Naruto: Shinobi Wars
Chapter 27
-Desolation-
By Geor-sama


Suna had been designed to remain hidden among the largely barren, rocky plateaus that covered the eastern part of Kaze no Kuni. The founding Kazekage had conceived of and created the most strategically defensible position possible, able to hold out for months with proper supplies. The key word of course being 'proper' supplies, since the Shodai Kazekage had never considered a siege while dealing with a Village Council that had spent decades under supplying the village for their own personal profit.

Despite that, the Kazekage had managed to hold the village together, especially after kicking them out of power. His tactics had worked, until Iwa began flooding the country with ninja. Initially, while problematic, they had held out but as time wore on the situation shifted. Soon they had ninja dying in droves, which led to lower morale and they encountered a 'supply and demand' problem.

Of course, they could have avoided that problem if refuges hadn't inundated the village. Even if they had shunted as many as they could to Kawa no Kuni, with the ninja or samurai that were on their last legs, things were grim. The current measures of half rations would fail soon and the morale would be hurt even more.

The Kazekage closed his eyes, hands pressing against his face, knowing the truth. While he had blamed the council, even allowed the villagers to take their frustrations out on them, this was his fault. His attempt at an alliance with Konoha had fallen through, they were embroiled in their own war, and raids had become too costly to continue.

Uncovering his eyes, the Kazekage stared at the reports on his desk once more, proclaiming mercilessly at the failure of his one chance at securing a reliable source of water. The teams he had sent to the Salt Flats, a source of water during the winter, southwest of the village were found mutilated, and the area under secure guard of Iwa ANBU.

With the loss of the Salt Flats, dwindling forces and supplies, and Gaara missing the village was going to fall. He could delay it; maybe, stretch it for another month at best but it would fall. He had no options left, unless he wanted to stage a mass evacuation of Suna, relocating them to Kawa no Kuni.

The Kazekage wouldn't give a single ryou for their odds if he tried that.

Knocking the reports off his desk, the Kazekage smashed his fist against his desk in frustration. He had not gained power simply to lose it, especially not after taking sole authority. He refused to admit defeat, there had to be some solution that he was overlooking, some way of holding out.

Standing up, the Kazekage began pacing his office, clutching hands behind his back. He had not sacrificed his wife, his legacy, his daughter for nothing. He refused to accept that, there had to be something he could do, he would not relinquish his village! But how, how could he keep it, when he had no options left?

Pausing before the map hanging on his wall, he studied it intently. If they could secure some sort of supply line, then it would be possible to fight against Iwa. Yet no matter how many times he looked at the map, he saw no such area that could be secured, but his eyes inexorably returned to Kawa no Kuni and the Isen River.

Stepping closer, he ran his finger along the snaking path of blue that fed out into the ocean, and his eyes drifted to the peninsula Cha no Kuni. He could send envoys to the country for supplies, ones that they could seal into carefully preapred scrolls so that they could bring them back with little fuss. But he would have to pull what ninja and samurai he had left away from their patrols further north and south to secure this route for usage since he was unwilling to risk the supplies.

That didn't even take into account that it would take at least a month for the whole deal to begin. That would use up what little resources they had. Turning eyes away from that possibility, he studied the map for a moment before pausing: Several miles to the southeast there was a canyon, but at one time it had been a river bed for a minor tributary of the Isen River.

The river had dried up because of a natural disaster, cutting the flow off, but it might be possible to create a new source…or divert another tributary river within Kawa no Kuni to the river bed. Of course, this was all in the hopes that Iwa didn't notice and annihilate them.

But he had options now; he would send several ANBU teams to see about the river bed, while envoys were sent to Cha no Kuni. It wasn't a perfect solution and the risks were high, but at least now he had a chance at keeping his village safe, plus with the fewer mouths to feed the supplies could be made to last just a fraction longer.

The Kazekage nodded, placing his hands behind his back, studying the map.

The war was not over, not by a long shot.


Miyako, Capital of the Kusa Empire. Kirin Castle, bedchamber of the Daimyo...

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Hittori did not blame his fate on others or on the gods; he accepted it as his own burden. If things worked for him, then they did so and if they did not then there was no need to rave or lay blame. Fate happened without regard to how you desired things to happen, but in whatever way it deemed inscrutably best.

Still, the Daimyo of Kusa could not help but feel that someone else was manipulating his fate. Hittori might have considered his brother, Noga, but the man was locked in a mansion north-west of the former Tsume no Kuni. He could also discount Noga's mother, the spiteful woman, currently resided in the same mansion as well.

It had been the best solution; killing his brother would have raised questions from the public and would have caused a substantial threat to the sealing. So Hittori had made arrangements, Noga and his mother would spend the rest of their lives in the mansion far removed from the country.

He was distracted from his thoughts, wandering though they were, when Sazuko's talented fingers found an extremely tight knot of muscle in his shoulders. He grunted in appreciation as she expertly worked the knot out. He tried to relax, but as he had suspected the massage was proving futile; he had only allowed it because he had never been able to deny one of her massages.

"Hitt-chan, you're not relaxing." Sazuko said with a hint of a pout in her voice.

"Sorry, I'm just preoccupied." Hittori responded, grunting again as her fingers returned to their dutiful work. Turning his mind away from the beautiful woman massaging him, he focused instead on his crumbling plans. For the last few months, as the war turned more and more in the favor of Tsuchi, he had struggled with how to salvage his plans.

Unfortunately there seemed to be no way, Tsuchi would win the war with Kaze in another month or so and their attention would shift to a new target. Taki no Kuni would be next and after that, Tsuchi would spear head a pincer invasion on Hi no Kuni, and while he had managed to keep his beloved Kusa out of the previous war, that was one he could not remain neutral in.

"Hitt-chan," Sazuko said softly, interrupting his thoughts, and he turned his head toward her. Seeing she had his attention she knelt next to his shoulder, stroking his head softly "tonight does not seem to be a massage night."

"Sorry," the Daimyo said sitting up to face her, gaze pensive "but things are not going as well as they need to be."

"Maybe I could help?"

"I don't think-" Hittori started, then paused, staring at her in surprise. How could he have forgotten, his Sazuko had been a high ranked Kumo ANBU at one time. "Yes, yes you might be able to."

"Good." She said with a bright smile before turning serious "so, what's the problem?"

Hittori took a breath and started laying out the details, giving her more insight into his plans than he had ever shared with anyone before. He went into everything and Sazuko listened in silence, never interrupting until finally he finished. They both sat in silence, Hittori studying her, and she deep in thought about the situation.

"Perhaps you should modify your plans somewhat." Sazuko said at last, meeting his gaze with a firm self-assurance "Tsuchi has conquered Kaze, month or no month, but you're forgetting that they do not control Suna. Eventually that village will fall, but not before inflicting heavy losses against their enemy. Then of course, Tsuchi will begin moving against Taki no Kuni but they will suffer even heavier losses since that country has never been successfully invaded."

"But-"

"Let me finish," Sazuko said, cutting him off crisply "So you should allow Tsuchi to war as they wish, because their swarming tactics will fail when they hit Taki. By this point Konoha and Kumo will have entered into an alliance against Oto, since you've heard through your numerous sources that's who Oto has enlisted as their current ally."

"Why would Kumo switch alliances?" Hittori asked, raising an eyebrow. It was odd seeing this side of Sazuko; normally she was like window dressing. But Hittori supposed he shouldn't be surprised, she had been a Kumo ANBU and Jōnin for most of her life prior to marrying him and leaving her village.

"The Raikage cannot trust Orochimaru, and is most likely using this only to further long standing Kumo agenda of taking out Kiri." Sazuko said with a shrug, "once that happens and with Tsuchi greatly weakened you can choose your moment to strike. Once you've conquered Tsuchi you can allow the rest of your plans to unfold in their proper course."

"Ah," Hittori managed, considering her plans "What of Oto?"

"Konoha would have easily crushed them by now if not for the Kumo distraction and their new toys. Once Kumo turns against Oto, the problem will be resolved." Sazuko paused grinning "The alliance will only last between Konoha and Kumo for as long as there is an outside threat. Once that is dissolved they will resume their natural balance."

"The only problem is Tsuchi. If you are mistaken-" Hittori paused, seeing her eyes narrow and he held a hand up. "It is possible Sazuko. If Tsuchi does manage to claim Taki before the Konoha-Kumo alliance forms then it's all for not. Tsuchi in full war mode would be unbeatable by our forces."

"Then the answer is simple," Sazuko offered with a grin "Leak a false rumor of revolt led by key figures in their satellite country Yama no Kuni and their newly acquired land. This will play on the paranoia of the Daimyo and the Tsuchikage who will have to investigate and when they find the evidence they will have to act."

"True. Their paranoia will make even the innocent look guilty," Hittori said, nodding. "It will force them to delay their plans for Taki, since no country would risk war while they had revolt at home."

"Now once the time is right, you'll need something to garner the public's support." Sazuko said thoughtfully, before smiling, "an assassination attempt would be perfect. You are the most beloved man in Kusa, stage a public attempt and then after it fails, start an investigation. When the time is right, you can proclaim the investigation to reveal Tsuchi behind the plot and you can strike with all of our resources."

"Sazuko-chan, you are more devious and crafty than I would have ever imagined." Hittori said, returning her smile, as he examined the plans she had just given him. It could work, it would work he was sure of it. Once Tsuchi was conquered he could sit back and wait, the rest of his plans could work at their own pace and he would eventually have a world to call his own.

"Thank you my lord." Sazuko said, inclining her head "Do I receive a prize for my valuable counsel?"

"I suppose so," Hittori said, grinning still "what do you want?"

"Ah, well then," she said, suddenly lunging to shove him over onto his back. A moment later she had him pinned, hands on either side of his head and her legs straggling his waist as her loose kimono fell partway open. "I want you, my lord."

Hittori briefly considered saying something but she engaged him in a kiss and he decided to focus on that instead.


Otogakure no Sato...
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Orochimaru had always preferred subterranean lairs, for both his personal lab and his home, partly because he had little trust for the outside world and partly becasue it was virtually impossible to enter such places without gaining his attention. Otogakure no Sato was no different from any other place he had called home, only more elaborate and dangerous, ensuring a greater amount of security than what could normally be found.

For Mitarashi Anko it was home in a way that Konoha had never been, nor could have been. In Oto there was no undercurrent of resentment or reluctant acceptance, those few Oto ninja that she had encountered accepted her presence without hesitation and treated her with great respect. Though they were still fearful of her, that at least was no different; something familiar, and she enjoyed it in a way that she had never allowed while she had been living in Konoha.

Walking the semi-dark corridors, passing through the isolated pools of orange light, Anko mused further on the differences between her time in Konoha and her current village. It was amazing how once your mind woke up, things changed. It was liberating to be yourself and no longer have to pretend to be someone else: now that she was back to her true self Anko had no more guilt about those she had killed, no more anger or hate toward the man that had taken her in and loved her for whom she was.

Part of her loathed remembering how she had cowered and sacrificed her pride for the village's forgiveness. Anko hated them, hated the village, hated being forced into such a subservient role and she looked forward to getting her revenge for that. Pausing in a gap between the light, Anko tugged at the collar of her outfit, trying to let some more air in, after her meeting with Orochimaru she had been devoting her time to training, trying to get a sense of how her Heaven Seal affected her techniques.

It was a grueling process, leaving her sweaty and tired, but Anko needed to know her new limits.

Sighing, she started forward once more, heading toward her room and a cool shower at least until she spotted Kabuto, who offered a cheerful smile. It irked Anko slightly that she saw Kabuto more often than she did Orochimaru, but she understood her Oro-sensei's reasons for caution. After all, she was a viper, her nature was indiscriminate and he would wait until he knew for sure where her loyalty truly lay before they interacted on a more personal basis.

"Anko-sama," Kabuto said, meeting her halfway "I have some good news."

"What, I get to do something other than train?"

"Yes." Kabuto said, nodding, "As you know Orochimaru-sama entered into an alliance with a certain member of Akatsuki. Well, we've received word that they have regained Sasuke-kun and are moving toward keeping their end of the bargain."

"Great." Anko managed, staring at him blankly "What exactly is their end?"

"Simply, in exchange for Sasuke they provide Orochimaru-sama with a new set of Sharingan, one more controllable." Kabuto said, adjusting his glasses "There was a second Uchiha to survive the massacre three years ago."

"I missed that memo." Anko said, staring at him shrewdly. As far as anyone in Konoha knew, the only survivor was Sasuke.

"Blame it on the Hyūga." Kabuto offered, shrugging, before grinning, "In light of this news, Orochimaru has decided that it's time to move some of his plan forward."

Anko nodded, wondering what she was about to get involved in and looking forward to finally doing something. Kabuto seemed to sense this and rather than waste further words, turned gesturing for her to come with him. Anko fell into step, musing on the deal she had learned about: It would be the worst nightmare for Konoha, someone like Orochimaru in the body of a Sharingan user. Anko felt like laughing her head off at such a concept, would serve those fools right.

Still, she didn't feel comfortable with the arrangement, Akatsuki were not on her list of trustworthy people.

"They're after Naruto. It's for his safety."

Anko blinked away the odd snatch of conversation, along with the faint pang of unhappiness that accompanied it. That belonged to another Anko; she didn't care what they did to the runt. Not one bit. It did bother her, though, to have such thoughts and feelings since she shouldn't feel anything toward Naruto or Kakashi.

"So what exactly does O-sama want from me?" Anko asked, glancing at the man who didn't miss a step at her address of the man. She was probably the only person in Oto that could get away with that.

"It's simple, while we wait for Karin and Suigetsu to return with our prize we're reforming the Sound Four." Kabuto said, bringing them to a stop in front of a double set of doors "Orochimaru-sama has designated you as the team leader and it'll be your responsibility to form them into a cohesive unit."

"Oh joy," Anko managed, frowning at the man "which losers do I get on my team?"

"Guren, Gozu, and Ishidate."

"That's only three." Anko deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.

"You're the fourth," Kabuto said with a cheerful grin "Orochimaru decided to balance this team better than the previous version."

"Whatever," Anko muttered and turning away, opened the door entering a vaulted room that branched off into seven passages. In between the hissing torches that gave off an uneven, shimmering light, were shadowy walls covered with carved spiraling lines. Symbols for the sun and thus 'life-death-rebirth', a kind of immortality for which Orochimaru was constantly searching.

Gathered in a pool of the shimmering light were three individuals: a blue haired woman wearing a fur lined brown kimono, the standard rope belt, and two men; one of average build, wearing a blue-black armor with a yin-yang symbol in the chest and an oddly glowing gauntlet. The other was a tall, hulking brute dressed in grubby brown clothes, and short black hair.

"Hiya guys," Anko said, smiling as they looked at her, "I'm Mitarashi Anko and as of now you are all my bitches." Pausing, she pointed at the woman and winked "Especially you sweet cheeks. You're my special bitch."


Konoha, Private Office of the ANBU Commander...

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Tenzo pushed away from his desk and the report from 'Sai', aware of the noose that was tightening around his neck. Things were getting worse, much worse than Tenzo could have imagined, and he feared what that meant for the cause. The inner-circle of Unity was pulling apart, each making their own bids for more power and authority; they had yet to openly defy his own authority, but it would happen soon and it would tear Unity apart.

"Sai, are you sure this is accurate information?" Tenzo asked, looking at the androgynous young man.

"I double-checked all the sources." Sai said, without a hint of emotion. "It is all accurate."

"I was afraid of that." Tenzo muttered, gaze drifting to the report once more. The investigation into the assassination of Neji was still underway, and Tou'u still insisted on using that unstable loyalty seal. Who exactly were infected, nobody other then Tou'u knew and she was not about to share that information.

Not that it was the worst of the problems, apparently Kazuma and Setio were each set on increasing the growing distrust toward Unity.

It was only a matter of time before Tsunade found out that Kazuma was the one responsible for continuing the research into those cursed seals from Orochimaru, which in turn meant that the Hokage would soon know as well. The only question was if they would learn of Kazuma before or after they learned of Setio and his insane plan to assassinate Homura and Koharu and blame the village council.

"Sai," Tenzo asked, running a hand over his face "are you sure that you sent enough teams to stop this plan of Setio's?"

"I believe so, though I did plan on joining in on the mission as well." Sai said his voice flat and emotionless "I believe the enemy shall be Yasashige Isaribi, formerly of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen."

"The Elegant Beast? Possible, but I hope not." Tenzo said, before shaking his head "Kazuma has plenty of missing-nin to make use of. I personally saw to that month's ago."

"You did as you thought best."

"Maybe," Tenzo said, waving a hand almost dismissively at the concept. This whole war was his fault; he had long ago accepted that as his responsibility. The only thing he could do now was stay the course and try to divert the disaster rushing toward them to preserve the dream of Unity.

They had to achieve Unity.

However, for the dream to become a reality, he had to solve the problem of the inner-circle and fast. Leaning back into his chair, Tenzo closed his eyes, thinking hard. The group had become too splintered, broken down like this he could not exert enough control over the group.

Nevertheless, Danzou's orders had made it clear that this was the only way for Unity to survive. Tenzo couldn't see how though, perhaps that was his fault; he was not half the mastermind that Danzou had been. All he knew was that all it had accomplished was to make the Hokage more suspicious and distrustful, that it created a schism within Konoha among the ninja.

Tenzo could only see one solution, he had to pull the group back together, had to restore Unity to a single entity. Even if it meant going against the last order from Danzou, he would have to unite Unity before he could unite the country. Doing so, though, that would be the difficult part, the inner-circle would fight him every step of the way.

Indeed, it was possible that they could manage to sway enough support from their own splintered groups to remove him. If that were to happen, then Unity would die a painful and humiliating death of that he was sure. So he would have to strike preemptively, ferret out as much information as he could and use it to his advantage.

"Sai," Tenzo said, looking at the young man once more "I want you to contact every Ne member not otherwise engaged in other operations, as well as any member of Unity we can trust to be truly loyal. I need information, every scrap I can get, because it's now apparent that we will have to remove the inner-circle."

"As you command."

"Dismissed." Tenzo said, before adding as the boy disappeared into the shadows of an ink painting "And good luck."


Kaminari no Kuni, Five Miles from the Sea Port...

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Yugito could feel a chill crawling up her spine, slow and delicate, as she made her way toward the nearby shrine. The others were safely tucked away in their shelter for the night, waiting for the morning when they would set out for Nami no Kuni, adding more force to already overwhelming numbers. But for Yugito that was secondary, because she had become aware of a shadowy presence watching her.

Yugito knew who it was, even without seeing them; she had been expecting them ever since Naruto had warned her years ago: Akatsuki.

Rounding the curve of the path, which gave her a magnificent view of the night sea, she passed beneath the Torii. A little further in, her steps both echoing and muffled by the paved yard, she paused. The presence was still there, it had followed her, it was waiting to see what she did next and Yugito grinned.

Turning, she faced the darkness beyond the Torii, hands resting at her sides. "I know you're there."

A moment later two figures emerged, a man and a woman, each dressed in cloaks. Despite the paleness of the light, or maybe because of it, the woman struck Yugito as more haunting than should be possible. The only other outstanding feature she could see was the large scythe slung carelessly over the man's shoulder.

"Not bad," the man said, his tone cheerful "hehe, this should be fun huh Konan?"

"I am merely here to observe." Konan answered coldly. "As I was commanded Hidan, this shall be your battle."

"Fine. Watch as I show you the glory of Jashin." Hidan spat, lifting prayer beads to his lips.

Yugito struck then, as the beads touched his lips, hurling a kunai at the man. The projectile was promptly deflected by the scythe, before it flew toward her; sadly while it looked impressive the triple bladed weapon had no speed. Gauging the distance, mindful of the weak nightlight, Yugito dodged back allowing the blades to embed themselves into the courtyard.

"I'm not done with my prayers to Jashin!" Hidan shouted "I seriously get pissed off if you interfere with my prayer, which is bad since I'm already pissed off from having this mission which is completely against my religion and had to travel with that idolater!"

"Idolater, Hidan?" Konan asked, sounding only mildly interested.

"Fuck yeah!" Hidan shouted, glaring at her "you and that false god of yours, I promise that once I've unleashed the full glory of Jashin, I'll bring that false god down!"

"Oh." Konan said, but even in the dim light of the stars Yugito saw the small shift in countenance. Whatever help this Hidan could have expected from the woman had just disappeared, leaving Yugito free to focus entirely on Hidan. No sooner had Hidan resumed his prayers than she lunged forward, passing the embedded scythe.

The Akatsuki agent registered her move a moment later, and his eyes widened as she closed the distance. A flick of his wrist told her his plan, as did the noticeable whistle from behind and Yugito reacted quickly. She hit the ground, hands just past the shoulders and knees just touching the surface, Yugito allowed the weapon to pass over her.

Muscles coiling, Yugito pounced like a cat might; the timing would be close but she could manage it. Hidan caught his weapon and began to pivot just as Yugito reached him, unfortunately his pivot made her miss his neck by scant inches. This in turn meant she exposed her back to attack, and the timing now would be even closer: Landing with her left foot, she sprang backward into a tight horizontal flip, just as the scythe whistled through the space she had just occupied.

Landing in a crouch, with one leg kicked out to the side, Yugito sprang toward his unprotected flank landing a left side-kick to the ribs followed by grabbing a fist full of his hair and jerked sharply, driving his nose into her rising knee. As he reeled back, dazed from the furious onslaught, Yugito began forming only recently learned hand seals. Reaching the final seal her molded chakra gave form to the crackling bolt of lightning that took the shape of a dragon, which rushed toward the Akatsuki agent.

The Lightning Dragon veered slightly, forcing her to exert her control to ensure it struck the proper target.

Hidan had just enough time to regain his bearings before the ninjutsu hit him, the dragon of lightning plunging through his torso before continuing its path into the forest. The excess lightning crackled and danced along his form, filling the air with the scent of charred flesh. The Akatsuki agent remained upright for a moment before he toppled sideways.

Yugito felt her hands trembling; she had never performed such a powerful ninjutsu before and it was only thanks to Kirābī decided to teach it to her out of pity that she knew it. Breathing heavily, Yugito turned her attention toward Konan, wondering what reaction this would prompt. The woman simply stared back at her, her face impassive as best Yugito could tell, leaving Yugito to wonder why.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Head snapping around, Yugito felt her eyes widen in disbelief as Hidan sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Impossible, there was no way he could have taken that attack and survived, it had to be a trick. Using the hilt of his scythe, he regained his feet laughing even harder.

"I'm, hahaha, sorry, ohehehehe, but you should have seen the look on your face." Hidan managed between bouts of laughter while hefting his scythe to rest over his shoulder. "I love seeing that look."

"Impossible." Yugito murmured, staring at the gaping hole in the man. There had to be some sort of trick or something, because nothing living could have survived that attack.

"I'm the chosen of Jashin!" the man said, lifting his weapon to point at her "So it's fuckin' possible."

Yugito began to respond before she registered Hidan charging her, scythe slashing through the air. Yugito dodged back, bowing her body to avoid the triple blades, and then jumped to gain some distance between her and the monster. She couldn't risk going back on the offensive until she knew what exactly she was dealing with.

Landing, Yugito nimbly avoided another slash, before she ducked beneath a back swing aimed at her neck. Twisting side-to-side Yugito slipped two rapid downward chops and with a back flip managed to avoid another slash at her mid-section. Landing she found herself both breathing hard and staring at the man in reluctant awe, the scythe might be a slow weapon when thrown but when Hidan swung it there was nothing slow about it.

Hidan for his part, was staring at her in what she could only assume was thoughtfulness, scythe held absently at his side. A moment later his arm raise and he began spinning the scythe over his head, building momentum and with each swing the arc expanded outward. However, despite the dread building within her, Yugito watched intently, something nagging at the back of her mind.

As the air began to whine from the momentum of the swinging blades, Yugito felt the nagging grow stronger. When dust and nearby rocks began to swirl into the air from the spinning weapon, the nagging gave way to a vague notion about the weapon itself. There was something wrong with it; the scythe simply didn't feel right to her for some reason.

Yugito forgot her thoughts a second later when the triple bladed weapon sailed toward her. Yugito She leapt to the side, studying the weapon as it soared past on its trajectory. As her feet touched the ground, Yugito turned her attention toward the wielder, and realized her mistake.

In the seconds it took for her to react, Hidan had covered the distance between them. Yugito registered the spike plunging toward her stomach and out of instinct swung a hand out to grasp the shaft, shoving it away from her. Twisting from the momentum, Yugito spun planting a sidekick to his face sending him hurtling way from her.

Panting, Yugito quickly retreated to a safe distance, eying her opponent warily. Hidan was already on his feet and had tugged the cable connected to his scythe, retrieving it. What truly worried Yugito however, was that strange leer she could faintly see on his face, why did he look so happy?

Growling in frustration, she swept her hands back and began unloading her kunai and shuriken at the man. The scythe responded without hesitation, sending many spinning back toward her, while scattering others that exploded moments later as the attached blast notes went off. Yugito barely had time to register the failure of her attack before Hidan charged her once more, triple-bladed scythe whistling through the air.

Ducking and dodging, conscious of the fact that each escape came with narrower gaps, Yugito hurled several caltrops at the man's face. As expected, despite apparently being immortal, he flinched and his attack faltered allowing Yugito to find another weapon. Finding nothing, she swore resuming her efforts at dodging as Hidan resumed his offensive.

Yugito made a silent vow that if she survived this encounter to begin carrying more weapons than the standard packs. Catching sight of a stone lantern in her peripheral vision, Yugito grinned as a plan formed in her mind. Diving toward the stone outcropping, she landed in a crouch and then pivoting pushed off as the scythe stuck the obstruction.

It wasn't much but it did slow the weapon, allowing her to close the distance while pulling on the chakra from the Nibi to enhance her senses. Yugito registered the thrusting spear almost before it began, and pivoting smashed her forearm against the hand and then using the momentum slammed an elbow into Hidan's face. A minute later, she jumped and grabbed his head, twisting her body in mid-flip to create a loud crack as his neck snapped.

Releasing the head as she landed behind him, she planted a spinning sidekick to the small of his back. It was only as the body toppled from the vicious attack, that she sensed the incoming scythe. Shifting her weight, Yugito fell backwards only to realize that the momentum would cause the scythe to fall short and impale her shoulder.

Lashing out with a hand, she knocked the falling scythe away from her, mentally cursing as she felt the faint sting of the blade. Regaining her feet, breathing heavily she turned her attention toward the other Akatsuki agent, only to find the woman mysteriously missing. Irritated and wary she turned back to the motionless form of Hidan, only to find him sitting up and twisting his head back into position with a sickening snap.

Anger spiking, the Nibi's chakra poured off her as she formed the hand seal for a second ninjutsu attack. Chakra boiling and crackling as she molded it to the nature element, Yugito brought the palms of her hands together condensing the sphere of sickly purple lightning. A moment later Yugito released the ball and vaulted backwards, timing it so that as she touched down the sphere of lightning exploded unleashing numerous bolts of lightning.

The blast lit up the night, forcing Yugito to shield her eyes and turn away, a second before the concussive shockwave fanned outward knocking her over. Recovering in a crouch, Yugito gritted her teeth, peeking through her fingers and squinting eyes trying to see if her enemy was still alive. As the blinding light finally faded, the Kumo Jōnin cautiously stood up, taking in the far-reaching devastation she had wrought with a dark pride.

Yugito had obliterated the courtyard, leaving a deep crater in its place; she had also demolished half of the shrine. The scent of scorched ozone hung thick in the air, and fires danced among the sacred trees that had been unfortunate enough for the lightning to touch. Nothing, not even her love Naruto, could have survived such a blast.

"Ooooh, now you're getting into the spirit!" a familiar voice said, seconds before a sharp stabbing pain made Yugito collapse to a knee. Tears of pain forming the Jōnin looked around for her attacker desperately, unable to believe he could still be alive. A moment later she had to accept such an event, because perched on top of the undamaged part of the shrine, she found Hidan.

His tattered cloak fluttered around him, while his spear jutted up proudly through his own thigh. Noticing her attention his wrist twisted the spear, and Yugito cried out as the pain flooded through her. Another stabbing pain shot through her, radiating this time from her shoulder, which fell limply to the side.

"Unbearable, isn't it? This ecstasy of suffering!" Hidan cried out, in the deepest joys of ecstasy. "It fills me so, savor this taste of suffering with me."

Another stab of pain arched through Yugito, forcing her body to collapse completely. It was hard to think through the pain, coming quicker and quicker. Curling into a ball she cried out, the coppery taste of blood worming its way into her pain-addled mind, even as her body cried out for desperate relief.

"Ah, the suffering. Praise Jashin infidel, for this taste of his bounty." Hidan cried out; voice rising high into the night "The sweet suffering of friends and the agony of strangers!"

Yugito tried to block his voice out, tried to block out the pain and the blood, turning her mind toward one singular task. Slumbering deep inside her soul, was a being of vengeance and of death. One that she had not consciously confronted since her training, but it was her only salvation; the Nibi would have to release its power on its own.

The closer she got, the more her body went away, until at last, she stood before the flickering blue form of the cat. The towering red Torii, with its glowing seals holding the beast at bay did nothing to hide the disdainful gaze the Nibi directed at her. Yugito met that gaze with complete resolution, opening her body to its power.

The Nibi flooded her senses, sweeping her under in a riptide of unbridled power, consuming her mind.

Eyes snapping open, Yugito's body twisted and creaked as the blackish-blue chakra formed its swirling mesima form around her. An instant later Yugito lunged to her feet, a chakra paw smashing through the portion of the roof where her tormenter had resided. Roaring as she spotted the descending mote that had dared harm her; she swept her charka arm around slamming into the figure hard.

A roar echoed through the air as her shell completed its formation, as a blast wave of tainted chakra exploded outward. Leaving the Nibi towering over the ruins of the shrine, its unholy vengeance threatening to drown the host that clawed desperately to gain control over the power. Registering the faintest of movement from her attacker, both demon and host reacted as one, and with a hiss of fury pounced on her prey, smashing him into the ground with a massive chakra paw.

A moment later Neko-Yugito opened her mouth, staring mercilessly down at the trapped figure, and unleashed her most powerful spectral blast.

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An hour later, when the ninja from her camp arrived they found Yugito sitting on the edge of a newly created cliff-face, whistling a haunting tune, and twirling a necklace around her finger.