Chapter 61.4- One Thousand Hands

XXXXX- SHORIRAMA SENJU

“For the love of all that is holy, can you just play?” I asked Kizuru as we sat in the middle of the road. We weren’t alone, not truly. I had my team here. It was probably careless to the extreme to bring a team of genin out for what I was about to do, but Kushina was the Eight Tails Jinchuriki, Minato was a genius without compare, and Mikoto was the herald of the next generation of Uchiha prodigies— Uzume’s niece as well.

“Look at the surroundings. We’re in the forest, can you not just listen to the beauty of nature. If I start playing here, I’d interrupt the birds and the worms, and the fishes, and everything?”

“What fishes, Kizuru? We’re in the bloody forest?” I asked next, tick building on my head. Somehow, between the time I spent busy with the village and with my own training, Kizuru had turned into a bloody hippy of all things. Mikoto looked like she was wishing the grand would swallow her while both Kushina and Minato watched the debate with interest.

“The fishes in the streams of course”

“There’s no streams anywhere near us” I said next, near shouting, and that was how they met us. The Iwa Column of shinobi led by their ever patient Kage.

“Shorirama Senju” His voice stretched out.

“When they told me you were here, jut sitting, I almost couldn’t believe it. It had to be a trap of some sort. We spent hours digging and searching. No seals, nothing. You’re really just here. Is your village in such a terrible state that you would deliver yourself into my hand like this. Alone and unguarded?” He asked. Well, that was just rude. Did he not see the genin by my side.

“Can he not see you guys? Is he blind or something” I asked the group by my side before I laughed. A long, booming laugh, that brought as much discomfort to Kizuru and my genin as it probably did to our opponents. Even knowing the plan, Kizuru still thought I was crazy for signing up to fight the Tsuchikage and his dust release alone. Especially with the army behind him and the fact that I would have to be doing it at half capacity. Half capacity for me was quite different from what it was for most people, though so that was not too much of a problem. The genin didn’t know as much of the plan as Kizuru did. Only their role in it.

“Are you insane? Genuinely?” Onoki asked, a sick amusement in his tone. An amusement that the people behind him did not truly share.

“Have you heard what your people whisper about me when you make camp at night? Army killer. Tailed beast slayer. God of war. They’ve heard what those who survived my massacre in Taki had to say. They know you stand no chance here. So I wonder how many I have to kill before you yourself get the message” I said with a smirk.

“They fear none of that because you are nothing. Nothing but an arrogant boy I will put to an end right now” He said.

“Bold words, Fencesitter. Someone ought to hold you to them”