Descent of the Dragon ~ A Naruto Fanfic (On Hold)

Chapter 10

^The mark on Kai's right hand

Third Person POV:

The Nine-Tail's chakra rampaged, affecting everyone on the bridge.

Kakashi and Zabuza paused as they felt the sinister chakra, but they quickly resumed fighting after pinpointing its source.

Sakura, Kai, and Shiro, who were guarding Tazuna, couldn't see how the battles were going thanks to Zabuza's thick curtain of mist. But they could still feel the fox's negative energy, pricking their skin as it washed over them.

Shiro looked toward the dome of mirrors. She'd felt this once before, the night Naruto fought Mizuki. Nine-Tail's energy. Did his seal break? 

Shiro turned Kai, looking for his opinion—only to widen her eyes as Kai pitched forward, groaning in agony.

She quickly supported him, wincing as their bodies touched. Kai's skin was hot enough to burn. It's already this bad...

"What's wrong with him?" Sakura reached over to help, but Shiro stopped her.

"Not sure." Shiro lied, glancing toward the end of the bridge. The Nine-Tail's energy was still rampaging. "But it probably has something to do with that. I have to get him away from here. You guard Tazuna."

Shiro jumped off the bridge without waiting for a reply, holding on to Kai tightly. As soon as they were out of sight Shiro released her chakra, trying to cool him down as she ran across the water. 

It seemed to help a bit, and Kai regained enough composure to open his eyes. "That big mangrove tree.....near the end of the bridge. Should be far enough."

"Don't talk." Shiro snapped at him. He didn't need to waste his energy stating the obvious. It may be worse this time, but they'd been through this before.

She dragged Kai to the place he'd specified, which was far enough away that he shouldn't be affected by the fox's energy. Then she dropped him on the island created by the mangrove's roots.

Kai's condition was clearly getting worse. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes had turned fiery red with vertical slits. Still, he managed a dry laugh. "It had to act up now of all times." He covered his face, scowling between his fingers. "I really hate that guy." 

The familiar voice was back, slithering into Kai's skull: Obey me. Return, and fulfill your purpose as my tool.

Shiro wrapped her arms around Kai, pulling him close. "Quit being stubborn. Let me help you."

Kai leaned forward, wrapping his own arms around Shiro as he moved toward her neck. Part of him wanted to apologize for what he was about to do, but that's only make Shiro mad. And Kai wasn't in any condition to refuse, no matter how much he disliked it. "Thanks, Shiro." 

Swallowing his pride, Kai opened his mouth—

And sunk his fangs into her neck.

~Descent of the Dragon~

Kai held Shiro gently as she slept, adjusting their position so they wouldn't fall in the water.

He wasn't surprised she'd lost consciousness. Having your blood and chakra drained tends to do that to a person. Not that Kai knew what it felt like personally. He'd never been on the receiving end.

Kai took off the glove on his right hand, revealing a curse mark on the back of his hand shaped like a dragon. I should be okay for a while. Kai only needed blood when the mark turned red, which normally took at least two weeks.

Though he didn't understand why it'd suddenly gone crazy. Must have something to do with Naruto. I'll have to look into this.

Kai stared at the mark a moment longer before slamming his fist into the ground. Damn that bastard! It's all his fault! Rage flowed from the cracks in his heart as Kai recalled the events that leading up to this curse. Just about all his problems could be traced back to that time, where a power-hungry bastard changed the lives of all his friends forever.

But it doesn't matter now. What's done is done. Kai took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Dwelling on stuff he couldn't change wasn't like him. The Nine-Tailed Fox's negative energy must still be affecting him.

Which led back to the current situation. 

Kai thought about what he should do next. On one hand, he wanted to rejoin the fight. But it wouldn't end well if his curse went out of control again. 

Then there was Shiro to consider. She'd be out of commission for a while thanks to him; he couldn't just leave her here unconscious.

Guess I'll have to wait for the fox's energy to disappear before I can go back. But I can't just sit here....Got it!

Kai crossed two fingers of each hand. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." His copy appeared in a puff of smoke, nodding to the original before rushing off.

Zabuza and Haku—likely Gato's strongest pawns—were busy fighting the others. That meant his HQ was up for grabs. All Gato cared about was money, so he should have some decent loot.

Kai had located Gato's base days ago, so it didn't take long for his clone to reach it. Let's see. I sense about 30 people inside, so...He cracked an evil grin, his arms turning black as they hardened like scales. This should only take 5 minutes.

He crashed through the roof, laughing like a madman as he stabbed two thugs with his claws.

Most of the nearby residents had gone to join Inari, so no one heard the anguished cries of the damned. But when they returned after Gato's defeat, the entire building had disappeared. There was just a gaping hole in the dock, like a bite had been taken out of it.