64 Chapter 64 - Her Name

Barriers formed around Tsunade and Shizune. The magic cut right through the black tendrils, which then disintegrated after separating from the main body.

Tears poured out from Tsunade's eyes. Horrified gasps slipped from her throat. Her eyes trembled, unmoving from the unconscious Shizune lying in a pool of her own blood.

"NO! No! Not… Not again…"

Tsunade's screams reverberated within the barrier, but her voice trailed off into a whimper of despair.

Without saying anything, Jin landed on the ground in front of them. He stared at the five invaders, but he did not recognize any of them. The two parties only stared at each other for a few moments, but it felt like several minutes of tension.

Moments later, the rain started falling again.

The five invaders ignored the blood dripping from gaping wounds on their bodies and charged forward.

Likewise, Jin clapped his hands again. A whirlwind of barrier blades spun around his body. A white aura expanded from him. His Zanpakuto manifested at his waist.

Behind Jin, Tsunade flinched. Her eyes hesitantly looked up from Shizune due to the deathly aura emanating from the purple-haired man in front of her. Although hazy, the strange garb sent a shiver down her spine, almost as though she was staring at the legendary reaper himself who her sensei mentioned before in the past. However, she did not have the capacity to care about that now. She quickly looked down at Shizune, and her eyes dimmed as though she had given up on living.

At the same time, the two sides collided. Four massive arms sprouted from Jin's back. The deathly aura radiating from his body drastically increased, causing the unknown invaders to stumble.

Eyes cold and calculating, Jin pointed at each of the opponents. He didn't miss the opportunity and chanted, "Hado #1: Sho."

Beams of kinetic energy shot forth from five of his hands.

Unable to react immediately, the five armored figures received the spells head-on. They all flew backward and tumbled through the mud.

In that gap, Jin unsummoned the arms to save energy, turned around, and entered the barrier guarding the two women. Silent, he knelt over Shizune and placed his fingers on her neck.

"What are you doing?" Tsunade asked, some light returning to her eyes. She glared at him with noticeable wariness.

Ignoring the mess of a woman that Tsunade had become right now, Jin waited to see if he could feel Shizune's pulse. After a few seconds, he finally felt it. As such, Jin looked at Tsunade with cold eyes and said, "Heal her. You can still save her."

"It's too lat-!"

A sharp slap rang out. Tsunade blinked as though unable to comprehend what just happened. For some reason, her eyes were no longer facing them, and her cheek stung.

"Shut up. This isn't the time. Unlike your past, you have a chance to save this girl. Now, do it, or so help me, I will tear up your parents' graves and roll them over since they can't do it themselves."

"Hah? You wouldn't dare."

"Try me," Jin responded without hesitation.

Tsunade's eyes twitched in irritation, but before she could retort, multiple black tendrils struck the barrier. Cracks spread through it. Several Jutsus of every main element smacked it right afterward.

"I'm going to go fight them outside, so heal her, then help me. I refuse to hear any bitching about your hemophobia or die because of it."

'I'd rather not let you die, either, if I can help it.'

Tsunade blinked, unable to believe her ears. The guy left the barrier and cast a few more, leaving her behind with the dying Shizune.

"Th- this…" Tsunade stuttered, looking down at the pool of blood. Although annoyed by the man for a few moments, her face paled again. Hands trembling, she mumbled, "This is impossible."

Raising her eyes, she saw the purple-haired young man swiping away some Wind Blade Jutsus with a barrier, followed by a Fireball Jutsu. He then drew a sword and deflected several kunai coated with a disgusting black slime flying toward his face.

Strangely, the figure of two boys she once lost overlapped with the man's figure. She imagined those two fighting for their lives against desperate odds, yet she grimaced upon remembering them.

Unwilling to look at the man any longer, Tsunade lowered her head and looked at Shizune. The girl's short and shallow breaths were slowly fading, yet the unconscious figure reminded her of those boys' corpses.

"...But she's not dead yet."

Whether out of anger at the young man's words or frustration with herself, she raised her trembling hands to Shizune's body. An unstable green chakra flowed out from her hands. Face paler than any sheet, she grit her teeth and attempted something she failed to accomplish in a long time, treating bleeding wounds.

…

...

...…

Casting barriers, Hado, and swinging his blade faster than he ever had before, Jin darted over the muddy terrain. Burning flames, torrents of water, sharp winds, piercing stone, flashing arcs of lightning, and a barrage of black tendrils beset the land in a dangerous storm.

Jin's eyes swiveled side-to-side at a stomach-churning pace so as not to miss anything. He dodged and deflected Jutsus and stabbing tendrils alike, but small injuries quickly piled up after piercing his defensive barriers faster than he could cast them. Barrier spikes under his shoes prevented him from slipping in the muddy terrain even under this onslaught of varying powers.

On the attacking front, the opponents ignored their injuries and fought on as though their nerves were no better than a dead tree. No matter how many times he stabbed them, sliced them, or knocked them down, they simply stood back up regardless. Not even slicing off one of their arms slowed them down.

Inwardly, Jin wondered if he should have focused on defense by hiding inside thick barriers, but without dodging some of these attacks, he didn't think he would be able to keep up with the attacks that way considering how much his barriers drained his energy reserves when blocking their Jutsus or tendrils.

From time to time, attacks fired at the barriers guarding Tsunade and Shizune, forcing him to cast Hado or Barrier Blades to stave off the attackers since he hoped for Tsunade to potentially be a reinforcement in the best case scenario. He didn't have much hope in her, though.

Eventually, the attackers stopped aiming for Tsunade and Shizune, instead focusing solely on him. They charged at him relentlessly, their pitch black inky eyes emotionless and unblinking. Jutsus and creepy tendrils alike bombarded him without end. His defensive barriers could barely keep up, allowing several attacks to slip through.

A wind blade sliced his left forearm down to the bone.

Fire bullets singed his right leg.

A kunai stabbed his shoulder. Another sliced his cheek.

Punches and kicks from tendril-coated limbs cracked his barriers.

Tendrils whipped or stabbed at him. He dodged or blocked most, but the wounds accumulated quickly.

'This isn't going to work much longer, and I don't know how long it'll take Konan to return. There's no opportunity to use any of those healing scrolls, either. At least it seems like they can't use that dragon Jutsu again,' Jin thought, grimacing. He was close to giving up and escaping even if it cost him the mission, the lives of the people in the village, or even Tsunade and Shizune themselves. His own survival was more important.

Suddenly, the brown-haired assailant flickered directly in front of Jin due to this moment of distracted thoughts. Tendrils shot out of the man's body and armor like a porcupine. Worse than that, lightning chakra coated the needle-like appendages.

All of Jin's barriers shattered under the direct onslaught. So many needle-like tendrils stabbed him that he couldn't tell where each wound was. Reacting instinctively, he kicked backward, landing on a barrier that carried him further away until the pain made him lose the focus needed to maintain the barrier. He fell and tumbled through the mud, groaning all the way.

Staring up into the rain, Jin silently sank in the mud. His blood leaked and stained the mud. Only the cold touch of the Zanpakuto held in his palm distracted him from the pain overwhelming his senses all over his body. In the corner of his vision, he saw the blurry figures of the enemies rushing toward him.

'...Not good. Hurts bad. Time to run.'

'Jin.'

'...What?'

'Call my name.'

'...I can't call your name if you don't tell me it.'

'Then hear this sister's name and never forget it again. It is...'

Jin's brows furrowed at the unusual statement, but he still listened regardless.

Blood dripping from holes all over his body, Jin grit his teeth. Fighting against his instinct to lay still, he rolled and forced himself to stand. More blood splattered out onto the ground beneath him. He stumbled a little but stood up on shaky legs. He lifted his gaze to the quickly approaching enemies. A silver glow flashed through his purple eyes. Small cyclones of wind whipped around him. Heavy Reiatsu forced the rain to avoid him, creating a large circle of rainless air in the darkness. Grass and mud flattened beneath his feet.

Pointing the tip of his Zanpakuto at the five figures meters away, Jin spoke. His voice echoed outward with an ethereal weight.

"Erase and Restore, Kokūnokoe."