Author's note: Again, thank you for all the encouraging words. I do have to warn you, someone will be dying in this chapter.( But have more faith in me than to think I'd kill a main character!) I won't mention the name now because that would ruin the surprise, but don't say I didn't warn you.
And this chapter contains some strong cursing—due to the fact that I wanted to keep Hidan in character.
Also, since I can now see the ending of this story in my mind, I will be taking requests about a theme for my next story.
Please keep in mind that all my stories will be based as closely to the actual manga line as possible, so don't throw me anything too off-the-wall. I was thinking maybe a story to do with "what happened to Rin" or something about Sai, since we don't really know too much about those characters. Anyway, email me…and in the last chapter of this story, I'll post the winning idea.
Enjoy!
Chapter 11: No Escape
"Something's up." Tobi frowned. "Itachi must have been found out. There's a group of Konoha ninjas headed toward the palace!"
"Impossible! I saw Tsunade and her aide leave with my own eyes." Kisame peered out in the direction of the building.
Tobi was right—a small group was almost at the entrance. "Shit. Alright, Hidan, you and Kakuzu go distract them. I'll go see what's keeping Itachi."
"What about me?"
"Just shut up and keep your eyes open. If you leave this spot, Tobi, I'll dismember you myself."
The newest member of Akatsuki knew better than to argue.
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"Wait!" Tsunade held up her hand in warning. "Kurenai, what do you make of this genjutsu?"
The red-eyed shinobi studied the palace. On the outside, everything appeared normal. The illusion even had silhouettes of the guards standing where they should be. But she could see slight traces of shimmering throughout—almost as if the genjutsu was weakening in places.
"With your help, Tsunade-sama, we should be able to shatter the false impression. It seems to already be weakening."
Tsunade cast a worried look up to the large window she knew belonged to her office. Sakura…
She had a moment of doubt—wondering if she shouldn't have sent the majority of Konoha's shinobis out to protect the village. Maybe the only battle is going to be here.
"Alright, let's do this. No one will be able to venture inside until it's dispelled." She began making the seals to allow Kurenai to utilize her chakra.
Wait, something's… Tsunade flipped backwards pulling the sensei with her.
Kisame's sword crashed down where she had been standing.
"Hokage." The blue man grinned.
Two other figures appeared behind him, blocking entrance into the palace.
"You're out numbered here, Akatsuki." Tsunade motioned to the group behind her. "You're done for. We have you by pure numbers alone."
Hidan spit in distain. "It was easy enough to kill one of you before. I see no reason why it would be any harder to kill seven."
Kurenai's eyes went wide.
Naruto, standing a respective distance behind with the rest of the group, heard those words echo through his mind.
"It was easy enough to kill one of you…
to kill one of you…
one of you…"
His blue eyes narrowed and his hands went to the knives secured on his belt. "Old Lady Tsunade!" He raced to her side.
"Naruto! Get back! I will handle this!"
The trench knives glowed in his hands, the blades elongated by his wind chakra. The young man growled. "He's the one! He's the bastard that killed Asuma!"
A thunderous crash made everyone look to the palace.
"Well," Kisame said. "I'd love to stay and watch, but I've got something I've got to check on."
He vanished.
Kakashi, Sai, Shizune and Sasuke moved up alongside Naruto, Kurenai and Tsunade. The Hokage let a brief smile touch her lips. "We won't let you leave from this point on."
"That's just fine with us!" Kakuzu's arms whipped out, heading straight for the Sannin. All seven of the Konoha shinobi leapt out of the way.
Kakuzu's arms hit a building instead, crumbling the wall. Hidan grinned evilly. "Well, let's take care of these Konoha fucks quickly. I had other things to do today."
"Tsunade!" Kakashi was at her side. "You and Kurenai go and dispel the jutsu. The rest of us can take care of these guys."
"Wait," Sasuke stared up at the palace. "Is there another way in?"
Tsunade looked at him thoughtfully. She nodded and looked back to Kakashi.
The copy nin gave a curt nod of approval. "Go. Naruto, Shizune, Sai and I can handle it from here."
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Itachi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He could not remember the last time someone had made him bleed. His red eyes narrowed. Such an annoyance. Tsunade's apprentice was testing his patience.
He looked at her bruised and battered form and knew she was hurt far worse internally than she was letting on. She may have healed herself as best as possible, but her chakra was almost gone. Soon she wouldn't even have her insane strength to rely on.
In a blink he closed the distance between them.
Sakura saw through the attack, visualizing his patterns as the Hokage had taught her to do.
"Evasion is a medical ninja's first priority."
She blocked the series of blows, flattening against the floor as she dodged a kick.
"Enough!" Itachi clenched his fists. He never—not ever—displayed emotion of any kind. But now he was angry.
He backed away from Sakura and went back to the ruined desk. Picking up the drawer, he broke it open.
The ring glittered temptingly.
"No!" Sakura growled, her eyes narrowing. It's my job to protect that! No one thought I could do it! But it's MY job.
She hurtled her broken body at him.
Impressive, Itachi thought. He grabbed her right arm, twisting brutally. But the move cost him and Sakura landed the punch she had been aiming for.
Itachi heard something in his left shoulder pop as she hit him. The blow had been less forceful than her others. No doubt it was the last of her chakra.
The ring went flying across the room.
Itachi looked at the ring and then down at Sakura's defiant expression. He still held her tightly, her arm bent at a grotesque angle.
"Before you die," he tried to trap her eyes. "I want you to know that you surprised me."
He lifted her up by her shirt. "And I can't have people around who do that." He made a fist with his opposite hand.
Sakura prepared herself for the hit. She would find the strength to move. She wouldn't die.
Itachi drew his arm back…
… and swung.
But the punch never landed.
Suddenly Sakura was dropped to the floor. She looked up to see Itachi's sleeve pinned to the wall by a kunai.
They both looked towards the doorway.
"Itachi." Sharingan met sharingan.
"Little brother," Itachi scowled. "You were next on my list. But I like it better this way." He ripped the kunai out of the wall, freeing his arm. "Now you can watch her die."
Sasuke moved across the room in a blur, pulling Sakura out of the way as Itachi stabbed the kunai down.
"Having a bit of trouble, Itachi?" A smoky figure appeared in the far corner of the room.
"I've encountered a minor set back." The oldest Uchiha narrowed his eyes. "Kisame…the ring."
The shark man walked across the office and picked up the trinket.
"No!" Sakura reached out. But Sasuke put his arm in front of her, holding her back.
"Sakura," his gaze was fixed on his brother. "Do not. You've done enough already."
"Even after all this time," Itachi was once again expressionless. "You still can't rid yourself of those holding you back."
Sasuke shook his head. "You're wrong Itachi. I was wrong."
The Akatsuki watched him solemnly. "You are still too weak."
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"ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!" Naruto flipped back from Hidan, the chakra blades swinging. "Die!"
"What's with this shit-head!" The almost immortal Akatsuki glanced over at Kakuzu. "He's making this a larger pain than it's worth!"
"Kakashi!" Tsunade called to the silver-haired shinobi. "The palace!"
The former sensei motioned to Sai. "Go with them."
The artistic ninja nodded, leaping away and down to stand next to the Hokage and genjutsu sensei.
The three raced into the palace.
"That was a mistake," Kakuzu sneered. He whipped an arm out towards Kakashi, but as the copy ninja prepared to defend himself, the Akatsuki redirected his attack.
"Guhhh!" Shizune fell to her knees, eyes wide with shock.
The medic looked down at Kakuzu's projectile hand submerged deep within her chest.
"Shizune!" Kakashi rushed over to her.
The Akatsuki retracted his arm, blood flowing out onto the ground. "I told you. A mistake."
Kakashi picked up Shizune, moving her to a safe distance from the fight. Kakuzu made no move to follow him.
"Shizune," the former ANBU member placed his hands over the gaping wound. "Focus. You must heal yourself."
Tsunade's aide smiled at him. "No…Kakashi…cannot heal…too….much damage."
A painful memory surged into the copy ninja's head. For a moment he saw Obito in Shizune's place. He saw the same look of calm—the same peaceful acceptance that his best friend had displayed.
Kakashi straightened.
"Do one thing for me…Kakashi…"
He nodded.
"Take care…of…Tsunade… she needs help…sometimes…"
He would have chuckled to himself if the situation had been different. "She would sooner beat me to a pulp, Shizune."
She smiled. "No…she fights…so she won't….feel…don't let her…"
Her eyes fixed on some far off point. "…don't let her…stop…"
"…caring…" A small trickle of blood made its way out of her mouth. Kakashi closed her eyes.
After a moment of respect, he turned his attention back to the watching Akatsuki.
Naruto was oblivious to what had happened. He ran at Hidan.
The Akatsuki leaned away as Naruto attacked, but the chakra-infused blades caught him in the chest. Two deep gashes appeared.
"Fuck! That hurts!" He glared at Naruto. "Are you always such an asshole?"
Naruto paused, his hands moving rhythmically as he made the signs. "Let's see how well you keep track of this!"
An ungodly number of blond clones appeared.
"Shit." Hidan glanced over to Kakuzu but the other Akatsuki was involved in a battle of his own.
"Attack!" The Naruto army swarmed.
As his clones attacked, Naruto dodged in and out of the fray, slicing at Hidan with the trench knives every chance he got. Got to get his head. Naruto applied more chakra to the blades, making their reach even longer. Shikamaru said he needs to be decapitated and burned.
"Kid you're really pissing me off!" Hidan's expression was one of shock as the real Naruto came up behind him.
"This is for Kurenai." He made one slice with his left trench knife.
"And this is for Asuma." His right knife finished the job.
Hidan's head flopped onto the street.
"God Damnit! You fucking Kyuubi motherfucker!"
Fire…I need fire… Naruto looked around.
"Need some help, kid?"
Jiraiya looked down from a nearby roof, a smile on his face.
"Pervy Sage! I thought you were still in the hospital!"
"Come on, kid. Think I'd miss out on a battle like this?" He slammed his fist onto the roof. Immediatley, the giant toad boss appeared.
"You guys again?" He puffed out smoke ring from his pipe. "Someone needs to teach you to fight your own battles."
"We just need a little help, that's all. No fighting off Manda today." Jiraiya pointed to the decapitated Hidan. "Just give him a dose of some of your oil."
The Toad boss nodded.
With a giant puff of his chest, he sent a stream of oil at the Akatsuki.
Naruto watched as Jiraiya added his fire jutsu to the mix.
"You fucking assholes!" Came Hidan's scream. "You fucki…" Then nothing but sizzling silence.
Kakuzu watched his partner go up in flames. "Damnit!" He glanced at the advancing Kakashi. "I'm out of here."
And he was gone in a flash of smoke.
"Thanks Jiraiya…"
But Naruto's smile faded as he saw the fallen body of Shizune.
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Sasuke watched his brother, his expression blank, but on the inside he was seething with rage.
Shouting could be heard coming from the lower level of the palace.
"My genjutsu has been dispelled." Itachi said calmly. He glanced at Kisame. "Ready?"
"But…" The blue man looked over at Sasuke and Sakura. "But what about them?"
"Another time. We've got what we came here for. I've had enough trouble today without having to deal with one of the sannin."
"Itachi!" Sasuke hissed, eyes glaring, chidori shooting in a current around him. "Fight me!"
The Uchiha gave him an appraising look. "We will have our time. But it is not today."
With a flash of their hands, the Akatsuki were gone.
"No!" Sasuke punched the wall, His chidori channeled into it, crumbling the room divider instantly.
Sakura put her hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun."
He looked at her swollen face. Her eyes were tired and she was shaking. But she remained standing, her touch calming his fury.
"Sakura. You need medical attention."
"I'm fine, Sasuke-kun. I'm fine…" He caught her as she fell for the second time since he had returned to Konoha. "I'm…I'm just sorry I didn't get that ring from them. I tried. I just wasn't strong enough."
"Sakura, I—"
Tsunade burst into the office. "Sakura! Sasuke!"
"My God!" The Hokage looked around the room. "Sakura are you…?" Just by looking at her student, Tsunade knew she wasn't alright.
"They took it, Tsunade-sama…I'm sorry." Sakura grimaced.
"Huh? Took what?"
"The ring."
"You mean," she reached into her pocket, "this ring?"
Sakura's eyes went wide.
"Rest, Sakura. You can kill me when you get up." The Hokage smiled and took her apprentice from Sasuke's arms. "Sasuke—go see what's going on outside. I'm taking her to the hospital."
Sasuke made sure they left the building without any trouble before he pushed open the doors and stepped out into the light
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Author's note: Phew! That was a hard chapter to write. I always have a hard time with the intense action sequences… so I apologize if it seemed jumpy or too short. Oh and Originally I was going to kill Jiraiya, but I have plans for him yet.
Chapter 12 coming soon.: The Aftermath
