Author's Notes:
Don't ask why I'm late, just take it as is. If "I've been tremendously horrifyingly extremely busy." doesn't cover for my delay anymore, then I dunno what will.
In any case, as you can see, I'm back from Lebanon... Yes, I had a nice trip, but I missed all of you ^_^ And just as I came back, I was assaulted by an onslaught of work (I'm 15 years old xD) and complications, so I couldn't really get to this till now. I'm really sorry ):
Also, on another random sidenote, I'm going to a con in 5 days, and I shipped my Deidara wig on the 3rd of August, and even with express shipping, it takes about 5-10 days to get here. Did I mention my con starts on the 13th? If my wig takes more than 8 days to get here, I am ROYALLY SCREWED.
Kay, 'nough. Let me thank all the lovely reviewers from the last chapter, and then we'll go on with this chapter, shall we? ^_^
Thanks a bunch for the reviews, everyone, and that everyone beiiiing: Silverchild of the Winds, Killergirl01, Priestess-of-Jashin, DecepticonDefenestrater, .lolcatsrule., Tayi, Josephin Tonks, LibiTheWolf, K.T. and DeidaraBlondeFox :D I noticed the reviews are decreasing, but that doesn't bother me (TOO MUCH D: ), but tell me if there's something you thought was wrong. If you don't like something that is interchangeable, suggest it to me through a review or PM, and I'll see what I can do (:
Anyways, on with the show~
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
My landing only brought up a little bit of dirt and dust, relatively to the height of the fall. Recuperating from the enormous distance I had jumped from, I watched the onslaught of enemies rush forward.
So this is it, huh?
The day I would finally get to prove my strength to the five nations.
The day I would should my comrades I am capable of fighting no matter what.
The day the world will know my name like they do for everyone else.
My eyes tightened as I calmly dipped my hands into the clay pouches on my waist, gathering clay. I also took the opportunity to study the enemies coming forward.
They were clearly all ANBU or Jounins, and the villages had mixed so that many types of skill could be used together at the same time. Smart.
Clenching my teeth, I felt some birds forming in my palms.
Just in time as the first enemies reached my range.
And, giving a battle cry, I rushed forward, my arsenal of clay bombs at my side.
The first few moments were nothing but a blur to me. I was running, running through their ranks, my bombs exploding one after the other, scorching a lot of them.
At some point, I realized I had made it to the outer circle, now leaving the enemies and the hideout behind me. My clay spreading havoc on the front, I quickly made some ground bombs and made a clay mole to drop them off. The clay critter quickly dug a hole, and carrying my bombs, disappeared in the earth.
My trap set, I started running back towards my initial position, clay animals pouring out of my palms as I ran.
Panting, I somehow made it back to the front a few minutes later. That's when I made some different hand signs and stuffed my hands in my pouches, watching the enemy advance.
When I removed my chewing hands, though, I left them wide open, spread out.
Something hot and liquid suddenly started pouring down my palms. I kept a straight face even though I'd never experienced this technique in battle before.
"C1 Special Units are a go, un." I muttered to myself as wobbly organisms formed out of the liquid clay pouring out.
The two organisms quickly shot out towards the mob of enemies.
I watched silently as they were easily cut down, though, and I bit my lip. If this doesn't work...
To my glee, though, the cut down clay quickly regenerated and doubled, and doubled again, and again, and again and again as it was carelessly cut down, the assailants only concentrated on me.
"Well then, I guess you should have paid attention to your surroundings as well, didn't you, un?" I smirked evilly as I clapped my hands, cutting of the flow of clay.
That's then all the little regenerations exploded, big explosions littering the battlefield, driving back all my opponents.
Not even letting up, I quickly made some new bombs and rushed forward, trying to trap the ninjas between two explosions. The newly made animals exploded and were quickly replaced by others as I forced the ANBU from mixed villages to fall back.
The explosions stilled for a moment as I listened and then...
BANG!
An evil grin spread over my face as I listened to the panicked cries rising from the back lines. Land mines. Easy to use, and great traps. You simply need someone else to plant them for you.
Not letting down on my assault, I breathed the scent of burning wilderness and human flesh as I sent more bombs at them.
A shadow suddenly overlooked me, and I raised my eyes to find a bunch of Kumo-nin using their jutsu to fly overhead and go directly towards the hideout.
"Tch, what a pain, un." I sighed, turning around and making more hand signs. "Guess we'll just have to face flying ninjas with flying techniques."
And I pulled out of a bunch of clay from my pouch, slapping my hands together. A small dragon flew out as a result.
"Go." I ordered as it took the skies and suddenly... it multiplied in size and became at least 100 times its original size.
My huge dragon already flying, I jumped to land on its back and rose a bit higher.
"C2 Jutsu is a go, un." I reported to myself as I aimed one of my dragon's heat-seekers at the Kumo-nin who were getting dangerously close to the hideout.
The dragon's mouth opened, and one of the ends of its tail disappeared. Instead, a clay pig protruded from its mouth and the flying sculpture turned around, facing the bunch of flying ninja.
"Aim, un." I raised my arm as I locked onto my targets. "FIRE!"
Just as my arm went down, the pig erupted from my dragon's mouth, directly heading for the assailants. I watched in sick fascination as the heat seeker quickly followed the signals sent by the Kumo-nin, and instantly exploded as soon as they came into contact.
There were more screams, and I couldn't help but grin.
This destruction, this feeling of power...
I liked it.
Turning back around, I prepared another heat seeker and sent it after a bunch of ninja trying to pass by. I then turned my attention to the foot ninja who were now sending jutsu at me.
Slyly manoeuvring through the blasts and shots, I sent more and more of my C2 bombs as I made some C1 bombs to add to my offensive.
Explosions were all that graced my ears for a while. I didn't even know how much time passed by but I do know that I did do my best to avoid the attacks thrown at me while fending off the offenders. It got boring after a little while, though, and with the combined effect of my scope and explosives, I slowly started feeling exhausted.
That's when it hit me that until now, no enemy attacks had actually hit me. My brows furrowed. Am I just too good for them?
No... These are ANBU we're talking about. I might be at Jounin level, but ANBU...
No, they were plotting something for sure.
My musings were cut short as my dragon raised a cry. I gasped and flinched out of my thoughts as my clay pet suddenly lurched and dropped some altitude. The sudden movement made me cry out and fall, rolling a bit towards the side as I tried identifying the problem.
My eyes were met with a shiny blue beam coming from the ground. Now that my dragon was seriously losing altitude, I immediately realized the target of the beams.
My dragon's wing.
I screamed again as some lightning-based long range attacks cut through the same wing they'd been working on during my distracted time. It suddenly made a cracking noise as it snapped, bending and breaking halfway, making me roll far across the second unhurt wing.
"Shit, un." I growled, crawling up and channelling chakra through my dragon to try and fix the huge cut in its wing.
My assailants and I struggled for a moment, trying to see who'd be able to win over the wing in the end. I put every ounce of my energy in trying to put the wing back together, and they put every ounce of their energy in trying to rip it off.
After what seemed like forever, their lightning bolt projectiles finally broke through my defences and the wing snapped off.
Immediately unbalanced, my dragon flipped and started plummeting in a death fall towards the ground.
Well, either way, at this rate, falling off my clay sculpture at this height and velocity would totally kill me. I should get off.
Let's make this flashy.
As soon as my dragon got close enough to the ground for me to make my escape unnoticed, I raised my fingers in a hand sign and closed my eyes, hoping for this to work.
"Katsu!"
My dragon suddenly lit up momentarily and just as I took a frail step on the plummeting mass of clay and jumped just as it exploded.
The blast threw me back and I held my breath as I was thrown into the nearby trees. I groaned as I hit the trunk and fell on my stomach, coughing out smoke that I accidentally inhaled.
There were cries and orders rising from the site where my huge dragon had exploded. The smoke hadn't cleared yet, and the ANBU were obviously searching for me through the debris, smoke and overturned landscape.
Bastards. How did they know how to attack the weak spot of my gigantic dragon? How did they know that lightning-based attacks were extremely effective against my clay dragon?
I growled as my eyes spotted the glint of some familiar Iwa headbands glinting in the sun. Yeah, the old bastard of a Tsuchikage must have given them all the inside scoop on my techniques and how to beat them.
My eyes widened as I realized that since the Five Great Nations had banded together for this attack, then...
All the Kage must have shared every bit of info they know about us with every other village.
Shit. I had to warn the others to be careful.
Slowly and painfully pushing myself to my knees, I coughed again, and, making sure to hide my chakra as not to be found by sensors (and hopefully, possibly be considered dead), I leaned against a tree as I looked towards Itachi's part of the terrain. Who knows how much trouble he's in right now.
Gritting my teeth against the pain (I must have sprained something in my leg or something during the fall and explosion) I moved as quickly as I could towards Itachi's section.
The smoke from the explosion now cleared, the ANBU had given up on the hideout and were looking for me first. Probably to eliminate me first and then, attack the hideout.
My eyes travelled over the endless corpses and pools of blood lying on the battlefield, singed and burnt sometimes beyond recognition. I did that.
Somehow, that doesn't disgust me.
I turned my eyes back to my course as I concentrated on walking straight. I wasn't hurt badly, but the tug-o-war for dominance over my dragon had exhausted me. My eyes were already drooping. Now where is Kisame when you need him the most?
I was so caught up in my exhausted thoughts that I didn't notice a shadow sneaking over me until... it actually pinned me to a tree.
My head hit the rough bark violently and I saw stars for a moment, groaning.
"Binding jutsu."
Even through my dizzy vision, I was able to see some branches and some bark extending to bind my wrists to the tree. I followed by collapsing so I was only held up by the binds.
"We meet again, Deidara."
I think I've heard that voice before. I must have. I mean, why do I feel so slack, yet so edgy with him?
"Do you have enough strength to look up at me, child?"
Yeah, an old man, I think. It's been a very long time, though.
"Open your eyes."
I slowly blinked my eyes open, trying to clear my vision. This old guy... Even though he knows who I am, he isn't in the process of stabbing me or something right now, so I guess that's a good thing...
"Here, look at me."
I made a small effort to raise my head and look half-heartedly into the kind eyes of the old man above me.
"Do you remember who I am?"
I made an effort, but... there was a blank patch in my memory.
"I-I think I do... but... Have we met before, un?" I asked.
"Yes, a long long time ago, but I haven't forgotten our last encounter." The old man smiled at me, wrinkles showing under a large hat he was wearing.
"A name might help, un." I groaned, how fully conscious of my assailant.
"Right, right." The man's smile vanished. "Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, at your service."
"Third Hokage..." I closed my eyes and thought back, but all I encountered was a blurry memory. "Yes, we have met before, but..." I sighed and looked up at him cynically. "Some bastard called Orochimaru messed with my body and now parts of my memory have been erased, and I don't remember much, un. Although, now that I see you, it's slowly coming back."
"We met after the Chuunin exams." The Hokage politely told me.
"Oh, right, thanks, un." I nodded. "So. Might I know why I'm pinned to a tree, and we're talking, and you're not busy stabbing the life out of me, un?"
"Maybe... it's out of curiosity." The old geezer backed up to enter my field of vision completely, white and red robes flapping in the wind and all.
"Curiosity?" I asked, cocking my head. "You too, un?" I sighed. "Last time someone directed his curiosity towards me, I got pretty much beat up and experimented on to death, un." I snickered in a dark, low voice.
"Orochimaru originates from my village, you know. He was also my student at the time." The Third chuckled humourlessly. "Nice to learn what he's at these past few days."
"Well you should keep tabs on your student and your village's possibly most psychotic criminal, un." I shrugged.
"I should say the same about Iwagakure then. Although the Tsuchikage was extremely helpful as we studied you meticulously before this attack. Your weak spots and pretty much known to every person fighting on this field of battle today."
"Old bastard, un." I growled, struggling. Why am I wasting time talking to him? I had to get back to the battle!
"Don't bother, the bonds won't release until I say so." The old man shrugged innocently. "So, Deidara. Tell me. How have you been?"
"So-so." I answered in a very dominant sarcastic tone. "Got in a fight with my partner, set out to fix things, got kidnapped by a psychotic pedophile, got a mouth added on my chest, celebrated my sixteenth birthday... Yeah, that's pretty much it, un."
"You're already sixteen, are you?" the Hokage smiled wistfully. "I remember the first time we met... You were about eleven, or twelve..."
"Are you stalking me, old man, un?" I gaped.
"No, but I do love children, and a child as unique as you could never be forgotten."
"Thanks for the compliment, un." I rolled my eyes.
There was a small silence where he scrutinized me, taking into every single detail, from the charred ends of my blonde hair, to the small burns on my arms where my cloak had burned a bit, to my dirty shoes, to the scrapes on my face. Not being able to withhold his annalistic gaze, I turned away from him, looking down.
"You are satisfied of this?" he suddenly asked, very serious.
"Of what, un?" I asked innocently.
"Of being in the Akatsuki."
"I can't remember much, but something tells me we've been over this before, un." I rolled my eyes tiredly. "I like it here, that's final."
"You say you like it here... What is it that you like in being a criminal?"
"I don't like anything. Hell, I'd rather NOT be a criminal. But... As a child... I was given the choice of becoming a lawful prisoner, or a free criminal... And... the laws don't matter when it comes to my pain, un." I whispered the last part out, memories of my childhood coming back to my mind, burned forever in the depths of my thoughts.
"Have you... sought out a better solution first?"
"Dude, I was eleven. Panicking, lost, hurt, and trying to find an escape. What else could I have done, bring out a clipboard and write down all the solutions presented to me, un?" I asked rhetorically.
"Yes, actually. You had eleven years to do so. You could have asked for help, or went to the Tsuchikage, if all else failed. Now, you're a worldwide criminal, hunted a despised and cursed from all over the five Great Nations."
"Yeah, what are we trying to do here, purge me of my sins or something, un?" I rolled my eyes. "It's too late now, and I never said I wanted to anyway."
"Doesn't it hurt you to know that you had so much people who could have helped you out just beyond your reach, and you still took the easy way out?" he asked with a sigh.
"Actually, it doesn't, un." A vein popped in my forehead as I grew tired of the questions. "But do you know what hurts? Like, really really hurts?" I asked back with as calm as an expression as I could muster. "The relentless fist of the one who was supposed to protect you, beating down on you with every breath you take. The steel-toed boot of the one who will supposedly love you hitting you until you can't cry anymore. The loathing eyes that were supposed to embrace you looking down on you and telling you every second of the day that you are not loved. The emptiness you feel when you walk around and everyone avoids or ignores you. Yes, those are things that hurt, not some dumb options I failed to oversee, un." I whispered, lowering my eyes.
We stayed silent for just a moment, before suddenly, the bushes rustled, and a bunch of kunai fell out. The Hokage had to duck and whip around, that that's when I realized that the kunai had embedded themselves in my binds. They immediately cracked and fell to debris, letting me drop to the ground with a grunt.
That's when Itachi practically flew out of the nearby bushes and gave a war cry as he attacked the Hokage. He was forced to retreat, giving me full access to the field behind me.
"Deidara, get back to your post!" Itachi called, and I gasped as I watched as blood ran down his eyes. The Sharingan was activated, and apparently, for a long time, because he looked completely beat up and exhausted.
"Are you gonna be alright, Itachi, un?" I asked as the Hokage got up and listened calmly to our conversation. How infuriating.
"Yes, now go, Kisame should be making his replenishment rounds soon. Don't worry, I dispatched one of my Shadow Clones to hold your enemies at bay until you got back, but I'm running low. You should go." He advised.
"Alright, I will, un." I nodded seriously, turning around and starting to walk by the Hokage, trying to see if he was making any moves to stop me. Surprisingly, he didn't. "Please." I finally whispered, loud enough for only him to hear. "You're the only one to whom I've entrusted the burdens of my past, un. I-I know you have no use for them, b-but... don't reveal them to anyone, please, un." I finished. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I trusted you with my greatest secret, and I believe you won't betray me." I added, brushing past him, a disgusted frown at my attitude adorning my face.
"I won't, Deidara." The Hokage simply answered before I left, and Itachi butt in to ask something about some kid named Sasuke -I think- before he left as well.
...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...
I got back to my post, feeling new energy coursing through me. If Kisame and Zetsu got here soon, it'd help a lot too.
I kept fighting off the people who had gotten dangerously close to the hideout during my absence, even having to cross arms with a couple of then at times. I hated the way they looked at me, though.
Like a mere bug waiting to be crushed in order for them to reach their goals. Unmerciful, disgusted, and even pitying looks were thrown at me as I fought with all my might. I had to protect my comrades. They saved me from my pain, and I have to do all I can, and even more, to protect them.
Thankfully, the ranks of enemy ninja were thinning. The wounded were retreating, and behind the lines, medics were healing them so they could continue their assault.
At this rate, we won't ever get anywhere!
That's when an idea flashed in my mind. A risky idea, but an idea nonetheless. It implied my newest, and deadliest technique.
And, as if on cue, Zetsu pulled out from under the ground, looked around, and rose completely out with a sigh.
"Well, whenever Kisame gets here." Black-Zetsu rolled his eyes.
White-Zetsu looked ready to add to that comment, but he was cut off by the shark-nin who arrived at their side.
"Let's go, we still have Sasori, Hidan and Kakuzu to take care of." He muttered.
"Right." White-Zetsu nodded as he made a hand sign, and chakra started draining out of Kisame, into Deidara.
"So how's the battle going here, Deidara?" Kisame asked as he threw some explosive kunai at the advancing ninja. "You're injured, too." He noted, motioning at the various cuts and bruises on my body where I'd been careless enough to have been hit.
"Nothing serious, un." I assured him, feeling my strength regenerate. "I have a feeling that if I try hard enough, I can heal little cuts like this, but... I can't seem to remember some things from my past.
"Orochimaru?" Kisame asked knowingly.
"Orochimaru." I nodded, sighing.
"Well, I'm sure you'll keep up the good work. We're almost there." Kisame smiled encouragingly as the transfer finished and Zetsu opened his eyes.
"Spore jutsu is a success." Black-Zetsu announced.
"Yosh~ Let's move on!" White-Zetsu cheered.
"Kisame, go on, I need to talk to Zetsu for two seconds, un." I told him.
"Kay. Good luck, Dei." He wished before disappearing towards Danna's part of the field.
"What is it, Deidara-chan?" White-Zetsu asked.
"I want to unleash one of my large-scale techniques, but it's risky, and might hurt –or even kill- the other members. I need you to warn them all for me, un." I ordered.
"Tell me." Black-Zetsu nodded seriously.
"My technique will affect everyone in a 3km radius. It'll insert micro-bombs in their organisms, then destroy them inside out. Of course, to avoid that, the members just have to hold their breath until the bombs have dispersed, un." I informed him.
"What's the signal, then? Cause they can't fight the entire time without breathing, can they?" White-Zetsu wondered aloud.
"Right before my micro-bombs are released, I'll send a bird into the air and make it explode, like a flare signal. Right after the signal is sent, they just need to stop breathing for about a minute. Shouldn't be hard, and the bombs disperse in about thirty to forty seconds after they're released, un." I finished.
"Right, I'll convey the message. Good luck, Deidara, we have to go now." Black-Zetsu nodded, disappearing in the ground.
"Don't give up, Deidara-chan!" White-Zetsu added before they both disappeared, leaving me alone yet again.
I turned around and faced the incoming mob of ninja once more. These guys seemed to come out of nowhere!
I quickly made a mole again with my clay and gave it some extra bombs to plant. I couldn't have anyone coming near me as I prepared my technique.
Finally, it's time to try out the newest jutsu in my repertoire, supposedly one of Iwa's most dangerous techniques, and the jutsu that would –hopefully- end this all.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed a whole lot of clay, fed them to my hand mouths and slapped them together, praying in my mind that this would work.
If it didn't, or if it went wrong, my life... no... the lives of everyone I've ever cared about, could be in danger!
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Author's Notes:
I tried to make an epic ending like in the animes where the main character thinks something out loud, and at the very end, they run out of animation budget, so the screen stays on freeze-frame until the credits roll in. I've been watching too much Yu-Gi-Oh. Yep, that's about it xD
The Hokage's there because I felt like it. I dunno, I figured he might pester Deidei again and again on why he joined the Akatsuki. Probably wanted to discover a child criminal's mind xD I mean, he's always been the type of guy who loved children, so I figured he might love every single child alive unconditionally. Unfortunetely for him, Deidara seems to think he's annoying, but somehow trustworthy as he shared his childhood memories with him, and no one else (not even his Danna! O:). And now, I believe the Hokage will go stab the Tsuchikage for being so oblivious to "the pain this child was going through!".
As for the ultimate technique in Deidara's inventory, it's the C4. It'll come into play in the next chapter, too. And someone we were all looking forward to will come into play. Was that sarcastic enough, or should I have put that in brackets as well?
In any case, the next update certainly won't come until later next week, as I'll be busy making a Dante cosplay for my bestie's boyfriend. He's counting on me, I can't let him down! ):O What kind of a ninja would I be if I gave up on something as easy as this? 5 days is plenty of time to make an entirely new cosplay! (Real motivation is that she's getting paid for it *_*)
Anyways, thanks again, you guys, for reading, and standing by me and telling me to go on. I'll miss you all very much once this story's finished ): But, let's leave the goodbyes for the end, shall we? Right now, I say we aim for 300 reviews together~ That'd make me... cry in joy. Guys, you have no idea how happy and speechless I am, now that I look back and realize I have over 250 reviews. You guys have made my life so much brighter :D
Yes, you're right, I AM tired. Can't blame me, it's almost midnight. Can I go to sleep yet? Yes? Well then, oyasuminasai, minna-san ;D
-Next time: Fading Right Before My Eyes-