that wasn't obvious.
"I know," I said, refusing to think about what that meant and the weight of what I was saying. "That's fine. Kill me, for the greater good."
Kakashi's face was ashen. Even Obito was frozen to his spot, and I knew why; I was recreating scenario surrounding Rin's death.
"Go on," I coaxed, and this seemed to bring Obito out of his short reverie.
"That's right, Kakashi the Friend Killer," said Obito, a small smirk on his face. I could actually feel his heart pounding at a million times per minute in his chest. He was nervous. He likely didn't believe what he was saying. As long as there was doubt in his mind, there was hope for us. "Kill her. That's what you did to Rin, isn't it? If you're really so sure that I need to be stopped, then try to kill me!"
I stared Kakashi down, the Rasengan still whirring in my left hand. 'Kill me,' I said. 'You can do it.'
Kakashi formed the signs for Chidori slowly, his hands visibly shaking, and the bright electricity began to crackle around his hand.
'Kira-sensei, don't do it,' Sasuke warned, invading my mind like usual. 'Seriously – this isn't a good idea.'
'Every good hero – every cliché hero – has a fault,' I said. 'Usually, that fault is that they're too self-sacrificing – too ready to give themselves up for the sake of others.'
'Are you trying to become a hero? You already are. Don't do this.'
I smiled softly, both at Kakashi and at Sasuke, although the latter couldn't see me. 'Our generation was born and immediately thrust into war. If it's for the sake of the younger generation, who hopefully won't have to experience the same horrors, then yes, I'll be the hero as many times as I can.'
The Chidori was lighting up the hallway, rather blindingly. I could see Kakashi's face, lit up by his jutsu, and I could see the clear hesitation in his eyes.
'So what?' Sasuke challenged me. 'So what if you were born in the wrong generation? Why do you have to be the one to give yourself up? To be the hero?'
'You wouldn't use a fancy new washcloth to clean the floor, right? No, of course not; you would use the old rag that's been dirtied many times over, if you're just going to mop the floor. It's the same thing here. We're already twisted and dirtied and used and tossed away. We might as well be used one more time so that you guys don't have to be.'
'I forbid you,' said Sasuke, not even listening to what I was saying. 'You literally almost died like half an hour ago.'
'Sorry, Sasuke,' I said, and then cut off the mind link, for real this time. I had never before consciously attempted to block anybody from entering my mind, but this way, not even Sasuke or Itachi could invade. And then I said to Kakashi, 'You can't let them suffer.'
Both Kakashi and Obito were breathing heavily, anticipating what was about to happen.
Kakashi seemed to steel himself, readying himself for what would come next.
And with that, the light went out and I was thrust into darkness.
0"26H