Pov: Aiko kaguya

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As it turns out, yes, we did have a plan. Quite a lot of them in fact, most weren’t good, but some could work. Mainly variations on different methods of ambush and assassination, they outnumber us 2:1 after all. 

We do have a few advantages though, they likely don’t know if any of us are ninja. Due to our clan's habit of letting everyone unlock their chakra, they won’t be able to tell if we’re ninja from a distance. Just like how we don’t actually know if they’re at the level we think they are, basing our guess on their kiragure vests.

So our plan is to hide in the nearest village, wait for them to arrive. Then try to ambush them, they’ll be less likely to try to simply overpower us if civilians are around. Not to mention that most of us can blend in to escape. None of us look like we’re from the Kaguya, hair dye, makeup, and not wearing the clan clothes, a simple but effective disguise. Meaning the civilians can escape while we hold them off, which is currently why we’re waiting on a roof.

Well, at least that ‘was’ the plan. It was a pretty good one too, and it worked up until all six of them body flickered up a neighboring building and started a staring contest. In hindsight, perhaps hiding on top of a building wasn’t the best plan. A disguise doesn’t change the fact we were crouching on a roof in a ninja pose. A mistake I'll likely end up regretting for a long time.

The staring continued, our opponents don’t want to act first out of fear of us having traps, and we don’t want to attack first because we don’t actually have any traps. Leading to a fairly awkward rooftop staring contest. Lasting for ten straight minutes of staring and trying to find ways to murder each other. Something that’s probably normal for ninja fights, but in our case let’s our family get farther away.

All until one of the enemy gennin decided he couldn't take it anymore, eloquently blurting out "hello?". Which, of course, caused a chain reaction, because when fighting a ninja, letting the opponent move first usually ends up getting you killed. And in a world where talking can help you blow people apart, it counts as a move.

Everything exploded into action all at once, the Kiri nin jumping back and throwing shuriken and kunai. Us dodging and casting jutsu, fireballs, wind blasts, and water blades flying toward them. All the while they send jutsu back at us, like the world’s deadliest game of ping pong. Fighting in town was pointless, assassination got thrown out the window. 

Body flickering from building to building, throwing jutsu back and forth. Running through alleys, jumping over food vendors, jumping in and out of windows. All frantically trying to stab each other without getting stabbed. Could aptly be described as chaotic.

We were fighting three kids our age, 2 boys and 1 girl. All in standard combat gear, all with weapon pouches and explosive tags. All vastly more prepared for combat than us, and better at team combat. Having likely trained together for years. But none of that matters if every fight becomes a mad scramble to survive.

Dodging back, I duck a kunai swipe, kicking of the ground and jumping to avoid kunai with explosive tags thrown under me. Getting launched in the air and at a nearby building, jumping off and rolling to dodge more explosive kunai followed by a slash from the boy wielding it. But getting separated from Gako.

Running at my attacker, I slashed his elbow, causing it to go limp before kicking him into a wooden wall and throwing a kunai at his chest. Then running back to find Gako my fellow gennin, he'd been left to fight two at once, something I doubt he could handle. Charging down the street to assist. Dodging attacks from the boy behind me. I couldn’t let my friend die, if he did I would be alone on my travels. A depressing thought.

But It was too late, I turned the corner right as a kunai got shoved through his ribs. Hanging off the arm holding it like a macabre puppet, the light  slowly fading from his eyes. All the while, his own kunai was handle deep in the leg of his killer. Slowly sliding to the ground, all his life’s ambitions, goals and achievements, all ended with one stab, all in a 3 minute fight.

That’s when the situation truly hit me, crashing through the adrenaline. I may not have known him well, but he was an ally, someone I trusted, someone I spent hours talking to about cool jutsu and his goal of one day becoming a jounin. Someone I believed I would spend the rest of my travels with, one of my last cousins. My last friend, dying on the floor.

That could have easily been me, kekkai genkai or no. If things turned out differently, that could have been me slowly falling into the dirt. Today could very easily be the day I died, and it still could. All three of my opponents are alive, injured yes. But still alive, all prepared to kill me. 

So I shot his killer in the throat, a move no one expected. Using my kekkai genkai to separate the first segment of my index finger bone and launch it at the boy, shooting it 80 miles an hour at his head.

He didn’t dodge, the body on top of him not allowing it. The bullet sliding clear through his neck, creating an inch-wide hole gushing blood. His hand flying up to his throat to stem the bleeding, but unless immediately given professional care by a medic, he would die. Instant revenge some would say, but I just felt numb.

My first kill, something celebrated in the Kaguya clan, something that would usually be a rite of passage, but I just felt numb. Numb and disappointed at the world. My only remaining friend was dying, slowly bleeding out on the floor with a knife in his lung

But not numb enough to not hear the rushing of wind behind me. Turning around just in time to catch the sneak attack of the gennin I left behind, catching his wrist just fast enough that his knife barely cut my side. Crushing his wrist and kicking his leg from under him. Whirling around to use him as a shield from a kunai.

All while we were fighting, the chunnins were doing the same, brutally killing each other, two of the enemies already dead while the third was missing an arm and his shoulder slowly bleeding out. Shinto looked like he was living off pure willpower alone, his limbs bending the wrong way with bone sticking out at points. The look of pure hatred in his eyes something I will never forget. He knew he wasn’t going to live through this fight, his only goal to take his enemies with him. He was going to succeed. All four of them would die, with nothing gained.

And in front of me is a gennin, my knife at his throat making him stand in front of me. He was young, likely right out of the academy, only here because the elders of kiriagure thought they’d only be slaughtering untrained civilians. Not expecting combat, and yet seeing his teammate die in a span of no more than five minutes. Bugs friend bleeding out in front of him, still clutching his throat, unable to block both the entry and exit wound. Directly underneath the the dying form of my friend.

Now with all but us standing in a devastated town street, our comrades dying, and the will to fight leaving us. I have to contemplate just how pointless this battle was and the causes behind it. Nothing was truly achieved. 2 people were already dead, four more waiting to see who bled out first. A waste of 7 lives that could have spent upwards of 20-30 more years perfectly healthy. All of us could have lived if we simply left each other alone.

Now I'm left to silently stare at my opponents, a girl and boy that couldn't be much older than me, 14 years old maximum. Proudly wearing the Kiriakure headband, covered in dust and debris. Standing in a devastated town street. A town we never had to actually enter to fight, our entire plan of silent assassination  thrown out the window due to lack of common sense that normal people don't crouch on top of houses. Simply property damage with no gain.

Taking a second kunai I slice my opponents leg before throwing him forward. Giving them the choice to either bandage themselves, or bleed out while fighting. Before rushing to Gako, grabbing him by the arms and pulling him up. I doubt he’ll live, but at the very least he would prefer dying in company than in the battlefield. Atleast one final hug.

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End of chapter two

Author note: low key ended up rushing this chapter, the app I use to write kept deleting the chapter, I ended up writing this thing 3 times before giving up and just writing it in the notes app on my phone. Also fight scenes are hard, pretty sure I wanna write some more light hearted ones.

Also sorry the chapter isn't great, I'll probably end up editing it at some point. 

Have a great day!!👍