Chapter 203: The Two Deadly Flowers (Part 3)
Tsuki wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and coughed, then forced the blood back down her throat.
She had always thought that the Mizukage, who was shorter than her, was nothing special. With his baby face, it was easy to forget his actual age.
But when she had truly faced him, she had felt the pressure of a Kage.
Yagura stood his iron hook to the side. He felt it was about time.
The Kaguya, with their ability to freely control their own bones, were very difficult to stop if they wanted to kill themselves. So, to bring her back to the Mist, he had to either knock her out or make her realize the gap in their strength and give up.
"You ran in this direction," he said. "Do you have a destination?"
"Does that question have any meaning?" she said with a bitter smile. "I'm probably going to die here today."
"You will not die here," he said, shaking his head. "You will come back with me to the Hidden Mist. Do not resist any further."
"As I thought," she said, "you are also a man who cannot understand beauty, who is drowning in ugliness. I will not go back. I am going to find true beauty."
Such a paranoid clan, he thought with a sigh. He would have to defeat her and knock her out, then take her back to the village.
"Then I have no choice."
The next moment, he was on her, his iron hook swinging at her neck.
She threw her hands to the sky. "Then let me bloom," she said, "one last time."
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern!"
In an instant, countless bones shot from her body, like a blooming flower, and then, as he watched, they fell to the ground.
Like a seed.
He missed his strike and frowned. He had no information on this technique. It was likely a secret art of the Kaguya clan, one that even the Mist did not possess.
The next moment, a "forest" of white bones grew from the ground, in a radius of dozens of meters.
Countless thick "bone trees" pierced the earth, layer upon layer, until the entire area was a forest of white bones. The sharp "trees," some several meters high, some dozens of meters high, were a terrifying sight.
He quickly jumped up and, using his chakra to stick to the tip of a "bone tree," he looked around.
This was clearly a very high-level secret art.
Suddenly, her figure emerged from a "bone tree" behind him. Her lower body was still merged with the tree, but her right hand had transformed into a giant, spiral bone drill, which she thrust at his back.
He turned and dodged. She missed and disappeared back into the "tree," only to reappear in another. The entire "bone forest" was her own bones, and she could move freely within it.
He counter-attacked with his iron hook. The spiral bone drill in her hand shattered, but she did not stop, constantly attacking him from all directions, her attacks ferocious, her movements unpredictable. Even he felt a little pressure.
After an unknown number of exchanges, her movements grew slower, and her bones grew more fragile.
A ruthless glint appeared in his eyes. He shot out his iron hook and, hooking her arm, he pulled her out, preventing her from returning to the "tree."
"It's over."
Blood poured from her arm. "A shame," she said with a bitter smile. "In the end, I did not have the chance to see true beauty again."
With that, she, ignoring her torn arm, pulled with all her might, and a large chunk of her arm was ripped off.
Torn tendons and blood flew through the air.
"What?!" His pupils contracted.
And then she disappeared into the bone forest again.
But the next attack never came.
After a moment of waiting, his face changed. He shattered every single "bone tree," but he could not find her.
Did she... dissolve... into this forest of white bones?
Just then, the Mist ANBU who had been left behind finally caught up.
"Lord Mizukage," they said, "we're late."
He said nothing. He had gone ahead to speed things up. There was no one to blame.
But it was a shame. If they had been here a little earlier, they might have been able to subdue her with genjutsu. His own genjutsu was a weak point. He would have to work on it.
But he still had not given up hope. "Search this entire bone forest," he ordered. "Don't give up any chance!"
"Aah! Aah!"
Kushina was struggling unconsciously, the chakra flames around her growing higher, a seventh tail appearing.
In her inner world, the massive Nine-Tails looked at the girl who was weeping tears of blood. "Well then," it snarled, "let's go on a rampage! My power! I'll lend it to you! Go and kill that disgusting bastard!"
In the real world, the orange chakra flames gradually turned red, and a black, fox-like skull formed over her face.
"This is it," Danzo said, his excitement growing. "The Cloud's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki has an ox-like skull when he fights!"
The researchers also had an excited expression on their faces.
But the next moment, a crisp sound, and his excitement froze.
Crack.
One of the sealing chains that bound her, unable to withstand the corrosion of the Nine-Tails' chakra, had snapped.
Crack, crack.
Soon, all the chains on her limbs had broken. He was shocked, but he immediately thought, It's fine. She's covered in other jutsu. Even if the chains are broken, there's a second line of defense.
Her tailed beast cloak now had eight tails, and the broken chains were floating in the air like snakes. She was barely recognizable as a human, a demon fox wreathed in red flames.
Just as he was starting to feel at ease, the demon fox swung its arm, and the broken chains shot out, and a few of the unprepared Root ninja in front of her were sent flying, their bones broken.
"What?!" he cried out.
He immediately tried to activate the hidden jutsu on her body.
The demon fox, its face now completely covered by the black skull, gave a strange smile.
"I command you! Stop!" he roared, activating the jutsu.
The demon fox did not move. It just cracked its neck, as if getting used to its new state.
"I command you! Retreat!"
The eight chakra tails danced behind it.
"I command you! Kneel!"
But his only answer was a black Tailed Beast Ball, filled with a long-held resentment, and a crazed roar.
"GO!!!!!!!! TO!!!!!!!! HELL!!!!!!!!"
Author's note: There are more than ten "positives" in my building. I have to get up at five every day to get groceries. The news says the lockdown will last until the end of April. I'm really starting to break down.