Battle to Protect
Tsunade pushed herself up off the ground as soon as the hot fire of healing chakra finished coursing through her veins. She couldn't stop now. Every second she spent meant one more second the enemy could use to find out her location. Konan's god no doubt had a way of tracking everyone in Amegakure, and he was the one she needed to find. But it had to be on her terms, not his.
Moving was painful, and the stab wound was only healed superficially, but she could fight. She would fight, because she wasn't done yet. Everything Konan had said only confirmed what she had already known – Ame was dangerous, and she had to figure out exactly what it was going to do.
That pervasive ran got into her eyes as she ran over rock, speeding past the burned husks of buildings whose only crime was to be too close to the border. She stuck to those demolished areas, free of people who might see her and report her presence, or get caught up in a fight that could happen at any time.
She lost track of time as she headed deeper into enemy territory, only conscious of underlying fatigue despite the chakra and blood replenishing pill she took, and a low throb of pain beginning around the stab wound.
The only warning she had of an attack was the whistling. She jumped to the side, barely dodging an odd spike of black metal that quivered deep in the stone in front of her.
"You have come far. You will go no further," intoned a deep voice from behind her. The blonde spun around and saw a man with spiky orange hair, studded with piercings in his nose, ears, and mouth, facing her. His hand was outstretched, and a piece of black protruded from his palm.
"Are you the so called god of Ame?" Tsunade called, eyes on the figure. It didn't budge an inch. "I've heard about you."
"I am the god of Ame," came another voice from her right. A very large figure with more orange hair stepped out of the shadows. "And I will take away all the pain in the world."
"Oh?" she cocked an eyebrow, although she remained poised for any movements the figures may make. "Which one of you should I believe?"
"We are one," they said together, each taking a simultaneous step closer…and revealing a third.
Not good not good…she hadn't expected to face more than one – maybe extremely powerful – enemy. Now she was completely out matched.
"What is it you value most in this world, Hokage of Konoha?" asked the third figure, with waist long orange hair. She was sensing a theme.
Tsunade didn't even have to think. "The lives of the people of my village."
"And what would you do to protect them?" pushed the same man, regarding her with ringed purple eyes.
"Anything at all."
"Would you go to war for them?"
"Yes."
"Wrong answer," came a fourth voice, directly behind her. A white hot stab of pain lanced through her shoulder, and Tsunade stumbled forward clutching at the metal rod embedded in the joint. With a jerk she wrenched it free, sending it clattering onto the rock in front of her. "It is views like yours that cause the pain our world suffers from. I will cure this pain, and the world will be at peace."
"Oh yeah? How?" she panted, taking cautious steps backwards towards a cliff wall behind her. If she pushed enough chakra, she could jump to the top of that cliff…
"By causing the world to be reborn." The answer was said in a matter of fact voice, but nothing about it was simple. "The slate will be wiped clean and united under one power."
"That will solve nothing!" came a strong voice from the top of the wall Tsunade was backing towards. A figure in red and green plummeted towards the ground, landing right in front of the blonde woman.
"Jiraiya-sensei." There was no note of surprise in the voice, only resignation. "You should not have come. Now you will die along with the woman who killed the one person I held dear." A spark of anger was lit in the tone. "Loss. I will eliminate loss."
"She died to protect you," Tsunade shot back. "The least you could do is honor her sacrifice! She knew what she was doing." She pushed past Jiraiya, not letting his restraining arm stop her. "Are you going to take it out on me? Fine. Just like an avenger. Nagato."
She saw Jiraiya do a double take, inspecting the figures around him. "Nagato, don't do this. I taught you –"
"You taught me to protect all I hold dear!" No more was the all-knowing patient tone of before. This one held strangled rage and pain, directed at the two Konoha shinobi. "And that is precisely what I intend to do."
Three figures shot towards the pair, one firing off a water jutsu. Jiraiya countered with a well-timed fire jutsu, even as Tsunade jumped into the air to deal a punishing kick to a figure attacking from above. He flew backwards, landing lightly on a rock shelf some hundred meters away.
"If she's dead, you aren't protecting anything!" Jiraiya yelled, ducking under a slash of metal from the third man. "If you want to end suffering, begin with yourself!"
"You can't understand my pain, sensei," Nagato proclaimed, voice issuing from the first figure to appear, which had remained back from the fight. "But," his eyes narrowed on Tsunade. "I will make you understand the pain she inflicted on me!"
One figure slapped his hand down on the rock, and a truly monstrous beast emerged, a warped brown dog that howled like a coyote. It lunged at Tsunade, who was barely able to dodge in her weakened state.
"No!" Jiraiya's yell was full of rage, mirroring that of Nagato earlier. He slapped his hand down on the rock as well, summoning a large toad with a trident and a huge shield. "Can you protect us?"
"Though I may be large and clumsy," the toad responded in a slow voice, "I will do my best."
"Good enough." Jiraiya grabbed Tsunade by the arm, pulling her behind the toad with him as the dog attacked, teeth snapping uselessly against the shield. "This is a fight we cannot win," he whispered fervently. "We must retreat."
Her head felt exceptionally light and his face was moving back and forth in front of her. "But…"
"No. I won't let you die here fighting for some useless shred of information." He yanked her to the side again as the toad crashed backwards, now two dogs snapping at him."Gamaken!"
"Yes, Jiraiya?" called the toad as he pushed off the cliff wall.
"Cover us." When the five figures of Nagato heard those words, each moved forward a step.
"I will not –" " –let you escape –" " –with your lives." "You fall –" " –here."
"Nagato, I thought once you would understand what I meant about protecting that which is dearest to you. But now…" Jiraiya trailed off, running through a series of quick hand seals. "It's too late."
"No!" the enraged cry issued from all mouths at once, and bars of metal shot at the pair as they began to disappear. Three hit Tsunade – once in the chest, and two in the legs. She collapsed immediately, coughing, and it was only Jiraiya's hand grasping her arm tightly that kept her from falling completely.
"Hang on…" was the last thing she heard, as her body barely registered the ceasing of rain and feeling of warmth that was swept away by the cold chill that overcame her body. Then her world went black.
