Suiren’s presence on the battlefield sent ripples far beyond her actual location. Unlike Kaoru, Maki imdiately recognized what was happening. The distortion in space, the overwhelming aura, and even the sound of water transforming into chakra - it all reminded her of that dreadful day when her father had died. Her heart tightened as the realization sank in.
‘Grandma has done it. She’s sacrificing herself…’ Maki had known Suiren’s plan, but she had still hoped it wouldn’t co to this. Even with her newfound powers, Maki wasn’t confident she could take on Yagura alone. Deep down, she knew this was the only way Takimura could survive. But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.
‘I need to finish this fight as soon as possible,’ Maki thought, her resolve hardening. She had to get to Suiren in case her grandmother needed help - no longer would she hold back. The air around her distorted as her chakra coat intensified, becoming more violent and overwhelming.
‘She still had more power?’ Fuguki’s eyes widened in disbelief. The technique his subordinate had unleashed just monts ago had been rendered useless when Suiren’s aura briefly distorted space. Even a fraction of a second was enough to shatter the illusion. Now, Maki’s chakra surged, and she disappeared in a flash.
Fuguki barely had ti to react. Maki reappeared right in front of him, Sahada slicing through the air. He raised his own blade to block, but he was no match for her speed or strength. The impact sent him flying, his weapon clattering to the ground. But Maki didn’t pursue him. Instead, she flickered toward his subordinate Oinin.
‘Lord Fuguki is no match for her. I shouldn’t have co,’ Oinin thought as the terror and regret overwheld her. This was as far as her loyalty to Fuguki would take her... She was a spy and an assassin, not a fighter. In open combat, she stood no chance against Maki, who was on a completely different level. Maki felt no hatred toward the girl, so she ended it quickly. Sahada flashed and Oinin’s head fell to the ground.
Now, Fuguki was alone. There was no one left to help him.
“Girl, I’m serious,” Fuguki pleaded, his tone and deanor completely changed. Gone was the arrogance and mockery. Now, he was desperate. “I’ll tell you your father’s last words if you let live.”
Maki approached him, her expression was cold and… one of disgust. Fuguki took her lack of imdiate action as a sign of hope and continued.
“Do you really think the Mizukage didn’t know the evidence was forged? It was his orders!” he yelled, his voice trembling. “I had no choice! If I hadn’t done what he ordered, I’d be dead too. Please, let go. Your father wouldn’t have wanted this.”
Maki’s face twisted with anger at his words.
“Don’t you dare tell what my father would have wanted,” she snarled. In an instant, she leaped forward, her fist slamming into Fuguki’s face. The force shattered his shark-like teeth and sent him crashing into a tree. Fuguki groaned, blood pouring from his mouth, but he managed to pull himself up, his eyes filled with desperation.
“Please,” he begged, tears streaming down his face. “Let go. I swear I’ll tell you your father’s last words if you do.”
Maki’s expression turned cold as she suppressed her earlier outburst. “Speak,” she ordered, her voice cold and sharp like ice.
Fuguki coughed up blood and used his sleeve to clean his mouth which was a mangled ss, but he didn’t care. Survival was all that mattered now.
“It was the Mizukage who killed your father,” he began with a shaky voice. “Masaru’s last words were directed to Mizukage. He said: ‘You’re being controlled.’”
Fuguki finished, his eyes darting to Maki’s face, searching for her reaction.
‘Is he telling the truth? But if he’s lying, why would he co up with such an idiotic lie?’ Maki’s mind raced as she tried to analyze what her father’s last words could have ant. Before she could delve deeper, she felt a faint presence from the ground - a brief, almost imperceptible flicker of aura. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
‘Did I imagine it?’ She couldn’t sense it anymore, nor could she pinpoint its location. The fleeting sensation left her uneasy, but she had no ti to dwell on it.
“So? Will you let leave?” Fuguki pleaded again, his voice trembling as he reminded Maki that he was still waiting for her decision.
“Why would I?” Maki asked, tilting her head as if genuinely confused by the absurdity of his question.
Fuguki’s heart sank. He had tried to appear pitiful, hoping to earn her sympathy, but it was clear now that Maki wasn’t the rciful type. If she wasn’t going to let him go, he would not die without even putting up a fight.
“You bast…” he began, his voice rising in anger as he tried to stand up, but Maki’s fist cut him off mid-sentence. The first punch landed squarely on his face, followed by another, and then another.
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Maki didn’t stop.
She kept pumling him, her fists a blur of motion, until his jaw was too shattered to move. Only then did she finally stop.
Without a word, without even a flicker of emotion, she buried Sahada in his chest. Fuguki’s body went limp, his lifeless eyes staring blankly at the sky.
‘This doesn’t feel as satisfying as I expected,’ Maki thought, her gaze lingering on Fuguki’s corpse for a mont before she turned away. Her attention shifted to the distant clash of auras - Suiren’s overwhelming presence now intertwined with another monstrous chakra.
‘I need to hurry.’ Without hesitation, Maki flickered, disappearing in a flash of speed as she raced toward the heart of the battle.
It didn’t take Maki long to reach the battlefield where Suiren was fighting Yagura. When she arrived, Yagura was already launching an attack at the defenseless Suiren. But Maki was fast, extrely fast. She closed the distance in an instant, intercepting the Mizukage’s strike and severing his extended chakra arm. Sahada nearly shivered with delight, savoring the rich and potent chakra it had just consud.
Maki glanced at Suiren, who was barely standing. Her eyes were almost fully crimson now, and her face was unnaturally pale. The contrast between her pale skin and red eyes was stark, a haunting reminder of the toll unsealed Suijingan was taking on her body.
“Grandma, are you alright?” Maki asked through gritted teeth, though she already knew the answer. Suiren was far from alright, she was on her last legs.
“Don’t worry, I can still fight,” Suiren replied, her voice weak but determined. The head of the Taki clan couldn’t go down like this. She wanted to leave a greater impact, even if she knew Maki could now hold her own against Yagura, especially after he had lost an arm to Suijingan.
Maki’s eyes flicked to Yagura’s arm. His body was covered in a thick chakra cloak, but the arm was dry and lifeless, like a piece of dead wood. The sight sent a chill through her, but she didn’t feel pity or sympathy.
Yagura, anwhile, was assessing his new opponent. He could sense the aura radiating from Maki, and it was clear she wasn’t just another jonin.
‘The Taki clan has an S-rank kunoichi?’ he thought, narrowing his eyes. Suiren’s strength had co from sacrificing her life to wield imnse chakra, but Maki was different. She was a powerhouse in her own right, her strength innate and undeniable.
‘In my current condition, I won’t be able to kill her unless I transform,’ Yagura realized. ‘But what if I can’t kill her even after I transform?’
As a perfect Jinchuriki, he could unleash the Three-Tails sealed within him, but the transformation ca at a cost. While the beast wouldn’t harm his body, the strain would leave him defenseless afterward. It was a risky move, and one he wasn’t sure he could afford.
Before he could decide, Maki flickered into action, appearing in front of him with Sahada already in motion. Yagura raised his remaining arm to block, but the blade sliced through his chakra cloak, biting into his flesh and draining even more of his chakra. Sahada humd with satisfaction, it was enjoying the tasty al Maki was serving.
Yagura gritted his teeth, his frustration increasing.
‘This damn blade will make the difference in our chakra irrelevant,’ he thought. He didn’t know if Maki could use the chakra Sahada absorbed, but he could sense that her own reserves were formidable. Worse, the longer the fight dragged on, the more of his chakra would be devoured by the blade.
Yagura countered, attacking her with one of his chakra tails. While Maki was faster, the Mizukage’s raw strength was overwhelming. For the first ti since her spars with Tsunade, Maki felt the sheer force of soone else’s power overwhelming her.
‘I can’t match his strength. I need to rely on speed,’ she thought, as she analyzed her opponent. She began flickering across the battlefield, appearing in different spots and striking with Sahada each ti. The blade bit into Yagura’s chakra cloak, dealing damage and absorbing his chakra simultaneously. Sahada humd with satisfaction, its hunger seemingly endless.
Yagura, however, was furious. He hated that Maki was dictating the pace of the battle.
‘I need to force her to fight on my terms,’ he thought. But his speed was no match for hers, and if he couldn’t land a hit, he was powerless. Then it hit him, there was another way. He didn’t need to target Maki directly. He could attack soone else and force her to co to him.
With a roar, Yagura charged toward Suiren, who was barely standing, her strength nearly spent. Her only concern now was staying conscious which was no small challenge as the pain was becoming unbearable, however, she was determined to hold on as long as she could.
“Grandma!” Maki scread, flickering to intercept Yagura. She knew it was a trap, that Yagura had a plan, but she couldn’t stand by and watch her grandmother die. Suiren, however, wasn’t going to let Yagura use her as bait. Summoning the last remnants of her strength, she channeled everything she had into Suijingan. Her eyes glowed crimson once more and Yagura’s movents slowed.
‘Now she’s targeting my left foot,’ Yagura realized, glancing at Suiren, who was visibly struggling to stay conscious. The pain was unbearable but even without that she knew she couldn’t deal the sa devastating damage as before. Her goal was simpler now, slow Yagura down and buy ti for Maki. But even with her efforts, Yagura was only slightly hindered. He reached Suiren first as Maki was just a fraction of a second too late.
However, there was another person on the battlefield. Using his last remaining chakra, Shin appeared in a flash, his twin blades crossed in an X-shape to block Yagura’s attack more effectively. The impact sent Shin flying, his ribs cracking under the force of the blow. Even a master jonin like him was no match for Yagura’s single attack.
‘Lady Suiren and Maki are able to fight this monster…’ Shin thought, a self-deprecating smile crossing his face before he crashed into the trees, losing consciousness.
Yagura wasn’t done yet. Three chakra tails extended toward Suiren, but Sahada slashed through them in a blur. The brief delay Shin had bought was enough for Maki to position herself between Mizukage and Suiren.
‘Alright, let’s give it a try,’ Yagura thought, launching another attack with his tails. This ti, the strikes ca from multiple angles, forcing Maki to make a split-second decision.
‘I can’t block all three in ti to protect Grandma,’ Maki realized. She had no choice but to grab Suiren and retreat. But as she leaped back, she sensed an insane amount of chakra gathering where Yagura stood.
‘A Tailed Beast Bomb?’
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