Sins of the Family

Author's notes: I would like to thank everyone who commented and faved this story, it really means a lot to me :heart: I apologize for the delay for this chapter, I ended up rewritting and editing this several times before it felt right for me to publish (writing action can be so challenging!) The end is near for this story...only one or two more chapters to go!

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Chapter 10: Where Sleeping Dogs Lie



No one was more surprised than Iruka when he let out a short bark of mirthless laughter. He had no idea why he reacted so; perhaps his concussion had driven the last of the sense from his brain. In truth, Iruka was utterly terrified to find himself helplessly trussed up and at the mercy of his captors, but he was also enormously relieved to see daylight again. Iruka had wakened from one nightmare only to find himself in another--the pitiful boy Masao had become a crazed old man infused with the powers of a demon. 



He was so screwed that it was almost funny.



“Oh my, has he gone mad?” Akiyuki's mouth quirked as she twirled a long strand of her coppery dreadlocks. “Just don’t blame me; I didn’t hit him anywhere too important. That would have been Tohru’s doing.” 



Jiro stepped forward and seemed to peer at Iruka. The blind medical-nin's bushy grey eyebrows furrowed over the black blindfold that covered his sunken eyes. He appeared to be as ancient as Masao, age stooped a slender frame wrapped tightly in fine green robes embroidered with the kanji symbol representing the demon Urami over the chest. The thin goatee protruding from Jiro’s sharp chin quivered as he made his assessment. “His chakra patterns are normal, excluding the hairline fractures around the left shoulder blade. I can see no interruptions around the mind.”



“Maybe he’s just happy to see you, Masao-sama.” Akiyuki gave her master a sidelong glance before directing a malicious smile at Iruka. “After all, he is the first of the Hashibara clan to have the honor of being in your presence.”



“Honor?” Iruka chuckled bitterly at Masao, who raised an eyebrow in response. “What would you know of it? Did you leave me alive so that you could get your kicks through torture?” Iruka allowed his contempt to fully show on his face. “What’s wrong, is it not enough because I’m a grown man and not a defenseless child screaming for its mother?” 



“Silence!” Jiro swiped his hand through the air. Iruka gasped when two chakra-enforced needles struck pressure points under his left collarbone. It was not a lethal blow, but one meant to elicit excruciating pain. “How dare you speak to Masao-sama so impudently?” Jiro brandished more needles to throw. “I’ll teach you to hold that tongue!” 



“That’s enough of a demonstration, Jiro.” Masao's soft voice cut through the air like a knife. “The boy may bark all he wants, but it will not change his fate.” 



Iruka set his jaw and glared defiantly at Masao, who impassively met his gaze. Iruka had undergone torture and endurance training in Konoha, but a simulated experience could only go so far when compared to the real thing. As tempting as it was, it would not do to goad his tormenters any further. It was only a matter of time before they started.



“If you truly had witnessed my past then you would recognize this.” Masao’s gnarled hand reached inside his robe to carefully retrieve an antique kunai. The weapon gleamed in the dim sunlight that filtered through gaps in the ruined building. “This is the very same weapon that I threw at Hashibara Yasunori, who in turn threw it back on an unarmed child.” Masao’s yellow eyes flickered from prisoner to kunai. "No doubt it was Yasunori's blood that I offered to Urami-sama that had permitted you to see those events."



Iruka glanced to the corner of the building where he could see the shrine dedicated to demon scrubbed cleaned and wreathed in the smoke of lit incense. The small white statue of Urami seemed to glow like a flame through the rot of the building. Iruka's attention went back to Masao as the old man continued with his musing.



“Can you imagine a child forced to crawl like a worm through the putrid rot of his family? I think not. It took me two years to recover from that night." The hilt of the kunai rolled idly in Masao's fingers. "Even with Urami-sama inside me, I would not have survived without dear Jiro-kun's skills. I was most fortunate that he had happened by this place." 



Jiro bowed in appreciation of the praise.



“The ordeal only intensified my need for vengeance." Masao closed his eyes in memory. "When I finally did attack I was blinded by rage and ill-trained for a direct assault--defenseless as they were in the dead of night. Yasunori was clever to instruct his clan to scatter to the four winds if ever his enemies from the war attacked. I did not realize at the time that so many would escape. Those that did not return settled elsewhere to breed like rats--which made my blood oath with Urami-sama that much more difficult to satisfy." 



With a snarl Masao rammed the kunai into the arm of his wheelchair. “I have been forced to devote my life exterminating all those of the Hashibara bloodline!” Breathing heavily, Masao looked down at the kunai buried point-deep into the armrest where hairline fractures cracked the fine grain of the polished wood. Seeming to collect himself, he sighed wearily, appearing for a moment as any elderly man wistfully recalling the past. “It was my blunder that resulted in the births of so many condemned to die." Masao's pale eyes focused intently on his prisoner's face. "I dearly hope that you, my boy, are the last.”



"Please, try not sound so disappointed." Iruka said dryly, unable to resist with the retort. 



“I need to know if you have any other family—children, perhaps?" Masao's tone brooked little patience and his yellow eyes hardened. "I will find out either way once you are dead. Telling me now will spare me from lot of trouble, and I promise that their deaths would be quick and relatively painless.”



Iruka scoffed at that.



“I doubt that you need to worry about that.” Akiyuki strode over to yank on a handful of Iruka’s loose hair to expose the fresh bite mark Kakashi had left on the crook of his neck. “See here? He’s only been with that Hatake man since leaving Konoha. This one’s a faggot.” She released her hold by shoving Iruka's head away. 



Iruka swayed in his bonds, his injured shoulder burning with renewed pain at the rough treatment. He bristled inwardly at the insult but was able to maintain a neutral expression, determined not lose his composure at Akiyuki’s expense. 



“Even so, it does not hurt to inquire. One always seems to slip through my fingers.” Masao shrugged, his loose grey robes rustling at the movement. “You are young my dear, and you cannot fathom how heavy this feud has weighed upon my shoulders. I only wish to retire and spend my final years in peace.” 



"You will not rest easy," Iruka muttered. "I promise that I will forever haunt your dreams."



Jiro bared his teeth and made as if to advance on Iruka, but was interrupted by Akiyuki suddenly stiffening as if she had been struck across the face. "My lord," she said with a faraway look in her green eyes. "That Hatake pest is in the swamps."



Iruka's heart fluttered with hesitant hope. The emotion must have shown on his face as he realized Masao curiously watching him. "Perhaps you are right about the boy, Akiyuki-chan," Masao mused. "This sets my mind at ease now that I know that he is truly the last of his clan."



"And he will not be missed, except for one minor detail." Akiyuki knelt reverently before her master. "Kanzaka-sama," her deep voice was tight with formality. "I ask for the honor of killing this man who dares to interfere with your holy war." Akiyuki bowed so low that her nose nearly touched where wheelchair and floor met. "Hatake Kakashi is known throughout the lands for his prowess in ninjutsu. I humbly request to receive the gift of Urami-sama into my flesh if he proves to be a difficult opponent."



"Sir!" Jiro protested behind the kunoichi. "Your body has yet to fully recover after Ruriko's death during that battle in Konoha!"



"Shut up, Jiro!" Iruka could have sworn that the ends of Akiyuki's long dreadlocks had twitched on the floor as if they were living things attached to her anger. "This is not your decision! It was Ruriko's lack of chakra control that had her and Ieppei killed at the hands of that insufferable green man with the glittering teeth!" She spat at the floor in disgust. "It is a disgrace to be defeated by such a noisy fool, and without any casualties among Konoha's number!"



Iruka's eyes widened at the description of the Konoha shinobi, and then the corners of his mouth twitched with grim satisfaction at the sour look on Akiyuki's face. A weight had lifted off Iruka's chest knowing that none of the brave Jounin had died at his expense during the night of his escape, and that it was the flamboyant Maito Gai who was involved with taking down Kanzaka Masao's minions.



"It is not the best of circumstances--" Masao made a gesture for Akiyuki to rise. "But I agree that precautions must be made if Hatake has managed to track us to this remote place."



Akiyuki shot Jiro a triumphant smile as she rose. The blind medical-nin sputtered wordlessly with indignation.



"My dear," Masao affectionately trailed one jaundiced finger across the kunoichi's arm. "Have a care to reign in that temper of yours. I still need your help finding new blood to replenish our numbers, as we still have Gizan village to consider once this unpleasant business is concluded." His yellow eyes flickered to Iruka before resettling on Akiyuki's reverent expression. "I will not interfere unless I am direly needed."



Akiyuki bowed her head respectfully before her body crumbled into a powder of dirt in a teleportation jutsu.



"Masao-sama, I must refuse!" Jiro waved his hands wildly at the spot where the kunochi had vanished. "You cannot mean to use Akiyuki as a vessel! There has been such little time for you to adapt to her body--"



Masao held up a hand for silence, which did not deter Jiro. "B-but...through that brat--" 



"You will do as you are told!" A rumble of an inhuman roar belied Masao's command. Iruka started at the sound and Jiro shrank away in terror. Masao's eyes shone like polished gold and Iruka could see the faint outline of smoke swirl about his wasted body. The presence of Urami seemed to dampen the very air with murderous intent. 



Masao blinked and shook his head as if to rid himself of a bad thought. The aura of the demon lessened, and he was again an elderly man. "Forgive me, my old friend." He said in a normal voice. "The stress of these last few weeks have taken a toll on me." Masao made a motion to beckon the medical-nin. "You must remember that it was Hatake Kakashi that has led us to all this trouble in the first place." He scowled and glared venomously at Iruka. "I have lost nearly all of my subordinates to obtain this boy, and I will personally have a hand in Hatake's death if I see fit. Understood?"



"Understood, m'lord." The blind shinobi mumbled and crept towards his master in a manner similar to a cowed dog. "Hatake has caused us much trouble," Jiro ventured in a sullen tone as he opened a long pouch at his hip containing acupuncture needles. "We should have used one of the children to kill Torichi's grandson in the first place." Jiro smiled wickedly at Iruka. "It was so kind of the Sensei to provide us with that useful diagram in his classroom."



"There would have been too much suspicion if I had acted through one to begin with." Masao leaned back into his wheelchair as the medical-nin began to tap chakra points on his arm to place the needles. "An unstable shinobi would have been easy to explain for a random murder in a Hidden Village, and the following investigation would have been contained." 



"It was that blasted Sharingan eye that spoiled the kill!" Jiro's goatee shook with concentration as he inserted a needle between Masao's eyes. "Ruriko and Ieppei could have escaped unnoticed if you had used another shinobi to finish the job."



"I had to strike when I still had the advantage of their Hokage's ignorance." Masao's right hand brushed over the hilt of the old kunai stuck in the wheelchair's armrest. "It would have drawn attention towards any outsiders in the village if I had made another attempt through a different vessel in their ranks...I had hoped that an 'accident' by an old butcher was a better strategy, but it was my folly to have underestimated my prey's warrior instincts." 



"That was a shame," Jiro replied with a shake of his head, and dipped a wrinkled hand into his pouch for more needles. "And after Ieppei had gone through much risk to plant my poisoned knife on that girl, Hatake had to interfere again by using one of his mutts as a bodyguard."



Iruka held himself very still as his captors quietly conversed. Jiro's back was turned but Masao's heavy lidded eyes were still alert and facing his prisoner. Iruka resisted any urge to shift in his uncomfortable position in an effort to make himself as unnoticeable as possible.



Masao growled deep within his throat when a needle drew blood under a knuckle. "You know that I detest using children unless I am forced to. Although I was fortunate to have had caught a brief glimpse of their Hokage's gaze through Rumiko's eyes after using that girl--even if it did us little good in the end."



"This boy has caused us the most trouble out of all the Hashibara vermin." Jiro said as he carefully wiped the blood off Masao's hand with a cloth. "How did you know that retreating to Gizan would bring him to you?"



"It is fate, my old friend. I knew that he would come sniffing around these parts looking for answer." The knowing smile that twitched on Masao's lips did not reach his eyes. "A rat always returns to its nest when it thinks that the cat has gone away."



Jiro made a satisfied sound when the final needle was in place. He took a cautious step back. "Please do not push yourself, my lord. Akiyuki likes to play rough." 



Masao did not answer. The old man's body began to convulsively shudder, causing the wheelchair to rock and creak at the violent motion. The ends of the acupuncture needles quivered and flashed bright with green chakra and then went out suddenly like a snuffed candle. Masao slumped back against his chair, his head lolling morbidly against his pillow. The yellow eyes had slipped closed as if he were a deep sleep. 



Jiro clucked worriedly as he checked the protruding needles, and continued muttering to himself as he added more acupuncture needles into the prone body of his master. 



Iruka remained utterly still and waited for any sign of Masao waking. He began once he was certain that the blind shinobi was fully absorbed into his task. Iruka stretched the entire length of his body until the pads of his toes were able to touch the ground. The grime on the floor made it difficult to obtain much of a purchase, but he managed to creep backwards enough to help gain some momentum. Iruka took a few deep breaths to prepare himself and prayed that neither the ropes or rafters would creak before he released his hold on the floor.



In one fluid motion, Iruka swung foreword and tucked his knees while at the same time throwing his back his head. Bending his elbows, he hauled his body up and over until he was curled nearly upside down. Iruka could not prevent a faint hiss from escaping through his clenched teeth; it was taking all of his willpower to keep himself from making any noise at the cost of his injured shoulder. The muscles in his abdomen and arms quivered with strain and threatened to buckle at the awkward position of holding the weight of his entire body. The feat was one that Iruka had regularly taught and demonstrated in the classroom--though it would have been far easier to execute if not for his prior injuries and drained chakra reserves that were further suppressed by Jiro's ministrations.



Iruka grimaced when one of the needles imbedded in his chest brushed against the rope as he forced one leg to unbend upwards. The bruise in the back of his head pounded, and he could see his bound hands turning dark at the added pressure. Iruka could not hold his position for much longer without losing his balance, and he was unsure if he had the strength to try it again. His toes curled around the coarse fiber of the rope, and with a final heave Iruka kicked out with his other leg and was finally able to hook the back of his knee around the rope. Iruka twisted his ankle around the line for his leg to help support his weight and allow for some slack around his wrists. 



Jiro coughed. 



Iruka started at the noise and jerked his head towards the two men. Masao remained deathly still with his eyes closed. Jiro coughed again to clear his throat and continued tending to his patient. The blind shinobi had completely ignored their prisoner.



Not wasting any more time, Iruka bit into the knot tied to his wrists and began to savagely tear and pull at it. 'After all that talk, they still continue to underestimate me.' 



His captors had failed to recall that even a rat could free itself by just using its teeth.



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Kakashi's feet skidded over the wet ground when Pakkun abruptly halted. Kakashi forced himself to stand still to help the nin-dog concentrate, he was finding it hard to keep his impatience from showing. They had been tracking Iruka's faint scent for a few hours now, and three times they had to backtrack from false leads before the pug could relocate the trail. 



The nin-dog seemed annoyed as he sniffed the dank air. Not even a fresh breeze flowed through the bare branches of the trees to help pierce through the eerie silence surrounding the swamp. Wisps of fog hovered over dark pools and filthy puddles that pocked the landscape, making the forest appear otherworldly. 



"What is it?" Kakashi asked in a whisper.



"It's these plants." The little pug wrinkled his nose with distaste at tall leafy weeds that seemed to be the only living thing to flourish in the muck. Waxy orange stalks poked from the center of each plant and oozed with a pungent smell akin to rotting meat. "I can't track through all that stink."



Kakashi surveyed the terrain with a critical eye. The swamp seemed fairly new and possibly made through the use of an earth jutsu, as evidenced by the few hardy trees still alive and standing--though not for much longer, as disease and fungi mottled the bark. The rest stood dead with roots rotting in the soggy ground, several had already toppled and were in various stages of decay to add to the overwhelming smell. 'They knew that I would rely on Pakkun's scent to follow.' Kakashi pushed his Hiate-ate up to uncover his Sharingan. 'This would be an ideal place for an ambush.' 



As if in answer to Kakashi thought, the soggy ground began to churn. Pakkun gave out a startled yip as the mud slid under his paws to pull the nin-dog under. Kakashi swore under his breath and scooped the pug into his arms before he could sink. He was finding it difficult himself for his chakra-enforced feet to keep from sinking. 



"The trees!" Pakkun wiggled in the Jounin's grasp. Kakashi sprinted over the ground and leaped to the safety of a tall wilting pine.



"Don't think that will keep you away from me." A familiar gravely voice echoed in the swamp.



Kakashi threw a handful of shuriken in the direction of Akiyuki before he was able to spot her. The kunoichi's head poked just above the surface of a muddy pool, her long coppery dreadlocks floated around her face and held the three shuriken wrapped tightly around its ends. 



'Clever.' Kakashi thought grudgingly, seeing with his Sharingan how dirt imbedded inside her hair allowed the earth user to individually control each strand. "I see that your hairstyle serves more than a bad taste for fashion."



"Hmph." Akiyuki's hair flicked like snakes to throw the shuriken back at the Jounin. Kakashi easily stepped away for the weapons to whiz harmlessly by. 



"I think that it's time for you to leave." Kakashi muttered to Pakkun without taking his eyes off Akiyuki, who was slowly moving out from the water. The kunochi rose effortlessly from the pool as if she were being gently pushed up by her feet, most likely by her controlling the mud. 



"Orders?" Pakkun asked as he was released onto the thick branch. 



"Keep looking for Iruka's scent, but stay hidden. This woman had deliberately led us here and there might be others lurking about."



"There's something off about her." The little nin-dog was hard pressed to keep himself from trembling as he nervously looked to where Akiyuki was patiently waiting on top of the pool's still surface. Not a drop of water or speck of mud was visible on her body. "It's as if there's a big shadow behind her just waiting to strike."



"I've already been acquainted with her 'friend.'" Kakashi made an impatient gesture. "Now go."



Pakkun sniffed as he turned. "Be careful, Boss. I'll be back for you." 



Kakashi felt the branch shift when Pakkun left, and he narrowed his eyes down at his foe. "Is it just you?" He made an effort to sound unimpressed as a means to goad the woman's temper for information. "And here I was hoping for a proper challenge."



"You will get one." Akiyuki replied with a smirk. "I hope that you do better than your Chuunin. By the way, my Master sends his gratitude for delivering him to us. We are quite pleased to have him as our guest." The smile on her face twisted into something nasty. "Did he taste good, Hatake? Even if you defeat me, your little pet will be cut up into pieces before long. And if you do manage to get past me...would you care to try him for another bite?" Her last word came out with the lilt of a taunting laugh.



The kunai trembled in Kakashi's hand. He had not realized that it had been drawn. He very much wanted to kill this woman right then and now, but knew better than to leap down from the trees to where the earth was Akiyuki's domain.'Idiot, don't play into her game.' He took a deep breath to clear his mind. He would have more of an advantage if he could lure her near water or dry ground where his arsenal of ninjutsu could be more of use, but he could see none in the area that was not tainted with mud. Akiyuki definitely had the swamp to her advantage. 



Something cold and wet slid over Kakashi's ankles. He glanced down to see thin tendrils of mud had crept up the tree and under his perch to wrap around his feet. With his Sharingan exposed Kakashi could clearly pinpoint the chakra inside, and stabbed his kunai where the vein of energy was thickest. The useless action earned him a contemptuous snort from his foe. 



"Tsk tsk." Akiyuki clucked below. "Didn't I warn you that being in a tree will not keep you away from me?"



"Cocky bitch," Kakashi grumbled as he pulled a low level paper bomb from his pouch and slapped it onto the branch. The resulting explosion was enough to destroy the tree limb and cut off the flow of Akiyuki's chakra to free him from the mud. Kakashi wasted no time leaping through the huge billow of smoke to another tree. He glimpsed from the corner of his eye Akiyuki's head disappearing under the water. 



'So she's an earth user with some skill in water manipulation.' Kakashi had the advantage of lightning against her earth jutsu, but it was useless if he could not get close to an opponent that favored long range attacks. He deftly moved up a few branches to avoid being snared by more mud slithering up his tree.



Something skittered above Kakashi's head. Being mindful of the mud creeping up from below, he looked to see a clawed hand made of earth reaching out to dig out his eyes. Twirling the kunai over his thumb by the ring, Kakashi made a few hand seals to evoke lightning into his weapon and in one quick motion sliced the hand off by the wrist. 



Akiyuki screeched and flew out of a pond as the severed hand dropped into a formless clump of dirt. One of the coppery strands fell off her head trailing a bloody stump. "Bastard!" Akiyuki growled as she clutched the wound on her temple. She froze when the tip of a weapon pricked the back of her neck.



"Gotcha!" Kakashi's clone said cheerfully. "You really should pay more attention to what happens under the cover of smoke." 



"That bomb was a diversion?" Akiyuki's gravely voice wavered, the first sign of her fear showing. 



"I'm pressed for time and would rather not banter." The clone's kunai broke through the surface of Akiyuki's skin. She did not flinch at the threat, and a thin trickle of blood began to flow. "Where is he?"



Akiyuki's hair struck out to impale through the clone's head. The clone splashed into the water before dissolving into smoke. Akiyuki's sank to her thighs in the pool, but her escape was prevented when a gloved hand shot through the smoke to twist around the roots of her hair.



"You're predictable," Kakashi drawled. His grasp sparked with the power of lightning to nullify the earth chakra inside Akiyuki's hair, and he gave it a vicious yank for good measure. Akiyuki yelped in pain but remained still, the tips of her long hair twitched uselessly around Kakashi's arm.



Half submerged in the water, Akiyuki craned her neck to glare up at Kakashi and his Sharingan eye. "I see that you have a sinister power inside you as well," she rasped.



"I'd rather think of it as my guardian angel, considering who gave it to me." Kakashi tapped Akiyuki's forehead with his kunai to get her attention. "I hope you are ready, your death is coming."



Akiyuki gasped at the sight of another of Kakashi's clones hunched at the far end of the pond, its right arm pointing down and crackling with a chidori. Akiyuki struggled as the clone charged over the water to hit her square in the face. The clone vanished after the justsu discharged, and Kakashi was left holding strands of dreadlocks crumbling into dried mud. Akiyuki was gone.



"Still predictable." Kakashi sighed with disappointment and flung his kunai over the pond to nail one of the fleeing kunoichi's dreadlocks against a dead tree. Akiyuki clawed desperately at the weapon, her breath came out in quick pants and her green eyes were wide open in terror. It was exactly what Kakashi wanted to see.



"You are outmatched and unable to escape." Kakashi strode purposely over the pond and fixed his Sharingan onto her gaze. "I can either just kill you or I can...how shall I say this? Be a little more creative with your death." The Jounin's feet squelched in the mud as he stepped onto the bank and halted a few paces from his prisoner, his red eye glowing and at the ready to deliver unspeakable tortures. "I promise that I possess a very active imagination. But I will ask one last time before I begin. Where is he?”



And then the impossible happened. Akiyuki broke eye contact with the Sharingan and lunged with a shriek as the nailed strand of her hair ripped out of her head.



"What!?" For one precious heartbeat, Kakashi gaped with disbelief. 



His momentary lapse gave the kunoichi enough time to skirt away to a clearing choked with the stinking orange weeds. Akiyuki threw up her arms to the darkening sky. "I beg of you, Masao-sama!" At her plea, the fog lurched from the swamp to twist and swirl around her. 



Kakashi sensed the familiar presence and knew then that this possession was far different from what he had faced back in Konoha. He ran at the woman before Kanzaka Masao could take full control of her body.



"Too late!" Akiyuki cried, her green eyes sparkling with a golden light. Her deep voice echoed with that of a masculine one. "I made this swamp, it belongs to me!" Cackling with insane glee, she held out a fog enveloped hand towards the Jounin. At her summon, the ground shook with the force of an earthquake and rattled the bare branches of the trees like clattering bones. 



Kakashi barely had time to dodge when a giant hand ripped out from the earth to swipe at him. He leaped back to the surface of the churning pond, his feet barely able to maintain its hold on the unsteady surface. His Sharingan could see an enormous flow of foreign chakra circulating throughout Akiyuki's body and into her earth jutsu. Whatever possessed the kunoichi, he was certain that it was not from a human source. He had only before witnessed a similar power of such magnitude inside Naruto when the boy was infused with the power of Kyuubi. 



Trailing roots and splattering mud, the massive limb reached over the pond to make another grab at him. Noting its steady position, Kakashi's fingers flew into the proper seals to summon another chidori and he charged thrusting the sparkling orb into the center of the giant palm. He was horrified to see his lightning absorb into the mud and snuff out under his hand, a ring of dried dirt being the only evidence of damage Kakashi had made. The power boosting Akiyuki's earth chakra was strong enough to counteract a direct lightning jutsu.



Kakashi teleported before the clawed fingers could stab into his body. The log he left behind exploded into a shower of splinters under the crushing force of the giant hand. Kakashi swayed on a branch near the tip of a sparse tree, his mind raced through his vast arsenal of ninjutsu that could counter such a force, and found few options that would not completely drain him of both chakra and strength.



This fight was going to be far more challenging than he had previously thought. 



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Iruka's captors had the foresight to individually tie his wrists to make freeing himself more difficult. He was able to get one of the knots loose enough to squeeze his right hand free when Jirou finally took notice of what he was doing.



"Oh no you don't!"



Alerted by the outraged cry, Iruka released his leg around the rope and dropped in time before a handful of needles could hit his unprotected back. Iruka grunted in pain when his injured shoulder jarred at the force of being dangled by his wrist still attached to the end of the long rope. 



Jiro swore as he dug into his pouch. Iruka took advantage of the shinobi's distraction to scurry up the rope to the open rafters. His grip on the rope slipped as he climbed, both of his hands were stiff and numb after many hours being tied. Panic almost overwhelmed him when he reached out for the wooden beam and instead slid down the rope a mere arm's length away from safety. 



Iruka cried out and nearly lost his hold when several needles sunk into his thighs and bare calves. Jiro cackled, and the mocking sound helped to spur Iruka's efforts anew. With a burst of energy he hauled himself up the rope and threw an arm over the splintery beam. He scrambled for a moment swinging his legs until he was able to succeed getting a knee up over the edge. The wide beam shuddered as he pulled himself up. Iruka rolled onto his back and shivered with relief. His arms trembled with exertion as he struggled to free his remaining hand.



"How dare you!" The blind shinobi spat, spittle flew over his goatee. "Impudent little shit!"



Iruka tore his hand out of the rope and threw it aside; a flying needle barely missed his arm in doing so. His eyes roamed about the area, he could easily slip through one of the many gaping holes in the thatched roof but escape was the last thing on Iruka's mind. Kakashi could probably take Akiyuki down but he might not stand a chance with Urami inside her. Iruka turned his head to where Masao still sat unmoving. An old saying Hokage Sarutobi had often used echoed in the back of Iruka's mind: "To kill a snake, one must destroy its head."



Iruka reached to pry the two needles stuck below his left collarbone. It was not an ideal weapon, but it was all that he had. After taking a sharp breath Iruka moved to his feet and grimaced as his legs stung at the bits of metal inside. Staying in a low crouch to use the beam as a shield, Iruka ran to throw his projectiles at Masao. The needles were lighter and far more delicate then a senbon, and without chakra to propel them they fell pathetically short from his target.



Iruka halted when he heard the foreboding sound of cracking wood and hopped to an adjacent beam before it could collapse. Termites and neglect had made the wooden network holding the roof unstable, and both had long done their work weakening the supports connecting the thick beams to the building. His new perch bowed at his added weight. Needles thudded into the wood underneath and Iruka frowned down at the blind shinobi who was readying more needles to throw.



'He can only sense my chakra patterns, and nothing else.' Iruka realized as a few more needles hit under the beam when he attempted to move. Iruka started running again. His bare feet skidded over layers of dust and dried rodent droppings, unable to grip the timber with his suppressed chakra reserves. 



As Iruka continued to play the deadly cat-and-mouse game with Jiro, a half-formed plan surfaced in the Chuunin's mind to take both of his enemies down in one blow.



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Kakashi knew that he was close to reaching his limit. He had lost track of the number of jutsus he had used against Akiyuki, and every attempt--lightning nature or otherwise--had proved to be completely futile.



"Damn her!" Kakashi was breathing heavily and favored his right leg when he shifted his stance in preparation for another attack. A stone-tipped finger from Akiyuki's giant hand had managed to slice his left thigh. Blood dripped through his trousers to soak into the white wrappings around his calf. 



His hands blurred in an array of seals to summon Zabuza's water dragon from one of the ponds. The dragon sprang from the pool with a roar, its body dark with tainted swamp water. It lunged for the giant hand to clamp watery jaws over the wrist and tore like a dog attacking a new toy.



Akiyuki impassively flicked her wrist and the fog followed her command. The fingers of the earthen hand snapped around to grasp the long neck of the dragon, and the reptilian head burst into a spray of water. The body of the water jutsu lost its form instantly and fell over the giant limb with a splash. 



Hoping to catch the kunoichi off guard, Kakashi yanked a kunai out from his back pouch and threw it with deadly accuracy. A protective wall of mud sprang from the ground around Akiyuki and the kunai sank hilt-deep into the wall before detonating from the attached paper bomb. 



The undamaged shield retreated back into the earth to reveal Akiyuki smirking at the Jounin's failed attempt.



Kakashi growled with frustration as he pressed a hand to staunch the injury in his thigh. The water dragon had been the last major jutsu that he was capable of performing; he no longer possessed the chakra for anything strong enough to counter Akiyuki's attacks. All that he did now would be in defense against an enemy who seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of chakra granted through Masao's powers. 



He was completely, and most certainly--fucked.



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Iruka jumped to the beam hanging directly over Masao's slumped form. The rafters swayed dangerously when he landed. Clumps of thatch scattered from where Jiro's weapons had narrowly missed his body. Reaching for a fixed bamboo pole that wove through the roof Iruka pulled up while tucking in both his feet and stamped down hard. One of the joints connecting the beam to the wall cracked and it slid down a few centimeters.



“NO!” Jiro shrieked, understanding Iruka's intent. The medical-nin made a dash towards his unconscious master.



Iruka gritted his teeth and slammed down with all his strength. The beam creaked and moved a bit more but did not fall. At the moment Jiro reached Masao, Iruka released his hold on the pole and threw himself for the entirety of his weight to push against the last of the beam's resistance. It slid free with a resounding crack and Iruka bounded to a safe distance near the wall of the shrine.



By sheer luck Jiro had managed to move himself and Masao in time to avoid the beam crashing through the floor. 



Iruka's curse at his failure died in his throat when the entire building rumbled, spraying dust and loose thatch to rain down throughout the decrepit shrine. The thick log that acted as the spine holding the crest of the roof bowed in the middle. Bamboo poles snapped and threw splinters of wood, thatch and dust into the air. With a sinking feeling, Iruka realized then that he had broken one of the main supports that held the unstable roof. 



With no chance to escape, Iruka covered his head and knelt to press himself flat against the wall under the slanted edge of the roof. Below, Jiro ran in panicked circles around Masao while flailing his arms in a poor attempt to protect himself from the falling chunks of debris. 



With an ominous groan similar to that of a dying beast, the log broke with an earsplitting crack and the roof caved in. Jiro's final scream was drowned out by deafening roar of the upper building descending to bury its unfortunate victims under its deadly mass. 



It was all over in an instant. 



Iruka choked through the immense cloud of dust that rose from the wreckage, and blinked owlishly at the setting sun. He could not see through the dust for proof if he had succeeded in flattening his enemies. The shrine's smooth board walls remained standing sound; loose rubble skipped and tumbled over broken stumps of beams that still clung to the building. The back of Iruka's neck and shoulders were weighted down by that rubble, and could not stand from his crouched position. 



Iruka's fingers clutched desperately at the wall when his feet started to slide over the slanted edge of his damaged perch. His limbs scrabbled for purchase but without chakra to help cement his hold he could do nothing to prevent the inevitable.



Iruka's heels skidded over the edge, and he teetered for a heartbeat before plummeting into the dust.



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Kakashi summoned chakra for a replacement jutsu as Akiyuki's earthen hand encircled around his body--and found nothing in his reserves to help aid in his escape. He stabbed desperately as the massive fingers tightened its grip to pulverize his ribcage. Kakashi instinctively threw his arms before his face in a futile attempt to save himself.



Then suddenly, the earthen hand loosened its crushing hold around Kakashi's torso and dropped heavily to the ground. Kakashi watched incredulously as the deadly fingers twitched once before dissolving into a sizable ring of mud around his feet. The earth jutsu no longer resembled the frightening form that had just nearly killed him. 



Akiyuki screamed a short distance away as the otherworldly fog faded about her. "Why?" she cried, her voice was back to its normal gravel and hoarse with despair. "My lord, why did you abandon me?" 



Kakashi killed her before she could recover from her shock. 



Feeling not an ounce of remorse, Kakashi pulled his one remaining kunai out from the base of the kunoichi's throat and tipped her body over. Akiyuki fell backwards with a gurgle, her disbelief over Masao's betrayal permanently stamped across her face. 



Kakashi turned away as Akiyuki's body began to sink into the mud. He wiped her blood off his weapon and stuck it back in its holster. That small motion made Kakashi sway on his feet, a dangerous sign of the extent of his chakra depletion. He grimly dug into a vest pocket for an energy pill and swallowed it dry. The drug would give him enough energy to keep searching for Iruka, though he had no idea on how he could help in his present condition.



Pakkun shot out from the bushes. He paused briefly to take in Akiyuki's partially buried corpse and Kakashi's haggard appearance before reporting. "I found him, but it's really bad!" The pug was wide eyed and shaking with anxiety. "We need to hurry!" 



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Iruka groaned and then coughed violently as he slowly pushed himself to his knees. His decent had been broken by the mountain of debris. He had bounced and rolled head over heels before landing on his stomach into a soft mound of rotting thatch. Iruka was scratched and bruised from his fall, but otherwise unharmed. He had been immensely fortunate not to have been impaled by the countless broken poles and splintered beams that poked out in odd angles through the wreckage. 



He noticed a bloodied arm clad in the tattered remains of fine green fabric splayed out from under a thick blanket of thatch. It was bent at an impossible angle and partially flattened by heavy stones that were once used to help weigh the roofing system down. Iruka was immensely relieved at seeing Jiro's lifeless body as he had been standing next to Masao when the roof collapsed. It was impossible for either of them to have survived through the catastrophe. 



A pebble fell before Iruka's face. He looked up and froze--the breath caught in his throat and his skin prickled with fright. A pair of yellow eyes glowed through the settling dust to bore into his own.



He was not alone.



"You!" A voice hissed from the far end of the destroyed shrine. Wisps of dust fled from the evil sound to reveal Masao sitting whole and unharmed in his wheelchair. Jiro had succeeded in pushing his master away in time to safety of a corner where the sturdiest beams had sheltered him from the chaos. The ghostly form of Urami clung to Masao's wasted body like a cloak, the demon's rotting head floated above and snarled with an eagerness to kill. The old man's craggy face was contorted beyond recognition with unbelievable rage. 



Iruka knew that face, and the memory sprang unbidden into his mind--it was the very same expression Kakashi had worn on that night long ago in the Laundromat when Masao had first tried to murder him. 



Masao reached one wizened hand out to Iruka and Urami's vaporous claws followed the motion. Both demon and man spoke as one. "I will rip the entrails out from your gut one piece at a time for all that you have done!" 





End of Chapter 10