Next chapter up!
Chapter 54
Kankuro opened the door to Team Three's hotel room, wanting to wake them up for breakfast; it was nearing 11, and they hadn't shown up. Tsunade had knocked on their door earlier in the morning, requesting they meet at the training grounds. He paused, noticing that only one bed was occupied. He blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing what he was.
They were sharing the same twin bed, struggling to keep the quilt covering all three of them. He sighed, and scratched the back of his neck. Smirking, he grabbed the other quilt from the other twin bed, and threw it over them, then reached across the unoccupied twin bed to open the window. He quietly left the room and shut the door. He figured he'd let them chill for as long as they wanted.
Temari looked up from her tea as Sheeva, Kiba, and Eva walked out, and smiled, greeting them.
"Did you three sleep well? It's almost two in the afternoon. That storm last night was really sudden." She teased. She knew they'd shared a bed. Kankuro had told her, and encouraged her to tease the three. Temari smirked, and continued.
"If you three are going to just share a bed, we should get you a King size from now on." Temari added, laughing at Eva's face, which had flushed red with embarrassment.
Sheeva noticed, and smirked back, her eyes flashing as she thought of a comeback to defend her teammate.
"It's a pity that you have to sleep alone in these storms." Sheeva pointed out the fact that Temari was still single. Temari paled, feeling a sudden heartache. She hadn't let herself think about dating anyone, too immersed in her current career.
Temari scowled at Sheeva.
"Oh, thanks for pointing that out, Sheeva." She growled sarcastically. Sheeva laughed, and hugged her aunt.
"You're very welcome." She said sweetly. Temari was still upset, but a smile cracked on her face.
Kiba had been looking for something to eat, and Eva was leaning against the wall, thankful for Sheeva's retort.
"Tsunade's looking for you, Sheeva. We're supposed to head to the training grounds when we're ready. I'll head over to her house and grab her; you three head to the grounds." Temari announced. Tsunade had stopped by earlier, but the three were still asleep.
"It's chilly. Take a coat, and an umbrella. Konoha's weather sucks butt."
Temari handed Sheeva a green wind jacket and a red umbrella that had been provided by the hotel, since Suna's inhabitants had little to no need for either.
"Thanks, mom." Sheeva joked, taking them and putting the jacket on, despite how horrendous it looked on her. It swallowed her small frame, the sleeves draped over her hands. Eva began to laugh aloud, helping Sheeva to roll the sleeves up.
Sheeva laughed with her, taking the situation as humorously as she could. Kiba even chuckled a little bit, hiding his smirk beneath his high collar.
"You two get a coat as well; I don't want anyone getting sick with the flu or a cold. I'd be such a terrible mother." Temari smirked, handing Eva a red jacket, and Kiba a blue one.
"I'll be fine; my temperature is naturally low. Keeps my kikaichu from baking." He mentioned, trying to put the ugly thing away in the closet. Temari sent him a glare that rivaled his mother's, and he reluctantly put it on over his overcoat, which had had the sleeves cut off.
Temari smiled as she looked at the three.
"You guys, you're all grown up, and-" she stopped to fake a sniffle, "saving people." She joked, before she shoved them out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. Kiba, Eva, and Sheeva all sighed, beads of sweat dropping from their foreheads. If things couldn't be more embarrassing… Gaara walked around the corner, stopping as he saw them.
He held back his laughter, but couldn't hide it in his eyes as he spoke to them to explain his presence. Tsunade had beckoned him here to help her with Naomi's removal. He relayed the message Tsunade had given them.
Gaara and Temari exchanged glances with each other, smirking as team three walked through the streets, wanting to die of embarrassment and shame. Temari broke away to retrieve Kankuro and Tsunade, and Eva, Kiba, and Sheeva hastily made their way to Konoha's training grounds, looking around for Tsunade. To their surprise, Naruto was there as well.
They remembered that they were wearing the raincoats, and quickly tore them off, throwing them behind some bushes, happy to be rid of the horrendous garments.
"I love my aunt, but sometimes, she can be really amazing!" Sheeva started to complain, but changed her statement quickly as Temari walked up to them with Kankuro and Tsunade. Gaara chuckled.
Tsunade sat down, face stern, as though preparing herself for something.
"Well, what's going on?" Sheeva started. Tsunade smiled, somewhat sadly.
"You're a good kid, Sheeva. Otherwise I wouldn't even be considering doing this." She started. Sheeva blinked, taken by surprise with the sudden compliment. The others looked at her expectantly. Tsunade took a deep breath, and began to explain the plan.
"In order for this to work, we need to kill Naomi. But in order to do that, we need to kill you, too." Tsunade began. Kankuro and Temari barked a "what?" in protest, but Gaara silenced them.
"You'll have to allow Naomi to take over. Do whatever you have to. Piss her off. Get her to present herself fully, so that we can kill all aspects of her. If need be, we'll attack you to make you feel threatened, in which case, surrender completely." Tsunade began. Naomi was resting in Sheeva's shoulder, and surfaced, noticing that they were talking about her.
What are they saying? She asked, curious.
You need to take over. Completely. We're getting rid of you, Naomi. Sheeva said bluntly. She couldn't allow herself to feel nostalgic. Naomi was hurt at Sheeva's straightforwardness, but she understood.
Let me speak. There's something I need to tell them.
"Naomi says that she wants to tell you something." Sheeva interrupted, getting loopy as she slid over to allow Naomi control.
"This is the first time I've been, well, exorcised. I don't know what will happen. Be prepared." She said. Tsunade, Gaara, and Naruto were the only ones that weren't shocked by the new information, being as they'd already had to deal with such matters.
Tsunade quickly formed a seal and reached into Sheeva's body with a hand of chakra, pinning Sheeva down with one hand while trying to rip Naomi out with the other. Everyone backed away quickly, not wanting to get in the way.
They watched in horror as Sheeva's body split, forming two whole Sheeva's, one Sheeva, and the other, Naomi. Tsunade dropped Sheeva, trying to attack Naomi. Naomi took off into the air, swooping down. Gaara covered Tsunade with a wall of sand, and Naomi furiously slashed at it with her tail and blades.
Naruto summoned a few clones and jumped up, grabbing at one of Naomi's wings, throwing her down into the ground. He landed, and formed a Rasengan attack with his clones. Eva cast her entrapment jutsu, encasing Naomi's body in stone as Naruto rushed forward, throwing the Rasengan at Naomi's stomach. The stone shattered, flying everywhere, and Naomi was thrown back a few hundred feet as it exploded.
Gaara's sand and Kiba's kikai protected them from the flying chunks of rock, while the others jumped out of the way to avoid the projectiles. Naomi jumped back up into the air, forming a black cloud below her, which she dove through, reappearing behind Temari.
Temari turned and blocked an attack at her head, the force knocking her back. She grabbed her fan and cast a wind scythe jutsu as Naomi rushed at her again, slowing her advance. Kankuro blindsided Naomi with Sanshuo, knocking her off line.
Naomi blocked Sanshuo's attacks, then paused to look around. She was surrounded.
Gaara had snaked some sand around her feet, keeping her bound to the ground, while Eva cast her entrapment jutsu once more, encasing Naomi in stone. Kiba swarmed his kikai around Naomi, ordering them to eat as much chakra as they could handle. Naruto created another Rasengan and shot it, sending bugs and rock flying.
Naomi barely had time to fall to ground before Temari knocked her into the air with her fan, and Kankuro fired his smoke bombs and poisoned needles. Tsunade hit Naomi in the back of the neck with chakra-laced hands, severing her spinal cord and shattering her cervical vertebra. She punched once more into Naomi's back, severing the spinal cord again and breaking the thoracic and a few of the lumbar vertebra.
Naomi fell to the ground, completely paralyzed. Tsunade turned her over and punched her in the ribs, aiming at her heart. The bones cracked and pierced her lungs and heart, flooding them with blood.
Naomi had tears falling from her eyes, and Kiba and Eva kneeled down and took her hands, holding them tightly. She died quickly, with a smile plastered on her face.
"Hm. That was easier than I thought it'd be." Tsunade muttered, turning back to Sheeva. She kneeled down beside her, calming herself and channeling her energy, forming various and unknown seals. She set her hands above Sheeva's body, a green light sinking from her palms into Sheeva's body.
She formed a few more seals, and the wind picked up as a dark blue cloud appeared in front of her. Gaara watched calmly, stopping Naruto from walking forward, as he could see it, too. The death god crawled out of it, its long grey hair touching the ground and its creepy skull face staring at Tsunade.
"What's going on?" Kiba asked, confused.
"A life for a life. It's the death god's price. 'Equivalent exchange', right, Naruto?" Gaara explained, staring interestedly at the god. Naruto smirked. It seemed it was a reference only the two of them would get. Eva began to shiver, realizing that this was a heavily priced medical ninjutsu. Kiba looked, but saw nothing.
"What are you even looking at?" Temari asked, since she couldn't see anything, either.
"Oh, of course. You can't see it, sis. Only those who have died or are going to die can see the god." Gaara explained.
Gaara and Naruto watched as the god readied a sharp claw, reached into Tsunade's chest, and tore her soul away from her body. It seemed somewhat easy, considering that Tsunade's surrender of her life was voluntary.
Gaara commanded his sand to break her fall as Tsunade fell to the side, a peaceful look on her face. Naruto went to go to her, but Gaara stopped him. He made the sand lift her body up and carry it to them, cradling it. He encased her body in a hard shell, determined to protect it.
"It's not over yet."
They watched as the god devoured Tsunade's soul. It reached around for the long, sword-like kunai strapped to its back, and stabbed Sheeva. It acted as a funnel, energy from all around the area falling into the hilt and flowing through the blade into Sheeva's body. The god summoned a bolt of lightning to strike the blade, and electrified Sheeva. Finally, it ripped the blade out, and Sheeva snapped her eyes open, staring in shock at the god. Her eyes never left it as it slunk back into the shadows from whence it came.
"Sheeva!" Kiba called out, rushing up to her. She turned her head, and stared.
"Did it... work?" She asked. He nodded furiously. He knelt beside her and scooped her up into his hold, placing kisses on her face.
"Yes, it worked. It worked!" He shouted happily. She grasped his shirt, weak and weary.
"I'm... glad." She whispered strangely tired. Regardless of having slept all night long and far into the day, she felt exhausted, and wondered what had happened to her. She let her eyes close, not worried. Someone would tell her later.
Kiba smiled, and picked her up.
"Come on, Eva. Let's go home. She needs rest." He stated. Eva nodded, and looked back at where the frightening events took place.
"Are you ok?" Temari asked, setting a hand on her shoulder. Eva snapped her head to look at Temari, and forced a slight nod of her head.
"Yeah, just... Never mind. Gotta catch up. See you later!" She called over her shoulder as she took off to catch up with Kiba. Temari chuckled and smiled, and turned to find Kankuro, not surprised to see that he was bawling his eyes out. Like a little bitch. She thought. Though, she couldn't blame him. They'd both been unsure of the outcome, and he must have just been overwhelmed with relief.
She gave him a tight hug, and patted his head.
"She did it, Kankuro. She's alright now." Temari whispered.
Nothing to say. Review if you wish.
