Naruto - Azure Awakening

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Yagura had just received a troubling report - Kumo was preparing to invade. Most of the council had already been deployed to the battlefield, including the Hozuki clan head and Ao, but those who remained urged him to reconsider his current course of action.

"Lord Mizukage, if we attempt to negotiate with Takimura, they will likely stop fighting us and instead turn their attention to Kumo," one of the clan leaders suggested. His clan was second only to the Hozuki in strength, and Yagura had to be mindful of how he handled him. Emboldened by his words, others quickly joined in.

"At worst, we can deal with Takimura after the war."

"Agreed. Our focus should be on our true enemies."

Yagura's glare silenced the room.

"And what do you think Takimura is, if not an enemy? A friend?" His voice rose, laced with venom. "Would a friend slaughter so many of our shinobi?" His piercing gaze swept across the room, his fury barely restrained.

'They wouldn't have killed anyone if you hadn't started this meaningless war…'

'Both the Terumi and Takime clans are peace-loving, far more than the others. If you had even tried negotiating…'

These were the thoughts running through everyone's minds. But no one was brave enough to speak.

Yagura had become unpredictable and volatile. He saw conspiracies everywhere, his paranoia growing with each passing day. Those who remembered him as the young Mizukage, once a just leader striving to reform Kiri, could no longer recognize him. The man standing before them was no different from his predecessor - no, perhaps even worse. It was as if he had become someone else entirely.

"I've already given the order for all our forces to regroup and focus on Takimura," Yagura stated, his voice was distant and lacked focus as if he were speaking on autopilot. "The sooner we eliminate them, the sooner we can turn our attention to Kumo."

"Lord Mizukage, please reconsider…"

"Enough!" Yagura snapped. "I will join the battle myself and end this war."

With that, he stood, signaling the end of the meeting. One by one, the council members left, each carrying the same unspoken thought.

'If only Mangetsu were still here. With him, we could have forced Yagura to listen.'

But even if Mangetsu had not disappeared, there was no guarantee he would have opposed Yagura. And even if he tried, the Mizukage was far stronger.

There was only one man who might have been able to stand against him - Kisame.

But the council didn't know that and neither did Kisame, who was already on his way to an entirely different country.

<<<>>>

And just as Yagura said he was now on the battlefield. The moment he sensed Suiren's chakra, he knew his army would be annihilated if he didn't act fast. 

Now, in the second form of his Jinchuriki transformation, he charged toward her with terrifying speed. His body was enveloped in a thick chakra cloak, the faint outline of the Three-Tails forming around him. The transformation granted him immense speed, strength, and many other abilities. As a perfect Jinchuriki, he had no fear of losing control, but even so, the strain on his human body was immense.

Suiren stood her ground, her eyes locked on the approaching threat. The air around her shimmered as water began to gather, responding to her will. Just like Yagura her body was also suffering, but in her case, the damage was much more severe.

'He's faster than I expected,' she thought. 'If I let him get close, it's over. I need to stop him now.'

A massive wave of water surged from the ground, crashing toward Yagura with enough force to crush hundreds of nin. But Yagura didn't slow down. His chakra-coated body tore through the wave like it was nothing, the water scattering harmlessly around him.

'His chakra cloak is too strong,' Suiren realized. 'I need to overwhelm him, but I can't waste time.'

Shin, watching from a distance, clenched his fists. 

'Should I even stay? I might just get in her way.' He knew Suiren was powerful, but Yagura was on another level. The sheer force of his presence was enough to make even seasoned shinobi hesitate. 'But if I leave, and she falls…' The thought gnawed at him. He couldn't abandon her, not when the fate of the battle, and most likely the war, rested on her shoulders.

Yagura was closing in fast. Suiren's eyes narrowed as she summoned another wave, this one bigger and more focused. The water coiled around her like a serpent before lashing out at Yagura. This time, the force of the attack made him skid to a halt, his claws digging into the ground to steady himself.

'Good,' Suiren thought. 'He's not invincible.'

But Yagura wasn't deterred. With a roar, he launched himself forward again, his chakra cloak flaring brighter. Suiren reacted instantly, summoning a wall of water to block his path. 

But only for a second. 

With a burst of chakra, he swung his fist and destroyed the water wall.

'He's relentless,' Suiren thought, her breath coming faster now. 'I need to buy time. If I can wear him down…'

She flicked her fingers, and the ground beneath Yagura turned to mud as the water kept soaking into it. At the same time, she summoned a whirlpool of water above him, the pressure increasing until it felt like the weight of the sea was pressing down on him. Yagura growled, his chakra flaring as he struggled against the force.

'It's working,' Shin thought, his heart pounding. 'But for how long?'

Suiren wasn't done. She raised both hands, and the water around her began to shiver. The air grew heavy, charged with energy as she prepared her next move. Yagura, sensing the danger, roared and unleashed a blast of chakra, breaking free from the whirlpool's grip.

'Too slow,' Suiren thought, her eyes narrowing in determination. The glowing water shot forward, forming a massive spear that streaked toward Yagura with blinding speed. He barely had time to raise his arms in defense. The spear struck his chakra cloak, the impact sending shockwaves through the battlefield.

For a moment, it seemed like the attack had worked. But Suiren could not manipulate the water density like Kaoru to make her attacks more lethal. Then the vision cleared, and Yagura emerged, his cloak still intact. His eyes burned with fury as he lunged at Suiren, his claws extended.

'Not enough,' Suiren realized, her heart sinking. 'I need more power.'

She dodged his first strike, the ground where she'd been standing exploding from the force of his attack. But Yagura was already moving again, his speed unmatched. Suiren barely had time to summon a water war before his claws slammed into it, the impact sending her skidding backward.

'I can't keep this up,' she thought, her body aching from the strain. 'But I can't stop either.'

Shin watched, his mind racing. 'If I intervene now, I might just get in her way. But if I don't…' He tightened his grip on his blades, lightning crackling around him. 'I can't just stand here.'

Before he could move, Suiren unleashed another attack. The ground beneath Yagura erupted, geysers of water shooting up from all sides. The water twisted and coiled around him, forming a massive sphere that trapped him inside. Suiren clenched her fist, and the sphere began to shiver violently as dozens of bullets were launched toward the Mizukage.

'This has to work,' she thought, her vision blurring from the strain. 'I can't… I can't hold it much longer.'

But Yagura wasn't done. With a deafening roar, he unleashed a burst of chakra so powerful it shattered the water sphere, sending shards of liquid flying in all directions. Suiren staggered, her body trembling from the effort.

'It's over,' Shin realized, his heart sinking. 'She's reached her limit.'

Yagura charged again, his claws gleaming with deadly intent. Suiren raised her hand, but her vision blurred. The Suijingan's effects had increased and it was causing immense pain making it impossible to ignore it.

Shin realized that unless he intervened, Suiren would die. His mind raced as he struggled to understand his own motivations. 

'I don't belong to the Takime or Terumi clans,' he thought, his grip tightening on his blades. Since his meeting with Maki, he had been searching for a new purpose. While he loved her deeply, he wasn't the type to dedicate his entire life to a single feeling. Yes, he would risk his life for her without hesitation, but he would do the same for his students, friends or anyone who he held dear.

Then it clicked - he had already found the purpose. It was not as romantic as fighting in love's name nor as honorable as dying for students would be, but it was exactly what Shin had been looking for.

'Takimura is my home and I will defend it no matter the cost.' Takimura stood for everything Shin loved and cherished. It united his students, the girl he loved, and the people he respected. The lightning around Shin surged with newfound intensity, the Kiba blades crackling in unison. 

'Let's see how strong I really am,' he thought, a faint smile escaping him as he charged forward. Yagura barely acknowledged him, scanning him once before dismissing him as nothing more than a master jonin, unworthy of his attention. But Shin was determined to prove that even a master jonin could become a serious problem.

He intercepted Yagura's charge, slashing at him with both blades from the side and forcing the Mizukage to halt his advance. Yagura stopped, but Shin didn't. He pressed the attack relentlessly, his blades a blur of lightning and steel. Yagura deflected some strikes and dodged others, but it was clear that Shin couldn't deal any real damage to the monstrous Jinchuriki. Still, that wasn't his goal. He just needed to buy time.

Yagura, now thoroughly annoyed, swung his clawed hand in a wide arc, aiming to rip Shin apart. But before the attack could land, a wall of water surged between them, blocking the blow.

"Lady Suiren, are you alright?" Shin shouted, his voice a mix of relief and concern as he noticed her eyes - now more crimson than cyan. 

'She's either increased the rate of her life force absorption, or this is just part of the process,' he thought, his grip on kiba blades tightening with unease.

Suiren nodded without taking her eyes off Yagura. "I'm fine, Shin. Thanks to you."

Her mind, however, was racing. 'Attacking like this won't work. He heals every injury I inflict, and his chakra reserves are beyond anything I can match. I need to use my trump card.'

Suiren's eyes began to glow even brighter, the air around her shifting unnaturally. The ground beneath her feet cracked and dried, the grass withering and dying as if all moisture was being sucked away. 

'She's gathering chakra through water?' Shin thought, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Yagura, however, remained unimpressed. He charged at Suiren once more, but this time, his movement was abruptly halted. He looked around, confused, as nothing seemed to be holding him. Then he felt it - a strange, painful sensation from within, as if something was trying to force its way out of his body. What began as a faint itch quickly escalated into unbearable agony. Yagura screamed, his body trembling as the pain intensified.

From the corner of his nearly shut eyes, he could see Suiren in a similar state, or perhaps even worse. Her entire body trembled, her skin withering as the chakra she had gathered surged violently into her. Yagura realized that she was suffering far more than he was. If he could just endure a little longer, she would collapse under the strain. But before he could take solace in that thought, the pain intensified further. He watched in horror as the moisture began to leave his arm, his skin drying and cracking. The agony was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

Desperate to end the fight, Yagura straightened his remaining arm, which increased in length unnaturally, shooting toward Suiren like a snake striking its prey. Shin flickered trying to intercept the attack, but he knew he wouldn't reach her in time. 

'I thought staying close would only hold her back,' he realized, regret flooding his mind. 'This was a mistake.'

Yagura's hand was inches from Suiren's neck when a blade pierced through it, cutting through the chakra and dissolving the attack. The tigress had finally come.

**

A/N -

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