Chapter 59
I could really go for a turkey and pumpkin pie right about now… Feigning excitement, Jin’s thoughts begin to wander. This is most likely my last easy fight for the time being, I should be enjoying it… but I don’t find these filler villains interesting at all. They don’t even have any jutsu worth copying.
The three remaining reanimations are still flabbergasted that one of their comrades, they slowly return their attention to Jin. The young man’s playful expression makes them all scowl with a frenzy of rage. They all spread out as they take fighting stances, infusing their chakra.
“I’d say that this little scrap has been fun, but that would be a lie. I’m just going to finish this up and go help Sasuke and Itachi.”
“You annoying, little punk, I’ve had enough of your insolence!” Fudo growls, baring his fangs.
The rock and earth at the reanimated radical’s feet begins to run up his legs like water, clinging to his body; the rock covers Fudo’s entire body and morphs into a defensive hard shell. Seeing this, Jin trembles, cowering in fear. The young man raises his hands to cover his face as he looks away.
“OH, NO!! It’s my one weakness… rock armor…!” Jin’s voice is stricken with panic.
“Ha ha ha ha! That’s the look I want to see… now DIE!!!”
Fudo leaps into the air, lunging straight for Jin. As the reanimated ninja gets closer, yellow chakra surrounds the young Uzumaki’s body in the form of a ribcage, it’s Jin’s susanoo. The ribcage grows a right arm in an instant and punches Fudo with enough force to completely shatter all the bones in a living person’s body; Fudo’s eyes bulge from the impact.
The reanimated shinobi is sent flying across the cave and into a wall, cracks form and spread across the entire wall. The entire section of the wall where Fudo crashed collapses mere moments later, kicking up dust.
Jin just nods and chuckles at his handiwork. “Oh, that’s so simple. Heh heh heh…”
A desperate Fuka weaves hand signs. “Water Style: Mouth of the Serpent!”
A spinning column of water generates near the undead kunoichi which takes the form of a snake with a gaping jaw. Rushes toward Jin at high speeds, but is casually swatted away by his susanoo.
Nonchalantly, Jin turns his attention to the reanimation and asks, “Hey, zombie-girl…”
“My name’s Fuka.” The reanimated kunoichi corrects.
“Whatever--you like to absorb chakra, right?”
“How do yo--Hrk?!”
A now shocked Fuka is interrupted as Jin appears right before her in the blink of an eye, he grabs the kunoichi by the neck and lifts her into the air. He forcefully injects her with his own chakra, moments pass before Jin sees his desired result come to fruition.
“W-Wha--EEEYYAAAAAAARGH!!!” Fuka shrieks in horror as she realizes what is happening to her.
The reanimated kunoichi’s skin turns pale white, growing scales all over her entire body in the process. Her hair grows spikier and her mouth grows longer; her teeth become sharper, her canines morph into two large venomous fangs. As Fuka’s pupils become slits, her neck grows longer. The kunoichi’s clothes fall off of her body as it changes, it grows larger and longer while her arms and legs slowly decrease in size. Jin releases his grip, taking a few steps back; the Onikage prepares to thrust his black rod into the beast.
The reanimated kunoichi clumsily lashes back and forth, her arms and legs twitch as she loses complete use of them. Fuka awkwardly falls to the ground in a spasm, coiling her body in fear, pain, and disgust; she stares back at Jin who towers over her.
“W-What have you done?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY BEAUTIFUL BODY??!!!”
“I removed you from the equation.” Jin declares as he stabs her with his black receiver.
As the female snake monster is rendered inert, Jin creates another receiver; he throws it at Fudo who is just now pulling himself out of the collapsed wall, impaling him to a large piece of debris. Now growing impatient, Jin turns his attention towards the last remaining reanimation standing.
“I have a question for you, Kazuma: get down or lay down, What’s it going to be?”
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“...it’s no use. Tayuya: Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia!”
The flesh just above Kabuto’s snake forms into a mindless clone of the late Sound Ninja Four member; using Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku, Kabuto grows a makeshift flute made entirely of bone. The Tayuya clone takes the flute and plays an ominous melody.
Upon hearing the music, Sasuke and Itachi envision themselves on a vast floor of skulls, from which emerge snakes that coil around their arms and torso, binding them. Their susanoo dissipate, leaving them defenseless.
“Even your precious susanoo can’t block out sound, can it?” Kabuto heckles. “I knew it. Now that I’ve immobilized you, all that’s left is…”
The snake sage’s tone is triumphant as he casually walks toward them, Tayuya morphs into a grinning Orochimaru. The mindless Orochimaru clone changes to its true form, a monstrous, giant snake, composed of many smaller snakes.
“...To absorb you, using Lord Orochimaru! Well, Sasuke--how about it? Do you remember this, do you recognize this current form of mine?!”
Feeling a mix of shock and disgust, Sasuke thinks back to his rebellion against the Sound Village leader and his former teacher.
“As you see--I possess Lord Orochimaru inside of me. I really can’t thank you and Jin enough, Sasuke.”
“Kabuto, you are not Orochimaru. It’s fine to imitate someone you respect, but don’t remake yourself into him to that extent.” Itachi tries to reason with him.
Kabuto pauses for a brief moment then argues, “You do realize a majority of people start out by mimicking another person they admire, don’t you? Just like the way Sasuke emulated you.”
“Such behavior is just a process to help one mature… Don’t use it as a cloak to deceive yourself like you’ve done.” Itachi responds. “If you’ve attached your self-worth to something external to you--even something admirable and praiseworthy, then you gain nothing. I’ll say this one last time: don’t mislead yourself with lies, those who cannot acknowledge themselves will fail.”
“Fail? The way I am now? HOW COULD I FAIL!!” Kabuto has the Orochimaru clone strike.
As the snake monster’s head darts toward the brothers at blinding speed, Itachi and Sasuke quickly look each other in the eye.
“Genjutsu: Sharingan!”
“Tsukuyomi!”
The Uchiha brothers immediately break each other free of Kabuto’s genjutsu and just as they reactivate their susanoo, the Orochimaru snake is impaled against the ground by a golden yellow sword, the snake head hits the ground with a loud thud; cracks form on the ground underneath the Orochimaru clone’s head. The sword was thrown from the direction of where the three ninja were previously.
A familiar face with red-hair steps out of the shadow’s with a yellow ribcage surrounding his body. He stares at Itachi and Sasuke with a look of shock and confusion painted all over his face.
“You still haven’t beaten him yet? What the hell, guys?”
Kabuto sheds a single tear and subsequently collapses in defeat. Itachi returns his attention to Kabuto and weaves a sign while his susanoo vanishes.
“As I have said, I can read your movements. Now I’ll begin Izanami.”
“Is it over?” Sasuke asks in a cooler tone.
The snake’s head twitches only for Kabuto to slip out of its mouth and run through the reanimated Akatsuki member, bisecting him with a sword. The sword itself is most unusual as it glows yellow with pure electrical energy, it even produces the same sound that reminds Jin of a certain popular sci-fi movie franchise. The blade’s hilt resembles a Vajra, informing Itachi, Jin, and Sasuke of the sword’s origins.
“...And I told YOU that everything was under my control! You’re no exception!!”
Kabuto readies himself, preparing to strike at Itachi again with the sword made of lightning.