Chapter 143: The Absolute Offense
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 143: The Absolute Offense
Naruto felt a rush of energy as the first gate burst open. But he wasn't going to stop there.
"Second… Gate of Healing, open!" His muscles tensed and trembled.
Opening even a few of the Eight Gates placed tremendous pressure on a person's body, inside and out. And Naruto was doing it while channeling the Kyuubi's chakra, amplified by three tails' worth of energy.
This combination accelerated the speed of the poison coursing through his chakra veins. If not for his enhanced regeneration and the protective Blue Jade Turtle Shell technique, his body would never have endured it.
"Third… Gate of Life… open!"
Kimimaro's eyes widened. "Are you insane?! You're doing this with bijuu chakra?" He was somewhat knowledgeable about the technique that Naruto was using. His Master had a lot of notes about Konoha's most well-known jutsus and the most dangerous ones. This one was one of them.
But Kimimaro also knew how damaging this was for the user's body, as it forces large amounts of chakra to course through the system, a lot more than the body can take without suffering serious damage.
And Naruto was doing this while the demon's chakra was also in his system, making things much worse for him.
The baleful orange chakra swirled around Naruto's body like a raging torrent.
"Fourth… Gate of Pain… open!" Naruto's eyes turned completely red, his pupils vanishing. He let out a roar as his chakra surged even further.
Kimimaro observed, wondering if Naruto had lost his sanity...or if the demon fox had taken over. But regardless, he had to prepare to survive the next attack. He activated the second level of his cursed seal, his body morphing into its completely transformed state and increasing his power several times over.
Naruto could feel his body breaking down. He knew he had time for only one attack before he would have to close the gates.
Despite the pain, he felt a rare sense of joy... he could see a glimpse of his old self. And for this brief moment, he was free to fight as he wished.
'Red Lotus Shift… stage two…' Naruto vanished, leaving only scorched marks in his wake.
Kimimaro, sensing a change in the air above him, moved his shield. But by the time he adjusted, Naruto was already there, closer than he had expected.
The first sage of the Red Lotus Shift is meant to merely increase the speed of the user several times over.
The second stage allows for aerial movements by using the air as steps.
"There you are!" Kimimaro raised his shield, which grew in size, bristling with spikes. This was his absolute defense.
Naruto paid no mind to Kimimaro's defense...he had already decided the outcome. He sent his right palm down in a powerful strike, aiming not at Kimimaro directly, but at the air around him.
"Infernal Lotus Blossom," Naruto intoned as his palm struck an invisible barrier just above Kimimaro's shield.
A wave of heat and a flash of light followed, incinerating everything in an instant and leaving the charred symbol of a lotus flower.
This was an old technique of his that he found in some abandoned ruins early in his journey, just a few years after leaving the Blue Jade Sect. It creates a wave of intense heat that burns everything in front of where his palm hits.
It is simple but also very versatile as it's fast and can be used in quick succession while also being combined with any movement technique.
He was still young and weak back then. It was this technique and a few resources he found in those ruins that allowed him to survive for as long as he did.
Once he broke through the Golden Core stage and mastered this move, it would become his signature one for a very long time and would be responsible for the deaths of many cultivators who crossed his path.
Naruto landed, and only charred bones remained of Kimimaro.
"Ugh…" Naruto quickly closed the gates before the damage became irreparable, as it had with Rock Lee. The Kyuubi's chakra receded back into its seal, and the tails disappeared, leaving Naruto with numerous self-inflicted injuries to heal.
"Hmm… seriously… what a terrifying guy," Naruto muttered as the blackened dirt behind him began to move.
From within, a giant gray bone emerged, which shattered to reveal Kimimaro, still alive and standing.
"M-Master Orochimaru…" Kimimaro whispered, the sharp bones on his forearm moving toward Naruto's head. But Naruto remained still, as he already knew that it was over.
"I-I'm… sorry…" Kimimaro murmured, his last breath fading away as he remained in an attacking position that would never reach his target.
"You survived an attack equivalent to a Peak Core Formation cultivator by burying yourself underground. Even the elders from my first sect would have trembled under that attack." Naruto looked at Kimimaro's standing form, knowing he was already gone.
"Kimimaro… I won't forget your name." Naruto glanced at his right arm, now completely charred.
"That's going to be useless for a while," he muttered, fashioning an improvised sling for his arm from torn clothing.
At least the rest of his body wasn't too damaged. His muscles were recovering quickly, and no bones were broken.
"I should get going. I doubt Kiba will last long if he's trying to fight Sasuke." He had told Kiba to avoid direct combat, but he knew the Inuzuka's temper was unlikely to allow him to heed that advice.
The fight with Kimimaro had lasted less than five minutes in total, but it was best to hurry.
Ignoring the complaints of his body, Naruto resumed running in the direction Kiba had gone. Soon, he spotted towering structures in the distance.
'If I remember correctly, that's the Valley of the End, where the First Hokage fought Madara. That valley also serves as a natural border.'
If Sasuke had crossed to the other side, he wouldn't be able to continue the pursuit.
As he neared the statue of Hashirama, he saw a figure in black standing atop it.
"Sasuke…" Naruto began to look for Kiba but quickly found him nearby, lying on the ground.
Kiba was curled up in a fetal position, blood pooling around him.
"Naruto…" Sasuke turned, his eyes cold. "You're late."
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