Tsume Inuzuka POV
Sitting daintily on a silk cushion aboard the royal barge was pure
torture. Engaging with the simpering women around me felt like having my teeth pulled one by one. Even being the heir of the Inuzuka clan didn't prepare me for this, not that the clan ever gave importance to such things, other than the basics. Irritated, I turned to the little bird next to me, chattering about flower arrangements or whatever nonsense these women found thrilling. I bared my fangs, enjoying the way she flinched and quickly turned back to her little group with a nervous laugh.
That's better.
I kept one eye on the river, where hundreds of glowing lotus lanterns drifted peacefully on the dark water. I had to nod in appreciation; it was beautiful. The soft golden light reflected off the gentle current, turning the entire canal into something almost magical.
I kept my senses up, though. We all knew Suna would strike tonight. This was likely their only real window.
Not after the Daimyo killed his granddaughter's lover in front of her, almost branding her as a traitor, only to be spared by her mother's pleas for the attempted coup. It was impressive how quickly he had spirited away his own sister and how he had not batted an eye at his favorite granddaughter's wails after our shinobi had quietly captured him and handed him over with convincing proof.
Not so favorite now, is she...?
Snorting, I looked at the stupid girl sitting surrounded by some of the Ogawa clan's kunoichi disguised as noblewomen. The little clan that served the Daimyo wasn't half bad, an offshoot of the Hoshigaki from Kirigakure that had branched off during the Warring Clans Era. They carried a mild kekkei genkai that let them breathe underwater without looking like actual fish. Useful, I supposed.
There was no doubt in my mind that Suna would attack tonight. They had to, and the old battle-axe had chosen to wait and see. She wanted to let them try to unseal the demon first. I thought it was unnecessary. We could've just publicly slaughtered every Suna agent in the capital, pinned the whole mess on them, and been done with it.
But no... The Senju elder clearly had her reasons...
Who was I to question her?
I side-eyed the woman in question. Touka-sama sat perfectly still with her eyes closed beside the body double of the Daimyo, almost too still. I thought, looking at her more.
Still... I flexed my fingers, missing the fact that I couldn't run my hands through Kuromaru's fur as I had left him on the banks. Just then, I picked up the faint, rising howl of wind building high above us. My head snapped up. A roaring gale tore through the night sky, spiraling downward with vicious speed. It slammed into the barges directly behind ours with brutal force. The river instantly turned choppy, waves surging violently as several smaller barges pitched wildly, the women on them screaming as they were thrown off balance and into the roaring waters.
Before I could snarl out a warning, a figure blurred past me. I didn't hesitate and exploded towards the figure, kicking off the cushion in a burst of raw power, launching myself across the deck, and connected my foot squarely with the attacker's chest mid-leap with ferocity. The Suna shinobi flew backward off the barge with a strangled grunt, crashing into the churning river, getting control of his footing after almost falling in.
"Damn bitch..." He grunted.
I landed lightly on the railing, my fangs bared in a savage grin.
"Come on then!" I snarled, leaping down after him.
The moment my feet hit the water's surface, I was on him. Blurring, my claws extended, ripping across his throat in a spray of blood. The man barely had time to gasp before I twisted, driving my elbow into his face and sending him sinking beneath the waves.
More Suna shinobi were dropping from the rooftops now, war fans unfurling with deadly intent.I laughed, the sound making the nearest enemy flinch. I charged straight into the fray, my fellow comrades along with me, claws raking through flesh and cloth alike.
One shinobi tried to block with his fan; I shredded through the metal ribs like paper and tore into his shoulder. Another came at me from the side. I spun, kicking him hard enough to send him skipping across the water like a stone. All around me, my fellow Konoha shinobi had joined the fight. Blades and jutsu roared, and the once-peaceful river had become a battlefield.
My grin was feral at this point, as I shredded another kunoichi that tried to run, but then something in the air shifted, the hair on my arms stood up straight.
A cold wave rolled through the air. The river below suddenly lit up, the glowing script of the fūinjutsu flickering once before sinking beneath the surface. Every lantern on the water snuffed out at once. The entire city plunged into near-total darkness, lit only by the faint moonlight.
I froze mid-strike, claws still buried in my latest prey. Something rose from the river. A figure rose from the parted waters. It was feminine in shape, but horribly wrong: tall, elongated, distorted, as though reality itself was struggling to contain it. The entity flickered between solid and incorporeal, long wild hair drifting around its form like it was still suspended underwater. Up close, it had dark, corpse-like skin.
Her animal instincts screamed.
Run.
The urge hit her so hard her knees almost buckled. The feral part of her, the predator, the Inuzuka, howled at her to turn tail and flee.
It was humiliating. She was Tsume Inuzuka, heir to one of Konoha's strongest clans. and She didn't run from anything.
Humiliation turned to anger as I looked back at the royal barge. Touka Senju still sat there like a damn statue, completely unmoved, as if a literal demon hadn't just crawled out of the river in front of her.
Screw this.
Ripping control of my own body, I ran through hand seals quickly and yelled out her attack like a green genin,
"Katon: Endan!"
A large fire bullet tore through the air, separating me and the Entity. I grinned savagely as the flames engulfed it.
To do nothing.
My grin froze. A similar thing happened as it shrugged off another fire ninjutsu, The River Widow simply shrugged off the jutsu like it was nothing, the flames flickering out harmlessly against its distorted form.
Before I could curse, the creature raised one long, gangly arm. Thick black miasma began pouring from its fingertips, spreading across the river like poisonous fog.
Run.
My instincts screamed again, louder this time. I turned and sprinted back toward the barge. The moment I reached the deck, I heard the scream. I turned to see anyone touched by the miasma writhe in pain before dropping dead. Konoha, Suna, even a few of the Ogawa clan nins simply died without a single injury.
I froze, chest heaving heavily, as The entity slowly turned its hidden face toward us.
Then a massive waterfall jutsu crashed into it from the side, slamming the demon backward with surprising force. I caught a familiar scent on the wind.
Basara.
My brain quickly connected the dots, and I roared, "Suiton works on it!"
The creature shrieked in fury. The sound was inhuman that drilled into my skull. All around me, shinobi dropped to their knees, clutching their heads, and I nearly joined them, barely managing to stay upright.
The River Widow surged forward like a wrathful wraith, racing across the water straight toward us. I planted my feet beside Basara, who also swayed, holding his head next to me, who then clasped his hands, gathering a massive amount of chakra. I could feel the build-up prickling across my skin.
But before we could move, Touka Senju flashed in front of us in a blur.
A giant golden palm erupted into existence, slamming down onto the demon and driving it back into the river with a violent splash, where it struggled against the palm, trying to rise again. The battlefield went still for half a second as Touka-sama turned slowly to face us. No, at Basara.
My breath caught in my lungs as I saw her face covered in an intricate design. Senjutsu. A legendary power recorded in the annals of the clan's library.
Belatedly, I realized the Elder was staring at Basara, eyes wide, mouth slightly parted in pure shock and recognition.
Like she had just seen a ghost.