(For people who follow the manga sorry if my story no longer follows the storyline I started writing before the end of Pain's battle...and of course I do not own Naruto I'm a needy young adult writing fanficiton for crying out load!)
The cat masked ANBU member made a gurgled choke as threaded tentacles pierced through his chest. It didn't take them long to reach his heart and once they did they tore it out. The tentacles dropped the lifeless shinobi taking their prize along with them as they returned to Kakuzu's body. The former Akatsuki member stood with his arms outreached on either side of him with his chest cavity wide open. The tentacles returned to his body crawling inside his chest cavity pulling the open flaps of chest closed behind them sewing his flesh back together again.
"Now that makes five…" he said in his dead logical voice.
Sasori stood behind him forcing a seemingly unconscious Ino into the hollowed abdomen of his crude puppets, lucky for him the man used to be fat and she was a skinny thing. "So we have a deal?" Sasori asked with his back turned to him.
"Normally I work cash arrangements only but causing a fair bit of chaos as repayment for my revival seems fair…we have a deal," Kakuzu stated.
Kakuzu looked at the masks of the three dead ANBU lying before him before collecting them thinking they should be suitable with minor work to used for his new masked monsters.
"Where is he now?!" Tsunade demanded in rage. Kakuzu spared no one in the hospital lobby littering bodies in his wake. It was easy for them to recognize Kakuzu's work, the victims had their hearts either pierced or torn out.
"He is moving fast Hokage-sama we believe he is headed towards a residential area," an ANBU said kneeling before her.
"That coward every one move out, I'm ordering an evocation until all threats have been terminated!" Tsunade ordered.
While the man hurly ran to follow Tsunade's orders Sakura whispered into her ear, "Sasori must have revived him and he wants a diversion he going to escape and with Ino, he may still be in the hospital."
Tsunade nodded her head but cut her off when Sakura suggested that she be the one to go after him. "No, you also have experience combating Kakuzu go summon Naruto and take charge of the assault squad, our priority is to protect the villagers, I'll take two guards with me and flush out Sasori…understood," she ordered.
Sakura wanted to argue guilt demanding that she correct all this but held her tongue understanding the wisdom of Tsunade's words, she should avoid contact with Sasori. "Hai Hokage-sama…." She said before turning to leave, she didn't want her Sensei to see her tears of rage and regret.
Kakuzu fixed the fifth ANBU mask to his back, these wouldn't be as effective as his original but for now they would function. He took a moment surveying the destruction around him. He noticed in the distance many tiny fast moving dots leaping from building to building headed his direction. He figured he had fulfilled his end of the deal and should make his move to flee, he was sure he could be a match for anything the hidden leaf could produce, just not all at once.
Kakuzu turned to make his escape when he left a huge pain his back. Electrical energy passed through his body as a masked face whispered into his ear "that should be one heart down." Kakuzu grinned through his gritted teeth, excited to once again battle the famed Kakashi.
Sakura run with Yamato and Naruto towards the scene of destruction, Kakashi managed to get there first before the groups of shinobi and hidden ANBU. Sakura kept glancing over her shoulder, she knew their enemy was powerful but this was obscene, her reasoning pleaded with her to see this, how useless here she will be and how much more useful she would be by her sensei's side.
Tsunade ordered her two ANBU guards to remain by her side explaining that she had fought sand village puppeteers before and they liked lone targets. "Keep your focus all puppeteers use deception at the highest level of skill and this one is the most revered among them," Tsunade cautioned.
"Very true," the ANBU member to her left said before turning on her. He raised his arm before Kunai popped up from under his skin turning his arm into a bloody spiked weapon. Tsunade's other ANBU member acted through his surprise moving with such blinding speed grabbing a hold safely of the swinging spiked arm. Tsunade turned to scan for other threats when both she and the live ANBU member herd the unmistakable sound of a burning exploding tag coming from the puppet ANBU.
Tsunade leapt back, the other Shinobi tried to but he was pined by the puppet. Tsunade covered her eyes with her arm as she ducked from the explosion. She was unharmed by the blast. She herd pieces of shrapnel fly over head looking up at her last escort he lied still with pieces of metal embedded through out his body. She looked down a hallway hearing the sound of quite foot steps walking towards her.
Sasori walked with his four puppets following behind him grinning with half his face, Tsunade shuddered looking at his grotesque body it was as Secretary Kira described.
"When did you," Tsunade started to ask through clenched teeth before Sasori cut her off with the answer.
"A few hours ago he was the third to give up his heart to Kakuzu, I simply made use of his remains and slipping him in with the squads was easy amongst all the chaos, the masks served very much in my favored I just had to position him where you'd be most likely to choose him forcing your hand to say..." Sasori explained and boasted.
Tsunade stood up glaring at Sasori with such fury, the same gaze that broke so many apprentices. Sasori's half grin widened it was the same glare Sakura once gave him. "This will be great I'm in dire need of a new Kage level puppet you'll be a nice addition," Sasori told her raising his puppet arm making the puppets behind him ready to fight. Sasori was no fool he was in no position to fight some one Kage level head on so he was hoping his ploy would work.
Tsunade was wary not knowing the full extent of Sasori's weakness but gauging by the four behind him he couldn't be at full strength. None the less she couldn't punch the ground and bury him the hospital hadn't been fully evacuated she could easily kill numerous by-standards a weakness her opponent did not share.
The two starred at each other intensely before Sasori's finger twitched. Two puppets to his left sprung into action leaping for Tsunade. Tsunade glanced up at them she guest he was using a frontal attack simply to gauge her abilities. Well she was going to give him a show as she waited for the first puppet to get in close before reaching out to flick it.
Sasori pumped an extra shot of chakra into his puppet making it just that much faster as well as making the string controlling it visibly blue for a moment. It was all for not as the first puppet exploded in a shower of splinters and gore. That part surprised and disgusted Tsunade as the puppet's remains sprayed onto her. Sasori tried using this moment to get his other puppet close, but Tsunade was already facing it with a fist clenched ready for it.
Sasori grinned as the puppet instead of attacking opened its mouth. A nozzle was imbedded into its mouth spaying out a white gas cloud. Tsunade raised an arm to cover her mouth as she reached into her pocket. Pulling out a hypodermic needle filled with a pinkish fluid, she tugged her robe to the side exposing some skin on her thigh. She wasted no time jabbing herself with the needle. She slowly let arm down breathing slowly, the gas didn't seem to be seriously affecting her but it irritated both her eyes and skin.
The gas cloud quickly cleared leaving Tsunade standing calmly facing Sasori. She held up her needle saying, "what ever poisons you've come up with from using such a short list of chemicals from a medical cabinet I'm ninety percent sure I've just immunized myself from it." Sasori nodded he expected no less of his grandmother's rival and Sakura's master. "However," he though twisting his hand "lets see her immunize herself from this."
The puppet still had it mouth open but made a click sound as the inner tubes switched to a different bottle. A clear liquid shot out at Tsunade, it was difficult to dodge but she wasn't a Hokage for nothing. Dodging the liquid only a few droplets slashed onto her robe, glancing over the green color was instantly bleached out before small holes grew in the clothing. She shrugged off her robe tossing it at the acid spraying puppet. The robe flew over the puppets head covering it while Tsunade rushed it.
The puppet sprouted deadly blades in defense but too late as Tsunade closed in and punched it square in the chest. Sasori leaned to a side dodging the puppet remains that flew past him. Sasori looked over Tsunade examine her exposed arms and more defined figure before commenting, "you know your an example of true beauty I understand that your older then I and yet you've managed to wither the test of time gracefully you'll make an excellent addition to my collection."
Tsunade clenched her fist she wouldn't let that happen if she had anything to say about that. Making a move she charged at Sasori wanting to end this quickly. Sasori twitched two fingers making the nurse puppet behind him sprout out its spinning blades. The puppet moved to attack Tsunade but she waited till the puppet swung its spinning death before sidestepping and rushing past it focused on her goal.
Sasori's last puppet moved to defend him but too late as Tsunade's punch him in the face with all her fury shearing it off. Sasori stood still, the part of this neck that was wood was splinters the other part was a bloody stump. Tsunade took a step back surprised when Sasori's body moved into action standing in a stance while he made a full gesture with puppet hand. A high pitched drilling noise behind her gave away the puppet behind her as it accurately stabbed at her. Tsunade side stepped turning to face the puppet, two dills where sown into it's wrists that it used like a stabbing weapon. Tsunade could just picture being impaled by one of those, she shuddered Sasori was a cruel executioner.
Tsunade heard a rustling sound like metal wire being pulled, she ducked in rolled in time to see Sasori's intestinal spear fly over head. The nurse puppet moved in while she was on the ground but Tsunade rolled on the ground making the spinning blades barely miss her. She kicked out with her foot causing the puppet to fall on its back, the blades didn't stop till they tore they nurse puppet up. She quickly recovered turning to face the headless puppeteer. Sasori's body flicked a finger making his head bounce up and land on the bloody stump of his neck. The wood only lightly merged back together and the fleshy parts made his head wobble, to quickly fix this he pulled out a kunai jabbing it into his neck to hold it still. Tsunade remembered Sasori was connected to this world not by a body but by some sort of heart piece, "what did Sakura use more important where did he place it?" she asked herself.
Tsunade looked at Sasori threatening "give it up you only have one puppet left."
Sasori smirked before explaining, "this is one you'll hastate to bash, that Ino girl is still alive her work is hardly complete and how do you think I'm transporting her?" Tsunade eyes widened examining the larger puppet it could be possible to stuff her in there forcing it a bit, it would be unbearably uncomfortable.
"INO! Are you in there…Answer me!" Tsunade shouted getting not reply. Sasori turned his hand to the side making the large puppet leap at Tsunade. She felt trapped she wasn't sure how to beat the puppeteer and she couldn't smash his toys least she harm Ino. She was forced to duck and dodge the attacks, it was easy enough but she knew she couldn't win a battle that way.
Tsunade nearly got impaled by the drills as the puppet moved to lunge but fell instead she looked at to Sasori when she herd a gurgling sound. Sakura stood behind Sasori with a kunai imbedded in the center of his chest. "You never change do you, I guess you made yourself to never change," Sakura said coldly.
Sasori had a hard time turning his head to face her but Sakura would not allow them to see face to face. "You always let your guard down, and I can't believe you hid your weakness in the same place as last time…just go back to being a nightmare," Sakura told him letting him fall to the ground.
Tsunade put up a front of being angry but Sakura could tell it was forced "insubordination, I gave to a direct order," she fumed.
Sakura looked down "I was worried and didn't feel like I would be needed-" she started to reason reaching out to help Tsunade stand.
Tsunade cut her off saying that was no excuse but took her hand up. After helping her sensei stand Sakura asked if she had found out where Ino was. "I think she is inside that puppet over there careful it might be trapped," Tsunade explained. Sakura nodded her head as the two women leaned over the half human corpse half puppet creation. Feeling along where the wood and flesh merged they where soon satisfied that it wasn't trapped, they cracked open the puppet's chest and abdomen.
Ino lied still almost wrapped up into a ball inside the puppet. "She's not breathing!" Sakura said in a panic. Tsunade pulled her out before lying her on her back, she was covered in so much blood and gore they hoped that it was the puppets not hers. Tsunade turned her back on Ino telling Sakura to grab some medical equipment. Sakura stood up to run but looked back at Tsunade to hear the list of things to get when she saw Ino open her eyes and turned her face to Tsunade's backside.
Ino not making a sound pulled out a scalpel holding it like a knife, she stood to a crouching position before lunging at Tsunade. Sakura acted in such surprised she screamed stop as she rushed towards Tsunade planning on protecting her with her own body if she had to. Tsunade was surprised and only looked back after Sakura leapt behind her. She turned to see Ino standing holding a knife that was stabbed into Sakura.
Sakura looked up to Ino seeing her with a grin and menacing eyes, Ino laughed before saying "funny isn't it Sakura? To meet face to face again the same we said good bye last time." Ino pulled on the knife a bit to which Sakura grabbed a hold of forcing it not to move. Her mouth was filling up with blood as she realized she was being stabbed exactly where she had been stabbed by Sasori once before. She looked up into the face that was not her friendly rival. She had forgotten how easily Sasori slipped from one vassal body to the next.
(Full circle eh? I figured that was such a climatic scene during the first Sasori/Sakura match it would have to come about again. Any ways let me know how I'm doing love to read your reviews and I promises to update as soon as I can.)
