Arc XII Chapter 19

Arc XII Chapter 19

XII

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Arc XII Chapter 19

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The battle raged on, undiminished in ferocity and intensity. Again and again, Asami and Kakashi clashed on the field. Regal purple against sparks of blue. Kakashi resisted with all his might, yet it was him to be forced on the defensive. More and more the longer the battle lasted. His gradual decline didn’t escape her. Kakashi was gradually losing ground. His attacks lost their vigour. His attacks lost their edge. It had become apparent who was holding the upper hand here. It was not him.

“...” A grin adorned Asami’s lips, the purple chakra of her blade grinding against the gleaming azure of his chidori. Kakashi gritted his teeth, sweating visibly under her pressure. It was the suave, suave taste of victory. Delicious. “Kakashi-san, if I may be so bold as to presume, but I think you have seen better days, haven’t you?”

“...” Kakashi declined to comment, preferring the comfort of silence. He wouldn’t fall for her ploy. Instead, he maintained his focus, even going as far as to reinforce his chidori. Defiant to the end, his lightning flared up with new vigour, fuelled by the strength of his chakra. Kakashi defied her. He fought her. How sweet of him ...

“...” Asami raised her parasol, her umbrella serving as her shield, blocking the incoming attack. An old friend had returned, joining the fray of battle once again. It was Naruto. How unexpected.

“Aarghhhh!!! Rasengan!!!” Naruto hit her barrier, his rasengan striking her shield. This time, however, it felt different. It was different. His rasengan proved more potent than ever before, his blue chakra intermixed with a dark, sinister aura of red. His sphere succeeded in forcing her back, making her slide across the ground until she came to a halt.

“...” Asami smirked, a dark smile crossing her lips. So it was finally time ... So Naruto had finally decided to resort to the strength hidden deep within him. He should have done so sooner.

This chakra ... This strength ... This might ... This familiar aura ... There was no doubt, this was the aura of the Kyuubi that reared its head, an aura whose deleterious effects hardly escaped her. The influence of the Kyuubi was noticeable. Naruto’s chakra had changed, transformed, morphed. His chakra had grown both in strength and potency. The red chakra of the Kyuubi ... It was a chakra that craved, consumed, devoured. A chakra with a pronounced prevalence of yang, which by itself was curious, not to say peculiar. To think that the infamous Kyuubi of all bijuu would lean unlike his brother so heavily towards yang. It was unexpected.

Scarcely impressed, Asami tilted her head, her delicate fingers caressing her ruby lips. “Hmm, have you still not learned your lesson, Naruto-kun? What a shame~.”

“AAAARRRGHHHHH!!!” Naruto bared his fangs in utter defiance. He charged. Another frontal assault of the less creative kind. How disappointing.

Her umbrella blocked his strike, her chakra deflecting his punch with apparent ease. The dark, primordial red of the Kyuubi clashed against her regal purple. Asami felt his corroding, corrupting influence from deep beneath, the creeping blight within his aura, yet it was her imperial purple to prevail. Though the Kyuubi might strengthen his attacks, he was not enough to overcome her. Not by a long shot. Naruto’s attacks were rash, hasty, reckless, foolhardy, lacking any sense of finesse. He fought like a savage beast taken by fury.

As if she would ever lose to such unsophisticated methods. Once again, Naruto allowed his blind rage to cloud his judgment beyond reason. Once again, he came to rely on the brute force of the Kyuubi where his own strength was found wanting. He succumbed to the animal within, to the tempting lure of power. In the end, however, he was nothing but a beast.

Asami retracted her umbrella, responding with a frontal rising kick, a snap kick. Her purple chakra coated her stockings, shielding her delicate skin against the malevolent chakra of the Kyuubi. Her leg rose, driving the wooden heel of her sandals straight into his exposed chin with a conspicuous amount of force, taking the breath right out of his lungs in a single strike.

“...” Naruto gasped, taking the brunt of her kick. His whole body was flung backwards before kissing the ground in a less than pleasant manner. Once again, Naruto was treated to a lovely course of grass and dirt. Not that she cared.

Asami lowered her leg, her voice laced with a veneer of utter contempt and disdain, “Pathetic.”

Nevertheless, no matter how pathetic his attempts at humouring her might be, Naruto was, without a doubt, a stubborn boy. One who didn’t know when to give up. One who fought to the bitter end. Not that she expected otherwise.

Naruto dug his claws into the turf, forcing an abrupt halt. He immediately launched himself against her once more, offering her not a single moment of respite. He attacked, his claws leading the charge. “Aaarrghh!!!” The dance was about to start. And so it did.

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