35 Secret Base 4 (1/2)
<Water Release: Scattering Bullet>
Forming hand signs in the blink of an eye, the Anbu launched small drops of water from his mouth that shot out at breakneck speed. The ninja who had gotten hit by the technique were knocked off their feet, showing an opening for Hikari to move closer, blade drawn in hands.
First slash. Second slash.
Blood scattered onto the stone floor as their heads rolled off one after another.
The moment that his comrades had been taken down, the last ninja used both Shadow Clone and Body Replacement, leaving the clone as distraction while he used the rest of his chakra to get away as far as he could.
Unfortunately, he didn't notice that someone else had locked their sight onto him.
”Heh, you can't fool my nose!”
Kiba had appeared right beside him. Before he could retaliate, Akamaru had jumped off the boy's head and sunk his sharp fangs into the ninja's wrist, preventing him from using any jutsu.
”Here I come!”
<Beast Human Taijutsu: Passing Fang>
Spinning at ferocious speed, Kiba drilled right onto the ninja's chest. The poor ninja was dragged all the way through the corridor until their back smashed the stone wall with a sickening crunch, knocking him out after a violent burst of pain.
”Not bad, little boy.”
The Anbu and Hikari walked over to scrutinize his work. So far, Kiba had only put his opponents to forceful sleep instead of killing them outright. The girl was about to reprimand him, but the bear-masked man placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head lightly.
”...Fine.”
Without any warning, she stabbed her sword into the ninja's chest, piercing right through his heart. After that, she continued forth without waiting for the two.
Woof!
Akamaru slipped off Kiba's head in order to climb up her shoulder instead.
”Don't mind her,” the Anbu said as he began to walk away as well.
”Wait.”
”Hmm?”
He turned around to see the boy staring right into his eyes.
”How did she... do that? I mean, ki-”
Killing.
It was normal for an Anbu to be able to kill. It was even supposed to be normal for Kiba, who was shinobi.
On the other hand, that girl was just a civilian. She was even younger than him. And yet, she wielded that sword which was as long as her own arm with such ease that it had become the extension of her limbs. Her expression didn't change even the slightest as she continuously sliced through flesh and bones.
Those eyes... he felt as if the Hikari who had always goofed around in his house and that girl whose eyes were brimming with killing intent were two different people.
The handsome man held a faint smile under his mask.
”Yao- that girl had made her choice. She had decided that in order to reach her goal, she had to smear her hands with blood, even if she didn't want to.”
Just like him. Just like Daji. Just like the rest of their comrades and allies from their previous lives.
It wasn't that they revel in manslaughter. It was just something so common that they had grew disillusioned about its significance. Just another person dying out of billions living, just another soul who had finally reaped their karma. What was the point in stressing it out?
He chuckled in self-mockery. Compared to these death-stained old coots, this boy was still as pure as a white jade.
”You seems close to her.”
”Wha- no! Who said that!?”
The boy turned away, prompting him to laugh harder.
In a hushed tone, he whispered,
”If there comes a time when the darkness within that girl resurfaced once again... I'll have to rely on you.”
After all, Xiuying was no longer there...
”Huh? What did you say?”
”Nothing.”
He abruptly cut the conversation right there, and then ran deeper down the base to catch up with Hikari and Akamaru.
---
The rooms within the underground base was connected with a tight corridor seeming made by carving into the earth itself. Stick-like contraptions were fixed at intervals near the ceiling, illumating the corridor in dim, faint light that gave off an eerie vibe.
”Those are not torches, are they?” Hikari asked.
”If I remember correctly, they're called lamps,” the bear-masked man replied.
”Hey, how far do we have to go?”
”I could sense her chakra a bit farther down. Patience.”
They hadn't been attacked for a while now. He didn't detect any chakra signature nearby, neither did Kiba caught any unknown smell, which meant that no ambush was planned, at least for the moment. The opponents had actually let them saunter around their lair just like that.
”Man, this place is creepy as hell,” Kiba muttered.
A few of the rooms in the base had glasses on the wall facing the corridor, allowing them to see inside. Strange tubes were lined up within, glowing in sickening green shade. Some kind of sticky liquid was contained inside.
”What are those for?”
””Experiments, most likely.”” The man and Hikari replied at the same time.
”Eh?”
”I've seen something similar to this in those wretched unorthodox sects' lairs. They put captives inside these gourds, and then tried various arrays and mystic arts on them just to see what will happen,” the girl explained.
Some words were complete enigmas to Kiba, but he managed to get the message.
”Then, this place...”
”...Must be some unorthodox bastard's playground.”
The hand gripping her sword tightened.
”Should we blast it to smitheeren?”
”Whoa, patience,” the Anbu coughed. ”My mission doesn't go that far. Just focus rescuing my partner and bring back the news to Konoha. If the Hokage give us the go, then we blow this place up.”
”...Tch.”
They dropped the subject for now, and then continued down the spiraling staircase.
”To be fair, this place is less a laboratory and more like an actual military supply base. We found loads of weapons and rations enough to maintain a small army.”
”That so...”
It was indeed a worrying cause. No wonder bringing back the news to Konoha took precedent.
While she was deep in her own thoughts, the man suddenly switched his language.
”By the way, Venerable Yao, I've been watching you for a while now. All you did are swinging your swords around like a mere mortal. Haven't you learned any useful jutsu? Did you learn something so strong it's inconvenient to use?”
The girl abrubtly stopped. Cold sweat began to pour on her back.