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Though I knew of Samehada's abilities, it was always the wielder that truly made the difference. Blanche was a rather petite woman, and my blatant assault was more so used as a method to gauge how her body moved -- how she reacted -- while using Samehada. Despite being a living weapon, it was quite cumbersome. Long and bulky, it was generally difficult for even a shinobi my size to wield it one hundred percent effectively. But, she managed, perhaps by luck, to bring the slab of scale and sentience whipping about in my direction.

Rather than attempt to avoid the blade, and thusly save my precious chakra, I continued on. I was going to make a point to her - the sword didn't make the man, but rather, the man made the sword. Both she and Samehada would crumble to my will -- they would both be trampled beneath the unadulterated might of Kirigakure!

Even with my cloak being ravenously devoured, the impact between us was like thunder. My armored fist, blazing red, slammed clean into the sword's scaly hide. I could feel it writhing as it almost instantly dissipated my preternatural aura, yet it would do little to dampen the ferocity of the blow. The strength behind my strike was colossal, more than enough to uproot Blanche entirely, sending her soaring back fifteen meters. However she landed was entirely irrelevant, as the resistance in my gait had already been bypassed.

I was hot on her heels, my body cutting across the sandy floor of the island like a hot knife to butter. My eyes, never once leaving her body, were on fire. "Don't you dare underestimate me, Kusakage!" I bellowed, no more than a meter behind her now as she moved (whether of her own accord or still under the effects of the knock back).

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SPOILER: Click to show

Chakra Cloak - Form 1: x2 High Consumption.^{1/3 (2nd and 3rd devoured)}
Utsu Kyoudai (Mighty Strike) - B rank: Mid consumption.

The Kusakage's selection for her downfall was perfect. It was secluded, in the sense that we wouldn't be interrupted, but public enough for any who dared linger on the outskirts to witness her embarrassing defeat. While I, too, respected my opponent's abilities, I was beyond confident in my own prowess. My name was a legend amongst the ancient war heroes, and a terrifying threat to any that dared oppose the Mist. Even without Kouketsu Uchiha at the reigns, the Hidden Mist was just as powerful -- perhaps even more. I, unlike him, simply refused to be a tyrant in order to demonstrate our strength.

Those times had passed.

Even with the distance between us, I heard her chiding. It didn't bother me. She was clearly unstable, even if only on some remote level. "I grew up with the wolves of Mizu, Kusakage." I was walking toward her by this time, Hebi still tightly in my grip. "It would take a lot more than your bite to pierce my skin, believe me."

I stopped shy of thirty-five meters. "But, I suppose I should thank you. There are some aspects of me that I would prefer my close friends not to see. At least here, I won't have to worry about any of that. I won't need to restrain myself."

That's when I did something she might not have suspected. I tossed Hebi aside. The force I used buried her, to the hilt, in a bolder some meters to my right. Clenching my fists, an orchestra of sickening cracks and pops rang out. I rolled my shoulders and neck, inciting an encore of the disgusting sounds. By then, only half of the previous fifty meters separated us.

"If there's anything you want inscribed on your tombstone, speak now." My eyes were narrow, my expression rigid and icy. "I'll make sure you're buried right next to Uekyuuchi."

With that, I took off, careening directly for her.

My eyes spread across the room as I listen, hardly impressed and already plotting the other snake-twin's timely demise. The room isn't small, but neither is it overly large, giving us both more than an adequate sense of "space to breathe." Unfortunately, this was probably the worst case scenario for the fan-tottin' kage-hebi (a presumption made on the abilities his brother had demonstrated). He seemed to favor ninjutsu-- opposite to his brother --but I wasn't sure; either way, there wasn't much he could do in terms of running around.

Not down here.

While his fan twirled, the gears of my mind were hastily making preparations for the battle to come. Each and every shackle of my physical prowess was slowly peeled away, revealing the raw, unadulterated power that very few taijutsu masters even achieved. My hand slid from Hebi's hilt, twitching with the fire coursing through my veins. Perhaps, if he was keen enough, he would begin to see the faint lines of a mysterious aura, permeating from the pores of my flesh and lingering like a fiery smog.

Grinning, I fell into a balanced, low stance. . . ready.

"Hope you're a lot more capable than that brother of yours." The image of the poor bastard being severed in half flashed before my eyes, fleeting and ephemeral. "I don't like boring kills."

SPOILER: Click to show

¹___

Little did she know, that name actually carried a decent amount of weight in my life. Kain and I had actually defended Iwagakure several years ago, at the gates, against some Uchiha who thought he was god's gift to earth. Our combined efforts revealed him to be nothing short of a fraud, and in the end, it was my blade that claimed in his life with a single stroke. I remembered it like it was yesterday, and was almost prompted to speak, when she finished her tale.

Alas, her cards were played.


I, too, knew the sting of heartache. Both of the major women in my lives-- the women that I had openly admitted wanting to spend the rest of my life with --had abandoned me like some stray dog in the streets. This was only the second time that I had met Coco, and yet. . . we felt so very much alive.

"Her name was Kaoruko. She left." My first love - the one woman that, through my teenager years and into adulthood, I would have done anything for. There were no boundaries, or limits to the love that I felt for that woman. And then, a blink of an eye, she vanished. "And then there was Miku. She left, as well." The second, and somehow the more painful. She had helped him collect the pieces left in Kaoruko's wake, yet in the end, created more as she shattered their life.

I entered the foyer of the hotel soon after, having falling silent after my own admittance. One of the several house maids on her floor assist me with opening (and closing) the door to Coco's room, and I immediately made my way to her bedroom. While I wasn't sure what she preferred to sleep in, I imagined her dress would be fine; I doubted her senses were enough in their prime to discern the difference in fabric, anyway.

Gingerly laying her along her bed, I sat at the edge and carefully slipped her heels from her feet. "It makes us stronger, Coco. Not weaker." I smiled, confidently, as I stood. "In the end, they're the ones who lost something precious. Not us."

I rolled the blanket over her body, tucking her in comfortably. I leaned down, brushing one of her golden locks away from her face so that I could place a soft, tender kiss on her forehead. "Always remember that." Turning, I made my way out, flicking off the lights.

"Sleep well, Coco."

And I was gone.

She was fast.

Though I hadn't really expected to see the newly appointed Kusakage in my boundaries, I won't lie and that I was disappointed. She and I had unfinished business.

I'd canvased the area, as far as I was willing to, only to find that the Sanbi was not the immediate threat as I was lead to believe. I could see the pulse of blue chakra radiating from the center of the island; it was obvious that's where the beast was. But, why had it not been released unto the world? Where were the explosions and tidal waves of destruction as the creature's wrath washed over the world? It was perplexing, to say the least, but I had bigger concerns.

"Kusakage!" My voice cut through the soft orchestra of rolling waves and gentle breezes like a knife, forged in the fires of spite and angst. She'd possessed my people's heirloom for far too long, and it was time for her the relic to its rightful home.

I was only a handful of meters to her rear (10), my left hand raised and wrapped around the hilt sticking out over my shoulder. Hebi seethed, anxious to taste the chakra her kin (though a distant relative) was literally exuding with every passing second. "You have something that belongs to me. I'd rather not take it from you violently," I trailed off. "But I will if you force me to."

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1 mile from center, 10 meters behind Blanche.
All equipment on person.