“I-I *Ack* beg you… *Gagh* …Pl-Please have mercy…” Choking, the beaten and battered Yomi begs for his life; his bruised and bloodied face has puffed up to the point that it has become completely unrecognizable.
At the entrance of the dungeon, Jin holds up Moryo’s loyal second-in-command by his neck, slowly tightening his grip on the dark medical ninja while Rito and the resistance members finish off the remainder of the sentries guarding the dungeon entrance; the red-haired rogue feels his anger rising upon hearing Yomi’s pathetic pleas.
“How can you beg for your life when you and your over-bloated master threw the world into chaos?!” The grimacing Jin growls venomously. “How many people begged you for mercy before you butchered them?! HOW MANY?!”
“W-Wait, I was just… *Guah* following o-orders… I swear it…!” The struggling Yomi continues to plead for his life with beads of sweat running down his terrified face, he speaks clearly despite missing a few teeth. “Y-You believe in… *cough* mercy, d-don’t you?”
Infusing chakra, the rogue ninja simply glares with an ice-cold fire in his eyes. “Burn.”
Focusing chakra into the Rinnegan he took from the late Sasuke Uchiha, Jin activates the Amaterasu. Black flames suddenly appear out of nowhere on the panicking Yomi’s head and quickly spread to his torso with Jin callously tossing him aside like garbage, leaving the medical ninja to his fate.
“Aagh… AAAAGHH… AAIEEEEE…!!!” Yomi thrashes around wildly, releasing a blood curdling scream as the flames eat away at him.
Feeling nothing, but a cold disdain for his enemy, Jin watches as the writhing medical ninja burns to affirm that his foe truly is dead and gone; his wails of agony don’t last for very long.
“If THIS is where Moryo keeps the women with kekkei genkai… Why is there only a token force guarding the place?” The red-haired rogue asks, keeping an eye on the fire.
“The bulk of Moryo’s armies are currently at war with Kara…” Hokuto explains with a matter-of-fact tone. “The resistance is using this time to regroup and deal a decisive blow when they least… expect… it…”
The star kunoichi trails off as the hunching Yomito drags his feet, passing her and Jin by, he stands before two large stone doors; the rogue watches with curiosity as the gloomy dream ninja rips the oni mask off his shoulder and wears it on his face instead, in the blink of an eye Yomito has grown in size and muscle, transforming into a hulking oni with ash-gray skin and a luscious red mane.
“Let’s get this over with. The sooner we rescue the women…” The monstrous shinobi winds back one of his bulky arms, his quiet voice reeks of anger and hate. “The sooner we can get back to making life miserable for Moryo and Kara.”
*BOOM* *crackle* *rumble* *rumble*
With a single swing of his massive hand, Yomito punches the doors with devastating force, shattering them into a mere pile of pea-sized pebbles. What was once a pair of stone doors is now an opening to a dark, ominous tunnel with rubble littering the ground.
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Upon entering the dungeon, any sense of bravado the group had completely vanished into thin air and was replaced by a strong sense of dread with a lingering tension in the air. In terms of appearance so far, this dimly lit underground passage is somewhat reminiscent of Orochimaru’s hideouts, but it is the spiritual imprints of evil that has everyone on edge. The ground they tread, the walls, the air they breathe, it all feels like they have been stained by despair and horror; it feels as if the very concepts of hope and joy were tortured to death in this place.
The dead silent Jin feels his neck hairs stand on end as they make their way down the corridor; he feels his stomach churn from the silent dread in the air as it floods his mind with memories of when he learned about the Holocaust in school. The piles and piles of shoes, luggage, hair, and children’s toys; the rogue ninja shudders as his mind dwells the photos of men reduced to literal skin and bones.
I-Is… is this how people feel when they… when they actually visit that blasphemous monument to evil and ruthless efficiency? Jin tries to calm himself down with deep breaths, but it doesn’t work; he wants to emotionally distance himself from this place, but his mind won’t let him.
“I see light up ahead.” Hokuto murmurs, pointing forward, breaking the soul crushing silence.
The cautious Jin stops in his tracks and peers into the darkness and true to the star ninja’s words, the long and narrow hallway leads to another room; he builds up the nerve, takes a deep breath, and continues walking onward.
“Hey, don’t go rushing in alone.” The dream ninja whispers, grabbing Jin by the shoulder. “We don’t know what else might be here.”
The red-haired rogue looks back and calmly whispers in response, “I’ve been sensing for strong chakras ever since we entered this godforsaken place and have detected nothing thus far. Let’s just grab the girls and get the hell out of here.”
Jin brushes off Yomito and makes a running start for the end of the corridor, the rest of the group follows closely behind. Upon entering the room, Jin feels his blood run cold and his stomach twist inside out as a horrified expression grows on his face; his feet skid along the ground until coming to a complete stop at the center of the room.
On the far side of the room, the rogue ninja spots a motionless woman with fair skin and dark blue hair behind bars, the muck and scum covering her body fail to mask her beauty; her featureless white eyes remain half opened, staring at nothing; she dangles from the ceiling of her cell with a noose tied around her neck. Jin lowers his gaze and sees the tattered rags she uses for clothes; his heart stops when he notices that she was due any day now.
“Hinata… what did they do to you?” Jin mutters.
“Had she held on for a day longer, she would’ve been saved… Ironic.”
Hearing a familiar voice, the group looks to their left and bear witness to a number of women, sharing a cell together. Like Hinata, they too are showing, covered in grime, and wearing rags; the one who spoke has teal eyes and sandy blonde hair, which is gathered into four consecutive pigtails, she weakly leans against the bars as she tries to stand up.
“Lady Temari! We’re gonna get you out of there!” Shira hurries to the cell.
The sand kunoichi bleakly continues, “I can’t really blame her though… On top of being forced to bear th-that… that monster’s children for years, most of her family was wiped out and her long-time crush was murdered.”
“Temari, is Ayanami here? She’s of the Hyuga clan and possesses the Byakugan.” Jin asks; his eyes frantically dart around the room, hoping that she might be here.
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“No… No, there haven't been any new arrivals for a year now…” Temari peeks her head out through the bars.
Rito stumbles back after hearing this. “I-if… if Ayanami’s not here… then it really means…”
With heavy hearts Jin and Rito lower their grief-stricken heads for they had hoped in vain on the chance that their friend might be here alive. However, they must now accept the fact that Ayanami Hyuga is truly gone from this world. The two can only take solace in knowing that she is no longer suffering in this cold, cruel world.
The muscle-bound sand ninja grabs hold of the cell bars and activates his Seven Heavenly Breaths jutsu, a taijutsu unique to him that is similar in concept to the Eight Gates; his eyes turn white, and his body expands slightly with his muscles becoming distinctly more prominent as he begins prying the bars open.
“AARGHHHHH…!”
To everyone’s shock and bewilderment, a powerful blast of condensed chakra flies right past the unsuspecting group of ninjas, completely incinerating Shira’s back; the poor sand shinobi falls to the ground dead; the imprisoned women all scurry to the back of their cell, huddled together, trembling in terror.
The group whips their heads around to see two enemy ninjas. One is a giant of a man with spiky, red-orange hair; his cheekbones are well-pronounced, and his eyes are gray; he wears a sleeveless blue shirt that is tucked into dark gray pants, which, in turn, are tucked into military-style boots. The pants are held up by a red belt, which matches a strap going across his chest from his right shoulder to under his left arm. This strap holds a large chakra cannon on his back while another cannon is attached directly onto his left forearm; smoke emanates from the weapon’s nozzle.
The other is a kunoichi, who wears a revealing red outfit, showing her midriff, arms, and legs with her white hair tied back by a multi-colored rope with bells attached to it; she has multiple tattoos that resemble flower petals on the left side of her midriff as well as her left leg where she also keeps an Anbu blade sheathed; she wears red high heeled sandals. Though the Anbu mask she wears is different, Jin recognizes her for who she truly is.
Kagura and Bando, the main antagonists of the Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 game for the Wii… GREAT, just fucking great… A scowling Jin grits his teeth with a bead of sweat running down his face.
“What the hell?! You said you didn’t sense any strong chakras!” Yomito snaps at the rogue.
“I can assure you; I didn’t sense any strong chakra signatures in here. Th-They…” Jin’s eyes grow wide from an epiphany. “They must’ve… …suppressed their chakras… …to the point where they’d just blend in with the weaker ones…”
“Hmph, cute and smart.” Kagura says in a patronizing tone.
Tensions run high as the two opposing groups are caught in a standoff; all it would take is a single measly spark, and then all Hell will break loose.
“Your reputation precedes you, Kagura. You may have been a terrorist…” The red-haired rogue chastises the kunoichi. “But I never imagined you’d stoop so low, becoming one of Moryo’s lap dogs.”
Kagura scoffs. “How could I not? He gave me power… Enough power to put that two-faced vixen, Tsunade, in her place and take my vengeance.”
“Moryo threw the world into chaos, treated these poor women like toys, and played king. …Can you honestly side with someone like that?” Rito’s brow furrows as he tries to reason with them.
“Hehehe… Tsunade is dead, and the Leaf Village has been crushed, the Earth can burn for all I care…” The sadistic kunoichi brushes them off with a cold, callous laugh. “*sigh* Bando, I grow weary of this conversation. Make sure their deaths are painful. Heheheh…”
“Understood, ma’am.” The arms dealer charges up his chakra cannon once more.
“Crystal Style: Crystal Encampment Wall!”
Just as Bando is about to fire another blast, a determined Rito quickly steps into the forefront of the group and weaves a series of hand signs. Shortly after, a red crystalline wall erupts from the ground, blocking Bando’s cannon fire and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
“Hmm… Not bad at all… Try this on for size…!”
Immediately bursting forth from the dust cloud are several kunai coated in lighting chakra with a thin strand chakra string attached to each. Jin’s eyes widen with horror as he watches each blade pierce straight through the crystal barrier, plunging deep into Rito’s stomach, chest, and neck; blood pours from the genius’ wounds as he slowly stumbles back.
The panicking Jin quickly races to his friend’s side and catches him before he falls; his heart sinks as he watches his friend cough up blood; the red-headed rogue wants to say something, but he just can’t find the words. With a heavy heart, Jin is left helpless as he watches the light fade from Rito’s eyes, his crystalline barrier shatters upon his death.
With tears in his eyes, all the rogue shinobi can do is close his friend’s eyes and quietly give a small prayer. …Father-God, if you’re real… PLEASE guide this one to the promised land for he was too good for this world…
“Hehe… Hahahaha! Bwa hahahaha!! 2 pieces of filth down, 3 to go!” Kagura chuckles in amusement.
“That ‘filth’ as you so-eloquently put it, was my best friend, and you just killed him…!” Jin’s blood boils as he faces his adversaries, his fists clench to the point that blood drips from them. “You’ll die for that, BITCH! UwaaaaAAAAAARGH!!!”
After releasing an intense rage-fueled battle cry, Jin charges headfirst towards the two enemy combatants; using the Asura Path, he grows two extra pairs of arms and bladed tail-like appendage sprouts from his lower back. The rogue leaps for the money-grubbing Bando first, his fingers digging firmly into the arms dealer’s head; Jin pulls back his thumbs and thrusts them into Bando’s eyes, gouging them out.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHH!!!” Bando screams in agony, writhing in pain; his face contorts to the point that it cannot be recognized as human.
“NEITHER OF YOU FUCKERS WILL SEE THE END OF THIS DAY!” Jin’s hate for the two ninja runs so deep that he can no longer perceive them as people, but rabid animals to be put down.
A callous Jin ignores the wailing while he reaches for the arms dealer’s broad shoulders with his four extra arms; he holds onto them tightly and pulls, ripping both of Bando’s arms clean off of his body.
“EEEEYYAAAAAAAA–!”
The arms dealer’s painful cries are cut short as Jin has just snapped his neck; the rogue ninja releases his grip on the giant’s head, allowing the corpse to slump to the ground. The Uzumaki turns his cold gaze on the trembling Kagura, who slowly backs away with her Anbu blade drawn; she’s not laughing anymore, realizing her current situation.
“I am the Great Lady Kagura, who are you to threaten ME?!” The kunoichi shouts, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and terror.
“I am an echo of a dead world, a doomed timeline, demanding blood be spilled for the blood we lost.” Jin answers while taking a step closer to his target.
The trembling Kagura flinches away as the rogue ninja steps closer and closer to her.
“Back off… GET AWAY FROM ME!” The cornered kunoichi swings her sword.
Jin swiftly blocks with his tail, forcing Kagura to stagger; he immediately uses the opening to sever both of her arms, using the blade on his tails with a single strike.
“Ngh… Gagh… Ugh… M-My hands…! You cut off my hands…! Gagh!” The reeling Kagura stumbles back, blood gushes from her wounds.
Jin callously ignores Kagura’s writhing as he rips off her mask before backhanding the rogue kunoichi with the deceased Bando’s severed left arm; she falls flat on her back with her bloodied and wrinkled face visible for all to see.
“There are no words to describe how few fucks I give… You’re going to die here unknown and unmourned.” Jin takes another step toward her, maintaining his cold glare; he discards the arm and retracts all of his extra appendages.
The red-haired rogue looms over the kunoichi, he gives her one final leer with a cold and venomous fire in his eyes. The furious Jin quietly kneels down before the terrorized Kagura; he produces a chakra receiver from his right palm and thrusts it forward, stabbing the kunoichi straight through her jugular. Even as Jin watches the light fade from Kagura’s eyes, he quickly notices that his pain and anger haven’t left him.
…My friends are all dead… …I have no home to return to… …All of my dreams have been crushed… Teary-eyed, Jin silently laments at his losses; he takes Kagura’s mask and wears it as a sign of disrespect. “*inhale* *exhale* …Hokuto. Yomito.”
“Y-Ye… Y-Yes!” The star ninja timidly responds, shocked and terrified over what has just transpired.
“Take the women and leave this place… I’m going back to the past, before the war. There’s nothing here for me now.”
Not wanting to waste any more time, Jin somberly reaches into his cloak and pulls out the ancient Otsutsuki artifact, Karasuki.
The pink turtle pokes his head out from his blue shell. “Master-Jin, what are your orders?”
“Take me back, back to the Chunin Exams when I was just a young child.”