A/N: Another update! This chapter has a sad excuse for a war scene. I apologize. I ask that those with weak constitutions to leave the web page.
Disclaimer: No have Naruto en mi casa…
Fires of Battle
Sasori moved towards the entrance of the laboratory. There were only a few victims left, and after those few; the Akatsuki army would be complete. As he entered the domain of his brainchild, he marveled at his own genius.
This Kyuubi brat had eluded them for long enough, and now was the time to exploit his weaknesses. It was clear that the village was where they needed to attack. The promise of a massive slaughter would draw him out, desperate to protect his precious people. But then there was the matter of his ally shinobi. Every encounter with the brat had been disrupted by ninja who allied themselves with that annoying bastard child. After much analysis, Sasori himself had created a failsafe plan intended for the Kyuubi brat's downfall.
The Akatsuki member decided to attack Konoha directly, with an overwhelming force. The sheer numbers would more than occupy the enemy forces, allowing no help for the Kyuubi-holder. It would also allow the missing-nins to corral the target, effectively eliminating any methods of escape.
Human sacrifices were required for this plan to work. Without an independent source of chakra, the puppets would be useless after summoning them. The sheer amount of chakra would be immense. By using living bodies, the chakra within them would act as a buffer, meaning that the only chakra the puppet master used would be in the manipulation of his army.
A cry of pain reverberated off the dank walls of the current hideout, snatching the former Suna-nin from his reflections. If he were still capable of such emotions, a smile would have fought to show itself on Sasori's puppet face as the screams of the new victims reached his ears. It was most surprising to the puppet master when he discovered that mutated human bodies created the most effective puppets. Despite the fact that they had their own chakra, they were much more agile than metal contraptions. Also, due to the universal nature of human DNA, simple instruction could cause the flesh puppets to reconstruct themselves in the event of amputation. In effect, the puppets were indestructible, capable of regenerating from the smallest of atoms.
A woman screamed as she watched her child get outfitted for war. The boy's left arm was torn from his body, his shrieks echoing in the dark cave. Light glinted off the steel contrivance that was being brought menacingly to the child, a scream reverberating anew as the offending structure was forcefully shoved into the small body.
What was left of the boy shuddered and bellowed in horrible agony. The metal was hot and burned the young child's skin. Sasori watched as the steel rippled, chakra flowing through it, fusing with the boy's body.
More 'adjustments' were made to the child, each wringing heart-wrenching cries of pain from the boy no older than seven. Sasori made his way over towards the shrieking brat, a syringe of clear liquid in his hands. Looking down at a pain-contorted face, a steady stream of tears and screams emanating from the boy, he calmly injected the vile substance into what was left of an innocent youth. Screams ripped themselves from the body, dwarfing any other sound it had made previously. The poison would not kill the boy, but enhance the body's physical attributes. It would also destroy the child's conscious mind, leaving the body an empty shell. A simple puppet.
Establishing threads of chakra to his creation, he forced his new puppet servant to move over to the mother cowering in the corner. Sasori thought that since the woman brought the former boy into existence, that it was fitting for it to orchestrate her 'death'. He waited for the others to arrive, it was nearly time to execute their plan, and he hated waiting. Blood splashed across his face as the operation began. Lifting a hand, Sasori felt the blood dripping from his head, feeling it between his fingers. Taking a deep breath, he felt at ease. Yes, the acrid smell of blood made waiting much more…tolerable.
Naruto sat on the Fourth Hokage's head, taking comfort in the fact that he now knew whom his father was. He understood his connection to this place; he had a natural affinity to the only thing binding him to his father.
The sun was slowly setting, highlighting the Konoha skyline with hues of flushed pink and pale orange. It was truly breathtaking. He felt the wind ruffle his blond hair, created a tickling sensation as the long spikes brushed against his cheeks. His hair was longer now, almost exactly like his father's, or at least, that was what Jiraiya had told him recently.
The breeze turned cold as a cloud cast a shadow over his already dimly lit perch, the change in temperature causing a light shiver to dance along his skin.
"Naruto."
Nearly falling, Naruto turned to see who had startled him. As he looked over his shoulder, he saw Sasuke's familiar smirk.
"Dobe, what are you doing out here?" Sasuke had a look of sincere interest on his face. He wanted to know why Naruto hadn't been at Ichiraku's; he had planned on meeting him there. If Naruto's stunned silence bothered the raven shinobi, he showed no sign of it. He sat down next to the uncharacteristically quiet ninja and they sat there, together, watching Mother Nature paint her nightly masterpiece called dusk.
Dusk soon turned to twilight, neither boy moving. The pastel colors had slowly deepened or lightened, changing into deep blues or shimmering silvers. It gave the world a celestial feel, as if everything was caught in a strange mirage-the dancing shadows and lights playing with ones mind till it was hard to distinguish the lines of reality and imagination.
Turning to his companion, Naruto was struck at how the silver moonbeams played across Sasuke's face. The delicate marble white of his skin glowed within the darkness, his hair creating shadows that obscured his eyes. Naruto was unable to comprehend the colors dancing across the boys skin. He had always been pale, but now, he was not. Light blues and opal lights seemed to emanate from his comrade, creating an unearthly glow about him. The moon certainly complimented him.
By whatever enchantment had been woven by the night's motif, Naruto felt compelled to lean forward. Sasuke noticed the small movement, a smirk once again found its way to his usually bored mask. A small gasp escaped from Naruto's lips as he saw Sasuke return the gesture.
Inches separated the two; hot puffs of breathe teased their lips, contrasting with the cold of nightfall. The starlight was reflected in the polished obsidian eyes of his partner, a knowing glint gracing those stygian eyes. His mind shattered as Sasuke closed the gap between them, lips pressed firmly to his own.
This kiss was not one from the stories; it was not one of gentle love, kind words, or eternal bliss. The kiss contained love akin to molten ice, ferocious and consuming, burning through their veins. Words were not needed, the intense connection more then speaking for itself. Eternal bliss paled in comparison to this feeling, every ounce of their souls filled with emphatic need and happiness, ecstasy overwhelming every fiber of their being.
Air was needed, they broke apart. Sasuke's burning touch moved from his lips to his throat. Sucking and nipping his way across Naruto's neck, meandering in any direction he fancied. A tongue snuck out and licked at the shell of Naruto's ear, eliciting a pleasant shudder from the boy underneath him. In between pants and gasps, Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, "I want you-"
A moan from Naruto interrupted him.
As breath found its way back into his lungs he tried again, "Naruto, I need you to-"
He found himself at a loss for words as Naruto latched onto his neck. "Naruto-"
"WAKE UP, DOBE!!!"
Naruto was rudely awakened from his pleasant and rapidly heating up dream. Glaring at the bringer of his misfortune, he saw the irritated form of the very man he had been having a somewhat questionable fantasy about. Naruto felt heat rise to his cheeks as he fully grasped what had happened in his dream, no longer able to meet his rival's eye; he looked around to see where he was.
Fully expecting to be in the Hokage's office, Naruto was surprised to see that he was in a room with the Uchiha crest displayed prominently. "Sasuke, why am I here?" Confusion was evident in his tone; he had never been in the Uchiha district before-it was closed off to everyone but Sasuke. Sasuke hadn't even lived there, he had been in an apartment provided by Konoha. Now that he was eighteen, it became apparent that he was entitled to all the Uchiha wealth.
Sasuke had no idea why Naruto had blushed as soon as he had looked at him. A normal reaction would be to start yelling at your aggravator, however the blond had blushed like a schoolgirl! He ignored the disconcerting interest about his rival's coloring before it had a chance to go sour. It was bad enough that he had enjoyed carrying Naruto from the Hokage's office. On second thought, he hadn't enjoyed the blond snuggling up to him, or the warmth he seemed to emit! It was unnatural! Enjoy it? What the hell was that! It was a mistake, a fluke, and a simple error in vocabulary. He had meant that he loathed it. It was very easy to get those words confused, damnit!
Sasuke felt his eye begin to twitch as the blond idiot looked around, an unmistakable look of awe on his face. "Dobe, pay attention. I am not in the mood to deal with your idiocy, got that?" Naruto whirled around, face twisted in a glare. Sasuke pressed ahead, ignoring any of the possible protests that were sure to be yelled out in that rough, earthy tone. Wait, that annoying squeal…yeah, that's it. "The Hokage expects the Akatsuki to start a war. She also thinks that there will be a huge deficit in shinobi, they have an army. People are being evacuated as we speak."
Naruto was stunned, why would Akatsuki do that? There wasn't a Kyuubi anymore. According to Jiraiya, the Kyuubi had been purified. "Why are they coming here? It's not like there is another Bijuu here in the village, right?" A frustrated look crossed Sasuke's face.
"The Akatsuki don't know that the Kyuubi is gone. You, the Hokage, Jiraiya, and myself know the status of the Kyuubi. No one else." Realization dawned on Naruto, and he felt the fluttering of panic settle in his stomach. "How many people in the army? You said we're outnumbered, is there any way that we'll win?"
Sasuke rubbed his temples; he had known that there would be this many questions from the blond. Oh how he wished for the awkward silence that had surrounded the pair before a tentative bond had been reformed. Even without any encouragement from Sasuke, the other ninja rattled on about this and that, what could happen, blah, blah, and blah. Finally, Sasuke interrupted him. "Tsunade-sama is going to tell everyone the details at the briefing. She wants us there in an hour, dressed and with supplies for a week a fighting. She wants everything a stone's throw away, in easy reach."
"One hour! What the hell! I need to get ready!" Sasuke sighed as the blond started to run to his apartment. He followed silently; he knew his dobe would need help. He himself was already prepared. Suddenly, he froze. His dobe?
Naruto rushed about his apartment, shoving everything in his missions bag designed for longer time frames. Convinced he had enough, he rushed outside. He abruptly crashed head-on with someone. The two people now mashed together tumbled down the stairs, each step taking extra care to jab the other in the side. Naruto felt the air force its way out of his chest as the other person landed on top of him.
He opened his eyes to find a very close, very warm, and very real Sasuke Uchiha straddling his waist. Needless to say, he immediately turned red. "S-Sasuke?" Naruto angrily gathered what was left of his dignity. He wasn't a wimp, damnit! "Teme! Get the hell off me!" Naruto made sure to growl it out, just for emphasis.
Maybe it was Pervert Sasuke taking over, some second personality due to his repressed emotions, but whatever Naruto had just growled was extremely arousing to Sasuke. He had just come to terms with the fact that he might have a semblance of an attraction to his friend, and that it might have been there before the curse seal poisoned his mind. Anyway, he was pretty sure Naruto hadn't actually said "Teme! Get off with me!" But still, he had felt that growl and its vibrations, and god, it felt good.
He leaned in closer to the blond, and whispered into his ear. "Dobe, you're supposed to…watch…me." Despite his body's yearning for more contact, Sasuke got off the blond that he was apparently attracted to. Very attracted to. "Come on, everyone's already gathering to hear Tsunade."
Naruto lay on the ground for a few stunned moments. Had Sasuke just, made a move on him? Was he still dreaming? He could've sworn that when Sasuke had called him a dobe, the word was dripping with a possessive quality that was a little scary. It made him feel like he was being hunted. And when he had said 'watch', it was extremely suggestive! It was like Sasuke was saying he would ravish him the moment he got the chance! God, he felt like he was going crazy!
Forcing himself out of a Sasuke-induced coma, Naruto got to his feet. "Wait up, you bastard! I'm supposed to watch you remember." And no, he hadn't tripped the moment he said 'watch', and he hadn't been plagued with very inappropriate thoughts of the dark-haired man before him. There was a rock that had leapt at him, oozing with killer intent, desperate to trip him! Those damn pebbles are out to get him, it's the truth!
Tsunade prepared to address the mass of shinobi gathered around the Hokage mansion. She calmly waited for everyone to arrive. There was some disturbance at the back of the crowd; a flash of blond and orange explained everything she needed to know. A puff of smoke appeared on a branch, leaving a lazy looking Kakashi in its place.
Certain that everyone had arrived, she gathered herself as she began to prep her troops for battle.
"Attention! We need to get serious here!" The dull roar that had permeated the air was suddenly dispelled. It was quite obvious to the ninja that something was not right. A missing-nin was accepted back without penalty, and an unheard of amount of shinobi was assigned to one mission. Some were downright worried by the implications.
Unwilling to deliver the horrible news, Tsunade took a deep breath. It was highly likely that many of the few hundred shinobi that were capable to fight would not survive the upcoming battle. Her heart nearly broke as she spotted Konohamaru and the other genin. They were so young.
"We face a challenge not faced in generations. An all out battle. The hills and forests surrounding or village will be infested with enemy forces. We will be out numbered, but they will be outclassed. Many of you, if not all, are used to covert battles-few against few. There will be an army at our gates, a mindless horde threatening to overwhelm or village. The numbers will be immense. We must be prepared. I want you to assemble in teams; the line-ups are posted in the missions room. You must support your fellow team members, as well as the teams around you. Without this, we will all be wiped out. All of you will be on guard, ready to ring the alarm should anything appear out of the ordinary. Prepare for battle. Prepare for honor. Prepare for death."
Without another word, Tsunade left the stunned crowd. She herself had the responsibility to keep Konoha safe, and many primitive defenses needed to be re-commissioned.
The Next Day
The summer sun rose slowly over the horizon, the alert shinobi appropriately tense. Ready for action at a moments notice without the consequences of cramped muscles. The genin assigned to this mission were ignorantly excited, the chunnin solemnly awaiting the battle, the jounin grimly determined.
Steam rose from the ground as the cold dew was burned from existence, cloaking one's field of vision in a luminescent cloud. Every eye was intently scanning the horizon. Naruto nervously glanced at Sasuke, wondering how he would react to seeing Itachi.
Sasuke stood stiffly, every muscle as tense as a coiled spring-raw energy waiting to be unleashed. His brother. His family. His revenge. His friend. Everything flashed through his mind in a tumult of crashing thoughts. He closed his eyes, willing away the scars left by Tsukiyomi.
Focus, he needed focus. Sasuke didn't operate on emotion; he knew this. Rash thinking and actions had foiled every encounter with Itachi. He needed calm, decisive, knife-sharp reactions. Focus.
He took a deep breath, the turmoil slowly rolling off his body. He felt himself relax. He assumed his at-the-ready stance. Every muscle was loose, his body held from his shoulders. To all appearances, it was nothing but an infuriatingly arrogant pose. Unknown to all, it heightened his reaction time, highly honed instinct and reflexes held at the ready. Itachi won't get the better of him this day; he won't escape this fight. He won't avoid his judgment, Sasuke's vengeance.
Akatsuki stood on a hill within sight of Konoha's gates. A simple valley stood between them and their goal. Without a word, they gathered in the ordained positions.
Itachi and Kisame stood apart from the rest, designated to fetch the Bijuu. Itachi had the skill; Kisame had the power. Itachi was unmatched in combat; Kisame had Samehada to absorb the brat's chakra-as well as an ample supply of his own.
The rest of Akatsuki gathered in a circle, preparing to lend their chakra to Sasori. Sasori would manipulate the army with an amassed strength from the entirety of Akatsuki. Much like extracting a Bijuu-which is exactly what they were doing. If in a different way.
A scroll was taken out by Sasori, who promptly dipped his finger in blood, and prepared for the summoning of his army. He dragged his finger along the length of the scroll. When finished, he threw it into the air above the valley. Assembling his chakra threads from the combined strength of the organization, he prepared for battle.
A loud roar blasted through the valley, accompanied by a huge column of smoke. The Konohagakure ninja knew what was approaching. The battle had begun.
Whatever preconceived notions anyone had on the state of the Akatsuki army were completely blown away by the reality of the situation. Several less experienced ninja threw up at the grotesque mass before the village.
Twisted beings of muscle and sinew stretched out along the valley. Each had there own inhuman form. Red tissue showed through torn flesh, steel roughly joined with bone. Small bodies with overly large metallic limbs were on the shoulders of their larger counterparts. They resembled monkeys. Every 'soldier' had bulging muscles barely contained in paper-thin skin. Many were clearly opaque, organs showing through the once human puppets.
Bones were replaced with steel, jaws removed from faces; limbs and heads placed at unnatural angles. Each body looked as though twisted in by a bone-breaking process, an agonizing blend of unnatural shapes and materials. Sharp shards of bone broke through sinew.
Some were even worse. The ogres that Orochimaru had created were nothing compared to this. Some looked as though impaled on another body.
Despite the disturbing features of the soldiers, there was no doubt that the most fearsome feature of the soldiers was their eyes. The shinobi had no need to see them, the distinct chill that came from looking into their faces was clear. Fear was emanating from those faces, enveloping the weak of heart. The Konoha ninja knew that someone had achieved the impossible. The bodies lived, but the soul did not. The mind had been wrested from these poor people. Every chance to enjoy life was now out of their grasp. Their very future forfeit for the benefit of Akatsuki.
An unspoken agreement worked its way across the shinobi ranks. Torrents of kunai and shuriken were hurled at the monsters. A loud roar was heard as great gusts of wind tore threw the ranks of the enemy, gouging a good number of the foe's forces.
Eyes automatically traced the trajectory of the cause of the destruction, landing on a orange clad ninja. Naruto had no idea what had happened to his shuriken, but he was grateful that it took out a lot of the opponents' soldiers.
As the ninja once again focused on the battlefield, the watched in horror as something happened to those that fell to Naruto's shuriken. Amputated masses of flesh quivered, writhing in place. The lumps of muscle and tissue squirmed in random directions, only stopping when coming into contact with another pile of goo. The puppet slime crawled over itself, molding and forming, resulting in a new puppet. Everyone felt the implications in their hearts. These things were indestructible.
Ninja squads acknowledged one another, pledging to survive another day. With a wordless battle cry, the Konoha ninja launched themselves at their opponents.
Blood flew everywhere. Skin and organs erupted. Jutsus were thrown at the enemy forces with eager valor. There was something off though. The puppets were barely animate. Simply a wall of sheer muscle and bone. The teams were swiftly separated from one another, the moving mass of bodies sweeping allies away from one another.
The jounin watched helplessly, as they saw the largest group of puppets begin the attack. In the center of the circle were Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. The Akatsuki had achieved their goal. It was simply a matter of time before Kyuubi was in their hands.
Itachi and Kisame watched the battle passively. They kept their eyes trained on their target. Kisame didn't bother to hide his disdain for the Kyuubi brat and Uchiha. It appeared as thought both ninja had digress in recent years, they really hadn't needed this elaborate plan.
The two boys were inconsistently landing blows. At times they would seem to exude deadly grace and power, at others, they would clumsily vault over their opponent. Hands flashed in jutsus that either never worked or had too much chakra and quickly fell apart. Kisame waited for Itachi's signal.
Itachi watched his little brother and his 'friend' battle through crimson eyes. There was something off in both shinobi. Their chakra was erratic, pulsing in an uncontrollable manner. It seemed as though the battle would end soon. He gave the signal to Kisame…they had waited long enough.
Sasuke was full of barely constrained fury and frustration! His focus was holding, but just barely. Nothing seemed to work! He couldn't even use taijutsu, random bursts of chakra were totally screwing with his fighting. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Naruto was having the same problem.
What was worse was that when his jutsus did work, they were nearly uncontrollable. His chidori nearly killed him in a maelstrom of lightning-it exploded within seconds. Naruto's clones kept bursting without even being touched, and his rasengan was incapable of forming.
Taking out a kunai, he focused on dismembering his opponents. Sasuke swung his arms, slicing neatly through the contorted being before him. He felt his arm numb from the jolting sensation of severing flesh and the shock of cutting bone. Blood splashed across his face unheeded, his eyes blank as he watched the severed muscle reach for its former resting place. The skin and sinew melded anew, as if never separated.
Naruto wasn't having any better luck. His shuriken didn't create gusts of cutting wind anymore. And every attack was either parried, avoided, or rendered useless as the puppets recreated themselves. Blood and guts clung to him as he kept tearing at his enemies. Veins burst, organs demolished, all vital areas bleeding profusely. These things wouldn't die!
Pain erupted in his leg. Naruto collapsed as he found himself unable to but weight on his left foot. He looked down, finding it cut clean off his body. An arm lay beside his severed leg, and he looked over at Sasuke. It seems like the same blow had caught Sasuke in mid-flip. It was over; there was no way the two of them could stave off an army without use of all their limbs.
The masses parted, revealing two black coats adorned with red clouds. Itachi and Kisame.
Sasuke felt pain in his right arm. He could still feel it, but it wasn't there. It lay a few feet from him, blood still pooling around his former limb. His brother looked down at him, he could feel the hate, and the disappointment.
"Foolish little brother, here I thought you were improving. It seems as though you can't even best mindless civilians." Disdain dripped from his mouth, he unconsciously severed the head from a puppet. Itachi watched disinterestedly as it reconnected itself to its body.
Heat enveloped the stub that Sasuke's arm had formerly occupied. Heat and pain. It felt as though he had exploded. Something burst from his arm, growing and hardening. Forming, living.
Sasuke looked down at his shoulder, surprised to see a new arm identical to his last one. Blood stained the new limb, slowly trickling down the newly formed skin. Without a word, he launched himself at Itachi.
Naruto underwent the same process, awe etched across his face. His new leg felt strong, and if it was a little odd to have a new leg, some things were better left forgotten. Dismissing his re-growth, Naruto attacked Kisame with his full power.
Naruto silently created two shadow clones, circling the shark-like ninja in an indistinguishable blur. Surprised that the clones hadn't blown up yet, he twisted their charka systems into a swirling rasengan. One clone dispelled itself, incapable of maintaining the strain. The last one broke away from the original, lunching itself at Kisame.
Samehada easily deflected the attack. But something unexpected happened. Instead of disappearing in a puff of smoke, the clone began to rotate and expand. Soon, what resembled huge rasengan was drilling away at Samehada, until it finally exploded. Whips of chakra attacked the missing-nin, his body cut into multiple pieces. Pieces of Kisame were impaled on pieces of Samehada. Naruto heaved a sigh, he couldn't continue anymore. His body could still go on, but his mind was incapable of thought. A trance-like state overtook him.
Sasuke was finally getting the best of Itachi. Sharingan versus sharingan, and Sasuke had landed more hits. Blood was flowing freely from both their arms and legs. Every movement left a burning that slowed down the two Uchihas. Sasuke would finally kill Itachi. As long as there were no chakra pulses, he could take his older brother down.
"Your dead Itachi. I have finally surpassed you." If Sasuke had been anyone else, he would be nearly giddy.
"Foolish. You may be able to best me at taijutsu, but my Sharingan clearly surpasses yours." Without a word, Sasuke was caught in the Mengekyou Sharingan. Sasuke was trapped in Tsukiyomi.
NO! Sasuke's mind reeled as he was pulled into the all-to-familiar world. He felt the rough wood beneath his feet, he saw his parents' dead bodies. He felt the same chi-
Sasuke's eyes opened; somehow, the Tsukiyomi had been disrupted. His mind weak, he saw his brother thrashing about- two feet in the air. Like Orochimaru… blackness overtook him.
The Konoha ninja could not look at Itachi's death. Lightning burned its way across his flesh, burrowing into his body. Spears of light lanced through flesh, ripping holes in random junctures. The consuming light buried itself down his throat, forcing Itachi to swallow his screams. His eyes had long since lost the glint of life and conscious thought, destroyed by the blinding electrical charge enveloping his carnal vessel.
Itachi was in pain beyond anything he had ever felt. Somehow the Tsukiyomi had turned against him, trapping himself in his own world created as an instrument of psychological destruction. Lightning consumed his flesh; eating at him, burning him, killing him. He was trapped. He longed for death, but found no relief. Locked in the world of Tsukiyomi, his soul endured his death, without end. Pain incarcerated every atom of his being, until darkness wiped out what was left of his mind. As his body yielded his soul to the netherworld, Itachi was no more. Things that had defined him were gone-his coldness, his ambition, and his power. Itachi was no more.
Something akin to surprise flitted across Sasori's mind as he took in what was happening to Itachi. This was not supposed to happen, Akatsuki could not be defeated so easily. Hands flickered, sending distinct orders to the puppets closest to the sharingan wielder.
Puppets moved disjointedly, rushing at the thrashing body. Unnatural movements reached out to the Akatsuki member, attempting to free Itachi from the overwhelming electrical cage.
The second one of the former humans made contact with the body, the lightning expanded. It enveloped the pitiful excuse of a living creature, traveling the expanse of the puppet before escalating to the painful level of death experienced by the Uchiha.
Lightning is impossible to predict, impossible to track, impossible to contain. As the tangible light surged at the puppet, the fate of Akatsuki was sealed. The physical make up of human beings is centered on a weak electrical charge, allowing an external charge to travel from one body to the next by means of contact. When Sasori attempted a rescue, a horrible chain reaction was set in place.
Lightning transferred and multiplied as it fought its way from puppet to puppet. Time slowed, what took seconds in reality was spread across an eternity. Chakra threads linked the Akatsuki army, every soldier enveloped in the crushing power that destroyed Itachi. The energy worked its way back up the valley, soon encompassing the entirety of the Akatsuki forces.
A flow of energy tingled at Sasori's fingertips; he stood still. Knowing what was coming, yet unable to react in time to stop it. They were going to die.
The energy multiplied. A tingle transforming to a stinging, a stinging escalating into a burning, a burning soon set his skin ablaze. His mind was torturously slow at processing the pain. Every second drawn out, every sensation carefully analyzed and sent to the brain. His body's natural processes created the ultimate death, an unheard of amount of pain for an undetermined amount of time.
His mind was losing it self, soon submitting to pure feel and instinct. And instinct told him to weep in the face of death. Instinct took over. Sasori did not want to die; he did not want to give up his life! Out of the corner of his eye, he remotely saw all of his 'comrades' enduring the same pain he had. An old saying stuck in his mind, "At least I have friends in hell". Somehow, that was no consolation.
Tsunade stared in gross fascination at the thousands of simultaneous deaths occurring before her very eyes. Bodies were twisted unnaturally, morbid cries filling the air. She recalled the memories she had sorted through while gauging Sasuke's mental health; this was like Orochimaru's death on a scale of thousands.
The very earth shook as an entire host of bodies were lifted off the ground by power emanating from the deadly lightning. Killer intent hung in the air like a poisonous smog, so thick one could choke on it. Bones were shattered, limbs bent, and screams were plugged by the all-encompassing death made light as it enveloped the mass of humanity before the woman. She felt jaded to this, having seen its very likeness in Sasuke's mind.
What happened next shook her to the core. Instead of a relatively clean death, where the electricity seemingly vaporized the victim, an unspeakable horror began.
Screams ripped through the horde of flesh puppets. Limbs were detached from their bodies and then thrown towards another being. The entire army had digressed from a fearsome power to a disgusting game of mix and match. New heads created themselves at awkward angles. Arms forced their way out of stomachs. Severed limbs latched onto the nearest target, burrowing into the flesh of their newest prey. Torsos devoid of limbs crashed into other independent mounds of flesh, quivering as the formed a grotesque combination. On and on the terror went, multiplying as each new creature was formed and torn apart, mashed with another, and created anew.
Then there was that moment. That lull in time. Tsunade recognized it. At this point, Orochimaru had been turned to dust. What would happen now?
Organs exploded in a burst of tissue and blood. Immediately the air was clogged with the sickly sweet smell of decay. The entirety of the battlefield was painted solidly in the red of human flesh. Many gagged on the acrid smell of blood, others on the slick greasy smell of skin.
Tsunade counted the losses; well over fifty of her forces had died. For once, she was glad that Naruto had taken precedence in the eyes of Akatsuki. She sprinted across the war zone, eyes seeking that familiar orange jumpsuit. Tsunade gasped with relief as she spotted the ninja, especially when she determined that he was in stable condition. She scooped up the blond bundle and, after a moment to look around, she took the Uchiha brat as well.
That scroll had yielded a clue, and she needed the two for its interpretation. Understanding Naruto's bloodline was more important then every. The two ninjas overly powerful jutsus were a danger to themselves and to their comrades. While she had been watching the battle, Neji had approached her on the duo's apparent incompetence.
Flashback
"Tsunade-same, I assume that you have seen how Naruto and Sasuke are fighting?"
"Of course, at least four of their own comrades have received substantial damage as a result of those two idiots' inability to control themselves!"
"Its more than that, Tsunade-sama. Their chakra is…irregular. It…pulses, as if alive. Their chakra flow is not the only problem. My byakugan shows that their chakra gates are intermittently opening and closing-randomly multiplying their energy output. I fear…that they cannot regain control."
End Flashback
If her theory was correct, then things would become clear soon enough. All she had to do was wait.
Blue eyes slowly slid open. Naruto found himself staring at the ceiling of the Hokage's Office. Startled, he shot forward.
"Usuratonkachi, nice of you to join us." Sasuke's face had that all-to-familiar smirk on it.
"Tem-!!" Naruto was cut off by a sock hitting him at a fatal speed. Luckily it missed vital areas due to his Human-fangirl-shield no jutsu-which promptly sent Sakura to the hospital. He knew there was a reason for keeping that girl around!
Tsunade glared at Naruto. "Shut up, you little brat! We need to get you two back into top form. I know you both know you suck, and you would've died if Sasuke hadn't sent out that lightning thing when you bonded him. Apparently, his hatred was rooted in the Mengekyou Sharingan. That was why the lightning didn't attack until today. Enough of that, though. This holds the answers to all our questions." She held up an unfamiliar scroll. "This scroll is from the same village as your kekkei genkai, Naruto."
"Baa-chan, what is that going to do? you can't even read it that stuff" Naruto was definitely confused.
"I could recognize something. There is a seal, and I want to find out what it is. For that, I need your blood Naruto."
"Whatever, you old hag, I think you've finally lost it." Naruto was a little disappointed. What was sealed in there? Someone to spill all the secrets of life energy, or whatever the crap it is?
"Just give me your damn blood!" Fucking brat was getting on her nerves, damnit!
Tsunade took a kunai and stabbed Naruto's thumb with it, letting the now bloodied knife hang over the scroll she just opened. A crimson teardrop fell slowly to the seal. The black ink glowed and chakra smoke poured from the seal. The smoke rose higher and higher. Twisting around itself, it abruptly expanded, exploding across the room. Darkness followed in its wake.
And everyone died, the end! Just kidding (Sharp objects thrown at author)
A/N: Finally! I finished! I know, it sucks. If you want me to update faster, and possibly better, please review. Reviews are so much fun to have! Oh, oh! I bet you all want me to tell you what's gonna happen, huh? Well, I know this isn't much of a cliff hanger, but I still won't tell ya! Also, check out my one-shot. There's more to come! (I need to know if my lemons will fit in this story).