Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its associated products, characters or etc
AN: Well here we are at chapter eleven and I hope you are all enjoying the story thus far; we still have a long way to go before its complete but I'd consider this about the midway point in the story, this chapter deals with the aftermath of the betrayal of Orochimaru and the lead up to Deidara being recruited for Akatsuki.
This chapter was particularly good to actually write out; as I said I know where this story is going to go but actually writing it out always proves to be either an enjoyment or a chore.
Also a shout out to all those who have reviewed the prior chapter; I am glad so many of you are enjoying the story thus far and I am also extremely flattered that this was labeled the "Best Pain story" on the site, in truth I am honestly sort of embarrassed by that sort of praise I enjoy writing and do it because I enjoy doing it but its always nice to see that it's enjoyed by others as well.
Anyway let's get to the story shall we?
xxx
"Expect an update on the situation from Zetsu within the week." The crimson haired male spoke softly.
Silence was the dominant sound or lack there of in the darkened throne room this day; even Konan who stood by his side seemed entirely focused upon her leader.
That single word summed up what he had become; He led a nation, he led Akatsuki and one day he would lead the entire world under the auspices of peace and harmony as its god.
No longer was he the scared and scarred child she had first encountered upon the roadside all the years before; no longer was he the comrade she had fought alongside in a hundred battles, no longer was he the man she had grown up along aside.
He was the leader, the God this world required for there to be true peace, for there to be justice, for there to be stability.
He would devote his skills, his abilities, even his life to that cause and see that world forged, and with Akatsuki and its influence and wealth, he would see it achieved or die trying.
"Sasori is going over all of the information he has gleaned from his own Network about Orchimaru and his resources as we speak; Hopefully he will be located fairly swiftly and this can come to a appropriate conclusion." Rounded off the self proclaimed God, his eyes closed in rapt concentration.
"He has truly betrayed us then." Konan stated rather then questioned; no doubt she was unsurprised to the revelation of Orochimaru's betrayal of the organization and his attempt on the life of Uchiha Itachi.
"Yes." Came the slow and drawn out response from Nagato.
"I will pursue him if you wish it of me Lord Pain." Konan stated; she would go after the Sannin for his treachery and she would strike him down if that was the will of Heaven.
"No Konan as yet we do not even know where he fled to after his efforts with the Uchiha and regardless when justice comes for Orochimaru it will be I that strike his broken and bloodied corpse in the dust. He insulted the will of God with his treachery and he will be made to pay for it." The Rinnegan orbs snapped into existence in the darkness at the conclusion of his speech.
Purple ringed fire burning ominously in the pitch black of the throne room.
"He will be made to know Pain." And once more the Rinnegan orbs faded into the darkness of the chamber.
xxx
"Hey; why the fuck are we here? Don't we have to track down those bounties to keep the lights on in this shithole?" The Jashinist questioned as his hologram came into existence atop the familiar statue beneath the tower of Ame.
"I mean I was just in the middle of my ritu-" The Jashinist began before he was cut off by his irate miser of a partner.
"Silence Hidan; we were requested to come here, you know that." The elderly miser explained; from the frustration evident in his tone it was clear he was growing weary of dealing with the immortal.
"Well where the hell is "Leader" then?" The Cultist questioned aloud in the darkened chamber.
"Be silent you fool!" Kakuzu boomed at his partner.
However just as the words were uttered; the double sliding towers to the meeting chamber slid open and from the darkness beyond strolled forward a figure adorned in the familiar jet black cloak adorned with blood red clouds.
"About time your worship." The cultist sarcastically drolled on.
"Hidan be silent for a moment; I will address you when I am done with your senior." The auburn haired figure announced as he strolled deeper into the chamber before ascending his place upon the statue in a single upward leap.
His partner whom the rest of Akatsuki save Zetsu and Madara knew little to nothing about was absent from his side today.
"Kakuzu; has the behavior been persisting?" The leader of Akatsuki questioned; in truth he had requested this meeting because he knew this was coming, Hidan and his attitude would need to be addressed.
"It has sir; he is disobedient, stubborn and cares nothing for our objective or missions." Kakuzu rounded off; the emerald eyes blazing at the albino cultist who at least had the decency to be silent for their discussion.
"Hidan I'm told by Kakuzu that you refuse to carry out orders?" Pain questioned in the familiar deadened tone.
"That old bastard Kakuzu refuses to allow me to perform rituals to Jashin while we are on assignments; how can I truly revel in slaughter if I cannot honor my God?" The Abino cultist questioned.
"The time I allowed it slowed us down by almost two hours!" Kakuzu cut in.
"Yes; but surely you recognize that failure to the organization is unacceptable?" The chilled tone echoed across the vacant meeting room.
"Hey; the fuckers you send us after still end up just as dead…sir; its just Kakuzu doesn't like…" The Cultist was cut off as the familiar Rinnegan orbs bored into the purple eyes of the cultist.
"Hidan; I am granting you enough concessions; perform your duties to the organization, follow the commands you are given and have the professionalism I expect of my subordinates." The self proclaimed God of Ame declared.
"But…but…" The cultist protested before his leader.
"You were partnered with Kakuzu because you're abilities will compliment each other, you were taken into Akatsuki because you will prove useful to it and its cause, and that is all. I care not for why you protest you will not follow orders, I care not for why you say that Kakuzu is making it impossible for you to perform rites to that god of yours." The auburn figure spoke aloud; the deadened familiar voice expelled that undeniable aura of authority, of command.
"What I do care about are results, success, and to gain those you will need to follow your orders. Both from Kakuzu and myself; my voice is that of your leader and his voice is that of your partner, and you're senior." The Leader of Akatsuki announced.
"Am I understood Hidan?" The ominous question held the air in complete stillness awaiting the cultist's response.
"Fucking hell…yes alright." The Jashinist began before he was cut off by a sharp look by Kakuzu before he resumed.
"….yes sir I understand." The Jashinist responded in a huff a moment later.
"Good; then get back to work." The figure commanded.
Kakuzu merely gave a slight nod of the head as indication he was going to follow the order before his hologram vanished; Hidan for his part did a slight groan before his own silhouette faded from the meeting room.
"Those two…how troublesome." The Auburn figure mused aloud in the vacant meeting room atop the Gedo.
"But they are worth it; their abilities will become immensely useful when we begin our hunt for the Bijuu." A familiar dark tone echoed across the chamber; the masked Uchiha pushed himself off the cold stone walls of the underground chamber and stared expectantly at the Tendo.
The path dropped from his place at the right thumb and came before the elder Uchiha; Rinnegan met Sharigan and for a moment there was silence.
"I know they will be useful in our pursuit." Came forth from the deadened mouth of the Tendo.
"But you still find their presence tiring." The Uchiha offered.
"Their faults and flaws make it difficult to actually focus upon our objective sometimes." Came the rather guarded response from the Tendo.
"Naturally; but remember we are dealing with renegade shinobi; their loyalties to their own agenda must always be taken into account, otherwise we risk another…incident." The Uchiha stated amicably but the underlying message was clear.
If we have another traitor you will be held accountable.
"I understand." Came the deadened response.
xxx
"There is no trace of him leader; he simply disappeared shortly after his confrontation with the Uchiha." Zetsu's White Half reported.
"Damn traitorous little wretch." The darker half commented.
"Has Madara been informed?" The auburun figure commented from his chair in the meeting room.
"Yes; he was made aware of it just after you, he isn't very happy about this development. He believes the entire plan is at risk now as long as Orochimaru lives." The white half of Zetsu stated.
"He isn't wrong; that bastard took the ring with him." The Darker half put in.
"Not to mention he knows of much of our goal and plans and how we aim to achieve it." The whiter half chimed in.
"Keep a constant surveillance for him; inform all members of his betrayal. If he is located by any of them he is to be engaged and killed immediately. If not…then we shall merely watch, Orochimaru is vermin and while he lives he demands attention but not immediate attention." The God of Amegakure commanded.
"Our own goal comes first." The Auburn figure concluded.
xxx
Amegakure
Tower of God
"Is there anything else to report?" Pain questioned from his seated position.
All about them the familiar rain of their homeland cascaded down amongst them; despite the fair spring weather, and the marring of the storm cloud filled sky by the smoke rising from their city because of industry, the constant rainfall remained.
"Kakuzu is requesting an increase in his yearly stipend to cover expenses in invoked by his new partner; apparently Hidan's reckless and self destructive manner doesn't translate well in the maintaining of his equipment." Konan rounded off as she read the missive.
"According to Kakuzu; he is having Akatsuki's manufacturing wing produce new cloaks for him on a seemingly weekly basis, and despises that he is wasting money on constant replacements." Konan continued as she put the missive back into the log book upon the desk.
"So be it; have Zetsu bring him his increase in funding; it isn't as if the organization cannot afford it." Pain stated in his familiar deadened tone as the Tendo rose to its feet and looked down upon the city below from its familiar vantage point atop the tower.
He noted her curious expression; no doubt she could grasp why he was taking Kakuzu's recent "misfortune" brought upon by his new partner in such a fine spirit, in fact he had little doubt she knew he was actually enjoying it.
He was a man after all whom life in its entirety revolved around pain and death; he would take his small pleasures were he could.
"But also have Zetsu inform Kakuzu that our resources aren't infinite, have him reign in his partner." Despite the deadness of the tone there seemed to be an almost…levity to the situation, even God was not above petty cruelties.
Kakuzu had been a headache to him for a number of years; and there had been nothing he could do to the man beyond, merely addressing his frustrations to him. Now things had changed, he had found a way to make Kakuzu suffer without having it impact his performance as Akatsuki's treasurer and chief financial advisor.
Yes Kakuzu was vital to their success at this junction; they needed a constant influx of wealth to maintain their hold upon the world, through that money they bought supplies, information, friends and more. Even God's chosen could not operate in this world without money.
And through Kakuzu's sound business practice and vast network of connections across the Great Five Nations; Kakuzu was more then capable of establishing Akatsuki's wealth across the continent.
But with Hidan he had found a method of making the miser suffer for his many annoyances to the Leader of Akatsuki; killing four separate members of his organization was such a colossal waste; some of the best ninjutsu specialists this world had ever seen and…they were just wasted.
And then the headache of tracking down replacements; recruiting them, and finally making a place of them in the organization only for the very same thing to repeat it self again and again.
Now Kakuzu could enjoy his own headache on a daily basis.
xxx
"May I enter?" Her heard her soft voice carry across the chamber; his throne turned to the door, this ritual had become a recent occurrence, due to his constant consulatation with either one of the Zetsu's or Madara himself Konan had distanced herself from the throne room.
"You may." Came his response a few breathes later.
Her entry into his personal chambers came slowly, almost hesitantly the heavy iron double doors parted as she pushed inward and just as quickly were shut blanketing the room into the darkness he allowed it to be kept in.
He possessed the Rinnegan and thus was perfectly comfortable with darkness, it imposed no hindrance on the all sight his eyes possessed nor would it had he not possessed the legendary eyes of the Sage.
He had been trained in the arts of shinobi and war; combat in darkness was one of the many lessons that their sensei had imparted to both of them during their training under the Toad Sage.
Likewise she had been taught as such but the ritual of her lighting the scones along the throne room persisted and once that pointless task had been accomplished she approached him.
"Lord Pain; I have brought your meal to you." His angel intoned softly her eyes downcast and her posture rigid.
He had known her for decades; she was agitated, upset with something, for someone who projected such a stoic, emotionless aura of a shinobi when she was removed from a battlefield she simply couldn't maintain such a façade.
Not in front of him.
Purple stormclouds met amber and for an eternity silence persisted; ever so slowly his chin bobbed once in a nod of affirmation, he wouldn't deny his body what it required for continued existence, he would be no good to the world if he perished from starvation.
He could put aside the burdens of Leadership; the concerns for the future, the responsibilities and duties required of him for a moment.
As she assisted him out of the contraption that allowed him mobility and the ability to act; he couldn't help but ponder what troubled her, it couldn't be any sort of battle fatigue or stress relating to such.
Both of them had been removed from active duty for the past month at his instance that their efforts would be better suited to actually focusing upon Amegakure and its people's rather then assignment through the Akatsuki organization.
As they assumed their places at the familiar low wooden table and she laid their meal out before them he wondered just what could have occurred?
Just what could have wormed its way into his Angel? What conflict, doubt or pain did she suffer from?
She said nothing but to him it was obvious there was something.
He bit into the ball and the grains broke loose across his lips; the rice was bland and tasteless but it enabled his body, his true vessels survival; the paths were superior in that they only need upkeep and repair occasionally and they could go without food, sleep, medical treatment or even functioning organs indefinitely.
That state was infinitely more preferable to this current one; but they were just puppets and he was the one who wielded them.
He stiffened at her approach; her delicate fingers running against his face; her skin pressing against his own. Little by little wiping away the mess he had made during his attempt at eating.
His eyes regarded her curiously; she didn't shy away from him, it seemed quite the opposite and yet the agitation in her posture remained; if not him then who? Konan left him with yet more questions with her behavior.
"Konan is there something…troubling you?" He questioned softly as she pulled away from him; her lithe and limber form resuming her seat across from his at the table.
She regarded him silence for a moment before letting out a held breath and speaking.
"You have worshippers outside of the tower." She spoke quietly and with obvious reservation.
How was that troubling? Since the construction of the tower, since his defeat of Hanzo and his regime, since he had assumed leadership of Amegakure the people had worshipped him, seen him as the True God of the city.
There was nothing new in any of this.
"Yes and?" He responded the eyes of the sage met her own and she breathed deeply before resuming her tale.
"They are applauding the new laws that you have passed down upon them; they are throwing themselves to their knees in admiration and praise for you and…" She cut herself off and broke her gaze his eyes staring instead at the table.
"When they saw me…they tried to praise me, sought my blessing…they see me as holy Nagato…" She murmured darkly, her tone clearly indicating this situation did not meet with her approval quite unhappily it seemed.
"You are the instrument of my justice in the city as much as the Tendo; You are the Angel of Amegakure, the servant of their God of course you are viewed as holy, you are worthy of their admiration." Nagato responded; he didn't care for this topic, he didn't care for how it made her question, how it made her feel, he didn't care for his very people, the people they gave so much to merely provide could make her feel this way.
"Nagato." She sighed slightly before she regarded him once more in silence.
"Why do you believe yourself unworthy of such admiration?" He questioned softly; why did she believe herself so flawed? So imperfect, So…human?
"I'm just a shinobi; unlike you Nagato I bear no mark of divinity, I am no God of the world, no leader of a nation, I am…merely me.
xxx
"I trust you are suffering no ill effects from your encounter with Orochimaru?" The Tendo rounded off in its familiar deadened tone atop the right thumb of the Gedo.
"No; it was no exertion to trap him within my genjutsu." Came the monotone response from the Uchiha prodigy.
"Good then it will not interfere with your next assignment; I am having you and Kisame travel to the land of earth; we have been contracted through Iwagakure to cripple yet another cell of the insurgency currently combating the standing Lord of the land of Earth." The leader of Akatsuki informed his subordinate.
"Zetsu will be providing the details as always?" Questioned the stoic Uchiha.
"Yes expect the mission scroll within the hour; and Itachi…you are new to us, This assignment was given to your team because I selected you out of the rest of the Akatsuki to perform it as the mission deems, failure or the incompletion of the assignment will not be tolerated." In truth he expected nothing but perfection from the Uchiha but he would remind the boy just of the group he had joined.
They were no soft hearted village; They were a mercenary organization existing off of the coffers of their employers and while that was but a masquerade for their true purpose, Failure was a luxury they could not afford.
"Of course leader, it will be done as instructed." Came once again the stoic response from Itachi.
"Good; but remember this insurgency has been plaguing the Land of Earth for many years and apparently now it is growing increasingly instable due to the increase of rogue mercenary shinobi operating within it, the situation is growing increasingly unpredictable." Pain offered in warning.
"Understood." Came the monosyllable response from the Uchiha.
"Very good; you are dismissed, rest or do whatever it is you wish before your assignment." Commanded the Tendo before it vanished from atop the thumb of the Gedo.
Elsewhere within the largest tower of Amegakure amongst its higher floors rested a crimson haired man suspended in within a contraption that presented a mockery of movement for his crippled and impaired body.
At his side as she normally was sat his angel; kept busy with her constant origami; crafting various articles from the paper that seemingly flowed off of her very body.
"It is done; Itachi will travel to the land of earth with Hoshigaki and complete their assignment, I am expecting great things of the boy that Madara spoke so highly of." Pain rounded off in a soft and almost whisper thin tone.
"He defeated Orochimaru handily; I doubt some Iwa arms dealer…a glorified merchant will overly challenge a man who can defeat a Sannin with a glance." Konan put in tactfully.
"His genjutsu is extremely powerful no doubt; and likewise he must possess a fearsome amount of combat versatility if he can single handedly slaughter his own clan as he did, But remember that he will not be facing a single opponent, that merchant as you put it the target is traveling in the company of one of the strongest organized forces in the insurgency after all." Nagato reminded her, he was not underselling Itachi by any means but he was reminding her that he wasn't sending him and Hoshigaki to kill an unguarded single solitary target.
"That's why he has Kisame with him yes? You paired them together because their abilities would compliment each other, Kisame is a Kenjutsu and offensive ninjutsu specialist while Itachi is more of a long ranged fighter." Konan questioned.
"Exactly; no doubt having a highly talented swordsman to watch his back will make Itachi's role within his team go far more smoothly." Came the crimson haired male's reply.
"Especially when the pair of them will be engaging a dozen or more rogue ninja just to reach their target within the terrorist cell's compound?" Konan put in her familiar dry tone.
"Just so." Came the familiar reply.
"So have you prepared the Tendo for the journey to the Land of Wind?" Konan questioned softly.
"Yes; it took a while but Sasori's informants within Suna have supposedly uncovered a hidden base that is operated by Orochimaru; it is a distant land to travel to, and the journey will be long but I can think of few better places for a shinobi being hunted by both his own homeland and now our organization to hide then the vast deep deserts of the Land of Wind."
"And do you wish for me to accompany the path to the hideout and provide assistance if required?" Came a slightly more assertive question from the normal subservient angel of Amegakure.
The crimson haired male didn't respond for a few seconds; in truth he was taken aback by Konan's question, never before had she been as adamant upon accompanying the Tendo before, but never before had it had to travel as far as it did for this journey.
"Do as you like." He finally responded.
xxx
"Are you prepared?" Came the deadened response from the lips of the Tendo as its unblinking gaze stared upon the warped and carved valley that led deeper into the desert, it was unremarkable save that within the valley lay the entryway to the hideout of Orochimaru.
"Yes Lord Pain." Came the simple monotone from the Angel.
"It is time for Orochimaru to know true pain." Came the reply from the Tendo as it advanced down the rocky and craggy surface of the sunbaked desert sands; the air was thick with dust and grit but it was no bother for the Tendo and Konan could simply cover her body in further layers of paper to prevent the worst of it from effecting her.
"It is time for God's will to be done." Came an almost prayer like response from his angel as she assumed his side at a sullen and defaced stone archway in one of the walls of the valley, this seemed to be the probable location of the hideout.
The Tendo gave his angel one final look to confirm she was ready for the battle that was undoubtedly about to come if the Snake Sannin was within his lair.
She gave a brief and almost unnoticeable nod before focusing her eyes upon the archway once again.
The God of Amegakure raised his right hand within his throne and the Tendo followed the motion; and as he funneled his chakra into the puppet his best friend and leader had become; he proclaimed the declaration of war against the Sannin.
"Shrina Tensei!" Came the proclamation from the Tendo.
The sealed entryway collapsed inward; giving way to the force of the self proclaimed God, the wards and barriers failing at the strength of the almighty.
Light burrowed its way inward into the sunk and dismal hideaway of the Snake Sannin.
The dust covered tables, chairs and lab equipment looked as if it hadn't been disturbed in months if not years, some of the material was beginning to fall apart even, the metal was rusting in the damp and dank environment, the cloth and leather were fading and worn. This was obviously not the newest of the Hideouts he had been informed, indeed if it had ever been one it seemed as if it was abandoned long ago, perhaps even before he had even joined Akatsuki.
Thick motes of dust shined like diamonds in the air as the sunlight hit them but despite the radiant brilliance it didn't erase the futility of this task.
A waste of time; Orochimaru was not here; the trail had gone cold and their single lead gleaned from their influence, all the favors and information they could intimidate out of people, bribe from the greedy and it had led them to a place abandoned by the snake long before.
Worthless, Useless, a waste of time and resources; His networks of spies and informants and it had availed him naught, all of the years of effort, building influence and contacts and when he employed it…it achieved nothing..
It was infuriating; to be outwitted by his Teacher's former comrade, by one of his former subordinates.
For his efforts to prove useless, futile.
Memories of distant and rain soaked plain; an enemy lying dying before him.
The look of absolute peace and conviction on her features as she embedded within the first doubt he had felt since his resurrection as Pain.
"You are not a God." That dismissal from that random shinobi, that supporter of the former ruler of the rain came to him at that moment; his failure here only compounded what she had claimed.
Rinnegan orbs narrowed in frustration and anger.
He remembered his own response; he remembered it as this conversation happened the prior day, rather then many years before. He remembered the resolve, the self assurance with which he responded to her corpse, how he had claimed he would become a true God, become the being that would lead this world from the shadows and into the light.
How could he do that? How could he do that when he couldn't even locate a man that had betrayed him using all of the resources and ability he possessed?
"He got away." The Tendo murmured darkly in its familiar deadened tone.
"For now, Lord Pain, for now but this has only just begun." His angel intoned dutifully as she assumed his side.
The silence hung between them unbrokenly for seemingly an eternity before the Tendo finally spoke aloud; its face turning to his Angel. However his response was cut off when Rinnegan orbs observed just what his Angel was doing; she had placed her hand upon the Tendo's shoulder.
It had not been done to get his attention for the deadened nerves of their former Leader's corpse were too degraded, too worn to truly even register the perception of 'touch' so it was done for…reassurance?
"Let us return to Amegakure." came the Tendo's resolved response a few moments later.
"As you wish." She responded in her familiar monotone.
As the Tendo exited the sunken abandoned hideout of the traitorous sannin with his angel in tow into the sun baked and barren and desolate wasteland that were the vast deep deserts of Sunagakure. A figure in a distant tower in a land blanketed by rain smiled softly.
Some...things always remained the same.
xxx
Amegakure
The Tower of God
Lower levels
Sparks flashed in the utter darkness of the chamber as a shadowed leapt back before the impact of yet another strike; within the darkened chamber the two surviving founders of Akatsuki battled.
The only sound in the darkness was the occasional rush of footsteps or the clashing of metal against hardened paper; the recoiling of bodies of the sound of blood dripping upon the floor.
It was an aged and tested ritual; they had been sparring partners, teammates, comrades for decades and that cohesion that understanding only came through shared effort, experience and practice. Exercises such as these maintained that bond; it was a needed thing in their lives.
Rinnegan eyes burned within the darkness as the auburn figure cloaked in shadows rushed forward; its rush towards its target only ceased when said target launched forth a barrage of shurikens, while such projectiles would have been child's play to simply swat from the sky like one would do to an annoying gnat that would defeat the purpose of this particular sparring method.
Instead of employing gravitonic force; the Tendo merely stepped slightly to the side to avoid the incoming projectiles but this tactic had been anticipated and multiple paper tag laden kunai imbedded themselves into the training grounds stone floor, their presence revealed by the burning flames working themselves up the scroll work of the tag. Rinnegan eyes widened at the unexpected tactic; Konan was adept at working her superior mobility into countering his superior visual prowess but as the Tendo leapt into the air just as the tags erupted in a fierce storm of flame, boiling air and pressure its eyes locked upon a figure within the shadows descending towards its left flank.
Rod ejecting from one of the implanted Gedo "piercings" in its left hand the Tendo judged the trajectory for a singular moment before flinging the projectile forth with startling inhuman accuracy.
The rod impacted the descending target; however instead of a cry of pain or gasp of air leaving the target, instead there was only the rustling of paper breaking apart; just then the air went still just as the Tendo landed squarely in the center of the training ring. The flames left over from the explosive tags were dying, the embers sparking and the scant light they gave off illuminated little of the chamber, and revealed nothing of where his partner would strike next.
The rustling of paper was but a whisper in the darkness; it was his only warning before she struck a heartbeat later; a lance of hardened paper struck down at him with monstrous force; the power behind it radiated charka charka like a beacon, leaping back from the spear as it struck downward shattering the stonework of the floor and sending spider webs of cracks cascading across it, Rinnegan eyes met amber just as she descended launching forth volley after volley of shuriken and kunai towards the descending Tendo.
From this angle dodging the entirety of the projectiles would be difficult, from this trajectory they would strike before he could shift his position; without using the abilities of the Deva there were few alternatives save to allowing them to strike, it was either risk injury to the most power of his paths or break the terms of the bout as he had set with his partner beforehand.
Rinnegan eyes narrowed in concentration; observing the flight paths as best it could in the piercing darkness; noting their speed to his relative position and the best its master could reason to their total flight time until impact; it was possible to negate the majority of the damage this surprise assault could inflict, if he reacted quickly enough.
The Tendo ejected yet another into its awaiting left hand just as the first volley of shuriken struck at him; the piercing hardened paper bit into it's form, cloak tattering, flesh shredding and blood flying from the numerous impacts as it swatted the projectiles aside.
He would not deceive his Angel; not even in this, this was no battle to the death, no doubt he could escape with breaking their preset rules, no doubt she would even understand his reasoning, but he would not lie to her.
Rod ejecting into the Tendo's right hand it struck at the second wave of incoming kunai and while these were less numerous and easier to deflect then the smaller and sleeker shuriken they made up for in sheer numeric superiority, the first to bury itself into the chest of the Tendo caused the connection to it's master to waver, the second caused him to exert yet more focus to maintain the connection, and the third and fourth called for him to pushed yet more of his own charka into keeping the path active even as its own charka network began to shut down due to it's near "death".
The Tendo landed roughly upon its feet striking the stone floor of the training ground roughly as it avoided the final assault, side stepping the incoming third wave of shuriken and kunai before launching before of its remaining launch upwards at his partner; the rods gleaming in the darkness struck true and impacted squarely into the center mess of the target, the blue haired angel once more fell apart into individual pieces of paper.
Yet another Shikigami; this was growing tiresome for the leader of Akatsuki, however Rinnegan orbs widened a fraction when the air behind the Tendo shifted; ejecting a rod into its awaiting right hand and spinning about on the balls of its feet it turned to face the Angel of Amegakure.
She was without her wings now; indeed she appeared before him as just a woman, within her open hands at her sides were no weapons.
Amber eyes narrowed in concentration; her breath was coming in regulated but quick intervals, her skin moist with heavy sweat and she seemed to be struggling to remain upon her feet, it was no surprise, she had used numerous paper weapons, shikigami and her flight for extended periods during their battle, no doubt she was straining herself to fight upon such a level but to match him, to match the Deva…even without its abilities was beyond what most Jounin, even Kakuzu or the Sannin Orochimaru would have been capable of.
The Tendo was nearly as bad off; its cloak had all but been obliterated from the chest upwards; its pale and emaciated form was revealed in the scant remaining light from the chamber, numerous lacerations ran down its chest and stomach, several of the kunai that had remained embedded only moments ago fell into individual fragments of paper against the bloody and worn flesh.
The Tendo sprinted forward; its perfect stride uninterrupted as it raced down the stonework in the darkened chamber; its eyes focused upon his partner when she burst apart into two separate colliding waves of paper; covering both his right and left flank, it was only a moment later when he realized her intent.
Those coming waves of paper each were edged; thousands of blades, thousands of possible attacks, there was no possible way for the Tendo to defend it self from a thousand possible attacking sources but as it approached there was no choice to be made but to continue the charge.
Gedo rod ejecting from its arm firmly into its hand it lodged the pointed spear firmly into the approaching wave only for it to instantly be consumed beneath the paper tidal wave and the Tendo to back step just before its own fingers were cut to ribbons beneath the wave of paper.
The Rinnegan examined the waves of paper as they continuously crashed against his previous position; there was no true weak point to this assault, all of the walls of paper were solid, the Tendo would be ruined if it was pressed within one but that was were he would need go to engage his foe.
And as the divine eyes scanned the masses of paper it was then that he spotted her; Her form was only half visible in the mass of paper but her amber eyes were weary and her face was taut in concentration as she projected more power then she likely ever had.
The tendo lunged into the tidal of wave of paper; amber eyes shone in shock as rods were ejected cutting a swath through the mass before it leapt avoiding a sluggish counter attack as the paper tried to follow, but it was too late he had located the one controlling the paper, and thus he could anticipate the coming attack.
As the tendo descended it land squarely before the angel of Amegakure; atop the writhing mass of paper; he had to avoid another attack as a paper kunai flew from the mass, her final defiant act, she wouldn't accept defeat gracefully, and the Tendo merely swerved its head to avoid the projectile as it brought its own attack down. Rod in hand it plunged it deep within the paper mass and heard her exhale of breath and a wheeze of pain as it made contact with her physical body within the rolling mass of paper. His aim had been true; her eyes widened and tears began to form as she let out a held breath.
She fell to the stone below; the paper falling to the ground lifeless without the constant charka needed to maintain it; blood dribbling from her lip and her blood staining the floor below, he had avoided a death blow due to this being a spar but he had struck a severe blow against her; targeting her sternum and giving it a "tap" perhaps had been a bit much but it had been needed.
He had won but it was only due to his path's inability to truly "die" or "feel pain" and along with him being able to provide them additional charka at will to maintain their bodies and this outcome had been pre decided from the beginning but it had been a test and it had shown where the Tendo was weakest, in situations were its abilities couldn't be employed, and it was forced to rely solely on kenjutsu or taijutsu while it was proficient at both it clearly wasn't enough in a concentrated mass attack against it.
This exercise had given him much new information to work upon improving battle strategies in the future.
The Tendo slowly raised its right hand and ejected a final rod from its arm before approaching the Angel of Amegakure; the sharpened point of the rod stopped inches from her throat before she gave a faint nod of acknowledgement.
"You did well today; you are stronger now then you have ever been and that strength will only continue to grow." The Tendo's deadened words carried with them no malice, no condescension, it was his earnest opinion that the struggle she had inflicted him through had likely been among the most strenuous training he had ever undergone since his days under Jiraya when he was first learning the arts and dogma of the shinobi.
"Thank you Lord Pain." Came the ever respectful singular monotone he had come to expect from her during battle; her eyes betrayed her however, however slight it was she had enjoyed the compliment he had given her.
Pulling the rod back before it slid back once more into place within the Tendo; the auburn figure merely gave a glance to the door, it was time to return to more serious business then merely personal sparring.
But first…
Lowering one of Tendo's hands the avatar of Pain helped his Angel to her feet.
The icily cold flesh of the Tendo made contact with the vibrant and warm living skin of his angel and as he pulled her to feet; he couldn't help but ponder how similar this very situation was to the very day they first met.
Once his angel was confident upon her own feet again; the avatar of the leader of Akatsuki turned about and began its advance towards the exit doors.
Despite however the almighty sight the leader of Akatsuki possessed through the Rinnegan, He and the Tendo both failed to notice the faint smile etched upon her face for a passing singular second before it faded behind the emotionless façade she projected as a shinobi.
xxx
AN: Well there we have the conclusion of chapter eleven; I really do like the dynamic I am writing out between Konan and Nagato/ Pain too many fanfictions on this site focus on this mushy unrealistic "love" the characters have for each other.
In my eye their relationship is one of mutual respect and eventually passion; romance doesn't have to mean some unrequited love drama that takes the characters from their own perspective.
Sure I think in their own way Nagato and Konan loved each other; but remember as a Shinobi you are trained to harden your heart and be able to kill on upon being directed to do so, and that's just standard training, it doesn't factor in extreme emotional trauma and battlefield stress both of which these characters suffer from extensively.
I personally think they come as close to loving each other as they can in their own warped way in the actual canon, I mean even at each of their deaths they were thinking of their lives, and each other.
Regrets for what could have been? Possibly, it's a beautiful tragedy of wasted life and potential, and not because they were antagonists, god I cannot stress that enough. They were not wrong in their belief that military industrial complex that had infected the entire known world pretty much needed to go, far from it.
If anything that's the thing that pissed me off most about how the actual canon ended; Naruto swore to Nagato he would find a way to end the hatred that plagued the world and led to war; how did he accomplish this? By becoming a part of the very system that supports its existence.
He didn't change anything; he didn't end the system, he submitted to it.
Yahiko, Nagato and Konan's dreams of peace remain the dreams of dead men and women.
-_- So basically you combated Akatsuki just for the status quo to keep going strong boyo, goddamn self righteous hypocrites piss me off…anyway sorry for the rant.
I hope to see you all for the next chapter…hopefully I won't go off on a tangent about how Kishi completely crushed all my hopes and dreams for the series…
-Reborn Akatsuki
