The Enlightened One Ch.66

— Lei —

My fingers dug into the dirt as I looked up at the massive red skeleton surrounding Kuzan’s body. 

I don’t understand it…How long has he had these eyes—how long have I been fooled?!

I picked myself off the ground, confusion and anger swirling through my veins as I looked up at the chakra construct with a glare.

“You wanna kill me Kuzan, don’t you?” I asked, but it wasn’t really a question. I already knew the answer after all. I brought my fist up and held it out to him, before smacking it hard against my chest. Blood squirted out of the wound he caused, and even more anger flared in my heart. “Then come get me!” 

Not a word left Kuzan as he began walking forward. The skeletal Susanoo moved menacingly with clenched fists as he approached. 

‘It’s now or never.’ I sent out one last mental command as I brought my right hand up and began infusing chakra. 

I could feel a low vibrate in the earth but paid it no mind as I began weaving through hand seals.

‘Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!’

From the ground, a wood dragon erupted out with intent on putting an end to the Susnaoo surrounding my enemy. As the wood dragon drew near, the skeletal Susanoo threw a punch at it.

A big mistake, one that Kuzan came to realize as the wood dragon wrapped its body around Susanoo's arm and began to glow.

I jumped up and looked down just in time to see-

BOOM

The massive explosion of the wood dragon detonating on Kuzan. 

As the shockwave of the explosion died down, I could still feel the ground shaking more and more violently by the second. 

“It took you long enough.” I frowned down, my eyes focused on the place where Kuzan had just been. “Yuta.” 

“GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!” The massive wood golem shouted as it pushed its way through the forest, knocking down trees and leaving a devastating path of destruction in its wake. 

As the smoke was still clearing where the explosion had occurred, my eyes narrowed as I saw a hint of red dance around. 

My frown grew when I saw Kuzan still standing there, arms crossed. His Susanoo had recovered as if it had taken no damage at all. 

His chakra…it must be absurdly high for him to reconstruct a skeletal Susanoo that easily, but how? Kuzan had never had incredibly high chakra reserves, it was one of the reasons why his chakra control was above average, because he didn’t have much to work with from the beginning.

Which means…

A hint of rage and disgust passed by me as I recalled the massive veiny lump on Kuzan’s neck. Just looking at it gave me a bad feeling, but now I had an idea of what that lump may just represent. I released a ping of my sensory chakra, and immediately grit my teeth. 

No shinobi in the Elemental Nations past, present, or future, will ever experience the sheer amount of pain and torment I plan on inflicting on Danzo Shimura. 

I said I was gonna kill the bastard, but now I don’t even want him dead. I want him to wish he was!

“GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!” Yuta shouted again, growing closer to our battlefield. Kuzan locked eyes with the approaching wood golem, before looking at me. His eyes cold and calculating as he jumped up onto a higher tree branch. The Susanoo still surrounded his body as he began to weave through hand seals. 

A cold shiver went up my spine as I realized a major problem I would be having in this fight. 

That lump…if it holds as much chakra as I just sensed-

I jumped away as a wall of fire erupted from Kuzan’s mouth, completely consuming the top half of the tree I had just been standing on!

I kept my body moving, despite my injuries, jumping away and trying my best to gain as much distance as possible, only stopping when I realized I had evaded his range. 

‘Wood Release: Wood Clone Jutsu’

I produced five more clones and quickly gave them a mental order before booking it from that area as fast as I could. 

‘Buy me time.’

A simple order, but one I wondered if they could execute with that fucking chakra beast blowing fire at them. 

As I moved away, I could sense all the others fighting, and it had me worried. There was a huge chakra signature coming from there, and if Kuzan was a traitor, then Taro likely was as well.

My fists clenched, I was unable to live with my own weakness. All that time I spent training, and this happens?! Danzo sticks two chakra beasts in the forest with us! 

I slowed down as I found a nice little waterfall and jumped down to the base of it. I sat down, closed my eyes and began meditating. 

Beating myself up would achieve nothing. I know I’m strong, I just should have expected something big like this to happen. 

I relaxed my clench fist to open palms as I took deep breaths, taking in the clean air of the forest and feeling the wind blow against me, moving my hair slightly. The warmth of the sun and the beating of my heart. 

I needed to become one with nature itself, that was the only way I’d gain enough power to beat someone with such large amounts of chakra as those two. 

Hold on girls…I just need a little bit more time. 

— Hinata (Minutes Earlier) —

‘Air Palm!’

The blast of wind slammed hard against Taro, momentarily knocking the wind out of him. A frown came to Hinata’s lips as Taro’s grip around his katana tightened, and he continued his rush toward them. 

“Keep him preoccupied, Hinata!” Shikamaru called out, one of his knees on the ground as he tried his best to bind their foe once more. 

“Right!” Hinata called back quickly, keeping her distance and aiming her palm at the traitor nin. Naruko and her clones were currently up close and personal fighting Taro, while she and Satsuki were ordered to keep medium range and attack. 

And speaking of Satsuki…a quick glance to her side let Hinata know that Satsuki was not okay. Her teeth were grinding together in pure rage, and the Hyuga Princess could feel her friend’s killing intent flaring around. More than anything, Satsuki wanted to see Taro dead, and Hinata couldn’t blame her. 

Eye stealers were not to be respected, at least not in Konoha where a couple clans held dojutsu abilities. Such a crime was the worst offense one can commit to those clans.

And Taro had a pair of fully matured sharingan eyes, a telltale sign of an advanced Uchiha shinobi. 

“I’ve got him!” One of the Naruko’s shouted as she attempted to deliver a sneak attack punch, only to get cut down in the process and erupt into smoke. 

Hinata deadpanned at the blonde. How many times did she need to be told not to call out her sneak attacks before she landed them?

Taro expertly cut through the clones of Naruko, as if it were clockwork for him. His eyes danced around, always aware of where each Naruko was.

“T-That…bastard!” Satsuki bit out, and Hinata gave the girl a sorrowful look. 

“Satsuki, we need to stay ca-”

“I know!” Satsuki snapped at her, as she continued infusing chakra. Naruko was keeping Taro busy, and it was Satsuki and Hinata’s job to stun Taro just long enough for Shikamaru to get him in the shadow possession again. The first time they had succeeded, Taro had managed to break out somehow, but Shikamaru seems to have figured out the reason and has already developed a counter in case he tries again. 

“Right, I am sorry.” Hinata apologized, keeping her eyes on their opponent. 

“Ha!” One of Naruko’s clones shouted, landing a firm punch against Taro’s right cheek. 

“Gotchu!” Another shouted after wrapping their arms around his body.

Taro’s face shifted minutely in barely noticeable shock, before he kicked at the Naruko that punched him, and fought the grip of the Naruko that had him. 

‘Air Palm!’

‘Lightning Release: Lightning Flash!’

Both Hinata and Satsuki unleashed their Jutsus, a blast of wind and several shuriken coated in lighting were launched toward Taro, the boy still stuck in Naruko’s grip had no way of avoiding the attacks.

The wind smacked into his gut, hard, and the shuriken cut through both the Naruko clone and Taro before erupting in a burst of lightning that zapped their bodies. 

“Arghhh!” Taro shouted as the clone erupted in a puff of smoke. 

“Choji, now!” Shikamaru shouted as his shadow was already around the ground. 

“On it, Shika!” Choji nodded, running forward before doing a front flip. His body expanded over double his size.

“Human Boulder!” Choji shouted, his body rolling at very high speeds, barreling toward Taro.

“Got him!” Shikamaru shouted, his shadow was stuck to Taro’s, and as the traitor went to react, Shikamaru looked to Ino.

“Now or never, Ino!” 

Ino nodded and held her hands out, her eyes focusing on Taro’s body. 

‘Mind Transfer Jutsu’

Immediately Ino’s body began falling, quickly being caught by Naruko who had gained distance and rushed to the other blonde’s side. 

“Keep him in place then switch back, Ino!” Shikamaru ordered. Taro’s body remained still, locked in the shadow possession jutsu. As Choji’s massive bolder-like body rammed into Taro’s, Ino’s body began to move minutely once more.

“Direct hit!” Naruko shouted with a wide grin. 

Choji’s body continued to drive Taro’s body further and further away, before the massive human boulder slammed hard against the trunk of a tree, crushing Taro. 

Hinata looked at where Choji was still driving Taro into the tree and let out a small breath. 

The worst of it was over…Now they could regroup with Lei and help him beat Kuzan. 

Thanks to her Byakugan eyes, she could see that Lei had managed to escape Kuzan’s capture and knew the two were duking it out, but she also knew that Lei was far from his full powered state thanks to that injury he had suffered at the hands of his best friend’s blade. 

Hinata’s fist clenched, and she brought her other hand to stop it from shaking.

‘Wait for us, Lei, we’re coming’

BOOM

Suddenly, Choji’s body was knocked away! His giant body slamming into a tree and breaking it from the sheer force, making the large tree tumble down.

CREAK

Hinata only spared a moment to look at Choji before her eyes snapped to where he had been blasted from. Her body freezing at the sight of the most chakra she had ever seen visibly lingering in the air. Her hand came up to her mouth as she averted her eyes. The sudden dancing of such a potent being displayed before her was too much! 

“What-” Shikamaru spoke softly, his fear-stricken eyes locked on where his friend had been launched. The tree was still falling down just between where Choji had been knocked and where Taro was rising to his feet. 

CRASH 

“What the hell is that thing?!” Naruko shouted, asking the question that everyone was wondering. 

Satsuki for one was absolutely frozen as she looked through the skeletal orange construct and at the boy within it. 

“H-How…” She whispered out. “How the hell do you have those eyes?!” 

Hinata’s eyes snapped from Satsuki to Taro, looking for what Satsuki meant. Her heart danced faster as she locked eyes with Taro, but the pattern within his sharingan had changed. No longer were they three tomoe, instead they were three circles connected by lines to look like a triangle, and within that triangle was another, smaller triangle. 

“Satsuki…what is that?!” Hinata asked, her brain working a million miles a second. Satsuki remained quiet for a few seconds as Taro finally built himself back up to his feet.

“I-I don’t know.” Satsuki shook her head after a long moment, an obvious lie, Hinata knew that much. There was no way any of the people she had grown up with could successfully lie to her, not after how long she’d spent correcting their foolish attitudes. 

But if Satsuki didn’t want to say anything, she wouldn’t press her…not now, not when there was an enemy in front of them. 

“So…Shikamaru.” Naruko called out to the Nara Heir. “You got a plan for this one?”

— Kuzan —

He stared down at the massive wood golem, his face expressionless as he began weaving through hand seals. 

He expected nothing less from the Senju. All his life, that selfish fool had run away from any and all problems that concerned him, instead settling on living as peacefully and lavisciously as he could.

…But he wouldn’t escape his fate. Not this time.

‘Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!’

The massive fire wall erupted from his mouth, utterly consuming his vision, his target, and the forest floor below. He kept the wave of fire going, not having the need to stop thanks to Lord Danzo’s…gift. 

Had he not had it, merely activating the Mangekyo Sharingan and using a single jutsu would be enough to leave him slightly winded. But thanks to this chakra tumor bestowed upon him, his reserves were not only decupled, but they regenerated quite fast, filling him with more chakra than he was burning with use of the Susanoo. 

However, all power in this world came at a cost, and he knew he didn’t have long now to complete his mission. The Mangekyo Sharingan and Susnaoo were ordered as last resorts by Lord Danzo, and for good reason. 

Kuzan let the fire dire down from his mouth and looked over to where Taro was covering his retreat. 

It seems his friend had been pushed just as hard as he had been.

They didn’t have long now. 

Kuzan closed his eyes, a pulsating pain burning in his neck. Any dreams they had…died here. 

The boy’s fists clenched in a moment of anger, his eyes snapping open to see the charred and unmoving wood golem beneath him. 

Life…it was so brutally unfair. 

Kuzan had known that fact for years. 

As he helped Lei move into the Senju compound, more than anything did the boy want to drop to his knees, to beg Lei to let him stay with him. 

Kuzan looked up at the blue sky and wondered for just a moment. 

If he did that…would things be different?

Rage returned to the traitor, before dying down and being replaced with indifference. 

No.

Nothing would have changed. 

This is how things were meant to be. 

This is the fate of this cruel world.

Suffering and more suffering for the sake of suffering. 

And if he had to suffer—He’d ensure that the bastard who let all of this happen to him would suffer a fate worse than his.

— Chaper End —

Author’s Note: I enjoyed writing this one, even if I don’t think it came out as good as I wanted. Don’t worry about me spending forever on this betrayal arc, it’ll end soon.

Beta readers: @Dragonboy1