Author's Note: No, I'm not dead.

From what I've been told, there were rumors going around, haha. Some said I suddenly lost interest in the story, others claimed I was deliberately waiting to release the next chapter to build hype. To debunk those rumors, here I am. These chapters (yes, these...there are two for you to read at once!) are late because first and foremost I was lazy, and struggled to get in a writing mood. However, there are other reasons these chapters are later than intended. They used to be one chapter, a gargantuan 23,000 words, I also updated my other two stories, and coming back to college at the same time left me with not as much time to write. Still, now that I've settled in, I've found that I have PLENTY of time to write.

I'm not really gonna say much else, since this chapter isn't technically the most recent one. I'll have a lot to say there, though. For a reason that shall be revealed soon enough.

Here are the songs you need to worry about"

(1): /watch?v=m3oOmcy28Cw

(2): /watch?v=x2l6g_3ubdc

(3): /watch?v=lhzotCfAo7s

On with the chapter!


Book Two: Chapter 33 - Shifting Sands! Kakashi's Duel, and Shikamaru's Cunning!

(1)

Kakashi swung low. His kunai missed Yoshimitsu by inches, cleaving through nothing but thin air. The puppet's sword spun dangerously close to his nose, but Kakashi dove backwards in time. He threw several shuriken in front of him, paper bombs attached, but Monzaemon moved Yoshimitsu out of the way, and they spun harmlessly into the distance.

Yoshimitsu charged forward, until he saw the glint of the wires Kakashi held in his hand. The shuriken came whirling back in his direction, straight for the puppet's head.

But Yoshimitsu's head spun around on its shoulders, all the way around, and fire spewed from its mouth, prematurely triggering the paper bombs before they could get close. The rest of the puppet didn't even stop running; it leaped into the air and tried to decapitate Kakashi with a wide-swinging kick, but he ducked underneath, and jumped away before Yoshimitsu could attack again.

He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as Yoshimitsu turned around. Those red eyes were beginning to irritate Kakashi; safe within his mountain, Monzaemon was watching him with those eyes, watching every move he made, maybe even laughing at him. He hoped Naruto and Gaara were having better luck than he was.

"Getting tired?" he heard Monzaemon call out to him, mockingly. "Here: just stand still, and I'll take care of it for you. It might sting a little."

Kakashi didn't humor him with a response. He didn't want Monzaemon to know that his constant badgering was getting to him. The Puppet master must have taken offense, and threw Yoshimitsu towards him once again. The puppet still had its sword embedded where its leg used to be, darting in and out of what remained of the limb like a scorpion's stinger. There had been many close calls when Kakashi had clashed weapons with the puppet, as it would draw back suddenly into its wooden sheath, and Kakashi would stumble from his kunai no longer having anything to push against. The blade would pop back out in an instant, and had nearly found its mark too many times for Kakashi's liking.

His mind raced to produce a strategy. He could cut the strings that gave Monzaemon control over Yoshimitsu, but it would not be long before they were reconnected. Perhaps he could try and sever another limb, but if previous experience was any indication, Monzaemon would have a way to work around the disadvantage. He needed to take the whole puppet down in one go, and completely obliterate it. A tall order, to be sure.

Yoshimitsu jumped high into the air, and the sword attached to his leg began to spin. Faster and faster it turned, until it was singing with a high-pitched hum. A piece of wood extended from the leg, pushing the sword further from Yoshimitsu's body. Instead of landing, the puppet flipped upside down, and hovered in the air. The red eyes glowed brighter, and for a moment Kakashi could see the chakra threads. Yoshimitsu opened its mouth, and more fire burst forth. It suddenly flew forward, chasing after Kakashi.

He ran, hurling another shuriken behind him to throw off Monzaemon's aim. But the puppet's arms were still there, and grabbed the shuriken in mid-air, holding it into the flames and superheating it before it was tossed back at Kakashi. He blocked it with his kunai, but instead of glancing off with a shower of sparks, the shuriken embedded itself into the metal, forcing Kakashi to toss it aside.

Yoshimitsu switched from a steady stream of flames to bursting fireballs that exploded upon hitting the ground. Kakashi could feel the heat behind him, and embers singed the back of his clothing.

Monzaemon switched tactics, and suddenly launched a fireball ahead of Kakashi, leading him by a few feet. The Sharingan possesses great predictive abilities, but can do little when your opponent is not truly 'alive' in the traditional sense. Monzaemon had purposely forced the others to move slower, luring Kakashi into a false sense of security. The ball of flame hit the ground near instantaneously, flinging Kakashi into the air like a rag-doll. Yoshimitsu's arms reached out for him, wrapping around his torso and holding him fast.

Kakashi's flak jacket flew open, revealing paper bombs covering his chest. He dissipated into nothing but lightning; another clone. But Monzaemon acted fast, throwing Kakashi to the ground just before the bombs went off. Dust and sand flew into the air, and Yoshimitsu blew it away with his spinning sword.

The real Kakashi emerged from the ground a second time, and Monzaemon immediately had Yoshimitsu fire off several more fireballs straight at the ground, and a blanket of explosions fell across a wide area of their battlefield. Yoshimitsu kept the pressure on, this time with an explosive beam of concentrated chakra, deepening the already-wide crater.

As the cloud of dust swirled around him, Kakashi nearly stumbled in the uneven ground their battle had created. The layer of sand was especially thin, giving more evidence to Kakashi's theory, and suddenly he had an idea. Kakashi bit his thumb.

The smoke began to clear, and Monzaemon was curious to see that Kakashi was no longer alone. His ninja hounds surrounded him, in a protective circle.

"Only one guy?" Pakkun noticed with a snort of derision. "Don't tell me you need our help for just one guy."

Kakashi almost smiled through his mask. "It's a little more complicated than that. Come here for a second."

In the chaos, Yoshimitsu began firing blindly into the group. Each of Kakashi's ninken deftly leaped out the way, giving each explosion a wide berth. Monzaemon's eyes glowed with frustration, and his attacks became more erratic.

"Really now? Is that all you want us to do?" Pakkun asked, looking at his feet. A ball of fire was thrown at them, but Kakashi rolled out of the way.

The Copy Ninja nodded. "Hopefully, it'll be all that's needed. You think you can handle it?"

"Tch. It's what dogs do, isn't it?"

He barked several times, and the ninken rushed back to Kakashi.

"Ninken Ninpō: Sajin no Mai!" they cried in unison. Huge piles of sand and dirt were kicked into the air, giving Kakashi a thick smoke screen. Monzaemon tried to blow it away with Yoshimitsu's sword, but Pakkun and the others were overpowering the gusts of wind with their powerful legs, digging into the earth.

"A few dogs will not be able to save you!" Monzaemon shouted angrily. He switched back to a constant stream of fire, and recklessly flew through the cloud of dust and debris, burning everything in his path until it charred black, even the sand. His hands twisted in circles, and hollow pipes emerged from the palms, with more fire from each of them. The smokescreen lit up like a beacon in the middle of the desert, as Monzaemon hunted for his prey.

He saw something move out of the corner of his eye, and had Yoshimitsu focus all three spouts of flames on the spot, burning it to a crisp in an instant. The wooden log Kakashi had replaced his body with collapsed into ashes, and there was an audible sound of frustration.

"Enough of this!" he yelled, as Yoshimitsu's body began to shift again. "My patience has run out!"

Its arms and legs cranked and turned, folding over themselves and bulking up closer to the puppet's torso. Metal pistons dotted all three of the limbs, even some on what was left of the severed leg. They began to pump furiously up and down, and Yoshimitsu's entire body began to glow as a large amount of chakra was gathered together, the pistons churning it and kneading it among the fire in its stomach.

Yoshimitsu's mouth opened, and a bright light shone from within. Its sword was plunged into the light, bathing it in the chakra-infused fire. When it pulled it back out, it burned as brightly as the sun, piercing through the dust cloud. Kakashi and his ninken watched on in silence.

"You and your dogs have had your fun, "Monzaemon growled. "But your two friends are getting on my nerves, and require more of my attention. Die now."

He threw the sword straight towards Kakashi. He managed to avoid being struck directly, but the moment it embedded itself into the ground, the light traveled down the length of the blade, emptying itself into the desert like flecks of lightning. There was a flash, and an enormous explosion.

"What? Nothing clever to say?" Yoshimitsu taunted, searching for Kakashi. "I learned your tricks, boy. You aren't dead, so do not waste our time!"

He searched aimlessly through the cloud for a minute or so, growing more anxious with every passing second. Had he truly killed the man? Monzaemon didn't think so, yet his red eyes could not find him. The dust finally began to settle once more, and something black caught the corner of his eyes.

A chasm had split in the middle of the desert, large chunks of rock jutting out of the earth like a broken bone. The sand had been disturbed nearby, as if someone had slid towards it.

Deep within his mountain, Monzaemon stirred uncomfortably.

Yoshimitsu flew towards the hole, dropping back to the ground. The tips of its fingers popped open, revealing jagged metal teeth, used to cling to the wall of the cave as he descended into the darkness. His crimson eyes glowed in the black, casting a bloody light on all he looked upon.

The cave dove deeper than Yoshimitsu expected, deeper than he feared. He clung to the edge of chasm's wall, eyes darting back and forth for any sign of his opponent.

A kunai suddenly flew towards him, another paper bomb wrapped around it. The sharp edges dove into one of Yoshimitsu's hand with a dull thud. But before the bomb could go off, Monzaemon thrust Yoshimitsu's hand into the wall of earth at his side, and the shockwave was absorbed. The puppet's arm came out a little damaged, but far less than it would have had Monzaemon done anything else.

The cave started to decline, and Kakashi ran down the side with Yoshimitsu hot on his tail. As the puppet crawled after him, compartments in his knuckles slid back, and long wires of steel snaked across the surface of the rock, chasing after Kakashi. One nearly grazed against the back of his heel, and sparks flew. They reached out, trying to grab him, but Kakashi nimbly evaded all of them, rushing further and further into the cave. His heavy breath echoed off the walls, and Kakashi thought it sounded like a hum. But then the hum got louder, and louder, and louder still.

He was getting close.

A wire burst through a stalagmite to his left, and used the tip to try and bash his skull in. He ducked, and slid around a corner, out of Monzaemon's sight. The wires coiled back inside the puppet's hands, and it placed both of its arms together, iron fingertips forming a drill. Instead of going around the corner, Monzaemon tunneled through the rock in seconds, bursting into the cavern.

Caves like this one dotted the entire Land of Wind; a whole other world, hidden underneath the shifting sands and biting winds. Few were as large as this one, with its towering stalagmites and precariously hanging stalactites, and all other manner of fantastical formations. They were not formed by the erosive powers of wind or water, however.

They were built with chakra.

In the center, running horizontally across the entire length of the cave, was a massive section of what appeared to be a metal pipe, suspended in midair by towering support beams of steel before disappearing on either side back into the rock. Perhaps at one time it had been a relatively small cave, but as Kakashi hid among the debris on the other side, he could see why it had grown.

Chakra was traveling up and down the length of the pipe, coursing across its surface like bolts of lightning. Whenever the flow of chakra grew larger, so too did the hum grow louder. Suddenly, a thundering crack boomed in Kakashi's ears as a stray bolt of chakra struck the ceiling above him. Several tons of rock was shaken loose, and they would have fallen straight on top of him, had he not rolled out of the way. Unfortunately for him, this also exposed his position to Monzaemon, who had otherwise been unable to find him.

"There you are!" he said excitedly, the metallic grating of his voice bouncing off the walls. "I was beginning to think you'd run away, scurrying into the dark like some rat!"

Yoshimitsu crawled over to the middle of the pipe, scrambling over the side until he stood on top, reverting back to its most humanoid form. Another bolt of chakra sped across the surface of the pipe, hitting Yoshimitsu directly, but instead of hurting him, it coursed through his body harmlessly, and confirming Kakashi's theory.

"I have no doubt you are aware of what this is, hmm?" Monzaemon asked, brandishing his sword. "You've proven to be smarter than most."

Kakashi nodded. "The Ryūmyaku. What I don't understand is—"

"Why it's all the way out here?" Monzaemon finished for him. "Allow me to elaborate: the Ryūmyaku was the ultimate source of power for the once-great city of Rōran; unlimited chakra to be used at their disposal. One of the first queens of Rōran sought to spread their prosperity with the rest of the Land of Wind, including Sunagakure."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "I'm aware of Rōran. My old sensei had a mission there a long time ago, and he let me go along."

Monzaemon laughed, clapping his hands together. "My, aren't you the well-traveled one! Still, this is before your time. Unfortunately, the queen died before she could complete her project, and the pipes you see before you were never finished, all save for the pipe leading to Sunagakure, as it could have used the power most. That is this pipe."

"But the Ryūmyaku continued to exist, for quite some time in fact," Monzaemon continued. "But the new queen chose not to carry on with the project. Rōran was a peaceful city, and she did not want to spread a source of unlimited chakra to where it might be used for war. She was a smart girl, that one. And so, these pipes remained unused. Every now and then someone might try and exploit them for their own purposes, but they were always dealt with quickly."

A bead of sweat rolled down Kakashi's brow. This was bad. If Monzaemon had access to that kind of power…

The Puppet Master must have realized what Kakashi was thinking, shaking his head sadly. "Have no fear, boy—the Ryūmyaku was long sealed away by the time I got to it. I stumbled across such a stretch of pipe myself when I find my mountain."

Yoshimitsu suddenly leaped into the air, bursting fire from both arms and spinning acrobatically before landing back on the pipe. A show of skill, and nothing more. "But these pipes were built as a conduit for the chakra of the Ryūmyaku, a lightning rod of sorts. As I soon found out, any chakra can be transmitted along them…including my own. From there, I can manipulate my chakra threads as if I was there myself. Extraordinarily useful for a puppeteer, no?"

Yoshimitsu tapped its sword against the pipe. "So, you know my secret. I had never thought to make use of these until now, and they have been quite useful. Sadly, you'll be taking this secret to your grave. I have no intention of letting you live."

The hum suddenly grew louder, and Yoshimitsu's body was struck with another bolt of chakra, and it danced across his body as he shot after Kakashi. The Copy Ninja pushed himself away just before the rock in front of him exploded. Yoshimitsu's sword pierced straight through it, and continued to follow after Kakashi, held by the iron wire in Yoshimitsu's hands. Just as Kakashi got back to his feet, he was forced to evade again, as the sword crashed into the ground at his side, pelting him with debris.

Kakashi focused his attention on the Ryūmyaku pipe itself. 'If I can somehow destroy that, he'll lose control over his puppets.'

He jumped forward, and formed a rather familiar hand sign. 'Let's see if I can't take a page out of Naruto's book.'

Several shadow clones appeared beside him, and each of them concentrated a considerable amount of chakra in their hands, before the distinctive sound of the Raikiri echoed out into the cavern. In a single attack, each of the Kakashi clones latched onto the Ryūmyaku pipe, and drove their hands into the side. But instead of doing any external damage, his hands slipped right across the surface, and the chakra from his attack was absorbed into the Ryūmyaku, before dissipating.

And suddenly Yoshimitsu was there. The puppet delivered a powerful kick straight into Kakashi's stomach, sending him flying into the cave's wall.

Monzaemon giggled. "What did you think was going to happen? It's designed to transmit chakra, you fool! Ninjutsu is completely useless!"

'That doesn't rule out Taijutsu.' Kakashi grunted, blocking out the pain as he pulled himself out of the wall. 'If only I had Guy around to help me…'

Yoshimitsu was flying towards him, arms outstretched. Kakashi barely moved aside, grabbed ahold of the puppet's arm, and slammed it into the side of the cave, widening the crater he himself had just made. He jumped backwards, landing on the pipe himself, before Monzaemon could retaliate.

The puppet came crawling out of the hole, twisting it's head around to loose a rock that had budged itself in between its joints. Seeing Kakashi stand on the pipe, Monzaemon's red eyes glinted with surprise.

Two additional chakra threads suddenly burst from the Ryūmyaku, coiling tightly around Kakashi's ankles . he tried to cut himself free with a kunai he produced from his pouch, but two more threads held his arms in place, and another wrapped around his throat, just enough to yank his head back.

"For such a clever man, you do have the tendency to make stupid mistakes," Monzaemon taunted, as he jumped to the pipe. "I mean, do you really expect me to believe you were foolish enough to jump this close to a source of my own chakra?"

The puppet suddenly burst into pieces of wood, nothing more than a fake meant to distract Kakashi long enough. He cursed himself for not seeing when Monzaemon had replaced the puppet, and his eyes darted around the room as he looked for the real one.

"Oh, are you looking for me?"

He turned around to see the sword diving for his face. He rolled to the side, just before it embedded itself into the rock. Yoshimitsu gave a hard tug to the left, pulling the sword straight through the rock. Some of the pieces dashed against Kakashi's arm, but he was able to get out of the way of the brunt of it.

'I'm beginning to slip…' Kakashi thought, trading blows with Yoshimitsu with his last kunai. There wasn't much time left before he wouldn't be able to hold off against him anymore. He was able to score a powerful kick that sent Yoshimitsu flying in the opposite direction, giving him the chance to dive back towards the exit of the cave. If he could escape and chase after Naruto and Gaara…

But Yoshimitsu suddenly appeared in front of him. His sword spun rapidly in his hands, producing a powerful gust of wind that blew Kakashi backwards. Meanwhile, the puppet's head spun around, and a tiny black sphere shot out from its mouth, before exploding against the wall of the wave. Tons of rock collapsed in front of it, sealing it off.

"You're not leaving here alive, boy!" Monzaemon said excitedly. "Or did you not hear me the first time?"

"Then neither are you," a voice whispered behind him. The puppet's head spun around once more, and fire erupted from its maw, but Kakashi ducked underneath.

'First Gate…Gate of Opening!'

(2)

There was a sudden burst of chakra. Kakashi grabbed ahold of Yoshimitsu's leg, and drove his fist into the puppet's stomach, severing the limb with sheer force. Yoshimitsu was across the cave in an instant, slamming into the wall and kicking up a huge amount of dust.

A chakra thread appeared from the Ryūmyaku, hoping to grab onto the leg Kakashi had severed. But Kakashi was faster, and mashed the leg into hundreds of pieces using his increased strength before the thread could get close. It changed directions, going directly after him, but Kakashi pushed himself away before it could grab him.

Yoshimitsu stood on its hands, its red eyes glowing with contempt. "What a nice parlor trick. Do you think it will help you win?"

Kakashi grinned cheekily through his mask. "It certainly looks that way, doesn't it?"

It was his turn to go on the offensive. He left Monzaemon no time to counter, pushing the puppet's sword out of the way with his hand guards before latching onto the puppet's other arm. Fire burst forth, but Kakashi moved the flames away from himself, and redirected them back towards Yoshimitsu, torching his entire side. When Monzaemon stopped the fire, Kakashi kicked the puppet away, throwing one of his last shuriken with his last paper bomb attached to it. The explosion added to the puppet's momentum, and once again, it slammed into the wall of the cave.

He relaxed his muscles as much as he could before the strain set in. 'Second Gate…Gate of Healing!'

Kakashi could feel his entire body reenergize, spurred on by the increased flow of his chakra. Even still, somewhere in the back of his mind, the strain was beginning to set in. He needed to end the battle, and fast.

Monzaemon once again removed his puppet from the wall of the cave, curious of what had just happened. His opponent seemed to have gotten a second wind. This time, as Monzaemon pried his puppet from the rock, he said nothing.

The two clashed in midair, Kakashi with his only remaining kunai, and Yoshimitsu with his sword. The metal sang as they threw their entire bodies into it, neither of them getting the upper hand. Kakashi swung to the left to try and disarm Yoshimitsu, but the puppet was thrown backwards out of reach. Monzaemon tried to surprise Kakashi with more chakra threads from the Ryūmyaku, but Kakashi's Sharingan had been watching for them, and noticed them the moment they appeared. They raced towards him, and with a little chakra pushed into the blade, Kakashi cut them before they could even get close. Monzaemon hoped to overwhelm him by sending Yoshimitsu after him as well, but the Copy Ninja kicked the puppet away before its sword could meet his flesh.

The metal wires snaked out from Yoshimitsu's hands once more, trying to grab onto Kakashi's legs. He watched as bolts of electricity traveled up the length of the wires, closer and closer to the tips. The succeeded in wrapping themselves around him, but before they could electrocute him, Kakashi forced a smaller version of the Chidori, which is itself a scaled-down version of the Raikiri, into his hand, and grabbed onto the wires, negating the damage it might have done.

Monzaemon was giving Kakashi no breathing room, something that did not escape the Copy Ninja's attention. The Puppet Master was well aware of Kakashi's plan, and hoped to root him here, preventing him from trying to destroy the Ryūmyaku with brute force. But Kakashi didn't get where he was today by letting people get in his way.

He suddenly feinted left, and when Yoshimitsu appeared in front of him, he feinted right. Back and forth, faster and faster, using his speed to his advantage, Kakashi eventually forced Monzaemon to push Yoshimitsu in the opposite direction giving Kakashi a straight shot towards the Ryūmyaku.

His hands clenched together as he brought them together above his head. Pushing forward to gain momentum, he flied towards the pipe. Several chakra threads appeared, and headed directly at him, with no way for him to evade.

Pakkun and the others suddenly appeared, as needed. They created a barrier against the threads, and Kakashi sped through them. With a mighty heave, he threw his hands onto the Ryūmyaku, and a great dent appeared in the middle of the enormous piping.

Kakashi jumped ahead, just as Monzaemon smashed Yoshimitsu against it, and soon the puppet was hot on his tail. He could feel those red eyes burning into his back, desperate to catch him before he—

But Kakashi was faster. He landed against the wall of the cave, and pushed with his legs so hard, that he flew by Yoshimitsu without Monzaemon even catching a glimpse of him. He threw his leg high into the air, and brought it down on the Ryūmyaku. A shockwave pulsed across the surface of the reinforced pipe, and there came a deafening groaning sound.

Kakashi looked towards one end of the pipe as a light suddenly burst from within. The crack split wider and wider, and Monzaemon's chakra grew more and more erratic. A stray bolt caught one of the larger stalactites up above, sending it crashing on top of the pipe, splitting it even further under it's great weight. The sudden impact acted as a catalyst for the rest of the piping in the massive cavern, and sparks flew up and down the length of the Ryūmyaku as it began to collapse. One of the stray bolts collided against Yoshimitsu's arm, and despite it being Monzaemon's own chakra, the arm was split from the rest of the body, and clattered to the stony floor.

Yoshimitsu ignored the fallen limb, and hobbled towards Kakashi, hoping to take him down before its source of chakra was disconnected. But his attacks were blind and desperate, and Kakashi dodged them easily, even as his chakra reserves began to run dangerously low. He could feel the strain of the chakra gates beginning to weigh down upon his body, and he hoped that the Ryūmyaku collapsed before Yoshimitsu caught up with him.

And luck happened to be on his side this night. With a thundering roar, the pipe suddenly burst wide open, and a stream of uncontrolled chakra spewed forth, before dissipating harmlessly into the cave. Yoshimitsu's movements became more and more sluggish, and with an outreached hand, the puppet creaked and moaned to a halt, stopping just before it reached Kakashi.

He breathed a sigh of relief, giving a thumbs-up to Pakkun and the others as a sign of thanks. Pakkun waved goodbye with his paw, and each of the ninken disappeared one by one in a puff of smoke.

'That took more out of me than I thought…' Kakashi thought to himself, plopping down on the hard stone. He needed to get to Naruto and Gaara before it was too late; if he waited too long…

The exhaustion from opening the chakra gates suddenly spread through his entire body, like a floodgate being released. His muscles and nerves singed with pain from the unusual sensation, and Kakashi found it hard to move even the slightest bit without spasms of pain licking up and down his back.

"Time to die, fool!"

The puppet suddenly clattered back to life. With one arm, the puppet rose into the air, and its mouth opened once more. Kakashi could see what little chakra remained mixing with the fire in its belly, but he could not move out of the way; his muscles refused to obey him. His mind raced as the seconds before it was too late ticked by.

"Perhaps this puppet will be lost forever, but it will be more than worth it to take you down alongside it!" he heard Monzaemon's voice say in a high-pitched shriek.

But then, the air around Yoshimitsu's torso began to distort, twisting and shifting. The wood began to splinter, just as Kakashi's Sharingan eye began to bleed.

With a sudden crack, most of what remained of Yoshimitsu was thrown into the portal Kakashi had created. The head clattered to the floor, motionless.

"You Leaf shinobi are…harder to defeat than I originally though…" Monzaemon said, his voice beginning to fade away. "Perhaps I was right in choosing Naruto. Perhaps he will…." His red eyes began to flicker, and Kakashi could have sworn he saw strange feelings swirling around in those burning eyes. Relief, and…joy? They faded to black before Kakashi could think of it any further, and Yoshimitsu was no more.

Kakashi fell back, his head bouncing against the rock beneath his body. Kamui had not completely drained him of his chakra, but he would be of no help to Naruto and Gaara now. He struggled to maintain consciousness, his eyes fluttering.

'Looks like I have to put my faith in you once again, Naruto…You'll have Gaara with you. That should be enough.'

He allowed the darkness to wash over him, greeting it like an old friend. It was up to Naruto and Gaara now, to defeat the menace the former Kazekage had become.


The debris fell on top of Shikamaru and Hinata and the rest of their group, but it hit none of them. Before the explosion reached them, the Earth release users had formed a protective barrier around them, shielding them from the blast, as well as the large chunks of rock and hardened sand as the buildings around them crumbled. They heard a beating sound as the monstrosity outside attempted to break through their defenses, with massive wooden fists.

"What are supposed to do now?" one of the Suna shinobi asked Shikamaru through gritted teeth. With every hit, his concentration waned, and Monzaemon grew closer to breaking through.

"Nothing's changed," Shikamaru explained. "The enemy is the same; he'll think and act the same way. He just has a new puppet."

"I wish Kankurō were awake," another said. "He would know how to handle this thing."

"We'll have to try and find a weakness where we can." Shikamaru turned to Temari, who had been silently conversing with one of the older Suna shinobi who had been involved in the defense of Monzaemon' initial attack. "Does he have anything we can use?"

Temari nodded. "He ran into Gaara during their battles. All of his offensive weapons are actually repurposed; they were originally intended for defense, so if we can come up with a defense for most of his attacks, brute strength and surprise will be all he'll have left."

"Don't forget: some of your own puppeteer's puppets are part of that thing. They'll have hidden weapons for sure, so call them out if you realize what's about to happen."

The Sand shinobi nodded in agreement, and Shikamaru rose to his feet, doing his best to ignore the chaos outside. "We're gonna batter this guy with everything we've got in smash and grab tactics, and try to find a weakness we can exploit. Everyone follow my lead, and hopefully we'll turn this pile of wood into a pile of ash."

There was a cry of excitement as Shikamaru spun back around. "Earth Release users, drop the barrier, and throw it right back at this thing!"

The walls and domes of rock suddenly split open, and the massive puppet became visible again. It raised its hands into the air, ready to crush as many of the shinobi as it could, before the rock was thrown right into it, knocking it off balance.

"Spread out and look for its weakest links!" Shikamaru yelled, spreading his arms. As the shinobi ran past him, taking up a circle around the puppet, individual puppet's burst from the larger one, attempting to strike them when they least expected it. Each of their attacks missed, but Shikamaru had a bad feeling.

The barrier preventing the puppet monster from escaping was complete, and the shinobi unleashed all their attacks in unison. Wind users hurled biting gales towards its torso, while the earth users smashed at the puppet's legs. Only none of their attacks even came close. Just before they connected, the puppet's suddenly split apart, separating themselves away from the attack, before reforming once they were safe. With a hive mind mentality, every single attack was evaded.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. He could make out what appeared to be hundreds of tiny red lights. He looked closer, and watched the lights follow him as he moved to the left.

Monzaemon was watching them with his own eyes, and they covered each and every puppet, effectively giving him a full range of vision, much like Hinata's Byakugan.

The puppet straightened itself out, before dozens of the puppets forming its body shot out in all directions, connected together by bits and pieces of the more damaged puppets. Each of them belonged to a shinobi of the Sand, so as to make use of their hidden weapons, an astonishing feat considering Monzaemon had only just gained control over them.

"Watch out! A scythe blade is built into that puppet's stomach!" Temari yelled, just before the shinobi in danger was carved into ribbons. Other sand shinobi called out similar commands, helping their fellow ninja dodge the surprise attacks. Senbon launched out of hidden compartments and hit nothing, fire burned only the nighttime air, and saw blades spun rapidly with no one to kill.

But Hinata caught something out of the corner of her eye. Within the wooden skeleton, she saw a puppet's arm crawling over the others. It grabbed onto one of the saw blades, and ripped it free from the other puppet's torso, before flinging it towards one of the shinobi. She might have been killed had Hinata not pushed her out of the way. The blade thudded into the ground, and Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, jumping to her feet before offering a hand out.

"Are you alright?" she asked. The girl couldn't have been but one or two years older than her, yet she looked scared; there was the look of a genin in her almond-shaped eyes, and Hinata was filled with pity. She should be surrounded by this much death. Not yet.

The girl nodded, taking Hinata's hand. She shook a little, but otherwise seemed unhurt. "Y-yes, I'm fine. Thank you…you saved my life."

Hinata calmed her with a smile. "What is your name?"

"Matsuri," the girl said nervously.

Hinata nodded. "It's a beautiful name. Don't worry; everything will be alright. Gaara-sama and Naruto-kun are strong. They won't lose."

That forced a small smile out of Matsuri, and her cheeks flushed red with a feeling Hinata was all too familiar with. "Gaara-sama is amazing…and Naruto-san too! You're right, I should be braver."

"Hinata, look out!" Sakura cried.

A massive wooden hand was making a low sweep across the ruined rooftops, heading straight for them. Hinata grabbed onto Matsuri's hand, and leapt away before the puppet could hit them.

"Quit scurrying around like rats!" they heard Monzaemon shriek them, swatting at the shinobi as if they were flies. "Stand still!"

"As if!" Sakura rolled underneath a puppet trying to carve out her midsection with a serrated blade, and crushed the puppet's skull with one punch. She tried to hit another, but it sunk further into the hive's body, protected from harm unless Sakura wanted to risk getting too close.

"How are we supposed to attack this thing?" Sakura howled over to Shikamaru, who was slapping puppet's away with his shadow. "Every time we try to get close, it just moves out of the way!"

"Attack it from all directions, in one go!" Shikamaru yelled back, to everyone that could. "One…two…three!"

Paper bombs and shuriken. Boulders and hurricane-force winds. Streams of fire and concentrated chakra. They hurled all of these and more at the puppet's body, hoping to overwhelm it. But the puppet jumped high into the air with its powerful legs, and the shinobi had to roll out of the way to keep their attacks from hitting one another. When the puppet landed, a massive shockwave nearly knocked them off their feet. The puppet raised one leg, and smashed it against the ground, sending another through the earth. Shikamaru and the others reeled from the impact, their ears ringing.

The puppet spread its hands apart, and they watched with grim fascination as several puppets crawled towards the fingertips, replacing others.

(3)

Temari felt the blood draw from her face. "Those puppets use poison…everyone, get back!"

But it was too late. Dense gas cascaded over them, and a chorus of coughing echoed into the night as several shinobi felt their throats tightening and their lungs collapsing. Temari and the other wind users tried to blast the gas away with their huge fans, but the poisonous gas billowed from the puppets' mouths continuously, for much longer than if they had been used alone.

Finally, the gas sputtered to a stop, and the puppets crawled over one another back into the center, where it was safest.

One of the Suna shinobi grew impatient, and tried to upset the ground underneath the puppet's feet. It wobbled a little, but once it realized what was happening, the puppets on the lower half that made up its legs spread out, rooting it to the spot. Another puppet leaped out at the man, latching onto him with metal claws, before a saw blade appeared from his stomach. The man was dead in an instant, and the stink of death poured from the grisly wound.

Shikamaru bit his lip. Every attack they tried was evaded easily, with Monzaemon's many eyes watching out for any incoming strategy. They needed to fight fire with fire if they were going to succeed.

"Everyone, to the left side!" he called out, waving his arm. They jumped over rooftops and underneath pieces of broken earth, trusting Shikamaru's judgment.

The puppet began to turn around, but the process was slowed by several more shinobi upsetting its balance using the ground beneath it. At least that was something that continued to work, if only for a few precious seconds.

"How many of you are capable of using the Cloth Binding Technique?" Shikamaru asked, spying several people identify themselves. "Good. All of you, attack it's left arm. Wind users, I want you to batter the right arm to keep it from freeing itself. Earth Users, and anyone else with decent aim, try to keep other puppets in their place. That way, it can't get out of the way."

Everyone rushed to their positions, just as the massive puppet lumbered over to them. As bolts of cloth were unraveled to begin their attack, Shikamaru turned to Hinata.

"You're needed most of all, Hinata."

"What do you need me to do?" she asked, strangely confident.

"Naruto's told me about a certain technique you created; a technique that I'm very interested in seeing what it can do."

Hinata's thoughts turned to Naruto. She said another prayer, pleading for his safety, and thanking him for his confidence in her. She nodded silently to Shikamaru, and braced herself for what was to come.

The Suna shinobi had just captured the puppet's left arm. The monstrosity tried to pull against them, but some of the Earth release users, opened small holes to dig their heels into. As the puppet's left arm swung across its chest, Temari and the others threw it away with huge gusts of wind. Rocks and shuriken and anything the shinobi could get their hands on pelted the massive puppet from all sides, slowing the individuals trying to get out of the way.

Hinata and Shikamaru shared a look, and she was off. As she jumped into the air, several puppets tried to stop her, before slender black tendrils of Shikamaru's shadow pushed them out of the way. More appeared in front of her, prying open a spot in the puppet's torso. She tucked her head close to her chest, confident in Shikamaru's strategy. Puppet's reached out to her, trying to grab her or rip her apart, but the Suna shinobi kept her safe, holding them back with bolts of cloth or threads of chakra, widening the gap until Hinata was in the very center. Some of the more damaged puppets, those who could no longer be used for offense, were the majority here. She quickly found stable footing, and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

And everything became clear. As her eyes focused, she could see an immensely complicated system of chakra threads and puppetry, powering the beast as she stood in its belly.

"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!" she cried, and began to strike.

Thousands of pieces of concentrated chakra burst from her fingertips, sharpened into fine needles using her precise chakra control, and her natural flexibility left no puppet safe from her attack. With incredible accuracy, Hinata began to dismantle the network that the puppet used to attack, severing hundreds of the chakra threads at once. The massive puppet began to rattle and convulse, as the weaker puppets fell from their protective hive.

Without even saying anything, everyone understood what Shikamaru had planned. While most of the offensive puppets were occupied, they jumped down to the others that had fallen, destroying as many of them as they could. Sakura lead the assault, smashing puppet after puppet under bloody knuckles.

Meanwhile, Hinata did not let up. Even though she could see some of the stronger puppets crawling towards her, she continued to attack, focusing as much as she could. She thought of everyone she ever wanted to protect, of everyone she had ever cared for. She thought of Naruto, and his warm smile.

There was a sudden whirlwind of chakra as her precise needles turned into vast scythes of chakra, slicing into the puppets themselves as well as the strings of chakra that held them together. Everyone watched in awe as Hinata Hyūga obliterated half of the massive puppet in seconds.

"Annoying little pest!" they heard Monzaemon cry out in frustration. Several of the puppets suddenly switched targets, rapidly growing close to Hinata. Shikamaru acted fast, holding them in place with his shadow while Sakura leaped up the puppet, grabbed Hinata, and pulled her out before she was attacked from all sides. The moment she left, the puppet began to collapse in on itself. Puppets were crushed underneath the weight of others, and they struggled to find a foothold as the system holding them together was thrown into complete disarray.

"Use this to our advantage!" Shikamaru yelled across the village. "Bring it down, bring it down!"

And so they did. With their combined efforts, the shinobi of the Sand and of the Leaf toppled the amalgamation of puppets, battering it ruthlessly.

Sakura landed beside Shikamaru, with Hinata in tow. "Hinata, that was amazing!" she said, unable to stop herself from gushing. "You took that thing down like it was nothing!"

Hinata blushed under the attention, shaking her head with embarrassment. "Thank you, Sakura-san." She was suddenly struck by exhaustion, her chakra levels lower than she had expected. It had been a long time since she had used that technique, and it left little else in her, even with her excellent chakra control.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Even in the midst of a battle, Hinata was polite. Shikamaru whistled, catching their attention.

"Sakura's right, Hinata…I'm glad Naruto told me about that. Maybe we didn't stop this thing, but it's power has been cleaved in two, at the very least. If Monzaemon could fall for it again, I'd use the same strategy in a heartbeat."

"I'll be damned if I let you trick me again!" Monzaemon cried out, struggling to get the puppet back on its feet. Indeed it began to rise, but the collection of puppets had nearly been halved from Hinata's onslaught. The result was a puppet of a similar shape to what they had faced, but much smaller.

The puppet leaped into the air, higher than before because of its decreased weight, and several limbs joined together to form a propeller of sorts, allowing the puppet the ability to hover in midair, and granting it much more maneuverability. Several puppets crawled to the edge, and opened their mouths, raining thousands of senbon down upon them.

They were blocked or deflected with ease, but something didn't feel right. After Monzaemon had taken such a blow, to have him attack with such predictability was something that did not sit right with Shikamaru.

He was right. Upon closer inspection, he saw that many of the senbon and paper bombs wrapped tightly around them, making them hard to spot. Monzaemon must have concocted these out of sight from the rest of the Suna shinobi, which is why Temari or the others did not realize what was happening. A clever trick, with deadly consequences.

Shikamaru attempted to cry out, to warn the others of what had just happened, but his voice was overwhelmed as explosions dotted around the village. Shikamaru watched in horror as several shinobi were completely disintegrated in the colliding blasts, and even Temari and Sakura were hit by the shockwaves they created, tumbling backwards. Hinata had seen them coming, but just like Shikamaru, had been too late to say anything before they went off. She pulled as many away as she could from the flames and smoke, but for some of them, there was little they could do. Two shinobi placed themselves in front of Sakura and the only other medic available, giving them some room to begin healing who they could. Sakura's chakra reserves had dwindled during the course of the fight, but there was still plenty left for her to help some of the more dangerously wounded, while the Suna medic worked on the lesser injuries and getting them back into the fight.

"I will not allow you to regain your strength!" Monzaemon said angrily, throwing his puppet towards them. "My patience is running low with all of you, especially this brat and your precious Kazekage!"

Hinata's heart swelled with hope. That was a good thing to hear, that Naruto and Gaara were succeeding. He made no mention of Kakashi, but Hinata was not worried. The Copy Ninja had lived through far worse.

Shikamaru appeared by her side. "It's obvious that with your help, we can beat this guy. I want you to lead the Wind users in the next attack."

Hinata nodded, and hurried over to Temari and the others with their war fans. Shikamaru himself trudged over to where the earth users were, currently protecting anyone that either Sakura or the other medic had yet to get to.

"Half of you, batter his left side while the other half hits at his right. At the same time, go!"

Torrents of wind whipped past his body, slamming into Monzaemon's puppet on either side of them and pushing the puppet backwards as it tried to claw at those closest to it.

"Hinata, split this thing in half!" he yelled, making a downward motion with his hand. Hinata stepped forward, and concentrated the necessary chakra into her palm. There would be little remaining after this attack, but Hinata wanted to do what she could to help. Her muscles strained, and the blood throbbed dully in her head, but she forced the stress back down, and thrust her arm forward.

"Hakke Kūshō!" Targeting what Hinata guessed to be the puppet's weak spots, a huge blast of air erupted from her hand, without the puppet even realizing an attack had been launched. Suddenly, the puppet's body split into two giant pieces as the wall of air carved through its midsection. Immediately the other puppets reached out to try and reconnect themselves, but Shikamaru was waiting for that.

"Wind users, push them apart! Earth users, keep those hunks of wood from getting too close to one another!"

Blasts of wind from Temari and the others forced the two halves of the puppet further apart, and anytime one or two reached out to try and reconnect the halves, a wall of stone would block their path, before shoving them back into the hive.

From afar, Shikamaru threw something towards Hinata. She caught it, a single shuriken. Upon closer inspection, she found a paper bomb hidden inside the hollow ring of the shuriken, something she guessed Shikamaru didn't want Monzaemon to see. A glance passed between them, and she could see the two others in his hands. They knew Monzaemon could see what they could, but they did not know if he could hear. Best to keep Shikamaru's plans a secret until they were needed, to hold onto the element of surprise.

One of the Suna shinobi stepped to take the shuriken from Hinata's hand, having previously been told what Shikamaru planned. He looked to Temari, who nodded silently before whispering something to her fellow Wind release users. They unfurled their fans to maximum width, and with great heaves, brought up massive amounts of dust and sand, covering nearly a third of the village in a thick smokescreen. Monzaemon attempted to blow the dust away, but controlling the puppet had become more difficult now that it was split into two pieces, and Temari and the others kept the pressure on, masking their movements.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and the other shinobi with the shuriken, flung it towards the large puppet's feet. While in midair, they formed several hand signs, and three shuriken became over thirty, thudding into the ground by the puppet's feet, a paper bomb hidden in each.

Hinata looked to Shikamaru to see if he thought was she thought, and indeed there was a knowing look in that furrowed brow. He silently feared he asked too much from Hinata, but she shook her head, reassuring him that everything would be alright.

She leapt into the air once again, with much less resistance from Monzaemon this time, since his puppet was split into two parts, both parts equally struggling against the combined assault of both the Earth Release users, and the Wind Release Users. As she hovered in between the two halves, a pillar of earth rose from beneath, to give her a platform to stand on.

"Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō!" she cried out once more, taking the necessary stance. Monzaemon was getting careless, and this time the threads of chakra were much easier to spot, and as a result, easier to hit. Hundreds of tiny chakra needles launched from her fingertips, slicing through the threads with ease. The two halves began to collapse into dozens, falling right down on top of where Shikamaru had planted the shuriken. Hinata waited a moment, before throwing out several more chakra blades, piercing through the centers of the shuriken, and striking the paper bombs hidden within.

Thirty lights dotted the village underneath Monzaemon's puppet, and thirty explosions covered the puppet with fire and black smoke. Hinata felt Shikamaru's shadow wrap around her pulling her to safety. She meant to land on her own feet, but her chakra levels had been strained even further, and she slipped and fell to the ground, hard. Shikamaru rushed over to make sure she was alright, but Hinata waved him off, and slowly wobbled to her feet. Her head was bleeding, and she was breathing heavily, but she was proud, and smiling.

"I don't know what we'd have done without you, Hinata," Shikamaru said, shaking his head in amazement. "You should be a jōnin by now."

Hinata was stubborn. "You mustn't think like that! If it was not for you, we never would have gotten as far as we did, with as little effort as we did. You handled this in a way I c-could never dream of."

Temari appeared beside them. She was covered in dust and grime, but otherwise remained relatively rested. "She's right, you idiot. Quit being so hard on yourself all the time."

Sakura was the last to join them, taking a quick break to allow her muscles a few minutes to relax. During the last part of the battle, she had been concentrated entirely on healing as many shinobi as she could, and was just as low on chakra as Hinata was. But she had saved many lives that day with her skills, and was happy despite her exhaustion.

They looked around them. Lives had been lost, but not nearly as many as Shikamaru had once feared. Dozens of the village's structures had been completely obliterated during the battle, but homeless for a few weeks was better than dead, in any case. The other Suna shinobi began to crowd around them, cheering on the Leaf shinobi as they had cheered on Gaara. Shikamaru grunted, looking to the ground, Sakura waved awkwardly, before rushing off to heal some of the others. Shikamaru warned her not to overdo it, stating that her health was just as important, and Sakura agreed quickly before she left.

And standing on the edge of one of the ruined buildings, Hinata stood alone, watching the clouds above drift by. The smoke began to clear, revealing the tattered remains of Monzaemon's puppet army, now spread out all over in pieces. Her legs suddenly gave out on her, and she fell backwards to the rooftop. It hurt, but she didn't seem to mind. There was a serene look in her soft features, and a strange look of happiness in her eyes.

'I have you to thank, Naruto-kun…' she thought to herself, smiling and watching the moon glow. 'I…I think I've come so far because of you, because of your kindness and love.'

She held a hand to her heart, closing her eyes. 'Please…be safe. I want to see you again, and to make things right between us. Come back to me safely, Naruto-kun.'

"You shinobi should really be more attentive to your surroundings!"

Her eyes flew open once she recognized the voice as Monzaemon's. She scrambled to her feet, and searing pain spread through her body. There was not much else she could do than look around, trying to pinpoint where his voice had come from. But his voice had come from everywhere, all at once, and Hinata felt a horrible feeling in her stomach.

The remaining puppets lay scattered around nearby, but they soon began to shake and clatter, rising into the air. Their lifeless eyes glowed red, and they all fixed upon a different target.

"My control over these puppets is waning; I have the one you called Kakashi to thank for that," Monzaemon explained. The puppets he controlled began to glow blue, and Hinata could see chakra mixing in their stomachs.

"But before I leave you to your victory, why not try and slaughter as many of you as I can?"

And with that, the puppets flew. Everyone had been taken by surprise, even Shikamaru, and they scrambled to defend themselves. Hinata wished she could be with them, cursing herself for separating from the group, but a puppet appeared in front of her as well, and she barely got out of the way before a large spear pierced her shoulder. With a shout, she blasted the puppet to pieces with another wall of pressurized air, before falling to her knees. Her chakra had nearly been spent, but at least she was safe. She watched from a distance as the other shinobi defended themselves. She had been luck in destroying her attacker so quickly; the chakra in the stomachs of the puppets were like a kind of bomb, exploding with tremendous force, hoping to kill those close enough.

No one was being caught in the explosions, and Hinata sighed in relief. That is, until she spotted a figure out of the corner of her eye.

In the confusion, they had drifted further and further away from where Kankurō lie, unconscious. His breathing was steady, but Hinata saw another puppet heading straight for him, crawling along the ground with a rusty sword.

The strength in her legs came rushing back, and with great effort, she leaped down to the ground to chase after it. She stumbled forward, almost tripping, but did not slow. If she could just make it there in time, to get Kankurō to safety…

Shikamaru saw her running towards him, and his blood ran cold. "Hinata!" he had called out, but she did not hear him.

Time seemed to slow all around Shikamaru. He watched as Hinata ran on and on, closer to the puppet as the puppet drew closer to Kankurō. He watched as she grabbed onto the blade before it could pierce his heart, as the blood spurted from her hands across the puppet's face, and as the sword carved a shallow canyon across her stomach.

He watched helplessly as Hinata pulled the puppet to the side, away from Kankurō's body, before a thunderous explosion covered them both in light. Another figure suddenly appeared between them, but Shikamaru could not make out who it was.

"HINATA!"


Author's Note: I have nothing to say here, so go ahead and get to Chapter 52! You know you want to, after a cliffy like that.