Fatal Addiction (Itachi Uchiha)

104 - Fighting Death for Life

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR
Fighting Death for Life
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"Hey, pipsqueak."

Kana opens her eyes and is greeted by a face that is all too familiar.

"Pervy Sage." she breathes his name. Kana hasn't seen Jiraiya since she witnessed his fight with the Six Paths of Pain and buried his body in the secret garden. Her sensei, the man she grew up with in place of a father, is now standing before her once more.

Kana's eyes wander for a moment and she realises that the secret garden is in fact, where the two of them stand.

Jiraiya smiles at Kana. "It's a little too soon for you to be here, don't you think?" his unforgettable voice reminds Kana of their precious time spent together, and manages to both break her heart and heal it at the same time.

"Why are we here?" she asks her former sensei. Her memories are scrambled and her body feels different.

Jiraiya raises his hand and gestures to her stomach. Kana looks down and realises there is a large wound through her body, and the memories come flooding back.

"Oh my God." she utters, having no other words to say. Her hand finds its way to her mouth, covering it in shock. "Raidon... is he okay?"

"You're a selfless woman, Kana. My precious son is fine, thanks to you." he replies. "But, Itachi." he pauses. "And Reika."

Kana's eyes fill with tears. "Itachi... Rei..."

"Itachi can't move. He hasn't, since you died. The Akatsuki have tried to pry him from your body, but he refuses. His eyes bleed and mix with the tears. His pain reaches your daughter... Reika's Sharingan activated as she cried the moment you passed on."

"I-"

"You can't be here, Kana. It's too soon. You are the key to ending this war. You can bring peace upon this damaged world, Kana... you must. Itachi, Rei, the Akatsuki, Naruto, Kakashi... they need you. The shinobi world needs you. You were created to save, or destroy this world. Kana, you know what you must do."

Kana stares at Jiraiya, "How do I go back?"

"You can't. You made a deal with the Shinigami. It is here for your soul."

A screeching sound sends Kana through waves of pain as a large creature descends from above. She covers her ears and looks up to see her Shinigami, the one that made the deal of death with her all those years ago.

'The Shinigami may be summoned upon whenever throughout the contract holders lifetime to extract any one human's soul. In exchange, the Shinigami retrieves the contract holder's soul upon death, and the contract holder becomes a Shinigami in their afterlife.',

Kana revises their contract. The Shinigami radiates negative, terrifying energy. It's wings flap intensely, sending loud sound waves through the atmosphere. The ground rumbles as the gigantic creature of death lands on the grass before them.

She now understands. Her soul has not crossed over into the afterlife because of her deal of death with the Shinigami. Jiraiya is here for support. It could be a figment of her powerful imagination, giving her will to fight, or it could be that Jiraiya reserved chakra in her system to appear before her in a deadly situation.

Either way, a dangerous foe has appeared... the only thing keeping Kana from her family.

"Pervy Sage, are you telling me that we get to fight alongside each other again?" Kana's hand twitches by her side in anticipation. An eerie smile spreads across her face as she curls her hand into a tight fist.

"Crazy woman." Jiraiya responds, taking a step forward to stand beside his former student. "I can only offer some assistance. This is your battle for life, Kana."

"Fighting death for life. What an interesting concept."

Jiraiya stares forward at the creature as he says, "Remember what you're fighting for. You're fighting to be with your family again. If you lose, it's all over."

Kana tilts her head to the side, looking at her sensei with eyes so clearly full of certainty and says, "Jiraiya, I don't lose."

Jiraiya smirks. "Kana... your confidence is respectable, but if I remember correctly, you've never won a fight against me, have you? You're quite familiar with losing, I believe." he mercilessly teases.

Kana's eye twitches. "I was young."

"And now you're...?"

"Still young, but stronger." she smiles between banter with Jiraiya. "We can rematch after this if you so desire, sensei. But, I doubt you will want to after you see what I can do now."

Kana slams her palms together. "Lightning Style: The Wrath of Rai."

This technique creates a hole in the clouds above, causing a loud disruption of thunder. A large bolt of lightning emerges from the parting in the sky above the Shinigami, electrocuting the being. With the accuracy of the technique, Kana is certain that the attack reached the God of death's body.

With concentrated eyes, Kana watches for the outcome. She knows that there is a possibility that she will have to attempt the use of every element before finding the Shinigami's weakness. Kana, already having received an injury to her stomach, knows that this fight is life or death. Her family, or hell.

"Kana Namikaze, I am here to harvest your soul. It is time for you to join us in the underworld as a Shinigami." its deep, demonic voice calls out to Kana. The being's large, skeletal hand reaches out, beckoning her to join.