Blood Universe

Konohagakure, Public Library

Wasabi: Hana and Lady Tsume are dead, while Kiba is still missing. Even Captain Moegi is in the hospital. What am I doing inside a library?

Shiho: You promised to help me search for a book for my research, right?

Wasabi: Yeah, yeah. Is it true that we can be able to disrupt their techniques using your research?

Shiho: It's not techniques, Wasabi. They're using magic. It's a term referring to foreign mystical energies used in ways that human logic cannot conform. Still, it's energy and energies can be studied and broken apart and therefore can be countered. Just like how technologies can be forcibly shut down with a single EM device.

Wasabi: I didn't understand any of that.

Hellcat: I did!

Surprised, Wasabi and Shiho quickly readied themselves, kunai in hand, ready to engage in battle.

Wasabi: Shiho, I thought we we're the only one here in the library.

Shiho: I thought so too.

Hellcat: What? The more the merrier, right? But I don't like you. So, can you please sleep now? Forever!

Wasabi: Shiho run! Get back up! I'll manage!

Wasabi launched herself at Hellcat without hesitation, her claws extending as her chakra surged. Her movements were fast and fluid, aiming to distract and incapacitate the intruder. Hellcat, however, dodged effortlessly, her agility and feline instincts making her a formidable opponent.

Shiho hesitated for a moment, fear gripping her. But Wasabi's voice snapped her out of it.

Wasabi: "Shiho, go! Now!"

Shiho bolted towards the library's exit, clutching her notes tightly. She knew she wasn't a fighter, but her research could make a difference. If she could just get to the others, they might have a chance to turn the tide.

Hellcat glanced briefly at the fleeing Shiho but didn't give chase. Instead, she smirked, focusing all her attention on Wasabi.

Hellcat: "You've got guts, kid. But guts won't save you."

Wasabi growled and unleashed her Cat Cloak, her chakra forming a glowing aura around her body, enhancing her speed and reflexes. She struck with a flurry of claws and kicks, each attack aimed to find an opening. Hellcat blocked some and dodged others, her smirk never leaving her face.

Hellcat: "Not bad. But let me show you how a real cat fights."

Hellcat suddenly countered with brutal precision, her claws slashing through Wasabi's defenses. Wasabi stumbled back, blood dripping from shallow cuts on her arms and legs. She gritted her teeth and surged forward again, refusing to back down.

The fight intensified, bookshelves splintering and papers flying as the two clashed. Hellcat's strength and ferocity were overwhelming, but Wasabi's determination kept her in the fight. She landed a powerful kick to Hellcat's side, sending her skidding back.

Wasabi: "You're not winning this!"

Hellcat laughed, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip.

Hellcat: "Oh, sweetie. I already have."

Hellcat feigned another dodge, baiting Wasabi into overextending. The moment Wasabi committed to the attack, Hellcat grabbed her arm, twisted it painfully, and delivered a devastating punch to her stomach. Wasabi gasped, the air knocked out of her, and collapsed to her knees.

Hellcat loomed over her, her claws glowing with a menacing energy.

Hellcat: "You fought well, kid. Too bad it wasn't enough."

Hellcat circled Wasabi like a predator stalking its prey, her movements deliberate and measured. Wasabi, battered but unyielding, adjusted her stance, her claws flexing as her chakra cloak flickered like a dying flame. Both combatants were bloodied, their breaths labored, but neither showed any sign of backing down.

Wasabi: "You're strong, but I won't let you win."

Hellcat: "And I don't intend to lose. Let's end this."

Hellcat lunged, her claws slashing with devastating speed. Wasabi sidestepped, barely avoiding the attack, and countered with a spinning kick. The blow connected, sending Hellcat stumbling back, but she quickly recovered, her grin widening despite the blood dripping from her mouth.

Hellcat: "Not bad. But let's see how you handle this!"

Hellcat extended her claws, which shimmered with a strange energy, and swiped at Wasabi with relentless ferocity. Wasabi blocked with her enhanced claws, the impact sending shockwaves through her arms. She retaliated with a powerful swipe aimed at Hellcat's midsection, tearing through her opponent's suit and leaving a deep gash.

Hellcat growled in pain but retaliated immediately, leaping onto a nearby bookshelf and kicking it down toward Wasabi. Books and debris rained down, forcing Wasabi to dodge and shield herself. The distraction gave Hellcat an opening, and she pounced, slamming Wasabi to the ground.

Wasabi gasped as Hellcat's claws pierced her shoulder. Ignoring the searing pain, she raked her own claws across Hellcat's chest, forcing her to release her grip. Both women rolled away, panting and clutching their wounds.

Wasabi: "Still standing?"

Hellcat: "You wish I wasn't."

They clashed again, their strikes becoming more desperate and wild. Wasabi's chakra cloak flared with renewed intensity as she managed to trap Hellcat in a series of rapid claw attacks, driving her back into a toppled shelf. Hellcat countered by grabbing a jagged piece of wood and striking Wasabi across the face, leaving a bloody gash over her left eye.

The fight became a brutal exchange of blows, each one pushing the combatants closer to their limits. Hellcat's movements became erratic, her strength waning, but her determination unbroken. Wasabi's vision blurred from blood loss, yet she refused to fall.

In a final, desperate move, Wasabi unleashed her Cat Cloak Surge, a burst of chakra propelling her forward like a comet. Hellcat, sensing the incoming danger, braced herself and countered with a vicious upward slash. The two collided, their attacks landing simultaneously.

Wasabi stumbled back, clutching a deep wound across her abdomen, while Hellcat fell to one knee, blood pouring from a claw mark that tore through her side. Both women struggled to stand, their bodies trembling from exhaustion and pain.

Hellcat: "You're... tough. I'll give you that."

Wasabi: "Same... to you. But this fight's not over."

Neither could muster the strength for another attack. They glared at each other, their breaths ragged, as a tense silence filled the ruined library. Finally, Wasabi's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, barely conscious. Hellcat slumped against a broken shelf, her head drooping as darkness crept into her vision.

The fight was a draw, both warriors too injured to continue. The library, once a place of knowledge and quiet, was now a battlefield littered with blood and destruction.

Meanwhile, Shiho who was running away from the fight in order to get reinforcements got stopped by Angel, Warren Worthington III.

Angel: I'm afraid I cannot let you leave or live, miss scientist. You've glanced at a very interesting discovery. You could've lived longer, you could, if you haven't done that.

Angel quickly fly towards her as she prepared herself, kunai in hand, for the upcoming fight.

Shiho sprinted through the streets of Konoha, her breath ragged as she tried to put distance between herself and Angel, Warren Worthington III. The once-bustling village was eerily quiet, the streets lit only by the flickering glow of lanterns. Angel's metallic wings shimmered ominously in the moonlight as he soared above her, his shadow stretching across the empty streets.

Angel: "Running won't save you, miss scientist. You've uncovered too much. Your existence is now a liability."

Shiho ducked into an alley, pressing her back against the wall to catch her breath. She gripped a kunai tightly in her hand, sweat dripping down her face as she tried to think of a way out. The sound of Angel's wings slicing through the air sent chills down her spine.

Before she could move, Angel descended into the street, landing with a grace that belied his lethal intent. His cold gaze scanned the alley, a predator hunting its prey.

Shiho: "I may not be a ninja like the others, but I won't let you erase me so easily."

Angel smirked, his metallic wings spreading wide as he stepped toward her.

Angel: "Brave words. Let's see how long they last."

Shiho hurled a smoke bomb at the ground, shrouding the alley in a dense fog. Using the cover, she darted out onto the main street, her heart pounding. Angel flapped his wings, dispersing the smoke with ease.

Angel: "Clever. But pointless."

He launched himself into the air, diving toward Shiho with terrifying speed. She barely managed to roll out of the way as his wings slashed through the air, carving deep gouges into the stone road. Scrambling to her feet, she threw a kunai aimed at his chest, but his wings folded in front of him, deflecting the attack effortlessly.

Shiho ducked into another street, this one lined with market stalls. She overturned carts and threw crates behind her, creating obstacles in Angel's path. He smashed through them with little effort, his wings slicing through wood and fabric like paper.

Angel: "You're only delaying the inevitable."

Shiho pulled out another explosive tag, attaching it to a kunai before throwing it at him. The explosion rocked the street, sending debris flying. Angel emerged from the smoke unscathed, his wings shielding him from harm.

Cornered near the village fountain, Shiho stood her ground. She knew running wasn't an option anymore. Her kunai trembled in her hand as Angel landed a few feet away, his imposing figure blocking her escape.

Shiho: "I won't go down without a fight."

Angel: "That's the spirit. Let's end this."

He lunged at her, wings slicing through the air. Shiho dodged to the side, slashing at him with her kunai. She managed to graze his arm, drawing a thin line of blood, but the retaliation was swift. His wing struck her side, sending her crashing into a nearby stall.

Shiho struggled to her feet, clutching her ribs. She reached into her pouch for her last smoke bomb, tossing it at his feet. This time, she followed up with a flurry of kunai, hoping to find an opening.

Angel burst through the smoke, his wings glowing faintly as he swung them toward her. The sharp edges grazed her arm, drawing blood. She stumbled backward, her strength waning.

Angel: "You're persistent. I'll give you that. But this ends now."

He raised his wings for the final strike, but Shiho, summoning her last reserves of courage, threw a kunai at the ground near his feet, triggering an explosive tag hidden beneath the rubble. The blast sent them both flying, Angel crashing into a nearby wall while Shiho was thrown into the fountain.

Bruised and battered, Shiho tried to crawl away, her vision blurring. Angel staggered to his feet, his expression livid but determined. He approached her slowly, savoring the moment.

Angel: "You fought well for a scientist. But it's over."

Shiho glared up at him, blood dripping from her lip. She tightened her grip on her kunai, ready to fight until her last breath. Just as Angel prepared to deliver the final blow, the sound of reinforcements approaching echoed through the streets.

Angel hesitated, his eyes narrowing. With a final look at Shiho, he spread his wings and took to the sky, disappearing into the night. Shiho collapsed back into the fountain, her body trembling as relief and exhaustion washed over her. She had survived, but just barely.