Chapter 14

Somewhere in the mist, in the Jungle surrounded by trees, Taiga was sitting with the Old Konoha Shinobi taking a rest, this was already Night time

Taiga and the Old Shinobi was sitting in front of the fire, warming themselves up from this chilling cold. The white fog comes out of their mouth whenever they talk

"The mist is getting denser in here, I don't like my vision getting limited Like this", said Old Konoha Shinobi as he kept looking for anything that could help them.

"This mist is not only limiting our vision, but it's also messing up with our head as well, I can't use Flying Thundergod in here for long-distance"

"Not even to Konoha"

Taiga shook his head, "No, I don't even remember the path we took, let alone the path to Konoha or to say even a path out of this damn jungle"

"Something is wrong here Kid, I can just feel it in my bones"

Taiga eyes closed as he lied on his back, "Let's Just go to sleep old pervert, we might have a rough day tomorrow... the Seal is already in place in case someone tries to ambush us in the night"

"Yea, I guess it's better if we sleep and start afresh tomorrow"

-Somewhere in the misty Jungle-

Kitsuchi was dressing the bandages on an Injured Shinobi

"Father, why did we retreat, It was you who taught me that there is no Absolute Technique in this world"

"Korutsuchi... that's enough, retire to your camp"

"NO, WE WILL TALK... HERE AND NOW... WHY DID WE WITHDRAW, WE COULD HAVE KILLED HIM, WE COULD HA...

*Slap

Her eyes widened as she took a step back...

Kitsuchi eyes were covered with shadows

"Do you wish to kill him so much, that you do not see that he spared everyone here, he could have killed you Kurotsuchi, yet he spared you"

"I refuse to believe there is someone who does someone favor, without thinking of some gain... No one is so kindhearted in this world... it's his plan... he is extremely ruthless and meticulous"

"And What could he gain by sparing his assassin's life"

"BUT HE IS THE FLASH... FLASH WHO TOOK MOTHER FROM US"

"NO... He is not Flash Kurotsuchi, Flash is dead, he is someone of this generation, open your eyes, my Daughter, see the world as it is, your mother is dead and nothing is gonna change that... let the dead bury the dead, a tooth for a tooth will only burn this world"

"FINE IF YOU ARE SO AFRAID OF FIGHTING HIM, I WILL DO IT ALL ALONE, I WILL KILL HIM"

"Jonin Kurotsuchi, answer to the call of your commander", said Kitsuchi with a bit of killing intent

Her eyes widened as she immediately kneeled down...

"YES COMMANDER"

"You have proven yourself unworthy of your rank, from today onwards you are demoted to the rank of high Chunins... now retire to your camp"

Her eyes widened, as she kept staring at her father... and after some time with tears in her eyes, she ran back to her camp.

(After few Hours)

"Don't you think you were too hard on her", asked an Old Iwa Shinobi, sitting near Kitsuchi as they smoke together in the cold night

"She is just like her", finished another Old man that came and sit near them

"Yes... just like her", he said with tears in his eyes, "same arrogance, same pride... and that's why I don't want her to meet the same end as that of her mother, not in the hands of another flash", said Kitsuchi

"You miss your wife don't you?"

Kitsuchi smiled, "I always miss her, you have no idea the trouble a teenage daughter give"

(Next Morning)

Taiga and the Old man were crossing the river with the boat...

Taiga looked at the side and smiled for no reason

"What is it?"

"Nothing, Just a Stupidly Proud Girl chasing us, nothing to worry about"

"Very Well, we are nearly there anyway, today we might see the Island"

"Is there really such a magical Island, are we not just chasing after some rumors"

"We are indeed, but if it can help us control Kyuubi, then what's the point of not trying"

Taiga smiled, "Indeed... trying is all we can do in our case"

*Badump

He looked at the side...

'What's with this chakra, it's not that girl's, then... what's going on? who is coming'

"Now what is it?", asked Old Konoha Shinobi

"Run"

"What?"

"Abandon the mission, and run as far as you can, as fast as you can"

"Tch, if I abandon the mission, how are you going to find your way back"

"Don't worry about me, I will work something out, Just run... now"

"Damn, alright, take care, Godspeed to you"

As soon as, the Old man left...

The Figure of Kurotsuchi came out of the mist...

Taiga's eyes widened, as he disappeared with a flash

And took her in a bridal style, while flashing some distance away

As soon as they disappeared, a Huge Explosion happened...

BBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM

"Never thought a day would come when I would see Konoha Shinobi protecting Iwa Shinobi"

Two figures came rapidly out into the middle of the battlefield after just avoiding being melted in the acidic shower. The figures revealed themselves to be two men. They were wearing black cloaks with red clouds, which gave them away as members of Akatsuki.

One was a very tall man, with gray-blue skin, spiky blue hair, and had what appeared to be gills under his round black eyes. Aside from the standard Akatsuki cloak, he also had a big two-handed sword wrapped in bandages, that at the moment he was resting it against his shoulder while he wielded it one-handed. ''It seems that we have been found out, Itachi-San. Such a shame really, we were planning on killing flash after the battle, Guess we have a Sensor in our midst'' Said the man with a grin, exposing his sharp teeth.

His partner was a pale-skinned man with jet black hair that he kept in a low ponytail and his bangs framed his face. He was devoid of all expression and he had an air of cold serenity about him. But what really stood out were his blood-red eyes with three tomoe surrounding each pupil. ''Careful, Kisame. Now that we have lost the element of surprise our mission won't be so simple anymore.'' Said the stoic man to his comrade.

''Heh, silent killing was more Zabuza's style anyway. I'm more of steamroll-through-the-opposition kind of guy.'' Said the blue-skinned man, seemingly excited at the prospect of a battle.

Kurotsuchi was the first one to react. She puffed her chest and exhaled a huge quantity of magma. ''Lava Style: Burning Rock Bullet)'' the already big Boulder was made even bigger with Lava Style to enhance the flames. The amount of fire starting to quickly cover the area made the Akatsuki members jump to save themselves from burning alive.

Kisame had a wide grin at the intense start of his battle and focused his sights on the Onoki Granddaughter. ''I guess I'll go for the Lady prey first.'' He lunged at the Kurotsuchi, but before he could reach his intended target, a large fireball forced both him and Kurotsuchi to split. Recognizing his partner's Jutsu, he turned to Itachi with a puzzled look. ''What's gotten into you, Itachi-San? That could have hit me, you know.''

''Don't fight her in the current state, Kisame. Don't forget that the flash is still here at the moment. If you lost your concentration you could end up dying'' explained Itachi impassively.

The Shark-like man put on a face of disappointment at having to sit out the main brawl. ''No fair, But I guess it can't be helped.'' He sighed before resigning himself to his task. He moved so fast that only a blur could be seen when he took off.

Taiga kept standing there, 'Is he ignoring the orders? Guess I can only deal with this as they come'

With one of his arm stretch, he looked straight ahead...

"Soul Lock"

Suddenly the moving Kisame stopped moving, his eyes looked like a dead but suddenly

Poof!! Kisame disappeared in the poof of smoke

!!!

"What the... Shadow Clone, I should have been able to sense it out... wait, Damn I am in Genjutsu", he made the sign with his hand, "Kai"

*Crack*Crack

The world breaks apart like a mirror

And he found himself bound on the cross, with the red sky, Way too many Itachis were all over holding the sword "Here, You will be for 72 Hours getting tortured non-stop"

"You don't Trap a Celestial Being in the making in a Genjutsu Itachi... Order of Illusion"

*Crack*Crack

With that yell, the world cracked and broke apart, like a delicate mirror

Gak

The sword was sticking out of his chest

The blood was coming out of his mouth uncontrollably

"I don't know, how you managed to break Tsukuyomi apart, but it does not matter, you still shall die"

Uchiha Itachi was a textbook example of a prodigy and a genius, no matter what comes, he always find the way to do things.

He looked at the side, Kurotsuchi was done in by Kisame as well, he looked at Taiga and grinned, as he dashes towards Taiga to behead him

Taiga grit his teeth...

And the sword reached and behead him

*Ting

!!!

Kisame's sword was blocked by Itachi?

!!!

[Flying Raijin: Heavenly Substitution]

Taiga jumped back... with Kurotsuchi in his hands, the blood was coming out from the side of his mouth... he put Kurotsuchi down and took out the daggers...

[Flying Thunder God: Space-Time Rend Sequential Steps Roar Dance: Rift Slash: Step One]

Taiga's figure disappeared from his spot, piercing towards Kisame. He arrived in a flash.

Kisame was alarmed and quickly raised his sword, blocking Taiga's thrust.

But the space rift opened and the block of any kind Just gets ruptured Uselessly.

GAK

Kisame threw the blood, not only samehada didn't block the attack he also couldn't withstand that attack.

Only by personally experiencing it could one understand just how fast he was! Not good! I can't let him lock me down, otherwise, my life will be whittled away!!

"Water Style: Ultimate Water Wall"

"Void"

!!!

The attack disappeared in the thin air...

Kisame gasped. What kind of speed was this!? He saw Taiga, who was still tens of meters away earlier, appear before him in a flash, stabbing towards his heart. Dammit!!

He blocked with his sword... again Useless

"Clang!"

The Rift Opened at the same spot the attack took place, and the attack hit Kisame severely injuring him.

This attack can't be blocked as it rendered all kinds of defenses useless. Whether It's body's natural defense or blocked some way. The attack will happen at the full force no matter the course.

[Rift Slash: Step Two]

Taiga raised his Kunai and slashed with a spin! with every slash, space rift gets open at the place, though space heals itself up very quickly. But Kisame took every damage at full force. After three strikes, he flashes stepped while sheathing his Kunai, arriving at Kisame's side, dealing another 2 strikes.

[Rift Slash: Step Three]

He was getting faster and faster. One Kunai struck out 3 times! He stepped off the ground and performed another flash step while sheathing his Kunai, appearing at Kisame's side again with another two rapid strikes. Countless rift appears through the battlefield. And they healed very quickly. 15 rifts appeared at the same time! He sheathed his Kunai, then Taiga Kunai became a piercing light, appearing on Kisame's other side. Dodging the sideways sweep with a spin, his triple strike appeared again! Then a flash step to his back! Along with the combo count, the Kunai's speed also rose. All that could be seen now were the red flashes. Taiga appeared all over the place, using a flurry of flash steps. As the speed increased, he became more like a storm.

Taiga appeared at Kurotsuchi's side again... and he was on his knees

*Huff*Huff

'Why Am I so tired'

"You didn't kill him, though you seem to not know Kisame's sword had another feature, it sucked most of your chakra... right now you are way too vulnerable"

Nevertheless, Itachi didn't give him a moment to catch his breath. He slashed at Taiga one more time, wounding him and making him faint due to Chakra exhaustion and the after-effects from using the Flying Raijin. As the boy started to sink into the sea the man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up to avoid letting him drown.

''Yoton: Sekkaigyo No Jutsu!(Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)''

!!!

When the former Konoha Shinobi sensed the attack coming, he quickly turned around gave it a chop with his sword, once again leaving it useless. He searched for the user of the technique and found the same Kunoichi Kisame had dealt with earlier. She looked annoyed at having been tossed so embarrassingly, and took out her own sword and clashed with Itachi, pressing against the man with all her might.

''You are out of your league, you were clearly awake yet despite helping him, knowing you had a better chance with him, you came to challenge me, what a stupidly proud Girl you are'' Said the emotionless man

She clenched her teeth in rage, she hated being underestimated. ''Shut up, you piece of shit!! I'll make you pay for that!'' She tried to hold her ground, but she was being pushed back fast, and the worst part was that Itachi didn't even seem to be putting much effort into it, and all while carrying an unconscious Taiga on the other hand.

''That arrogance of yours is gonna kill you girl. So much confidence without the skill to back it up'' Said Itachi with his emotionless face.

Faster than Kurotsuchi could follow, Itachi delivered a hard kick to her stomach, making her stumble and lowering her guard for a moment. The former Konoha Shinobi exploited her momentary stunned state to swing his sword into her chest, exceptionally wounding her.

The tomboy gave a cry of pain and brought a hand to hold her injury, staining her palm in blood.

She started having trouble standing because of her Chakra exhaustion. With her current reserves, in a few minutes, she wouldn't even be able to keep water walking.

She looked to Itachi with dread. She hadn't felt this terrified in a long time. Not even against Taiga. In a single attack, Itachi weakened her enough to have her completely at his mercy. Whatever he threw at her next she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid it. The man gave another swing of his Long sword with the intent of finishing her off. She lifted her mother's sword to block it, but she knew it was useless, with her current strength the attack would go through her defense without a problem.

However, before the blade reached her, Kitsuchi rapidly came out of the mist to parry the LongSword with a kunai, just barely halting the attack.

!!!

"Father"

"Damn you, I told you to stay in your camp quietly"

Soon after, a large golem made of rock pushed Itachi to the side, making him drop Taiga. Akatsuchi appeared from the mist too, dissipating the golem he just used to hit the emotionless man. The plump boy turned to his friend in concern ''Are you ok, Kurotsuchi?''

"Are you alright Kisame?", Itachi voice resounded the big boat

"Yea, that Brat got me good, though he didn't kill me... He will regret it next time we fight", Kisame was angry to hell

"There might not be the next time", Itachi was scratchless throughout this battle

Kurotsuchi looked in surprise and relief at her friend and father, not expecting their intervention. She nodded to Akatsuchi, confirming her wellbeing; the wound wasn't life threatening at the moment but it would have to be patched up soon to avoid becoming so.

Her father had her eyes peeled in watch for the missing Akatsuki member and quickly grabbed Taiga to keep him from sinking. He took a side glance to her daughter to relay her a new order.

''Kurotsuchi, take the boy and go, quickly"

"But why... we should kill him, it's the best moment"

"Because he saved your life not only yesterday from himself, but today too from Akatsuki... now go"

She took the boy and carried him with uncertainty, not liking the idea of leaving her father and best friend to face such a dangerous opponent by themselves. Suddenly, Kisame came rushing at them, sword at the ready to cleave them off.

He was angry

Akatsuchi created another rock golem and intercepted the blade while Kitsuchi encased his first in stone with a Jutsu, preparing himself to join the fight. ''Go now, Kurotsuchi!'' Yelled her father in urgency. She didn't waste another moment and took off, not even looking back.

She ran through the mist with Taiga on her back. She could barely keep a decent pace with her low Chakra and the open wound on her chest, but she continued nonetheless. She kept on looking for any place she could hide and rest. After she had recovered enough she would go looking for her father.

After a while of sprinting some more, the mist kept getting denser and denser... she started to make out a figure in the mist, and after getting closer she noticed that it was huge. Soon she came to see a large island, larger than any island she had seen until now. It seemed to have a large forest with giant spiky trees that were more than big enough to lose any pursuers. She wondered how she hadn't seen it before, with its sheer size it should be hard to miss, even with the mist. But right now she didn't care about that, she was glad to have found a place to rest.

Taiga although unaware, but he actually completed the mission and the two entered paradise Island.

From deep inside the island, an Old lady was meditating and suddenly opened her eyes

"Taiga... My Grandchild"