The morning sun began to rise over the horizon as the first movements were observed among the enemy forces. A mass of nearly seven thousand enemies crested the small hill, entering the plains where our camp was located near the beach. It felt like an endless tide approaching us, their confidence apparent as they believed we were trapped, with the Hozuki Clan positioned in the water behind us.
In a way, it was fortunate that we were among the last few left; this force would have easily trampled over the camp even if our full contingent had still been present. Unless I was there, of course.
Fighting large groups was my specialty, and my Crystal Release drained chakra faster when I faced multiple opponents. The only downside of facing so many people was that I was getting overwhelmed by the sheer numbers whenever I tried to sense in large area. Thankfully, that shouldn't be necessary during the fight.
"Honestly, I have no idea if I can keep them all at bay. The plains are quite vast, and they could easily flank you by taking a detour through the ocean," I commented, uncertain whether my Bankai could cover the entire front.
"Can't you just keep the pink razor blades swirling around the camp?" asked Zabuza, trying to think of the best way to keep us alive.
"For a time, yes," I replied, "but then I would only be delaying the inevitable and rendering myself unable to fight in the process." I sighed. Bankai consumed a significant amount of my spiritual power, and unless I wanted to unleash what I had locked away, I couldn't maintain it for long.
While I could recharge by draining chakra from others since chakra is partially comprised of spiritual energy, I doubted the enemies would willingly run into the pink hurricane of death.
"But I can ensure I take down as many as possible. You'll still need to deal with the stragglers and those who inevitably try to flank us," I explained to the group huddled around the commander's table.
"That's still better than facing them all at once," one of the ninjas pointed out. Not incredibly helpful, but true nonetheless.
"Hmm, I can manage about ten minutes of indiscriminate slaughter before needing to dial it back to replenish my chakra," I told them, confident I could push longer than that but preferring to conserve some reserves for safety.
"Better than just waiting for them to overrun us. Go fuck them up," Zabuza said, lacking his usual sarcasm.
I smiled and nodded, hiding my apprehension before walking out of the room and heading toward the camp's gates. I put on a hunter-nin mask, hoping to maintain some semblance of anonymity, though I was quite certain that would end after this battle. Looking at it, this mask had already been through hell even though I only used it for a few weeks. It was falling apart, held together only by my crystals.
If there were no survivors, perhaps I could remain anonymous, but I wouldn't count on it. I would need to send a report to Hiruzen so he could create a plausible excuse or alibi for my whereabouts.
As I approached the small gate to exit, I noticed the garrison preparing as best they could. Some were sharpening knives, others were oiling their swords, while a few quickly went through hand seals to warm up.
"Will you be alright? That's a lot of people to… kill," a low voice asked before I could leave. I stopped in front of the wooden gate and turned toward the voice.
"It's not so much about me being alright, Haku. These people would kill me just for being born and would do the same to you. I don't think I'll lose any sleep over killing them." I sighed, feeling as though I had had this conversation before, but that was with Hinata. To be honest with myself, I wasn't even sure how I'd fare after this. The most I have killed before were a few hundred.
"Will you hold back and watch them kill all the people here? Kill Zabuza, maybe?" I questioned her, noticing the conflict in her expression momentarily dissolve.
"It's not that easy…" she trailed off, but I already understood what she meant.
"Of course it isn't. If it were easy, I would be quite concerned for your mental health. It's not easy for me either… I'd rather not kill anyone. But if I have to choose between them and us, I will always pick us," I explained the simple rule I had made for myself.
"I won't go out and kill random people. I find that quite abhorrent. Enemy soldiers, however? They know what they are getting into when they draw their swords against an opponent. They risk their lives for coin or personal beliefs, just like we do." I continued, drawing a clear distinction.
"There are times when killing is inadvisable, Haku, but war isn't one of them. If you knock an enemy out, he'll be back on his feet trying to kill you again in the next battle." I sighed heavily. My outlook may have been grim, but it was the fastest way to win.
Even capturing an unknown ninja can be quite dangerous. With so many hijutsu around, you never know what could happen. That was one of the reasons why only individuals identifiable as members of certain clans were usually captured. There were reliable methods to keep them confined. On the other hand, civilian-born ninjas, and those who couldn't be positively identified were more likely to be killed rather than risk them escaping.
"Good luck," she said quietly, trying to prepare herself for the inevitable slaughter that would happen today.
"Stay strong, Haku. Zabuza will need you more than ever today," I replied before opening the gate and stepping outside the camp. The barely rising sun illuminated the plains in a golden glow as I slowly approached the enemy ranks.
—
I slowly walked toward the advancing enemy lines, not even attempting to hide. I needed them to focus on me in order to kill as many as possible during the alpha strike. I had a feeling they would start clearing out the area quickly after that.
It didn't take long for them to notice me. Some were wary, taken aback by the sight of a single ninja approaching calmly. Others, though, were already reaching for their weapons, not even bothering with ninjutsu.
"There is no way back now, Ryuuzaki. You chose to do this," I heard Kurama's voice echoing in my mind before it faded to a corner of my consciousness. He was still watching, but I had a feeling he wouldn't interrupt even though he clearly sensed my doubts.
"Yeah... it's a shame so many have to die. I'd much rather just deal with Yagura and let the rebels handle the fallout," I sighed internally, prompting a low, contemplative hum from the fox
At least I could ease my mind knowing these people would likely be killed by the rebels anyway; I was just expediting the process.
"I wonder if my kill count is slowly approaching Minato's," I pondered, only for Kurama to interject,
"I doubt you're anywhere near the worst I've seen." He wasn't really helping. "I want to see how much carnage one kid can cause. Show me that... Bankai of yours." I could feel the grin on the fox's face, his curiosity winning over his distaste for human conflict.
I was getting closer, just over a hundred meters away from the enemy formation. I turned my casual walk into a run, charging straight into their ranks. Chakra and Haki infused into my limbs, Senbonzakura in hand, with my mind made up.
My charge met the first unfortunate samurai; his block was ineffective as my sword cleaved through it, cutting him apart. I moved forward; one slash cleaved through three enemies, leaving their gutted bodies on the ground.
A quick dodge to the side saved me from getting my head impaled, and it flowed into a grab of the offending arm, instantly turning the samurai into a crystal statue. First, I would create a chakra battery, and then I started with the slaughter.
"Crystal Release: Advent of a Crystal World!"
The world stopped for a second; a wave of my chakra seemingly froze everything around me. The ground sprouted crystals, transforming anything alive with chakra into parasitic crystal. Those caught in the wave suffered the worst; their expressions were frozen as their bodies completely crystallized, their chakra being used to greatly enlarge the area of my jutsu.
I felt my reserves replenishing rapidly as more enemies stood on the crystal surface. The entire plain between our camp and the back of the enemy ranks was now my playground, finally allowing me to unleash hell.
I repositioned myself ias I rushed towards the still-living enemies; even such a massive jutsu barely made a dent in their numbers. I had seemingly caught some of the stronger ninjas, though.
The survivors rushed in, attempting to overwhelm me with sheer numbers, while some turned to run. I ran at them, meeting their charge, with Senbonzakura cleaving through the first enemy.
A sharp crystal crescent bisected another dozen before being halted by a group of samurai who had formed up together. I rushed that hastily created formation, my right hand punching through one of them, his upper body exploding in a shower of gore, courtesy of haki-infused punch. The shockwave from the hit blasted the closest enemies away, completely disrupting the formation they had just established.
I didn't stop and ventured deeper into their ranks, allowing them to encircle me, feeling confident that there was little to no threat from these foes.
The ninjas in the enemy ranks had other plans, though, and attempted to drown me with a large collaboration jutsu.
"Water Style: Water Exploding Wave!" they cried in unison, shaping a mass of water into a large wave that completely encircled me before rushing in. I grinned behind my mask. Yagura's wave was bigger; much bigger.
The wave crashed into itself as it closed in, but I was already standing above the chaos it caused thanks to a quick application of Hirenkyaku. I looked down at the battlefield below me; the wave of water was slowly crystallizing upon contact with the crystal, its residual and natural chakra being sapped away.
I was now surrounded by too many enemies to count; it was time.
—
I dropped my sword blade-first into the ground, making it disappear in the midst of the enemy formation as it sunk into the ground.
"Bankai."
Hundreds of massive, crystal swords sprouted across the battlefield, slicing through the unfortunate enemies who stood in their path.
"Scatter: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," I commanded, maintaining a monotone voice, any inflection buried deep behind my mask.
The swords scattered into a hurricane of pink blades, eviscerating hundreds as they formed a stable orbit around me, painting the battlefield in blood. The bodies were reduced to fine mist, pieces too small to even consider remains. The pink crystal covering the ground was abruptly stained crimson by the blood.
I moved my arms as I descended back to the ground, sending the cherry petals out to kill more enemies. They quickly reorganized in a desperate attempt to counter the onslaught. However, the millions of tiny blades proved overwhelming.
Some of the stronger Samurai erected a chakra barrier around themselves, providing temporary safety, but it also rendered them stationary. Even they fell after just a few seconds against the full assault of Senbonzakura.
The ninjas decided to retreat, taking as many as they could through the flanking route toward the rebel camp. I could only hope that Zabuza and the others would manage to handle them.
Meanwhile, the large force of Samurai was used to keep me occupied, sacrificing the weakest soldiers in an attempt to eventually take me down. At least, that was what I deduced from the general strategy I could see.
Was it cold? Most definitely. But it was also the second best tactical decision, right behind ordering a full retreat and hoping I couldn't do it again.
I moved as swiftly as my petals could follow, cleaving through the ranks of the Samurai and sending out waves of cherry blossoms to eviscerate more and more people with each simple hand gesture. The ease of it was the most disturbing part. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to feel anything beyond boredom and disappointment.
This wasn't what I signed up for, even though I knew killing so many was a possibility, but I wanted to measure myself against Yagura, to fight a powerful opponent. This was the exact opposite of what I desired—disgustingly easy and mind-numbing slaughter.
The battle lines clearly began to take shape. The samurai rushed into formation, managing to create a barrier to keep themselves safe for a time. However, the onslaught of my Bankai was relentless, slowly eating through their chakra barriers until they were ultimately eviscerated into fine mist and puddles of blood.
Some of the ninjas attempted to attack me with long-range ninjutsu, but the cherry blossoms effortlessly defended me, creating massive walls of pink razor blades on demand. This state of Senbonzakura might not be the most effective against a powerful opponent, but against a crowd of weaklings? It made my victory inevitable.
I continued siphoning chakra from the ground to maintain my strength. The puddles of blood still contained chakra, albeit less than that of a freshly killed, intact body. The crystallized ground absorbed the blood nontheless, fueling my attacks.
—
I lost track of how much time had passed or how many I had slain, but it was evident that my opponents were retreating. I pursued them, intent on ending this fight and preventing any enemy reinforcements from arriving in a timely manner.
I recalled the cherry blossoms and reformed Senbonzakura back into its sealed state as I followed the fleeing force back to their camp. The reserves, consisting of both ninja and samurai, were already mobilizing.
I didn't rush, careful not to fall into any traps they might have set around their camp. Unfortunately, the crystal didn't extend this far, a drawback of being on such a large island; the second largest after the main island, in fact.
I came to a halt as the reserve force rushed out of the camp and began to form up, rallying the routed soldiers with them. I wondered why the ninjas were fighting in a line warfare style, but I had to supress my intrusive thoughts; there was still battle to be won. Well, I couldn't be too upset; they were bunched up perfectly for a large jutsu that could hopefully wipe them out.
I calmly went through a series of hand seals, raising my right arm as a lightning bolt shot towards the heavens. The sky darkened within seconds, storm clouds forming above us as the natural lightning began to build up.
Calling forth a storm like this required a vast amount of chakra, draining over half of my reserves. However, I wanted to end this quickly, so the cost didn't matter much. I could refill my chakra on the way back, anyway.
The electricity gathered above me, the first signs of the massive jutsu already in motion.
I saw a few enemy jonin charging at me, trying to stop my jutsu. Unfortunately for them, I didn't need to do anything anymore; the Kirin would build up power until I guided it down. This allowed me to set a quick trap for the five charging ninjas.
I dodged a sword strike aimed at my raised hand by retracting it quickly, allowing the ninja to pass above me as he missed his mad charge. I then focused on the second ninja who tried to engage me in melee combat.
His sword glowed faint blue from the large amount of chakra he was channeling into it. While his blade withstood my slash, he was still thrown back, landing on his back. I couldn't afford to stay stationary, though.
The three remaining ninjas launched a collaboration jutsu my way: a mass of water enhanced by a strong lightning jutsu rushed toward me. I had to end this quickly before the rest could charge as well. Blasting myself with Kirin would be a sure one-way trip to Marzanna.
I used Hirenkyaku to evade, rushing to the right at speeds much higher than the three ninjas anticipated. A quick step forward followed immediately, and Senbonzakura tasted blood again; two of the three ninjas who initiated the massive jutsu fell dead, their bodies split in two.
The third ninja barely managed to dodge the attack but was still injured, with a large cut across his chest, causing him to fall on his back in pain.
I quickly turned to face the two remaining enemies. They coordinated an attack against me from both sides; a sensible course of action. But unfortunately for them, I was too fast and too aware to be caught off-guard by their attack.
I fully crystallized my body; the sword aimed at me shattered on contact with my chest. The other attack, a kunai meant to bite into my skull didn't even scratch me.
"You should have not attacked today..." I said in a low voice as I trailed off and turned my two opponents into chakra batteries, their bodies becoming crystal statues the moment I touched them.
The injured ninja had barely managed to get to his feet by the time I returned to him. He met the same fate as his friends, becoming a chakra source for me before I turned my attention back to the enemy forces, which were crumbling.
Some were preparing another attack, a significant portion was starting to retreat, and some were frozen; whether from fear or indecision, I could not tell. All I knew was that I couldn't let anyone escape.
My arm rose once more, and the sky rumbled with power as I called for the massive lightning dragon to form. The moment the enemy force saw Kirin emerge from the clouds, they tried to disperse, hoping to evade my attack.
The massive head of a lightning dragon opened its maw as I guided it, my hand pointing down to the ground as if commanding a dog to sit.
The world went white as my jutsu struck the enemy lines, the thunderous roar deafening me for a few seconds. I sensed the aftermath before regaining my sight from the blinding flash. The enemy ranks were beyond decimated. The number of survivors was in the lower double digits, with only a few able to flee toward Kiri.
I surveyed the devastation: where a few hills and the enemy camp had once stood, only a charred crater full of molten rock remained, with water from a nearby stream rushing in. I may have accidentally created a lake with this attack.
I focused my sensory abilities on my allies, quickly refilling my chakra before rushing back.
It seemed the numbers were truly overwhelming for them. They were still getting overrun, even though Zabuza was holding off what I could only assume was the leader. I sensed Haku in the thick of battle as well; many signatures around her were dimming, most likely knocked out or seriously injured.
"Well, shit... I can't chase the routed guys down," I muttered, but helping my allies was more important than my identity being possibly compromised.
"That was some carnage you caused. That lightning jutsu is still my favorite," Kurama commented through our link as I made my way back.
"I figured it might, but the fight isn't over until my allies are safe," I replied, using this to distract myself from the grim reality that I had just butchered what I could only guess was at least five thousand people.