A.N. I'm impressed with the popularity of chapter one. I hope I can continue to live up to your expectations. Any questions are welcome, but please log in or leave an email. I'll answer you personally, but I won't devote space in a chapter for a Q&A. I will, however, be making an exception for this one question; to the person who asked if Sakura was pregnant with Sasuke's child and was only pretending to love Naruto, all I can say is this...Dafuq dude?
Next up is the business of Randall Flagg. I'm surprised no one even tried to guess who he was, but, oh well. Flagg is a character that has appeared in many of Stephen King's novels. The most notable of these being The Stand and The Dark Tower series. Flagg is what you'd call an Agent of the Black(a force of evil The Dark Tower that works against the forces of the White). He also has ties to the series' main baddie, The Crimson King. Though not the main antagonist -third most important, actually- he's as bad as bad can be and is practically immortal. I needed an ungodly powerful antagonist for the opening of this fanfiction, and after hours of agonizing over the fan-reaction of an OC killing off Naruto characters, I decided that it would be easier to use a character that at least some readers would recognize. It was a perfect fit, because Flagg's appearance in multiple novels from different worlds implies an ability to 'jump dimensions.'
If you're not familiar with The Dark Tower, there are character bios online with a more in depth analysis of Flagg. Don't worry, knowledge of Stephen King's works will enhance this fanfiction experience, but it is not necessary for comprehension.
Thanks to my beta, Nokito-chan, you're awesome! Thanks for sticking with me through my long hiatus a few years back.
OoOoOoOoOo
Prologue Part 2: Hope You Guessed My Name
Overhead the Hokage monument loomed ominously; blocking out the sun and cloaking the large group of people marching below in shadow. At the head of the procession, Sasuke raised his hand, signaling those following him to stop. As they fidgeted and murmured amongst themselves, Sasuke took another mental count. His group had a total of twelve-hundred and thirteen civilians, plus his remaining thirty-three shinobi and himself. The only losses they had taken were at the very beginning, while evacuating people from their homes; one of those losses had been a genin who had been stabbed in the chest by a terrified man. Despite Sakura's best efforts, she had been unable to stem the bleeding and the young ninja had succumbed to the wound. The man would have to face charges, but that could be taken care of at a later date.
Despite this, their losses had been extremely mild compared to what Sasuke had initially been expecting. There had not been a single raid on their group since they had exited the residential district, which was exactly why Sasuke was concerned. They had needed to cross through the middle of a red-zone to reach their current location, and yet they had not encountered a single patrol. This stank of a trap. He motioned for Sakura to come forward. Once she reached him, he pulled her to side, out of earshot to the other people.
"Yes?" she asked in a hushed tone, coming to a stop next to the Uchiha.
Sasuke said, "I don't like this situation at all. Things have been going too smoothly, it shouldn't be this easy to waltz through a war-zone."
Sakura nodded her agreement, shifting her wait to her right foot. "You're right, but there isn't much we can do about it now. Our best bet is to stay on our guard and get these people to the bunkers."
"Agreed, but I still think we should send a scouting party ahead before the main body. Two should be sufficient." The dark-eyed man glanced at the woman on his right, "Do you want to go with me, or should I get someone else?" His words were not accusatory, he sounded as if he was genuinely trying not to make her uncomfortable.
She shook her head, "No, I'll go with you."
"Alright," Sasuke said, turning on his heel to walk towards the closest jounin. "Just a quick run, if we come upon any-" His sentence was cut short as a hand emerged from a window of the building they were passing. Its fingers curled around his wrist in a vice, and Sasuke muffled a surprised shout as he pulled away. His force was met with an unyielding grip, but the fingers lost their purchase as his shirt-sleeve ripped away. Snatching his arm to his chest, Sasuke jumped back and drew his katana in one motion.
Sakura followed his lead, chakra scalpels glowing around her fingertips. "Come out, now!" she ordered.
The hand disappeared back into the building. A moment later, a scared looking woman with frizzy brown hair stumbled out of a door to the left of the window. Her clothes were torn, and she was covered in dirt. In her right hand, she clutched the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. "Y-you're ninja. Thank goodness, maybe you can s-save them!"
Sasuke relaxed a bit, but did not sheath his sword. Instead, he let the blade hang at his side as he straightened up. "What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.
"The b-bunkers," the woman stammered, taking an unsteady step towards them. "T-they were over r-run."
"What?" Sakura asked loudly, advancing towards the distraught woman.
Her eyes were wild, shifting back between Sakura and Sasuke rapidly. "They stormed i-inside this morning. K-killed those who f-fought b-back. T-t-then the men...used the women who hadn't d-di-died at the b-beginning...And some of those w-who had..." She trailed off and locked eyes with Sasuke. "Please. I slipped out unnoticed, but my d-daughter is still there. You have to help her!" Without any warning, she slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Sasuke looked around, trying to locate the source responsible for the woman's sudden collapse. At the same time, Sakura shot forward and slid to a stop on her knees next to the prone figure of the older woman. After pressing her fingertips against the side of her patient's neck, she called over her shoulder to Sasuke, "She's fine. Looks like she just fainted."
Sasuke slowly re-sheathed his sword, his eyes dancing along the rooftops for signs of spying. "Change of plans. We need to secure this area and lead a small team into the bunkers to scout for survivors."
"You're right. Let me get her squared away and I'll be ready to go."
Over the next few minutes, Sasuke darted around the camp, delegating tasks to the jounin in his group. It didn't take long-they had contingencies in place for just this situation. Next, he set about recruiting the remaining two ninja he would need for his four-man cell. Once he had ironed out the details of who would be where, the shinobi began to lead groups of civilians into the surrounding buildings, where they would be easier to defend.
He met up with Sakura, who was accompanied by his recruits, at the base of the Hokage monument.
She nodded to him as he approached, standing up and stowing the wrapper of an energy bar into her hip-pouch. "Do you have everything set up?"
Sasuke nodded, "Yes, Anko is going to act as the commander in my absence." His gaze shifted to the two other ninja. "Are you ready for this?"
The one on the left nodded. His shoulders were broad, and muscles rippled under his black shirt. "Of course, Uchiha. I'm always ready. As for Roukan over there..."
"Aw give it a rest, Genji," the one on the right snapped. Like his friend, his clothing revealed that he had been forced into battle while off duty.
They set up a standard four-point formation and began to move up the winding path to the bunkers, with Sasuke taking point. Any progress they made was slow, their feet moving at a snail's pace as they kept vigil for any signs of the enemy.
As they neared the top, Sasuke signaled for them to stop. Sakura moved up from her place at the rear of their formation. "What's the matter?" she asked quietly.
"I see something," Sasuke murmured, his eyes turning red as he activated his Sharingan.
Sakura searched the area in front of them. The cave-like entrance to the main bunker was visible, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong. "What is it?"
Sasuke's face had gone pale. "Someone's hanging from the ceiling of the cavern."
"Can you tell who it is?" Roukan piped up.
"No," Sasuke answered quickly, setting off with renewed speed towards the bunker.
As they closed in, the less visually inclined members of the squad began to see what Sasuke was referring to. They came to a halt a few meters away from the entrance; Roukan and Genji broke away, taking up defensive positions to protect the group's flank.
Sakura gazed up at the dangling form, but the shadows at the roof of the twenty meter high cave obscured any distinguishing features. "I'm going to cut him down. Keep your eyes peeled." The pinkette jumped up onto the side of the rock wall, her feet sticking to its surface with chakra. She ran up until she reached the ceiling, then, by refocusing her chakra into her hands and knees, crawled towards the victim in the center of the large rock dome. The man had been stripped of all clothing, and a noose was wrapped around his throat. She dropped down next to him, one hand pressed flat against the rock to hold her up. Her body swayed back and forth as she held up her free hand and focused chakra into her palm, resulting in a faint green glow. Sakura gasped, the sound carrying in the cavern.
"What happened?" Genji called from his post.
A cold knot had set into the pit of Sakura's stomach, and she couldn't find the voice to speak. The light from her chakra lantern was illuminating the mutilated face of her former teacher: Iruka. The purple flesh was bloated from lack of oxygen. His eyelids hung in shreds over the shriveled remains of his eyes. His ears appeared to have been ripped off, and his gaping mouth revealed gums with no teeth. Bile rose into the back of Sakura's throat and she had to turn her head to the side as the energy bar and her dinner from the night before both returned. The puke splattered on the rocks below her.
Sasuke cursed, jumping to the side to avoid her sick. "Sakura?" he called from below. "Are you okay?"
The pink-haired woman dry-heaved once or twice more, before shakily wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "No," she answered, breathlessly. "Not really." She dispersed the chakra in her hand and pulled a kunai from her weapons pouch. "It's Iruka. He's dead, but I'm going to get him down." She brought her legs up and put them under the dead man's armpits to take some of his weight off the noose, then cut the rope that was holding him up. As his full weight was released, his body slipped from her grasp and began to plummet towards the ground.
"I've got him!" Sasuke called, jumping up to snatch the body from the air. As Sakura made her way back down the cave wall, Sasuke gently lowered Iruka's body to the floor. His fingers deftly removed the rope from around the other man's throat. His eyes lingered on his former sensei's forehead, where the character for "rat" had been carved into his flesh. "He was interrogated," Sasuke murmured.
Sakura came to a stop next to Sasuke. "He was one of the chuunin in charge of evacuation detail. He would have known the locations of every bunker in the Leaf." Her eyes trailed up and down the prone form, taking in the horrendous damage that had been inflicted to it. "He lasted a long time...but I guess everyone has their breaking point..."
Sasuke nodded, standing up and pulling a scroll from the pouch on his hip. He let the paper unfurl, then pressed the pad of his thumb against one of the many seals inscribed on the scroll. A dark-green traveling blanket appeared in a cloud of smoke, which Sasuke snatched out of the air. Stowing the scroll away, he shook the blanket out of its folded shape and draped it over Iruka's body.
Sakura watched him as he did this, taking in his every movement. Despite her anger at his actions leading up to the Fourth Great Ninja War, she found herself softening to his new attitude. The young Uchiha seemed to have legitimately changed. As Sasuke reached forward to tuck the cloth under Iruka's side, the torn sleeve on his right arm fell to the side, revealing an onyx black tattoo of a dragon that spiraled from his wrist to half-way up his forearm, where it disappeared under the remaining fabric of his sleeve. Normally, she wouldn't think anything of it; but there was something about the shapes in the ink that seemed a bit too structured to be mere art.
The dark-haired youth stood up straight and turned towards the other two ninja. "Hey, Genji, I want you to take Iruka's body back to the platoon."
Genji jogged up to them. "Yes, sir!" He stooped and picked up Iruka's swaddled form and departed in a puff of smoke.
"Roukan, I want you to guard the entrance. Sakura and I will take point. Make sure no one gets on our six."
Roukan nodded, quickly taking up his new position.
Sasuke turned to Sakura, "You ready?"
The pinkette nodded, falling into step beside the Uchiha as they made their way towards the bunker. "Sasuke..."
"Hm?"
"What's that tattoo on your arm?"
Sasuke slowed to a halt inside the entrance of the cave, his hand falling unconsciously to his forearm. "Oh, that...Well, I got it a few months after I came back..."
Sakura sighed. "Sasuke, I'm trying my hardest to trust you, but that's gonna be hard if you can't even tell me the truth. I know a seal when I see one, what's it for?"
The Uchiha ran his fingers through his hair. "Sakura, please, this isn't..." He looked into her eyes and saw that they were unwavering. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke shrugged. "Fine. It's a security measure." Sakura merely raised an eyebrow. "After what I did to his brother, the Raikage demanded reparations, namely my death. But Naruto..."
"He wouldn't let them have it. I remember, they debated for hours before settling on a hefty fine for Konoha to pay out, and our promise that you wouldn't leave the village for at least fifteen years."
Sasuke nodded, "Yes. But it didn't stop there." It was clear from Sakura's expression that she hadn't known there was more to the story. "The third stipulation was that my Susanoo would be sealed away. They deemed it too powerful for a 'ninja of my history' to possess. It was required that a seal expert from the Cloud do the sealing." He held up his arm, ripping the remaining sleeve away, and pointed to the bottom half of what Sakura now realized was a tattoo depicting two dragon's spiraling out of the same source halfway up Sasuke's forearm. The bottom one's head terminated at his wrist, the top's at the crook of his elbow. "That's the first seal, it holds my Susanoo."
Sakura's eyes drifted to the upper half of the seal. "What about the rest of it?"
Sasuke swallowed, his fingertips trailing up the markings on his arm. "The final stipulation was insurance in case I got away. The Raikage wanted a way for him to kill me from anywhere at any time."
A sharp intake of breath, followed by, "Naruto agreed to that?"
A small smile flickered over Sasuke's lips. "No, he was dead-set against it. Said that he'd sooner go to war than hand over 'one of his best agents' to the Raikage judgment." Sasuke shook his head, laughing lightly. "I wore him down though, I couldn't let him go to war over me. They placed the seal, with my condition that I choose the means of death."
Sakura was quiet for a long moment. "What did you choose?"
Sasuke shifted his stance, his eyes downcast. "I'd rather not say."
"Fair enough..." An uncomfortable silence fell between them for several heart beats. "If you don't mind my asking, who can activate it?"
"All the Kage have been linked into the seal, any one of them can activate it at any time. Being the one who is under the seal's influence, I can as well." Sasuke's eyes fell. "Should anyone activate it, the others will know who did so and when they did."
Sakura nodded. "I see. That way, the Raikage won't just kill you because he's having a bad day and feels like blowing off some steam."
"Exactly. Naruto added the 'accountability clause' himself to make sure no one did just that." Sasuke turned his gaze on her. "Is there anything else you want to ask me, Sakura?"
She stared at him for a long moment, then shook her head. "No. Let's go."
They were only a few feet into the bunker when they came across the first bodies. Two guards in chuunin vests were pinned to the wall by earthen spikes which protruded jaggedly from their chests. A few feet away, the heavy wooden doors of the entrance stood wide open. The two walked forward slowly, mindful of an ambush.
They reached the main area of the bunker, a room that had a high vaulted ceiling but no windows. Its only source of illumination was dozens of chakra-powered lamps that had been attached to the walls. There was no noise but their own footsteps as they advanced. A faint smell of decay filled the room, and its source was obvious.
Bodies had been piled haphazardly around the room. The sheer number of casualties was overwhelming, some of the piles were over three meters high. "It was a massacre. Couldn't have been thirty ninja here, but I bet there were over two thousand people in this room alone," Sasuke muttered bitterly.
Sakura began to walk forward, her feet shuffling along the packed-earth that formed the floor. Forest-green eyes were locked intently on a prone figure several meters away.
Sasuke watched her, confused, as she slowly made her way forward. "Sakura? What's the matter?"
The pink-haired woman fell to her knees next to the body of a young blonde child. The little girl was naked from the waist down and it was clear that she had been raped. Her shirt was soaked in blood, and her lolling head revealed a throat that had been slashed.
Sasuke sprinted over and knelt at her side. "Come on, Sakura, we've gotta check for survivors."
Sakura didn't respond. She had begun crying, but no noise came from lips.
The Uchiha gently tugged her arm. "You can't help her, Sakura. Come on."
She snatched her arm away and glared at Sasuke, tears standing in her eyes. "What kind of people would do this to a child?"
"They're not people, Sakura. They're monsters."
"I see you found little Mika." A man with curly brown hair stepped out from a shadowy corner at the back of the cave, his cocky grin revealing razor-like teeth. "She was fun for a few turns. The guys got bored when she stopped crying, so we moved on to the next one."
Sakura slowly rose to her feet, her eyes downcast. Her head snapped up to glare at the monstrous man before her and she let loose a cry of rage, closing the distance between herself and the newcomer. The attack caught him by surprise, and when Sakura's fist connected with his face, his head turned halfway around on his shoulders. Sakura's follow up kick jettisoned him into the rock wall, the force of the blow causing him to sink almost an inch into the solid stone.
Sasuke darted up to her, his sword drawn. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were locked on the motionless man before them. "Sakura-"
Before he could say anything more, the whole cave began to shake violently. The rumble of an explosion found its way to their ears, followed by distant shouting. The two looked at each other, wild-eyed, before their attention was drawn by someone laughing.
The stranger's chest was shaking, and even the stone didn't hide the sound of his mirth. His muscles grew taut as he slowly extricated himself from the indention, dropping down to the earthen floor nonchalantly a moment later. Sakura and Sasuke could only watch in disbelief as the man reached up and gripped his skull, turning it around to face the right direction with a series of sickening crunches. "My, my, I'm sensing some hostility."
"What the hell was that explosion?" Sakura asked, her hands clenched into fists.
The man buffed his fingernails on the front of his light-blue jacket, pausing to examine them in the dim lighting. Glancing up at them, he exclaimed, "Oh! You were talking to me, weren't you?" He smirked at their drawn expressions. "God, take a joke. If you really want to know, you'll have to answer a riddle. How many explosive tags can you cram down a pussy little chuunin's throat before he chokes to death on them?"
Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't..."
"Oh, but I did!" the man cried, cheerfully. "And your foolish little friend carried him straight into the middle of your group. My men are clearing out whatever survivors are left." He gestured to the violated body of the little girl, "Of course, they've been instructed to be on the lookout for any more of those little beauties."
This time it was Sasuke's attack that struck him. Black fire engulfed his right arm, drawing the first cry of pain either had heard from the man. "Aw shit!" bringing his left hand down on his upper arm, the man severed his arm like it was made of wax. "That actually hurt, you little shit!" Before he could say more, an earthen pillar shot out from the wall behind the man and sent him cartwheeling through the air and out the main gate. Sasuke darted after him, Sakura not far behind. The curly-haired man regained his footing quickly, sprinting away from them and towards the growing light of the exit. While he ran, his missing limb seemed to bubble back into existence from his shoulder.
He burst out into the dim illumination of the overcast sun, the two Konoha ninja only steps behind. He grinned, turning around to face them with his arms outspread. "I'd like you to meet my friends."
Sasuke stared around in disbelief. All around them, on the ground and poised on the cliff face, were enemy ninja. There were dozens of them, ranging from human sized to muscle-bound giants. Some were carrying swords, others had unfamiliar weapons in their hands. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked, his gaze locking on the ring-leader.
The man smirked, "For the sake of simplicity, you can call me Flagg. Randall Flagg."
OoOoOo
Kiba paced back and forth at his command post in the center of the camp. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. None of his scouts were answering his hails, and some big-ass explosion had nearly shaken the crumbling buildings around his camp to the ground.
Akamaru bounded up to his side, whimpering. His body language was clear, something was wrong.
"What's the matter, Akamaru?" he asked, kneeling down next to his familiar and placing a hand on his furry head.
A metal canister fell from the sky, bouncing across the ground with metallic twangs. Kiba watched in confusion as it slowly rolled to a stop several feet away. A moment later, orange gas began to spew from either side of the cylinder.
Kiba cursed, jumping away from the cloud with Akamaru in-tow. A familiar clanging filled his ears, and he turned to see more cans raining down from the rooftops. It was then that he saw the enemy ninja for the first time, poised along the roofs above, watching him. There were hundreds of them, the dog-ninja had no idea how he hadn't noticed their approach. "Let's go, Akamaru!" he called, leading the canine away from the orange clouds and towards the fringes of the camp.
As they rounded a corner, Kiba saw a group of Konoha shinobi standing around in a circle. They were talking, more than likely bull-shitting to ease the tension before they were deployed again. One of them suddenly snatched something out of the air. Even from where he stood, Kiba could see the canister in the man's hand.
"Get rid of it!" he yelled, succeeding only in drawing the man's attention towards him.
"What was that, K-" The canister erupted into plumes of orange smoke, and the man holding it let go in surprise. His startled gasp for air caused him instead to breathe in a lung-full of the unknown gas. The other men in the group scattered to avoid the cloud, but the man who had taken a breath collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.
Kiba cursed, taking a deep breath and sprinting towards the fallen soldier. He entered the cloud of gas, one hand covering his mouth and nose. With his free hand, he snatched the man up by the collar of his vest and hauled him free of the suffocating fumes. "Come on, buddy," he growled, lowering the ninja to ground gently, "You're gonna be alright. Can you hear me?"
The prone figure went into convulsions, his chest shaking . A bloody froth began to ooze from between his pale lips. His mouth moved like he was trying to speak, but only garbled muttering came out.
Kiba watched in horror as the man slowly stopped moving, his eyes rolling up into his skull. The jounin sighed, shaking his head, and rose to his feet. Akamaru padded up to his side, nudging his hand with his head. Kiba took the hint and began to move towards the outskirts of camp again. "Get the lead out of your asses!" he called to the survivors from the group. "I want every able bodied man and woman to meet me by the water tower in five minutes. Spread the word!"
The men scattered, leaving Kiba and Akamaru to run towards their destination. The two of them hadn't gone ten steps before another gas-can landed in front of them. Kiba changed directions, only to come face-to-face with a canister. It exploded, and Kiba could not stop the startled intake of breath his body made him take. He felt the poison fill his lungs like liquid fire. He grasped a thick handful of Akamaru's mane and threw him clear of the cloud just as every muscle in his body went into convulsions.
Akamaru landed heavily a few meters away, plumes of dust rising around his paws. Rounding, he started back towards his fallen master, but stopped short as a familiar voice echoed through his head. 'Go, Akamaru! Get to Shikamaru's camp! Find Hinata!' The ninja hound had never faced such a decision. He knew his master was in trouble, but Kiba had ordered him to leave, and Akamaru had been taught the importance of never disobeying an order. He cast a final look at prone form of the fallen Inuzuka, then hesitantly turned away.
Kiba watched his faithful companion flee, following his master's last command. Tears burned hot in the Inuzuka's eyes, a deep sense of loss filling him. At the same time, he felt the blisters forming on his lungs and inside his mouth. He took a shaky breath, just as his throat swelled shut, cutting off his oxygen supply. The world around him slowly faded to black as his oxygen deprived body began to shut down.
OoOoOo
"Give me a reason I shouldn't rip your fucking head off right now!" Naruto growled, his ocean-blue eyes turning red. The lines on his face thickened, growing darker, and his hair bristled like an angry dog.
"I'll give ya two!" Obito said cheerfully, pointing to his eyes; both of which were bright and clear.
Naruto advanced towards the other man, unwavering. "Impressive. But that doesn't mean you can just waltz into my village."
Obito held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Easy, big fella, I'm not here to fight."
Naruto gestured to the burning village around him. "Could have fooled me."
The Uchiha shook his head, "This wasn't me, Naruto. You know that the only way for me to regain my eyesight was by destroying the evil in my heart. How could I do that, only to turn around and do this?"
"You have a point," Naruto admitted, backing down. The blue slowly bled back into his eyes as he watched the dark-haired man warily. "Why are you here? I know it has something to do with this battle."
Obito nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "The evil that was clinging to me wasn't just my own hatred. It used my anger to gain a foothold on my soul, then sunk its fangs in for the long-haul. It's the manifestation of that evil that's attacking your village. Two years ago, I finally got up the nerve to kick it out. I was only able to get rid of it by threatening to-"
"-to seal it away," Naruto finished, eyes wide.
Obito raised an eyebrow. "Yes, how did you know that?"
"I'm not sure," Naruto admitted, looking confused. Pressing on, he asked, "What exactly is it?"
"A demon," Obito answered, "One unlike anything ever seen in this dimension. His power dwarfs even the Kyuubi with its might."
Naruto took a moment to absorb what the scarred man had just said. "If this thing is so powerful, why hasn't it just wiped us out. Why raise this army?"
"It needs a vessel; something about this realm corrodes it when it's out in the open. That's why it needed me. After I kicked it out, it vanished. I finally found it in the grass country a little over a year ago, it'd taken over the body of an up-and-coming warlord. That was when it started raising its army."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "And you just decided to wait until now to bring this news to me?"
Obito glared back at him. "I tried to tell you sooner!" he yelled, exasperated. "I sent dozens of messenger hawks; every one of them came back with their scroll unopened!"
Their gazes remained locked for several moments, Naruto finally relented, nodding his head. "Okay, that was my fault. It's too late to cry about it now, though. How do we stop it?"
"It's not going to be easy," Obito said, shaking his head. "Had we caught it right after it had made the change, the Reaper Death Seal would have been more than adequate to put it out of commission for a few centuries. As it stands, it's had two years to bond to that body. When it caught a ride with me, it was in desperate need of a host, so it couldn't subjugate my mind; this time, it's using a technique that leaves its host completely under its control. There's no way in hell we're gonna rip it out with just a seal."
Naruto slammed his fist into the crumbling wall of a nearby building. "Then what the fuck do we do?"
Obito grinned, his teeth flashing red in fire-light. "That's where you come in, my over-powered friend. Its body, while once human, is now extremely durable. Most attacks won't even harm it. Normal jutsu won't work; no fire-technique will be hot enough; no ice-technique will be cold enough. Blades are out too, it's one-hundred percent steel-proof."
"You're making it sound invincible."
"It practically is. Only a few things can harm it in its current form. One of those things is demonic chakra. You obviously have a surplus of that, so you're a prime candidate."
Naruto scuffed the tip of his sample against the dirt-road. "Okay, so say we destroy this thing. What then? Won't it just jump ship?"
Obito nodded. "Yeah, more-than likely right into a dead body. They don't have a soul to resist it, but that also means they lack an anchor point. That will make it much easier to seal away afterward. I...I'm willing to perform the rite."
The silence hung in the air for a long moment. "Earlier, you said he took over the body of a warlord from the grass country," Naruto said, abruptly changing topics. "I've fought these guys, they talk with a weird accent. It's nothing like anything I've heard in that land before."
The Uchiha wasn't sure what to think of the blond's dismissal of his offer, but chose to let it ride for the moment. "I saw him opening portals more than once, he's been pulling men and resources from whatever realm he came from to stock this army."
"You keep saying that," Naruto growled, "What do you mean 'realm'?"
"I'm not sure, but from what he told me while I was his host, I think there's more than one world out there. Realm, dimension, whatever you want to call it; I think he has the ability to jump through them."
Naruto looked at him incredulously. "I thought you had that power."
"My mangekyo lets me jump to a dimension. This guy can go to a whole lot of 'em." Obito closed the distance between them, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I said earlier that I would perform the Reaper Death Seal. You never said anything back to me, is that okay with you?"
The blond shook free of Obito's grip. "Why would you want to sacrifice yourself for this village?"
Obito's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You know what I did, Naruto. My actions led to the death of my best friend, and the near-destruction of the home he had died to protect." He met Naruto's eyes. "I want to do this because I owe it to him. I owe it to my former sensei." He was silent for a moment, the final sentence coming out as a whisper, "I owe it to Rin."
"I know what it's like to want to redeem yourself, Obito, but I can't have the fate of this village riding on the hope that you won't betray me." Naruto shook his head, "I can't take that chance."
Obito walked over to a nearby building. Stopping in the door frame, he bit his thumb and used the blood to paint several characters on the weathered wood. He ignored Naruto's questioning as he formed hand signs, then pressed the bloody digit against his own forehead in the same place Naruto had done so five years ago. A glowing strand of chakra appeared in the air, connecting the bloody splotch on his forehead to the characters on the door frame. "I, Obito Uchiha, commit myself to the service of Naruto Uzumaki. I shall follow his orders without question for the rest of my days, without fail." The glowing faded away, leaving the kanji burned into the frame.
Naruto stared at the other man in shock. A chakra oath was unbreakable, if Naruto told the Uchiha to cut off his own fingers right now, he would have to do so without blinking. "Obito, you..."
"I have to do this, Naruto. Give me the order, and I will seal that monster away."
Naruto was silent for a long moment, then took a long shaky breath. "Okay, Obito, I'll let you have your redemption."
Obito stuck out his hand, and Naruto only looked at it for a long moment. Slowly, he reached out and took it. "Thank you, Naruto."
"I don't like you, Obito," Naruto said, his eyes cold like ice. "But I admire you for what you're doing. I'll see to it that your name is put back on the memorial stone."
In the distance, a massive explosion lit up the horizon.
OoOoOo
Chouji wasn't sure what had happened. One moment, the enemy flank was breaking and its soldiers were turning to flee; the next, a man had stepped around a corner with what appeared to be twisted staff of black metal held in his hands. The man had pointed the staff at Chouji, the sound of firecrackers had filled the air, and a white hot pain had blossomed in the Akamichi's right shoulder. He had fallen to his current position at the base of roof's ledge, clutching his shoulder.
Ino was at his side a moment later, holding her glowing hands to his wound. "Hold on, Chouji, I'll get you patched up."
Chouji's lips were pressed into a tight line as the medic ninja's chakra mended his flesh. "Thanks," he grunted, his eyes clenched shut. "What the hell was that?"
"I don't know," the blonde admitted. "It's some sort of projectile weapon, though. He's taken out two other ninja from the distraction team, and he's injured another."
The repetitive retort of the man's weapon filled the air again, mixed with a woman's scream. "That's good enough," Chouji said, pulling away from the medic. "Go help the others. Keep your head down."
"Chouji, wait, I-"
"Ino, I know you normally take charge; but for the duration of this mission, I'm the leader." His eyes were hard when he looked at her. "Go!"
The young Yamanaka watched him for a long moment. "Yes, sir," Ino answered in a clipped tone, darting away along the protective wall of the rooftop.
Chouji reached into his weapon pouch, withdrawing his food-capsule case. Popping the yellow one into his mouth, he launched himself over the wall and down into the street below. As he fell, he flashed through hand signs, his body swelling up and forming a ball. "Human Boulder!" he bellowed, crashing into the ground and rolling full speed at the man and his foreign weapon.
The enemy brought his weapon to bear on the gigantic human rolling towards him. Sparks flew from Chouji's armor as the weapon discharged its payload on him. He slammed full force into the figure a moment later, sending him careening through a shop window.
The Akamichi canceled his jutsu, launching himself through the shattered window and on top of his fallen adversary. His meaty fist made harsh contact with the other man's jaw, but the man seemed unaffected. Bucking upwards, he threw Chouji's considerable girth across the room like a rag-doll. He brought the weapon to bear on the defenseless ninja, but a kunai thrown from the rooftops sent its barrel off course an instant before it spewed another round of projectiles, where they bounced harmlessly off the stone floor.
Chouji took the opportunity to go back on the offensive. "Partial Expansion Technique!" he cried, swinging a super-sized hand around to send the man flying back into the street. The man landed hard on his back and didn't rise. Stepping out into the open, Chouji cast a wary eye around the battlefield.
"It's clear!" a scout from atop a nearby water tower called. "Looks like his buddies left him to die! What's the matter, bitch? You don't have any friends?"
Chouji smirked, his eyes locked on the seemingly unconscious man before him. Reaching down, he grabbed the metal staff and jerked it out of the man's slack grasp. He held it out, and a moment later a young chuunin rushed up to take it from him. "Get that back to Shikamaru, he needs to see it."
Ino jumped down, landing at his side gracefully. "That was reckless," she chided, poking him in the chest accusingly. "Are you okay?" she added in a more concerned tone.
Chouji rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly as more of his squad gathered around them. "Yeah, sorry about that. You s-" Out of the corner of his eye, Chouji saw the prone man take what looked like an egg carved out of metal from his pocket and pull a ring from its top.
"Boom," the man growled angrily.
"Get back!" Chouji screamed, shoving Ino harshly away. His hands moved through seals faster than they ever had before. "Partial Expansion Technique," he breathed, his left arm multiplying to over ten times its original size. He slammed it down on top of the egg, his fingers digging several inches into the ground to trap the blast between him and his pinned opponent.
It exploded with a muffled bang.
OoOoOo
Shikamaru watched the village below him burning in the early morning light. He was perched on the side of a lookout tower, trying to get a read on his situation. A few minutes ago, a gigantic explosion had rung through the whole city, and Shikamaru was sure that it had emanated from where Sasuke and Sakura's group had last reported in. He took a drag from the cigarette in his left hand. While he wouldn't call it a habit, smoking made him feel closer to his departed teacher, and therefore helped him think straight.
Of course, it didn't necessarily mean their group had been hit. There was an innumerable amount of ways to explain that explosion. After all, communication was shoddy at best, they could just be out of radio contact... He shook his head violently. "Hope for the best, plan for the worst," he muttered, flicking away the depleted cigarette-butt.
His sight was drawn to his far left, where he saw something shimmer in the distance. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the minute details before him. He picked out a small flag fluttering on the side of a window about twenty meters away, or more specifically, its shadow. Or lack there of, as the case was. He looked over his shoulder at the sun's current position. He nodded slowly to himself. Genjutsu, no doubt about it.
As nonchalantly as he could, he dropped back down onto the street and made his way back to camp. His mind was racing a mile a minute, thinking of strategies and throwing them out the same instant. His next move would decide the fate of his entire platoon, he couldn't make a mistake.
He arrived at his command tent to find a scout standing at its entrance. He immediately recognized the man to be from the same unit he had sent with Chouji. "Report."
The man nodded his head at the young General. "Yes, sir. Commander Akamichi recovered a weapon from the enemy platoon we routed. He believed it would be of interest to you." The scout held up a long piece of machined metal for him to take.
Shikamaru reached out and gripped the cool metal. "What's it do?" He asked, turning it over and over in his hands.
"It fires projectiles, sir. Not sure how it does it, but it sounds and smells like a firework when it goes off."
The spiky-haired youth gave the weapon another once over, then rested the tip on the ground, his hands intertwined on its flat bottom. "How're your numbers?"
"Two dead, two wounded last I was there." He nodded at the weapon. "Commander Akamichi took a hit from that thing, but Ino fixed him up."
Shikamaru felt a knot loosen in the pit of his stomach. His friends were alive. "Okay. Thanks, you're dismissed."
As the scout turned to leave, hell broke loose.
OoOoOo
A hand tangled itself in Sakura's pink locks, pulling her backwards and off her feet. Her first thought was that Sasuke had betrayed her, but that suspicion was put to rest by the sound of him grunting in pain to her right. She was pulled away from the cave, her feet scrambling for purchase on the packed earth. Her elbow shot back to strike her opponent in his gut, but made contact with what felt like a brick wall. She grunted low in her chest as pain shot up her arm like a lightning bolt.
"Feisty," Flagg's voice mocked. How had he gotten behind her?
She was twisted roughly around so she was facing Sasuke, who was doubled over on his knees. The next moment, she felt the cold bite of steel on her throat. "You think you scare me?" she asked in a flat tone.
Flagg whistled appreciatively. "Damn, lady, you have bigger balls than some men I know." His hand fell down and patted her softly on the stomach. "Of course, you've got more lives to protect than just your own. You might want to watch your tone." The demon tapped his foot on the ground, and the stone below their feet rose into the air, lifting them on a pillar ten meters into the air.
Below them, Sasuke had recovered from the blow to his gut and had risen to his feet. "Let her go!"
Flagg smirked, "Nah, I think Mommy here is gonna hang out with Uncle Flagg. What do ya say, Sweetie, how about you and me show Queer-Boy here how you and Blondie made that baby?"
Sakura struggled more, the blade drawing a thin line of blood from her throat. "Get off of me, you freak!"
"You know, maybe we can work out a deal." Flagg's voice was sickeningly-sweet as he spoke.
"What are you asking?" Sasuke growled.
Flagg's face split into a wolfish grin. A man standing on a nearby rooftop threw a kunai into the ground at Sasuke's feet. "I'll let this little bitch go, if you take that knife right there and carve out that nasty little fire-spitter you call an eye."
Sakura thrashed, "What kind of deal is that, you can't-"
Sasuke didn't blink. "If I do, I have your word that you'll release her?" Flagg's only response was a nod. "Then you have a deal."
"Sasuke!? You can't be serious, you-"
Flagg giggled, his voice high-pitched and reminiscent of schoolgirl. "Now that's what I like to hear! Show me what you've got, Uchiha!"
Sasuke snatched the blade from the Earth, wiping it clean on his shirt. Holding the knife in his right hand, the Uchiha untied the knot holding his sword to his back and held the sheathed blade up in plain view. When Flagg motioned that it was okay for him to continue, Sasuke drew the sword with the same hand he held the kunai. With practiced ease, he slung the sword to the side where it stood point down in the soil several meters away.
He brought the sheath up with his free hand, placing the polished wood between his teeth. He took a steadying breath and locked eyes with Sakura, who was watching him in wordless shock. He had promised Naruto that he would do anything to protect the kunoichi, and Sasuke was a man of his word. Using his left hand to hold his eye open, Sasuke brought the kunai forward, its tip blurring out of focus as it closed in on his defenseless orb.
His motions were mechanical, his muscles stiff to prevent any involuntary jumps. Sakura's sharp intake of breath was easily heard as he made the first cut, even through the haze of pain. It only took a few seconds for the vision to go black in his left eye. That made it easier, somehow. He tried telling himself that the eye was beyond saving now, that he had to finish. Crimson rivers flowed down his cheek, staining his flak-jacket and shirt.
Finished cutting the optic nerve, he dropped the blood-splattered kunai to the ground, the sheath falling from between his teeth, and scooped the shredded mass of what had been his eye out of its socket. On impulse, he took a step forward and slung it at Sakura's captor. "There! Now let her go!"
Flagg snatched the eyeball out of the air, his teeth flashing. "I'll admit it, Queero, you have got one hell of a pair." He snickered, "Well, not a pair of eyes, but you know what I mean."
Sasuke's stomach turned as the demon's tongue darted out, pulling what was left of Sasuke's eye into its mouth. "We had a deal!"
The curly-haired man chewed thoughtfully. "Eh, I still like strawberry jelly more, but not bad. I'd give it a seven out of ten," he said, swallowing.
"Let her go!" he yelled, holding a hand over his eye socket.
"Oh, right. Well, a deal's a deal. Here ya go!" Flagg pressed down on the knife, and time seemed to slow as he drew it sharply across her throat. Sakura's eyes snapped wide-open in shock. The razor edge sliced cleanly through her jugular vein, cardioid artery, and trachea. Blood spewed out of her slashed throat spraying a rain of crimson droplets with every beat of her heart.
Sasuke roared in anger, jumping towards them. Flagg grinned, shoving Sakura's dying form forward and off the pillar, forcing Sasuke to stop his advance to catch her.
"Take care of the Uchiha." Flagg seemed to fade out of existence.
Sasuke fell back to Earth, the wounded kunoichi held tight to his chest. He cradled Sakura's limp form as she struggled to breath, heedless of the enemy soldiers closing in on him. "Sakura, stay with me! Come on!" he held a glowing hand over her throat, using what little medical ninjutsu he knew to try and help his dying teammate. It wasn't working, her flesh refused to knit back together. "Damn it! You're going to be okay!"
Sakura tried to speak, but only succeeded in producing a bloody foam that rose past her lips and rolled down her face onto the ground below. Her right hand scrabbled in the dirt, and it took Sasuke a moment to realize that she was writing something. She abruptly stopped writing in the dust, her hand rising to touch his cheek. Her emerald-green eyes met his remaining coal-black one, and her bloody lips curled up an a weak smile.
Her hand fell to the side, limply. Sasuke watched as his childhood friend's eyes slowly glazed over and became unseeing. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Sasuke dispelled the chakra from around his hand. With unsteady fingers, her carefully closed her eyes, then folded her hands over her heart. He stood up straight, his gaze flickering to her message in the dirt. There was one sentence, the characters sloppy but readable.
"I forgive you, Sasuke." The words felt flat on his tongue as he read them out loud once more. Nothing seemed real anymore, what did they even mean?
The swish of a blade flying through the air drew the young Uchiha's attention. He instinctively sidestepped, the enemy's sword bouncing harmlessly off the ground below, and brought the heel of his hand up into the bottom of the woman's nose, killing her instantly. He pulled the blade free of her slack fingers and slung it point-first into the chest of his next closest assailant-who fell down like a puppet with its strings cut. His body moved of its own volition, darting to the side to snatch up his own discarded katana. Something had changed inside the depths of his soul. The avenger had re-awoken.
Sasuke fell upon them like an enraged demon.
OoOoOo
Randall Flagg strolled into what was left of the Konoha evacuation party's camp, whistling a cheery tune and spinning a shuriken on his fore-finger. Soldiers were in a flurry of motion around him, chasing down and either killing or capturing any surviving civilians; none of them even paused to look at the strangely dressed man walking in their midst. He stopped short, suddenly uneasy. The shuriken stopped its spiraling motion, and his ears perked up to detect any unusual noises.
What sounded like chirping birds suddenly erupted behind him, and Flagg spun around just in time to be impaled by the lightning covered fist of Sasuke Uchiha. The dark-haired youth's face was twisted in fury, his Sharingan glowing ominously in his one remaining eye. "Go to hell, you bastard!" Sasuke spat, dislodging his arm and jumping away.
Flagg looked down at the gaping wound, then back up his attacker, his eyes wide. His surprised features splitting into a grin, he pointed at the hole in his chest. "I'm sorry, am I supposed to die now?" he asked, cheerily. His face contorted in feigned agony and he stuck out his tongue. "Bleh." A moment passed, and he cracked an eye open. "How was that? Passable?"
Sasuke stared at the man before him. "What the fuck are you?" he asked, his voice filled with awe.
Flagg began walking towards him, making Sasuke back-pedal out of sheer instinct. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked, the wound in his chest shrinking away until it finally closed completely. "I am the most powerful force in this universe! I am your ruler. I am your king. I am your god! Everything you do is for my amusement."
Sasuke suddenly halted his retreat, his composure returning. "A god is invincible. I've seen you in pain, you're no god."
"I'm the closest thing to one you'll ever meet. Compared to me, you are nothing. The only weapon you had that could harm me was that hell-fire you summoned, and I've made sure that there will be no more of that."
The Uchiha launched himself at the demon, his sword falling in a wide arch. Flagg grinned, not moving a muscle as the sword bore down on him. It connected with the side of his throat, then snapped in half like it was made of glass. Sasuke stared in disbelief as the top three-quarters of his blade spun away and buried themselves in a storefront wall. Flagg took the opportunity to snag Sasuke by his throat, lifting him up into the air. The diminished remains of Sasuke's sword fell to the ground with a clang as he reached up to grip his assailant's wrist.
"I'm impressed you're still alive, there were over thirty men back there," Sasuke glared down at the demon, unable to speak. "It's no matter though. Those men were expendable, I can always get more. In fact, you're just in time to see me start my end game!" As he spoke, Flagg's body seemed to split in two. The clone, which was a perfect copy of the original, walked towards the center of the encampment. It raised its arms, and the air above it seemed to shift and morph. "What you've seen so far is only the vanguard of my forces. I'm about to show you the bulk of my army!"
Sasuke's fingers wrapped around Flagg's wrist, trying to snap it. He was grunting deep in his chest, putting every ounce of his energy into breaking his enemy's hold. Flagg merely rolled his eyes at Sasuke's pitiful struggles. Flicking his wrist, he sent the Uchiha careening into the side of a building which collapsed on top of him. "Just sit back and enjoy the show, Princess."
The enraged youth exploded from the debris, launching himself at Flagg once again. "Fireball technique!" The gigantic ball of heat slammed into the Flagg that had been holding him, causing him to explode into a cloud of black smoke. Sasuke had only a moment to register the fact that what had been holding him before was only a clone before a foot crashed into his face, smashing his nose almost flat against his skull.
"I told you it won't work. Give up, save yourself the trouble of dying a slow death!"
Sasuke reeled from the blow, blood flowing freely from his badly broken nose. A Chidori formed in either hand, and he shot forward like a bolt of lightning towards Flagg. The demon moved faster than even Sasuke's Sharingan could follow. He appeared above the Uchiha, snagging him by the hair, and pivoted to slam the younger man into the ground with enough force to break windows in the surrounding buildings. The lightning faded from around Sasuke's still clenched fist.
Sasuke stubbornly extricated himself from the ground, climbing to his feet with stiff jerky motions. He jumped up onto a nearby rooftop as his hands blurred into motion. Above him, the sky grew pitch black, and Sasuke raised his hand towards the brewing storm cloud. "Kirin!" he cried, lightning crackling around him. Flagg watched with a bored expression as the young Uchiha brought his arm down in a sharp arc, yelling, "Now vanish, with the thunderclap!"
A gigantic, dragon-like bolt of lightning shot from the sky, striking Flagg in the center of his head. Electricity arced over his skin, setting his clothes aflame in several places. A boom echoed across the battlefield as air rushed to fill the vacuum created by the lightning-bolt. Around him, the ground was badly charred, but Flagg stood in the same spot as he had been before, unharmed.
He licked his thumb and used it to snuff one of the flames burning on his jacket with a hiss. "Are you going to believe me now?" He asked, his razor teeth flashing. "There is nothing you can do to stop me."
Sasuke stared down at the creature below him, his eye wide in disbelief. He had just used the strongest technique he knew, and he hadn't even scratched that monster. Sasuke's fists clenched at his sides, his fingernails drawing rivulets of blood from his palms. Taking a deep breath, he charged at the demon again, screaming.
"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Flagg growled, not even raising his hands in defense as the wounded man approached him. "You're out of chakra, Queero. Even if you weren't, you still couldn't stop me."
Sasuke crashed into the rock-solid form of Randall Flagg, but instead of going on the offensive, he wrapped his arms around the demon's chest in a crushing bear-hug. "Burn, you son of a bitch!" The air around them crackled with energy as Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs, "Northern Dragon Seal: Release!"
Flagg didn't have time to think before black fire engulfed him and the Uchiha embracing him. It only took a millisecond for the otherworldly fire to move from within the seal to coat their entire bodies. Sasuke's body disintegrated almost instantly from the heat, and only Flagg's demonic healing abilities stopped him from following suit. Even with all his power, Flagg couldn't put out the flames of Amataratsu- he would have to abandon the body he had been working to perfect for so long. Endless hours spent altering his vessel right down to its physical appearance wasted. To say he was angry would have been an understatement. One thing was for sure; Flagg didn't have time to subjugate a living body to his will, but he still needed it to be fresh.
The fire still burning around him, he cast his eyes around for a suitable target. They finally fell on a young man who had been watching the battle in awe. Flagg flicked his pinky-finger and the man's head twisted to the side with an audible crunch. In the same instant, Flagg's soul shot out of his burning corpse and into its new home before it had even fallen down.
Flagg reached up, grabbing the dark-haired head by its ears and twisting it roughly back into place. The form that had been Flagg regained its pre-Flagg consciousness just long enough to let loose a shrill cry before it too perished. He watched his former body burn away, then stepped up to observe the splotches of ash on the ground where he and the Uchiha had fought. Those two smudges were the only evidence that either of the two men had ever even existed.
"Sasuke Uchiha," he said, testing his new voice out. "That was a clever move. But not quite clever enough. Game, set, match." He spat on the smudge that had been the young avenger, then turned back to where his portal was forming. Or had been forming, rather. The air was still- his portal had closed during his altercation with the Uchiha. He raised his arms, intent on opening the portal again, only to realize that he couldn't. In his current form, he didn't have enough control over his powers to alter the fabric of reality.
He snarled, storming away. He knew he could still destroy the sniveling ninja of Konoha, but it would take much more careful planning than he had originally intended. "No matter," he growled, the corner of his new face twitching into a smirk, "I love a challenge.
OoOoOoOoOo
Well, there's chapter two. Remember to drop me a review and let me know what you think!
