Kushimaru moved to strike the remaining summoned beasts — the ones still charging relentlessly through the Kirigakure ranks. His needle-blade gleamed faintly, threads of killing intent woven through the mist. But Makima, seeing exactly what he intended, would never allow him to slaughter her summons unchallenged.
In a heartbeat, she vanished and reappeared directly in front of him, cutting off his path.
But this was exactly what Kushimaru wanted.
The moment Makima came within striking distance, he lunged. He accelerated sharply, his movements blurring as he crashed into her again and again. Each impact echoed through the mist like steel clashing against steel. Kushimaru's physical strength and speed clearly surpassed hers; every collision forced Makima back step by step, her heels digging into the earth as she braced herself.
And as she slid backward, Makima could sense it — the direction, the pressure, the pattern. He wasn't just attacking her. He was guiding her. Pushing her toward a specific point on the battlefield.
He's prepared something there… a trap.
Makima's eyes narrowed, her expression sharpening.
But she was far from helpless.
Behind her, eight adamantine chains erupted from her back, shooting upward like metallic serpents. Instantly, four of them swept backward, slamming into the ground and tracing the area around her, searching for any invisible wires or hidden threads Kushimaru had laid. The other four soared forward, striking at Kushimaru from multiple angles — left, right, above, and behind — aiming to cut off every route of escape.
With the sudden surge of chains erupting around her, not only was Makima no longer being pushed back — she was now forcing Kushimaru to retreat. Makima advanced step by step, her adamantine chains lashing out in relentless waves. Each strike tore through the mist with sharp metallic echoes.
Kushimaru, however, slipped between them with unnerving agility. His movements were light, graceful, almost ghost-like. He weaved through every attack with nimble footwork, never letting a single chain graze him.
Then, without warning, thin threads whipped out from both in front of Makima and behind her, looping around her wrists and ankles. They tightened instantly, forcing her limbs apart and freezing her in place.
Makima's eyes widened.
She had never sensed this attack at all.
A voice drifted from behind her — calm, mocking.
"It wasn't me fighting you," Kushimaru said. "It was only my Water Clone."
The Kushimaru standing inches away from her instantly collapsed into a splashing puddle, water spilling across the ground.
Makima's breath steadied as realization hit her. So that's how it is…
Using the Hiding in the Mist technique, Kushimaru had swapped places with his true body without leaving a detectable trail. Makima could sense chakra signatures, but only if they weren't heavily suppressed — and Kushimaru had hidden his perfectly after all he is master in Silent Killing Technique. And her Kagura Heart Eye, not yet fully awakened, still lacked the ability to perceive malice and intent the way a mastered version could.
In both areas — sensing and intention perception — she was at a disadvantage.
The mist around her swirled thicker, colder.
She understood now:
The Hiding in the Mist technique was her worst natural counter, and Kushimaru knew exactly how to exploit it.
Kushimaru approached Makima expecting fear — or at least a hint of despair. He wanted to see her posture break, her composure crack.
But when he stepped in front of her, Makima stood perfectly calm, bound yet utterly unshaken. Her posture wasn't tense, nor frightened. It was controlled… almost regal. As if she were still the one dictating the battlefield.
Seeing this, Kushimaru let out a low, amused chuckle behind his mask.
"You don't fear me. It's as if you still have some hidden move… something you believe will let you defeat me even now."
Makima's eyes met his, cold and steady.
"You know," she said, "melee fights aren't my specialty. I only train in them so I can manoeuvre the beings I control properly — and so I don't get caught by opponents who could hinder their movements." She shrugged slightly despite being bound. "And yes, you defeated me fair and square using your jutsu. But that's where it ends."
Her voice dropped, firm and final.
"Now, you don't need to live."
The moment those words left her mouth, Kushimaru felt a surge of killing intent spike beneath his feet. Pure instinct screamed at him. He immediately leaped backward.
A spear struck the ground where he had been standing — the impact cracking the earth.
A young man appeared in its place, wearing a suit, shoulder-length red hair drifting softly, and a pair of white wings unfurled behind him.
Makima spoke one command:
"Free me, Angel."
The winged young man bowed his head slightly. "Immediately."
A sword materialized in his hand, and with a swift, elegant motion, he slashed through the threads binding Makima. The strings snapped cleanly. Makima flexed her wrists, rolling her shoulders once as circulation returned.
Then she pointed toward Kushimaru.
"Go deal with him. Kill him."
Angel nodded. In the next moment, he vanished, leaving only a faint whisper of displaced air behind.
Angel vanished from Makima's side and reappeared an instant later beside Kushimaru, his sword already mid-swing. The blade cut through the mist with a sharp whistle. Kushimaru reacted with impressive speed, bringing up his thin, needle-like longsword to block. Metal clashed — but Angel's strength overwhelmed him, forcing Kushimaru several steps backward.
Even while retreating, Kushimaru stayed alert. He immediately flicked several kunai toward Angel — each one attached to nearly invisible threads he controlled with perfect precision. The kunai curved and twisted in mid-air, attacking from every direction like a swarm.
Angel simply unfurled his white wings.
A single powerful flap sent a gust spiraling outward, knocking every kunai off course and sending them clattering harmlessly onto the ground.
Then Angel dashed forward, blurring through the mist, closing in once again.
Kushimaru tried to parry the next strike, but Angel slipped past his guard and seized his wrist. The moment Angel's fingers closed around his arm, Kushimaru felt it — a violent pull, like his chakra was being sucked out of his body in a torrent.
His eyes widened in horror.
He tore himself free with all his strength, stumbling back several paces. As he steadied himself, a cold sweat ran down his spine. In that single, brief touch… more than twenty percent of his chakra reserves had vanished.
"Damn it…" Kushimaru muttered under his breath, shock twisting his voice. "What kind of ability absorbs someone else's chakra like that?" His hand trembled slightly. "And that speed… I've never seen chakra drain so fast. That was… abnormal."
He clenched his jaw, realization settling heavily over him.
He couldn't let this winged man touch him again.
Not even once.
If Angel laid a hand on him a second time, Kushimaru knew he would be drained dry — and die from chakra exhaustion before he even hit the ground.
(A/N: I know that Angel Demon can drain the lifespan of anyone he touches, and since chakra and life force are linked in Naruto, I adapted it into chakra absorption.)
----
Want to get daily updates and read 20+ chapters? Then join my Patreon!
Patreon Link: https://[email protected]/Hkj822
Join Discord Link: https://discord.gg/MXPrVTBM