"You're finished," he snarled, preparing a Suiton: Water Dragon. A colossal water serpent burst forth, aiming to crush her in the prison. But Makima burst into laughter, a sound that froze Yamato's blood. 'He thinks he's got me? Pathetic,' she thought, her eyes blazing.
She spread her arms, and an explosion of wave-like force shattered the cage, sending wood splinters flying in all directions. The water dragon dissipated under the shockwave, and she charged.
Yamato attempted Mokuton: Piercing Lances. Wooden spikes shot from the ground, aiming for her vital points. One pierced her shoulder, drawing a trickle of blood, and another deeply gashed her thigh.
She stumbled, and Yamato seized the opportunity to launch a Doton: Mud Avalanche. A wave of viscous earth surged, half-burying her. He panted, thinking he'd got her. "You're not so tough," he growled, advancing to finish her.
But beneath the mud, Makima still smiled. He's strong, but he's so... limited. She leaped up, tearing the spike from her bleeding shoulder. Blood spurted, but she didn't care. "Done playing?" she said, her voice dripping with contempt.
She extended a hand, and a telekinetic blast hurled Yamato against the cliff, cracking the rock. He coughed, blood flowing from his mouth, and attempted a final jutsu: Mokuton: Devouring Tree. A monstrous tree surged up, its clawed branches aiming to flay her alive.
Makima dodged, but not fast enough. A branch gashed her flank, tearing a chunk of flesh. She growled, blood soaking her shirt, and Yamato thought he saw an opening.
"Die!" he roared, launching a Suiton: Water Blades. Liquid arcs as sharp as razors sped toward her. One sliced her cheek, another her forearm, and she staggered, one knee on the ground. He advanced, kunai in hand, ready to finish her.
But then, Makima raised her head, and her smile widened, more terrifying than ever. "Finally serious?" she murmured, her voice like venom. Now, let's play.
She leaped up, ignoring her wounds, and charged with inhuman speed. Yamato attempted a Doton: Rock Shield, but she pulverized it with a telekinetic punch, sending shards into his ribs. He screamed, retreating, but she was already on him.
Her first blow shattered his jaw, with a disgusting sound. "You're weak," she growled, punching his gut. He vomited blood, staggering, but she didn't stop.
She seized his arm, twisting it until the bone snapped, protruding from the skin at a disgusting angle. Yamato screamed, a raw, broken sound, but Makima laughed. "Thought you had me?"
She crushed his knee with a heel strike, making him collapse, then plowed his torso with blows, her fists like hammers. Blood spurted, splattering her face, but she continued, methodical, savage.
She lifted him by the hair, his face reduced to an unrecognizable pulp. "Look at yourself," she mocked, before smashing his skull against the cliff.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Blood and brains splattered the rock, and she dropped him. Yamato was just a mess of broken flesh, his bones shattered, his skin torn, his residual chakra extinguished.
Makima wiped her hands on her pants, blood dripping into the mud. 'These wounds barely heal anymore!' she thought, her smile intact despite the gashes on her body.
She cast a final glance at the corpse, then turned toward the cave. "Orochimaru, if you don't want to submit, you're next," she muttered.
The crevice was silent, except for the wind carrying the scent of blood.
Makima stood before the misty entrance to Orochimaru's hideout, Yamato's blood still sticky on her hands.
She felt a sneaky weakness gnawing at her being. Her connection to the underworld – the source of her summoned demons, and even her ability to resurrect, to heal. Each day, she lost a little more of her power, and it drove her mad. Orochimaru was her solution.
His forbidden jutsu, especially the Edo Tensei, the reincarnation of the impure world, could stabilize her link to the afterlife. She needed it, and she'd have it, one way or another.
Samui waited near the cave, her tanto drawn, her eyes scanning the darkness. Her face was smeared with mud and blood, but she stood straight, loyal to her mistress. "Is that it?" she asked, her voice hoarse after the Anbu massacre.
"Yeah," Makima replied, her cold smile contrasting with the tension in the air. "Stay alert. It won't be a walk in the park." They entered the cave, the thick mist wrapping around them like ghostly fingers. The smell of mold and chemicals stung their nostrils, and water droplets echoed in the darkness.
Suddenly, Samui felt a movement behind her. She pivoted, her tanto parrying an invisible strike, but the blade snapped against a shimmering water sword.
She retreated, cursing, as Makima turned, lightning-fast. She pointed a finger, and the attacker's head exploded in an aqueous SPLASH! But the next instant, the droplets reformed into a laughing face – Suigetsu Hōzuki, his liquid body gleaming in the dim light. "Not bad, redhead," he taunted, brandishing his Kubikiribōchō.
Before Makima could respond, chains shot out, wrapping around their wrists and ankles.
Samui growled, pulling in vain, while an animalistic roar shook the cave. Jūgo, enraged, burst forth like a beast, his body swollen with raw chakra. He charged, striking Samui with a massive punch that sent her crashing against the wall. She collapsed, unconscious, blood flowing from her temple.
Makima, meanwhile, took an uppercut from Jūgo that hurled her against the wall, cracking the stone.
The chains pinned her, biting her skin, and a giant serpent coiled around her throat, its tongue licking the blood dripping from her gashed cheek. Through the snake, a hissing voice rose – Orochimaru. "What are you doing here, little girl?" he asked, his tone amused and menacing.
Makima, despite the pain, sketched a smile. "I came to recruit you," she said, her voice dripping with defiance.
"Recruit me? Kukuku," Orochimaru chuckled via the snake. "I've heard quite a few rumors about you, Makima. But I'm surprised you dared come here."
Makima's eyes blazed. "The right word is that I'm going to submit you." With a gesture, she shattered the chains in a telekinetic explosion, pulverizing the snake into viscous chunks. 'He'll fold, like the others,' she thought, ready to fight.