Naruto - Azure Awakening

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<<<>>>

Kaoru had already reached Mei's squad, only to discover that the situation was far worse than he anticipated.

Most of the chunin were either injured or completely drained, their movements sluggish with exhaustion. Compared to Shin's squad, Mei's forces had suffered several times more casualties.

But it wasn't because they were weaker. The reason was simple - Kiri's elites had been distributed unevenly. Most of them had been sent against Mei's forces, and they had been paying the price ever since.

Mei had split her squad into twenty smaller groups, each consisting of about ten shinobi. 

The group Kaoru reached first was down to just three members still able to fight. He approached the only standing shinobi, who was crouched beside two wounded comrades, trying to keep them stable.

"What happened here?" Kaoru asked.

The Terumi shinobi looked up, fatigue etched deep in his face.

"We fought about ten Kiri shinobi and barely defeated them. Two of us need immediate medical help, but our medic was killed, and we have no one else to treat them."

Kaoru's chest tightened at the mention of the fallen medic-nin. Most medics were from Takime Clan, so the loss hit him even harder.

He was well-versed in theory when it came to medicine and the human body, but in the middle of a battlefield, theory meant nothing without the proper training.

"Unfortunately, I can't help them either," Kaoru admitted.

He was about to suggest they retreat and return to base when his Suijingan flared, sensing five human figures approaching at high speed.

Kaoru's expression hardened.

"Someone's coming. Get ready to fight," he warned, his body already tense as he analyzed the incoming presences.

'One of them has jonin-level chakra… the rest are chunin, though one is barely above genin.'

Chakra reserves didn't always determine strength, but in most cases, they were a good indicator.

If it had just been chunin, Kaoru wouldn't have been as concerned, but a jonin-level opponent was a different matter entirely. His previous jonin enemies had struggled against him, but that didn't mean this one would too.

Kaoru began forming dark blue needles, preparing to strike the moment the Kiri shinobi appeared, but instead of enemies, he was met with Takimura reinforcements.

He exhaled slightly, relieved.

"Where are you going in such a hurry?" Kaoru asked as he relaxed his stance.

"Mei is in trouble," one of them answered immediately. "She's fighting someone skilled in close combat, one of our Terumi Oinin just relayed the information. Kaoru-kun, if you can join us, we'll need your strength."

Now that Kaoru took a closer look, the one he had initially mistaken for a jonin was actually an elite chūnin.

'His chakra levels are impressive, though…'

It took him a few moments to refocus. His eyes moved to the injured Terumi shinobi, hesitating.

If another enemy group appeared here, they would die.

But Mei was the priority, especially for the Terumi Clan.

The wounded veteran of the squad seemed to read Kaoru's thoughts and let out a tired chuckle, flashing a forced smile through his exhaustion.

"We'll be alright, Kaoru-kun. Don't worry about us. Go help Mei, brat."

Kaoru nodded, then quickly formed a hand seal.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A second Kaoru appeared beside him and immediately moved to assist the wounded, while the real Kaoru flickered away, following the Terumi squad.

"Do we have any information on the enemy?" Kaoru asked as he slowed slightly to match their pace.

"Yes," the elite chunin answered grimly. "They're Hozuki Clan. The one Mei is fighting is their clan head."

Kaoru's expression stiffened.

If it was Hozuki elites, this fight was about to be incredibly dangerous.

But more than that, he was excited.

He had been dying to test his Suijingan against an opponent who could liquefy their body.

'I wonder if I can dismantle them completely.'

A chilling thought crossed his mind.

If it worked, the Hozuki Clan would never forget this day.

They would tell their children about it. It would be like a punishment story about the night the Blue Needle of Takime came for them.

<<<>>>

Maki had barely dodged the sneak attack.

She moved to counter, but before she could strike, another invisible force shot toward her, forcing her to disengage further.

'What are these projectiles?!'

She couldn't see them.

Her instincts screamed at her to dodge, and the moment she did, the attacks struck exactly where she had just been standing.

It was unsettling.

'I can't even sense them. That means… she's faster than me.'

Maki's eyes flickered toward her opponent.

It was a woman, that much was obvious. The cloak struggled to conceal her refined figure, her movements were precise, almost unnaturally fluid.

She wore an Oinin mask, hiding her identity. Being Kiri's hunter nin meant that she was most likely very loyal to Yagura.

Her attacks were fast enough to keep Maki on the defensive, that was something few people could claim to capable of.

'I need to regain the advantage.'

Maki prepared to attack again but hesitated for a brief second. Instead of charging in blindly, she expanded her sensory field and immediately noticed something off.

Her chakra flow was slightly distorted.

Her heart dropped.

'Oh, shit. Two out of two times…'

She gave a self-deprecating laugh, she had fallen for genjutsu again.

Without hesitation, she disrupted her chakra flow, breaking free from the illusion. The battlefield shifted slightly, her mind got clearer.

Her opponent, who had stood confidently before, was now holding a hand seal, her body trembling slightly from the strain of maintaining the illusion.

'So it has a continuous effect. That's why I didn't notice.'

Genjutsu was rare in the Land of Water.

Kiri had always favored brute force, prioritizing raw strength over illusions. Relying on tricks was often seen as a weakness, which was nothing but arrogance and stupidity.

But because of that, most shinobi in Kiri were terrible at resisting genjutsu. And Takime Clan was no different.

Maki clicked her tongue.

'If possible, I'd like to take her alive… but I can't afford that in this fight.' Takime clan had only Akura who could use genjutsu but even he was barely better than a genin would be. So someone who could put Maki under genjutsu would be a useful source of information, however, Maki's priorities lay elsewhere.

Her expression darkened and the regret of losing a perfectly good source of information was changed by determination.

'Anyway, let's finish this.'

She flickered forward, aiming straight for the kunoichi's head, but Fuguki reacted in time, swinging his massive blade to intercept.

However, he was no match for Maki's strength. The impact was devastating. Fuguki was sent flying, his massive frame crashing into the battlefield like a boulder, the sheer force of Maki's strike ripping through the air.

The shockwave alone was enough to send the Kiri Oinin staggering, her body shaking because of its force.

Maki's glowing cyan eyes locked onto her opponent, sending a shiver down the woman's spine.

'Lord Fuguki, I won't be able to be of help anymore…' She was good at creating distractions for her allies, but if found out she became useless. The only reason she was let in Oinin was her spying abilities. She could infiltrate enemy territory without anyone noticing.

The girl wasn't loyal to Yagura, her allegiance was to Fuguki alone. She was his spy within Kiri's Oinin squad, his guarantee that his schemes would remain undiscovered.

Fuguki had always been a selfish man, doing whatever it took to increase his power and influence. That included framing one of Kiri's powerhouses and later selling information about Kirigakure to anyone willing to pay.

The wealth he gained only strengthened his position, securing his place as one of the Seven Swordsmen.

But when it came to actual strength, he wasn't even in the top three among them.

That didn't mean he was weak, but he was nowhere near shinobi like Mangetsu or even Zabuza.

But there was one thing Fuguki excelled at - using every possible advantage to win.

As he picked himself up, he sneered, brushing the dust from his clothes.

Despite Maki's attack sending him flying, he hadn't suffered any real injuries.

"Where did you get my blade?" he scoffed, his voice dripping with irritation.

Maki didn't answer.

Instead, she flickered forward, targeting the hunter-nin, who was already rushing toward Fuguki.

The Oinin wasn't trying to fight anymore, she was desperately seeking safety beside the only person who might keep her alive.

But Maki was too fast.

She intercepted her easily, Samehada already in motion, swinging low toward the kunoichi's waist, but Fuguki anticipated it.

At the last second, he intervened, his massive blade blocking Maki's strike once again.

The impact sent vibrations through his arms, but he stood his ground this time.

His gaze flickered toward the Oinin, his expression disgusted.

"You need to become useful, or I won't be saving you anymore."

His words were cold, close to hatered, before his attention turned fully back to Maki.

His eyes scanned her face, the weapon in her hands, then her stance, and finally, her hair.

A slow, mocking smile spread across his lips.

"You look just like him. Same hair, same blade, even the same pathetic expression."

His voice dripped with mockery.

"Are you that loser's daughter?"

Maki's chakra flared violently, but she said nothing.

She charged at Fuguki without hesitation, swinging Samehada mid-air, her attack coming before she even landed.

Fuguki's smirk widened.

'Heh. I've got your weak spot.'

He didn't need anything more than her reaction to confirm it, he had found the topic that would shake her focus.

Samehada sliced cleanly through Fuguki's body, but there was no resistance, no sensation of flesh tearing.

'A clone.'

Fuguki had already disengaged, he was standing several meters away, his expression amused.

"Want to know what your loser of a father's last words were?"

His voice was mocking, deliberately slow.

"I've never told anyone, but if you really want, I'll tell you."

His smile angered Maki more than the words themselves.

She wanted to know.

She wanted to hear her father's last words.

But she wasn't an idiot. She knew better than to believe anything that came from Fuguki's mouth.

Instead of responding, she charged again, this time, even faster.

Fuguki's face fell slightly as he barely had time to react.

'What the hell? She's gotten faster?!'

He had assumed she was already at her limit, but now it was clear - She hadn't been fighting at full strength at all.

'Wait… is she still holding back? No. That can't be.'

Fuguki, for all his treachery and opportunism, had always suffered from a deep-seated inferiority complex. He refused to accept that someone so young could be so much stronger than him.

His arms shook slightly as he blocked Maki's next attack.

The impact was bigger than the last time as it sent him flying, his massive body crashing into a nearby tree, snapping it at the trunk.

He groaned, staggering back to his feet, his fingers tightening around his blade.

'Her power… it's increased too.'

For the first time, a foreign sensation crawled up his spine.

Fear.

It was subtle, but it was there.

He had spent years building his influence, securing his status and wealth, and now, standing on this battlefield, he saw it - everything he had done meant nothing if he died here.

His eyes moved toward his subordinate.

She understood what Fuguki wanted instantly and flashed through hand seals without hesitation.

Maki saw it immediately.

The Oinin girl was preparing a jutsu and while she wasn't particularly worried, she wasn't about to let it happen either.

She prepared to flicker forward and cut her down, but as she was about to move her senses screamed at her.

She twisted her body just in time, avoiding sharp, orange projectiles that tore through the air.

'His hair?!'

Fuguki grinned.

He had manipulated his own hair, shooting spike-like projectiles toward her at high speed.

And he wasn't done.

He continued his assault, firing relentlessly, trying to overwhelm her with a barrage of needle-like attacks.

Maki kept dodging, her movements were sharp and precise, until she stopped dodging entirely.

She had still been adjusting to her new fighting style, still trying to fully integrate it into her combat instincts. So most of the time she instinctively avoided the attacks instead of relying on Samehada.

But now, she had no choice.

She swung the massive blade, blocking and deflecting the incoming projectiles with ease.

Samehada couldn't absorb them, they were physical attacks, not chakra-based, but it was still an effective shield.

Fuguki clicked his tongue, watching as his projectiles were rendered useless.

Maki had dealt with his attacks.

Now, she was going to eliminate the Oinin girl before the jutsu was complete, but it was too late.

The girl's chakra flared as her jutsu was ready.

**

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