"Akari!" Kurenai screamed in horror.
The Eight Trigrams Seal points connected and released a flood of chakra, creating a dome of energy around Isobu. Space, along with the other clones, did not let their focus shift even as the Three-Tails roared and struck the barrier because they were at the critical step. The seal began to shrink at a rapid pace while Space directed the remaining energy into Rin's body.
The others were not so focused on the tailed beast, so they looked over when Kurenai screamed. Asuma, Guy, Shisui, and even Duy and Kakashi froze upon seeing the coral spear sticking through Akari's torso.
"Onee-chan!!!"
"Akari sensei!"
Asuma and Guy shouted in pure shock before running forward while Shisui remained still with his eyes locked onto Akari. She broke the coral and collapsed into Kurenai's arms. Asuma and Guy reached Kurenai's side, but Shisui's eyes remained locked on Akari's face as her arm fell to the side and blood spilled from her mouth.
Memories of Akari training him in the underground bunker played through his head... the times she had carried him back to his cot to rest after training too hard... eating dango on the camp's walls as they watched the sunset together. His parents had died when he was five, and there were times when Akari's image seemed to blur over the memories of his parents. She always seemed invincible to him, someone who he would never lose, yet there she was with blood dripping from her mouth and staining the ground beneath her as her eyes shut.
Kurenai shifted Akari to Asuma, then pulled out a storage scroll and took out a small pile of medical supplies. While he could tell that she was trying to save her, it did not seem possible to Shisui. He had seen so many others die during this war, and it felt like his world was shattering around him.
Space finished sealing the Three-Tails within Rin, and the other clones dispelled in a poof of smoke. Kakashi snapped out of his dazed state and ran over to Space and Rin. She picked up the young girl and passed her to his arms.
"The seal should hold as long as she remains calm, but it's Minato's seal, so he'll need to check it over later," Space said.
"I... I understand. Akari-sensei, I'm sorry," Kakashi stammered, cradling Rin close to his body.
"It's not your fault. Besides, she's not..." Space started, but the words died off as Shisui unconsciously released a large amount of chakra, for him anyways.
She did not say anything else and teleported next to Shisui. As she appeared next to him, a pair of crimson eyes looked up at her that were unmistakable, even if she had not seen them before. Shisui's Mangekyo consists of four broad, curved blades that spiral inward around the pupil, each end interlocking with the next to create the illusion of constant motion. The outside edge made a thin black halo, but it was broken by a single narrow gap that disrupts the otherwise perfect ring in each eye.
"Sensei?" he asked as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"She's not dead," Space replied, going through several hand signs, "and she's got one more trick to keep it that way." She placed a hand on the ground and summoned the small form of Katsuyu then picked up the slug and walked her over to the others as she explained, "Akari was heavily injured."
Kurenai had already cut away the bandages around the gut wound and was pressing her green glowing hands on either side. She gave Guy a nod who then pulled out the large coral shard, and Asuma pressed down with a wad of clean bandages over the wound. The others missed it, but Shisui's saw a golden glow at the edges of the wound in the split second before Asuma covered it. Space placed the slug onto Akari's thigh, and Katsuyu immediately released a green glow where she touched.
"I won't be able to stabilize her here," Katsuyu said, causing the others to freeze, "I need to reserve summon her back to my domain."
"Go," Space agreed.
The small slug bobbed its head then, a moment later, both Katsuyu and Akari vanished in a poof of smoke. Asuma and Kurenai stumbled forward with the loss of Akari, and no one spoke as Duy and Kakashi approached. Kurenai just stared down at the blood on her hands and the ground as she tried to process everything that had just happened.
"Form up, we need to get moving! The Mist could have reinforcements on the way, and the Leaf are also sending reinforcements," Space ordered a little harshly, but she knew that they were all still shaken up. "Our mission isn't complete until Rin is safely back in the main camp."
Asuma looked at Space with tears in his eyes as he asked, "Will Onee-chan be okay?"
"Hopefully, but you need to worry about yourself and your team. She's safe, but you all aren't," Space replied.
"She's right; we need to get moving," Duy echoed.
Asuma stood up while Kurenai remained staring down at the place where Akari disappeared until he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kurenai?"
She trembled for a moment before she pulled herself back together as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "Sorry," she muttered, standing up. "Let's move."
No one commented on her reaction, but there was concern on Asuma's face. They simply had no time for emotions, so they took off running. Thankfully, the tunnel was still clear, and there were no signs of Mist reinforcements when they reached the surface.
There were people on the mainland beach, which Space identified by the signalers they carried. Space had Shisui send a message back to the main camp, telling Phantom and Shikaku that the mission was successful with complications, before they rendezvoused with the Leaf reinforcements. Duy had learned to properly restrain his use of the Eight Gates, so he was still walking, but Guy and Asuma collapsed onto stretchers once they were offered. Shisui also took one since awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan placed a heavy burden on his young body.
Kakashi refused to hand over Rin to the medics, but Phantom appeared in a flash of silver before it became a fight. As soon as she surveyed the two teams and realized that Akari was missing, Phantom decided to bring the pair back directly to the main camp with Space's help. Kakashi was pulled into Space's recounting of events since even Shikaku would not leave a new jinchuriki, and both Phantom and Space knew that they were still in danger.
Rin was safe for now, but that did not mean she would stay that way. Madara and Black Zetsu were not the types to accept defeat easily, even in their weakened state. They had already made a massive move to distract from Rin's capture, so there were few hidden cards they could pull, but neither clone believed this was the end.
Once Space had recovered enough chakra, she taxied Asuma, Kurenai, Duy, Guy, and Shisui back to the main camp. Asuma, Guy, and Shisui still needed more treatment, and Duy and Kurenai needed to rest properly, though the pair refused to simply sit around. Duy joined a patrol around camp while Kurenai threw herself into the medical unit as she tried to distract herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Report," a tired voice ordered in the darkness.
The half white and half black face of Zetsu rose out of the ground with an annoyed expression. "Rin was rescued and brought to the Leaf headquarters on the Mist front. Akari Sarutobi stabilized the seal and turned her into a jinchuriki."
Madara closed his eyes for a few moments before asking, "Can the Mist mount another attack on the camp?"
"No... they committed most of their army, including the Six-Tails. With the loss of the Three-Tails as well, the Third Mizukage likely won't keep his position and then the war front will collapse," Zetsu replied.
Madara let out a long breath then decided, "Kill the boy, and save his eyes. He's useless for my plan now."
"Understood," Zetsu said. "There is another that I found... Young, malleable, and filled with hate for Akari Sarutobi. He blames her for abandoning him and his older brother during the assault, and his Mangekyo looked to be interesting before he passed out from blood loss."
"Bring him," he ordered, opening his eyes once again.
Zetsu sunk back into the ground while Madara's eyes drifted upwards to the Gedo Mazo statue looming above him. The tubes between him and it were the only reason he was still living, but tired as his body may have been, his spirit had never been stronger nor his confidence in his mission.
"Sarutobi... Akari..." Madara muttered as if weighing her name. "Perhaps we'll dance in the future... if you survive that long."
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but the last drained a lot from me lol