"What's wrong, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, his voice low, already on edge.
Naruto didn't answer. His eyes widened, and he wriggled free from Kakashi's loose grip, trotting toward the mage with a determined bounce.
Kakashi's instincts were screaming. He'd been suspicious of this mage since the start of their journey. But for some reason he had not acted on those instincts. He knew himself that he would never leave his instincts like an after thought. He always trusted his instincts.
'Something's wrong.' He followed close behind Naruto.
'I might as well check what's up with her,' Kakashi thought, his heart picking up a beat. 'She's been suspicious from the start.'
His mind shifted to another thing. 'It seems that the asguardian mages are really good. They have made quite some distance with the ship...' Kakashi looked at Naruto who was trotting towards the Asgardian mage as his eyes widened.
'What is this! Every time I try to think about her, I forget or my mind diverts to something else.' A chill ran down Kakashi's spine, like icy fingers brushing his neck.
It wasn't genjutsu, he'd checked with "Kai" but it was close to it. A subtle, insidious manipulation that slipped past his Sharingan and burrowed into his mind.
He was about to move to check on Cosmos before he glanced at Naruto, who was nearly at the mage's side, his tails wagging with excitement.
'I forgot about her again,' Kakashi realized, his blood running cold. 'What the hell is this?'
He signaled Natasha with a subtle hand gesture, a silent warning to stay sharp. Natasha's eyes narrowed, catching the signal instantly. She nodded, her hand drifting to her sidearm. Kakashi kept moving, his steps silent.
Naruto reached the mage, his grin wide and oblivious. "Are we playing with illusions? Cool! I'm pretty good at it too. Let's play who's better at illusions!" His tails wagged, and he bounced on his paws, completely unaware of the danger.
The mage's smile stiffened for a split second, a crack in her calm facade, before it returned. Sif, standing nearby, caught the shift. Her hand went to her sword. "Are you saying she has an illusion over herself?" she asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.
Naruto nodded, pointing a tail at the Asgardian warrior standing behind the mage. "Yeah! She's not just hiding herself, she's got one on him too!"
Before anyone could react, Natasha drew her pistols and fired. Two shots rang out, aimed straight at the mage's chest. Everyone in the ship froze, warriors reaching for weapons. The warrior behind the mage moved in a flash, his sword swinging to deflect the bullets with a shower of sparks.
Kakashi's jaw dropped. "Why did you just shoot?"
Natasha gave him a look like he was the dumbest person in the room. "She's obviously an imposter pretending to be someone else."
"I know that," Kakashi said, exasperated. "But why shoot before asking anything?"
Natasha's glare didn't waver. "I shoot first, talk and ask questions later."
Pakkun, sitting near Cosmo, barked a laugh. "I like this one!"
Kakashi opened his mouth to argue. 'You can't ask questions of a dead person'—but stopped. That eerie feeling was back, stronger now, like a fog creeping into his mind, trying to push the mage out of his thoughts again.
He shook it off, forcing himself to focus. His Mangekyou Sharingan flared to life, the pinwheel pattern spinning as he stared at the mage. This time, he felt it, a subtle, slithering magic, not chakra but something else, twisting his brain waves, 'Mind magic?' His blood chilled. 'That's rare. And dangerous.'
The mage chuckled, her voice low and mocking. "It looks like the fun is over."
Her form shimmered, the middle-aged woman with brown hair melting away. In her place stood a younger woman with blonde hair.
The warrior beside her transformed too, his armor shifting to reveal a hulking man with one hand. Recognition hit Kakashi. Sif's voice was a snarl. "Amora and Skurge."
Sif stepped forward, her sword drawn, her eyes blazing. "What happened to the ones you replaced?! Tell me!"
Amora's sneer was venomous. "Girly, I had to tie up loose ends. They're probably in Valhalla by now, if they're lucky." Her gaze shifted to Naruto, her tongue flicking across her lips. "To think someone could break my illusions and resist my mind magic. What a curious creature."
Naruto's excitement vanished. He scrambled behind Kakashi, his tails puffing up. "Kakashi-sensei, this girl's creepy! Tell her I don't swing that way! I'm into foxes with furry tails like mine, not old, wrinkly hags with bad hair dye!"
Howard, sipping his ale, choked with laughter. "Kid's got a mouth! Burn, blondie!"
Amora's eye twitched, her smile tightening into something dangerous. She pulled a paper scroll from her robe, its edges glowing with runes. Kakashi recognized it instantly, a teleportation scroll, like the one she'd used in their earlier encounter.
"We'll meet again, my dear Kakashi Hatake," Amora purred, tearing the scroll. She held out her hand to Skurge. "Come, Skurge."
But Skurge didn't move. His massive frame stood frozen, his eyes glossy, the reflection of Kakashi's Mangekyou Sharingan spinning faintly within them. Amora's eyes widened. "What are you doing, Skurge?"
Kakashi's voice was cold. "I'm afraid Skurge won't be joining you on your journey."
Before Amora could react, the torn scroll flared, and she vanished in a burst of green light, leaving Skurge behind.
Kakashi turned to the enthralled warrior, his Sharingan still spinning. "Now then, what should we do with you?"
------Author Notes---------
Y'all can now read the next 15 chapters of the fanfic on my pat*reon.
Also you can also now read exclusive one shots on it.
https://pat*reon.com/Charizard6
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