---

Nagare arrived in Kirigakure, the tears welling up in his eyelids. He shut them, forcing the tears back in, unwilling to let them free. Weakness was not an option; emotions were no place for the battlefield. He activated his heat mapping technique, and felt the heat signatures around him. Horui did the same, and they felt out the area as they continued through the village gate. Kirigakure was a drastic change from the mountainous, clouded region Nagare and Horui called home. It was a misty, cold place with a depressing aura and tall buildings, with spires and towers that seemed to reach out of the mist for the obscured sun above. They held their sensory techniques as they moved into the village, step by careful step, and only continued to find heat signatures of weaker people. They considered it safe for now and began to ask around, hoping to get answers quickly. Gakuto had originally hailed from Kirigakure, before retreating to Kumo after Hao destroyed the village. During his early life in Kiri, someone had to have met him. Finally, an older gentleman recognized the description of Gakuto given, and claimed that he had seen him in a cloak near a tall building near the hospital. Nagare and Horui rushed to the site, and questioned the woman at the front desk; it seemed to be a hotel of sorts. She said he had entered earlier, and there was no sign of him since. They investigated the building thoroughly, but to no avail. Upon exit, Nagare happened to look up as he felt a raindrop fall to his hair, dripping down the side of his face. The sky was now dark and malicious, dropping an abrupt downpour on the village. In the same instant, Nagare noticed a figure atop the building, at the very apex of the tall skyscraper that was the hotel. He immediately jumped between buildings, and Horui followed, until they each took spots atop their own skyscrapers of similar height. The figure was hard to discern from such a distance, but suddenly, a powerful heat signature burst into their senses, and they could immediately tell it was a Katon technique, and a powerful one at that. Horui looked ahead to see a large wave of fire approaching quickly, and he countered with an equivalent wave of his own. The two collided and intertwined in mid-air before neutralizing each other, only leaving evidence of their presence with the smoke rising against the rain. Familiar cries rang through the village, and civilians began to run in terror down below, just like they had in the Rice Paddies. Nagare had found Gakuto.

"You know, Nagare, part of me couldn't believe that I killed you. I guess that part of me was right after all." said Gakuto from the distance.

"I'm not here for idle talk. I'm here to kill you for the sake of everyone. You don't deserve to live on this planet, so I'll do the honor of taking you off of it." Nagare called back, with a glare. His countenance read revenge, but his heart was pounding with fear and sadness. Horui remained neutral, waiting for Nagare's command.

Jounin and back-up forces began to gather around the bases of the buildings, preparing to flank Gakuto from below. He looked down at them like ants, deciding how to kill each one, but decided to be nice and spare them. "Don't interrupt!" he called out to them as he made a dragon hand seal. A torrent of water flooded the area, catching the ninja in its midst and carrying them away with its force. He looked back at Nagare and his purple irises shaded into a red as the 3 tomoe appeared. "Look, Nagare, I do feel guilty for doing this to you. I'll give you an offer you can't refuse; join me. We'll rule the world together."

"I'll never sink as low as that; becoming your lapdog? Pathetic. I'm far above you; your power lies in stolen trinkets and eyes; mine is of the blood running through my veins, the chakra in my system. I'm stronger than you, and the reason you're offering that deal to me is because you know it." Gakuto looked amused for a moment, then his sly smile shifted into an annoyed frown. "Then how about we get to it, then?" He made a quick series of hand seals, and a giant water dragon wrapped its way around the tower before charging at Nagare. Nagare jumped from his post atop his building and to the left of the dragon, directly to Gakuto. Gakuto let out a laugh and directed the dragon at Horui instead. Nagare tackled Gakuto off of this building, and Horui summoned Mohan to use Flame Bombs, evaporating the Water Dragon. Gakuto took the tackle head-on, and they both began falling at rapid speed down, stories upon stories down....

Nagare looked into Gakuto's eyes as they fell, and the tears began to fall from his own. Gakuto smiled. "You want to die. You wouldn't have tackled me like this if you didn't. You want to go down with me." Nagare only cried harder as he nodded, and embraced Gakuto in a hug. "You're my best friend. I love you." Gakuto's satirical expression broke for a moment, and just for a split second, he gave a frown. "Well, I'm sorry this is how things have to end." He freed himself from Nagare's hug, and looked into his eyes. The three tomoe changed rapidly; his left Sharingan became a jagged triangle within another, while the tomoe in his right Sharingan stretched and divided into eight stretched lines surrounding the outside of the iris. He then closed his left Sharingan, and widened his right slightly as he whispered into Nagare's ear...."Izanagi."

Gakuto faded from Nagare's arms, and Nagare was a story and a half from impacting with the ground. Gakuto reappeared at the top of the hotel, looking down at Nagare's fallng figure, and Horui strained his vocal chords to scream, but no sound escaped his mouth.



Mission Word Count: 1,075/2,500

Nagare's Chakra Remaining - 110/125:

Horui's Chakra Remaining - 70/125:

Mohan's Chakra - 45/60:

Nagare had to react quickly. Nagare summoned Takeshi from his current position and ordered the bat to fly down and catch him. Takeshi followed his order, and used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to jet towards Nagare. Picking up speed until he reached terminal velocity, Takeshi managed to get to Nagare about 30 feet above the ground, and used a foot to grasp Nagare's figure while spreading his wings to act as a makeshift parachute. They slowed to a snail's pace before landing safely.

Gakuto, now again at his perch on the hotel, stood slouched, catching his breath. Izanagi was a powerful genjutsu, and it had taken its toll on Gakuto's body. Horui slid off of the rooftop and began running at a vertical slope down the building as fast as possible to make sure that Nagare was okay. Nagare sensed this and thought It's alright, I'm fine. Break into one of the windows in building you're on, I've got a plan. Horui did as he was told in an instant, using his next step to smash his foot through the glass and he gripped the windowsill with his hand. The broken glass dug into his fingers, and he began to bleed, but he ignored the pain and climbed into the empty room. Gakuto hadn't paid any attention, and he jumped of off the spire down at Nagare. Horui? Are you there? I'll fight him off with Takeshi, for now. Call Mohan to you, and make him use Descending Hell. Then catch Gakuto off guard with an Ascending Charge. That'll keep him grounded until I can think of another maneuver. Horui made no expression and simply looked out of the shattered window and up to Mohan. Mohan's golden eyes flickered down to him, and Horui signaled back. The bat took a rapid free fall before opening his wings and flying into the building. Horui scrambled through his pockets for a piece of paper and a pen.

Gakuto, in the meantime, made contact with the ground unscathed by using some sort of water ninjutsu to soften his landing. He now stood only 5 meters from where Nagare stood, and they looked into each other's eyes. Gakuto's were demented, revealing the demons that lied inside of him, while Nagare's showed a diminishing innocence, a fear to complete his mission alongside a fear to die. "That's the difference between you and I. Humanity. I've transcended humanity, and you're still in it's clutches, and therefore the clutches of Mortality as well. You're simply a victim of mortality, and your end is approaching." Shōgeki appeared in Gakuto's hand, and he pointed its tip at Nagare's chest. "If it helps any, I'll remember you as you were, back when things weren't complicated. This "version" of you is pathetic."

And with that Gakuto sprinted at Nagare, blade in hand, ready to impale him.

---

Word Count: 1,590/2,500

Nagare's Chakra - 95/125:

Horui's Chakra - 60/125:

Takeshi's Chakra - 15/30:

Gakuto swung Shōgeki at a fast speed, and Nagare ducked under it carefully. Gakuto expected this move, and took another step forward and punched Naga in the stomach before slashing 3 more times simultaneously. Two of the slashes made contact, but the last one was blocked by Nagare's foot. Gakuto shoved Nagare forward with the blade, making him fall to the ground. Nagare did a somersault back to get back to his feet, and tackled Gakuto, however the move was unsuccessful and Gakuto kicked Nagare's stomach to knock the air out of him, then the back of his knee to get him back onto the ground.

Horui finally managed to get the paper and the pen and scribbled "Use Descending Hell and follow me" on it. Mohan read quickly and activated the technique, and soon enough a massive fireball dwarfed the village as it began to plummet from the sky. Horui gripped Mohan's leg as Mohan began to fly down to where Gakuto and Nagare were sparring.

Upon hearing the sound of searing flames, Gakuto looked up for a moment and let out another grin. "Don't be stupid. My eyes can't be deceived." He gave the fireball a glare with both of his desecrated eyes, and it faded immediately. The distraction was long enough, though. Horui's fist burned with electricity, and he smashed his open palm into Gakuto's chest before releasing the energy. The blast send Gakuto back a meter or so, and he fell to the ground, immobilized by the charge. Horui, Nagare, and Mohan got into position; Mohan flew 10 meters overhead while Horui took 10 meters east and Nagare 10 meters west. They all began building Katon in their throats. Gakuto stood up wearily, growing tired from the use of his eyes. "Fire Release: Cerberus Burst Flame!" shouted Nagare loudly. They all released fireballs (Mohan's was one of oil), and the three collided on the disoriented Gakuto with a loud blast. Mohan was desummoned so that Horui wouldn't need to use anymore chakra, and Nagare peered through the smoke at what was left. Gakuto stood, steeped in still-burning flames, his eyes set on Nagare. Shōgeki sat on the ground, unscathed by the fire. He bent to pick it up, not bothering to put out the flames.

"I'm not going to survive at this point. I can feel my eyes rejecting me. But that doesn't mean that I can't put you out as well..." Closing his right Mangekyou and widening his left, black flames ignited around Nagare, catching his arm and his back. He bared through the pain, never breaking eye contact with Gakuto. "Amaterasu will break your will, and Shōgeki will be the last thing you'll see." he said, eyes bleeding, vision blurred, and sword raised. He dashed to Nagare, one last time, and found himself impaled by an object. Looking down, he saw a silver shaft protruding from his chest, one he recognized as the blade of Shōgeki. Horui had used a substitution jutsu while Shōgeki was on the ground to replace the real one with a large shard of broken glass from the window, as Gakuto now saw in his hand. Horui then passed the blade to Nagare while the smoke from the Cerberus Burst dissipated. An E-rank jutsu, done at the right time, was enough to trick Gakuto into this position. It was humorous, and he let out a long laugh before sputtering blood from his clogged throat. Nagare pulled the blade from Gakuto's chest, and he fell to the floor face-down. "I guess it wasn't enough, seeing as all the things I've stolen...have gotten their revenge..."

Nagare, now drained and exhausted, felt no sympathy for Gakuto anymore. There was no forgiveness, only broken hearts and hard feelings. He forced Shōgeki through Gakuto's exposed back (the fireballs had burned through most of his clothes), which killed him immediately. The Amaterasu flames vanished, and Nagare took an apprehensive look at his wounds; various cuts, third-degree burns from the black flames, bruises already formed, swelling...he looked up to Horui, and they held a look for a long time. It's finally over. thought Horui. Nagare slowly nodded, and pushed his hair out of his eyes. Can you carry his body? We need to take it back to Kumo with us so he can be buried. Horui nodded back in approval, and picked up Gakuto's motionless body. Nagare stood for a while, looking at Shōgeki, examining it's fine tuned details. It's hilt was exquisite, covered in intricate designs and seemingly carved out of obsidian. The blade itself seemed to be crafted out of Suiton-infused steel; it felt sleek and slashed quickly and efficiently, as the entire thing seemed sturdy and difficult to break. The actual cutting edge, however, was a thin cut of obsidian, making it easy to deal lethal laceration wounds. He had great plans for this sword, so took the hilt from the ground and, after putting the sword back in it, strapped it onto his back. Are we ready, now? Nagare put his glasses back on and took a few steps forward. Horui followed, and they walked away, and the rain only pounded harder against the Village Hidden in the Mist, masking their silhouettes as they departed for the hospital.