__________ POV Ken __________
This situation certainly could've gone better...
I guess it's my fault for following the Raikage's plan... Or lack of plan if you want to be specific.
Now, no one is actually stuck in between these rocks. I can dig my way out of this cave without much trouble. I'm sure it's the same for the others as well.
The problem is that that strange slimy liquid is still able to move freely, while we are technically trapped for the moment.
Being in a dark environment isn't exactly an issue for me, but it might be for others.
The dust hasn't even settled yet and the liquid seems to be already trying to go after who they perceive to be the weakest link... A.
It might take a while for A and the Raikage to dig themselves out, in that time it's entirely possible that the Liquid might reach them...
Whether or not it can actually damage A is still debatable though. It seemed to be corrosive enough to get rid of bodies almost instantly, but I doubt A or the Raikage are weak enough to get affected by that...
This cursed technique is already annoying enough, aided by the fact that the ones using it can't actually die.
If I had more chakra burning this Cursed Behemoth would certainly be my best option, for now, I'll just have to rely on B's powers... They certainly seemed quite effective.
It's safe to assume this cursed technique will die out when all of the 'immortals' are blown away and separated from one another or dead, and that 'Tailed Beast Ball' from B seemed to do the trick.
Just like that, my next objective is set. I should be able to dig my way out of here quickly...
I need to get to B and help him aim another one of those Tailed Beast Balls at the bodies of the immortals. I can still spot them through the debris and rocks. The faster I move the better.
__________ POV Narration __________
Ken's tail immediately started drilling into the stone that had covered the hole he had dug for himself.
Thankfully, B was not far from him, still encased in a dome of chakra. It felt just as destructive as the cloak that covered his body, and the rocks were simply unable to penetrate it.
Ken was though. The Blind Monster pierced the dome with his tail, making his presence known. B then made a hole for him to enter.
The Jinchuriki was looking at Ken with a somewhat tired gaze.
"My bad... I should've thought a bit more about the structure of the cave before firing off that Tailed Beast Ball..." B said as he scratched the back of his horned head.
His voice still sounded much deeper than usual, it was almost as if two voices were speaking at the same time.
"It's fine, it was bound to happen regardless of what any of us did. Besides, I think you're the only one of us that can currently properly take care of that thing..." Ken walked a bit closer to B and sat down by his side.
"Seriously? Well, I guess it did seem much smaller after taking that hit..." B seemed to be a bit discouraged by his blunder, obviously disappointed in himself for potentially endangering his teammates.
"Smaller and with less reach..." Ken said as a smile rose on his scaled face. "Currently, getting close to that thing is unsafe, god knows what type of curses it can put on us. You need to take it out."
B immediately perked up and nodded. "I'll take care of it then!" He then started charging up another Tailed Beast Ball, allowing an absurd amount of chakra to gather in front of his open mouth.
Ken nodded and turned his head towards the position where the immortals were.
They had all been crushed by the rocks in a rather close fashion, their bodies were stuck, but the blood-like liquid was not.
"Shot it in that direction, slightly angled downwards." Ken immediately directed B towards the place where the immortals were crushed, pointing to it with the tip of his tail.
"Roger!~" B's voice sounded a lot more distorted as his jaw then seemed to unhinge while his mouth opened up widely, swallowing up the ball of chakra and allowing his chest to expand.
'He didn't do this last time... Well, he was in a rush, so I guess he didn't get to....'
"Tailed Beast Ball: WAVE!" Killer B's voice rang through the cracks of the rocks. Ken could feel panic overtaking the curse users that heard it.
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He felt the slime starting to slowly gather back towards the immortals, likely hoping to somehow shield them, but it was far too slow, and it probably wouldn't have done anything anyway.
B unleashed an even stronger blast than the last.
The Chakra ball was expelled forwards from his mouth as a torrent of energy, evaporating the rocks in front of him almost instantly as it headed for the Curse Users, aiming to erase all of them at once.
They had absolutely no chance of dodging it, their bodies stuck underneath the heavy rocks, and they seemed to brace for it in their own ways.
Ken could clearly hear their wails of despair as soon as the 'Wave' reached them...
The 'Wave' washed over the immortals, the sheer intensity of the chakra burned away their skin, then muscles, then bones, until there was nothing left of them.
The 'Wave' cleared up a path in front of them, more rocks fell from the ceiling on that path, and all of them were blasted into nothingness by said wave until there was nothing left to fall in their path.
'This guy really is dangerous...' The Blind Monster to the side couldn't help but start pondering on whether or not to assassinate B...
But he wasn't stupid enough to try something during their mission. Especially since the Cloud seemed to want to have an amicable relationship with him.
A's actions didn't do much to offset the fact that the Third Raikage, the leader of the village, seemed to be nothing other than friendly to Ken.
However, the Blind Swordsman still needed to account for the fact that A would one day be the Forth Raikage... The Third was, after all, raising him up to be a successor.
So in the end, Ken couldn't help but come to a conclusion.
'If I ever have to make an enemy out of the Cloud Village, the first person that needs to die is B...'
Ken smiled as he felt the Viscous Liquid slowly stop come to a halt and splash on the ground in between the rocks.
'At the very least they're gone now...'
After a few seconds B's Tailed Beast Ball finally died down, he heaved a bit as the chakra around him seemed to slowly dissipate.
"Good Job!" Ken said as he walked over to B, who seemed to be completely out of it. He supported the Rapping Shinobi as they walked into the clearing that B's attack had created.
"Heh, thanks..." The octopus-tailed shinobi smiled as he finally seemed to pass out, causing Ken to slowly place him on the ground.
Ken then turned and slowly stood up.
'The Raikage and A both seem to be breaking through rocks currently... They seem to be conserving energy, so it might take a minute or two...'
After all, the more rocks the Raikage and A cleared, the more fell on top of them. Ken didn't bother trying to help them though, he merely stepped on the ground with his tail.
'I still have to find Akira... I doubt the Cult has any power left in them, quite sure we bled them all dry...'
As Ken was trying to get a feel for his subordinate, he felt the hair on his back stand slightly as he jumped further away from B.
The rapping shinobi's body seemed to be covered in a cloak of chakra, as he seemed to slowly and mechanically rise from the ground.
The Blind Swordsman was quite sure the man had been exhausted and unconscious a while before that, so he was quite confused.
However, the confusion didn't last, as it didn't take long for Ken to realize that whatever was inside B, was using him as a puppet...
"What are you...?" "What are you...?" Both Ken and the possessed B asked at the same time.
The possessed B spoke in only one voice now, much deeper than the one Ken knew B to have.
"..." The B looked at Ken without any fear, while the Blind Swordsman studied him with great curiosity.
"Let's get introductions out of the way... My name is Gyūki...
I am a Tailed Beast, the one currently sealed inside this man... Though the seal has been undone recently to accommodate our cooperation..."
The Tailed Beast introduced itself as it studied Ken through B's eyes.
"... My name is Ken. I am the Leader of the Dark Brotherhood, an assassin, samurai and bounty hunter..." Ken still kept his distance, despite realising that Gyūki didn't have any bad intentions.
He wasn't about to test whether or not it was going to change its mind after all...
He needed to be prepared to flee at a moment's notice, he didn't feel like the beast in front of him was something he could handle...
"Quite the portfolio... But that didn't really answer my question...
As all tailed beasts are, I am a being purely made out of Chakra, immortal and the second most powerful among my brothers and sisters...
What are you supposed to be? You're clearly not human, so don't try to lie to me."
Ken was truly perplexed by Gyūki's line of questioning, it really wasn't something he expected to hear.
He had obviously figured out he was different from other humans. He was stronger, faster, and more adaptable.
The Nature Energy within him was also somewhat of a giveaway, as he had yet to meet even a single person that could control it.
So, when asked that question. When asked 'What are you?'. He really didn't know what to say.
Gyūki noticed that in the silence, as it sighed loudly.
"It seems you also have no clue what you are... Fine, I'll give you a clue to help you out...
Seek out the Toads of Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage Gamamaru, might be the only being alive able to make sense of your existence..."
Gyūki's deep voice sounded clearly in Ken's ears as it proceeded to introduce yet another being that Ken had absolutely no clue about and had never heard of before.
"..." The Blind Monster took a few seconds to process the information before voicing out the most obvious concern first. "How am I supposed to get there?"
After asking that, he could hear a rather brooding chuckle come out of B's throat.
"Kid, if I had any idea, I would've told you already. I am just as curious as you are...
You'll have to seek out one of the people that have been contracted to the Toads. Request an audience with him."
The possessed B shrugged as Gyūki's words came out of his mouth smoothly.
Ken waited a bit, hoping that Gyūki would be able to give him a bit more information... But the silence gave him all of the answers he needed...
'I have to deal with this myself, huh?'
"Thanks for the advice, Gyūki..." Ken still decided to thank the Tailed Beast. It did, after all, give him the first real lead he could have towards discovering more about himself.
"Don't mention it... But seek me out when you have an answer to my question. I am still very curious ..."
"Of course." Ken just nodded as he felt Gyūki's chakra slowly re-enter B's body.
"The Raikage is almost here it seems... This is where we part ways. Good luck." Gyūki's last words came out just as the stones to the side shifted, and the figure of the Raikage came out.
Ken sighed as he immediately dashed and caught B's body before it hit the ground, gently placing it on the stone floor of the cave while still pondering on his conversation with the tailed beast.