Rustle~ Rustle~
Four figures blurred through the dense forest, their movements swift and urgent. Leading the group was a young woman, perhaps sixteen or seventeen years old, with a slender build and long, sky-blue hair tied back in a ponytail. Following closely behind her were two other women and one man, all clad in the uniform shinobi attire of Yakugakure, the Village Hidden in Medicine.
These were Guren, Genkei, Miki, and Takami.
Their expressions were grim, their pace hurried. Far behind them, two figures wearing the infamous black cloaks adorned with red clouds, members of the Akatsuki, relentlessly pursued.
It was Kakuzu and Hidan. Hidan had joined the Akatsuki roughly half a year ago.
"Oi! Hey! Kakuzu, why aren't we just taking them out already?!" Hidan yelled impatiently, turning his head towards his partner as they leaped through the canopy.
Kakuzu shot Hidan a sideways glance. "The leader wants them alive," he stated flatly.
"Tch! What a pain in the ass," Hidan grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"This squad is from Yakugakure," Kakuzu droned. "The woman leading them is the apprentice of Pakura, the Ta-kage."
"Yakugakure? The village that fought the organization before?" Hidan's face lit up with morbid excitement.
Hidan was a rogue ninja from Yugakure, the Village Hidden in Hot Water. Disgusted with his village's turn towards pacifism, he had become a fervent believer in the Way of Jashin. Possessing an immortal body, he was known for his boisterous and arrogant nature. Even before joining the Akatsuki, Hidan had been a psychopath who enjoyed killing for pleasure. After being forcefully "persuaded" by the Akatsuki, Hidan was partnered with Kakuzu, forming the infamous Immortal Duo.
Though Hidan constantly complained and cursed, deep down, he respected the organization. There were no weaklings here! Their leader even possessed the legendary Rinnegan. Yet, despite such power, it was rumored that this very organization had suffered defeats.
The Divine Court! Yakugakure!
Hidan found himself intensely interested in these two groups.
"Hn," Kakuzu grunted noncommittally in response.
"Heh heh! Leave it to me! I'll grab 'em!" Having gotten confirmation from Kakuzu, Hidan's excitement surged, and he immediately accelerated.
Sensing Hidan closing the distance rapidly, Guren, who was running point, abruptly skidded to a halt. She turned to her teammates. "You three, go on ahead! I'll cover our retreat!" she commanded, her voice low and serious. Without waiting for a reply, her hands flew through seals, beginning to weave a ninjutsu.
"Captain!" Takami cried out in alarm, seeing Guren stop and turn back. She wanted to stay and fight alongside her captain.
But Miki grabbed Takami firmly, pulling her along with Genkei to continue their escape. "Don't look back! The Captain is much stronger than us. If we stay, we'll only hold her back!" Miki yelled urgently over the rush of wind as she dragged the struggling Takami away.
They had been running missions together as a team for over two years; Miki understood Guren's personality well. She wouldn't have ordered a retreat without even engaging unless they were facing an overwhelming enemy. And the two pursuing them were Akatsuki members! An organization where every member was said to be Kage-level, a group that had once brazenly attacked Yakugakure itself. Against two such opponents, the three of them stood no chance.
"But the Captain..." Takami protested, still trying to pull free.
"Don't worry! The Captain will come back!" Miki interrupted firmly, her voice resolute.
Beside them, Genkei remained silent, but hesitation and worry flickered across his face.
Behind them, Guren had completed her hand seals.
Crystal Release: Crystal Pentagonal Prison!
In an instant, several large, five-sided crystalline prisms erupted from the ground around the charging Hidan, trapping him completely. Inside the translucent, violet crystal, Hidan's face was frozen in its previous expression of manic excitement.
Hooo...
Seeing Hidan successfully sealed within the crystal prisms, Guren finally let out a small breath of relief. That was easier than she'd expected.
She looked up, past the sealed Hidan, preparing to face Kakuzu with her full attention. However, before Kakuzu even got close, his fist detached from his wrist, connected by thick black threads, and shot towards Hidan like a projectile.
CRASH!
The sharp sound of shattering crystal echoed through the trees as Kakuzu's punch demolished the pentagonal prisms. Fragments of glittering violet crystal scattered through the air, catching the light. Amidst the shower of sparkling purple shards, Hidan stood relatively unharmed, though speckles of blood dotted his body where the crystal had abruptly formed against his skin.
"Yo! As expected of the Scorch Release user Pakura's apprentice! To think you possess such a rare Kekkei Genkai!" Hidan cackled loudly, twirling the large, three-bladed crimson scythe he carried on his shoulder. As he spoke, the remnants of his Akatsuki cloak disintegrated into countless shreds, drifting away on the breeze. While Hidan himself hadn't been shattered by Guren's Crystal Release attack, his clothing couldn't withstand the tearing force of the crystallizing and subsequent shattering process.
Guren's expression tightened as she watched Hidan emerge, still full of manic energy.
No Akatsuki member is easy prey!
He was sealed by her Crystal Release, yet he walked out practically unscathed. The thought made Guren even more cautious. She leaped backward, attempting to create distance between herself and the Immortal Duo.
"Trying to run? Not so fast!" Hidan wasn't about to let her go after being embarrassed like that. He swung his ominous scythe and charged after her.
Seeing him pursue, Guren's hands blurred through seals once more.
Crystal Release: Crystal Pentagonal Road!
Within the dense woods, a massive pillar of purple crystal surged upwards towards the sky. The scope of the technique was vast, instantly engulfing both Kakuzu and Hidan within its range.
When the colossal crystalline structure vanished moments later, the entire area it had covered was transformed. Every living creature, large and small, was instantly encased within purple crystals of varying sizes.
Naturally, Kakuzu and Hidan were no exception.
Landing lightly on a sturdy tree branch, Guren watched the two sealed figures, breathing heavily. That last attack had taken nearly all her strength. Hope, anxiety, and tension warred in her eyes.
Logically, her best course of action now was to flee. But Guren didn't want to leave.
The defining characteristic of Crystal Release was its incredible speed, making it exceedingly difficult to defend against. Against weaker opponents, it often resulted in an instant kill. But facing powerful Akatsuki members like Kakuzu and Hidan, Guren wanted to see if her attacks could truly be effective.
If only...
Crack~
Just as Guren's thoughts raced, the sharp, clear sound of cracking crystal reached her ears.
BOOM!
The purple crystal encasing Kakuzu shattered outwards.
Shaking off some lingering stiffness, Kakuzu turned his gaze towards Guren. A flicker of gravity crossed his eyes before vanishing. That last attack... if her power had been just a bit stronger, my Earth Release: Earth Spear might not have held.
With that thought, Kakuzu threw another punch, shattering the crystal prison holding Hidan nearby.
Freed once again, Hidan glared at the visibly weakened Guren, his face flushed with intense humiliation and anger.
Twice!
She had sealed him face-to-face twice! If Kakuzu hadn't been here, he might have ended up as a permanent, living crystal specimen.