Chapter 48.4- Gamer of the Desert

The two men walked closer as another one of their fellows showed from within the forest. Dressed much the same, it was until they’d completely emerged from the foliage cover that Mangetsu was able to make out their eyes. It was easily their most distinctive feature- even though they all shared the same eyes. Purple eyes with concentric rings. Obviously a doujutsu of some sort, but not one that Mangets had ever heard of before. That was enough to calm whatever tension he might have felt at the intrusion, however. The fact that there were more than one of them, sharing the same eyes but otherwise having distinctive features meant that this was a clan of some sort.

That was an assurance. There was no way a clan with a doiujutsu would have managed to escape ape notice from the ninja world at large. Obviously, then the only reason he’d never been taught about them was because they were too weak to be worthy of a mention in any of his lessons at the academy. They clearly didn’t belong to any major village. The headman ds on their heads marked them as missing nin of the Village Hidden in the Rain and he doubted that if the village had produced any one of note apart from the Legendary Salamander they wouldn’t have shouted it from the rooftops. Not knowing his opponent, instead of making Mangetsu wary as it did with the hunter nin by his side, only served to embolden him.

“I don’t know who you are but this is private Kirigakure business. If you stay any longer, we’ll have no choice but to disembowel the three of you as a matter of national security” he threatened them, desperately wishing for them to give him a reason. He’d missed the casual violence that came along with being a missing ninja. Even being a ninja of the old Kiri, under Yagura had been much more entertaining. Unlike now, with that Mei bitch trying to keep them on a tight leash. Making them behave like foolish treehuggers with all that bullshit about teamwork and camraderei.

He blinked as the first of the men to appear let out a chuckle. It was a quick one. Barely even audible. “Your impertinence amuses me. Begone, fly. You stand in the presence of a God” The second one to appear said, and then a hand was lifted in he and Ao’s direction. He prepared to move before whatever jutsu was being formulated got past its first seal, but against his every expectation, he was suddenly sent flying by an invisible force.

It was like he’d been swatted by an invisible, but gigantic hand. Both he, Ao, and all the trees around them sailed into the distance. It was only the activation of the hydrification technique that saved his life. Not for the first time or even last time, he thanked his father for the hours he was forced to spend working on the annoying jutsu. Even with his lack of talent with it, it had saved his life on several occasions. He reformed his body and searched for the Cyclops, unable to make out the man’s appearance anywhere he could see. He’d probably been sent flying even further back as Mangetsu observed that whatever had hit them had not stopped until a good kilometre or two. The trees were just gone, blown away with nary a care. What sort of ninjutsu could do that? It put whatever he could do with any of the swords in his possession to shame.

Mangetsu was fine with consoling himself on the knowledge that he did not possess the Samehada yet. With that sword, he’d have had an easy time handling whatever ninjutsu got thrown at him. The sound of a series of explosions drew his attention to the fight that was building between the jinchuriki and the three men. Utakata blew into that pipe of his and a series of bubbles flew at his assailants. One of them lifted his hand, the same one that had sent him flying, and the bubbles, along with the jinchuriki who made them were sent flying. Both bubbles and their creator exploded into steam as the body proved to be a clone.

What Mangetsu suspected to be the original ran right at one of the Hidden Rain Missing nin from the edge of his vision. The Jinchuriki’s attack was foiled as the blond man dodged without even looking while the fatso by his side unleashed a powerful punch right into the man’s midsection. The body swelled up and began to detonate as another clone but this time, the fat man placed a hand on the body and it simply faded out of existence. Who were these guys? Mangetsu asked himself, unable to delude himself into believing that the men were of no consequence any longer. One with the power to just sends hit flying with a wave of his hand and another with the power to just touch shit and cancel it. Mangetsu hadn’t failed to notice that the same man who’d gotten rid of his attack with the Kiba blades had been the one to en d that clone’s detonation.

The blonde one, seemingly the leader with the way he spoke for them, suddenly stretched out one of his hands and said words that Mangetsu strained to hear. “Bansho Tenin”. This time, the effects of the jutsu were not immediately apparent. It was not until the form of the Rokubi jinchuriki flew down from above at an angle that Mangetsu deduced that it was some form of jutsu to reel in a target. He then figured that the Jinchuriki had used the distraction of the attack that got rid of Mangetsu and Ao to create two clones and escape the battlefield. It was expertly done, but apparently too little to get away from the trio. The fact that the third one was yet to do anything but scowl and look pretty put a considerable amount of wariness in Mangetsu’s body. He had no doubts that he’d have to intervene eventually. Kiri couldn’t afford to lose its jinchuriki, and Mangetsu himself didn’t have much interest in failing a mission because of some backwater bastards. Not knowing anything about one of them would be a pain to deal with, especially if he had a trick as amazing as the other two.

The Jinchuriki flipped in the air even as he was being pulled towards the man and then the world changed. Hatred, cold dark hatred, pushed down on Mangetsu’s very being…

When did he fall to his knees? He coughed, staring at the blood on the floor with no small measure of shock. What?

A/N; Three guesses as to what I’m building towards?