Samurai Showdown With Kakashi

(Renji's perspective)

I was surrounded by all the samurai of the Land of Iron as they shouted my name.

- Renji! You're the best! You really made your title true. The unbeatable, the great prodigy, Samurai Master Renji!

It was bliss. I let myself fall into their arms as I was taken through the crowd. It was more rough than I imagined, but I couldn't blame them.

- My loyal subjects show me your joy, and your loyalty.

Everyone yelled out in pure ecstasy, but one covered entity was among them, and his whisper hit harder than the people's screams:

- I'm not loyal to you.

The dream world crumbled on itself, as the great Land of Iron became a stone room, with the only thing visible being the endless grates. Above me was only darkness, below him crumbling ground.

- What is happening? What kind of nightmare is this? - In an attempt to wake myself up, I pinched my arm, and although I felt the pain, the fictional world stayed intact. I thought to myself what could cause something like this. I suppose I've been through some stress lately, but it's most likely... - Genjutsu. That damn Shisui. He must have attacked us while we were sleeping. He must...

- It wasn't him! Kraah! - A grave voice resounded in the room, followed by a bloody cough. Its source? Behind the steel bars.

I looked through it and where there was purely darkness, now was a huge beast. Although he sounded intimidating, his fur was falling and was at an already sickly white color, with his bones sticking to his bloody skin. His face was barely formed, missing one eye and showing part of its skull instead.

- What are you?

- Kurama, the Nine Tails Beast! And I'm the one who Kraa! - Another bloody cough. - Who brought you here. No pathetic use of genjutsu was needed.

- The Nine Tails? But aren't you supposed to be orange, with an intimidating...

- I AM INTIMIDATING! - Kurama screamed, following it an acute screech of pain. The bars keeping him prisioner, broke as the beast shouted.

Its sound perfurated Renji's mind as he felt the beast's pain coursing through him.

- What did you do?

- This is what you get for messing with me. All those experiments to keep me alive in such a small amount of chakra, inside a stupid curse. - Experiments? Curse? Is this because of Orochimaru? What the hell did he...

- Aaarghh! - My arm felt like it was getting crushed, as my vision began fading. The beast yelled:.

- You will all suffer for what you've done to me! You will all die!

(Roderick's perspective)

My vision went red as I saw Renji still shouting.

One of his chakra blasts hit my forehead, and the cut caused was now leaking blood. I cleaned it up with some difficulty as I felt the setbacks of my two open gates. I was already used to withstanding the first inner gate's strain, but the one of Healing was now hurting me. I felt my body lose its vitality, as it stitched back the cuts along my body. In this condition I wonder if I can even subdue Renji.

It was clear the Nine Tails was consuming him from the inside out. If Yamato says he can seal the beast away, I have to do everything to make that happen, but approaching his blades seemed too dangerous without any of my swords. I couldn't ask Inoue to give me hers, due to its sentimental meaning to her, but I needed something to protect myself. I heard Yamato ask:

- Roderick, you're a samurai, right?

- Of course.

- Then I suppose it's better this way. - He looked to his side, to the ANBU warrior getting up besides me. - Mika, give him your sword.

- Wha... Are you sure he can be trusted?

- Just do it. You can fight with your kunai.

The ANBU warrior seemed undecisive as to whether he should follow his captain's command or not, and before he could make a decision, Renji continued his assault. Inoue was his first target now, as he readied himself to slash her sideways from both sides.

- Jump! - I yelled in time.

She leapt high in the air avoiding the first attack, as Renji looked up. He lowered himself to strenghten his jump, and as he was about to leave the ground, I hit his jaw with a both feet kick. I looked back at the ANBU and screamed with my already sore throat:

- Just give the sword to me! - However he still wasn't willing to comply.

- I won't obey you! Nor Yamato! - With some hand signs the warrior inhaled a big amount of air. - Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! - A fervent ball of flames came from his mouth, headed straight for Renji,

With one of his bladed arms, Renji cut through it, extinguishing it with a touch. Yamato was mad.

- I am your superior! You can't just go against my will.

- Not after what the Hokage offered you! - Yamato was confused.

- I haven't accepted it.

- We all know you're a jonin now. You're one of the Hokage closest people. That's because you became too soft. Even in a situation like this, you're not willing to kill, when it's the only course of action. - The man's eyes became watery. Either he was really passionate about his beliefs or there was something else behind this, something I know too well. Revenge.

The ANBU warrior had seen his comrade's head chopped off, he wasn't going to let the culprit leave alive, but that sort of recklessness would cost him his life. After seeing his fire fail, his best option was to gain distance as he threw kunais at Renji. Inoue saw her chance to help as well, shouting:

- 3 Heavenly Cuts! - Three air slashes went for one of Renji's sides, while the kunai came for the other.

By just moving his arms up, all the projectiles were dispatched, so I thought this was my chance. Another kick to the face could knock him out, but he wasn't willing to let that happen. He quickly protected himself, as he caught my foot with the sides of his chakra blades, but it wasn't like kicking steel, it was like kicking molten lava. I felt my foot burn, and was forced to get away from it. As I fell on the ground, I felt my inner gates close. My body shrieked in pain, as Inoue and ANBU warrior stepped in.

Inoue blocked a strike that was directed at me, as well as the next three aimed at her, but it was clear her father's spirit was s.u.c.k.i.n.g her chakra dry, as she was pulled back. The ANBU warrior sheathed his sword in fire attempting to strike Renji.

- Now you die, iditot. Fire Style: Blazing Cut! - The flaming sword was high on offensive power, however it was low on defensive might.

Where Inoue's chakra covered sword would be able to take Renji's strikes, the ANBU simply covered his blade in fire, and so, once Renji countered his strike, the blowback of it, was enough to not only cut through his sword, but hit the warrior like a saw, splitting him in two.

Renji was too powerful, and his chakra just kept rising.

(Renji's perspective)

- STOP! - I screamed at the beast. - Look at yourself! You're killing us both!

- I'm only destroying your mind, not mine. Once I get hold of your body, I will be able to suck your chakra dry and become my powerful self once more.

- I won't let you! They won't let you!

- And why do you think they can do anything against me? - As my mind was getting decimated, I knew this wasn't the moment of pride. It wasn't the time to focus on myself. After all, from his own words, the thing killing is my power. I had to trust my friends.

- Because they will do anything to save me! No matter how stupid, or egotistic I am! You have nothing against them!

- Then let's see what they will do against this! - The beast was definitely preparing something ominous.

(Roderick's perspective)

Renji stood still. After the endless assault of strikes, he seemed to stop, as he looked down. With some time to rest, I looked back at Yamato:

- How long will it take you to heal?

- This isn't something quick, however if you bring him here, I might be able to seal the beast away.

- That's easier said than done. - I sighed. - He seems like he calmed down after slaughtering that man, maybe now... - A small black ball emerged from Renji's mouth. - What is that?

- It's a Tailed Beast Bomb! Everyone run!

Inoue started to get away, as the ball forming in his mouth grew larger. With how scared Yamato seemed to be, that ball must be something mighty, something none of us would survive if we were to be hit at this range. Should I try to reopen the gates and grab Inoue and Yamato to get them out? I can't leave Renji here. What if he runs away? There's one thing I can try, but I only have one chance.

The ball in his mouth began to produce red and blue flares around it, as he got his head up and aimed at us, willing to shoot in that very moment, but I wasn't going to let him do it his way. I reopened my two inner gates once more, as I felt my body crush under its own weight, but I had to resist it. At a speed faster than Renji would be able to perceive, I kicked his jaw from underneath, aiming his mouth up, as the blast was shot upwards. Unfortunately, it blew up only a few meters in the air, and the air pressure resulting from the explosion, threw me, Renji and Inoue against the ground, as our bodies got stuck to the land.

As I was regaining my senses, Renji began to stand up. While laying on the ground, since my right arm was in range of him, I grabbed his head in a downwards slam and pushed it against the ground.

- Inoue, seal him now.

The poor girl got up wavering as she approached slowly. My arm wasn't going to single-handedly hold the beast down, and Renji's bladed arms knew that. With a swing, from his arm Renji got rid of my body, by slicing the arm that was holding him. My mind went blank as I passed out from the pain.

(Renji's perspective)

- No, Rod! Please, just stop hurting them!

- I thought you said they were strong enough to seal me away, but look at you now. All scared. This is where trust gets you kid. - The beast was too ruthless, however there was a remaining hope in front of my eyes.

- 3 Sealing Slashes! - Inoue shot three chakra beams, sticking my neck and legs to the ground. Thankfully she didn't aim at the arms, since I'm pretty sure that those seals would be dispatched of immediately.

- You think you can hold me tight? - The beast growled. - Don't question my power.

My arms were now chakraless as my legs were the ones to become enveloped by the blue light. The seals were immediately destroyed, as my body attempted to forcefully get rid of the one still in my neck. However...

- Hokage Style: Elder Jutsu: Tenth Edict on Enlightement! - Yamato had his lower body become fully tree, as his legs became roots that grew above me. On his hand, words appeared spelling "STABILIZE", as a light shone from it.

Yamato then got himself back on his position, with his consciousness barely stable. In his hand was a string of chakra that came from my c.h.e.s.t, where the cursed mark had been put in me.

- What is he doing? - New bars came from the endless sky, landing between Renji's mind and Kurama's dying spirit.

- Yaaagh! - I did one last push, as my body freed itself from Kurama's control. - You don't hold me captive any longer.

- Impossible! You can't lock me away!

- No... - I had to say I was disappointed with myself. - My friends can. - I wasn't even able to withstand him on my own. How weak have I truly become?

In the middle sealing pillar, a lock seemed to emerge to make sure the beast was contained, and Kurama wasn't pleased.

- You can't keep me here forever. With your pathetic strenght, you will fall once more, and once that happens I will be released.

- Then all I have to do is never lose again. - I said confidently. - Good, that was the original plan. - Kurama seemed to want to say something more, but I didn't let him. - Goodbye, beast. May you be locked forever.