Chapter 180: 179. Red Night

MrProper

CRASH!

A violent skirmish of red transpired!

Suzu and Rei's fight with Kyō increased in it's intensity. The Chinoike leader had his eight-headed blood beast maintain a consistent barrages of attacks. Keeping seven of the heads on offense while he remained in the back, standing on top of the eighth

Rei responded in kind with the seven "Imugis" that split apart from the original, but ensured it didn't split again

He still didn't know how many times it could divide, and with the possibility his Shadow clone might require said ability with the one he sent with Tai, the risk was too great

His work with the young, medical Genin was just as important as the battle with Kyō

{Katon: Homuranagase1Fire Style: Blazing Meteors!}

BRRR! BRRR! BRRR!

Ordering the Imugi he stood on to elevate him higher, Rei sent forth droves of small fireballs from above, trying to knock his opponent off balance with numerous attacks at different angles

But Kyō simply let his Ninjutsu do all the work as the dragon heads swirled in formation, protecting him from harm

"Tsk!"

"HAHAHAHA! TRY HARDER BOY!"

"Already did, jackass" Rei glanced upwards, eying his partner descending from above

ZWSH!

"What?!"

"HAH!"

ZUZUZUZU!

Forming more chakra arms, a relentless barrage of giant, white, rapid-fire ethereal fists descended from above. With ample ferocity, the young girl repeatedly pummeled the fabrications acting in Kyō's defense!

"WOOOOAAAAAH!!!"

"Cheh! Uppity little bitch! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" Raising his hands, he kneaded vast amounts of chakra

Spending his energy to increase their restoration rate, attempting to push the girl back. Matching fists with blood, each one struggling to overcome the other as the force between them produced shockwaves

{Holy...she's just like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki}

With this new development, the mysterious, voiceless entity familiar to Rei offered its advice

[Think twice about charging in to attack. The expansion of force and chakra colliding between them is reaching its limit. One of them is gonna give...and soon]

"What are you getting at?"

[Truth be told, he's an opponent the current you can't defeat, regards of your recent improvements. And that's reigned true prior to him taking those strange pills. Now, even A might not be able to beat him]

"Huh?" {The hell is this thing saying?}

[Look at it objectively. The only reason you've lasted this long is due to him devoting 50% of his attention elsewhere, controlling that expanding blood pool. He was already a high Jonin-level shinobi, and now his chakra is comparable to a Tailed Beast]

Rei remained skeptical. Given what he knew about A, and what he's seen, he wholeheartedly believed the Raikage wouldn't lose. Predicting he might have some trouble with him...but never defeated

However, after some consideration, he realized A wasn't at full strength. Surmising whatever battles he had prior to his arrival on the field took its toll. The same could be said for everyone else after fighting here for over 24 hours. Even Yugito couldn't take on her full Tailed Beast form

And while his allies have been wearing themselves out, Kyō's power has only soared higher...

[The chakra HQ supplies isn't limitless. Even with support from the Network, there's no way Suzu can keep that up. She may be fighting like Kaguya, but she sure as hell isn't her]

"Then what do you suggest?"

[Once Tai and your clone finish their task, the Raikage will come here. If you haven't weakened Kyō enough by then, who knows what will happen. His mind is unstable because of the drugs, lean on that, and his power should fall]

"We're forcing him to use as much chakra from the LIFT as we can, but if you have something that can expedite it, feel free to share!"

[I don't, but you do. Good luck]

"Wait, Notitia! Haaaa...goddamn it" {Something that forces him to use up his chakra...remove his chakra...drain his...OH!!}

Rolling back his sleeve, Rei tapped the summoning seal on his red wristband

POOF!!! CLANG!

"These will do just fine. Time to put my new reflexes to work"

♦♦♦

Elsewhere...

"Nezumi Kedama2Mouse Hairball!"

BRRRR!!

Yugito moved through the field, blasting every fabrication the blood pool spawned with blasts of blue, mouse shaped fireballs

"It's done, you got it boys?!"

After destroying another one, she shouted back to the ones trailing behind her..

"Suiton: Kiri Seigyo no Jutsu3Water Style: Mist Control!"

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu4Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

VWOOOO! SPLOOSH!

Standing on his giant red serpent, Rei's Shadow Clone supported Tai, as the latter cautiously manipulated fumes of altered chlorine gas in order to avoid harming his allies

The clone spat out a geyser of water mimicking a dragon, mixing it with Tai's gas, the chemical reaction gave it a yellowish-green hue as it struck the "dragon head" in the midst of recovery. Its reconstitution was permanently neutralized thanks to their combined attack

Tai's plan worked, the blood pool shrunk with every red liquid entity taken down. Soon enough, the field would be cleared of Kyō's Ninjutsu

"Yu-nee! We're moving on to the next area!"

"Got it, there are only a few inmates left!"

Yugito dashed away, preparing to assist the Raikage in clearing out the remaining stragglers still trying to breach the village walls. Rei scanned the area, searching for the next location as he spotted Tomoe fighting

The Yotsuki Clan's first lady delivered volleys of her signature chakra-enhanced arrows, decapitating each blood dragon with impossible levels of force and power

With her around, progress increased exponentially 

{Her Chakra Flow is impressive as always. Forget retraining my Earth affinity, maybe I should just go with Wind, like her?}

"Rei...are you staring at my mom?"

"Alright, let's move. Tomoe needs me--er, us to help her"

"You didn't answer my question..."

"Let's go!"

"Don't brush me off!"

♦♦♦

Returning to the fight with Kyō

"RAAAAAAHH" Screaming from the top of her lungs, Suzu pushed herself to the limit!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Never-ending attacks! Suzu continued on in her campaign, still empowered by her new form. She and the Imugis kept the "blood hydra" preoccupied, giving Rei himself a chance to get in close to strike Kyō

In his hands...

CLANG!

"HAH!"

"Tsk! What the hell are those?! You think I'm a vampire or something?!"

"To be honest, a little bit!!"

...Black rods he constructed from studying the leftover Ōtsutsuki technology in Isshiki's, or rather, his lab. The very same stake-shaped weapons capable of draining chakra from their victims

The perfect tool Notitia hinted at to weaken Kyō, whose body is now filled to the brim with absurd performance enhancers

"Hmph!"

"Ugh...stop darting around...!" {This brat's even faster than the last time we fought!}

"Heh..." {Even better than I'd hoped!}

After his third "Body Purification", Rei's new central nervous system fired electric signals at impossible rates. His ability to react, memorize, deduce, process, and analyze information rivaled, if not surpassed that of modern Dōjutsu5Eye Techniquesusers

Using his new gift, the movements that were previously too fast to keep up with could now be avoided. Even with his insane chakra, Rei proved to be more than a match for Kyō in close quarters combat

{Right there!}

PIERCE!

"Urgh!" Kyō yelled in pain after Rei successfully manage to stab him

"That's one, how many more until you resemble a pincushion?"

{Ow...why does this hurt so much?! I couldn't have used up THAT much chakra ye--?! My blood pool...it's fading away!} "Y-You...were stalling...this whole time!"

"Tch! So much for keeping it a secret"

Though irritated Kyō managed to figure it out despite his current mental state, Rei didn't care. For his Shadow Clone had just vanished, and with that, all experience and information from it immediately transferred to him. He knew the rest had nearly completed their work, only the inmates remained

Tai and the eighth Imugi he rode on were already on their way back, and soon, reinforcements would follow. The battle's conclusion was here at last

"Since you figured that out, you should have enough brain cells to know you've failed. Give up!" 

"Hmph! LIKE HELL!" Kyō screamed after taking out a Kunai

BOOM!

"Uh?! What the--?!" Suzu was thrown off as the blood beings she fought suddenly blew up, turning into puddles

{Shit, that doesn't look like the face of someone ready to quit...!}

"I'll give up when I'm dead on the ground!"

The Imugis and Suzu rejoined Rei, ready for anything

SLICE!

Without warning, Kyō slit his wrists. The leftover red liquid from his Ninjutsu that just burst flowed into the open wounds

His body underwent convulsions, going back and forth from expanding and shrinking as the muscles under his skin shifted in all kinds of disturbing ways

"Since he can control his own cells, it shouldn't come to shock us if he change his form as well"

His figure had transformed completely, far more bulkier and toned

"Hehehe...Ketsueki Henge no Jutsu6Blood Transformation Technique"

{It's just as Notitia warned, now that he's no longer micromanaging his chakra elsewhere, he's become even more dangerous}

RUMBLE!

"HEY!"

In no time, Tai had returned with Rei's eighth Imugi, tearing the ground

"Tai? Did you do it?!" Suzu asked in anticipation

"Heh, it's all done, the blood pool is gone! Raikage-sama and the rest are cleaning up, he'll be here soon enou--WHOA! Holy shit, when did Kyō get so ripped?!"

"No time for an explanation, just assume his threat level has increased again!" Rei warned as he raised his hand

CRUNCH!

With this gesture, the eight Imugis reunified into one body, albeit keeping their individual heads separate. Resembling the hydra fabrication of blood Suzu fought earlier

"HISS!!"

And with deep breaths...

"Take cover!"

"Wait, what?! I just got here--OOF!" Suzu grabbed Tai before he could react

The summoned creature breathed fire from all eight of its heads...simultaneously! Enveloping Kyō in a sea of flames, the sheer scale of the attack was beyond Rei's current capabilities

However...

"E-E-Erggghh...! Is that the best you can do? A little heat?!"

"What a monster...he's still heading towards us. This is the worst day ever..."

"Not even close Tai!"

Standing in flames, his body undergoing a constant, repetitive process of healing. This factor didn't escape Rei's notice, as he could sense Kyō's chakra fluctuating every time he received a serious injury

{His chakra was already unstable, and he's burned through quite a bit of it. If I continue to push, it might leave an opening for...} "Yeah, that'll work!"

"What's that?!"

"Guys, light him up! Just like our Thunder combo!"

"In that case, I'm going all out! Here, take this antidote!" Tai said before tossing a vile

"Thanks--Uck! Uhack! Damn it Tai! That tastes awful!" Rei darted away

"Just be glad I had some on me!"

With unwavering trust in him, Rei's teammates nodded to each other before splitting up, prepping to unleash their respective Ninjutsu. Rei's "serpents" continued to slow down Kyō with a continuous stream of fire

WEAVE!

After reaching a safe distance, the speed of Tai and Suzu's hand movements when forming seals were the fastest they've ever been! Skittishly waiting for the precise moment to strike

Meanwhile, Kyō continued to push through the fire

"Cheh! Impressive. I've never seen Genin gifted as you three. But something of this level isn't enough. YOU WON'T STOP...!"

ZWSH! ZWSH!

When he could finally see something other than flames, the sight of Suzu and Tai in the air gave him an instinctual sense of dread

"...me?"

He didn't know what they were planning, he just knew he had to stop them. 

"Ninpō: Dokugiri7Ninja Art: Poison Mist!"

"Fūton: Daitoppa8Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

But it was already too late...

VWOOOSH!

Suzu gathered every ounce of chakra she had left in her body, compressing it in her stomach before breathing out. The power of the technique was amplified thanks to her new form, comparable to a small tempest!

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Tai didn't lag behind either. Taking advantage of his Medical Ninjutsu and fine knowledge of chemistry, he utilized his chakra to create a specialized chemical in his stomach that upon spitting out, immediately vaporized into a dark cloud once in contact with the air

The dual Ninjutsu's reaction with the fire...

"K-Kuh...!"

BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

...resulted in their biggest explosion yet! The thunderous, deafening, and vicious outburst of power ruptured the very surface of the Earth. The shockwaves were felt by everyone, even those beyond the village walls!

A fiery, poisonous blast so immense, many veteran shinobi would remain doubtful if they were told a trio of Genin caused it!

"A-Ahh. Y-Yeah...huff...wheeze! That's it. I'm done for the day...ugh!" Tai muttered his last words before passing out

Creating, rather than manipulating matter with chakra cost quite a toll. His reserves were never much compared to his teammates, but this act pushed him past the tipping point

ZUZUZU!

Suzu's white hair had returned to its original raven-black color. The white aura faded away from her body as the strange transformation she'd undergone had finally been undone

The last attack carried all that was left of her remaining chakra

"U-Ugh! Can't...!" Suzu struggled to stand, but to no avail

{Rei. Have to...help him! Get up!}

♦♦♦

At the center of the scorched blast site

GURGLE! CRUNCH!

"Urrrgghas...aaggghh...uuuughaahh!!"

Kyō's body had become grotesque in the process of recovering. A process that was now flawed due to the damage, drugs, and overall mental trauma suffered

"Saiseijutsu9Regeneration Techniques" were not only incredibly rare, but consumed a stupendous amount of power to function properly. With his reserves failing, his technique followed in kind

"A-A-Almost...hea...healed. Just have to--!"

"Nuh-uh. That sure as hell ain't happening" {Shunshin no Jutsu10Body Flicker Jutsu!}

CLANG!

With stakes in hand, Rei channeled what little remained of his chakra, pushing his speed to the limit. Stabbing the vulnerable man before him in several places with his specialized weapons

Kyō couldn't even counter as the fire and poison contributed in no small part to hindering his movements

{Great. These...er, you know what? I'll call them "Disruption rods", like the cubes I'm STILL trying to make. Yes, they're working quite well, but his regeneration is still ongoing...} "At this point Kyō, you really should quit while you're ahead"

"U-Ugh! You're a fool, thinking this could stop me. Bringing yourself in close...it's the biggest mistake of your life!"

THUMP!

Despite being impaled multiple times, Kyō stomped the ground, getting back on his feet! The sheer amount of chakra he still possessed allowed him to barely fight off the chakra-draining effects of Rei's weapons

"Wow, you really do look like a pincushion" Rei chuckled in mockery

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

"Nah, don't think so. The closer I am, the easier this is for me" Rei pointed his finger

"H-Huh?"

"Here goes the last of my chakra...!" {Magen: Kakuran11Demonic Illusion: Disturbance!}

"?!"

♦♦♦

WHOOSH!

"A-AH?! W-Where?!"

Without a moment's notice, Kyō found himself in a remote canyon. A valley of sorts, filled with a putrid smell. Oddly enough, his form returned to its original state, his clothes fresh, hair unburnt, and sanity intact

"Wait, this is the Land of Steam, and I'm in...!"

"Jigokudani12Valley of Hell, I believe?"

Sitting on elevated position was Rei, who also appeared strangely unmarked from their fight

"I see now...Genjutsu. You've got some sour taste, bringing me here"

"Right. This is where the Uchiha sent you after our Daimyō hired them. What an awful place"

"You say that, and yet you've gone to the trouble to replicate every bad aspect of it. The smell, taste, and touch...just to make me remember" {Just need a few more seconds to decipher this illusion}

The iron-enriched water flowing through the valley was red. Along with the unhealthy temperature, dangerous geography, and foul-smelling steam fog, this place was no different than a toxic wasteland

Completely unsuitable for living

"Oh no, I'm not doing this. You are. We're in your head Kyō, and its filled with nothing of this. Hatred for being forced to live in this shithole"

"Then allow me to alleviate you!" {Ketsuryūgan13Blood Dragon Eye!}

"..."

With a yell, Kyō's eyes turned as red as blood, but...

"U-Uh?"

"Something wrong? You're kinda young to be having performance issues"

...Nothing had changed, Rei simply sat where he was, nonchalant as he could be

{Why?! I've "seen" through this with my eyes. Things should be under my control!}

"Many make light of Genjutsu's potential, and I can't blame them. It's incredibly difficult to learn, requiring the finest levels of chakra control, and very tricky to apply in direct combat. But I know the truth..."

"W-What?"

Since the start of his journey, Rei has studied and compiled every aspect of chakra, jutsu, weapons, and knowledge he could find. All in efforts to discover the most potent power to acquire. And every time, he research brought him back to one person...Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

The supposed final antagonist of the "Story", her most powerful Jutsu was the infamous, Infinite Tsukuyomi. To those lacking a Rinnegan14Saṃsāra Eye, it's an unstoppable Genjutsu capable of putting the entire world under her control

Knowing this, along with other potent implementations of Inton15Yin/Shadow Styleundoubtedly headed his way in the near future, Rei devoted countless hours to strengthening his own skill in the field

"My Genjutsu is subtle, and elegant. It's the only one I use, and it's different every time I cast it. My colleague C taught me Genjutsu is always at its best when it's original"

"Excuse me? Are you saying a child like you managed to-"

"My illusion changes every second it's active. Altering and shifting depending on our minds. Look, we're already somewhere else"

"?!"

WHOOSH!

Without warning, the scene changed to a forest Rei had been to before. The very same area his team journeyed to during their rescue of Team Mabui several years ago

"Huh? I was never in this part of the woods. Which means this is one of yours...so I was right. You guys were involved in that incident...exactly how long have you been planning this attack?"

"This...this can't be happening. I should have control over...all of this! My eyes should--!"

"True, I've found Dōjutsu to be incredibly unfair considering you can literally see chakra. Your eyes make it easier to decode it, and that was a real pickle to get over. But all problems have solutions, and this is mine. Though it wasn't usable until you sent me to the hospital"

"A...a consistent evolving Genjutsu...impossible"

The changes of the Genjutsu's structure were ridiculously fast. By the time Kyō's eyes had decrypted the inner workings of it, the illusion would change again

And though his unique eyes could "see" it happening, didn't mean he could knead chakra fast enough to stop it in time, the change was too quick

"It's still imperfect, a couple of kinks in need of fixing, but I think it's pretty cool. What about you?"

Rei's senses and new nervous system gave him the means of reacting to even the smallest changes in chakra. At speeds beyond that of the eyes. His sensitivity to chakra was greater than ever!

Combined with his abnormal skill in the manipulation of chakra, his Ōtsutsuki side playing a large role in this, granted him inhuman levels skill in Genjutsu! His years of research that'd truly paid off

Whenever he detected his illusion at risk of being taken over or broken, he changed its overall structure. This act would force the opposition to start all over again.

To knead chakra so fast and complex...Kyō knew to be impossible, for no human mind could be capable of such a thing. Unfortunately for him, Rei's body and mind...were completely out of the norm

WHOOSH!!

The scene changed again, they were now just outside of Kumogakure

"Ah. This must be right before you attacked. Or perhaps, a scouting mission?"

"No...no no no no. This isn't--!"

"It is Kyō. Your forces have been defeated, and now you're under my control" {Have to make him give up. The weaker his will, the easier it is to read his thoughts. Still have to find out who orchestrated this}

Rei could tell Kyō's brain had suffered serious damage, concluding it stemmed from the pills he took. It was only a matter of time before he became a vegetable. The longer this took, the more likely whatever information he held would be lost

Even at this moment, his mind was deteriorating...

"This...this isn't right! This isn't fair! YOU! ALL OF KUMOGAKURE! IT SHOULD BE YOU WHO SUFFERS! YOU ALL HAVE--!"

"And what do you base that on?"

"?!"

"Yes, your ancestors were wronged. But not by me, or anyone else of my village. The long dead Daimyō's wife was the one responsible for your unfair banishment thanks to her jealousy of your ancestor, his second wife. Truly, polygamy is a mess, but the Daimyō's first wife payed for her crimes when the truth was revealed, along with her whole family. Our current Daimyō isn't blood related to any of them!"

"Ugh!"

"And that was the Daimyō, Kumo wasn't a concept then, and even if it was, we'd STILL have nothing to do with it. They hired the Uchiha Clan of the Leaf to banish you. And said ones involved are long dead. This all happened during the Warring States Period, nearly a century ago"

"You don't know shit. You don't know shit!!"

"During your entire time in that hellhole, did your family not stop to think about fleeing elsewhere? The opportunity must've come as time passed and you were forgotten"

"That's not...we were-!"

"Many villages would've been thrilled to take in a clan with a Kekkei Genkai16Bloodline Limit, regardless of rumors surrounding them. Or even better, you could've started anew. Why didn't you?"

"We couldn't just get up and...!"

The scene around them continued to change, but now the images were incomprehensible. An assembly of Kyō's broken, declining memories, now hurdled into one

Rei knew Kyō's mind was almost gone, but could feel his defenses weakening. A little more, and he'd be able to extract the information he sought

"You kill our people, who've done you no wrong, and then claim you're the victims? I mean seriously, turning innocent people into f**king bombs? That's pretty twisted"

"They're not innocent! None of you are innocent!"

"Haaaa...you haven't heard a single word I've said. A gathering of fools is what you are, blinded by hatred, and too stupid to even think for yourselves. Like rabid beasts"

"F**K YOU!

"Which is fitting, considering you ended up fighting each other to death, literally endangering yourselves to near extinction. Maybe that's why you never left, because deep down, you all know the truth..."

"DON'T YOU SAY IT!!!"

"That the only thing you are..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

"Is a pack of violent...murderous...stupid...bloody-eyed..."

"RRRRGGGGGG! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!"

"Animals..."

"AAARRRGHGHGHGHG!!!!!!"

CRACK!

{Now!}

The flashing images of memories around them began to break like glass. The deterioration of the LIFT had increased in its spread. His mind was falling apart

But Rei succeeded in breaking Kyō's will, now speedily taking whatever information he could with him 

"GO TO HELLLLL!!!!!!"

{He's going with the nuclear option?!} "Shit...without a mind to control...the illusion will--!"

♦♦♦

THUD!

"GAH!" Rei fell to his knees upon jumping out of Kyō's dying mind

Much to his shock, the one in question had begun the process of turning himself into an "Exploding Human"!

{I can feel his massive chakra swelling in one location, this'll be different from anything we've ever encountered...!}

"W-W-We're...notttttt...an-an-an...imals. We...ar-ar-are...HU...MANS!!!"

His eyes bled profusely, the process of his body swelling was about to begin, as the energy within him had almost reached its peak!

"URRGGH!"

"Tai always did say my mouth was going to be the death of me. Fortunately, I never listen to him...and plan ahead"

TING!

{This chakra is...heh! They're right on cue}

"Yoooou d-d-die...NOW!!"

"Hmmm...I don't wanna"

"?!"

ZWSH! ZWSH!

Just as his anger grew at Rei's uncaring dismissal of his threats, the appearance of two muscular arms came into view

"Goodbye Kyō"

Yes. Two arms.

The last thing Kyō of the Chinoike clan had laid eyes upon...

CRUNCH!

"DOUBLE LARIAT!!"

...was the Raikage and his brother, Killer B...closelining him!

Their arms moved in opposite directions as they performed their signature tag-team technique. Moving at ridiculous speeds, the brothers created a "scissoring effect", causing Kyō's head to fly from his body

THUD! 

His body fell to ground, no longer in the midst of detonating. All the chakra he possessed had vanished without a trace. Whether a result of the LIFT, or his untimely demise...none could say

But they did know this Siege which lasted for almost two nights, with Kyō's death, had finally come to end

Rei successfully protected his, as he'd put it, "investment". Kumogakure had emerged victorious

"I told you to quit while you're ahea-aaahhhh. Yeah, that joke is in terrible taste"

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