Samurai Showdown With Kakashi

- Ah, so there's the girl. - The blue haired reaper remarked. - Why didn't anyone tell me she came back? Actually... - He looked around confused. - Where is everyone? - He approached Pain, and asked. - What happenned?

- Jack and Raspatiu went into the cave and didn't come back. Death... well, you can see how he's doing. - Death was now on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. I realized that maybe we went a bit too far on him, since with a cut like that, it wouldn't take too long for him to die, unless proper treatment had been administrated.

The blue haired reaper moved away from Pain and ran to Death. They were probably friends, I assumed. He might just be there to see his friend before he dies, however, when I saw him put his hands on him, I realized it was something much worse. He was healing him. The mysterious blue-haired reaper was their team's healer. I tried getting up and moving, but getting on my knees was as much as I was capable of at the moment, I told Renji:

- He's healing Death. Hit him with a slash. Quickly! - Once he realised what was happenning, Renji held his sword and shot a beam.

- Heavenly Cut! - The single chakra slash flew towards the man, dissipating right before hitting. Was Renji too weak to muster strenght? No, that wasn't it. Pain was off to the side with his hand up. He probably repelled the slash, and in Renji's condition it would take too much time to muster another. The blue haired reaper, while healing his comrade, said:

- I can't believe you actually thought I would heal someone in an open battlefield, while unprotected. I have comrades watching my back. That's what it means to be a part of a team.

- Heal him quickly, Rinoh, and get out of here. - Pain ordered. - I don't want you to be among the dead.

- What do you mean, sir? Why would we... - Rinoh's face got filled with fear the moment he understood. What the hell did Pain mean by that? - I'll take us out of here right away.

Pain then looked at Linja and ordered:

- Give me the scroll, girl. - Linja put her hand on her hip, protecting where the scroll was at.

- Over my dead body.

Pain with a move of his hand, attracted the spot Linja seemed to protect, easily stealing the scroll. Linja then leapt forward to grab it again, but Pain was too masterful of martial arts. He quickly avoided the girl's charge, and kicked her back.

- I advise you to run. - Pain flew away as Linja was left on the ground powerless.

While watching him float up, probably with his repel powers, she knew he was telling the truth. It was too dangerous for her to stay there, and with the copy of the iron scroll with her, she had all she went there for. But inside her there was something that couldn't let her leave, something that she only knew she had when looking at Roderick and Renji beaten up. She cared for her friends, she couldn't simply abandon them, even if it was easier not to, so she ran to them. When she got to them, she asked:

- Renji can you walk?

- What... yeah, I can. But... What are you doing?

- I'll carry Rod. Let's get out of here. - Lin looked at the reapers on the ground.

Death seemed to wake up from his trance, and even sat up after a bit of healing. His wounds were still apparent but it seemed like he could move. Rinoh, noticing that, picked him up, and tried to leave as quickly as possible.

- I'm staying. - I said, diverting Lin's helping hand. - You leave, Lin. You have nothing to do with this.

- What are you talking about? I'm the one who wanted the scroll in the first place. If anything I'm the one who has to do the most with this.

- This went far beyond the scroll.

- He's right. - Renji intervened. - He's threathening to destroy our land as a wake up call. It's no longer about a measly scroll, its about protecting our land, fulfiiling a samurai's duty.

- You should leave, but we're staying and seeing this through. - I declared, determined. - This is not even your land, Lin. Run, I promise you'll see us again.

Lin started tearing up. I was confused.

- You're crying! Was it something I...

- You stupid idiot! - She shouted among tears. - You can't give me a speech of self sacrifice and not expect me to be sad. What am I to you?

- I don't...

- Rod, you gave me a house to live in, a job to live off, all after you promised to help me accomplish a dream. Even now you're sacrificing yourself, all because of a stupid scroll I had some interest on. You showed what a home can feel like, Rod! Of course, I'm sad!

I grinned.

- I'm not dying, you idiot. I'll be here after whatever Pain does. We'll see each other later.

- Later isn't enough. I'm staying. - She said, wiping her tears. Renji tried to refute her.

- Its too dangerous!

- I don't care. I have my pride as a scroll stealing ninja to protect, after all. - She said with a forceful smile, as tears kept running down her face.

With determination like that, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop her, so I simply nodded. Still it was quite nice to hear what she thought of me. Almost made me cry as well, to be honest. But right now there was some questions on my mind. What the hell is Pain going to do and why were the reapers so scared?

From a good distance in the air, Pain lifted his arms and started monologuing:

- For all your ignorance on the world, for all your lack of power and decisiveness, I will break you, I will show you pain, so that you may grow anew and cure this world of its wickedness. Because only those who know pain have the power to fight it, because only those who know pain know peace.

Around Pain a shroud of threathening light emerged. He had already shown me his Planetary Devastation, and pointed out how weak it was to its regular power. I wonder if this is what he meant by his full charge? But this wasn't a Planetary Devastation, no. This was...

- ALMIGHTY PUSH! - Pain said as destruction surrounded him.

The entire tomb area around him, the walls, the pillars, the tombs, started to dissipate, leaving nothing but dust in its wake. By looking at it, it was clear to see that nothing could survive in its destructive path, not even us. Renji directed himself towards the blast enveloping his sword in as much chakra as he could. But it was an hopeless struggle. We both knew that wouldn't do anything. We would die.

Before closing my eyes, in acceptance of my fate, I looked to the side and saw a desperate Linja taking an empty scroll and an inked brush from her pockets. What could she possibly do at a moment like this?

Linja thought to herself, moments before:

- So his ultimate attack is an overwhelming wave of destruction? You've got to be kidding me. No wonder the other reapers fled. Is there something I can do to protect us. - She felt a wet stain in her pants. - Did I just pee myself? How did I not even realize i... Wait, its my brush! I didn't wipe it when I copied the scroll. Maybe I can try that. I've only heard of it, never tried it. But as an artist, it would be dumb not to at least attempt it.

Lin started sporadically drawing in the scroll, and in a matter of instants, almost less than a second, she shouted in hopes it could work:

- Ninja Art: Protective Shield!

From the scroll she wrote, a white shield with huge pencil strokes was summoned, and covered the top of us as an igloo. The destructive wave came towards us, and with a scream from the three of us, it hit the shield. Although it reduced the damage, it broke almost instantly, and the force of the almighty push was still felt at a reduced extent. Lin and Renji who were standing up, were sent flying, as I was pushed harder on the ground. The small shrapnel from the destroyed ruins of the tomb, hit my back as small kunai. It was an hellish experience, one that none of us would survive if it wasn't for Linja's shield.

Once it was over, the ancient tomb of generals was now completely destroyed without a trace. All the swords, and dead bodies buried were either destroyed or lost in the village. Renji was now with his back against a rock, trying to breathe normally. Linja was near what was usually the entrance to the Forbidden cave, which became a small hole in the ground. She was lightly bruised from the push, but quickly got up. I on the other hand, was completely defeated. With my life barely in my hands, I could only dream of getting up. With the blood coming out of the many cuts caused by the storm of destruction, my life was fleeting. Linja quickly got to my side, cleaning my wounds with whatever empty scrolls she had. I tried to tell her it was pointless, but I couldn't even move my mouth. I could only hear her say:

- It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. You hear me, Rod? You see that reaper up there, he's fleeing because he's scared of you. You can't give up, now can you?

I knew what she was trying to do, but right now it was beyond me. Unfortunately, what she said was going to quickly become a lie. From the small hole on the ground where the cave was, a flame bursted through it, as two men came out. Both Raspatiu and Jack, who was hanging on the old man's arm, came out shocked with what was in front of them. Raspatiu gasped:

- So Pain used his Almighty Push? Thank god, we were in the cave. - He then shouted. - Master Pain!

Pain looked below him, noticing the two survivors. He gleefully ordered:

- So you survived? Very well, you're not as incompetent as I thought. Kill the surviving kids. They've become more than a bother at this point.