Chapter 74 - The Last Dragon

Ekyt ran as fast as he could, making handsigns and knocking the scythe and strings down as he went. The last in his dragon trio was one he could barely control. Ekyt had only mastered roughly fifteen perfect of it’s power. Even that would take almost all his chakra, if he wasn’t wiped out completely by the end of it.

But I need a distraction… Something that won’t use much chakra…Well, it’s too artistic for my tastes, but it fits the bill…

Ekyt plucked the rose he had been holding from out of his coat pocket. He threw it high in the air. Putting two fingers under his eyes, he focused the tiniest bit of chakra he could, and…

“Bloom!”

The flower exploded, sending petals scattering all over. Azami didn’t bother to doge- this was clearly a cheap parlor trick designed to distract her. Or so she thought until she felt her arm get cut. Catching a petal, Azami shook her head. Her two comrades were cut up pretty good, though, having decided not to dodge.

Razor blades. Should’ve known. Someone like him wouldn’t be defenseless, even in a hospital bed. He must’ve planted an explosive agent in the flower, along with attaching razor blades to each petal. That boy really needs to get a girl or something.

Azami had worked so hard in figuring out the trick behind the exploding rose that she forgot that she wasn’t allowing herself to get distracted. When she remember this fact, she was on her guard- possibly too late. Thinking quickly, she yanked the ankh from around her neck.

“Shadow Clones!”

These weren’t like the regular Shadow Clones. They weren’t clones of Azami- instead, they were clones of nine Egyptian High Priests. All wearing Anubis masks. Azami always felt a kinship with Anubis, and seeing the nine priests brought a small smile to her face. Seeing the look on Ekyt’s face brought a bigger one.

-

“You’ve got to be kidding me! How can she do that?!” Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs. He was practically pulling his hair out, such was his desire to help.
My Shadow Clones are perfect for this! Here we go!
“Multi Shadow Cl-”

Sakura grabbed his arm, shaking her head. “It’s still Ekyt’s fight. Have more faith in him, Naruto.”

“This is the Akatsuki! That girl already almost killed him! You want me to let her finish the job?!”

Sakura shook her head again. “No, but… Ekyt can handle this. He’s far from being beaten. I don’t know what he’s going to do, but we have to let him end this fight, on his terms if possible. The second he’s in trouble, though…we’ll go kick @$$!”

Yuushi, who was with them, couldn’t stand by any longer. He couldn’t disobey his teacher, either. So he compromised.

“SENSEI! TAKE THIS!”

-

Ekyt saw the sword falling through the air- he just had to get to it. Breaking out the trench knives, he started to hack his way through the sword-toting priests. Their oddly curved blades proved to be difficult, but not impossible to overcome. The twin trench knives Ekyt was wielding were much quicker than the Ada-ish blades he was against. But he needed that sword now. Time for a new trick.

My last dragon isn’t ready yet…So maybe I can speed up it’s arrival and my own speed…It’s worth a shot…

“FIRST GATE, GATE OF OPENING- RELEASE!”

Opening the first gate of chakra DID increase your speed and muscle strength, and that’s what Ekyt needed. But it ate up energy- the last thing Ekyt needed. But in a fight like this, you could hold nothing back.

“CLOSE!”

-

Gai and Lee looked absolutely stunned.

“Close?! He can’t do that! He’ll hurt himself! That technique is beyond forbidden- it’s not even recorded!” Gai was pacing back and forth. “Closing the gate so quickly can do internal damage. Horrible internal damage. Muscle teas, bone breaks, chakra tenketsu damage…”

“Gai-sensei, does this mean that you have attempted this technique?” Lee wasn’t used to seeing anyone else use the chakra gates.
It is foolish to do this! But we cannot step in. Honor and life are one and the same to Ekyt. If we get involved now, we will step on his honor, and that is as good as ending his life. But to use such a foolish technique!
His fight must indeed be desperate.

“He had no choice…” Kakashi was calmly assessing the situation, though it seemed as though he, too, wanted to get involved in the worst way. “He needs that sword. He’s got one jutsu in his repertoire that can clear the way for his last dragon. Going by the fact that he hasn’t used it yet, it must take a great deal of preparation. It must be a powerful jutsu…But one that Ekyt has not obtained mastery over…”

-

Ekyt closed the gate, feeling his muscles protest, but hold up. In one motion, he scooped up the sword, spun, and drew it.

“Sickle Moon Dance!”

Two shadow clones fanned out and helped Ekyt attack his foes. To the casual observer, it would seem like Ekyt had won. But anyone who was really paying attention noticed something odd- Azami wasn’t looking bothered in the least. In fact, she had her eyes closed, and her hands folded in what looked like prayer.

-

So it’s come to using the first of my secret techniques…so be it. He’s a worthy opponent. Now then- Chakra Absorption! Ekyt already knows I can give chakra, so he’s probably guessed I can take it away, too- but he doesn’t know how it’s done…

-

Ekyt destroyed another clone, ready to face the last one. He cleaved it’s side, but found he couldn’t tug the sword free.

Huh? But it’s flesh and blood! That cut should have torn through it, easy! I didn’t miscalculate the angle. If I had, the sword would have just bounced off the ribs. No, I made the right cut…It’s a trap!

Ekyt pulled the sword as hard as he could and leapt high in the air. His hand found his kunai pouch. He withdrew one and threw it at Azami. As he did, he noticed a golden light chasing him in the air. He kicked at it instinctively- bad move.

“Gah!”

Ekyt withdrew his foot as quickly as he could; though not before five percent of his remaining chakra had been taken. But his kunai was right on target…

Azami opened her eyes. She thrust a palm upward, stopping the speeding knife just inches from the key point between her eyes. Her palm smacked the steel and deflected it- without cutting her- up into the ceiling. Ekyt fell back down and cut through the head of the clone, this time successful in destroying it. His preparation was complete.

“RYUUZA: DRAGON CONSTELLATION!”

The last in Ekyt’s dragon trio. It’s power had been sapped when his chakra had been taken, but Ekyt hoped that ten percent of it’s potential power would be enough. As this jutsu was, at heart, a mix of fire and explosions, it fit nicely into Ekyt’s fighting style. The Jutsu itself was derived from a Chinese New Year celebration, of all things.

“Guch!” Ekyt fell to his knees and coughed up blood.

Damn…this jutsu had a bigger back-blast than I guessed. It’s really pushing me…(koff) But I’ve got no choice. Master Jiraiya…sorry I won’t be joining you after this. For once, I wish your research the best…

The dragon made a dazzling entrance, full of fire and explosions. It cracked the floor and ceiling as it floated up above Ekyt. He felt the heat himself. Burns raised on his exposed arms and chest. But that was of no concern to him now.

“HAJIME!”

The dragon spun in the air like a firework, becoming smaller as it went. When it had condensed to the size of a golf ball, Ekyt put his hand out. The tiny ball settled in his palm. He kicked off, aiming for Azami.

Azami saw what Ekyt was doing. She raised her ankh, using it to help her form a chakra barrier. Hidan, who had been stitched together again by Kakuzu, leapt in front of the attack, spinning his scythe to shield the fire.

I’ll never get through all that at this speed! And I can’t hold onto this much fire for long! This works much like the Rasengan- power into a ball. But I couldn’t hold that kind of pure chakra. My attack is more crude. I have to borrow fire’s power to give the attack any kind of punch. I need to increase my speed. This’ll mean a burn, but…

“HYAA” Ekyt dropped the ball and kicked it as hard as he could. It sped up to four times the rate he had been going. That was less speed than Ekyt hoped, but it was speed enough.
“Fin.”

The little ball stopped just short of Hidan. A second explosion propelled it forward- through Hidan’s abdomen- and into Azami.

BOO—M!

-

Jiraiya shielded Tsunade with his Needle Jizo Jutsu. He was able to see the entire attack.

“That much potential…but it won’t be enough…Tsunade, do we have some kind of counter-attack ready?”

Tsunade nodded. “I’ve been in radio contact with them. We’ve planned it. The second Ekyt goes down, they’re rushing the floor. And if they fail…it’s up to us. …
…
Jiraiya…does he have any chance at all of surviving? Any at all?”

Jiraiya smirked, though his eyes stayed grim. “This is Ekyt we’re talking about. He’ll survive- but he won’t win.”

-

Ekyt stood up, hardly daring to see what had happened. He could have cried- he felt so much.

His dragon had burned a hole through Hidan’s stomach and out the other side. But it had done little else- Azami’s chakra barrier lessened the impact. She had caught the dragon and crushed it.

“Well…you DID burn my hand…” Azami was shaking her hand out. No one made a sound.

Is she…trying to save my feelings? Ekyt wondered, forcing himself to do what he had always done- get up one more time. This time, he drew Yuushi’s sword. He tucked the butt end into his shoulder, and braced the blade midway with his left hand. The hilt was braced under his right forearm.

“One more…for all the marbles.”

Azami shut her eyes. She didn’t want to fight him anymore. He wouldn’t just die. Part of Azami knew. Had she tried her best to kill him? Her heart was a mix of emotions, some unreadable to the girl. All the same, she knew she had to finish this fight. She held out her ankh, as if holding a blade.

“Ventosus Gladius!”

The two started at opposite ends of the stadium. It would be a running joust. Neither one said anything. It would be Ekyt’s Kenjutsu vs. Azami’s wind blade. There would be no second chance. The two ran at top speed. Ekyt’s hand thrust out. Azami’s hand followed suit.

SCHUNK! CLANG!

Azami had stopped Ekyt’s blade with her free hand. Her sword had pierced his abdomen. Ekyt’s momentum carried him a short distance. Then the blood spurted out of him, and he collapsed to one knee.

I’m alive? I can’t do much…But I have to do something…

Ekyt was all but done for. He still held the trench knives Asuma had thrown to him, but other than that, he was defenseless. One percent of his total chakra remained. With the sword through his stomach, it was a wonder he was standing at all.

“Azami…You’ve been in so many battles…” Ekyt began, walking toward her slowly. “How is it that you’re so free of cuts?”

“No cuts you can see, right? I get cut all the time, really. But I have NEVER been cut on the face. No one ever gets close.” Azami waited for Ekyt to come to her. She just didn’t have it in her heart to charge down a boy that could be blown over by a strong gust of wind.

Ekyt kicked off suddenly. He aimed the knife at Azami. Her leg flashed out and stuffed him in the stomach, stopping him from getting within blade range. All the same, Ekyt swiped as he coughed up blood. He fell to the ground face-first, now laying still.

Azami felt a tear in her eye. She brushed it away, but she still felt a wetness on her cheek.

Blood?!

Azami looked at Ekyt as she felt her cheek. She saw a blue glow recede from the trench knives just as her fingers found a shallow cut on her cheek.

He focused the last of his chakra into the blade to lengthen it’s reach… All this time, he didn’t do that once. He must have been waiting for an opportune moment. I just assumed that he didn’t know how to use the knives…
…
So he’s the first one to cut me… At least he can die with that small triumph in mind…Goodbye…
I love you.

Azami raised her leg to stomp his neck.

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