Si Vis Pacem -‖- Para Bellum [Naruto FanFic]

Arc XII Chapter 30

XII

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Arc XII Chapter 30

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Confused and confuzzled, Tobi turned around, unaware of the awaiting danger. Tobi tilted his head. “Hmm, what is ... this ... Wuah!!!! Awww!!! Waahhh!!!” Tobi dived into safety, wailing and flailing, barely able to dodge in the nick of time before being crushed alive by a rolling boulder of human flesh. It was a trademark Akimichi clan technique.

The Akimichi boy had increased his size and weight, turning his entire body into a living weapon. Much to Tobi’s relief, Choji missed, shooting right past him before taking a sharp turn. The meat boulder returned. The Akimichi boy went for a second attempt, his determination evident.

“Phew!” Tobi sounded relieved, brushing his invisible sweat from his nonexistent forehead. “This was close! Tobi was almost a goner ... Huh?” 

“Awww!!!” With a startled yelp, Tobi leapt into action, narrowly dodging the Akimichi’s second attack. Tumbling midair in an overly dramatic fashion, he landed on his feet only to immediately face her. His mask locked onto her.

“Asami-senpai! What’re you doing?! They’re ganging up on poor, innocent Tobi!” Tobi wailed, his voice in equal parts incredulous and accusatory. “Aren’t you supposed to watch Tobi’s back?”

“I am.” Unbothered, Asami took a slow sip of her tea, her every movement measured and deliberate. Her lips curved into a faint, amused smile. “In theory.”

Tobi threw his hands in the air, groaning in protest. “In theory?! What’s that supposed to mean? Tobi is risking life and limb, and you’re just sitting there ... sipping tea?! Some senpai you are!”

“...” Asami remained entirely unimpressed, slowly raising her cup again, armed with an encouraging smile. “And yet you seem to be doing fine~. Even without me~.”

“... ... ...” Tobi’s muscles tensed up, his instincts kicking in. His body moved in an instant, retreating to gain distance. The attack had been subtle, but not subtle enough to escape his attention.

“...” Asami smirked over the rim of her cup. So he had noticed after all. The shadow was creeping towards him, hiding amidst rocks and the cave’s dim light, but Tobi had spotted the approaching danger. Good for him. The consequences of not having done so would have been rather ... unpleasant.

“Eeeek!” Tobi shrieked as the shadow pursued him, darting towards him like a serpent. He scrambled, twisted, narrowly managing to avoid the shadow’s grasp.

“Go, get him, Shikamaru!” Ino cheered him on from the sidelines. “Pin him down! I need to get a lock on him”

“Tch, I know. I know, Ino. You don’t need to tell me”, Shikamaru grumbled, his hands forming a seal. “But all easier said than done. The guy is slippier than he looks. What a drag.”

His shadow twisted and bent in all directions, meandering across the entire cave. Yet to no avail. In the end, his shadow had exceeded its effective range.

“Tsk, dammit.” Shikamaru frowned, his annoyance evident. “Too slow.”

“Ohohoho.” Tobi meanwhile relished his victory. “Nice try, boy! But you won’t catch the mighty Tobi the Table so easily with your shadow thingie! Ohohoho!” 

“Don’t get your hopes up too soon.” Tenten came rushing in, readying her storage scrolls from behind her back. The scrolls unravelled in their entire length, revealing their explosive load.

“...” Always the impeccable princess, Asami was sipping on her tea, pretending not to notice.  Judging by the volume of explosives to be employed, this was going to be a delicate affair for everyone involved. Hopefully, the girl knew what she was doing and was not going to endanger the structural integrity of the entire cave. Hopefully. But you never knew with these Konoha shinobi and their brutish ways. Otherwise, she would be forced to relocate.  

“Huh?” Tobi shifted his attention towards the attacking girl, only to shriek in fear. Poor Tobi recognised the danger. He was waving his arms wildly in front of him. “Awww!!! No! No! No! No! No!!! Don’t! Please not! Tobi is too young to die!!!”

“Too late.” Tenten smirked before jumping up, rotating around her own perpendicular axis, her scrolls tightly gripped in her hands. “Take this!” The barrage commenced. The girl unleashed a torrent of kunai, every single one of them adorned with an explosive tag. The attack produced the desired effects, indiscriminate as it might have been. The barrage flattened everything in its path with fire and brimstone.

“Awww!!!” Help!!!” Surrounded by a storm of explosions and denotations, Tobi was running with his tail between his legs, scrambling for his life. “Awww!!! Asami-senpai~, help!!! Tobi is in danger! Help!!! Senpai~!!! Help!!!”

He was not the only one. Shikamaru and the rest of his team were quick to take cover. Fortunately, the onslaught had the decency to spare her, forcing her shielding to deflect only a few stray kunai that had considerably missed their mark. The girl’s aim left much to be desired.   

Yet Tobi lived, escaping Tenten’s barrage mostly unscathed despite his dubious antics and running around like a headless chicken, flailing with his arms, legs and head. It was either a testament to his skill or his apparent imbecilic nature. Even now he insisted on maintaining his facade of stupidity, his carefully crafted persona. Nevertheless, the outcome remained the same, regardless of his unconventional methods. Tobi lived, surprising as it might have sounded. He had dodged the incoming fire with ease, with only a few scorch marks here and there gracing his coat. @@novelbin@@

Tobi sighed in relief, grateful for his good fortune. “Huh, Tobi lucky. Tobi living to see another day.” Or so he thought. It was not over, though. 

“...” Asami stole a glance at him over the edge of her teacup, quietly observing from afar. Her lips curved up ever so slightly, revealing a gleeful grin. The Green Beast of Konoha was approaching Tobi ... How troublesome for her partner.  

“RrrraaAAAHHHHH!!!” His monstrous roar reverberated through the cave. Guy rushed forwards, his momentum and speed carrying him. He charged, his iron fist sought to strike. He jumped, coming from above down onto Tobi.

Tobi pretended to panic, his voice trembling. “Waaaaahhh!!!” He scrambled to dodge. Against all odds, her partner managed to evade. He should not, and yet he did, once again betraying his excellent reflexes. His body twisted, slipping past Guy’s wrath. Tobi evaded once more, his body floating through the air. 

The Blue Beast struck, shattering the ground beneath him. Rock and stone crumbled under his sheer strength, the kinetic impact ripping a deep hole in the solid ground. All his efforts seemed to be in vain. Unfortunately for her partner, this was all part of their plan. Tobi had taken the bait. 

Amidst falling debris, a broad grin flashed across Guy’s lips, a grin of victory. “Now!!! Lee!!! Show him THE POWER OF YOUTH!!!”

Yes, Guy-sensei!!!” Lee clenched his fists, taking the opportunity. The boy rushed in, propelled by an incandescent green aura visible even to the naked eye. His chakra level exploded, rising exponentially. His chakra engulfed his entire body, going beyond what should be humanly possible. It had to be. It must be. “AAarrghHHH!!!”

“...” Asami sipped on her tea. So this was the infamous technique of the Eight Inner Gates ... What a frightening sight to behold ...

Lee moved with superhuman speed. Guy had distracted Tobi long enough to provide an opportunity. It was now that Tobi realised that he had miscalculated. Lee was coming directly for him and Tobi would be unable to change momentum. They were about to collide ... 

Although her knowledge of taijutsu might be limited, even she understood that this was going to hurt. Significantly so.

“AAarrghHHH!!!” Lee approached. He approached fast, with his fist clenched and all his strength behind the blow, Tobi directly in front of him. “AAAaarrggghHHH!!!”

His fist never connected. The moment Lee was about to strike with all his might, his whole body phased right through Tobi. Lee passed through Tobi’s incorporeal form, crashing into the rock behind with full force. The stone cracked and the cave’s wall collapsed with boulders falling around him. It was a spectacular display of strength, yet the fact stood, Lee’s attack had failed. Evidently so.

...

...

...

Unharmed and unscathed, Tobi landed on his feet, his black coat fluttering in the air as he descended. “... ... ...”. Her partner remained unfazed by what had transpired, even when his voice had fallen silent ... How unusual for him ... He had always been a talkative one.

...

...

...

The world stood still and the silence continued. Everyone stared, gaped, watched in shock and disbelief, unable to process what they had seen with their very own eyes. Shikamaru, Guy, Lee, Ino, Tenten, Choji. Even her teacup hesitated for the slightest of a moment before resuming its course. It would be a lie to say that the turn of events did not take her by surprise.

...

...

...

“...” Ino gulped, her voice stuck in her throat and incredulity written across all of her face. Yet she was the first to gather the courage to speak. “Shikamaru, what ... what just happened?”

“Tsk.” Skikamaru clicked his tongue, his annoyance audible. “Give me a moment, Ino, I’m thinking ...” The gears in his head went into overdrive, analysing, calculating, strategising.  “ Whatever it was, this guy is going to be a real fucking pain in the arse.”

For once, Asami agreed. Recent developments had proven to be most curious indeed. To think that Tobi would vanish and rematerialise under her very eyes. To think such was possible ... How fascinating~. 

“Hehehe~...” Asami chuckled in secret, her teeth flashing a vicious smile. Her purple eyes narrowed dangerously from behind her teacup, filled with a dark, glistering, insatiable curiosity. Her eyes observed the man named Tobi, analysing, studying his every movement like a hunter her prey, keen to uncover the secrets that now lay bare to see. She only hoped that her pawns would play their part.

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