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Forests. There is just something about them that is so primal, so dark, so attractive. It just was how everything in the world worked, primal desires, dark actions, and often the offer can be very attractive. It was, in many ways, the path to the dark side. Yet amongst the dark and primal is a small narrow alley forms the first key to the great powers. As a reborn, it was that path that brought them where they are. Through embracing darkness and instincts and overcoming them, they hope Naruto can stare death in the eye and make death shiver in fear.
Defeating panthers have never been a problem, after all, they had much practice and experience. By using hooks and crushing weapons, the slippery skins could be overcomed, and by merely anticipating the enemy's response to an action, the panthers could be taken on rather easily.
But every now and then, the animals have a secret weapon, and they will unleash it's full fury on the cities.
A doom wolf, or as Naruto overheard the other defense members call them, Fenris. Fenris, why does that name seem so oddly familiar, it was from somewhere, from some place, but at that point and time, both was lost to him.
The battlefield they encountered the wolf was a valley, a rather vast valley with rather light slopes on the sides. In many ways, this was an open combat, no stealth, no cover. The wolf was a beautiful creature, majestic as it stood awaiting them on a raised boulder, it's silver white fur ruffled and swaying with the wind. Yet, it was not awe that struck the defense squad. It was sheer primal tension. It wasn't fear, but they found breathing difficult.
Naruto, as a member, gripped his long dagger, and inside he knew a tough battle was going to happen. As captain, after leading these people for 2 years, he knew that creature could single-handlely defeat everyone else, and including him, if he slacks off and makes a mistake. He motioned his team to retreat, but Ari and Daisuke remained unmoving. He looked at them, sternly, "This is not your battle." He knew Kyuubi and Kagizume made this specially for him, he still know that this was a vision, although the line between vision and reality was drawing thinner.
"You can't hope to defeat it alone." Ari said, her eyes somewhat worried and Naruto could sense her despair and fear.
"It was fated of me to be tested by this creature." He used the word 'fate'. He knew, as fate, in this world, was in the hands of Kyuubi and Kagizume.
Naruto was about to continue, when he felt a jolt of cold air, his eyes quickly returned to glance at the wolf. It, was not longer there.
His arms flickered, and daggers flew everywhere. The daggers that went to his left froze and crumbled into void. It was there, standing, the rocky ground frozen and the air seemed to feel like a blizzard, cold and unforgiving.
Naruto's eye stared deep into the wolf's whitish-blue eyes, but it did not last, as pillars of ice appeared out of the ground, and huge icicles appeared to crash down like rain. Defense, was what it was all about. Quickly, he raised a shield of chakra to deflect the waves of ice, and he casted a huge firey explosion around him.
For a moment, it was smoke and dust that covered the air, and it was the cover Naruto wanted. Inside the swirling dust his fingers formed seals after seals, while his senses tried to kept track of the elusive wolf. Then, when he got a location, he immediately released the jutsu and a balls of fire flew towards it.
An explosion, and his ears detected the wolf was now nearby. Quickly, he dashed forward and a normal rasengan appeared. Out of the thick smoke, he saw the creature, and on it's animal face, there seemed to be a strange, discomforting smirk. Nontheless, he pushed his arm towards the creature, trying to hit with the rasengan.
It, was never that easy. In a moment's notice, a wall of ice appeared, and massive spikes came out of that wall. Naruto's feet slammed into the ground, and franticly he tried to command his feet to jump backwards. Ice spikes popped out from behind him, and more spikes lunged out of the wall. Yet, his feet already jumped backwards, and he was heading towards one of the spikes.
His eyes scanned what he could see for any traces of that wolf, and... again, it wasn't within sight. He twirled his body, and his feet slammed into the side of spike, trying to use it as a platform to jump away. The entire ice spike exploded the moment his feet touched it, and shrapnels of ice flew everywhere. At that time, he knew that trying to cast a jutsu would too slow. He summoned his chakra to form a shield once again, and thankfully, it protected him for a moment.
Yet, the wolf was already preparing for it's next attack. It radiated a bluish glow, and an expanding sphere froze everything inside.
'Wielders of the ice usually use ice shards as weapons, but true masters create an aura of cold that causes blood freeze, disabling and killing his foe.' That phrase, played in his mind, and he jumped backwards, away from the sphere. The wolf was going to freeze everyone to death, and he commanded the rest of the team to retreat further. There was no way they coild help, and even if they tried, they would only be a liability.
The sphere kept expanding, and if he don't act soon, close combat would be impossible. He threw a chakra infused kunai at it, but the metal withered and turned into dust as it travelled to it. He looked around, for any sort of strategic opening, and then, he remembered the time he first learned the rasengan. Chakra burnt his hand.
Thus, chakra could create heat. He could create counteract the effect of the freezing field by commanding the chakra inside him to swirl. For a moment, he marvelled at his own brilliance.
He closed his eyes, and willed the chakra to swirl inside. He felt warm, and he approached the sphere. 'Here goes.'
He commanded the chakra to swirl faster, and he jumped inside. It worked. He smiled, and he rushed towards the wolf. The wolf howled, and from the ice on the ground, ice statues of warriors appeared, and they attacked him. He punched them, and they exploded, releasing shards of ice that could have impaled him if not for his chakra shield. Ten feet, and a swirl of chakra formed and he slammed it into the ground. The ground cracked, and shards of rock flew upwards towards the wolf.
The wolf backstepped, and the sphere of cold was gone. Yet, one danger was destroyed, comes another. Pillars of ice protruded out of the ground, all with the intention of hitting and immobilizing him.
In a flicker, his hand performs a set of seals to create a pulse of lightning, which failed to find it's target. It was beginning to frustrate Naruto, and Naruto was losing his patience and energy. It didn't expect the wolf to be so agile, or for that matter, so cunning.
He felt movement towards him from behind, and indeed, he saw an intimidating wall of frozen ice crashing down. He immediately concentrated his chakra and blasted a hole to protect himself. Yet, the wall was thicker than it looked, and the blast failed to create a tunnel through it.
Now, he was trapped in the middle, surrounded by unknown amounts of ice. Razor sharp ice tried to maim him from every direction, and he protected himself by creating a shield. Yet, the tide of ice did not stop, and he felt his chakra dropping, and dropping. He knew he wasn't going to stay alive if he just keeps defending.
Lightning, was the only way, he could attack the wolf while trapped inside. It could conduct, and so he concentrated a formidable amount of chakra into creating a very powerful electric jolt. If it failed, he'd be dead anyway.
From afar, Ari merely saw a huge burst of thunder, blasting out of a mountain of ice. She couldn't see the wolf, but then, she couldn't see Naruto either.
Slowly, she saw the mountain of ice crack.
Inside, Naruto could feel and hear the loud cracks as it slowly broke the ice, and he was soon free.
Yet, there was a nagging feeling in his mind. He knew the wolf was alive, but what it was doing, he had no idea.
He looked around, concentrated as much as he could to expand his field of hearing and senses. The wolf, had escaped the jolt, and was merely watching the situation from afar.
This war, was far from over.
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