Chapter 19
The samurai armed forces marched their feet to the Ouza island. The sun starts peeking at the horizon and bits of snow start falling on the ground. Their armors were heavier during this time, to warm themselves in the cold season that they’re having.
Shikamaru and the other four commanders were in front. They will release the first blow of arrows to the Akatsuki’s ground. After eating their ration of food to get the energy that they needed, fifty samurai men released the first arrows to the battlefield. A loud roar from the pirates echoed on their spot, they could hear the sound of fear and pain escaping from their mouths.
After a few seconds, a sharp and unique type of arrow made of shark’s teeth was released from the Akatsuki’s army.
The battle has just begun.
After hours and hours of an arrow being released, most of their armies were torn down into half of their original number. Exhausted and full of blood, they keep on hitting each other’s spot.
The Raikage and Tsuchikage were monitoring the shore and they spot Kisame’s fleet. Their samurais pulled their katanas and starts attacking the pirates who were now marching to the ground. It was one of hell’s scenes in their eyes. After hours and hours of the attack, they managed to deplete their fleet into two, thanks to the Raikage’s harsh way of killing and the Tsuchikage’s never back down attitude really compliments each other’s on the battlefield.
It was past three now and Temari saw their army still not going in, the other armies were fighting for their lives and she wanted to help them.
“Father! We need to go in!” she shouted behind
“Not now” he responded. In reality, he just wanted to save his energy and to assure that they’ll have to be one of the last men standing in the war.
Temari gripped her war horse rope. She shakes her head because she knows that her father was making a dickhead move in the war so she sways the rope and her horse runs to the battlefield.
“Temari!” her father shouted after seeing her daughter’s horse run to where the war was happening.
She raised her bow and pull the arrow, she managed to hit some of the pirates while riding her horse, surprisingly. Her eyes glanced at the crowd to see where Shikamaru was but she couldn’t find him. She stumbled upon Kiba’s army and he was confused why she was there without her father and brothers.
They glanced behind and saw Gaara and Kankuro’s horse leading to their spot.
“If you will command me again to return, No I’m not turning back! Leave me here or fight with me!” She yelled at her brothers
“Shut up! Gaara and I were planning to go in but since we saw your horse running, I guess that’s our queue” Kankuro said
“You’re so stubborn Temari and I liked that about you” Gaara said while pulling his sword and preparing to attack.
The siblings smiled at each other, the harshness of Rasa and the gentle passion of protecting people from their mother elevated from their inside.
They attacked, defended, and fought. Hundreds of samurai and pirates’ bodies were piled up on the ground, blood was soaked on the thick snow, and the scenery of war slowly becomes vivid to everyone’s eyes.
The samurai armed forces managed to kill most of the pirates after hours of fighting.
The sun starts resting on the horizon’s shore, it’s already sunset and the samurais felt that they’re winning the war.
Yahiko and Konan were seen on the ground where they panicky command all of the pirates. Sasuke saw them and he pulled the string of his bow and shot a direct hit at Yahiko, on his chest near the heart. Konan saw the arrow stuck in her lover’s chest; she knows it was a vital hit. She screamed till her lungs were out of air, out of pain.
Sasuke pulled his bow and hit an arrow at Konan, in the same area where Yahiko was hit. They both kneeled down to the ground and the pirates that surrounds them started attacking the front, leaving the two pirate lovers laying on the snowy grass ground.
Konan’s hands slowly crawled the ground to where Yahiko’s hand was lying. She could feel his warmth starts fading away.
“Remember when I told you that we’re going to have our peace?” she breathlessly said
“Yeah” he responded while panting and out of breath
“Close your eyes for me. We were going to the place where we can achieve our own peace” she gently said
They both closed their eyes while holding each other’s hands. Slowly taking their souls away from the creature that was called death.
Nagato heard Konan’s scream and immediately runs outside of their cave. He saw his two best friends laying on the ground, dead and cold. His hands were shaking gripping the stone ground, the anger and frustration of killing all the people in the land becomes stronger inside of him. An act of revenge from him will definitely be felt for a thousand years.
The samurais celebrated after seeing the two pirate leaders killed on the battlefield. Unknowingly, Nagato was still in there very much alive, and could have his own revenge if he was not killed in the war.
Sasuke announced to everyone that Yahiko and Konan were dead and the remaining pirates surrendered to the samurais.
But Temari thought that it was too easy, a doubt starts crawling inside of her just like what she felt from her first battle on Jiro island. She jumps from her horse to check on the wounded samurais, her brothers did the same thing. Her eyes glanced at her surroundings; everything is more peaceful now. She looked at the shore, Raikage and Tsuchikage managed to restrain Kisame’s remaining fleet.
Then her eyes glanced at the caves of the island, she saw someone staring at the ground hiding from the bushes and snow. Her father arrived on the battlefield and ordered them to return to the ship as they already declared that the war is now ended.
“No, Father the war is not yet finished” She was about to jump again onto her horse and will attempt to shoot the man near the cave, she knows it was with the pirates, and leaving one opponent on the battlefield is not a good thing during the war. But her father cut the saddle of the horse.
“No, you’re not going in again! RETURN TO THE SHIP!” Rasa yelled at her
She grits her teeth “Tch!” and runs towards the war. Her father was shouting from behind while her brothers were left shocked on the ground.
While running, a familiar voice called her name “Temari?”
“Shikamaru?” Her heart was jumping with happiness after seeing him again. He was riding his war horse and runs towards her location.
“Come! Quickly help me! The war is not yet over, there’s someone hiding in the cave!”
Shikamaru immediately offered his hand to let her jump into his horse. When she grabbed his hand and he groaned after lifting her to sit in front of him.
“Where are we heading my princess?” he breathlessly said
“North” she whispered
Shikamaru sway the lead rope of his horse and run towards where Temari was pointing. She grabbed the bow and arrows in Shikamaru’s saddle and positions herself to hit the man in the cave.
The first hit was a miss, Nagato was about to return inside their cave and heard a sling sound on his left. He turn around and saw the two lovers riding a war horse on the ground positioning the arrow at him.
He didn’t have the chance to move and Temari was able to hit him near his heart. Nagato was left shocked after seeing the arrow buried in his chest.
“That’s my girl” Shikamaru whispered in her ears and Temari smiled after seeing the last pirate shot on his vitals, a sure death hit, and having Shikamaru beside her is what she was happy about. Her heart was now at peace.
Nagato crawled to the mineral boulder inside the cave, her eyes cannot see anything inside as it was pitch black but he could feel the cold stone touching his back.
“My soul will never enter your gate if mine is destined in hell. I want to bring the hell into this world! Lord of all hell, make my soul scattered and turn into a curse” his soul turned into goryo or curse from all the hatred that fills his heart.
Black ash was scattered into the air and traveled to different lands which were absorbed by the mineral rocks of each village. This time, Orochimaru healed and was able to manifest his curse with the help of Nagato’s scattered ashes on demon island with Kabuto.
Shikamaru and Temari returned to the army’s spot. She immediately jumped from his horse and waited for him to jump too so she could kiss him.
She cupped his face and kissed him, his lips were cold and thought that it could be the snow that made him feel freezy.
But her eyes moved to his hand that was now covering his stomach, there was a pool of blood leaking out of it. Her eyes were in pure horror after seeing him stumbled to the ground.
“SHIKAMARU!” she shouted, again, and again, and again. His name echoed the battleground pleading for her lover’s consciousness to be brought back.
Sasuke, Kiba, Neji, and Naruto immediately run toward where Temari and Shikamaru’s location. Her voice was in pain screaming for his name. She touched his cold hands; it was too cold and the fear of seeing him dying in there starts to crawl up in her mind.
“NOOOO! PLEASE! SHIKAMARU! STAY WITH ME! STAY WITH ME!” she shouted, her voice was full of frustration and fear.
Neji immediately applied first aid to the huge wound in his stomach. He’s almost out of blood, still unsure if his vitals were hit but they did all the things in order for him to survive.
Rasa saw his daughter in full of misery, it was his first time seeing his daughter in this condition and he can’t help but feel pity. He could see himself on her when Karura was on her deathbed after birthing Gaara, the horror in Temari’s voice was exactly the same from the voice that he released when his wife died.
His eyes start to moisten after seeing his daughter caressing the young samurai’s face while holding his hand that was covering his wound, crying and looked helpless. It was like he is seeing himself in Temari’s position while holding Karura for the last time, it was too painful to see.
“Father! Help meeee! Father! Help me pleaseeee” She pleaded to her father. Tears start falling down his cheeks, Rasa was now crying after hearing his daughter asking for help.
Her voice was shaking, releasing all of the air from her lungs just for everyone to hear her plea. She screamed with pain and sorrow.