guardian of the storm | ✓

Chapter Forty-Three ~ Resonance

~Chapter Forty-Three~

Ja'far couldn't tell who was more terrifying; the scythe-wielding Winter, the Nine-tails cloaked Naruto, or the Susanoo wrapped Sasuke. Each was a legend in the making, their shadows sure to be cast over generations of shinobi to come. In a way, he felt privileged to know Winter, simply because he knew she was going to have an impact on this world. He also felt a sense of pride as he watched her prepare to beat Obito Uchiha up.

Meanwhile, Winter was pissed.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever been this angry, the rage boiling underneath her skin and curling around her like an invisible cloak. Her vision was tinted red, the deaths of so many weighing on her mind. And gods, Neji. She'd been so caught up in making a dramatic entrance and using the element of surprise to her advantage, she hadn't noticed her childhood rivals absence. Well, until she saw Gai's team missing one of their most crucial links.

While the two had never been extremely close, there was a bond of mutual respect forged between them. And she had always known, deep down, that he would have her back if they ever got in a life and death situation. It was rare for her to find it within herself to trust someone that much.

She was furious at Obito for taking the life of someone who was just learning how to truly live, she was pissed at Madara for starting this war, but most of all, she was pissed at herself for not coming sooner to lessen casualties.

White lighting outlined in red rained down on Obito, each strike strong and unrelenting. With the help of the lighting racing through her veins, Winter arrives at Obito first, and it is only then that Obito begins to grow a bit unnerved. He had been shaken by Naruto's power, and also Sasuke's power, but he hadn't been expecting this.

Winter's face was smooth, calm almost. Her face wasn't contorted into a look of pure anger like he expect, nor was there really any other emotion on there. But then he looked into her eyes.

Darkness, complete and utter darkness. Those once vibrant, turquoise eyes, had been overthrown by a chaotic mess of never ending clouds that were filled with lighting. The storm concealed within her eyes was one that was made to ravage the earth, shake the skies, and drag gods from their mighty thrones. It was a storm made to devour.

Obito grinned.

And then he struck.

***

War was ugly. It was brutal, savage, and bloody. It was a never ending cycle of motivation, wounds, and death. But the constant factor that always loomed overhead was grief. War was never waged without grief.

War was won by strategies, taking risks, making sacrifices, and exploiting enemy weaknesses.

Arcs of black chakra raced through the sky, but they didn't hit Winter. They didn't hit Naruto or Sasuke or Killer Bee another prominent figure on the battlefield. No, this attack wasn't made for the people standing right in front of the Ten Tails Jinjuriki. This attack was made for the people that mattered the most to these people, for everyone knows that once you break a soldier's spirit, it doesn't take long to kill him.

Kishi wielded his sword, using it to block against the attack against his sister and him, his teeth gritting as he's pushed back several feet.

Ja'far had never considered his Kekkei Genkai anything more than an abnormality. Instead of the mist attacking like it was supposed to, it always defended him. It refused to go on the offense, instead of sticking to the defense. Never before had he been so grateful for this abnormality as the chakra struck him and his defensive mist protected him. Without a second thought, he cast his ability onto the two standing next to him as well, shielding Emiko and Daiki from the comets of death.

He then ran. He sprinted across the harsh terrain, straining his mist to reach Eien in time. He knew more than anyone what his death would do to Winter. So focused on reaching the black haired male, Ja'far forgot about the two other members of the Originals, the two that were least likely to survive an attack like this.

It was like a phantom pain had punched through each Original's heart, a blinding pain that dug deep into their souls and tore at them mercilessly. Their hearts shuddered, their minds went blank, and it was like a small part of them had died.

It was Emiko that saw Aexstra first. The chakra had blasted clean through his chest, a hole left behind that could be seen through. The teal haired male had pushed Sairen out of the way, taking the brute force of the attacks. Sairen was staring at him as he looked at her, a weak smile on his lips. He teetered forward, collapsing to the ground, his last breath rushing out of him. His blank eyes stared at nothing, blood pooling around his stilling body.

Aexstra was dead.

Sairen felt her knees give out from underneath her, her eyes wide as tears slipped down her cheeks, her scales leaching of color. She didn't know when she started screaming or even if the guttural, horrific sound that rose out of her throat was even human. She didn't notice when her purple scales turned gray, or when the jewels on her forehead became black. She didn't care that needle sharp teeth had replaced her old ones, or that her hair was darkening.

His blood was splattered over her face, over her hands, over her arms. She couldn't get the image of Aexstra's stunned face as the chakra tore through him, leaving behind a gaping hole where flesh and bone were supposed to be.

And so Sairen fell, her pain rippling through the air as her screams tore from her throat and cleaved the air in two.

That moment, even the dead felt her agony. 

lol did you actually think that all of the Originals would make it through the war? that's cute.

I was super sick today so I wrote this instead of going school. It took me forever because I kept on falling asleep...

Anyways, seeing how I don't have as much time to update anymore I decided to make a list of Naruto fanfics that I personally have enjoyed, or ones that I see a lot of potential in, to give you something to read while waiting for updates.

Rewind The Clock - @Amaterasu_R0se

Stumble  [rewrite] & Akatsuki Babysitters? [rewrite] - writer168

Red Mist - MidnightPilots

No One Stands Alone - Infinitely_Eternal

Glass - @ShadyThumper

To Be A Ninja - sunshower-

Kids In The Dark - @tweNtyonEpiLots6

The Frailty of Genius - @Insomniac_Lullabies

Weeping Samurai & Demon of the Shadow - @violinfreakk

Until next time.