XII

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Arc XII Chapter 5

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His question went ignored, much to the One Tail's apparent displeasure. His tail lashed out like a whip.

Yet Asami stood her ground, her eyes firm, her will unshaken, her chin high, without the slightest hint of fear or hesitation, unbothered by the One Tail's presence, unbothered by his aura. Contrary to lesser human beings, his chakra, the immense concentration of yin and yang, didn't faze her. She was his equal, if not more.

He, a bijuu, a mystical beast and demon of ancient legends. Created by the hands of the Sage of Six Paths. Born from the divine power of the God Tree. Ceaselessly wandering the realm of mortals ever since.

She, the last scion of the imperial household, inheritor of an ancient legacy older than even the bijuu themselves. Descendant of the rightful guardians and custodians of the God Tree entrusted to them by the will of the kami. Only for them to be later deceived and misled by the machinations of Princess Kaguya in her foolish pursuit of power.

Bijuu and Uchiha. One Tail and imperial princess. Now they faced each other head on in this unknown place, far removed from time and space, far removed from reality. Her chakra resonated with his. And his with hers.

“...” Asami strolled through the venerable halls, her steps slowly approaching the sand tanuki. The One Tail was imprisoned behind a massive gate and a row of sturdy metal bars, his power contained by a complex array of glyphs and signs. The array was a fuinjutsu, created for a single reason, for a sole purpose, to seal, to trap the One Tail. Despite all his power, despite all his might, despite all his chakra, the One Tail ultimately succumbed to the ingenuity of man, his essence bound to a human vessel. In the end, even a bijuu was just a mere agglomeration of raw, unconstrained chakra, a mere creation given life and sentience by the Sage of Six Paths. In the end, they were just inferior products. Not that she would say so openly. No need to antagonise the tanuki. To do so would be rather ... unwise. Or so she thought ...

“...” Asami halted, her eyes assessing her opponent. The scent of yin and yang was strong in him, and yet the grasp on his power was ... fleeting. The One Tail flaunted his massive chakra in a grand display of power, and yet his little performance failed to impress. His demonstration fell short of her expectations, to put things mildly, much to her astonishment. How ... fortuitous.

“...” A secret smirk crossed her lips, her fingers already tingling, already crawling with excitement. Fate tempted her with the sweet lure of power, with the sweet scent of a fruit forbidden. It was such an ... enticing offer. One she was loath to forego. They wouldn't notice. Nobody would if a little bit would be missing.

The One Tail chakra was ... crude, primitive, unrefined, unpolished. Unlike hers, his chakra was found lacking in so many regards. It was a testament not of his strength, but of his weakness. He was nothing but a mere beast, gifted with powers vastly beyond his means. It would be easy to make them her own in his current state. Because what was once bestowed, could also be taken.

Asami cleared her throat, armed with her suavest smile, her chakra slowly spreading, slowly corrupting the void. The tanuki would be none the wiser. “You must be the infamous One Tail, I presume, one of the nine legendary bijuu. It is a pleasure to finally meet one of your kind, master of the sand, or should I say, Shukaku.”

“... ... ...” The One Tail merely giggled in response, a certain unmistakeable arrogance in his voice. “What a curious one you are, human child. Not only do dare you to enter my realm in such an insolent way, you also know my true name. I always thought that my name had been long since forgotten by man.”

Asami grinned. “Forgotten it may have been, but not yet lost. Your name survived the ages, as did the ones of brothers and sisters, although it took quite some effort to procure them all.”

“I see.” Shukaku scrutinised her, his eyes studying her intently. “You know much, human child, but I shouldn't be surprised. Your accursed lineage was always privy to knowledge others weren't. Your eyes always saw what others didn't.”

“...” Asami narrowed her eyes, her mood deteriorating. “So you knew? How?”

Shukaku noted her displeasure, scoffing.“You thought that I wouldn't notice, human child? How presumptuous of you. Your eyes were never a secret. This is not the first time that I was visited by the child of man, nor are you the first of your blood to grace me. Few are those who are allowed to enter this place. Those who harbour our essence. Those you humans call jinchuuriki. And those who wield the eyes of our father. You are the latter. You share his blood. I feel it. So show me them, child. No need to hide your precious eyes.”

“Hehehe, how true ...” Asami merely giggled. His deductions were ... correct. The blood of the Sage of Six Paths coursed through her veins, and so much more. “To think that I would be found out like this ... How careless of me ... Oh, well~.” Her eyes opened, revealing her mangekyou sharingan in all its purple glory. The last traces of crimson red had long since faded when their light diminished, but not their strength.

“... ... ...” Shukaku stiffened, his posture turning cautious, guarded, vigilant. “Your eyes ...” He recognised the danger. He recognised the danger she posed. Yet it was already too late. She had come to claim what was hers.

“...” Asami smiled, her menacing chakra pervading, saturating, permeating the very air. Her aura surged in strength, its hunger insatiable. Her aura devoured, consumed, swallowed everything in its path. “Beautiful, aren't they?”

“Ggggrrrr!” The tanuki growled in response, baring his teeth in defiance. He knew. He came to realise that her intentions were far from benign. “You ... Who ... No, what are you?”

His question amused her. Asami smirked. “A sharp one, aren't we?” Her chakra manifested, and the world turned purple. Her susanoo awakened from her long slumber. Bones, tendons, muscles, flesh, all clad in plates of lacquered steel. A female avatar, a warrior, a soldier, a samurai, rose in full armour. A primal behemoth brandishing a pair of swords, her presence irresistible.

Asami grinned. Her susanoo unsheathed her sword, ramming her glimmering purple blade straight through to pierce the tanuki, digging deep into the bijuu and his armour, the scorching heat of her blade, burning, cutting through his skin, turning sand into molten glass.

Rrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!! A painful cry echoed through the halls. “You ...”

Her susanoo rammed her katana deeper, deeper, and deeper into the tanuki's unprotected flesh.

“YOU BITCH, YOU will PAY for THIS!” the One Tail roared.

As if. Asami giggled ominously, her gaze firm. “Such remains to be seen~.”

“RRRAAAAGHHHH!!!” Shukaku gathered his chakra, a sphere of yin and yang forming in his jaw. So this was the fabled the bijuu dama. How cute.

Asami chuckled amused, her hand concealing her lips. “Such a rebellious spirit. Trying to resist. How quaint.”

Her susanoo struck, her right arm grabbing his neck from across the metal bars, pressing his cranium downards, interrupting his jutsu. A dagger followed. The blade short. The steel sharp. The chakra blade splintered his skull, nailing him to the ground.

“RRRrrrraaaaaarrrrgggGHHHH!!!” Shukaku howled, his pain filling the air.

Her susanoo ripped the cage apart, tearing through the metal bars to break the last vestiges of the seal barring her way. The path was cleared. Her gauntlet grabbed her last blade. Her wakizashi struck last, her blade cleaving through his helpless flesh. Three swords brimming with purple chakra. Three blades to tie him. Three blades to bind him. Three blades to judge him. Her chakra invaded, breaching his essence by force to take what was hers.

“Aaargghhhhhhh!!!” The One Tail convulsed, his muscles screaming in endless agony, flailing. “RRRrrraaaaAARRrrggggGGGgghhHH!!!” How unfortunate that it was a bit too late for regrets and pity. This was the path she had chosen. This was the path she had been chosen for. In this life, as well as in her last life.

“Now, Shukaku, be a good tanuki~. I promise it won't hurt.” Her mangekyou glimmered purple in the darkness now his essence was laid bare. His chakra withered, as did his strength. His chakra disintegrated. His chakra decayed. The time had come to claim her prize.

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The night passed, and golden dawn arrived with satisfying results. Asami inspected the palm of her hand, a gleeful smile on her lips. The bliss. The joy. The happiness. The power of the gods invigorated her senses, invigorated her very being. It was now hers. Appreciable progress was made in a single night. As things stood now, she had to pay the tanuki a few more friendly visits.

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