Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. :-) But I sure love it! ^_^
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**Frost Akuma:**
I stand, leaning myself on the frame of the door as I watch Naruto stare at his sister's sleeping form. His eyes show nothing but worry and concern for her and it pains me to see them suffer this much because of me.
It has been a whole week since Minashi was poisoned and she's getting weaker and weaker as each day passes. The poison had thoroughly consumed her whole left arm and had even reached her neck and stomach. It would only be a matter of time unt--
I shake my head, cutting myself off from thinking about the worst thing that might happen. It's just too much to think about. I thought that keeping them from knowing the truth would protect them but in the end, it only risked their very lives. *This is all my fault.*
*"It's poison." I state, making Naruto turn to me and I can tell that he is worried when he heard what I had said. "Minashi has been poisoned. And it's slowly consuming her body. In time, she won't be able to move."*
*Naruto turns away from me and looks at Minashi. "Then we have to go back." Naruto states, making Minashi look at him in disbelief. "Don’t look at me like that, Minashi. You're hurt and that makes you the priority here." He says jokingly but his tone sounds shaky.*
*"You know I would never agree to that, Naruto." Minashi tells Naruto, grabbing his shoulders and squeezing them tightly. "I already told you. I will never leave a mission unfinished."*
*"We have to, Minashi." Naruto insists. "If we don’t, who knows what will happen to you? And I can't stand it when I see you hurt. You know that!"*
*"You can't go back." I immediately say, making Naruto turn to me furiously.*
*"Even up till now, you are selfish!" He yells, pushing me to the wall and grabbing the collar of my shirt, pinning me violently to the wall. But I don’t fight back. I know I deserve this. "You don’t deserve your title! You are nothing but a useless coward!!"*
*"I know." I tell him, looking at him straight in the eyes. "And you can do anything to me for all that I have done. You may kill me if you want. Just don’t go back to your village."*
*I feel Naruto's fists shake furiously as he looks at me straight in the eyes with rage. Although intimidated, I hold my ground, looking him in the eyes seriously.*
*He then roughly lets me go, inhaling a huge amount of air as he walks away from me, ruffling his hair out of desperation. "ARRRGH!" Naruto yells as he punches the metal wall, leaving a huge dent on it and shaking the whole boat.*
*"Naruto.." Minashi walks up to him, telling him words of comfort in a soothing manner.*
*"Please don’t misunderstand." I tell them in a voice so weak that I almost can't believe it came from me. "The poison in Minashi's body cannot be removed by your medicines and ninjutsu. It is a special poison developed by our clan alone. Many don't use it anymore. And only few possess the knowledge of it. But the fact remains that the poison can only be removed by a skilled healer who knows the poison well. If not, trying to remove it would only risk Minashi's life.*
*"And do you know anyone by that description?" Naruto says, looking at me with a sign of hope clear in his eyes.*
*"Yes." I tell him.*
*"Thank goodness." Naruto says, sighing in relief.*
*"Can't you use your Transportation Seal to take us to my kingdom?" I can't help but ask. "It would be best to have Minashi treated immediately."*
*"We can't, Frost-san." Minashi is the one to answer. "Our seal requires us to mark the place where we want to transport something or someone. We haven't been to your kingdom. So, we haven't marked it yet. And also, even if we did mark your kingdom, Naruto and I can only transport up to two people at the most, nothing more. So, one of us would be left behind."*
*"I see."*
*"Cut the chitchat and tell us everything now, Frost." Naruto says, looking at me seriously.*
*"Yes. I believe I owe you the truth.." I say, making my way near them and siting on the floor. "I guess I should start from the beginning."*
*Naruto and Minashi both nod so I start. "My clan has a bloodline limit." I tell them. "It's called Partial Demonic Transformation. As the name states, it allows us to partially transform our body into that of a demon, granting us improved strength and speed depending upon which part of our body we choose to enhance. In the case of my lineage, however, not only do we possess that ability but can also enhance our eyes, gaining the ability to take control of whoever dares look into our eyes."*
*"Well that's convenient." Naruto comments, nodding his head in thought. "Especially when you're feeling lazy. You can just control your enemy and make him go away."*
*"Well, it **does** have many applications." I answer him. "However, the number of people an Akuma can control at once, is limited. It depends upon the skill of the caster and the will of the victim."*
*I pause to see Naruto and Minashi's reaction. But they're not reacting in any way. So, I continue. "There was one Akuma who had excelled in the use of our eyes." I say. "My aunt - Milana Akuma. Even at the age of 18, she was able to take control of a maximum of fifty people at once."*
*"Whoaw." Naruto exclaims. "Her concentration must be on a whole new level."*
*I nod. "She was considered a genius by all our elders. And many would often speak highly of her and her abilities." I mutter. "Unfortunately, as time went on, she became too obsessed with her powers. She wanted more and she wouldn't let anyone stop her."*
*"What did she do?" Minashi asks curiously.*
*"At first, she became distant. She focused mainly on improving her powers." I reply. "And then, Akumas started disappearing every now and then. But there are no traces of their bodies or of any attack from the outside."*
*"And it was your aunt's doing?" Minashi states.*
*"Yes." I answer her. "It would seem she found a way to seal people's souls into something so she can use their powers later on. She had an amulet forged. She then abducted Akumas and sealed their souls into it."*
*"Then, what happened?" Naruto asks.*
*"She thought that the amulet would allow her to control more people." I state. "And it did. And also more. It granted her the ability to fully transform into a demon."*
*"She can transform into a demon.." Minashi repeats. "Then she must be very strong."*
*"Yes." I reply. "Her strength and speed are entirely inhuman. She was almost invincible."*
*"This amulet that you speak of.." Minashi says, looking at me seriously. "It's the same one that you have, isn't it?"*
*I look away. "At least it's half of it." I mutter. "When father learned of his sister's treachery, he immediately confronted her. He gave her a chance to give up the amulet and change. But, she did not agree. And so they fought."*
*"Father won and divided the amulet into two, hiding the first half and giving the second half to your Hokage as a sign of their friendship." I continue. "But Father could never have his sister executed. So, he had her locked up in the dungeon instead."*
*"She escaped, didn't she?" Minashi asks but her tone sounded sure. "And she sent you to get half the amulet to avoid fighting against the Konoha ninjas.*
*I don't answer.*
*"You can't be serious, Frost." Naruto is the one to say. He now knows that what Minashi had said is true. "Why are you giving her the amulet when you know she's the bad guy?!"*
*"I don't have any other choice, Naruto!" I tell him with a raised tone, making him look at me seriously. "Milana has become stronger. Father could not match against her. Plus, she already has the other half of the amulet, which means her eyes have improved a hundred fold. And she also has my father. If I don't give her the other half, she **will** kill him."*
*"But your father is her brother." Naruto says. "Perhaps she will spare him."*
*"She won't." I reply. "That, I can assure you."*
*"Well, you have us now." Naruto says confidently. "Minashi and I will help you. I'm sure we wi--"*
*"You don't understand." I mutter, clenching my fists. Then, I remove the bandages on my right hand. "You see this?" I show them my mark while I try to maintain a strong front. But the very memory itself is causing me to break down. "This is proof that I murdered my own little brother."*
*"What?!" Naruto exclaims, shocked.*
*"Milana made me do it. She took control of me and made me use my power to kill him. Only because she wants to prove to us that her threats aren't empty.." I say weakly. "And the worst part is, I felt it all. The pain when I struck him down with my very own hands. And I could not even look away."*
*None of them say anything. "I loved him, you know." I continue. "He was always looking up to me." The memories of my brother's smiling face flash in my mind. "And yet.. I killed him. I could not even stop myself!!"*
*I then turn to Naruto and Minashi. "So what makes you think you'll make that much of a difference?!" I shout at them.*
*"I don't think we can, Frost." Minashi says, making me look away from them. **I thought so. I knew they'd give up eventually. I was a fool to believe in them.**
*"But come on, Frost. Do you really think we'd back out after all we've been through?" Minashi adds, making me turn to her in surprise. "If we don't do it, then who will? If not now, then it might be too late."*
*She then smiles. "I may not act like it, but I'm your friend now. The same goes to my brother. And now that we know what you've been through, we won't leave you behind." She tells me. "We may not be much but we can still help."*
*"Yeah!" Naruto adds, grinning. "We'll help ya!"*
*I can't help but smile at them. Though I'm not quite sure that we'll defeat Milana. But they've given me hope and that is enough. "Thank you." I tell them.*
"She's getting worse, Frost." I suddenly hear Naruto say lowly, cutting me off from my flashback.
"I know." I reply, walking near him and patting his shoulder. "It's only been a week and we'll get to my kingdom in another week."
"She'll make it." Naruto says confidently, smiling reassuringly at me. "She'll make it." He repeats, this time, less energetic.
"I believe she will." I tell him with a smile of my own. "Your sister is strong. And the way I see it, it would take more than mere poison to get rid of someone like her."
Naruto grins. "That's right." He says, the energy back in his eyes. "I know she'll make it."
I nod. "Well, I'll go and get us some breakfast." I tell him. "You must be hungry. Just stay here and watch over your sister. I can manage."
"Take this." Naruto says, handing me some sort of device with small wires attached to it. "Put it in you ear. You can contact me with that. Just press the blue button and talk to me if you need any help."
I nod while I put the device into my left ear. "Okay." I mutter and then, I leave our room.
**Naruto Namikaze:**
I put on the other pair of the earpiece that I gave Frost a while ago. So in case if he needs me, I will be there to help him.
Then, I stare at my sister once again. I just can't help it. I've never seen her so fragile in all her life. She's always such a meanie and sometimes irritatingly bossy. But right now, I'd rather want her to boss me around than see her like this.
Though, I keep on blaming Frost for what happened to her, in truth I know I am also responsible. If only I did not ask her to buy me those stupid mints. Then she wouldn't have to be separated from us. She didn't have to be hurt.
Suddenly, the boat comes to a sudden stop, as if it had hit something big. I almost fell off the chair when that happened. And I'm glad Minashi didn't fall off the bed. *But, what the hell was that?*
I immediately push the button on my earpiece. "Frost, what's going on?" I ask. "Why did the boat stop?"
At first, I hear no reply but then, what I hear makes me worry. "NARUTO!" I hear Frost's panicked voice. "There are some ninjas here! They're attacking the people!! There are too many! I can't hold them all off!!!"
"But I can't leave Minashi!" I reply but this time, I hear no reply. "Damnit!" I curse, turning to Minashi. "Minashi, I'll be back." I tell her though I know she won't answer anyway. "Just stay put."
And then, I activate my bloodline limit, zooming my way to the deck. And just in time, I kick off a random ninja that's about to stab Frost from behind. "What's going on?" I immediately ask Frost while looking around and assessing the situation.
Frost has his sword out and there are plenty of random ninjas that are lying on the ground. I know they're not dead though. Frost would never do such a thing. However, Frost must have fought against them for a while now. Yet more of them are still coming and I immediately do a fighting stance.
"I don't know." Frost replies, brandishing his sword and successfully blocking a slash from an enemy and immediately punching him on the stomach, rendering him unconcious. "I was on my way to get breakfast when I suddenly heard a commotion on deck. I wanted to know what it is so I came." He pauses to dodge an oncoming shuriken. I, however, catch the shuriken in midair and when I'm about to launch it at the same ninja who threw it, Frost stops me.
"No killing." Frost says, grabbing my arm. "They *might* not be our true enemies. Let's find out what they want first."
I sigh. "Fine." And with that, I use my bloodline limit to zoom my way to the previous ninja and hit his neck. I then zoom my way back to Frost.
"Ohhh.. remind me not to get on your bad side." Frost comments, flinching. "But anyway, when I found out that ninjas are attacking the people, I immediately came to their aid and tried to save as many people as I can."
"I see." I say, unsealing a kunai from my scrolls and countering a number of shuriken launched at us. "We should find their boss and get this over with soon. I left Minashi back inside the room." I then do a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!"
A dozen of my clones appear and immediately fight against more of the enemy ninjas. While the real me would stick with Frost so I can protect him. As skilled as he is with a sword, sometimes he can't see an enemy sneak up on him.
***
"There's no end to them!" Frost says, his brow already dripping with sweat. Then he punches a another enemy before kicking him away. "There are so many!"
"Stop complaining and just fight." I tell him despite the fact that I'm panting. *Damn.* I overused my chakra already. My clones and bloodline limit use up a lot of chakra. And I had to protect Frost at the same time too.
The only other strong jutsus that I know of requires me to fuse my chakra with Minashi's. And she's not here right now. This is bad. What the heck do I do?
But then, the enemies stop on their tracks, making me eye them suspiciously. "Why are they stopping?" I can't help but ask Frost, who's just behind me.
"I don't know, Naruto." He replies. "But whatever it is, we must be ready for it."
Then suddenly, a dragon that's made of water emerges from the water. And on top of it's head is a person whom I can't see clearly yet.
But then, the said person jumps down and lands on the boat just as the dragon turns back into water. I can now see that the person is a girl, who's probably not older than twenty. She has dark-purple hair that's tied into a neat bun with two strands left to hang on each side of her face. Her irises are black and seem to be lifeless.
She wears a black cloak that covers her whole body and then, dark-blue ninja sandals.
"Who are you?" I ask her.
She smirks. "My name will not matter, boy." She says in a monotonous tone and then gestures to Frost. "We just want the Prince."
I immediately turn to Frost and sigh. *What is it with him and people trying to get him?*
"And you had to hurt other people just to get to me?!" Frost yells angrily. "Just how lowly are you?!"
"It was a way to force you out." The woman says, still smirking. "Nothing more."
"You disgust me!" Frost says.
"Well, I don't care." She says. "Just come with us and there won't be any more bloodshed."
"Over my dead body, Lady!" I speak up, taking a step forward. "You want him? You're gonna have to get through me!"
The woman laughs. "But you see, Boy.." She says, gesturing a signal and hundreds of her comrades emerge from the water. "..you are clearly outnumbered."
I look around, scanning my eyes over her men. There are so many of them. I don't know how long I can hold out against all of them.
"Even if you plan everything out, you'll still lose." She states. "Just hand over the Prince and we'll let you be."
"Like I said.." I state, doing a hand sign. "Over my dead body. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!"
Hundreds of my clones appear and the fight starts right there. However, I drop to my knees and pant. It would seem my chakra has gone very low.
"Naruto.." Frost says, taking my side and looking out for any oncoming enemies. "You okay?"
"I'm out of chakra, Frost." I tell him. "You have to escape now. I don't know if I can hold my clones for long."
"I am not leaving, Naruto." He says seriously. "I'm fighting and that's that."
I can't help but smirk as I stand back up. "Well, it seems you're not that cowardly after all." I tell him.
"Heh!" He says with an arrogant smirk plastered to his face. "Don't underestimate the Prince of the Snow Country!" He then brandishes his sword.
Suddenly, markings that glow in a green color appear on the skin of his arms and before I know it, the skin of his arms turn to dark green scales as the muscles of his very arms enlarge greatly.
And then, in one strong swipe of his arm, Frost takes down at least ten enemy ninjas.
"Whoaw.." I can't help but exclaim. "Now that's extremely cool." I grin.
"The girl with purple hair is under Milana's control." He tells me before punching a random ninja. "And these ninjas are loyal to her. Perhaps if we remove her from Milana's control she'll make them stop."
"It's our only chance then.." I say, looking at the said woman, who seems to be avoiding the conflict. "But how exactly do we do that?"
"If we land a hit that's strong enough, she might wake up?" He says in an uncertain tone.
"You don't sound sure." I state, ducking to dodge a horizontal slash from one enemy and then focus chakra on my feet and arms. Next, I launch myself upwards, hitting the enemy with a strong uppercut.
Frost shrugs. "That's because I'm not." He replies, making me turn to him in disbelief.
"You're kidding me." I groan. "Oh well. Might as well try it."
Without wasting time, I use the remainder of my chakra to make me zoom my way to the lady, aiming a full blown punch at her face. Frost *did* tell me that the hit has to me strong.
But before my attack could reach her, I see her smirk. And in a blur, she is able to dodge my attack, making me widen my eyes. Then, I feel sudden pain erupt in my stomach before I am sent flying backwards, hitting a metal wall of the boat and creating an enormous dent on it.
I cough out blood as I try to get up, feeling my hurting stomach.
"Naruto!" Frost says, taking his place beside me as his partially transformed arms turn back to normal.
"Planning to attack me, huh?" The lady says, smirking. "Well then, I'll humor you. Let's fight." She then gestures her men to stop, to which they obey instantly. "I was bored anyway. But, I do hope you'll last long."
"Tch! S-she's strong." I tell Frost, trying to ignore the pain all around my body as I try to stand up. "And f-fast. And her killing intent's strong too."
"Your body has taken too much damage." Frost says, looking at me seriously. "And your chakra's probably very low. I'll deal with her." He then stands up.
"Don't be ridiculous." I tell him, smirking. "I can still fight." I then do a hand sign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!" I create ten clones but then I fall on one knee due to exhaustion and six of my clones disappear into puffs of smoke.
I pant. "It seems four is all I can do right now." I say weakly but still get up slowly, smirking.
"Don't exert yourself too much!" Frost says. "You've done enough for me, Naruto."
"I'll consider it enough when everything's solved." I tell him proudly. "And besides, I am Naruto Namikaze, a ninja of Konoha. I'm not someone who'll give up just like that. That's my ninja way!"
He sighs. "Suit yourself then." He tells me and then partially transforms his arms and legs into that of a demon.
And all of a sudden, he disappears into a blur and aims a punch at the lady. However, the lady merely steps to the side, dodging Frost's attack easily. But then, Frost is fast enough to follow a kick on her stomach to which she also dodges by leaping a few steps backwards.
"Let's go!" I order all my clones and we charge at the lady.
Just when Frost is flung away by a strong punch, one of my clones tries to punch the lady and another tries to land a hit. But nothing seems to work. Two of them disappear into puffs of smoke when the lady cuts them with a katana.
I stop just a distance from her with my last clone beside me. "Tch!" I grit my teeth. She's almost as fast as I am with my bloodline limit activated. Her strength is unrivalled too. And I haven't seen her use ninjutsu either. It's either she can't. Or she's just holding back. *Damn.*
"What's the matter, boys?" The lady says. "Scared?"
"I am not!" Frost yells and swipes at her once again.
But in a blur, the lady dodges and grabs hold on Frost's throat and lifts him high in the air, strangling him. Though partially transformed, Frost is unable to get grid of the lady's grip as he desperately tries to knock her arm away while choking.
"Frost!" I call to my comrade and then glare at the enemy. "Why you!" I charge at her, along with my clone. "Let him go!" I then try to kick her, with hopes of having her let go of Frost.
But she just kicks me away, flinging me to the cargo of the boat and destroying it when I crashed right there. My clone also disappeared when I was beaten.
My whole body hurt like hell and I can barely move after that. However, I slowly get back up, forcing my sore muscles to work. And then I wipe away the blood that trickles down the side of my mouth.
"N-naruto.." I hear Frost say weakly and I immediately turn to him. The enemy still hasn't let him go but he's not struggling anymore and his partial transformation has worn off. "T-that's enough. You've d-done enough. You'll only hurt yourself."
"Minashi and I said we'd be here for you." I tell him. "And even though my sister's not here right now, I'll just have to do twice as much work so as to fill in her absence and keep our word."
"You guys.." Frost mutters, smiling sadly but at the same gratefully. "Thank you."
The enemy suddenly tightens her grip on Frost's neck, making Frost wince. "This is getting boring." She says and suddenly, lightning runs all over Frost's body, electrifying him and making him scream in pain.
"No!" I then stand up, ignoring just how much pain I'm feeling. "Frost!"
Then I do the only thing I can for now since it doesn't use too much chakra. I unseal shurikens from my scrolls and immediately fling it at the enemy with high accuracy, making sure I don't hit Frost. *Hopefully, it'll make her lose her concentration.*
Fortunately, it works. Her concentration breaks when she leaps away, carrying an unconscious Frost with her. "Tch! Annoying." She says, tossing Frost's unmoving body to her men. "Tie him up. I'm getting rid of this one."
I clench my fists, trying to show a strong front. The enemy twirls a kunai on her fingers. "Just do me a favor.." She says with a smirk. "..and die quickly."
And just like that, she turns into a blur and I immediately unseal kunais from my scrolls. "Still gonna fight?" I hear her say, her voice heard all around me. But no matter where I look, I don't see her anywhere.
Suddenly, I hear a sound of metal hitting metal, making me flinch. Once I realize nothing's happening to me, I immediately turn to the left, where the sound had come from. "Minashi?!" I can't help but exclaim.
Minashi is standing near me and seems to be blocking the kunai of the enemy with her chains. The enemy looks so surprised and despite looking so pale, Minashi glares at her hatefully. "Stay away from my brother!!" Minashi yells and all her chains whip themselves at the enemy. But the enemy is fast enough to leap away to safety.
"Tch!" Minashi says, still glaring at the enemy. "Missed."
"So *you're* the sister." The enemy says, smirking. "I wondered where you were. I was told there where three of you."
"I suggest you leave right now." Minashi says angrily. "Take your men with you. You've caused enough trouble already."
"Hahaha!" She laughs, looking so amused at what Minashi said. "And you think your threats are gonna scare me? I don't think so."
"Have it your way then." Minashi says, now turning to me. "Naruto, update me on the situation." She asks in a whisper.
I sigh. "You're not supposed to be here." I tell her seriously, ignoring her question. "Get back inside. You need to rest."
"And leave you to fight against the enemy? Yeah right." She tells me with a roll of her eyes. "As far as I know, you almost died back there."
"Minashi.." I tell her seriously. "..you are not in the condition to fight."
"You think I have that much of a choice?" She asks me seriously. "You have a little amount of chakra left and Frost is unconscious. Nobody else can help you."
I sigh. *She's right.* "You never listen to me." I complain. "Smart-ass."
She smirks. "You love me anyway." She says with a wink. "Now update me. And do it fast." She says, taking her place beside me.
"Our goal is to land a strong hit on the purple-haired lady." I tell her. "Seems she's under Milana's control and we need to wake her up so she'll stop the attack. For now her men are not attacking us so we should be alright."
"We shouldn't rely on that." She tells me. "There's a greater possibility that her men would come to her aid once she's hurt. We have to make sure they don't do that."
She then takes a scroll from my holder and unfurls it a bit, just so the small written seal on the top-most corner of the scroll is revealed. "I didn't know you wrote a seal in my scroll." I tell her.
"It's the seal of rejuvenation." She tells me as she does a series of hand signs at such a fast pace. "It takes a small portion of your chakra every once in a while, storing it into the seal for later use. When the seal is released, the chakra stored inside is returned to the owner. It's useful when you're in a low-chakra situation like now."
Just after she tells me all that, she also finishes the hand signs. "Fūinjutsu: Seal of Rejuvenation, Release!" She says.
The seal on my scroll starts to glow in chakra before slowly dissipating into nothing. Then, the same seal appears on my hand and I feel energy start to refill me.
"Conserve as much chakra as you can." Minashi orders once she's done. "The seal can only be used once and then it needs to take small portions of your chakra again. Which means there won't be any more refills for now."
"Roger that, Sis." I tell her.
After that, my sister's chains appear from her back and immediately forms a barrier around the area where the purple-haired lady and we are. "What the!" The enemy says, looking around in surprise. "A barrier." She then smirks, unsheathing her katana. "So you plan to separate me from my men? It doesn't really matter. I'll just kill you right here!!"
I can feel the tension in the air as it grows thicker, filling up with the enemy's killing intent. It's so strong that it makes me hesitate on attacking her.
"Minashi, do you feel that?" I can't help but ask my sister.
"You'll be fine, Naruto." She tells me with a smile. "Trust me."
I sigh and then turn back to the enemy, now wearing a smirk. "We'll see about that, Lady!!" I yell, unsealing two kunais at once and grabbing them tightly. "Minashi, I'm going." I turn to Minashi.
Once she nods, I immediately leap at the lady with kunais on the ready. Once I'm near enough, I slash at her. Her eyes widen and she immediately steps away from me.
"What the!" She says, still looking so surprised. I ignore her and aim to slash her stomach but she's able to block it with her katana. "Tch!" She glares at me. "How are you able to see through my actions?!" With a kick on the gut, I am sent a few meters backwards.
But once I recover, I immediately attack her once again. "You're going down!" I yell, launching a barrage of slashes in her direction. She manages to block all of it, but I don't stop.
Due to my continuous attack, the lady is forced to back away from me. But once she realizes that she's already too close to the barrier, she knocks me away with a strong kick and I'm sent rolling away from her till I hit a pole, leaving it terribly dented.
I then get up, stretching my limbs to let it get used to the pain. "Is that all you've got?" I ask with a smirk.
I glare at the enemy and I can see now that she's looking hesitant. I wonder why.
"You don't look so confident now, aren't you?" I state.
"So you found out?" She asks, making me raise an eyebrow. "I never thought you're one who's quite observant. It seems I have underestimated you."
"What the hell are you talking about?" I can't help but ask, scratching me head. *Really.* I have no idea what she's saying.
"Don't play coy with me, boy." She says angrily. "You've seen through my illusion. That's why you can see my movements clear-- What the!!"
The lady exclaims, looking so surprised when chains suddenly circles her whole body, capturing her right there. And then, Minashi goes through the part of the barrier that's right behind the captured purple-haired lady.
I raise an eyebrow and turn to the previous Minashi who's keeping the barrier up. And just as I do, it disappears into a puff of smoke. "Kage Bunshin?" I say and then turn to the real Minashi.
"W-when? When did you switch yourself with a clone?" The enemy says as she tries to break from Minashi's chains. But I know she's not going to succeed. The adamantine chains are so strong that it could capture a gigantic tailed beast. How much more a mere person? "I could've sworn I kept my senses on you even though I was fighting the blonde!" She yells.
"I never did." Minashi answers. "It was a clone since the start."
The lady's eyes widen. "Then.."
"Yes, I planned it since the very beginning." Minashi finishes for her. "I figured out your fighting style when I watched you fight Naruto and Frost. You would fill the whole area with your chakra, disguising it as your killing intent so your victims won't suspect anything. And then, when they attack, you'd manipulate the chakra that you put in the air to confuse your enemies and make them think your speed is unmatchable."
"So it was you!!" The enemy says. "You're the one who saw through it."
"Indeed it was." Minashi says, smirking. "To explain further, I used the seal of rejuvenation to restore my brother's chakra and as a bonus to the said seal, create a thin layer of chakra around his whole body to shield him from your illusion. And then, I purposely let him attack you on his own, knowing that his fighting style would force you near the back of the barrier, where the real me is waiting."
"You tricked me!" She yells.
I laugh. "Indeed, I did." I tell her. "Or perhaps you just lack the brain power."
She glares. "Why you.."
"Now now." Minashi cuts her off, smirking. "There's no need to bear a grudge. You'll be back to your old self in a few seconds."
Purple-haired lady turns to Minashi. "I am my--"
The lady is cut off once again when Minashi gives her a really strong punch on the face, knocking her out. "Now that's for hurting my brother and my friend." Minashi states angrily.
"Ohhh.. harsh." I comment, flinching.
But then, Minashi falls on her knees, the barrier and her chains all disappear at that very instant. The enemy is dropped to the floor but I don't bother with her.
I immediately go to Minashi's side, laying her in my arms as she starts to writhe around in pain. I also see the darkened veins spread even further through her body at such a fast pace until it had thoroughly consumed her right arm and the left side of her face.
Panic clings unto every fiber of my being but I try to put on a strong front. *Minashi needs me now.*
"M-minashi.." I call to her as I try to calm her down. "What's wrong?"
"S-so p-painful!!" She blurts out, grabbing unto my jacket with such a tight grip. "Naruto, it h-hurts!!" She screams the last sentence out of pain.
"Naruto!!" I hear Frost's voice call to me and then he knells beside me, looking at Minashi worriedly. "What happened?! How did Minashi get here?"
"She helped me fight against the enemy." I tell him hurriedly. And when I feel Minashi's body go limp in my arms, my heart beats even faster. "Minashi?! MINASHI!!"
Tears form in my eyes and I don't bother keeping them from falling. "Don't you dare leave me!!" I yell, slightly shaking her body. But she doesn't wake up. "Minashi?"
"She's unconscious, Naruto." Frost tells me after he checks Minashi. "Her pulse might not be detectable due to the poison but it's there."
Relief washes over me once I hear what Frost says. I then embrace Minashi's body. "Thank goodness." I mutter. "I thought I lost her for sure."
"Prince Frost." I hear someone say, making me turn to the person who had spoken - the purple-haired lady.
She's kneeling on both knees, right in front us and has her head bent so she is facing the floor. "I am so sorry for all the things I have done." She mutters, and then bows down so lowly that it would seem like she's kissing the floor.
"You should be." I am the one to reply. "You hurt Frost, me, and worse, my sister. You don't deserve to be forgiven at all!"
I gently move Minashi into Frost's arms and then stand up, walking towards the lady. I then grab her arm and wrench her upwards so she will stand up. She flinches and her men immediately react to my actions. Luckily, she gestures them to stop and they immediately obey.
"You're lucky my sister's still alive." I tell her in a threatening way. "If she died because of you, I'll make sure to make you suffer before I kill you."
"Naruto." I hear Frost's voice call to me in a warning tone. "It's not her fault. You know that."
"Tch!" I grit my teeth and then let her go. "Fine."
I then take Minashi from Frost and carry her in my arms.
"I suggest you leave now." I hear Frost say. "Take your men with you. You are free of Milana's control. Go home."
"I wish to aid you." She replies, getting my attention. "Milana made me do such terrible things. And I also want to atone for all the things I've done."
I don't say anything. I try to assess the situation. Milana knows we're coming. So, she might have hundreds of men guarding her by now. It would be of great help if we could even out our numbers.
"Perhaps it's a great idea, Frost." I tell Frost. "We could use the help."
"I am also a medical ninja." The lady suddenly says. "Perhaps I can help slow down the poison in your sister's body."
I immediately turn to her. "Really?!"
"Yes."
***
"Your sister should be fine for now." Mashika, the purple-haired lady, tells me once she finishes checking Minashi.
Anyway, Mashika Kanna is a ninja of Shimogakure, a hidden village from the Land of Frost. She's a medical ninja and at the same time relies on strength and genjutsu when in combat. She is also the daughter of the leader of a ninja guild that they formed. Thus explains the number of ninjas she has and the loyalty they showed.
"At least that's the good news." Mashika adds, making me worry.
"What's the bad news?" I ask.
"Due to overexertion of herself, she allowed the poison in her body to spread faster." Mashika tells me. "Even if I slow down the poison, she only has five more days, Naruto."
"B-but.." I mutter. "Then she won't make it in time."
"Isn't there something else you can do, Mashika?" Frost says since I don't say anything more. They also talk about some things but I didn't bother listening. I just look at my sister.
*Oh Minashi. What do I do?*
---
End.
Up next on The Lethal Duo, Chapter 5: Ethereal Alteration.
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