Darui exhaled slowly. "Good work. Now any negative-seal kunai thrown won't even need to have any accuracy... we can just focus on the speed of the throw. They'll be pulled toward one of them."
Kaien nodded, but his expression was tight. He quickly counted the remaining kunais there were two positive seals and three negative left.
That was it, he was still not skilled enough to make them outright and now there was no room for error.
The pieces were fragile and few unlike the war he does not have strong knight. Every throw now had to matter as he steadied his breathing, pushing aside the fear that crept in his mind at the thought of failure.
--
Far from the clash, in the Valley of Hell, En Oyashiro scratched his beard thoughtfully as he watched the gathered members of the Chinoike clan move about their encampment.
Renga's decree lay folded in En Oyashiro's mind, the seal of the Acting Raikage stamped clearly at the bottom.
Acting.
He had seen forged documents before. Heard honeyed words from Yugakure promising them they would be a part of village, only to abandon them when the political winds shifted and our powers scared their Daimyo. The Chinoike clan had paid for such trust once already... with exile and generations trapped in this valley of hell, it was truly a fitting name.
En Oyashiro sighed. "I should have taken the decree immediately," he muttered to himself. "Letting them leave with it was a mistake. Are they impostors?"
--
Kaien could see it clearly now. Might Guy and Kakashi were monsters even when constrained and disrupted. The way Guy adapted his footwork to compensate for the invisible repulsion, the way Kakashi adjusted angles and timing despite being cut off from his partner's support—they were geniuses beyond measure. They were not relying on teamwork anymore. They were simply strong individually.
And none of it mattered if Renga fell.
Uncle Renga was fighting a reanimated Might Duy. A man who had opened the Eight Gates once and shattered the limits of his body and entering into kage tier when unlocked. When reanimated, the threat is even bigger with no sealing kits.
If Renga lost, everyone here died. If Renga survived, it would be by a miracle.
Kaien clenched his fists. He could not rely on miracles. He had to make it happen.
All his plans against duo, all his positive and negative seals. All his clever interference would become meaningless if the core battle is lost.
He turned to Darui, voice steady but low. "Darui-san… nothing changes at this rate. Even with our support, Samui-san and Mabui-san only gain time. We don't leave this place alive unless Uncle Renga wins."
Darui grimaced as he already knew of that fact, the opponent was very strong.
Kaien continued, forcing himself to speak clearly. "You know what reanimation means, Right? Konoha used it to summon the First and Second Hokage. That is why my grandfather is in his current state. Conventional combat and dealing damage doesn't work."
Darui exhaled slowly. "And we're two days from the village. Reinforcements won't arrive in time."
"They won't," Kaien agreed and he looked with the seriousness which didn't suit his cute face. "You distract them with the remaining kunai. I'm going to the Valley of Hell."
Darui stiffened. "The Chinoike clan hasn't pledged loyalty. That's gambling with your life... I can't allow you to go."
Kaien didn't look away. "It's the only option left."
There was a long pause. Finally, Darui nodded once. "Go. I'll buy you time."
Kaien didn't waste a second. He turned and ran towards Valley of Hell.
He pushed his body hard, chakra reinforcing his legs as he cut through uneven ground, with a controlled breath. He was ten kilometers away from the valley of hell. Fifteen minutes at full speed that was all he had, every second counted but he will expend all his stamina and he won't be able to use chakra for quite a while.
He returned to the place he arrived awhile ago. Jagged stone walls rose like broken teeth, iron-rich soil staining the ground a perpetual dark red and streams ran thick with minerals came into view, and the air carried a faint metallic tang that never fully left the lungs. It was harsh and unforgiving land.
Perfect, in a way for them. Chinoike sentries moved immediately, weapons raised, eyes sharp. Kaien barely slowed as he approached.
"I need to see En Oyashiro-san," he said with hurriedness.
The clan members hesitated, hands tightened on hilts. Then En Oyashiro himself emerged, drawn by the commotion. His presence alone quieted the murmurs.
Kaien pushed past the guards without warning and stopped before him, chest heaving. "Oyashiro-san. We need your assistance."
A ripple of anger ran through the gathered clan members.
"This is a trap."
"We told you trusting Kumo was a mistake."
"They're already exploiting us."
"We should have side with Konoha instead."
The voices piled on, fear and resentment mixing freely. Kaien felt it slipping away. He had no decree or leverage he could present on paper. They have yet to integrate into kumo, they are still in preliminary phase of discussions.
So he spoke the truth. "Chief Advisor Renga is in danger," Kaien said. "If you assist and save him, Kumo will owe you a debt."
The murmuring slowed.
"If you help now," he continued, "you gain leverage. The right to demand land, autonomy, resources. Whatever you want negotiated later. If you don't… he dies. And so does any chance of this alliance meaning something."
He stopped there with no more embellishment and pleading.
En Oyashiro studied him closely. He had survived the Warring era by making the right decision at the right time. That is what helped them survive from Warring era in the border between two mighty hidden village and they were not even found except for few whose memories were erased. His senses were telling him to assist.
"Lead the way," En Oyashiro said.
A few clan members stiffened and others stepped forward immediately. "It's dangerous. We'll assist."
He turned back to Kaien. "How strong is the enemy?"
"One kage-tier. Two jōnin-tier," Kaien answered.
En Oyashiro nodded once and didn't doubt this boy, he agreed because his instincts told me to. "Yushiro. Sayami. With me."
En Oyashiro didn't hesitate as he lifted Kaien onto his shoulders and he flickered. While Yushiro and Sayami followed who were tad bit slow.
The distance vanished.
Thirty seconds later, he arrived at the battlefield. He ran almost breaking the speed of the sound at almost 300 miles/hr. He left kaien a safe distance back.
Renga was on one knee, bloodied and breathing hard. Across from him stood Might Duy, body glowing with the unstable, terrifying blue aura of the Seventh Gate. The ground around him was cracked and scorched.
Renga turned his head as En Oyashiro arrived. Relief flickered... but only for a moment. He spoke quickly, relaying everything he knew.
En Oyashiro understood immediately.
Sealing was the only true solution. But he still tried to use what he was good at.
His eyes flared crimson as the Ketsuryūgan activated, his bloodline power surging as he cast a genjutsu directly at Might Duy.
--
A/N: Kaien displays his powers for the first time. I wanted his powers to be kunai instead of just learning fire, lightning, water or stuff which are pretty basic. With this powers I can write interesting scenarios.
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