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Your Body Is a Template Chapter 17: Heavenly Bolt
To give credit to Zabuza, he reacted far faster than I had expected, as he got as far from me as he could, but even with his speed, he was caught off guard. It gave the sword enough time to get close as a bolt of lightning came rushing down to it.
Savoring the look of horror on his face before the bolt meets the sword before everything turns to white. I can’t see nor can I hear for a brief moment, and then it began to subside with my hearing coming back first.
The sound of the rain hitting the mountain as nothing but white clouds my vision before slowly fading away, and I am greeted with a smoldering glowing crater on the side of the mountain. Just as I question what happened to Zabuza I turned in time, seeing movement out of the corner of my eye.
The demon of the mist goes for a cut that would have taken my upper body off. I blocked it, and then with no time to dodge the follow-up kick, one arm was brought up, and I gritted my teeth, having the air driven out of me like a popped balloon. I flew further up the mountain with Zabuza not far behind me.
Several times he slammed his massive oversized blade into the mountainside trying to get me while I rolled along, barely evading each attack with desperation pushing me onwards.
Zabuza has seen better days himself. Half of his uniform was in charred tatters from his upper left torso going to his arm. The skin was red and burned in spots as it hung from his side while holding his sword in one hand with a bad burn mark on his cheek going down to his jaw line.
“Not so high and mighty now are you?” I said shakily, standing back up and stumbling for a moment before catching myself. Zabuza stood across from me, fuming in anger at me for having gotten the better of him.
Pulling out another sword from a scroll, ready to end this now. No more hesitating. If I am going to die here, then I am taking him with me. With the knowledge that the lighting is not just drawn to the highest thing but also chakra and possibly any other form of energy, then it has given me a way to beat him. Even if it comes at the cost of my own life.
“You bastard… Before, I was just going to kill you and claim the headband and my reward for earning it. But now… Now I am going to take my time with you.” He growled out, and I felt the bloodlust in the air, but it didn't bother me.
Not when I have accepted that I am going to die here. But I will take him with me. Whether through using the lightning or by cutting his head off and my life being the price for it.
Hearing what he just said and the image of the workers and guards being swept off the mountain in such a horrific way to die made me think of the one person Zabuza cared about. Had it not been for the people he killed in cold blood, I would have simply run away and not even attempted to fight him.
Not necessarily out of fear or trying to avoid a fight but because I had fond memories of his character. His reason for working for someone like Gato is his desire to dethrone the Mizukage and end the civil war, harming his village.
But after witnessing what I did, I cannot let him walk off into the sunset with a smile on his face. Not when so much innocent blood was on his hands and I was forced to watch it happen.
Before, I would never say what I am about to say now, but after all of this, he deserved no less. I would even go so far to say he deserved far worse than this.
“I could say the same thing about that kid of yours.” My tone had no emotion in it. It was like I had hit a mute button without knowing. All my rage was gone but somehow still present.
He perked up. “What kid?” He said with a hint of suspicion.
“Haku. The things I am going to do to that kid once I am through with you will become legendary to the people of the world. They will tell stories of it for generations.”
Zabuza froze, no abrupt movements save for his breathing. Then his eyes narrowed. He gave me the meanest look I have ever been given. I have seen anger, resentment, and even spite on people's faces openly expressed when I told them about themselves from my old world.
But the look Zabuza gave me is one of pure hatred, the likes of which I have never seen before nor believed to be possible to convey such levels of hatred in a mere look.
It was at that moment I learned how big the gap is between the two of us right now with how exhausted I am. One moment he was standing there with his sword over his shoulder in a loose stance, muscles coiled. Next thing anyone knew, I managed to bring my sword up just in time to block his strike. My massive blade remained mostly intact besides the edges breaking and cracking under the onslaught.
Much like what happened with the samurai and his two students, I had improved by leaps and bounds with the technique but not enough to be able to properly stop his sword from breaking my own, unlike before. Each strike threatened to cut through my blade but also shatter my arms and cleave me in two.
“How do you know about Haku?!” Zabuza didn’t ask so much as he demanded while pressing down on me. My legs shook from the pressure and power as if the blows were coming from an angry demigod and my arms strained like Atlas trying to hold the sky aloft.
“Does it matter?” I said back, glaring at the demon. “Especially to a bastard like you who so casually killed a bunch of people that most of them were not even threats. It’s only fair that you have someone or something you care about taken from you.” My retort even made me come up short from the vitriol in it.
The scary thing about it was I didn’t even know if I meant what I was saying or not.
Zabuza's eyes had an intensity to them as the pressure from him increased even more. I was getting pushed back even further before he redoubled his strength and, with one final push, sent me rolling across the wet and cold mountain. Drenched in water, cold and shivering from the wind howling above, my body felt like one giant bruise.
Looking up, I see the gleaming edge of his sword heading right for me, blocking it, but I get sent flying yet again. He does this several more times, batting me around in different directions, but it’s always going up. Almost like a cat playing with prey.
Having had enough, I turned, sending a wind scar up the mountain but aiming to carve deeper into the mountain, but this time the wind scar was wider. Idly noting that several bolts of lightning strike the top of the mountain instead of coming for me or Zabuza.
Zabuza aborted his attack, looking up in shock when the rock crumbled and cracked before a slice of it began sliding right down to us in a rush. I turned away from him and leapt up, running and jumping along the few stray pieces that managed to break away midair.
Leaping from each one before getting on the biggest chunk running along the length of it before leaping off and making it to the top of the mountain, but not before doing one last wind attack directed at Zabuza. He wasn’t far behind me weaving through the debris. The blast of wind shredded through the rock, but unlike the other times, it’s not grinding them to dust but instead spinning the debris around and carrying it along.
Zabuza's eyes widened dramatically before he went through several hand seals, but I lost sight of him amidst the rock slide going down the mountain and the oncoming wind… wind tunnel. Not the most accurate nor the best name, but it will do.
Landing on the top of the mountain and noting the years of being exposed to the elements had worn it down to be more level besides the lone black tower jutting out of it abruptly. It was made from some glassy, metallic-looking material looking like a thorn tree. Breathing in and out and feeling the pain and soreness of my body making its displeasure known to me.
Looking around, I see now why the lightning was drawn to the top of the mountain and not me and Zabuza as much as it should have been when our chakra flared up, drawing the lightning to us. Two water clones of the man glared at me as their hands were in the iconic jutsu hand sign sitting down cross-legged.
Leaping to the side to have a sword cleave through the rock where I had just been standing. The real Zabuza revealed himself with a graceful landing no different than a cat's. “You are insane.” He said while giving me a look like I was a venomous snake to be wary of.
Seeing the bruises along his arms and chest and his armor and clothes were shredded and torn in places with cuts along his body.
“That means nothing coming from you.” I responded icily, lashing out with a wind blade that one clone blocked while the other and Zabuza closed in on me. Igniting my chakra and making the blade in my hands grow more vibrant and brighter as Zabuza and his clone hesitated.
Grinning like a madman and tossing the blade at the two clones whose eyes turned into saucers when a bolt of lightning came down, it split in two, one fork going for the rod and the other right for the weapon, destroying it and the two clones.
Unlike last time, when Zabuza charged at me regardless of the lightning, a growl sounding more like a feral animal than a man left his lips. I skidded back from the force of his strike, feet digging into the stone as if it were clay. Closing the distance, he aimed for my arm, holding another sword, and tossed a kunai that pierced the scroll at my side, taking it with the knife sailing over the edge of the mountain taken with the howling wind.
Grimacing at losing the storage scroll that had my swords in it before steeling my resolve. The fear of death is gone, and now only the goal of making sure I take this number one headband with me to the grave and taking a monster along for the ride.
Placing both hands on the sword and falling into a stance, knees slightly bent as I remembered Kojirou’s method of fighting and his style. By no means a master and having preferred to avoid truly learning it since I did not wish to take lives.
But as many times as we have sparred, I have picked some stuff up. Like always going for the head!
As Zabuza's sword neared me, he stopped and aborted the strike, his sword moving off to the side, redirecting the momentum of the attack when my sword would have taken his head off with the thin beam of chakra coming out of it.
Pivoting, he aimed to bisect me, and unlike all the other times, I don’t dodge or block, merely meet the attack with one of my own going for his head again. Gritting his teeth, he is forced to back away again, but I kept the pressure up and moved to meet him as he blocked several sword strikes that would have been fatal.
About to spear his eye, he brought his sword down on me as we both glanced up and leapt back when a bolt of lightning aimed for my sword before it veered off to the tower.
“Aaaaagh! I have had enough of this!” Zabuza howled and charged at me, something forming around his body taking on the form of a demon, unlike before, where he would hesitate if it was a strike that would kill both of us.
His sword comes in, going for a thrust. As I have done several times already, I try to take his head again, but unlike the other times, just as it looks like my blade was going to finish the job, he tilted his head to one side, lowering it to avoid the swipe and shifting form of the chakra blade. His blade, on the other hand, came back with red on it, having managed to clip my side, making me grimace when it felt like it was on fire.
Not letting him pull the sword back in time, I run forward, sword raised, and thrust it forward as he takes one hand off the blade and catches the blade between his fingers with a drop of crimson liquid coming out with his hand now wrapped around the guard of the sword.
Staring at him in shock as the fire in me sputtered for a moment at what he had just done. A second later, with a growl, Zabuza, with one hand, lifted me into the air and tossed me over his shoulder.
Tumbling through the air end over end and landing on the ground as I fight through the hot, lancing pain across my back, making me grit my teeth. A series of steps in the rain-drenched ground behind me reminded me of who is still near me and wants my head.
Seeing Zabuza running at me out of the darkness with lightning in the background briefly showing that demonic head is something I would privately admit to myself is fucking terrifying.
His massive sword trailing behind him, occasionally making sparks along the rocks and ground with him dragging it. I fumble for my sword, trying to find it but incapable of taking my eyes off of the man.
No. A monster.
Just as his sword was lifted up and coming down like a guillotine, my hand brushed the handle of my sword, the sound of the blade scraping against the ground intermixed with the constant rain fall.
Quickly grabbing it and filling it with as much of my chakra as I could, making a gargantuan blade that looked just absurd. It was bigger than Clouds or Guts' iconic weapons. Unlike those weapons, this one just looked utterly stupid and unwieldy, but I don’t need it to look good or be useful for attacking. It just needed to keep me alive by acting as a shield.
Zabuza's sword came down, and it shattered the outer edge as soon as it made contact. Time slowed before my eyes.
More chakra.
It broke and chipped away against the massive slab of metal that wasn’t a normal blade as it got closer and closer to the center.
More.
Pumping as much as I could with sparks of lightning dancing amongst the clouds ominously. It kept breaking through my sword with it pressing closer and closer to me until the edge of the construct was pressed firmly against my chest.
To my horror it wasn’t stopping the entirety of the blade. The middle of his blade was lodged in my chakra blade, but the upper portion kept going as I forced myself to the side as the tip of it slammed down into the rock.
The same can't be said for my shoulder, as I grunted, feeling the burn of it cutting into it. A shallow wound but a distraction that almost got me killed as my control over my blade faltered and it dug in even deeper.
Pain erupts across it as blood seeps out onto the ground. Looking at Zabuza's snarling face, getting an idea on how to end this. His blade finally came to a stop, not going any further without any momentum. My breath was ragged, gulping down large quantities of air desperately.
His abnormal weapon was almost completely through the chakra blade. Trying to lift his blade, it only budged enough to leave my shoulder, making me grimace, but to his surprise, Zabuza faced a lot more resistance trying to get his sword back than he expected.
The chakra was embedded in it, sticking to it as my back and legs remained stuck to the mountain. It’s something I thought about before since if chakra on my body and clothes could stick to surfaces, then why not my sword?
“Ha ha ha.” I chuckled weakly, making his eyes narrow.
“You are a pain in the ass. You know that, right?”
"Well, I am about to be an even bigger pain…” I said, trailing off as it’s taking all of my effort and what’s left of my stamina and chakra as Zabuza looked at me, finally coming to his senses.
Realizing far too late what I intended to do as my chakra flared out even more, using up everything I had to spare. Every last drop was used and expelled out into everything, even the air itself.
Zabuza looked up in horror, seeing the bolt forming and ominously looking ready to come for both of us. Just like before with his two clones, part of it is drawn to the rod, but the rest comes right for our swords. Unlike before, the bolt that came for us is much bigger than the one going for the rod.
The next thing I know, I see a bright flash and a deafening boom before nothing. Only the faint feeling of my body falling and tumbling end over end in the air as it rushed past me before I saw the mountain with what was under it and several figures running up the mountain and pointing at me.
I can only smile and chuckle before the ground comes closer and closer and it all goes black before I hit.
…
Yugito checked over Kojirou’s injuries yet again, making sure there was not a wound they had missed. A cut above his shoulder and at his side around his ribs, numerous bruises with scrapes and some burns. The burns were not as bad as she had feared when they witnessed him falling from the mountain.
Glancing back up, seeing the mountain is no longer a mountain but a massive structure of unknown purpose similar to the many bridges and paths that their nation has tried to copy to the best of their ability.
Angular segments along the structure that rose high into the sky. The tower with numerous carvings and images engraved into the white stone is a stark contrast to the storm and oppressive darkness around it. To think something like that was hidden in plain sight…
Turning back to focus on Kojirou as Gakuto, the medic that Yugito and her squad had been sent with when word came to them of the attack on Gaman and Lord Yasu. When Yugito learned that Kojirou was with them, she had found herself pushing herself and the squad to get there much faster.
She owed him for saving her life and not having any hard feelings for her being such an idiot when they sparred against each other. That and learning that the Land of Waves had been so brazen to send so many of their forces, especially the Demon of the Hidden Mist of all people, into their country to kill a noble regardless if he was disgraced or not.
Gakuto towered over her as she and Kojirou were in his shadow, leaning down, his hands glowing a soft green. He checked Kojirou over, doing diagnostics to ensure no major internal injuries, a habit the man had learned when several patients had died from things that were overlooked or not noticed initially.
“To think this guy fought against Zabuza Momochi and survived a lightning bolt to boot. I don’t know if this guy has incredibly good or rotten luck.” He glanced over at the massive sword sticking out of the path they were on, standing ominously near Kojirou.
Yugito snorted at that before shaking her head. “How is he?”
Looking at her then back down to Kojirou as she brushed his dark lavender hair away from his unconscious face. “About as well as anyone after being beaten within an inch of his life. Numerous bruises, cuts, near chakra and ki exhaustion, along with a few burns. His breathing and heart rate are higher than normal but going down to normal levels as we speak. The most significant injury he has by this point is that cut on his shoulder. The one at his side looks worse than what it actually is.”
The shoulder in question he gestured at was wrapped in bandages to slow the bleeding. “The lightning did some damage, but nothing to cause worry for his heart. Do you think he did it on purpose?”
For most other people not in the know his question would have confused them on what he was referring to. But for Yugito, a native to the Land of Clouds she knew what he was speaking of. Anyone who has lived in this country especially within the mountains that they are to only use jutsu, chi, or ki in specific emergencies.
Using large amounts of any of them during storms causes the lightning to be more likely to strike them instead of the rods that are at the top of the mountains. It’s why the crews meant to maintain the mountains stay in barracks near the top but far enough below to be less likely to get struck.
“Probably. He is skilled, but considering how skilled Zabuza is described in the bingo book, I wouldn’t put it past Kojirou. Might have been pressed into a corner and couldn’t see a way out besides what we saw the aftermath of. Even if he is a samurai, that doesn’t always mean they will win against a Shinobi.”
Finished with his checkup on Kojirou, he peeled back the bandages on his shoulder and slowly healed the wound.
“No sign of Zabuza's body?” Yugito asked one of the men that made up the squad that came with her.
Leaping from the side of the mountain as the storm was finally lightening up on them all, after that climactic finish, they only partly witnessed it with the rain slowly going away. “No. The others are working with different crews on nearby mountains to scout down below in hopes of finding him. Nothing so far.”
“Damn…” Yugito said, hoping they would find the man. Guess it was too much to hope for him to die from that.
“Good thing we got here when we did; otherwise that ronin would be dead. Crazy bastard to stay and fight against that many people and the Demon of the Hidden Mist.” He said with a chuckle and shaking his head.
She gave a lopsided smile, looking down at his resting form. Despite how crazy what he did was, she respected it. Many times she had seen men and women talk a good talk, but not often did they back it up. Not that Kojirou bragged about anything, but her point remained.
“Once you are done treating him to an acceptable level, we will take him to his employer and head for the capital.” The squad leader said, walking over the edge into the chasm where the workers and guards of the lord had been swept down to die. The man looked indifferent, but she could see the tension in him.
He was angry. She didn’t blame him. The Land of Waves was stupid enough to get caught sending deniable assets into their country, near the heart of it no less.
Though it begs the question as to why they would send Zabuza of all people. He was a well known shinobi and an asset to the Village Hidden in the Mist. He is well known for his hidden mist jutsu and despite his appearance and using one of the seven swords he is rather adept at stealth.
Steps drew her and the others' attention, besides Gakuto, who was solely focused on healing what he could of Kojirou’s wounds. The sound of light rain hitting metal as the tinkling sound of the figure neared under the earthen roof formed from the path at a diagonal angle.
The brown colored armor with gold edges to it walked forward in a confident stride one hand on the their swords handle and the other taking off the helmet. A young man with black hair and fair skin looked at each of them with contempt before glancing down at Kojirou.
Yugito noted a hint of approval and maybe even respect.
“If there are any ronin from the Land of Waves left they have fled with their tails between their legs. We caught a few of the shinobi.” He said the last part with disdain as he looked down on Yugito and the others as she just gave him a neutral look while the others hid their contempt much better.
“If I were you women I would wipe that look off your face now before I knock it off for you…” He said, looking ready to draw his weapon.
Their squad leader stepped up shielding her between himself and the samurai leading the group sent by the Daimyo. Yugito had to bite her tongue knowing better than to insult a samurai backed by the Daimyo even if he is at the bottom of the ladder.
“She is upset like the rest of us at this happening in our country's borders. And an insult to all of us including the Daimyo himself.” Her squad leader was thinking fast on how to word it so the samurai doesn’t try to escalate and get Yugito to lash out.
He could get away with harming one of the others of the squad of shinobi but Yugito was a bigger military asset for the nation, so her mouthing off to him would only result in a slap on the wrist but if she does anything more than that then the punishment would be far more severe.
Samurai that serve under the Daimyo and his retainers had a much higher standing and pull within the nation than shinobi by virtue of them being frontline fighters and the bulk of their military.
The samurai simply stared at him for a long time. To the squad leader's credit, he met his gaze with no fear. “At least you understand where your loyalties lie even if you are shinobi.” He said evenly, seemingly satisfied with what he found.
“I do agree as much as it surprises me to find common ground with your sort,” He waved a hand dismissively towards them as Yugito hid her dislike of how casually he looked down on them, “But it is a great insult to our nation and the Daimyo for the audacity to send such a force into our country.”
Despite agreeing with the samurai even with the backhanded insults, his insults are just a stark reminder of how shinobi are viewed. Viewed with suspicion because of what their jobs entail but kept around for how useful they are.
As much as it may sting at the samurai of each nation, there have been battles and wars in the past won because of the shinobi sabotaging and assassinating enemy forces and key personnel that aided their respective nations enough to win.
Plus they have had shinobi in the past prove that despite samurai on average having a combative edge over them that they can still hold their own and even beat them. Of course, the latter are exceptions to the rules and not necessarily a breaking of them but it is possible.
Something Yugito had hoped to prove by beating Kojirou. But after briefly seeing what kind of person he is and how he was in fact the real number one headband she can say with no shame she fought and lost to him.
… So no one could hold it over her how she lost to a random ronin thinking he had a fake headband.
Shaking her head at the intrusive thoughts as Gakuto finished up healing his wounds. He still had some scrapes and bruises but the cuts on his shoulder and side are gone.
“He is healed. Can’t do anything about waking him up so for now we let him rest.” Gakuto said as he looked at the samurai. As much as it grated at them being ordered around by the samurai it is usually how joint operations like these are done.
Samurai tended to be more favored than your run of the mill shinobi unless they are a known and famous one like one of the Kage’s or one of the few among their own or other Hidden villages that managed to train up and become someone of note in the world.
“Good. I would like to thank the ronin for protecting one of our country's Lords regardless if he is disgraced or not and putting the Land of Waves forces in their place. Especially showing that Demon of The Mist what it means to fight against a true warrior!”
He turned away putting his helmet back on and despite the face plate muffling his voice they could still hear the relief in his voice. “Saved us all the trouble of dealing with even more complicated politics if one of the Court's monks had gotten involved.”
That was something they could all agree on. Or at least those who are even slightly aware of how messy politics in the Daimyos court can get. Monks that are tied to powerful noble families or even the Daimyo himself can complicate things.
Yugito remembers the stories she would hear when she was still a Genin on the cusp of reaching Chunin. Missions that were your normal standard D-rank and C-rank. Or they were until those that served under a monk or even the monk themselves got involved.
Complicating the mission is an understatement when they are trying to kill you for potentially outing them or those they serve without knowing it, and any all kinds of other issues like dealing with the fallout of killing them if your hand is forced.
Plenty of stories existed about promising young shinobi who had their careers forever ruined and tarnished for simply doing their jobs. Something she refused to ever let happen to her. And if it does… She makes the ones responsible suffer for taking away a future for herself and preventing her from soaring as high as she dreamed to.
Getting a stretcher out with two of their squad placing Kojirou on it before they got moving following the samurai who just rushed down the pathway that had been partially repaired if you can even call it that. Many samurai and shinobi remained behind guarding the newly discovered structure.
The group moved on as she stayed near Kojirou for his protection. Capable as he was, he is unconscious and had a headband that many are hunting him for.
“Hey Yugito.”
She looked out of the corner of her eye at her squad mate Jushiro who is running alongside her. “What do you think this guy did to get the headband?”
She herself had wondered about this when she learned that he was the number one. At least that's what she believes now. He had to be considering he held his own against the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Zabuza had managed to do something most shinobi couldn’t brag about… he managed to kill a few samurai. It had to be through trickery, but for a shinobi that still counts.
But doubts still remained in her mind if Kojirou truly is.
Sure there were reports of other number one headbands in other countries but most have been proven to be bandits, homeless ronin, or even peasants using them for various reasons.
But every now and then they would correct some reports as possibly being the real one when they learned of them fighting back. Those who can use any of the three energies but never fully confirmed if they were the genuine thing. That they could prove they are the real one by fighting against an opponent categorized as an S-rank threat and live would lend credence to that.
But the longer she thought about the whole thing surrounding the headbands, especially the number one, she wondered, how did the first number one get the headband? The others have to kill whoever is the current holder of the number two, but what did the number one do to get it?
Did they slaughter who knows how many people to be deemed worthy? Or maybe they were someone that was a powerful monster that could stand at the peak of the greatest who had ever lived in history to be deemed the headband?
She glanced over at Kojirou before looking back at Jushiro before giving her answer. “I don’t know.”
Her squad mate did a double take at her answer. “Really? You don’t think he may have a fake headband? Or he could be a ronin under a noble's employ?”
“That’s enough Jushiro. We will do as we are told to do and not look any further than what is necessary.”
Yugito could only smile at her squad mates grumbling about them being kept in the dark. Something she does agree with but also understands that knowing more is not always a good thing. Shaking her head she looked back at Kojirou as they headed to the rendezvous point.
