As soon as he had finished speaking, Hiruko's mouth opened, releasing a spray of needles towards them. Naruto yelped, hiding behind his shield as he ran to take cover; Sakura and Sasuke dodged them, hiding behind a water trough. They pressed their backs against it, listening to the dull thud of needles embedding themselves into the side of the trough. Sakura glanced over at Naruto, who was cowering behind a broken sign, his shield covering the parts of his body that the sign couldn't. He peered over the top of his shield, catching her eyes; over the roar of the fighting, she could barely make out his words.
"What's the plan," He shouted, mouth poking above the shield so that he could be better heard. Sakura looked over at Sasuke, whose mouth was set into a grim line; she looked back over to Naruto.
"At the moment, it's to not die," Sakura replied; Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief.
"That's not a very good plan!"
"That's why I'm trying to come up with a better one," Sakura muttered, peering over the edge of the trough. Hiruko's tail thrashed around him, acting as a defensive shield against any attacks from behind while his front continued to spray the needles. She saw how the tail protruded from an opening in his back; from within there she reasoned that Sasori was hidden. She sat back down against the trough, kneeling so that she was facing Sasuke.
"It looks like that puppet is both offensive and defensive," She said, catching his attention, "And judging from his attacks right now, it looks like we're going to have a hard time getting close to him."
"So we need to try and destroy him from a distance," Sasuke stated. She nodded, mind working quickly to try and figure out a solution. Her mind drifted to their fight in the desert; the image of one of Kankurou's puppets exploding caused her eyes to widen as she looked at Sasuke. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking her to voice her thoughts.
"Can you do that magic thing that you did in the desert," Sakura asked. Sasuke glanced behind them, mentally measuring the distance in his head between them and Hiruko. He sighed, brows drawn together as he turned to face her again.
"The distance is too far," He replied, "It's a good plan, and it would destroy him, but I only have control of magic within an arm's length."
"Hey guys," Naruto shouted, waving his hand, "I'd like to be part of the planning too ya know!"
"Well then what if we're a distraction for you," Sakura pressed onward, "You use that spell that you used on me with Shukaku, we distract him, you blow him to bits!"
"It's not exactly safe to subject people to that," Sasuke replied, "It damages the body on an imperceptible level, and it should only be used in desperate situations."
"And you don't think this is desperate," Sakura asked, gesturing to them hiding behind the trough. When her answer was met with silence, she smirked; Sasuke scoffed, conceding to her point.
"Fine," Sasuke said, "I'll give it to you first so you can distract him. Then I'll give it to Naruto so that he can join you; the both of you together should be enough of a nuisance for me to have a chance, though I can't guarantee it."
"Having a chance is all I ask for," Sakura replied, holding out her hand to him. He grasped her hand tightly, focusing his energy and muttering the spell; again she felt that familiar warmth as her body seemed to become lighter than air. She let go of his hand, grasping the handle of her axe and pulling it out; the sound of the metal sliding out of the holster coincided with the silence from the needles ceasing. She looked over at Naruto, giving him thumbs up before jumping over the trough.
"It's now or never," She shouted, charging towards Hiruko. Hiruko watched, expression the same as she began to charge towards him.
"So they managed to dodge the poison on the needles," He thought, "No matter; there's more than one way to kill a dwarf."
As he finished the thought, his left arm shot out from the rest of his body. As it flew, cylindrical projectiles began detaching themselves from it; as they flew, they suddenly opened, releasing more needles through the air. Sakura dodged the arm and, using her axe, knocked aside multiple needles as she continued to rush towards Hiruko. Hiruko watched her, though out of the corner of his eye he spotted a blur of yellow rushing from behind a sign towards him. He whipped his tail towards him, eyes still trained on Sakura.
"If these brats think they can surprise me, they have another thing coming," He thought, watching as Naruto barely avoided the tail. The tail then snapped towards Sakura, aiming towards her legs; she jumped over it, raising her axe high above her head before slamming it down into the mask on his back. Hiruko felt the wood splintering from the force, though because it was reinforced with Sasori's magic, it wasn't enough to cause it to break. He swiveled his head, his eyes staring at her as he raised his tail, poised to run her through with it. As it moved to strike, Sakura ducked, allowing Naruto to leap over her and run his sword through one of the joints; as he hit the ground, his sword pinned the tail down as well, rendering it useless.
"Now Sasuke," Sakura shouted, causing Hiruko's head to swivel back forward. He watched, unable to do anything as Sasuke charged towards him, eyes determined, hand bleeding from a self-inflicted wound.
"Tyara harwar," He shouted, hand outstretched; immediately Hiruko's body exploded, sending Sakura and Naruto flying backwards from the force. Sasori leaped from the wreckage, skidding farther away from them. Sasori watched as they stood up, their grip tight on their weapons; he smirked, pulling out a scroll from his back pocket.
"Good job on destroying Hiruko," Sasori said, "But let's see how you deal with my other puppets."
He threw the scroll into the air, the paper unravelling as it went upwards; he reached inside his cloak, the clasp coming undone to reveal as he opened a compartment on his chest. Inside the compartment was what appeared to be a black cylinder; as he raised his hands to the sky, strings shot out from the cylinder towards the scroll.
"No way," Naruto muttered, eyes wide with shock, "He's a puppet as well!?"
"Now rise," Sasori shouted, waving his hand down to the ground, "My puppet army!"
A cloud of smoke suddenly encased the scroll; as they watched in horrified fascination, hundreds of puppets descended from the cloud, each of them wearing a red cloak. Soon a wall of wooden bodies blocked Sasori from their vision; Sakura grit her teeth, hands tightening on her axe.
"Attack," Sasori commanded; at his word, the puppets charged forward. Sakura gave a shout, charging forward as well, with Naruto and Sasuke following closely behind her.
Away from Sasori's battle, Isobu roared as he shot out more water at Kakashi; Kakashi pounded his staff on the ground, signaling earthen walls to rise from the ground around him. Despite the water hitting the walls, they stood strong, only crumbling when Kakashi motioned for them to do so. Deidara watched the confrontation with interest as he sat astride Isobu, pulling out clay birds from his pouch.
"You're certainly interesting, yeah," Deidara shouted, "But let's see how you deal with my art!"
He threw them out into the air, the birds falling like rain towards Kakashi. Kakashi grit his teeth, raising his staff above his head and swirling it. A great wind was summoned, halting the birds in midair before they pelted Kakashi; Deidara smirked, bringing his hands together in front of him as if he were about to pray.
"Boom," He muttered; suddenly the birds exploded, creating a firestorm above his head. The tip of Kakashi's hat quickly caught on fire; Rin screeched as she hid beneath his hat, prompting a curse form him. He slammed the end of his staff onto the ground as a powerful stream of water spewed from the tip, extinguishing the flames. Kakashi glanced up at Deidara who sat on Isobu, smirking triumphantly at watching him panic.
"You use fire magic," Kakashi noted as Rin poked her head out from underneath the hat.
"Hmph, that's just to make it explode," Deidara stated, grinning, "My real specialty is in earth magic; I mean, how else would I make these beautiful sculptures that lead you to your death, yeah?"
"Earth, huh," Kakashi muttered, glancing up at him. He reached up under his hand, extending his finger towards Rin; she nuzzled it gently, chirping worriedly. He smiled beneath his mask, pulling his hand away to join his other hand on the staff.
"No need to worry," Kakashi stated, "Everything will be fine."
Naruto grunted as he dodged another hit, his back slamming into Sasuke's. He heard him mutter a curse as an arrow flew off course; the sword in Sasuke's hand though quickly took care of the incoming puppet. Sasuke pressed his back more into Naruto's, each of them covering their weaknesses as they continued to fight the onslaught.
"Watch where you're going, moron," Sasuke shouted above the din of battle. Naruto scoffed, hacking off the head of a puppet while shoving his shield into the face of another.
"Me," Naruto questioned, sliding his sword into the other puppet's abdomen. "You should be watching where you're going! Or rather, where you're standing."
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, an arrow lodging itself in a puppet's elbow joint. The puppet glanced at the joint, trying to move their arm; as they tried, the arm suddenly fell off, rendering the puppet without the weapons on that arm. "Not my fault you don't have any grace when you fight."
"Really," Naruto asked in exasperation, "You're choosing now to critique my fighting style?"
Sasuke shrugged, his sword blocking a puppet's blade as he muttered the spell. Naruto shielded his face as the puppet exploded into chips of wood, the force blowing back a few other puppets. "At least you're not like Sakura I guess."
Naruto barked out a laugh, holding up his shield to block the blades from slicing through him. He struggled to hold them at bay, pushing back with all his might. "True, she is like a raging bull."
As Sasuke nodded in agreement, a blur of pink and black caught his eye. He watched as Sakura sliced through the puppets pushing against Naruto's shield; immediately after he felt a rush of air as her blade barely missed cutting him, catching a puppet that had decided to sneak up on him while he was distracted. Sakura grinned, standing up to her full height and lofting her axe over her shoulder.
"Now then, what were you two saying about me," Sakura asked, her demeanor practically oozing with the smugness she felt at saving them. Sasuke rolled his eyes, shoving his sword through another puppet as it tried to charge him from the side.
"We were saying that you're like a raging bull," He said, pulling the sword out of the puppet; it fell to the ground limply. Sakura huffed, placing her other hand on her hip as she glared at Sasuke.
"Well, this 'raging bull' just rescued you," Sakura began; she swung her axe behind her, slicing through two puppets charging behind her, "And has just destroyed her twentieth puppet!"
"Really Sakura," Naruto groaned, fighting back a puppet, "You're keeping count at a time like this?"
Sakura grinned, reaching into her boot and pulling out a dagger; she threw it at the puppet, causing it to lodge in its head. It turned to look at her, only to be sliced through by Naruto. "But of course I am," She replied, "After all, it wouldn't be a proper fight if I don't keep count of my kills?"
Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy," Naruto said, "Isn't that right Sasuke?"
Sasuke sliced down another puppet before turning to look at them. "Twenty-five," He replied, before going back to fighting.
Naruto and Sakura blinked, both slightly shocked by what he said. Naruto recovered quicker, disbelief still written on his face. "Uh…what?"
"I said," Sasuke repeated, "Twenty-five," He thrust his sword through another puppet, throwing it off his sword and knocking it into another, causing it to tumble at Sakura's feet. "Twenty-six if you count the stabbed one," He said, meeting Sakura's eyes.
Sakura blinked again, before grinning in delight. "Well then," She said, slamming her boot down into the puppet's chest, "Let the games truly begin!" She then slammed another dagger down into the puppet, ceasing all movements from it. Sasuke smirked at her response, running into the throes of battle right after her; Naruto watched their backs, mind trying to process everything.
"How the hell did they get that many," Naruto muttered, shaking his head as he followed them into battle, "I've only gotten like ten."
Naruto sighed, adjusting his grip on his sword and shield; as he readied himself to go into battle though, a great thunderclap could be heard in the sky. Sasori glanced up, allowing Sasuke and Sakura to destroy more puppets, their bodies moving at speeds a mere mortal could only dream of. Lightning danced across the sky; Isobu roared in what sounded like agony, causing Naruto to glance over in the direction of Kakashi's battle. His eyes widened in amazement as he watched Kakashi control the lightning, his staff glowing with a brilliant light; with a wave of his hand, the lightning struck Isobu, causing him to roar again in agony as he began falling to the ground. He saw as Kakashi glanced over at their battle, seeing how despite their best efforts they were still vastly outnumbered. He turned his attention back to his battle with Isobu, snapping his fingers; in an instant lightning struck down multiple enemies.
"About time he did something useful," Sakura muttered, slicing through a puppet. Sasuke smirked, jumping back as a bolt of lightning struck his opponent.
"He is a little busy at the moment," Sasuke mentioned, his back facing Sakura's; Sakura pressed back against him, suddenly launching herself forward and slicing through more enemies. She skidded to a stop her body crouched as she held her axe behind her. As she stood, the puppets that she had sliced through fell to pieces. The sound of clapping brought their attention over to Sasori, watching them with amusement.
"Well done," He said, "You've destroyed over half of my army. Though I must say, it seems you two are the only competent close-range fighters."
Sasuke drew his sword, poised to strike; Sakura raised her arm, causing him to look at her in bewilderment. She glanced back at him briefly before staring Sasori straight in the eye.
"Go help Naruto," Sakura said, adjusting her grip on her axe, "I'll take care of this bastard."
"You," Sasori laughed as he asked, his eyes surveying her amusedly, "A little dwarf like you would die before you even got a hit on me."
"Then let's see if I will," Sakura replied, watching him carefully. Sasuke grasped her by the shoulder tightly, brow creased in confusion over her actions.
"What the hell are you doing," Sasuke demanded, "You're going to get yourself killed!"
She glanced back at him, a small smile on her face. "Better to get one replaceable person killed than the entire band," She replied, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. "Now go; Naruto needs you to finish off those puppets."
Sasuke grit his teeth, though he nodded and raced off to help Naruto in his battle. Sakura got into a defensive stance, axe held in both hands, waiting for Sasori to make the first move. He chuckled, his hand grasping the clasp of his cloak, ripping it form his body in a fluid motion.
"If you wish to take me on," Sasori began, "Then let's see how you deal with my ultimate forms!"
Pipes suddenly sprang out from his back, the ends fanning out into five blades; his stomach opened, a long metal coil spiked at the tip rolling out. Sakura grit her teeth, crouching down, her axe held defensively in front of her. Sasori smirked at her reaction, the coil moving with a mind of its own.
"Now die," Sasori shouted, his hand pointing towards her. The coil flew towards her, the tip aiming straight for her heart. Sakura dodged it, knowing that if she were to deflect it he would get rid of her weapon. As she moved, the coil wrapped itself around her legs; her eyes widened as it tossed through the air, her body flying before slamming into the ground. She blinked away the haze that had come over her mind, sitting up as she glared at Sasori. The coil immediately flew towards her, aiming to spear her through the stomach; Sakura rolled out of the way, hissing as it grazed her side, the tip embedding in the earth beside her.
Sasori smirked, using the coil as an anchor to launch himself high into the air. The blades at his sides began rotating, acting as propellers to launch himself towards Sakura. Sakura stood up, watching as he began to speed towards her. She immediately held up her axe, Sasori's blades creating sparks as it clashed against hers. She gritted her teeth together, using her strength to push him back, giving her enough space to grasp the coil and pull him towards her, the blades moving off course. Sasori's eyes widened as he watched her drop the axe and pull back her fist, intending to punch him. As he came forward, her fist made contact with the black cylinder in his chest; the force was so great that it went flying, the cords around it seeming to wither once they hit the air. His body went limp, falling into her arms, the black cylinder falling to the ground.
Sakura panted, throwing the wooden body away from her. She watched as Naruto and Sasuke finished up the last of the puppets, the task having become easier once he had fallen. She picked up her axe, jogging over to meet them; Naruto glanced up, grinning to see that she was still alive.
"I see you're still alive," Naruto said happily. Sasuke rolled his eyes, wiping the dust from his sword.
"I told you she'd be fine," Sasuke said. Naruto looked at him questioningly, eyebrow raised.
"You certainly weren't acting like that," Naruto pointed out, "You were even more cross than usual, being like 'Just focus on killing things idiot. We don't have time to worry about her.' You were just as worried as I was."
Sasuke grunted, causing Sakura to giggle slightly at his antics. Suddenly, a large explosion took place over by Kakashi; their heads snapped over to the area, hands tight on their weapons. Smoke billowed from where Deidara and Isobu had been, though from how it was billowing they were unable to see Kakashi at all.
"We should see if he's alright," Naruto said; Sasuke and Sakura nodded. The trio began heading over there, ready to take on whatever came their way. Behind them, without their notice, one of the puppets began to move, its body not completely. It stood, sword drawn; it charged towards them, heading straight towards Naruto who was trailing behind them. Sasuke heard it move, turning and watching with wide eyes as it positioned its sword to run Naruto through.
"Watch out," Sasuke shouted, causing Naruto to stop and turn. His blue eyes went wide, meeting the murderous gaze of Sasori, though it was quickly blocked by black cloth. Blood splattered on the ground as the sword ran through Sakura's side, the tip of it coming out behind her.
"S…Sakura…." Naruto breathed; Sakura glanced behind her, shooting him a weary smile. She turned and glared at Sasori, who merely looked on in mild confusion.
"How did you survive," Sakura demanded, her hands gripping the sword. Sasori smirked, making no moves to try to remove the sword.
"As long as my core survives, I will never die," Sasori said, pushing his sword further into her. She gasped, grip tightening at the pain that shot through her. Suddenly a sword ran through the core, causing Sasori to look down in surprise at his chest; Sakura's eyes widened as she glanced behind him, seeing Sasuke standing behind him. Sasori's head swiveled to look at him, eyes wide.
"How did you…" Sasori began, though was cut off with a gasp as he pushed it further, mimicking his earlier actions.
"I went to protect Naruto," Sasuke replied, "But Sakura got there first. By the time you spoke, I was already behind you."
Sasuke yanked the sword from his body, causing him to fall to the ground. Blood began to trickle from his mouth, his eyes staring up at the sky as he died. Sakura fell to her knees, hands clutching the wound; she slowly pulled out the sword, hissing in pain, tossing it to the side once it was out. Naruto ran to her side, kneeling beside her, eyes shining with concern.
"Are you alright," Naruto asked, hand tight on her shoulder. Sakura looked at him, gritting her teeth tightly, blood staining her shirt.
"I'll be fine…" Sakura said, "The better question…is are you alright?"
Naruto nodded, speechless at her selfless act; from the ground, Sasori began to laugh. Sasuke glared at him, pointing the sword at his throat, ready to destroy the body if he tried anything else. Sasori glanced at him before turning his head towards Sakura and Naruto, a smirk on his face.
"I may die….but I…will have taken her with me…" Sasori gasped out, his voice coming out softly as more blood gurgled to the surface. Naruto stood up, drawing out his own sword and joining Sasuke in pointing it at his neck.
"What the hell does that mean you bastard," Naruto shouted, teeth gritted together. Sasori smirked, looking up at him.
"My blades…are covered in poison," Sasori explained, "So while…she lives tonight…in three days, she will die. It will…be painful…she will be paralyzed…and on that third night…she will be mine."
Naruto roared, shoving his sword deep into Sasori's chest; Sasori's back arched, head falling to the side as he took his last breath. Naruto panted, rage still setting his blood to boil inside of him; from behind him he could hear Sakura rummaging through her pouch.
"Why…" Naruto asked, turning to look at her. "Why would you do that?!"
Sakura looked up at him, pulling out small pills from her pouch. "Because it's my job to protect you, not only as a part of this group, but as a friend. And I'll be damned if I see any of my friends die on this journey!"
"But now you're going to die," Naruto shouted, gesturing at her wound. Sakura shook her head, popping the pills in her mouth; her throat moved as she swallowed them, grimacing.
"I have some poison antidotes," Sakura replied, "And while it may not be enough to keep some of the effects from happening, it should be enough to keep me from getting paralyzed. By that time, I hope we'll be somewhat close to the elves."
"My clan has healers that can help," Sasuke added, looking at Naruto, "If she can last the ride out to the forest, she should be fine."
"But what if she doesn't," Naruto shouted, eyes almost brimming with tears, "What if the pills don't work and she dies?!"
"No one is dying on my watch," Sasuke said calmly, "Not when it can be prevented. I promise this to you."
"An elf promise is a pretty serious promise," Sakura noted, trying to soothe Naruto's worries. He saw Kakashi coming up behind them, clothes singed and damp, for the most part unharmed. He sighed, hands falling to his sides, smiling weakly at his companions.
"Well," Naruto said, "Guess we better get started now."
Kaguya smiled, stroking the head of Gedo; he nuzzled into her hand, a rumble of approval sounding in his throat. Kaguya slowly stood from the ground, looking over at Pein and Konan.
"Isobu has died," Kaguya said. Konan's eyes widened, while Pein merely kept a blank face.
"How do you know my lady," Konan asked; Kaguya stared at Gedo lovingly, stroking between his eyes.
"While I was merging Choumei, I felt the loss," Kaguya explained, "When they are under my control, I am one with the dragons; I feel everything that happens. Deidara will be punished for his failure."
"As he should be," Pein agreed, nodding his head. Kaguya smiled, walking towards them, her robes swishing behind her. Her eyes were trained on the figure standing in the shadows behind Pein and Konan, his dark eyes observing the entire affair.
"All shall be well though," She said, "After all…We have a new addition to our ranks. It brings me great pleasure to welcome you, Itachi Uchiha."
Itachi looked up at her, eyes cold, dressed in the robes that signified joining her side. "The pleasure is mine, Lady Kaguya."
A/N: I went to Otakon this weekend, so adding in all that travel time and awesome time and stuff, it makes sense that this wouldn't come out on Sunday. Totes my goats acceptable, right? Right. I think so at least, and that's what matters. (I also got back at like, midnight on Sunday, and had work the next day…So ya. THAT happened)