XIII 01.13

Katsuo's foot tapped rapidly, a mixture of anxiety and impatience dancing around his mind. Half of the Kaguya clan surrounded him, the wave of black hair filling the abandoned warehouse he'd found from wall to wall.

Katsuo wasn't the only one feeling anxious. The usual chatter that accompanied the Kaguya whenever they prepared for battle had been replaced by a dull silence. Men and women looked around at each other, their dark eyes meeting for just a few seconds before darting towards their next target.

Other symphonies had joined his rhythmic tapping. Other shuttles and movements worked to slightly throw off its steady timing. Blades and kunai were inspected for a third and fourth time, their shiny metal reflecting the few lights sitting above them. Breaths grew in size and rapidity, only adding on to the musky smell that formulated around the warehouse.

The Kaguya had successfully snuck into Tanigakure without much of a ruckus. A majority of the guards stationed were from the Gurueru clan; a simple flash of Ushino's letter answering any questions they might've had.

Katsuo had lucked out in meeting the Gurueru girl. He'd been wandering around a park when he'd met her, his unusual appearance attracting the girl towards him. He hadn't expected much from their conversation since it mirrored the usual conversation between strangers. They talked about their favorite foods and what they did in their pastime.

Katsuo only started paying more attention to the girl when she mentioned that she wanted to be a shinobi, and was currently studying in the Academy. Her father was growing older, and she wanted to take his place as general.

Upon finding out that Ushino was Ushino Gurueru, daughter to the current general and future patriarch of the Gurueru clan, Katsuo's approach changed dramatically. Until then, he hadn't found anything that would stop the Gurueru and the Yosai from interfering with their attack on the Tanataki. Ushino had laid out an opportunity on a red carpet, and Katsuo would follow that carpet until he couldn't anymore.

The rest of his time in the village was spent hanging with the girl. After a while he revealed his true identity to her, as well as his intent for coming to the village. She'd been confused at first, but offered to help him with his problem.

With a bit of peacekeeping from Ushino and a few actions of his own, Katsuo was able to strike a deal with Yagimiru Gurueru, eliminating the two biggest threats to the Kaguya's integration into Tanigakure.

With the Gurueru and Yosai out of the picture, the Kaguya could focus everything they had on taking down the Tanataki. Such a task was easier said than done, however, which was why the Kaguya were still hiding out in two warehouses three days after entering the village.

The Gurueru and Yosai had finally come to blows in a field outside the village, and the word had spread far and fast. The Tanataki would most likely be preparing to assist the Yosai at the moment, which is when the Kaguya would attack.

The sole window of the warehouse smashed open, the noise sending the other Kaguya into a state of fight or flight. Being Kaguya clan members, the most frequent response was obviously fighting. Katsuo moved quickly to position himself before all of them, beckoning for them to calm down.

A small, white chick soared along the warehouse's ceiling for a few seconds before finally diving towards where Katsuo had been standing. A high-pitch chirp escaped from its mouth as it landed on Katsuo's outstretched arm.

"Haeta, Why'd you come in through the window? The other's nearly skewered you from the sky." Katsuo scolded, petting the white chick with a tad bit more force than usual.

"Sorry, Katsuo, chirp," Haeta began, his head bobbing with each pet. Haeta was one of the youngest vultures of Sodatsu's nest, him and his broodmates born just a day before Katsuo had arrived in Totatsu Valley. Besides Kyofu, Haeta was the one who answered Katsuo's calls the most.

"The Tanataki have started preparing, chirp. I've already told Kimimaro, chirp. He says he's waiting for your move, chirp." Katsuo stroked Haeta's budding feathers more earnestly this time, earning a flurry of chirps in response.

"Thank you, Haeta. That was all I needed, so you can go back. Tell Senbi he's next up, though. A big battle is ahead of us." 

"Will do, chirp!" With a puff of smoke, Haeta disappeared, leaving the Kaguya alone once more. Katsuo returned his attention to his clanmates, whose eyes had locked onto his form. With a deep breath, he spoke.

"Well, you heard the bird! The time has come to truly showcase who the Kaguya are! This battle will signal the beginning of a new era of our clan, so fight your hardest like we always do!"

The anxious atmosphere that had been accumulated around the warehouse had been cut in half, the Kaguya clan members erupting in shouts and cheers. The door that'd been previously bolted shut burst open, the red-marked clan rushing out into the streets of Tanigakure.

Katsuo waited until the last of the clan left the warehouse before he began moving. His fellow Kaguya had already made a good amount of distance from the warehouse by the time he stepped out, the large crowd turning along the road that led to the central bridge.

Katsuo's hand touched the rough ground below, a web of seals forming underneath his fingertips. With an exertion of chakra, the web exploded in a puff of smoke, replaced by the towering figure of Senbi.

The pink-headed vulture stood to its tallest, his wings extended to cover all of the surrounding area. A fierce coo escaped from his beak before he finally turned towards the one who summoned him.

Pitch-black eyes locked onto Katsuo's green, unmoving for a few seconds. With a subtle nod, Senbi turned, allowing for Katsuo to climb atop his back. The outstretched wings beat at the air aggressively, sending the vulture the Kaguya into the air.

Katsuo could see the mass of his clan moving throughout the streets, the civilians hastily moving into the nearby buildings so as to not get crushed by the great stampede. As Senbi flew higher, Katsuo could see a similar mass of black hair on the opposite side of the village.

Both were heading straight towards the Tanataki compound, which was situated in the south of the western side of the village. Kimimaro's group would arrive first, Katsuo's group following a few minutes behind them.

Senbi's wings beat at the air even harsher as they neared their target. Katsuo still wasn't sure if his clan could defeat the Tanataki without his assistance, but he had a much more important task. If the Kawakage were to join the fight, their chance of winning would be cut significantly. It was Katsuo's job to make sure that didn't happen.

Since it was around noon, the Kawakage would most likely be in his office in the eastern tower placed on both sides of the central bridge. The building was made of brick and stone, reaching well into the sky.

Senbi descended until he was circling around the middle of the tower. Katsuo turned his focus towards the stone building, concentrating hard as his chakra began to form the jutsu he had in mind.

The movement made creating the jutsu harder, but after a few moments he felt the familiar drain of his chakra from his body. 'Doton: Doroku Gaishi!' A thick pillar of earth shot upward from the ground, crashing into the side of the building. The tower of brick and stone shook a bit, but remained strong, causing Katsuo to curse himself. 

"Pathetic." Senbi hissed, circling back towards the side that had been struck by the pillar. His wings came together between flaps, forming hand signs while simultaneously keeping the two of them in the air. 

With a deep breath, air vacuumed into Senbi's mouth, causing his torso to grow in size. HIs eyes locked on to what looked to be the most damaged area of the tower, flying in slightly closer to it. 

"Fūton: Shinkūgyoku." The words bellowed from Senbi's beak, followed by a flurry of swirling balls of wind. The rushing winds collided with the tower, knocking away the stone and brick it was made of with each pelt.

A large hole now fashioned the left side of the tower, which had begun to moan as a symbol of its pain. The tower swayed for a bit, attempting to adjust itself to the lack of structure on its side.

It didn't take long for the building to collapse, a cloud of debris and dirt kicked into the air as the tower caved in on itself. The dust kicked up clouded his vision, showcasing only the largest bits of debris within the wreckage.

With a slight pull of his hackle, Senbi began to descend further into the clouded area, complaining about Katsuo's lack of respect towards him. 

Once the vulture's talons touched the cluttered earth, Katsuo quickly dismounted him, moving slightly closer to the pile of debris before him. With solid ground to stand on, casting the jutsu was much easier than it was moments before.

'Doton: Doroku Gaishi'. Katsuo poured more chakra into the jutsu this time, the resulting pillar growing taller and thicker than it had before. Katsuo quickly moved towards the brown pillar, bringing his hands together along its surface.

''Moguragakure no Jutsu'. The ground below him began to sink. Katsuo worked to redirect the chakra-powered drill, maneuvering it towards the wall of earth in front of him. With a creak, the wall began to lean, causing Katsuo to quickly jump backwards.

A smaller, softer gale of wind struck the wall, changing its destination towards the pile of rubble rather than Katsuo himself—who turned back and silently thanked the pink-headed vulture.

The wall crashed into the pile, kicking up even more dust in the process. Katsuo covered his eyes with his arm, his hand shooting upwards toward his mouth. The wave of dust and debris washed over him before continuing its progress towards the space nearby.

Visibility had decreased even further, to the point where Katsuo could barely see in front of him. He wanted to call out to Senbi, but didn't want to take more of the dust into his lungs.

The sound of movement caused his head to snap to the side, meeting nothing but the dust-filled air from before. Another sound mirrored from the opposite direction, gaining the same reaction.

A blurred figure rushed at him, the glint from their kunai visible even through the suffocating dust. Katsuo positioned his forearm to meet the blade, twin pillars of bone erupting from his elbow joint.

The force that struck him was something he'd never felt before, even compared to the combined attacks of the Konoha genin he'd fought. His bones groaned as he dug his feet deeper into the ground below, desperate to not lose his footing.

Katsuo heard the attack before he saw it—or felt it. Seemingly at the same time their kunai made contact with his forearm, the figure spun, their extended leg burying itself into Katsuo's right side.

Katsuo could feel his feet rise from the ground, his mouth jolting open as he felt his rib crack under the force. The force would have sent him flying if his opponent would have let it. Their hand grasped tightly around his ankle, disregarding any previous momentum and slamming him into the ground on the opposite side.

Katsuo's mouth shot open once more, this time from having the air knocked out of his lungs. He felt himself rise into the air again, before being slammed harshly into the ground. Katsuo willed two spikes of bone to erupt from his ankle before he could be slammed a third time, causing his opponent to let go.

Katsuo turned in the air so that he landed on his feet, coughing harshly as his lungs were filled with the dirtied air. A dark-blue haired woman stared back at him, nursing the bleeding wound on her left hand. Katsuo fought back a gasp of surprise. This wasn't the Kawakage.

The scowl on her face was visible even through the thick dust, her teal eyes spewing nothing but hatred and rage. With just a step she rushed back in, spinning on her heels to deliver another kick to Katsuo's fractured rib.

A bone-encased arm met the kick, the force behind it still felt even behind its protections. Katsuo moved to dodge underneath the follow up attack, the woman's uninjured fist soaring just a few hairs above his head.

Katsuo's left arm raced towards the woman's midsection for a counter attack, just barely missing as she turned her body to avoid the blow. Spikes erupted from his wrist to make up the distance, but were met by the metal of her kunai.

The woman's knee raised in an attempt to strike his gut, causing Katsuo to roll to the side. His bone-encased forearm moved swiftly to block the overhead strike that followed, accompanied by great force that Katsuo still wasn't familiar with.

A spiked bone erupted from his left palm, racing towards the woman's chest and causing her to jump back. It wasn't a lot of space, but at least Katsuo wasn't constantly being pressured.

It was he who rushed in this time, the spiked knuckles of his right hand aiming towards the woman's head. She maneuvered her head to avoid the blow, but hadn't been as lucky with the follow up attack. 

Katsuo's left palm cut slightly into the woman's side, causing her to wince. The wince didn't stop her next move, though, as she chopped downward onto his extended arm.

If he didn't have the Shikotsumyaku, Katsuo was sure the strike would have easily broken his arm. Luckily, he had a Kekkei Genkai that mitigated the damages. Still, it hurt like hell.

Katsuo grit his teeth, spinning on his heels in an attempt to deliver a similar kick to the one the woman had delivered to him. The woman moved to guard against the attack, but the three spikes that formed along Katsuo's shin forced her to abandon it.

She was a bit late in her dodge, the spiked limb cutting into her left arm that had originally been positioned to block the blow. She jumped back once more, creating a bit of space between the two.

She clearly outmatched Katsuo in skill, probably a well experienced chunin or maybe even a jonin. Neither of the two had used a ninjutsu up until this point, showcasing that they both preferred taijutsu.

If the grounds were more even, Katsuo was sure he'd lose this battle. Thankfully, he'd been able to wound her twice with his usage of the Shikotsumyaku, practically disabling her entire left arm. He also had Senbi up his sleeve as well, wherever the giant bird had gone.

A slight grin formed on his face. Yes, he could win this.