Royal Road
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.
“...” Asami lowered her parasol, taking a peek with a cheerful smile on her lips. “Are~ are~, Naruto-kun, welcome back~. It is a pleasure to see you again~.”
“Hrrrrr.” His red chakra cloak blazed. Naruto seethed in fury. His teeth gritted, his fist clenched in rage. Even his canines, his claws showed. The animalistic nature within him surfaced as the influence of the Kyuubi grew in strength and his own rationality waned. “Asami!!! You will pay for what you did!!! You will see!!!”
“Oh my, I will pay, you say~. How dreadful~.” Asami tilted her head, a sardonic smile crossing her lips. “And for what exactly? What most heinous crimes did I commit this time, Naruto-kun?”
“Stop playing dumb, Asami!!!” Naruto snarled, his voice laced with the venom of pure hatred. “It was you who hurt Sakura-chan!”
“...” Asami smiled, a dangerous glimmer in her eyes. “Oh, just because of that~? You detest me just because I hurt your precious little girl? How quaint. First, you reject my kindness, my benevolence. Then you choose to fight me. And now you seek to kill me, to extinguish my very life. And yet you begrudge me for responding in the same kind and manner ... You deny me the right you so readily claim as your own. You expect me to die for yours to live, when it was you who first raised the sword.”
“...” Asami shook her head, her tone dripping with open contempt. “Naruto, you may fight like a man, but you speak like a child.”
“Aaaaarrrrrghhh!!!” Naruto charged, his war cry echoing across the plains. Propelled by his chakra, he attacked, solely armed with his fists and claws. A poor choice. He was far too easy to ready.
“Naruto! No!” Kakashi yelled. He tried to warn him, but his voice went unheard.
Armed with her chakra blade, Asami spun, dodging his attack. Naruto passed her. Her blade sliced through his cloak, through his corroding red chakra, through his open flank, straight through his guts. It was a clean, diagonal slice. Blood flowed, gushing out.
“Aargh!” A cry of pain escaped Naruto before the boy crashed into the ground. As it turned out, even a beast was susceptible to pain, which was good news. If it bleeds, it can be killed.
“Amateur.” Asami retracted her blade, merely scoffing. Child’s play, despite not even using a proper sword.
Naruto, however, was quick to recuperate. His wounds healed, a loud hissing noise resounding. They closed almost immediately. His red cloak of chakra granted him tremendous regenerative abilities. Interesting.
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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