Chapter 36: The Jinchūriki and the Immortal
The young man, Kato Ei, was utterly stunned. The secrets of his lineage were a forbidden legend, known only to a handful, most of whom were dead. Yet this Konoha ninja had laid them bare in an instant.
The power of his clan's jutsu was its bizarre, absolute nature. But once its mechanics were known, it became far less formidable.
"You... how do you know?" Ei stammered, his confidence in his newfound immortality shaken. If his enemy knew his methods, countering them would be simple.
"Is how I know important?" Akatsurugi countered dismissively. "What's more interesting is your sense of loyalty. You still care for your people, yet you chose to join the Evil God Cult. Why?"
Kato Ei was silent for a moment before answering, his voice low. "Revenge. My parents were killed by Cloud ninja. This was the only path that offered me the power for vengeance."
Akatsurugi nodded. It was a common enough story. When the great shinobi villages warred, they never considered the collateral damage in the smaller nations. It was the very injustice that would one day fuel Pain's crusade.
"Then follow me," Akatsurugi said simply. "I hunt Cloud ninja."
Ei looked surprised, then hesitant. "But... my skills are lacking in everything else. Wouldn't I just be a burden?"
Akatsurugi offered a thin, pragmatic smile. "If a situation becomes impossible, I will leave you behind and save myself. I hope you won't hold it against me."
The bluntness of the statement shocked Ei, but he quickly nodded. "Understood. I won't blame you."
"Good. My name is Akatsurugi."
"Kato Ei," the young man replied.
"Kato Ei..." Akatsurugi's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's a rare surname."
Ei shrugged. "We are a minor, fallen noble branch from the Land of Fire. A few of the Kato clan still serve in the Daimyo's court."
Akatsurugi filed the information away. "Do you need to bid farewell to your people?"
Ei shook his head, a flicker of pain in his eyes. "They wanted to beat me to death. There's nothing left to say."
"Then let's go."
The two traveled together through the Land of Hot Water. During their journey, Akatsurugi took time to drill Ei in basic ninjutsu. The young man's foundational skills were abysmal, a liability Akatsurugi had to mitigate.
Despite their caution, Cloud patrols eventually found them. These teams, however, were easily dispatched by Akatsurugi. He was beginning to feel like he was fighting a never-ending stream of minor villains when a truly terrifying pressure washed over them.
Akatsurugi's senses screamed in alarm. That chakra... it was a Tailed Beast Ball!
He didn't hesitate. Grabbing Kato Ei, he shot into the sky. A sphere of condensed, black-and-blue chakra roared past below, obliterating a swath of forest where they had just been standing. A direct hit would have vaporized them.
Catching his breath, Akatsurugi looked down. A tall woman with two flickering, blue-chakra tails emerging from her back stepped calmly from the treeline.
"The Two-Tails Jinchūriki," Akatsurugi muttered, frowning. For the Cloud to send a Jinchūriki after him... they were taking this very seriously. His eyes flicked to Kato Ei, the cultist he'd picked up. It was an ironic coincidence, reminiscent of the immortal duo who would hunt this very beast in another timeline.
Under normal circumstances, Akatsurugi would have simply fled. The intelligence leak about his flight was preferable to a fight with what appeared to be a perfect Jinchūriki. But now, with this specific tool at his disposal, he had to try.
"Kato," he whispered. "I'll find a way to get her blood. Once you have it, you know what to do."
Ei nodded grimly. Akatsurugi accelerated, flying a distance away to deposit Ei safely before turning back.
The Jinchūriki, Kokaki, watched him fly off with a frown. A flier? Troublesome. She was about to retreat and report this critical intelligence when she saw him returning.
He came back? she thought, her interest piqued. And he stashed the boy away. Does he actually think he can fight me? The arrogance.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Akatsurugi spat a massive black-red fireball from his aerial position.
But speed was the Two-Tails' greatest asset. With a casual burst of movement, Kokaki blurred, easily evading the attack.
"Are you only brave when you're in the sky, little bird?" she taunted.
Akatsurugi slowly descended, landing a dozen meters away. "The Two-Tails Jinchūriki. The Third Raikage is being remarkably cautious."
The moment his feet touched the ground, Kokaki vanished. A blue-tailed whip snapped through the space where he stood, but only dispersed a puff of white smoke.
A shadow clone, Kokaki noted, her frown deepening. Cautious indeed.
The real Akatsurugi was hidden further away, his Sharingan spinning wildly. That speed... even my eyes could barely track it. Getting close enough to draw blood will be nearly impossible with that tailed beast cloak active.
He ran through his options, his mind settling on one of his riskiest assets. His Mangekyō ability: Transposition. It was a desperate gambit, but it was the only one he had.
Across the clearing, Kokaki remained on high alert. Yoshino Kaze and Kujōgawa were not weaklings. For this Akatsurugi to have killed them both meant he was dangerously capable. He wouldn't have returned unless he believed he could win. She would not underestimate him. The air crackled with tension, the prelude to a clash between a weapon of a great village and a thief of worlds.