Chapter 881 : Fate, Karma

[A/N: Hey guys. Apologies for my absence. Had an eventful Sunday, barely leaving me any time to write. I thought I'd catch up on Monday, unfortunately, I had a couple of crazy busy days to start the week. Didn't get any time to write yesterday and only got it later today.
Anyway, I'm doing well, just kinda tired. (Cough, unfortunately haven't been isekai'd.) Good news is that the rest of the week shouldn't be this messy. So, I should be able to write in peace without any more unscheduled breaks (hopefully).]

“Darui stopped moving… His chakra has dropped!” C muttered in shock and disbelief. He doubted what he was sensing and wondered whether he was under a Genjutsu. Unfortunately, even after disrupting his chakra flow, he sensed the same thing!

Samui and Yugito were also shocked to hear his words. Not too long ago, they agreed with C to wait and stall for time. They didn't anticipate their opponent suddenly changing his fighting style.

Without waiting any time, all three flickered without exchanging another word. However, they stopped after flickering just once as Akuro appeared right in front of them, his gaze locked on to Yugito.

Akuro muttered, “It seems like you have subdued the fierce kitten… An incredible accomplishment, but what a pity. I didn't think I'd ever see you having fallen to this level, Matatabi. To let a mere human enslave you…”

Before any of the Kumo ninjas could retort, a voice roared in Yugito's head, “Who is that bastard calling a kitten? Yugito, make him pay!”

Enraged, Matatabi transferred a large amount of her chakra to Yugito. In the blink of an eye, a chakra cloak appeared around Yugito, taking Matatabi's form. C glanced at her and thought, ‘Incredible! His words must have enraged her. We may finally stand a chance…’

Matatabi's massive paw smashed down on Akuro, but before it could hit him, Lightning flared around Akuro once again and he disappeared. Unlike Darui, who could barely keep up with him, the remaining Kumo ninjas couldn't even follow Akuro's movements.

Despite having his chakra field active, C struggled to keep a track. His eyes widened as he suddenly heard, “To plan around your enemy's temperament is a smart move. However, to do so without a solid back up plan is nothing but folly…”

Before he could react, a knee landed on C's abdomen, knocking him out immediately. Samui's eyes turned to her right and she saw her teammate being knocked out. Instinctively, she flowed lightning chakra through her tanto and threw it at Akuro in one smooth move.

Unfortunately, it hit nothing but air as Akuro disappeared from his previous spot and appeared behind her. Before she could react, she felt a palm landing on her back. At the next moment, a powerful current passed through her body. She couldn't endure the pain and passed out right away.

Yugito turned her head, just to see both her teammates collapsing. She immediately moved to attack Akuro. However, Akuro simply grabbed Samui and threw her at the charging Matatabi. Yugito was forced to stop and use her massive chakra paw carefully to grab Samui. That small distraction was all Akuro needed.

The very moment Samui landed on her paw, Akuro entered straight into Matatabi's chakra construct, thinking, ‘Even though my Lightning Chakra Mode's defense isn't comparable to Ay or his father, it should be enough to handle Matatabi's chakra, unless Yugito could somehow create powerful jutsus inside the chakra cloak. Then again, it'll still be difficult to hit me unless she can use the cloak like my Wind Domain.’

Since Yugito had just become a perfect Jinchuriki, Fujin didn't think she could do something so complicated and wasn't particularly worried. Of course, he was prepared to use Flying Thunder God jutsu to teleport away in the unlikely event that she could do something like that.

Yugito's eyes widened as she sensed Akuro entering her chakra cloak. Immediately, her chakra cloak began burning with an intense heat. Instead of merely looking like flames, nearly the entire cloak burst into actual flames. The only part that didn't was the paw that held Samui. Yugito tried to gently lay her on the ground while focusing on Akuro.

Yet again, Akuro was simply too fast for Yugito. Less than a second after her cloak burst into flames, Akuro appeared in front of her and grabbed her throat. Yugito had anticipated Akuro doing something along that sort and was prepared to counterattack, when something outrageous happened! Yugito's chakra cloak vanished! She couldn't channel her chakra!

Yugito Immediately realized, ‘The Self-Cursing seal! It can't stop me!’

Yugito used Matatabi's chakra to forcefully break the curse seal. She immediately succeeded as the seals started disappearing. Unfortunately, more seals kept appearing on her neck, ensuring she couldn't channel her chakra and battle.

Akuro muttered, “Your flames have dulled, Matatabi. But, that's to be expected when you let a human subdue you. I'm disappointed…”

Matatabi heard his words and wondered, ‘Of course they're weak! I'm restrained and can't exert my full strength. However, when did I fight him? I have thought for so long, yet I can't remember ever meeting someone as enigmatic as him. Who is he truly?’

Yugito didn't know of Matatabi's thoughts and snorted, “It doesn't matter how many curse seals you put on me, I'll break through all of them! In terms of chakra, you can't compete with me!”

Akuro replied, “Perhaps. However, I have sufficient time to kill you, don't you think?”

Yugito smirked and said, “If you wanted to kill me, you would have already done it. You could have done it the very first time we met. However, you didn't. And, I have a good idea why you didn't.”

Akuro didn't respond, allowing Yugito to continue, “You haven't recovered your full strength yet. You can't sustain the Lightning Chakra Mode for a long time like Raikage-sama can. The reason why you didn't kill us and why you don't bother covering your tracks is because you want to fight us to recover your strength!”

With Akuro staying silent, Yugito's smirk widened. She thought, ‘I hit on the mark! Our analysis was on point!’

Due to their repeated confrontations, Kumo analyzed everything they could about Akuro from the information they had. Yugito's words were their most accepted theory. Akuro's silence just strengthened her belief. However, the real reason for Akuro's silence was completely different.

Even though he didn't give any reaction, Fujin was stunned. He thought, ‘They actually bought that bullshit story? Unbelievable! What a weird world… Oh well, this does benefit me. Though if my identity ever leaks, I'll definitely be a bigger pariah than Uchiha Madara…’

Finally, Akuro replied, “Interesting theory. I won't confirm or deny it, but you did get one part correct. I haven't recovered my entire strength. If I had…”

Even though Akuro was wearing a mask, Yugito could feel a cruel, evil smile on his face. Akuro's chakra also turned sinister, completely different from the mysterious and ancient feeling it gave earlier. He added, “This world would have long been doomed!”

The sinister chakra suddenly disappeared, replaced by Akuro's usual mysterious and ancient nature. He added, “That said, though I'm not interested in killing you, encountering me has changed your fates.”

Yugito wondered in confusion, ‘Fates? First karma and now fate. What is he up to? And what does he mean our fates have changed? What were our initial fates?’

Akuro said, “Due to your encounters with me, the four of you have become far stronger than you were fated to be. Since you have stepped onto this path, your strengths will continue growing.”
Akuro's words became heavier as he said, “As such, our karma is now intertwined.”
“You owe me a karmic debt.”
“And I don't like being owed!”

Every sentence created a bigger impact on Yugito. She continued struggling, trying to break free of the countless curse seals, but a bad feeling developed in her heart. She immediately understood the source of her unease as Akuro raised his left arm and a seal appeared at the tip of each of his fingers.

The reason why Fujin indulged Yugito, apart from just having some fun and spooking Kumogakure, was because he needed time to analyze her seal. While he was continuously inscribing Self-Cursing seals on Yugito, he was also using his chakra to study her seal and find any weakness. And, he had discovered a way to approach the seal!

Yugito couldn't move her body as Akuro hit her right shoulder.
‘Five Elements Seal!’

Akuro applied the Five Elements Seal on top of her Iron Armor Seal, causing a disruption on her seal and cutting off Yugito from Matatabi's chakra! He analyzed, ‘Good, I have blocked the connection between Yugito and Matatabi. The next step is to gain entry into her inner world…’

The seals on his fingertips changed as he stabbed her shoulder again.
‘Five Elements Unseal!’

Instead of removing the Five Elements Seal, Fujin ignored it and instead used the Five Elements Unseal on the Iron Armor Seal. He didn't entirely remove the seal, as that would have killed Yugito and summoned Matatabi, instead creating a small opening in the seal.

In her inner world, Yugito clenched her shoulder and thought, ‘What happened? Why can't I feel my connection to Matatabi even though she's still behind that barr…’

Her pupils dilated and her eyes widened in shock and terror as a similar figure appeared in her inner world! She wondered in disbelief, ‘How did Akuro enter here?’