Chapter 9- The Heavenly Protection Seal- Pain's power!
*uninterested, emotionally-dead voice* Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto Shippuden…*interested, life-filled voice* but if I would've, the show wouldn't have been called "Naruto Shippuden", it would've been called "Nagato Shippuden".
"Speech."
'Thoughts.'
"Past Speech."
"Echoing Speech."
Hello to you again my dear readers, I'm glad to finally be back to my daily routine after a rather long absence time. I'm sorry for not updating for a while as I was forced into a very busy schedule and literally had no time to write down Chapter 9. However, now I can finally repay you for all this shame by posting this chapter, and what a hell of a chapter it's bound to be.
Well...most of it. As you can see this chapter is short, and I have an explanation why- I was unable to complete the entire ninth chapter for a while, as it is a chapter that is over 20,000 words long, and going through all of it, while being under the busy schedule I have, will take almost a month. As a result, what you're getting now is actually a small part of the original Chapter 9 that was split into two chapters.
The next two chapters will show you what exactly you get when you combine an enraged Rinnegan wielder with a very, very, very, very, very, very powerful seal which is called "The Heavenly Protection Seal", and having him go fist-to-fist with someone who hurt Konan. We discovered about those seals in the previous chapter, and though some of you may like or may dislike that idea, I can safely say that it's my only personal add-on to this story. As we go through the plot, I will fill in more pieces of the puzzle.
But for now it's better if you stick to the information you were supplied with at chapter 8.
*WARNING* This chapter will contain character bashing, blood goring, goat feeding (wait what?!) and heart pumping moments, combined with hair shocking, nail cutting, slap giving horrors and suspense. Not suitable for kids or those with weak experience in the art of Ninjutsu.
I would now announce and open this chapter by saying…
Itadakimasu.
The tremendous, spherical vortex tore through the forest, sending powerful gusts of winds fused with chakra that literally cut anything in its path. That was the result of Naruto's most powerful ninjutsu- the Rasenshuriken, which had now been tearing apart and knocking off trees as it slowly expanded, knocking everything in its path.
Aside from Pain and Naruto, who were now presumably in the middle of the wind sphere, everyone else who was within its radius backed down a very large distance, afraid that they may get caught in the aftershock. However, the area that the sphere covered was so wide that they were forced to back off even more.
Eventually, the sphere stopped expanding, yet still rotated in place, sending shockwaves through the forests, knocking trees asides and forcing the animals of the forest to flee for their lives.
It was gigantic, the sphere sent vicious earthquakes rocking through the forest and probably the entire Fire Country, and even the clouds above it were scattering over due to its amazing force.
It was way bigger than any explosion that the Rasenshuriken could've created.
Suddenly, the spherical, wind-colored sphere began slowing down its rotation, a shocking event occurring as it slowly colored itself in a bright red and white color. The winds of the sphere slowly calmed down, and eventually the sphere ended up sending warm caresses through the woods. A few seconds passed, and suddenly the gigantic dome dissolved into countless of microscopic chakra sparkles which scattered out in the wind. That display of beauty brought forth the sight of a gigantic clearing, standing right where Pain and Naruto clashed. Apparently, to one's shock, the grass-hairs were still in place.
But that clearing, however, was still covered with an enormous cloud of earth and wood dust, which was spread all over, reducing the sight to zero percent, marking the results of the vicious clash. The cloud didn't die down for a long while, spreading all over and penetrating the trees, slowly taking its time until it finally began fading.
As the cloud faded, Kakashi and Sakura could be seen, standing at the outskirts of the new clearing, their bodies half-turned towards the woods in order to defend themselves from the explosion. Their forelimbs were crossed infront of their face, unable to take the powerful winds sent by the clash, and their faces were in the direction of the woods.
Right behind them, still in the bushes, was the rest of the Eight Man Squad, their eyes closed and their forelimbs crossed infront of their faces as well, shielding themselves from the sphere. Fortunately, the woods they were hiding in provided a shelter, defending them from Naruto's Rasenshuriken.
At the opposite outskirts of the clearing, Jiraiya could be seen, still kneeled on the ground. His whole body was bent forwards so he was on top of an unconscious Angel. Once Jiraiya saw that the distance he took from the sphere won't be enough to defend Konan, he decided to shield her with his own body, wanting her to stay safe at all costs.
Thankfully neither he nor Konan were hurt.
The clearing itself was silent as if it was dead for a few seconds, confusing everyone in it. Kakashi perked up in disbelief, his eyes widening fully as his ears still caught the sound of the spinning Rasenshuriken, meaning that Naruto's ultimate technique was still intact. 'W-What?!' Kakashi thought in shock as he removed his forelimbs from his face and swiftly turned around, wanting to see the source of the sound.
Sakura had done the same as well, perking up and turning around to see the results of that enormous, powerful clash, knowing that Naruto emerged victorious.
In the bushes, the Eight Man Squad removed their forelimbs from their faces as well, wanting to get a full view on what was done to both Pain and Naruto by their clash. However, they were still shocked and confused , thinking why Naruto's technique didn't go off.
Still hearing the sound of the Rasenshuriken in disbelief, Jiraiya removed himself swiftly from on top of Konan, ashamed to have made such a drastic, disgraceful move on his most powerful student's lover. He kneeled next to her and continued the healing process, instantly looking towards the center of the clearing.
Even if what they were doing at the moment wasn't the same, every single person in the clearing had a similar reaction.
Kakashi's eyes widened fully in disbelief, his jaw dropped as he stared at the sight infront of him. He was speechless and frozen in his tracks, literally shaking from shock. 'Kami…' He thought, unable to take his eyes off that sight, his heart pounding erratically in his chest in shock.
Sakura was right next to him, her eyes widened in fear and shock, her hands clasped on her heart, her jaw dropped as well. She felt the fear growing up inside her at the sight, speechless as Kakashi was. 'W-W-What?!' She thought mentally, trying to comprehend what she was currently seeing. 'H-How is that…'
Behind the bushes, the Eight Man Squad was awestruck, Hinata trembling with concern, disbelief and shock at what she was seeing infront of her. Yamato was frozen in his place, the awe tearing apart his fully-widened eyes. The rest were shocked just as much as Hinata and Yamato were, even Sai and Shino, who hadn't even shown their emotions up until now had their jaws mingled with the grass.
And Jiraiya? Well, Jiraiya was marveling the sight infront of him in fear and pride, unable to take his eyes off what he was seeing, feeling his heart pounding in satisfaction and relief, knowing now that his Sensei's resolve was true. A smile spread on his face, rather a smirk of triumph, remembering Hiruzen's words. 'Hiruzen-sensei…' He thought, grateful, knowing that his choice was truly the right one. For once in his life, he actually took on the right path. 'You were right. One's power will truly manifest and blossom when protecting those he loves.'
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, wanting to see what happened. He didn't know why he could still feel the Rasenshuriken burning his chakra pathway system, however, the moment his sight cleared itself, the answer was obvious. Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw slightly dropped. The shock was restraining his movements, rendering him unable to move even a finger.
The Rasenshuriken was still intact, the blades still spinning viciously, but the whole shuriken itself seemed to be trembling, as if it was afraid, afraid of what it was hiding from Naruto's sight. Naruto could feel his body steaming up, a different feeling than the one provided by the Rasenshuriken.
He knew what the source of it was.
At the other side of the "ultimate technique", Pain was standing, unscratched, his head lowered slightly and his right arm stretched to his side. His fingertips were clutching down the Rasengan orb in the middle of the Rasenshuriken, making it screech and tremble as it was prevented from exploding.
'I-Impossible…' Kakashi thought, his eyes still widened in disbelief. Even Naruto himself was unable to make direct contact with the Rasengan, nor the Rasenshuriken, as the forces they were sending repelled his hands from them. Even when the blonde thrust his signature move at his enemies, the Rasengan would've been tearing their bodies into shreds while still making no physical contact.
Yet here was Pain, holding down Naruto's most powerful attack as if it was nothing, not even moving a single inch at the moment of impact. The devastating blades of the Rasenshuriken seemed to only be fluttering his Akatsuki cloak, doing no damage and causing no pain to him.
Naruto's eyes then widened even further, able to get a glimpse of Pain's wrists, which were now covered with bright red-white colored lines, which were bent and stretched up his forelimbs. Once his eyes caught the sight, Naruto cried out in pain, feeling right his hand steaming, burn-marks spreading on his arm beneath his clothes
"Uzumaki…Naruto…" Pain muttered emotionlessly, his voice bearing no emotion. His palm clenched itself on the Rasengan orb of the Rasenshuriken, causing it to distort. The pure-blue chakra of the Rasengan suddenly colored itself in the colors of the lines on Pain's body, strengthening the winds that the Rasenshuriken was sending through the clearing.
In seconds, the wind blades of the Rasenshuriken began distorting as well, their rotation slowing down, followed by the bell-screech of the technique deepening and muting itself down. The Rasenshuriken stopped completely, widening the eyes of every single Shinobi in the clearing before it was shattered into thin sparkles.
Instantly, a vicious, gigantic shockwave of winds and steaming chakra rocked through the clearing, sending Naruto flying away with a scream of pain. He rolled across the huge clearing, finally coming into stop many feet away from the Rinnegan wielder. His upper body bended forwards, his forehead buried in the ground as the blonde held his right hand with his left one. His arm was raising off steams, filled with burn marks, and worse yet, Naruto could feel as if those steams were slowly vaporizing up everything in his body- from blood cells to bones.
He never felt like it when he used his Rasenshuriken against Kakuzu, even though he attempted to try it multiple times. He didn't even feel like that in training, and Kakashi mentioned no side-effects which were as horrible as these.
"NARUTO!" Sakura's voice tore the clearing apart, her green eyes looking at her friend trembling in pain.
Naruto raised his head, looking at Pain, who was still standing silently at the center of the clearing, staring blankly at the sky, thinking about his Angel more than ever. Pictures and memories of her raced across his mind, refusing to disappear and let go, carving themselves into his brain. 'I…I can feel it…' He thought, closing his eyes deeply. Yes, it was that feeling, the feeling he was constantly experiencing for the past three days. However, it was pure now, he could now identify it clearly.
The more he stood there, the more captivated he became by the thoughts about Konan, as if they were attempting to plunge him into himself.
However, his trail of thoughts was cut off once Naruto managed to stand back up. The blonde was snarling, clutching down his right arm which was still steaming up, a pained expression on his face as he panted.
He wasn't going to back down, he wasn't going to run away, not even when every fabric of his being trembled in hesitation and doubt. There was no chance in hell that he, Konohagakure's future Hokage, would ever back down from an enemy and abandon his comrades, no matter how strong that enemy is.
His resolve could be shown on his face, causing Naruto's expression to turn serious and eager. However, he still didn't know how he'll manage to defeat such a monster who was able to stop his strongest technique with ease.
But for the Rinnegan wielder Naruto's choice didn't matter the slightest bit. Whether he chose to stay and protect his comrades or flee in fear with his tail between his legs, the results would still be the same…
None of them was going to leave this clearing alive.
"Here I come…Konohagakure trash…"
Before his words were even heard by the blonde's ears, Pain was already two inches away from him, his murderous glare softening. Naruto didn't have time to comprehend or react before Pain's right hand moved with blinding speed, thrusting itself into his throat and clutching it down.
The blonde began vomiting blood, his upper body bending forwards and his eyes widening themselves completely. He could feel Pain's hand crushing down his neck with no mercy, causing him to clutch his wrists with both of his hands, snarling. 'W-What the hell…' He fumed, disbelieved. Naruto could feel his consciousness sleeping away at that point, the stream of blood into his brain slowly ceasing.
However, he didn't have time to go become numb as the Rinnegan wielder slammed down his body at the grass in barely a second. The unimaginable force of the impact shattered the center of the clearing, causing Naruto's mouth to open fully in a muted shriek.
The center of the clearing was now a gigantic crater, with Pain and Naruto in the center. Naruto's weak, exhausted eyes gazed down at Pain's Rinnegan eyes, feeling them slowly soothing down his body and soul. They were murderous, yet emotionless and filled with resolve, and when he looked at them Naruto felt he lost his will to fight.
Or perhaps it was his shattered back which was slowly knocking him unconscious.
He could feel his eyes closing, becoming heavy, his body going numb as he sunk down into darkness. Pain's eyes narrowed, seeing that Naruto was no longer moving or protesting against his hold.
Knowing that he lost consciousness, and with it, lost Pain's interest, the Rinnegan wielder calmly stood up and walked out of the gigantic crater he created, horrifying the entire Eight Man Squad as he came into view mercilessly dragging an unconscious Naruto by his throat.
'N-Naruto…' Sakura thought, her eyes horrifying as she took a step backwards. Her body was trembling, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Upon seeing that sight as well, Kakashi reacted the same, only for the both of them to jump in alarm once Pain swung his right arm forwards and effortlessly hurled Naruto as if he was a ragdoll.
The unconscious Naruto hit one of the trees at the outskirts of the clearing, however, the momentum of the impact which resulted from the inhuman speed of the throw caused his body to shatter that tree apart.
Many trees came down afterwards, being knocked away and shattered when coming in contact with Naruto's body, sending shockwaves through the forest. Within seconds, an enormous dust cloud covering two miles of wrecked forest could be seen.
Sakura and Kakashi just stared there, their bodies frozen as the earth cloud slowly dissipated to reveal a devastated trail of earth and rubbles of wood in what was previously Naruto's course.
The blonde was too far from the clearing to actually be seen.
"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed again, her voice devastated, terrorized. She suddenly went dead-silent, her fearful eyes flanking at Pain, seeing that he was looking blankly at the trail left by Naruto.
Sakura took a few steps back, her hearts missing beats when Pain's eyes glanced at her ever so slowly, studying her expression. His emotionless Rinnegan literally caused her to go numb, perking Kakashi up when he realized the Rinnegan wielder was looking at her.
It was only then that, before he even managed to notice, Pain was right next to Sakura, on her right, the sides of their bodies facing each other. Every single inch in the clearing was silent, Pain staring emotionlessly into the woods while Sakura looked at where his previous location was, still unable to digest he disappeared.
However, before she did manage to realize he was next to her, Kakashi pulled Sakura in towards him then rotated and pushed her away as hard as he could, causing her to yell in alarm as she was sent tumbling to the ground.
She instantly looked at him from over her shoulders, her widened eyes realizing what just happened. Kakashi's Konohagakure forehead protector was pulled upwards, revealing his Sharingan.
It was only thanks to Obito's eye that he managed to react to Pain's movement.
"GO, SAKURAAA!" Kakashi raged at her, in a tone that Sakura had never heard before, filled with desperation and concern. Not spending even a split-second, Kakashi turned around and attempted to send a roundhouse kick at the Rinnegan wielder.
Pain barely tilted his head, causing Kakashi's kick to miss by an inch as the Jonin quickly rebounded and attempted to make his next move. Knowing that he must do everything he can to keep that monster from Sakura, Kakashi sent both of his hands to the sides, his Sharingan widening. "Raikiri!" He yelled courageously, seconds before roaring lightning engulfed both of his hands. His body then decided to move on its own, rapidly throwing flexible, powerful arm-swings and various kicks at Pain.
The leader of Akatsuki still looked blankly at Kakashi, as if he was out of focus while effortlessly dodging every single attack Kakashi sent at him, causing the Copy Ninja to feel fear dwelling up inside of him. 'He's so fast…' He thought in shock, trying even harder to at least land a single hit at Pain, who was still swiftly moving around the clearing with him, elegantly dodging his attacks. He barely managed to follow his movements with his Sharingan, let alone realize that he dodged his previous attack before sending another one. He found himself staring deeply at the way he moved, marveling in awe how Pain was just unintentionally toying with him. Moreover, he found himself gazing into his blank eyes, trivial about the strange pattern they had. He never saw something like this before, as if his eyes were just slowly shackling him down, making him slow and numb. 'Just…what are you, Pain!?'
As he was dodging from Kakashi's attacks, the Rinnegan wielder glanced at Sakura, seeing that she was just standing there, her eyes following them, frozen in her tracks. However, she was starting to react, slowly trying to move her legs backwards, step by step.
Catching the sight of her moving legs, Pain's eyes snapped slightly, his unfocused, blank Rinnegan contracting, finally regaining his senses. Slight shock and realization could be seen in his expression, causing Kakashi to glance at Sakura as well, his eyes widened, desperate. "I TOLD YOU TO RUN!" He raged at her, knowing that Pain will soon make his move. He didn't want Sakura to be in the clearing when it happens.
Sakura heard Kakashi's words tearing through her ears, causing her expression to snap just like Pain's. She realized what was happening, returning to focus and realizing what must be done as she slowly walked backwards. When she was far enough from the warring duo, Sakura turned around and started running towards the outskirts of the clearing, which were quite far.
Pain just looked at her while dodging Kakashi's attacks, noting how pathetic she looked…how pathetic she was. She wanted to escape, to flee towards safety, to run away, and by the way she ran Pain could tell she was actually hoping she will succeed.
No…there was no chance in Kami that he was going to let that flicker of hope in Sakura's heart continue shimmering.
Still not saying a word, the Rinnegan wielder grabbed Kakashi's right wrist when he attempted to strike him with his Raikiri once again, causing the Copy Ninja to cry out as he slowly tightened his clutch, the Raikiri in his right palm slowly ceasing.
Trying to ignore the immense pain from the Akatsuki leader's effortless hold, Kakashi thrust his left Raikiri at his enemy, his expression angered, only to widen his eyes in terror again as Pain folded his other forelimb upwards and actually grabbed his left palm.
Pain's expression didn't change the slightest at the feeling of feeling of Kakashi's Raikiri making direct contact with his body. On the contrary- Kakashi cried in pain, closing his eyes shut as his Raikiri went wild, the lightning screaming in pain. Its' color slowly changed from pure-blue to red and white, the same with the Rasengan in Naruto's Rasenshuriken, and Kakashi knew what was going to happen next.
His eyes snapped open and widened, feeling his body being vaporized, his left arm steaming up. The pain was inhuman, causing the Copy Ninja to drop to his knees, lowering his head as he attempted to struggle against Pain's hold.
Realizing that there was no use to let Kakashi suffer any more, Pain released his hold of his left palm, allowing him to viciously pull it, tilting his body to the right as he did so. He managed to get a glimpse of the Rinnegan wielder raising his right hand upwards and extending a sharp, blood-tinted chakra blade from his sleeve.
For some reason, Pain's chakra blade was raising off steams, but Kakashi had no time to comprehend on that thought as Pain swung down his arm with inhuman agility, vertically slashing down the Copy Ninja.
The sound of cut flesh mingling with the splashes of blood could be heard all over the clearing as Kakashi realized what happened, feeling incredible pain tearing apart his body. His head dropped backwards, his eyes completely widened, almost rolling to the back of his head, feeling his body going numb from the pain, blood gushing from the gigantic cut in his upper body.
He had no time to dwell on the pain before the Akatsuki leader impaled his shoulder with the same chakra blade, which was still tainted with his blood. That was when Kakashi's heart snapped, feeling his body being vaporized and digested from within.
A second after and he was kicked in his neck by Pain, the massive sound of the impact covering the cracking sound his throat made. Kakashi was sent rolling across the clearing, the massive force of Pain's kick causing him to finally scream.
The dying Copy Ninja finally collided with one of the trees in the clearing's outskirts, shattering it completely and sending a cloud of wooden dust all over. The cloud lasted a few seconds before dissipating to reveal him in an unconscious sitting position, his head dropped forwards and his body surrounded with the tree's wooden rubble. His body was steaming and his Konohagakure flak jacket was covered with blood, blood which literally shimmered in Sakura's eyes when she finally caught the sight of her teacher.
"KAKASHI-SENSEIIIII!" Sakura shrieked in horror, freezing in her tracks, her expression horrified. She couldn't even describe the feelings which were flooding through her body, however, she instantly turned around and began dashing towards her unconscious, dying Sensei.
Before she was inches away from her destination, the pink-haired Kunoichi couldn't help but glancing over her shoulder at Pain, only to widen her eyes in alarm and fear when she saw he disappeared with no trace. Before she managed to turn her head back, her body collided with a solid, cold material.
Before she knew it, Sakura was on the floor a feet away from where she has been, her upper body stretched upwards and her hands supporting her up. Her shocked, widened eyes were gazing at Pain's figure in disbelief, his height blocking Kakashi from her sight.
He was looking at her blankly, the same expression he had while fighting the Copy Ninja, one that caused her body to shake so heavily it froze. The Kunoichi's heart started missing beats as everything went blurred, yet somehow she managed to instantly rebound into a firm stance, dashing to the other side of the clearing so she was fairly far away from the Rinnegan wielder.
Sakura then clenched both of her fists, snarling at Pain, who was blankly and emotionlessly gazing at her. Even though his gaze gauged holes in her body, the Kunoichi took her fighting stance, motioning Pain that she, like Naruto, wasn't going to run away. She was still unable to hide her fear and hesitation though. 'H-How can I beat that monster?!' Her mind screamed at her, her own resolve to fight the leader of Akatsuki slowly slipping away, knowing that if she decides to battle him she'll end up like Kakashi and Naruto…or even worse. 'N-No, Sakura! You have to be strong! You took down Sasori of the Akatsuki! If you ever want to save Sasuke-kun…you can't be afraid! I can't be afraid! I'm doing this for Chiyo-basama, for Asuma-Sensei, for Kakashi-Sensei, for Naruto! I'm facing that basta-'
Before she got to finish up her thought, Pain was now, again, besides her, the side of his body facing her own, staring blankly at the woods. She could feel her heart sinking to her legs, her eyes completely widening. She didn't even manage see him moving, as focused as she was, and there he was, right next to her.
She managed to regain the strength to move and took a few steps backwards as fast as she could, her body afraid. All Pain did was just standing there, staring at the woods as if he was frozen. 'He's waiting…he wants me to make the first move…' She thought, her expression terrified. Her eyes then hardened, taking a deep breath and clenching both of her fists. Her hands were engulfed with deep, thick chakra that resembled embers. She was going to make him regret that he underestimated her strength.
"HERE I GO!"
With the most vicious battle roar she ever released, the pink-haired Kunoichi charged at the Rinnegan wielder, putting her whole strength in her right arm and concentrating every bit of her chakra into her right fist. She swung her upper body forwards, using the vicious momentum which was generated to swing her arm as hard as she could at the Rinnegan wielder, her fist roaming towards with incredible speed.
And in the next second, her fist was being held inside Pain's hand, the Rinnegan wielder folding his forelimb upwards to grab her strongest attack effortlessly, causing a small shockwave to rock through the clearing. The momentum, like the impact from Sakura's punch, disappeared as if it was nothing. Worse was that Pain's body didn't move an inch from the impact, the Akatsuki leader's figure not wavering the slightest.
Sakura's eyes widened in shock and disbelief, her jaw dropped at the sight of how Pain handled her strongest punch. That was the moment when her entire resolve slipped away, making room to allow fear crawl around her body.
Unaware to the Kunoichi, at the time when he was not doing a thing, the Rinnegan wielder was not intending to allow Sakura to make a move, not at all. He was actually marveling at all the different ways he could kill her in, he was marveling at all the different ways he can make her scream, to see her blood, to crush down her body, to make her want to die. He was marveling at how many ways there were to make her pay for what she has done, for all the pain she brought upon his Angel…his beautiful Angel.
Without saying a word, only having a microscopic smirk grow on his lips as he sunk in his thoughts, Pain rotated his hand with Sakura's, and before he knew it, the Kunoichi dropped to her knees. She grinned her teeth, trying to prevent the unimaginable pain to let her screams escape from her lungs. She closed her eyes shut, feeling Pain's hand slowly squeezing down her own, the Rinnegan wielder enjoying every second.
Sakura grabbed her right wrist with her free, uncrushed hand, screaming as she lowered her head and snarled, trembling viciously. The pain tore her body apart, soaking her glove with her own blood, soaking Pain's hand with her own blood.
The Rinnegan wielder then pulled Sakura's hand upwards, forcing her to unwillingly stand up, feeling his clutch nearly rupturing her shoulder apart. She was fully standing when Pain continued raising his hand upwards, pulling Sakura along with his hand so her feet were now above ground.
Sakura never managed to realize how the Rinnegan wielder had enough strength to lift up her body weight so easily, and she didn't even care as now her sore, shattered shoulder was now supporting the rest of her body. Even though her sobbing eyes were closed shut, she knew that her face was inches away from Pain's.
"Trash…" Pain chuckled, a slight smirk visible on his face as his body trembled, trembled in the desire to kill her. His voice echoed through Sakura's ears, causing her body to shake viciously in fear. His tone was so different than the way it was, so firm, so murderous, so emotionless. "You…you…I will…make you…scream…I will make you…beg…you will…cry…plead for me…to kill you…when I'm done…with you. I am going…to do…such horrible things to you…that you cannot even begin to…imagine the pain…the pain I will bring…upon you…"
On the other side of the clearing, Jiraiya's eyes hardened, his expression almost turning into a snarl. He was, at first, marveling Pain's strength and desire to protect Konan…however, that admiring look soon turned into one of fear and remorse. 'Nagato…' He thought, looking down at Konan, seeing that her wound was still slightly opened. If he just as much as removes his hands from her body for even the slightest second, the consequences will be horrible. The Toad Sage was now torn apart, a storm of emotions dwelling inside him.
At first, he was enraged to see what Naruto and the others did to his most beloved students, and if it wasn't for Pain jumping in to protect Konan from Naruto's Rasenshuriken, he would've punished the Eight Man Squad by himself.
Pain indeed wanted to protect Konan. Heck, his desire to keep his Angel safe was so powerful that even though the Toad Sage didn't complete the release, the Heavenly Protection Seal instantly unlocked itself to the Rinnegan wielder. But as he witnessed Pain terrorizing Naruto and Kakashi, he could feel pain and remorse dwelling inside him.
As angered as he was at them, Naruto was still one of his beloved students, and Kakashi was still Minato's favorite student…and seeing them being butchered so horribly by Pain, he couldn't help but thinking that he may have allowed his emotions get the better of him.
However, he knew that Pain's side was even more horrible. He knew what Konohagakure has done to his parents, to Yahiko. The Toad Sage knew that Konan was everything for Pain, just like how he and Konan are everything for him…and for Pain's lover to be so horribly injured by the same village who killed his parents…
He could only imagine how Nagato felt.
Still, he knew that Pain was going too far, and what kept him curious was that his seal is still activated, as if supporting him blindingly. 'Nagato…I know you're angered at what they did to Konan-hime…' He thought hesitatingly, his snarl hardening, eying Pain for any sign of consciousness, of mortality, anything that could tell him that the Rinnegan wielder was still in his senses.
He found none.
The worst part was that he couldn't do anything to stop him.
'Nagato…you're going too far!'
Sakura was now frozen in her tracks, her muscles numb, her body shaking in terror and fear, afraid to open her eyes, feeling like Pain's gaze is strangling her down. She felt weak, exhausted, as if her consciousness was slowly slipping away.
"S-SAKU-"
Yamato instantly covered Kiba's mouth with his hand, causing the canine to fume, swear and rage into it. "Don't…speak…a single word." He muttered coldly, emotionlessly, shocking the rest of the Eight Man Squad, who were looking at Pain and Sakura. "If you do, we'll all end up just like Kakashi and Sakura."
Everyone perked up in shock at Yamato's order, awestruck at his command and his reactions, which were so highly unpredictable that it hurt. "YYamato-Sensei, you're saying that we should just leave Sakura?" Shino asked in a whisper, almost exclaimed. At this point, even his tone was disbelieved, shocked at everything that was happening right now.
If Hinata was with them, she would've protested as well. However, the moment Naruto was sent flying two miles into the distance, it was only a matter of time until the Hyuga will as well.
"There is a difference between leaving a friend behind and jumping into your death…" Sai pointed out emotionlessly, shocking Kiba and Shino. "I faced many situations like that in the Root. When we ambushed an enemy, when we were discovered by an enemy…our team needed to wait for the right opportunity…and sometimes it cost us many brave comrades…either charging to their deaths or dying infront of our eyes. That is the price of being a Shinobi. That was the most basic rule during the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. It is a price that we must pay, it is a price that many other Shinobi paid before us.
"We have…really have gotten ourselves into trouble this time…" Yamato muttered, looking at the unconscious, dying Kakashi at the other side of the clearing. The blood just kept gushing of the huge, vertical cut Pain made in his torso, causing Yamato's expression to turn concerned. "We need the right moment to do this. For now…none of you move an inch or I won't have a choice but to silence you."
The rest of the Eight Man Squad remained silent at Yamato's orders, shocked and disbelieved, except from Sai, who had no trouble agreeing. Eventually Kiba and Shino had to submit and comply, knowing that, as merciless and cruel as it was, Yamato was speaking the truth.
All they could do is to look at Pain and Sakura like a snake chocking down its prey.
"Where is…that courage…trash?" Pain whispered devilishly, his smirk slightly visible. The image of Sakura kicking his Angel in her abdomen kept running through his mind, turning that smirk into a frown, and from a frown into a cold, murderous glare. He wanted to kill that Sakura so much that this murderous desire engulfed his mind. "Where is…that courage you had…when you kicked my Angel like that…when you…injured her…like that? You…you made her cry…you made her bleed…scream…no…it's…unforgivable…I won't let you go. You…you must pay…for everything you've done…to Konan…"
And with those sayings, Pain's eyes finally squinted, looking at the grass, his face turned downwards so he wasn't looking at Sakura. For some reason, the Kunoichi knew that his eyes opened, causing her heart to nearly explode. "Know…pain…" He muttered, his voice suddenly crawling its way into Sakura's ears.
Sakura could feel her body sinking down for some reason, as if Pain's words were blurring her, caressing her body.
Miles away from the clearing, Nagato was hiding among the woods, connected into a heavy, oversized mechanical walker. Nagato's red hair was the only thing visible among the shadows, aside from his grey skin which seemed to only get darker from the shades hiding it. "…comprehend pain…accept pain…feel pain…" Nagato muttered, his Rinnegan eyes closed as if he was out of focus, his head dropped, panting viciously. The memories of the Second Great Shinobi world war began appearing in his mind, clouding it with the thoughts of death. "Rain of blood…clouds of bloodshed…skies of war…the war created by your people…by your village…you will feel it…the same way I have…roam beyond your nightmares…roam beyond your fears…"
Nagato began coughing, blood starting to slightly drip from his mouth, exhausted.
Back at the clearing, Pain's eyes snapped open and widened completely, the rings of the Rinnegan shrinking and contracting. His pupils shrunk, staring deeply at Sakura's face, seeing that her expression was starting to turn unconscious. Sakura felt as if the world was darkening around her, and if it wasn't enough, Pain's words were literally embedding themselves into her mind.
"Your sun…will never rise again…the screams of death will become your own. Become one with suffering, become with pain…the pain you brought upon my Angel…will be the pain I will bring upon you...Konohagakure trash…"
And that was when Sakura could hear no more.
"Gedo Rinne Genjutsu Art..."
"Eternal Tsukuyomi..."
And with that, ends the ninth chapter of ANPAL.
Well, not exactly the ninth chapter.
You see, I realized that the original Chapter 9 was, like the previous chapter, too long. I was falling behind schedule since my return from the field trip, and I really thought I need to give you, my precious readers, something to read.
Yes, yes, don't kill me for putting another cliff-hanger, I just couldn't resist. Besides, it was the most suitable part in which I can split Chapter 9 into two.
So, Chapter 10- Know pain (no pun intended) will be the second part of Chapter 9, and to be honest- will be filled with much more action than this chapter. We will continue Pain's battle against Konohagakure's Eight Man Squad, and will see how Naruto Shippuden's heroes will manage to hold against a murderous, enraged Pain.
I am, again, sorry for the incredibly long delay, and wish you all good luck on whatever you're doing.
Oh, even though I don't really deserve it this time, I will motion you towards the bottom of this page where you'll meet a very close friend of mine, the REVIEW CHATBOX, where you can voice your opinions, your ideas, or just comment on this chapter and many other chapters before it.
I will see you all in around a week or two, and again, sorry for the long delay.
ForPain.
