Once awakened, the fire resonated with Kazutaka's breathing. When he inhaled, its intensity decreased and then increased when he exhaled.
Finally! Kagero's face beamed. He stood in awe as he watched the Lightning Sage getting serious.
"With this fire... I shall send you to hell!" Kazutaka roared, closing the distance between them rapidly.
Unable to dodge, Kagero blocked with his rods. The shadow sticks were cut clean. His haori ignited and he tossed it away before jumping backwards. He rolled on the soil and got up when the flames died out. He stood up bare chested and his muscular torso had a few burns. "Tch..." he said, dusting himself off. "Is that all you've got, Taka-kun?"
A steady-flowing yellow aura engulfed Kazutaka's body as he made the Agni mudra. "Kajin Dainimaku: Onibi (Kajin's Second Act: Demon Fire)!"
The gentle crackling exploded into a violent sizzling. Kazutaka's breathing ceased resonating with the fire as it turned into a constant inferno.
Kagero flashed a menacing grin. "Those flames are quite majestic. But not as majestic as Natsuhi." He saw the Sage sprinting towards him and chuckled. How foolish!
When Kazutaka got within close range, Kagero threw dust in the former's face. "Kagemaru!" he said, panting as he raced towards his weapon. "Fix mine too!"
No response.
"I haven't got all day, you imbecile!" Kagero caught his breath. "Don't make me use that!" Afterwards, he saw Kagemaru frozen for a moment. Right, he thought, noticing his staff renewed seconds later.
Kazutaka had also regained his sight. Kagero dared not break his staff again lest he further shorten the distance between them. Using the fortified shadow stick, he blocked and avoided most of the fire attacks. The fight continued for another fifteen minutes, each warrior fighting at full strength.
"Oh, you should've seen them..." Kagero cackled, veering off to avoid a fiery swing. "Especially the daimyo-kun, how he begged me to spare their lives."
Kazutaka ignored Kagero's words and kept attacking from all directions, his face red with rage.
☯
Meanwhile, a bloodied Hideo knelt next to several body parts and entrails on the ground. Sweat trickled from his temples and he wiped it off. We've already lost a number of our comrades to just six of these guys... facing an army of them would be suicide. He got up and checked his pockets. I'm almost all out...
After collecting his kunai, he left the scene in search of enemy ninjas. Hideo ran for a while until he reached one of his underclassmen standing beside two corpses.
Natsumi saw Hideo approaching and raised a hand. "Senpai(Upperclassman)," she said, sniffling as she broke into tears. "Th–They killed her–"
Hideo saw Ichika's body and rushed towards Natsumi. "I'm so sorry, Natsu-san..." he said, embracing her in a gentle hug. "Ichika-san's death won't be in vain."
"True..." Natsumi wiped her eyes. "I managed to get two of them."
"Make it three... which means we're left with another three."
"That can't be all of them. There's got to be more."
"I thought so too..." Hideo fixed his spectacles. "The group that infiltrated Kaen was around twenty. Which means others might be waiting outside the wall."
"Why go in with only six? Do they really underestimate us like that?"
Hideo grabbed his chin, sighing. "They killed ten of our Battalion Corps. And that's no easy feat to pull."
"So, what's the plan?"
"I suggest we regroup with our comrades and come up with a strategy."
"Cool... right behind you, senpai."
Hideo and Natsumi left the scene and hurried to other Battalion Corps. On their way, the Lightning team met Shin, also heading in the same direction. The S-class ninja had a few cuts and rips on his attire. The trio continued in silence until they reached their destination.
When they reached the rendezvous point near the village's business district, they restocked on weapons whilst others got aid from a few Medical Corps. All those who sustained severe injuries and could no longer battle were to remain behind in the care of the medics.
"Natsu-san," said Hideo, drinking water from a bamboo bottle. "Gather everyone who can still fight. We're going to the main entrance."
"Understood!" said Natsumi with a nod.
"We'll bring the fight to them..."
[
Some minutes passed, and Kagero noticed the flames weaken in intensity. However, he still maintained a safe distance from them thanks to the long staff. They should've been here by now... unless? He thought, blocking another attack. "Huh–" The fire sword rushed towards his face and he leapt into a backflip, landing a safe distance away. He turned to his son and said, "Kagemaru! Now!"
Kagemaru tossed a black sphere upwards and it soared above the tall buildings. He switched his Prana mudra, placing the thumb inside curled fingers–the Adi (Sanskrit: First) mudra. Bakuhatsu (Blast), he mouthed and the ball exploded into a dark cloud.
[
Hideo, Shin, Natsumi and the rest of the Lightning team approached the main gate. As they got closer, they saw it–two dozen Shadow ninjas atop the wall.
Shit! Natsumi took out her bow and armed it with four arrows. "Don't let them get beyond this point!" she said, stretching the string before firing. "Archers... loose!"
A torrent of arrows flew towards the shadows, reducing the number of foot ninjas. In retaliation, Shadow assassins cut down as many Battalion Corps as they could. The fight quickly became a battle of the elites.
Hideo drew six bombs–three in each hand and tossed them at the shadows. Four more foot ninjas got caught in the tremendous explosion. Several entrails flew everywhere in the aftermath. Suddenly, he spun around and veered away from a chokutō.
The blade cut Hideo's arm and the pain was excruciating. These assassins are the real problem! He held the Prithvi mudra behind his back and flung two shuriken. He advanced with raised fists, evading a few slashes before breaking the man's elbow and stabbing him with his own chokutō.
[
"Are you sure you're the strongest this region has to offer?" said Kagero, cackling as he slowed his speed on purpose. He saw the Sage advancing with a side cut and prepared to counter. At the last moment, he ducked and used his rod to slice through Kazutaka's left arm from the elbow. "Your moves are getting rusty, Taka-kun."
Kazutaka jumped backwards–feeling an intense pain. He quickly used his fire sword to cauterize the wound, preventing further blood loss. I have to end this quickly... He glanced at Kajin's blade and saw the flame dwindling. I'm almost out of prana.