The Pantheon of Nine
By: Finn Mertenz
A/N: RedditHivemind - Instead of critiquing my plot, you bitch about the words I use, constantly. Even when you do focus on something relevant, it never even happened.
This is a problem, your obtrusive lack of clarification, and the inability to see what's happening. If you simply typed "Slurred Define" or "Glare Define" into google, you'd see.
For example, you ask how is "Neji up and talking to people" in chapter 27, "after Naruto stabbed him". The problem is, Naruto never stabbed him, he was stopped by several Jonin.
It's the small statements that make your entire argument a waste of time. You read my story, but perceive your own separate story, complaining about something I never wrote.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO NOT CLAIM TO OWN NARUTO.
Chapter 141: Clash Of Kunoichi! Where The End Began.
Saturday 1:46pm, October 25th 58SSP.
Sharpened edges of iron collided in the midst of a barren forest, chilled by the upcoming autumn. The extended length of a grass cutter blade parried a shortened tantō, shredding the air.
The scarlet gaze of a three-tomoe Sharingan was met by grey sclerae, drained of color and life. Confronted by the same mentor from his childhood, Sasuke blindly glanced past Shisui.
Seeking all drive and determination, he tried time-and-time again to reach his estranged brother. But this visage of betrayal continuously strayed from his reach, laden with black robes.
"Geez, you're feisty today." Shisui chuckled.
Slashes were parried as fists were caught and flung shins were blocked, an exchange of blows. Trying to tip the balance in favor of their sensei, Neji, Lee and Tenten moved as one group.
"Leaf Hurricane!" A youthful voice echoed.
Lunging forth, this orphan of Konoha spun like a spiral, wiping hardened legs like a lasso of flesh. However, these kicks were intercepted before reaching their mark, caught by Itachi.
Flinging his attacker aside, this resurrected Uchiha tugged on rustling strands of hair, stricken by wind. Studying this hasty action, flattened flats were raised aloft as white eyes bulged.
"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji's vision beheld the chakra world.
Charging towards the singular opponent between him and his sensei, this budding Hyūga swiftly sped. Swiping with wide girth, every jab was thrust with the precision of Byakugan.
To most, these honed pupils would herald the end, but their perception was tested against Itachi. Retaining the enhanced Sharingan from his life, the spiraled shape of a Mangekyō spun.
Caught by this abysmal gaze, Neji froze as reality plunged into a endless void, lacking in light. Profusely covered in sweat, he choked on terrors from the deep, illusions of the mind.
Adrift in this sea of darkness, white flowers sprouted in vast number, a field of bleached petals. Contrasting this tone, their center pistil's were vibrant and crimson, as bright as the sun.
Imprinted over a hundred times, the twin image of a Mangekyō flashed, pulsing like organs. The shuriken-styled iris they displayed rotated like windmills, a cascade of moving shadows.
Hypnotized and impaired, this mirage of Genjutsu felt like an eternity before a friendly hand impeded. "You're so cute when your sleeping." Tenten teased, breaking the hold on his mind.
"Allow my youth to burn!" Lee was ecstatic.
Jumping from a rickety branch, it broke beneath the stagnant weight of his muscles, trained daily. Grinning with pearl-white teeth as he hovered above the forest, linen hand warps were unwoven.
Infused by mental commands, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd gates were bust open, swollen with chakra. The network of veins throughout his body suddenly throbbed, engorged across red skin.
Barreling towards the earth with empty eyes of white, the compact pressure behind one foot sheered. Flinging this cocked limb without looking, he knew better than to lock gazes with Uchiha.
An advantage and weakness, he managed to strike Itachi's scalp, split into a hostile flock of crows. Hard to pin down, squawking birds flapped and shed several feathers, blanketing the land.
"You boys would be lost without me." Tenten smirked.
Stretching two hands into the pouch on the back of her waist, a scroll was swiftly drawn and unsealed. Retrieving the iron husk of a crossbow, kunai were shoved into its slot for ammunition.
Launched by the rapid spam of her trigger, their hilts were wrapped with explosive tags and kanji. Impaling half of their intended targets, miss-shots detonated into an eruption of flame.
"Did you train them all by yourself?" Shisui hummed, catching a vertical blade with bare hands.
Beyond the point of words, Sasuke's will was fueled by familiar power that wasn't his own. Easily noticed by the original caster of its technique, the signs of Kotoamatsukami became apparent.
"Out of my way!" Spit anxiously spewed.
As white snakes slithered from stretched sleeves, they entangled their undead opponent. Bypassing this obstacle, the heir of the Uchiha frantically searched the thickened air for clues.
Chasing crows as their soared to freedom, various bundles were bisected, skewered and slain. Forced to take form together, Itachi's upper torso was coated by a shroud of wilted feathers.
Stopping his sibling's advance with the edge of a kunai, this collision of weight sent him back. Swapping direction, Lee sought to halt this nimble ninja, prevented by swung feet to his ankles.
Tripped and knocked over by Shisui, this older brother of Konoha giggled, offering a weak apology. Gifting a helpful hand, it was swatted aside by twirling legs, a stout display of Taijutsu.
"Toouuuhh!" Lee howled with a stretched jaw.
Holding himself aloft with partially layered palms of linen, he hastily strolled in a stiff handstand. Walking with forearms instead of feet, legs were flung and bent towards his spry target.
Moving with a smile, Shisui's slanted tantō blocked the dirtied soles of Lee, an exchange of muscle. Yearning to test his own might, Neji was never far behind, treating team like family.
"Get serious! For once!" Neji's eyes were as pure as milk.
No longer the condescending child from his youth, this shinobi of the Hyūga was proud yet loving. Risking all for the same 'friends' he once mocked, he fought with the dread of loss.
Always optimistic, their black-haired opponent naturally gave them advice, complimenting their skill. "Put more thrust behind your swing!" Shisui effortlessly halted a flattened palm.
The best in his class, and a tireless warrior of melee, the students of Sasuke fought beneath trees. Leading their prey into an ambush, Tenten cut a wire of iron from the safety of a branch.
Causing an avalanche of disheveled logs, their tumbling girths were easily sliced by a honed tantō. Shredding a collage of splinters, they fell like a hail of pricked needles, razor and filed.
The distance this onslaught created was the length of four broken and sprawled oaks, lain over earth. Forced to stall in face of such opposition, only Lee's blood-red skin stood in defiance.
"Your form is amazing!" Shisui brushed the sprinkled wood from his attire.
Frustrated by this constant string of words, his tone remained genuine and sincere, true to statement. Despite the undeath he was raised from, no insidious or hostile intention was bore.
Catching a blind side-swipe from Neji, even this prodigy of the Hyūga failed to land a decisive blow. Faced against a terror from the 3rd Shinobi War, a man many shinobi rightfully feared.
"When you're attacking from the flank, don't cast a shadow." Laughter trailed afterwards.
Midday and during the height of autumn, rays from the sun beamed like iridescent lightning. Withered husks of lumber basked beneath them, the shrine for a battle of generations.
Either trusting his students, or distracted by repressed urges, Sasuke vanished into the forest. Chasing the swirled and crimson patterned gaze of his brother, orange leaves starkly blew.
Meanwhile.
"Get the villagers to safety!" Daikoku Funeno pled.
Narrowly recovered from Orochimaru's invasion, hosts of the dead now struck the same nation. Konoha was besieged by shinobi that once served it, manipulated by Naruto's chakra.
The earth shook as cobbled debris was blown, spilt from the concrete hull of tumbling buildings. Children screamed as parents scurried to save them, running between alleys to hide.
Directing towns people from atop an orange shingled roof, he slapped his neck as pain rang. Squashed under hand, the pancake outline of a mosquito leaked fresh blood and guts.
"What's happening?!" Iwana surged forth.
Jumping from streetlamps to the roof, the visible pupil of his right eye was exposed and squinted. Scanning the western edge of Konoha, the air was quiet while smoke rose in the distance.
"Anbu are still guarding the walls! No one could've snuck in!" Suzume pushed her glasses up.
Garnishing attention, a geyser of flame ravaged the stacked stone of a five story apartment block. Half way across their village, these three Chunin sought to intervene, speeding fast.
However, their hurried movement was quickly shot down by multiple swarms of chittering beetles. Shinobi in their own rite, they all managed to avoid its girth, even by length of an inch.
"An Aburame?!" Daikoku slurred.
Bending an oaken branch as he landed on a barren tree, chubby hands were clasped into seals. Weaved and waved, the ox, horse and tiger seals gave life and chakra to his technique.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Fat cheeks bulged with flame.
Spewed like a torrential cloud of embers and soot, its consecutive propulsion cleaved a shockwave. Singed and seared, thousands of beetles roasted beneath its heat, falling from the sky.
Gawking at this depiction, plummeting insects resembled a mirage of hail, crunched, burnt and black. Still, Suzume refused to lower her guard a second-time, glaring in every direction.
Jostling the horizon beneath a gentle breeze, desolate streets were shrouded by clouds above. Burrowing from the innards of roasted beetles, thousands of spiders gushed to met eyesight.
Scrambling to avoid them, Iwana rolled from the roof as Suzume vanished into a lingering puff of smoke. Launching a barrage of sticky silk, a dozen strands of web conjoined the landscape.
Seeking to bisect these strengthened strings, Daikoku drew a twin pair of kunai, precisely thrown. Capable of cutting cloth, piercing flesh and damaging bark, their metallic edges failed.
Poised against spiderwebs with the density of rock, iron tools broke upon collision, flaking shards. Flanking a swarm of casting spiders, Suzume used Wind Style to slice their numbered legs.
Cut off after mere moments of intervention, she was knocked aside by a swayed wave of three hands. Barreling through a thin collection of walls, glasses fell loose as planks buried her.
"Uuah-...?!" Iwana's sole eye gawked.
The revived heir of the Aburame clan, Shino was brought back from the dead, a mirage of the past. Grey sclerae from three eyes were hit by vibrant rays from the sun, sparkling high.
Far beyond the ordinary strength of his clan, the revitalized Senjutsu of a Spider Sage throbbed. Possessing six forearms inside of two, this fallen ninja old became a blight on his village.
Now, confronting three Chunin on their quest to save Konoha, he blockaded their advance. Wearing the same tan and torn trench coat from his life, it ended too soon, cut short by Naruto.
Meanwhile.
"This way!" Asuma coughed.
Lunging from roof-to-roof, he was trailed by the Hokage's advisor and former student, Shikamaru. No time to change for combat, they still wore the ceremonial kimono's of their clan.
Explosions rippled and rang as pillars of smoke permeated the skyline, a village under invasion. Reminded of his failure to save the 3rd Hokage, Asuma sped with shuffling feet.
Rushing to investigate, streets below were filled by panicked crowds, fleeing to hidden bunkers. Drained and weakened, over half of Konoha's military was gone, fighting in far-off conflict.
"So much smoke... How many are there?!" Shikamaru strained to count.
Separated from one another by a concurrent barrage of sphered flame, cinders echoed outward. Melting rusty rivets, aged gutters of iron fell against the road, more debris of destruction.
Blindsided in midair, the son of Hiruzen turned and spun, kicking the flaked forearm of Kurenai. Stunned and astounded by this revelation. his mouth fell open with a trembling jawline.
Berated by fists, Asuma was punched in the gut, uprooting tiled shingles as he hit a distant roof. Scrambling to respond, Shikamaru rolled from a hail of kunai, piercing deep into a tree.
A love interest in life, that was left behind once Naruto murdered her, struck by a rod of chakra. Now, Kurenai invaded and torched the village that raised her, commanded to destroy shinobi.
Mentally jumping through hoops, Shikamaru drew a singular cigarette from his mouth, swiftly lit. Helping him think, a gentle breath of smoke poured from flared nostrils and an opened mouth.
Missing the scarlet tone from her eyes, they possessed an identical hue to dark clouds overhead. Not allowed to speak, a sole stream of tears silently fell, turning cheeks wet and glossy.
Rising like a tsunami of muscle, Asuma's swung fist was caught by his zombie-like girlfriend. Petite and slim, Kurenai was still a Jonin of Konoha, experienced and empowered by undeath.
Tripping the bulked outline of her boyfriend, his thighs and torso were kicked in a hasted blur. Catching the dirtied sole of her shoes, Asuma had no ninja tools to fight with, left at home.
Preforming the rat seal, trails of smoke flailed as a stiff shadow stretched forth, fueled by chakra. Infused to extend, its length was dampened by the clouded skies above, truly dark.
Avoiding this blanket of darkness, Kurenai twirled from harm, kicking her former teammate. Causing linen to scoff the unhinged shingles of a roof, flipping upright in record speed.
Cursing the misfortune of a cloudy horizon, Shikamaru inhaled a steep breath of smoke. Burrowed and faceplanting the soiled earth below, he earned a stout slap to the back of his scalp.
"GET THAT OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" Yoshino Nara yelled at her son.
A Chunin and loyal kunoichi of Konoha, the mother of Shikamaru was accompanied by her husband. Dressed and prepared for combat, their flak jackets were paired with swollen pouches.
A true mom, she was extremely strict and overbearing, chastising her son for his habit of smoking. Tied into a ponytail, she flicked several strands of brown to the side, infuriated.
"Go get the council... Help them plan a counterattack." Shikaku yawned.
Wiping drool across the deer-furred vest he wore, the scent of Saké was stout upon his breath. The head of his clan, and a leader in the defense for his village, a kunai was drawn.
Tossing this metallic object to the grip of Asuma, his free hand was used to push Shikamaru. Shoved into a garbage can below, it rolled down a slanted hill before striking a stone wall.
Having no time to waste, this heir of the Nara fully stood before running through the street. In the memory of Choji, he couldn't fail now, not when the Land of Fire needed him most.
Meanwhile.
"Lady Elder!" An Eagle-masked Anbu searched.
Landing in the center of the Sarutobi compound, porcelain masks of a Catfish and Chipmunk followed. Answered only by a distant eruption of fire, the sound of strapped iron soon overwhelmed it.
"I already know!" Biwako snapped.
Crushed dead grass beneath the armored sole of black shinobi shoes, mesh armor covered her. Mostly concealed by a tinted bodysuit she wore, ankles and wrists peered through the ends.
Cracking aged knuckles, twin gloves were sewn with the steel symbol and seal of Konoha. A Jonin and master surgeon in her own rite, she was more than just a widow, she was a rock.
This was a simply fact for Konoha, and many of the shinobi nations, their ninja risked everything. Because for these warriors, it was more than devotion or loyalty, it was a way of life.
"Currently, you'd be too much of a risk..." Her ire turned to Tsunade's gut.
"Met up with Anko, and evacuate the civilians." Crows feet narrowed as she vanished in a blur.
Moving mere moments ahead, this guardian of the leaf was aided by a squad of elite Anbu. Placing everything on the line to secure the home she loved, like the fallen husband she mourned.
In the face of this danger, Tsunade wrapped two hands around her bulging and swollen stomach. A final gift from Jiraiya, she sought to protect and nurse the growing child she carried.
Meanwhile.
"What's happening?!" Ami panicked.
Holding crossed arms in front of squinted eyes, the street she traveled was littered with rubble. Striving to navigate their planned evacuation route from the Academy, many failed.
"I can't see through this smoke!" Hibachi coughed.
Unagi, Matsuri, Hibari and Futaba traversed the village-turned-battlefield with anxious shock. Each step poured greater trepidation into these budding shinobi, another trauma of youth.
Already scarred from the first, famed and failed invasion by Orochimaru, dread overcame them. Last time, the 3rd Hokage gave his life to save them, and now, he no longer remained.
"I'm scared!" Futaba tugged her hat.
Pink and puffy, its girth stretched over a well-trimmed scalp of blond, denoted as a Yamanaka. A frightened member of this fabled clan, she cried for her mother, slain during the last attack.
Seeking safety, the path they traveled was disrupted by scuffled feet and clanging kunai metal. Fighting a defensive battle, Iwana and Daikoku utilized a combination of Fire Style.
Even Suzume did her own to assist, casting Wind Style: Great Breech to hew a number of trees. Merging with flame and cinders, a gigantic tornado of heat swirled into existence.
Propelled towards a maze of webbed silk, the strings of a sage remained adamant, too hard to melt. Breaking congealed plaster and planked walls on collision, the street devolved into ruin.
"My hat!" Tears grew as harsh currents bellowed.
Hoping to retreat inside adjacent alleys, each was blockaded by piled debris and demolished stone. Stuck in place, the most advanced of these students couldn't even control their chakra.
Only the shredded remnants of clumped embers saved them, dispersing a weak stack of rubble. Slouching as balls of flame fell, the skyline resembled a hail of orbed cinders and fire.
"Leave it!" Hibari grabbed the hand of her friend.
Moving from Shino's radius of destruction, these future shinobi ran, protected by the risks of others. Now, as more and more ninja died to save them, their number of rescues grew few.
Without any teachers to guide them, or any shinobi to save them, they blindly ran from gored harm. Once tranquil streets of Konoha devolved into a pit of death in the midst of daylight.
Meanwhile.
"Where's Shikaku?! We need him!" Choza's red mane jostled.
The living head for the Akimichi clan and a father well-experienced in loss, he wouldn't lose his home. His wife too joined the defense, Chōchō, a plumb and thick kunoichi with short black hair.
"We don't have time to look!" Inoichi followed.
A sensory type Jonin, he mentally scoured the damaged landscape for signs of struggle or threat. Escorting the coupled pair he traveled alongside to battle, where ever it laid in the village.
Met by a familiar face, Shikamaru panted with relief, sliding to his backside atop an orange roof. Not alone, Homura and Koharu loomed, dressed in old armor from the 1st Shinobi War.
"We only have one target confirmed, what do you know?!" Koharu interrogated Ino's father.
Despite the inferno's that raged, very few had seen the faces of enemy, reanimated and flaked. Many that did never returned to report their findings, missing in action on the battlefield.
Discussing numbers, strategy and a means too counterattack, another explosion cut them off. A reserve of Konoha's best and brightest remaining ninja, they all rushed to end this threat.
Gathering stray Chunin and masked Anbu on approach, this delegation swelled in size and might. Dispatched to save their village, each of them was willing to lose all for the home they loved.
Like Choji, Kakashi, Tobirama and so many others, their own safety came second to others. Rushing to secure their streets, save their civilians and beat back their unknown enemies.
Meanwhile.
Desolate and rustic, the pebbled streets of Chin were fragmented by spiked columns of coral. Impaired by these bony surfaces of scarlet, Raiga gripped the bleeding wound on his side.
Old, aged and hunched, Gennō stumbled in vain to gather balance, broken from previous bouts. Sharing this injury, Ranmaru's ankle was snapped, unable to stand or stir, stuck like a child.
A Genin and shinobi in his own rite, the battle he beheld was far beyond him, wrecked chaos. Spires of crimson were hewn by thrust fists, empowered by months-long focus of chakra.
Originally violet, the diamond upon Sakura's stomach pulsated with an emerald aura and glow. The center of a dozen lines, green segments stretched over flesh, both naked and concealed.
Snagging the hurled limbs of Isobu, his armored hull met a mighty match, the student of Tsunade. Given conscious control by his jinchūriki, the dreaded three tails was stout and stern.
The only kunoichi in miles able to aid, strands of cherry-blossom hair fell as she wrestled a demon. Far beyond the weak student that studied under Iruka, she was a ferocious defender.
Every moment of failure led to this salvation, a chance to redeem herself in the eyes of others. Too regain Sasuke's respect and admiration, the complete center of all focus and resolve.
Deserting her family to train, losing Naruto to betrayal and Kakashi to the cruelties of shinobi. The reality of conflict was etched upon many, all scarred and tortured by the Cycle of Hatred.
This endless rotation gave rise to the battle she now engaged, slimy ooze clashing against coral. There could be no retreat or redeployment, only the rigid success of victory, no matter the cost.
Evading the sprouted girth of a thousand red ligaments, a miniature forest of coral spread out. Intercepting a bundled pair, Sakura severed them at the base, thrown like precise javelins.
Against most, these honed spears would've broken through, but Isobu's shell was hard and old. Jabbing a swung fist in its failed place, weighted impact crashed upon an adamant surface.
An ethereal spirit in the shape of a turtle, the student of Kakashi was unable to break through. Even the ninja that watched became mesmerized by this exchange of blows and might.
The strength of colliding swipes dislodged surrounding earth, roads and homes into splinters. Freshly rebuilt houses were torn asunder by sheer shockwaves, suffering an onslaught of old.
Not since the Era of Demons had the world been subjected to such dismay and destruction. Escalating with each strike and staggered attacks, their strength was perfectly matched.
Hoping to save Ranmaru from this distraught sight, Sakura led a trail onto exterior outskirts. Chasing this pink prey, Isobu's girth slithered across barren rock, a desolate landscape.
Leaning towers of stone tumbled as these battling titans raced, creating their own paths. Scaling and sliding across the countryside, the remnants of an opened and rusted door laid.
Orochimaru's northern hideout, abandoned, emptied and haunted since Naruto's intrusion. Failed experiments were extinguished while hidden secrets remained under shadows.
Partially ruined and collapsed, no maintenance or repair could be spotted, withering over time. Luring her stalker into these winding tunnels, Sakura vanished beneath darkness.
Relentless in his pursuit, Isobu's spiked hull surged through eroded doors of steel and bolts. Only a pair of frontal limbs were visible, clawing and rabidly dragging himself forward.
Searching abyssal corridors with a singular sclerae of red, its pupil was the tone of honey. Vertically slatted and slim, a steep groan coated the air in front of his armored jaw and mouth.
Obscuring his left gaze, plates of shelling enveloped it, out of sight and enshrined by safety. Still, this lack of duel vision failed to hinder his staggering hunt, tearing at chipped walls.
A brick in the road for this approaching scourge, several unhinged doors of metal were hurled. Blockading the sole hall ahead, three tails stiffened as Isobu rammed straight through.
Protruding from thickened hulls of iron, his crimson glare was promptly battered by knuckles. Propelled backwards, a dozens networks of stone, concrete and iron broke beneath him.
Central foundations for the steep mountain above, it tumbled and gave way, an avalanche of dirt. Narrowly escaping this plummeting debris, Sakura rolled from dislodged boulders.
Eventually hit by exterior rays of light, the sun was dimmed by clouds of rumbling thunder. Parting for a hail of rainfall, a blanket of drops fell upon a forested terrain of scarlet coral.
Treading free of the earthen maw that imprisoned him, Isobu's howl rebounded off stone. Drawing orbs of blue and red, tangible spheres of chakra merged into one significant blob.
Turning violet, the pulsing outline of a Tailed Beast Bomb writhed in form, primordial and old. Noticing this distinct hue of purple, Sakura caught a falling cylinder of rock, the size of a cliffside.
Chunked with heaved limbs of muscle, pebbles fell from its tossed and encroaching summit. Surging earth was hastened by its gravity, dampening demonic roars that rebounded below.
Buried under this pinnacle of rock, the light from Isobu's Tailed Beast Bomb faded from sight. Swiftly reignited by a combustion of chakra, this interruption evolved into a geyser of fire.
Spreading throughout every nook of Orochimaru's hideout, forgotten halls melted into ooze. Searing everything with heat, tsunami's of flame and cinders washed over the environment.
The only opponent against these canals of ember, Sakura stood upon an overbearing edge. Sinking into the tanned terrain, she sought safety in the stone, eluding harm and singed ash.
Still, this spectacle of flames wrecked havoc upon the land, a calamity of chakra and rage. So destructive was its radiance, the stormy clouds above parted for its rising girth of smoke.
Sweltering and swollen like a nova of doom, natural stone crumbled beneath waving cinders. Further along its fiery width infected the land, the fallout of a premature detonation.
As fiery boulders ricocheted from this torrent of death, they imprinted craters and ravines. The demolition of this land ravaged all to see, quickly trailed by burnt layers of black ash.
Emerging from the extent of this inferno, Sakura lunged from cold and chilled plains of earth. Brushing clumps of mud from pristine strands of pink, she caught a sprouting branch of coral.
Time-after-time, muscular hands halted this advance of scarlet, a deterrent to destruction. With each mixture of flesh and marine skeletons, Isobu rose above cracked and crumbed plateau's.
Utilizing his own coral, Isobu managed to scale a steep cliff in pursuit of his blossom prey. Climbing higher, weathered stone chipped and fell beneath his weight, hunting relentlessly.
Clenching a treacherous boundary of rock, three shrimp-like tails curved with peeled defense. Deflecting the falling girth of a dozen boulders, height ascended even further beyond.
Traversing tipped elevations of pulverized gravel, swept outlines of hardened forearms lashed. However, every blow was matched by Sakura's steady strikes, enveloped by an emerald glow.
Soon, clouds were casually passed as their ascension continued, nearing the throat of the sky. Reaching this secluded highland of untouched rock, a field of flowers strangely bloomed in autumn.
An identical hue as Sakura's wavering hair, their petals were crushed by sliding soles of shoes. Illuminated only by the freshly exposed sun, viridescent lines glowed with defiance.
Scoffed and stained from the failed aftershock of his Tailed Beast Bomb, Isobu's plating dazzled. Engrained soil rolled below his thrashing mass, devoid of hind legs and unable to stand.
Ruining and wrecking vast swathes of barren land, the outskirts of Chin Village suffered the most. Dismantled and razed by forests of coral, no oaken lumber remained, weeded out.
Quaking and tremored, this leveled landscape endured even greater onslaught, a clash of titans. Baring clenched fists against one another, a fierce vacuum of air rippled from their battle.
Overwhelming and explosive, this tangible emanation blew the knot from Sakura's headband. Isobu himself lost frail sections of armor, shattered from the stiff ligament of his right arm.
Blindsided by a swung tail, Sakura's naked abdomen was struck, expelled across a lush plain. Smearing the gorgeous jewels of nature below, crunched petals were pressed against earth.
Shaking off a pool of blood that dripped from her mouth, no time could be given to pause. Evading another jab of shelled plating, the claws of a demon dug a mile under rock and stone.
Pebbled dirt flung in all directions as emerald eyes narrowed, obscured by jostling particles. This spectacle of seclusion was swiftly aided by sprouting forests of coral, spiked and sharp.
Shattered and broken in a thousand angles, countless blocks of dislodged terrain speckled the sky. Stationary and still upon a descending segment of rock, visible chakra coated Sakura's feet.
This was the high degree and level of her chakra control, one of Kakashi's three prized students. So honed, her focus was even greater than Sasuke or Naruto, a pinnacle of meditation.
Crouched in place, this kunoichi of Konoha was awash by fleeting debris, searching with emerald eyes. Spotting a brief glimpse of silver, she snagged the fleeting outline of her headband.
Hastily tied, she lunged from a muscular limb of red tissue, breaking through cobbled dirt and stone. Fighting in the midst of a falling avalanche, Isobu grinded against a loose array of dry land.
Knotting the rewrapped outline of her headband, Sakura intercepted her foe with a fierce headbutt. Dispelling adjacent soot upon the sheer impact of metal and plating, thunder roared.
Dented and scratched, the headband of Konoha bore vast scarring from Isobu's armor hardened skull. Bruised and beaten in a similar manner, green-lined forearms parried grey spikes.
Faced against a demon from the old, Sakura's will sparkled as bright as green pupils in the sun. Legendary tenacity, that was the resolve burning inside, determined to show her value.
As these metaphorical colossi exchanged tidal waves of might, they steadily neared the ground. Too distracted by one another, they were oblivious and unconcerned to their collision.
Soon met by pre-existing forests of coral, the student of Kakashi gripped a razor edge with valor. Sliding down its slanted girth, she was trailed by Isobu's hull, breaking branches below.
Rendering the landscape into a drought of destruction, only emptied craters and scarred rock survived. This southwestern edge into the Land of Lightning was forever changed overnight.
If Tayuya's past abandonment and Jūgo's rampage wasn't enough, Chin Village continued to suffer. Losing every single occupant, its recent reconstruction was utterly crushed by conflict.
Brought to the brink of this skirmish, Sakura panted as the emerald diamond on her stomach fluttered. At the same time, sections of armor lazily fell from Isobu's bulked silhouette.
Both faltering in the face of exhaustion, neither was willing to back down, putting everything on the line. Again, they charged and scuffled, cutting cloth and tearing a turtles shell.
This wasn't the desired goal or ending, dreamed of years ago, when she first set eyes on Sasuke. A student and heir to Tsunade, Sakura already surpassed Shizune's years of training.
Achieving the Strength of the Hundred Seal was proof of her growth, finally catching up to her team. No longer did she rely on others, or cry the names of those she sought to save her.
Instead, her stance was rigid and firm, evading harm until a sole spear of coral sprouted from below. Impaled through her shoulder, gritted teeth absorbed its aftershock of pain.
Grabbing Isobu's engorged throat of armor, her free palm ensnared a swept tail, promptly ripped off. Leaking tangible drops of crimson chakra, this Perfect Transformation began to fade.
Doubling the pressure upon her opponent, Sakura's empty hand was raised into a clenched fist. Flung against the tissue-exposed chin of Isobu, powdered dust rang from a craved ravine.
Greater still was the burden for such a blow, surpassing the allotted chakra she precariously stored. Draining the final pigment of tone from the diamond on her chest, she fell to one knee.
Unable to take advantage of this weakness, Isobu himself was no more, losing power and conscious. Shifting control back to Tayuya, turtle plating fell alongside crimson strands of hair.
"Stupid bitch..." Only two words could be muttered between her breath.
Clutching the tattered cloth of her red clouded robes, she smiled, snickered and spat a series of insults. Never one to waste an opportunity, she sought to clarify her role in the world.
"If you had more faith in Naruto, you'd see how stupid you really are." She bite her own tongue.
Both brought to their limit, neither could move in time for the approaching boulders overhead. Remnants from the demolished mountain they fought atop, shadows and rock consumed them.