Chapter 42

Things were going well, I had gone through four more Jonin and replaced my cells up to my shoulders.

Next, I was going to go for a big one and supplement my subjects chakra with some of my own from the seal.

I badly wanted to convert my whole body, part of me wanted to just give it a go and use all my stored chakra.

But the other more sensible part of me advised against it...

Sigh...

I still had the issue of replacing any parts of my brain.

There's no way that could go well...

I couldn't do it myself...

Clones would have to do it then...

Unless I just used Overwrite on myself...

It had gone well enough...

There's almost no reason not to...

Fuuuuck...

...

I had applied the modified Overwrite seal onto some bone senbon.

Now I just had to stab someone and as long as the senbon maintained contact, I could convert their DNA into my own...

Though I'd gain a hand-full of cells at most...

Sigh...

I'm starting to feel a little evil.

Discomfort is temporary...

Power is forever...

...

"Alright, I'm going to seal myself in the lab, don't bother me even if we're being attacked."

I decided it was go-time, my immune system started fighting my modified cells and I couldn't afford to wait any longer.

"Kekeke..."

Orochimaru just laughed creepily and gave me a knowing look.

I sighed and turned around.

I needed to seal the fuck out of my lab.

I wish I hadn't been so hesitant to do the whole thing...

Stupid immune system, why are you only doing something two weeks after I started?

I opened the door and stepped outside into the cool air.

I took a deep breath and enjoyed the minor shock of cold air entering my lungs.

Hopefully, this doesn't take too long...

Oh...

I also have to see mom and Duy...

...

If I cut my arms off would it cost less chakra to use DNA Overwrite?

I let the idea bounce around in my head well a clone drew the seal on the floor around me.

I decided that limbs are often better when attached to the body...

Sigh...

I watched as the clone paced around the seal, he was checking for flaws.

I gave the seal a once over and didn't see any flaws myself.

Trust but verify...

"Ready?"

I nodded at my clone.

"Ready."

I sent a tendril of chakra to my forehead and opened the seal.

My body was flooded with chakra and I did my best to suppress my manic smile.

"Alright do it."

I felt the clone strike the back of my neck and everything went black.

...

I opened my eyes.

I gave the room a glance looking for the clone.

He was nowhere to be seen...

I sent a tendril of chakra to my seal and closed it.

I stood up and cracked my back.

Pop*

My chakra did indeed seem less noticeable now that all my DNA was changed...

Though there was still some wisps of my former chakra amongst my new chakra.

I held my hands out in front of me and bones erupted from them making them look like maces.

I retracted the bones.

Hmm...

A bone started protruding from my back...

I reached up and grabbed it.

I wrenched it out of my skin and twirled it around while admiring it.

I now had my very own spine sword.

I tapped the ground with it.

Clack Clack Clack*

Now, what do I do with this?

...

Surprisingly the whole transformation didn't take more than a day, I had thought it would take longer or go catastrophically wrong.

Neither happened and I mentally thanked the Shinigami for my luck as of late.

Though my reserves were pretty much empty.

"Shiro?"

I turned and looked at mom.

"Yes?"

She pointed at the sink and opened and closed her mouth a few times seemingly trying to find the right words.

"Is that a spine in the sink?"

I nodded.

"Why is it in the sink?"

I shrugged with a slightly bemused smile.

"The drain was clogged."

Mom nodded mutely, I decided that it was my duty to dispense some wisdom.

"You never know what you might need a spine for..."

Mom sighed and shook her head.

"I'm leaving next week."

Hmmm...

"Alrighty."

Was she bringing Kushina...?

"Is Kushina going with you?"

If she took her with them, I would have my original lab back...

"Kushina already left."

Even better.

"She didn't say goodbye?"

Mom shook her head and smiled at me.

"She did but you were hiding somewhere."

I nodded.

"Shame..."

I blew a breath out of my nose.

"Is Duy leaving as well?"

Mom nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, I'm sure you could use a break as well."

I walked over and hugged her.

"Sorry, but I've got things to learn and allies to protect."

Mostly things to learn...

"Alright..." Mom let out a heavy breath.

I squeezed her before I disengaged from the hug.

"I'll see you off when you leave."

Mom nodded and started to make her exit.

"Oh yea before you go..."

Mom turned and eyed me.

"...I've awakened a bloodline so don't be too surprised if you see me pull my spine out."

Mom sighed...

"I could tell you were different..."

Mom shook her head and started towards the door.

I guess that's all the talking we were doing about it...?

Alrighty...

...

I spent the following week playing with the Shikotsumyaku, it was mostly making spikes and seeing if I could do some of the stuff I half-remembered Kimmaro doing.

So nothing too fancy.

"Shiro, go assassinate some Kumo Jonin."

I raised an eyebrow and blew a sigh from my nose.

"I just killed some yesterday..."

I ambushed and killed eight yesterday.

They seemed to be never-ending, I just couldn't kill enough of them.

"Can we make a try at their camp again? Picking them off five at a time is doing us no good."

It was becoming annoying, Kumo was getting bolder as of late. We were constantly losing any skirmishes we got into.

Konoha had many strong shinobi but the problem was that we didn't have any of those with us...

They usually belonged to the clans, and the clans were trying to send as few as possible to the front.

And even then, since we were doing 'good' we didn't get any people from the clans sent here.

It was bullshit all around.

"Not unless you want things to escalate."

Orochimaru didn't want a full-on battle, he seemed happier with the many small skirmishes we were losing.

I shook my head but didn't say anything, Kumo knew where we were, it was only a matter of time before something happened.

"Alright, I'll go thin their numbers some."

Not that I wanted to...

The Kumo-nin were pretty resistant to my Lightning Jutsu and I was resistant to theirs, it usually made for long drawn out Taijutsu fights where I was always just barely avoiding getting swarmed.

I didn't have any plans on showing off the Shikotsumyaku...

I'd like to keep it a secret for a while.

...

"ENEMY ATTACK FIVE KILOMETERS OUT!"

Sigh...

I knew this would happen.

I was already dressed and ready as I was just about to head out so I could jump in straight away...

I activated my Byakugan and scanned the camp, Orochimaru was barking orders and doing leader stuff, mom was standing with Duy at the north end of the camp, and the rest of the camp was a flurry of activity.

I started making my way towards mom and Duy, mom was likely the one who sounded the alarm and probably the only one who could see what was up.

A quick Shunshin brought me right to her.

"So, what's happening?"

The words came out more casually then I had intended.

"We're about to be attacked by a joint Kumo and Shimo battalion."

That didn't sound too bad, only five-hundred people...

"What's the bad news?"

This was too much of an overreaction for a battalion.

"Kumo and Shimo have both sent two of their S-Ranked ninjas."

I knew there was more to it...

I blew a breath out of my nose.

"How fast are they advancing?"

Mom shrugged.

"Slowly, they're trying to sneak up on us..."

Why would they try to sneak up on a camp that might have Byakugan or Sharingan users...?

"Morons."

Mom nodded.

"Who are the S-ranked ninjas and what do they look like?"

Mom hummed for a moment before answering.

"Furui, he has dark spikey hair and wears round glasses, he's known for his skillful use of Lightning Release and is an expert tactician."

Mom hummed again and scratched her nose.

"The second one from Kumo is C, he's tall blond and also uses Lightning Release."

Mom hummed a second time and squinted her eyes.

"The other two look to be Shimo's Twin Butchers, both of them have bluish-white hair and are known for their Kenjutsu."

I joined in on the humming, the Kenjutsu users weren't a problem, it was the two Kumo shinobi I was cautious of.

"Alright, I'm going to see what Orochimaru wants to do."

I disappeared with a Shunshin.

...

"So, what's the plan?"

I raised an eyebrow at Orochimaru's appearance, the sleeves of his kimono were blackened and burnt.

"Call for reinforcements and try to stall their advance."

I blinked at him.

"There's only five-hundred of them."

We outnumbered them by four-times, even if we didn't have a lot of quality shinobi, we could still bury them in corpses.

"There is likely a bigger force following behind them, the ambush battalion coming towards us is of little concern. But what comes after might be a problem."

Yikes...

"Should you and I attack them now, when they're not expecting it?"

I was only worried about the Kumo nin, the two Kenjutsu using brothers should be easy to kill.

Especially if I used the Shikotsumyaku...

To use the Shikotsumyaku? Or not to use the Shikotsumyaku...?

That was my current dilemma.

"Yes, it will give these incompetents time to organize."

Sigh...

I swept the camp once more before deactivating my Byakugan.

"Alright, I'll follow you."

I think I need to look at the Byakugan some more...

Though mom's five-kilometer range was impressive it was from the best the clan had.

I know the clan-heads kids had a range of ten kilometers.

Something to think about in any case...

...

Orochimaru made his way out of the camp and I trailed after him.

We went and got an update from mom before setting out.

They were approaching cautiously and taking the time to dismantle any seals or traps on their way.

Orochimaru decided that we'd circle them and strike from the back, which was fine by me, I wanted to cut down the cannon fodder and limit my chances of getting swarmed before we engaged with the stronger ninja.

Sigh...

My seal was low on chakra so I had to be careful...

I had about a week's worth of chakra in the seal, so at least I had a fallback.

I looked at Orochimaru, he looked annoyed but didn't seem nervous.

He probably had faith in his ability to escape this encounter if things went sideways...

"Can I have the two Kenjutsu users?"

Orochimaru nodded.

"The other two are Ninjutsu specialists, I'm more suited to engage with them."

I wanted to activate my Byakugan but was wary of giving our position away.

"On second thought, can you hold the four of them off while I attack the weaklings they brought?"

Orochimaru snorted and nodded.

"Go ahead."

Orochimaru didn't look phased at the thought of fighting four S-Ranked ninjas.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him, I imagine his confidence wasn't misplaced...

Orochimaru was one of the world's strongest ninjas, he certainly trumped his teammates.

At least he would be in the future...

"Alright..."

I'd trust in his abilities, I remember him being slippery and hard to kill, hopefully, the same would apply here...

...

We stayed quiet as we got closer, Orochimaru was staring at them and waiting for something.

Eventually, he waved me in but stayed where he was.

I sent him an annoyed look but obliged, and started creeping closer.

And closer.

And closer.

After a while, I got close enough that I could see some movement through the trees.

I eyed them for a moment, they certainly didn't blend into the frost-covered trees.

I looked down at my clothes and picked at my shirt a little.

My white shirt didn't blend any better than their white and gray clothes...

I scratched my chin and looked around for a moment and made a last-second decision.

I guess it would be good to have some practical experience with the Shikotsumyaku...

...

My body was already abnormally durable but awakening the Shikotsumyaku made it stronger.

Whenever I consciously grew and moved bones, my body automatically reacted by shifting and tearing my muscle fibers, blood vessels, and flesh to allow for the bones to exit my body.

My pain receptors have also changed and adapted so I don't feel anything if my bones are damaged or if my body tears itself apart.

It was awesome.

But my favorite part of the Shikotsumyaku was the lack of required hand-seals.

I activated my Byakugan and slowed my perception.

I saw a couple of heads turn as soon as my range expanded.

Eight shinobi had opened their mouths and were about to shout.

Sigh...

My bones shifted and started to grow under my skin forming a thin layer of armor.

I started stretching looking to see if any of the bone inhibited movement.

I rolled my shoulders and twirled my wrists

Good.

I waggled my fingers and toes.

Good.

I bent my knees and elbows.

Good.

Finally, I put my arms out above my head and praised the sun.

My movement wasn't impeded, we're good to go.

I focused on my surrounding.

An assortment of ninjas were making their way towards me.

Most of them were cannon fodder, they were in Kumo's standard gray and white ninja attire.

I wasn't overly worried about them, my bones were nearly impossible to damage and I had bone armor covering my body.

I saw one of the ninja throw a hand full at senbon at me.

I watched in amusement as they bounced off of me, most only sticking slightly in my skin before falling to the ground.

Though perhaps I should protect my eyes...

A smooth featureless mask covered my face.

I reached up and felt the mask, feeling a little silly.

I took a deep breath.

I could still breathe...

Good.

One of the faster ninjas had arrived and struck me in the back with his lightning coated sword.

Clack*

"Sorry friend..."

A bone spike erupted from my back and impaled the attacking ninja.

"What..."

A second spike erupted from the first and skewered his brain.

I twisted a little and the spike broke at its base.

Good...

Though perhaps the spikes should be thinner...

It would be more efficient that way...

The remaining seven were more cautious and had me surrounded.

"Surrender and we'll allow you to live!"

I focused on the one who shouted.

I pointed in his direction and fired my finger bone at him.

I didn't wait to see what happened and Shunshined past the group and into the battalion.

I looked around as everyone turned to me.

I was surrounded by what felt like a sea of people.

I took a deep breath and steadied myself.

"Sorry about this."

Bones erupted from me and impaled those around me.

Those not fast enough were impaled, and those fast enough were still impaled, though with a longer bone spike.

I twisted and broke the bones attached to me.

"What is that!?"

I pointed my fingers towards a group of people and spread them as wide as I could.

Ten fingerbones shot out and hit those standing in front.

I Shunshined into the group and bones erupted from all over me once again.

I shifted and broke the protruding bones.

"It's a demon!"

I looked at the who spoke.

He had been impaled but was still alive.

Maybe there's a better way to do this...

I aimed my palm at him and a long thin bone spear erupted out of my palm ending the survivor's life.

My clothes were tattered and I ran my free hand over my destroyed shirt feeling slightly annoyed.

I exhaled loudly and refocused on my surroundings.

I twisted my wrist and broke the bone.

I think this is the way to go...

Someone jumped at me from behind and without turning I aimed my palm at them.

He was speared through the throat.

Two more tried to attack me, and they both got bone spears to the chest and stomach.

Yep, this was indeed the way to go...

I saw people were congregating around me and decided it was time for a change in scenery.

I Shunshined into another group and speared them with bones this time making them long and thin.

I twisted and broke the bones.

Suddenly I and a few survivors were bathed in fire.

Woosh*

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

I Shunshined away focused on the one responsible, he was still exhaleing a stream of fire and standing in front of a group of people who were making hand-signs and preparing to launch an attack.

I ran a hand through my hair while sniffing the air.

It took me a second to realize that my hair was utterly fucked and I smelled like cooked meat.

"Fuck."

What Basterds...

And why wasn't I paying attention?

Some kunai hit me in the back and clattered to the ground.

Bone spikes erupted from my body, this time I made them as long as possible and sent them as deep into the crowd as I could.

I twisted and focused on my surroundings looking for someone with stronger chakra.

I Shunshined next to him and bone spears exploded from me.

"Wha...?"

I twisted and broke the bones.

I started looking for my next target while impaling a few brave attackers with bone spikes.

There you are...

I Shunshined next to him and bones erupted from me once again.

I twisted and broke the bones.

Perhaps I should change it up...?

Bone spikes came the easiest but there was little I could do other than stab and impale people with them...

Perhaps it's time for a sword.

A bone protruded from my back and I reached up and grasped it.

I focused on making it as dense and sharp as I could.

Finally, I ripped it from my back.

I watched a few ninjas halt their advance at my display.

I waved it at them teasingly.

"Never seen someone pull their spine out before?"

I saw one nod mutely and I snorted.

Boom*

I focused on the area where the explosion occurred and saw Orochimaru being chased by three ninjas with large reserves.

I saw a few other people turn and look as well.

Sigh...

I Shunshined towards Orochimaru's slowest pursuer and impaled with my spine sword.

One of the others turned and took a swipe at me with a sword while the other continued his pursuit of Orochimaru.

I Shunshined behind him and tried to impale him.

He blocked me, jumped away, stuck his sword in the earth, and started making hand-seals.

I saw his hands light up with what I'd call an aggressive amount of chakra and he jumped towards me.

"Take this monster!"

I decided that I wanted none of that and Shunshined into the surrounding ninja, ready to start my killing spree again.

...

...

Interlude.

I slowly made my way into Shiro's lair.

When I was passing by I noticed his chakra had felt a little different so I came to check on him.

I paused my stride and stared at the sink for a moment unsure if my eyes were deceiving me.

"Shiro?"

He gently set hit brush down and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes?"

I pointed at the sink but couldn't find the words.

There was a spine with a handle on it sticking out of the sink drain.

"Is that a spine in the sink?"

Shiro shrugged and nodded.

"Why is it in the sink?"

Shiro shrugged with a slightly bemused smile.

"The drain was clogged."

I nodded but wasn't sure what to do.

Parenting books never prepared me for finding spines in places they shouldn't be found.

"You never know what you might need a spine for..."

I sighed...

I wasn't sure how to deal with this...

How does one tell their son not to leave spines in the sink?

"I'm leaving next week."

Shiro looked slightly saddened.

"Alrighty."

Shiro shifted around and kicked his feet for a moment before he spoke.

"Is Kushina going with you?"

I raised an eyebrow at him.

Was he eager to see her...?

"Kushina already left."

He was going through puberty...

Perhaps Shiro has a little crush...?

"She didn't say goodbye?"

I shook my head with a slight smile.

"She did but you were hiding somewhere."

Shiro nodded looking rather unbothered.

"Shame..."

Perhaps Shiro didn't have a crush...?

"Is Duy leaving as well?"

I nodded absently while I thought about Shiro's possible lack of interest in the opposite gender.

The only person he has ever shown interest in was that weird child named Gai...

"..." I stared at Shiro for a moment.

I hope that's not the case...

I want some grandchildren.

Perhaps this is how my parents and grandparents felt...

I bit my cheek and put it out of my mind.

It's best not to dwell on the past after all...

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, I'm sure you could use a break as well."

Shiro made his way over to me and wrapped me in a warm embrace.

"Sorry, but I've got things to learn and allies to protect."

Shiro's words couldn't have made me prouder.

Though I didn't want him out here any longer.

I couldn't be proud of him if he was dead...

Shiro perhaps sensing my unease gave me a reassuring squeeze before backing away.

"Alright..." I let out a heavy breath as I spoke, feeling slightly emotional.

I didn't want to leave him here but as it was this might be the best place for him.

After all...

The only way for a ninja to become great is to bathe in the blood of hundreds of enemies.

Madness, Blood, and relentless training make a great ninja.

Shiro been relentlessly training his whole life and was plenty mad, now all he needed was to forge himself in the blood of his enemies...

"I'll see you off when you leave." Shiro spoke breaking me from my thoughts.

I nodded and started to make my exit.

"Oh yea before you go..." Shiro's voice was sheepish.

I turned and eyed him, wondering what he had gotten up to this time.

"...I've awakened a bloodline so don't be too surprised if you see me pull my spine out."

So that's where the spine came from...

I sighed...

Of course, Shiro awakened some sort of bloodline...

Though hopefully, that involved as little experimentation as possible.

"I could tell you were different..."

I shook my head and started towards the door.

This was too much for one day.

...

I sighed and stared at my clothes.

They were plain and lacked clan markings.

It made it easier for you to blend in with Konoha's clan-less ninja and made it less likely for you to be targeted for your bloodline while roaming on missions.

It was something that I had started doing after seeing Shiro use it to great effect.

Wearing my headband over my forehead and not my neck was another Shiro inspired change to my wardrobe.

Enemies aren't as interested in capturing a Hyuga when their forehead was covered...

I sighed and sat on the edge of my cot.

I leaned on my hand and drifted into idle thought.

Shiro was experimenting with bloodlines...

It was something that would set him against the clans in Konoha.

Bloodline theft was a very serious concern for the clans and if they thought there was even the slightest chance of Shiro attempting anything...

I stopped myself from following that train of thought.

Worrying about it wouldn't do me much good...

I held my hands in front of me and stared at my palms blankly.

There was always something to worry about...

As soon as I wasn't watching him, Shiro was invading villages and gaining bloodlines...

I wasn't sure how to feel about either of those...

How does one tell their son to stop invading villages...?

And how does one tell their son to keep their bloodline theft to a minimum...?

And even if I knew how, was it the right thing to do...?

I wanted Shiro to grow and become more powerful.

Invading villages and acquiring bloodlines covered both...

So how could I tell him to stop?

I ran my thumbnail along a line on my palm.

I wish Shiro had less dangerous ways to become strong.

But perhaps Shiro was taking the best possible path...

I rubbed my face with both of my hands.

I didn't know.

...

"ENEMY ATTACK FIVE KILOMETERS OUT!"

I kept my focus on the advancing ninja.

Most of them had at least Jonin level reserves which didn't bode well for us.

Shiro appeared behind me and spoke before I had time to mentally register his arrival.

"So, what's happening?" Shiro spoke casually like a potential battle wasn't a big deal.

Though perhaps to him it wasn't a concern.

"We're about to be attacked by a joint Kumo and Shimo battalion."

I eyed the four with the largest chakra signatures.

They were likely S-ranked ninja...

"What's the bad news?"

Shiro that was the bad news...

"Kumo and Shimo have both sent two of their S-Ranked ninjas."

Shiro sighed through his nose

"How fast are they advancing?"

I shrugged.

They arrived fast but were now taking their time approaching us.

"Slowly, they're trying to sneak up on us..."

I wondered what idiot made them slow down, if they had blitzed us they could have done major damage before we were able to properly respond.

"Morons."

I nodded.

"Who are the S-ranked ninjas and what do they look like?"

I hummed and sent some chakra into my Byakugan.

I changed the chakra flow and skin and bone became visible.

I changed it again and I could now make out what they looked like.

"Furui, he has dark spikey hair and wears round glasses, he's known for his skillful use of Lightning Release and is an expert tactician."

I hummed and scratched my nose trying to remember the blond one.

After a moment I remembered hearing about him from a briefing that Orochimaru had given about Kumogakure's current military might.

"The second one from Kumo is C, he's tall blond and also uses Lightning Release."

I hummed again.

I almost instantly recognized the second two.

"The other two look to be Shimo's Twin Butchers, both of them have bluish-white hair and are known for their Kenjutsu."

Shiro hummed with a slight smile on his face.

"Alright, I'm going to see what Orochimaru wants to do."

His smile slowly grew.

And with a slightly manic expression, he disappeared and reappeared beside Orochimaru

I watched them talk for a moment before focusing back onto the army.

I stopped altering the chakra in my eyes and went back to the Byakugan's normal vision.

The ninja were still slowly creeping towards us at a snail's pace.

It was lucky that whoever was leading them was an idiot...

...

Shiro and Orochimaru made their way out of the camp after a quick update on the enemy's position from me.

I watched with bated breath as Shiro and his Sensei slowly made their way to the back of the attacking ninja's formation.

When they got close Shiro split off from Orochimaru and my brow wrinkled.

I hope Shiro didn't plan on engaging the ninja by himself...

I focused on Shiro giving him my full attention.

He activated his Byakugan and his chakra rapidly formed thin plates under his skin.

I blinked slightly.

The plates were obstructing my vision and I couldn't make out his chakra system anymore...

Even his skull was filled with chakra preventing me from seeing any of his tenketsu.

I saw a group of ninja start towards Shiro.

Shiro seemed to have noticed this as well judging by the tilt of his head in their direction.

Sadly, he ignored any potential danger and started stretching in the middle of the battlefield...

My stomach lurched and I felt like I was going to through-up.

"Shiro, what the fuck are you doing...?" My words came out in an untended whisper.

Shiro ended his stretch with a pose, he was standing straight up and his arms were uplifted.

Finally, after a long torturous moment, Shiro stopped posing and focused on his surroundings.

I watched an approaching ninja throw something at Shiro who stood there and didn't move.

Any relief from Shiro's regained focus vanished and I was again left with a knot in my stomach.

Whatever was thrown seemingly did not affect as Shiro just stood there.

Chakra covered his face and Shiro rubbed it while a ninja attacked him from the back with a Lightning Chakra coated sword.

My heart nearly stopped when Shiro didn't move.

The sword hit him and a cry almost burst from my lips...

Until I saw a giant spike of chakra burst from Shiro and pierce the ninja.

I noticed that the sword was stopped by the plate of chakra and took a much-needed deep breath.

Was this Shiro's new bloodline?

A second spike came from the first and burst out of the ninja's head.

Shiro shook his body and most of the chakra in the spike traveled back into his body.

I was focusing Heavily on Shiro.

What was his bloodline...

He said something about pulling his spine out...

Shiro pointed at one of the ninjas up in a tree and he fell from the branch dead.

Shiro in the meantime had left my area of focus and Shunshined into what could have possibly been the worst place to be in.

He was surrounded.

Little by little people started to turn their heads towards him.

Shiro seemed unaffected.

He remained still.

I saw him bob his head and his body was covered by glowing blobs of chakra.

Spikes burst from those chakra gobs and impaled the people surrounding Shiro.

Shiro twisted and broke the spikes coming from him, this time leaving loads of chakra behind.

Shiro held his hands out towards the crowd and a few fell.

Shiro rolled his shoulders and Shunshined into the crowd where more bones exploded from him faster then I could register.

Shiro twisted and broke the spikes at their base.

He aimed his palm towards a fallen enemy and he was speared with a finger thick spike.

I licked my dry lips.

Someone jumped at Shiro from behind.

Without turning Shiro aimed his palm over his shoulder and killed the jumping enemy.

Shiro seemed to have everything under control...

Two more sped towards Shiro and they both got speared.

Shiro disappeared and appeared in another crowd of enemy ninja.

Spikes burst from him again though this time they were more of them and they were thinner.

Shiro twisted and the spikes detached.

Shiro was suddenly bathed in fire surprising both me and him.

Just as I started getting worried, I realized that Shiro was already impaling another bunch of ninja a ways away.

I took a deep breath and stopped focusing on Shiro...

I didn't need to watch him and work myself into a panic.

He unscathed after being bathed in fire and taking a chakra coated sword to the back.

Watching him was pointless...

Having a near heart attack every couple of seconds isn't going to help matters any...

I made my vision telescopic and almost immediately saw an approaching 'wave' of ninja.

That was an uncomfortable amount of ninja...

I put a hand on my chest.

Looking at the 'wave' of ninjas was giving me chest pains...

I took a deep breath and steeled myself.

I have to let the Battalion Commanders know...

I couldn't let Shiro get swarmed.

I took a second deep breath and set off.

I had a bit of running to do...

...