"Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."
— William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
--
"Lord Orochimaru wants you alive. That's fine," Kazan muttered to himself, his tone playful, almost sing-song. "But no one said I couldn't… enjoy myself a little first."
With that, he launched forward.
His twisted body moved with inhuman speed, muscles stitched and warped by experiments. The blade in his hand dragged sparks against stone before he raised it high, his grin widening with every step.
This wasn't just a task.
This was fun to him
Sayuri slid into stance, wires ready at her fingertips. Hinata's Byakugan flared, veins bulging at her temples. Sasuke stepped forward, fists clenched, trying to stand tall despite the terror gnawing at him. Naruto planted himself in front of Otis, arms out wide like a shield.
They surrounded Otis—half-dead, swaying on his feet, breaths ragged. Their hearts pounded in unison with a single thought burning through them:
They wouldn't let Kazan touch even a single hair on Otis. They wouldn't let him die here.
And Kazan's grin only widened.
Prey. That's all he saw. Weak prey protecting a corpse that didn't know it was dead.
His villainous smile twisted as he closed the distance. He didn't care about their lives. Otis was the only one he wasn't allowed to kill.
The blade descended like a guillotine.
Time slowed. The gleam of steel reflected in Hinata's pale eyes. Her body froze, her mind screaming move but her limbs locking. Sasuke, Sayuri, Naruto—they all wanted to hurl themselves forward, but their bodies couldn't match their eyes. They could see it, but they weren't fast enough.
They could only watch—
Clang!
The air vibrated. The cry of stone striking steel split the chamber as Kazan's sword slammed into something solid at the last possible instant.
Steel met stone. Sparks spat, the blade knocked just off its killing path—enough that when it crashed down, Hinata's shoulder was spared by a hair's breadth.
Her breath hitched.
Kazan's head snapped up.
Otis stood there, swaying on his feet. His wrists were raw, dripping blood where the ropes had torn him. His chest rose and fell with shallow, broken breaths, every scar screaming at him to collapse. And yet—his hand held another stone, wet with the blood trailing from his shoulder.
Kazan's grin stretched, rasping laughter spilling from him.
"Ahhh… you can still stand. Good. GOOD! It's no fun if you don't fight back."
Otis's lips curled into a bloody smile. His voice rasped like sandpaper.
"Stay… back."
But how could Sayuri, Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto back down? Their eyes said it all—they knew they were too weak, that even together they couldn't take Kazan without Otis.
But their eyes screamed
We're not strong enough. Not alone. But we won't run.
Kazan chuckled darkly.
"Good. My lord prefers his toys alive… at least at first."
Then he lunged.
The chamber erupted.
Kazan's blade carved the air in wild arcs, unstable chakra surging through him, turning every strike into something monstrous. Each swing split the air with sparks, heavy enough to shatter stone.
Otis moved. Blood sprayed with every motion, every block tearing his body further apart—yet his hand never dropped the jagged rock clutched tight in his grip.
But it wasn't just a rock. Earth chakra bled into it, hardening it beyond reason, forcing it to endure the impossible weight of steel.
Stone against steel.
Every clash rang out like a bell tolling doom.
Still—Otis faltered. His knees buckled. His shoulder tore open again, blood gushing down his arm. His knuckles split, shredded raw against the jagged edge. And still he raised the stone.
Kazan saw it.
He drove his boot into Otis's ribs with a sickening Crack! The impact sent Otis flying into the wall, blood spraying from his mouth as his skull rattled against stone.
The world spun.
Kazan stepped forward to stomp him out—
Shhhk!
A shuriken cut through the air, forcing him to twist his blade to deflect the strike aimed for the back of his neck.
Otis staggered upright, coughing blood. His hand clenched another stone. He flung it, bouncing it off the wall, the ceiling—before it slammed into Kazan's ribs from the blind side. The brute snarled, recoiling.
Sasuke's voice rang out, sharp and unyielding.
"You'll have to get through me first."
Otis groaned, dragging himself upright again. His hand trembled, but another stone clenched in his hand. He flicked it, ricochet after ricochet, until it screamed toward Kazan's chest. The brute snarled, sword flashing to deflect—but the angle forced him to backstep, away from Otis.
Otis rose. Bloody. Broken. Still fighting.
But this time… he wasn't alone.
Kazan's frustration boiled over. He lunged for Sasuke, sword raised to cut him down—
But Sayuri's wires flashed in response, glinting in the dim light as they wrapped around his hilt, dragging it wide. Kazan ripped free with a snarl—only to find Naruto charging headlong, screaming with reckless fury.
"Take this!"
His fist slammed into Kazan's ribs. Air burst from the man's lungs, his grin breaking for the first time as he staggered.
Rage filled his face.
Kazan's elbow whipped around with monstrous force. Crack! It smashed into Naruto's jaw, the boy flew backward, his head snapping, blood spraying from his lip as he tumbled across the stone.
Kazan turned, eyes murderous—fixing on the Uchiha brat.
But behind him—
Hinata was already there.
Her palms glowing with chakra. She struck his wrist, her Gentle Fist closing tenketsu with a sickening snap. His grip faltered, fingers spasming.
Snarling, he backhanded her so hard she skidded across the ground, coughing blood.
"Annoying brats," he hissed, spittle and blood dripping from his lips.
He spun on Sayuri, blade swinging in a wide arc meant to split her in two—
CRACK!
Another stone screamed through the chamber, this one slamming into the already half-numb wrist Hinata had sealed. Three fingers snapped grotesquely, bending backward. Kazan howled, dropping his sword with a metallic clang as blood sprayed across the floor.
"Aaaghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
His eyes went bloodshot with rage. He thrust up his other hand, chakra boiling as signs began to form, water condensing in the air.
"Water Release: Water Bul—"
Another stone ripped through the air, aimed dead at his hand.
Kazan jerked it back, fury in his eyes. He had to stop the jutsu—or lose his last functioning hand.
--
(A/N)
💬 Leave a review or drop a comment — every bit of support helps this story grow!
🚀 Want to read ahead?
Join my Patreon and help keep the story alive! ❤️
patreon.com/pacifist01