Chapter 24
He was probably the largest man Yahiko had ever seen, if that could be called a man. He was round and had a scary face. At least two and a half meters tall. Though it was his sword that concerned Yahiko the most.
He recognized it and knew what it meant. One of the Seven Swordsmen, and next to the giant man was a kid; he recognized those shark characteristics, too. A future one of the Seven Swordsmen.
What was the chance to meet them here, of all places? Well, shit happens sometimes, and what was he to do? There were people inside the inn, so the first thing he had to do was bring the fight outside. Then he could think of the next step.
There was no dialogue. Yahiko motioned with his eyes for Nagato to take care of the kid next to the giant swordsman. The little shark wasn't his concern right now. Nagato got the message and rushed at the kid.
Before the big and ugly swordsman interfered with Nagato, Yahiko moved on him. In this confined room, a man like him shouldn't be able to move freely, but the swordsman just destroyed everything in his way as he swung his sword.
Yahiko couldn't tell if the walls the sword crashed through softened and slowed it down or not, as it still went quite fast and terrifyingly at Yahiko. Good thing it was the sword Yahiko knew very well.
Sliding under it, he kicked the swordsman's stomach. And it did nothing. The man stood in place, like Yahiko were just a bug that had bitten him. He probably wouldn't even need to scratch Yahiko's little bite of a kick. And then Yahiko was punched in the face.
In the pitch night, the cold was biting as he crashed through the wall. It was too much to hope that he could go out through the window. Well, at least his plan worked. He clasped the wires in his hands and pulled them together with the force of a punch that sent him flying.
Adding his weight, it was enough to drag the giant man out with him, even at the cost of his bloody nose and crashing into the snow. The swordsman landed on his feet, not too disturbed, as he cut the wires attached to his legs.
It left Yahiko wondering as he stood back up and wiped the blood falling from his nose. Was the swordsman dragged by Yahiko, or did he choose to come out of his own free will? Either way, Yahiko's goal was achieved, so it didn't matter. It would be a waste to think about it twice.
"Do you know who I am?" Yahiko asked.
"An arrogant kid," the swordsman replied. "A dead kid."
"You have no idea how right you are," on both accounts, Yahiko thought. "So arrogant that this kid will even ask you to surrender and go home."
"The kid will only receive a brutal and painful end to his life as an answer."
"You don't know me, not even my name, and you already decided to kill me. A bit excessive, aren't you?" Yahiko wasn't trying to stall for time; he truly was curious about how someone decided to kill someone else so easily. "For all you know, I could be of your kin; we have the same hair color, after all."
"All the more reason to kill you then."
It wasn't the first time, but it still left Yahiko speechless how easily it was decided that he should just die. He couldn't believe how worthless life was in the eyes of someone like this man. What kind of life did he have to live to think this way?
Well, it didn't seem like Yahiko would receive answers to his questions. The moment the swordsman finished observing the surroundings, he was prepared to finish Yahiko quickly. The swordsman was as fast as he was big. Yahiko, no matter how confident, wasn't a fool to believe he could win.
"Before we start, can I at least know your name?" Yahiko asked as he pulled out two kunai and infused lightning into them. "I am Yahiko."
"Fuguki Suikazan."
That name carried the last bit of the swordsman's humanity. The honest feeling of being recognized and acknowledged. It was the only thing that separated the man from the coldhearted murderer he was.
And that was enough, for Yahiko knew that he couldn't kill even such a man who felt no remorse nor hesitation about killing anyone standing in his way. A man was still a man, no matter what kind of beast he pretended to be.
The air stilled as the giant sword moved; it seemed it got even bigger under all those bandages wrapped around it as it cut through the falling snow. Yahiko didn't have the agility to move like a cat, but he had the strength to move like a toad.
The lightning-infused kunai flew through the air at unimaginable speed as Yahiko jumped on the giant sword. His hands landed on it as the kunai struck the giant frame of Fuguki, but even lightning didn't manage to pierce that thick skin.
The second his hand set firm on the sword, he pushed himself forward, his feet landing on the hilts of the kunai, pushing them further into Fuguki's body. Enough to draw blood and a reaction from the giant swordsman.
Channeling enormous amounts of chakra into his feet, Yahiko blasted himself away as Fuguki lowered his head, and water bullets almost ended his life. Sliding on the snow, Yahiko tried to weave hand signs, but he was too slow.
Dropping to the ground, Yahiko evaded the sword that wanted to shred his body into pieces. Rolling back, Yahiko created some distance from Fuguki, now standing in the middle of the street. By now, people had heard the commotion and started to wake up.
But it was too dark, too snowy for any of them to see anything and determine what was happening. Not far away, Yahiko heard the ground splitting and water clashing. But he didn't turn to look at Nagato's fight; his full concentration was set on Fuguki.
And yet even with that, what could Yahiko do when his vision was filled with rising mist? When he noticed it, it was already too late. In a second, he could no longer see anything in front of him. He was completely engulfed in mist.
"Arrogance begets defeat."
But Yahiko was calm as he said those words. Fuguki was too strong, so he didn't even need to take out the kunai stuck in his torso. It was nothing to him, but Yahiko's chakra was still in them, and he could feel the lightning, and that meant he could feel Fuguki.
Before Fuguki could realize his mistake, Yahiko put his hands together, weaving his chakra lightning, and blue transparent cats quickly appeared before him. Using the lightning still inside the kunai stuck in Fuguki's chest as targets, Yahiko unleashed the lightning cats.
"Useless." And yet, that didn't make any difference as all he got was this reply.
Even though the lightning cats struck and revealed the giant swordsman, all it did was make Yahiko see the sword already falling at him. But that was far more than enough for Yahiko, as he wouldn't even have seen his own death if he hadn't revealed Fuguki.
Jumping to the side, he somehow avoided it. Giving one last glance at the somehow burned but otherwise unharmed Fuguki, Yahiko could only be surprised for a moment before a column of water hit him.
It lifted him into the air, and all he could do was put out his arms to block the sword. He knew what came next as Fuguki pulled the sword back. As scales were revealed inside the bandages covering the sword, Yahiko's skin and flesh ripped away as he fell to the ground.
A kick once again lifted him from the ground, then his head was bashed with the hilt of the sword. Yahiko saw stars for a second before he regained his composure and kicked off the sword that came at him once again.
Before his feet could be ripped off, he jumped away. It wasn't a graceful landing as he rolled in the snow, coloring it red. The cold somehow lessened the pain and helped him regain his stance, enabling him to put his hands together.
But Fuguki wasn't playing around. With one hand still holding his sword, he weaved hand signs with the other, and a wave of water rose from under his feet. Yahiko barely finished his own hand signs, letting lightning pierce through the wave of water, saving himself.
The houses behind Yahiko were destroyed as the water crashed into them. But fortunately, it seemed that the commotion had already made the people evacuate their homes, as he didn't hear any screams of pain or fear. Only light, hushed voices from a distance.
That's good. No one will be harmed now. Hopefully, the buildings can be fixed quickly and won't leave anyone sleeping outside in the cold. Though he felt pity for them, as he knew how afraid they must be, not knowing what was happening.
"Yahiko," Fuguki called out to him. "I will remember your name for what it is worth."
"It is a memorable name, isn't it?" Yahiko replied with a smile.
The snow was pushed back by the chakra gathered around Fuguki. So, he was even stronger than he had shown Yahiko. And there, Yahiko was, thinking he had a chance to somehow subdue a monster like him. Well, he wasn't just going to roll over that easily.
"Water Release," Fuguki's hand moved.
"Lightning Release," Yahiko answered in the same manner.
"Water Thorns."
"Lightning Chain Level Five. Lightning Prison."
Yahiko ignored the pain as spikes created by water pierced through his body as he focused on his own jutsu. A ball of lightning surrounded Fuguki; his massive form couldn't move without getting fried.
"Ugh." And yet, even now, as Fuguki felt pain from Yahiko's lightning, he still moved within it.
"That's a bit unfair," Yahiko said.
On the other side, he couldn't move at all, as seven spikes pierced through his legs, arms, and stomach, and that was only because he managed to avoid a dozen more of them; otherwise, he would be dead.
"It is. In five more years, you might have been too dangerous for me, so I am glad I met you today and had a chance to get rid of you before it was too late."
Yahiko didn't look away as Fuguki moved through the lightning prison created by Yahiko, ignoring the pain, and lifted his sword. Once that sword fell, Yahiko was dead; he was more sure of that than anything else. But it didn't have a chance to come down on him.
Paper flew out from within the snow, sticking to Fuguki's body. It made him stop as he noticed it, but it was already too late because in the blink of an eye, he was completely covered in paper. Then, earth rose and formed a dome around Fuguki.
It not only protected Yahiko from the explosion that went off inside the earth dome but also contained it. Any other shinobi would already be done, if not from the initial explosion, then from the heat that the dome held in.
As the water spikes dispersed, Yahiko fell to his knees, breathing heavily as he tried to find focus in his blurry vision. Gentle hands quickly helped him to his feet as Konan patched his wounds with her paper.
Nagato stood next to them as the smoke cleared and the earth dome crumbled. All three backed away as they knew that wouldn't be enough to finish someone like Fuguki, one of the Seven Swordsmen of Kirigakure.
"Kisame, are you alive?" Rather than being disturbed, Fuguki was calm as he looked at Nagato and Konan.
"I am sorry, master." The shark kid dragged his beaten body forward. "I was no match for him."
"Don't be too disappointed," Yahiko said, defending the defeated kid. "Nagato here is even stronger than I am; even your master will have trouble dealing with the three of us. So I suggest leaving before it is too late."
"Kisame, you are dead weight right now. You know what you must do."
"Yes, master."
Yahiko lifted his head as he understood where the conversation was going. He looked at the cold, emotionless eyes of Fuguki and then at Kisame's determined gaze. He hated them both. One was willing to sacrifice a child, and the other was willing to make that sacrifice.
"Hey, you damn ugly ogre," Yahiko wouldn't stand for it. "Are you done already? I thought you were some great shinobi, but you can't even beat a kid like me. Quite a pathetic display you showed. If I were you, I'd retire on the spot from embarrassment."
"Watch your..."
Before Kisame could finish, lightning rose from the ground beneath him. The snow covered it well until the last moment, so the kid didn't have time to react. The shark boy fell to the ground, his skin charred and smoke rising from him. He wouldn't be able to do anything for a couple of days.
"I don't know what you were planning, but if you're not leaving, you'll be staying right here."
Alone, Yahiko didn't think he could defeat someone like Fuguki, but together with Konan and Nagato, he knew they had a chance. And that was all he needed to know to take that chance. He wouldn't let Fuguki harm anyone.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.