Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.
Chapter 37: True Pain
Kurotsuchi rushed at the orange-haired man, who dodged the slash aimed at his chest before he tried to use the opening she left to try and reach her with his hold. However, Kurotsuchi was faster than he was and she quickly recovered, using her former momentum to throw another swing at the Akatsuki member.
The man quickly jumped back to avoid her blade but couldn't stop the sword from slicing his arm. He created some distance between them to hold his blood-soaked limb as he analyzed Kurotsuchi with a critical eye.
Kurotsuchi also took this chance to survey the damage she had done as She smirked in satisfaction. The fight had just started and she had already inflicted a nasty wound on her opponent. It was too soon to tell but it seemed as if this guy wasn't that skilled compared to the Akatsuki she had faced in the past. Still, she knew that there had to be other Akatsuki on the loose. The fact that no one else had arrived yet to help her meant that the other ninja had to be busy with greater threats.
And right on cue with her guess, Kurotsuchi heard a loud shriek thundering all around her. Following that, she saw a giant bird starting to circle the sky above her. She managed to see that the animal had thee legs and a drill-like beak along with the same purple eyes as the man she was fighting. She guessed that the bird had to be a summon if its bizarre appearance was any indication.
She didn't have time to wonder anything more about the strange creature before it dived at her with surprising speed.
Kurotsuchi threw herself to the side, evading the bird as it went past her and returned to the safety of the sky. She cursed under her breath. That had been closer than it should have been. She felt her body to be slower and weaker than usual, no doubt because of her neglect in taking care of herself these past days and missing some proper nourishment and rest. She knew that she had to end this quickly. In her weakened state she wasn't going to win a war of attrition.
The bird repeated its previous attack, once again diving rapidly in her direction.
Kurotsuchi made some hand seals before spitting a large stream of ash from her mouth. The bird veered to the side hastily and avoided the attack as the ash-like substance splattered itself all over the place but the bird kept its course towards the Kunoichi.
Seeing as her Jutsu failed, Kurotsuchi steeled herself for her next move. And as the giant bird was about to reach her, she jumped in the air at the last second, going over the summon as she made more hand seals. ''Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu!(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)'' Kurotsuchi spat the biggest fireball she could muster that it enveloped the animal.
The bird gave a cry of agony as the fire collided with its back, taking it off-course before it crashed into a building that collapsed on top of it, burying the summon in debris.
Kurotsuchi sighed in relief, glad that the strange creature had been dealt with.
''You are wide open''
Kurotsuchi couldn't even dodge or turn around before she felt a hand grab her head from behind.
She went agape in shock when she felt her body go completely numb before she was brought to her knees.
''Damn it! I got careless'' Kurotsuchi berated herself. She had been too busy dealing with the summon that she failed to sense the orange-haired guy from before sneaking up on her. She had underestimated how weakened her state was if her senses were failing her like this. Along with that, she could feel her thoughts getting less focused the longer the man had his hand on her.
The man for his part, just stood silently as he held her head with an impassive look on his face. ''Hmmm, so you and the Kyuubi are quite close'' muttered the man to himself.
Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that comment. How had he know about that?!
''Maybe a bit too close'' Added the Akatsuki member condescendingly.
Realization hit Kurotsuchi as she finally figured that the bastard was somehow reading her mind. She barely had the strength to bare her teeth in fury. She felt violated to know that this guy was going through her most intimate thoughts as he pleased.
''Maybe if I kill you that will bring him here'' Commented the man before he started pulling a transparent substance from her.
Alarmed, Kurotsuchi felt as her remaining strength started to leave her body rapidly as if her very life force abandoned her. In her urgency, she barely summoned enough strength to move her fingers, commanding a chunk of the ash she spat before to shoot itself at the orange-haired man.
The Akatsuki member dodged the ash aiming for him, but at the cost of him releasing the girl as he stepped back.
As soon as Kurotsuchi was free from his grasp she slammed her palm on the ground, causing a large spike of rock to erupt behind her and impaling the Akatsuki member.
The man coughed up a ridiculous amount of blood as the sharp rock lifted him off the ground and went through his chest. He squirmed for a few seconds in vain before he finally stopped moving.
Kurotsuchi was on all fours as she took quick ragged breaths. Cold sweat rolled down her brow as she saw the drops of liquid hit the ground she was staring at. That had been too close. She had literally felt her life leaving her body back then. If she hadn't been able to pull off that last stunt she had no doubt in her mind that she would not be alive right now.
Finally, she stood up despite her shaky legs before she regarded the impaled man behind her who even in death still seemed to stare into her soul with those deep purple eyes.
She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the now deceased Akatsuki member. That guy had been so weak in direct combat but that ability of his was something that she had never experienced nor she wished to experience again. And that weird bird hadn't been normal either. Just what sort of freaks were they dealing with? With such bizarre Jutsus she couldn't afford to lower her guard even when they seemed like pushovers.
However, she had to continue on her way. These guys had to be looking for Naruto and she would be damned if she let them find him.
She gave one last look at the fallen Akatsuki to confirm his demise before she went further into the village.
After a while, she got closer to the center of the village and she now could properly survey the chaos around her. Buildings were being ruined left and right, the sounds of battle were everywhere around her both close and far while terrified civilians ran past her to seek refuge.
Then, she spotted a giant rhino smashing through a building and running off with numerous Shinobi following after the beast in an effort to stop it.
Kurotsuchi had the suspicion that there had to be more than a few of those summons rampaging Konoha if all the destruction around her was any indication.
She was about to give chase to the berserk animal when she noticed a cloaked figure slipping away through an alleyway.
Even though Kurotsuchi had barely managed to spot it had been enough to notice the red clouds on the figure's cloak. She quickly realized that the person had used the rhino as a distraction to slip by.
Kurotsuchi didn't waste any time to chase the Akatsuki. After following straight through the direction the mysterious person had run off she was led to a big building when she heard a pained scream that was shortly cut off coming from inside it.
Kurotsuchi regarded the place and noted that it was some kind of storage building.
She didn't want to run head first blindly into a place where an enemy could be waiting to ambush her, so she channeled some Chakra to her feet and silently ran up the side of the building to peek through a window and analyze the situation inside.
Once she had vision of the inside of the place she saw dozens of people crammed in the storage building. They didn't look like ninjas as they didn't have any kind of gear on them and were dressed in everyday clothes. Also, there were elderly and small children among them. Kurotsuchi knew that they had to be civilians refugees.
She also saw a dead Chunin by the door while another was being held in the air by his neck by a tall man wearing the Akatsuki uniform.
The man was bald but had metal spikes sticking out from the top of his head. He also had the same metal piercings and purple eyes as the rest of the invaders.
''Where is the Kyuubi?'' Asked the Akatsuki to the man in his grasp.
''I'm not selling out a comrade'' Said the Chunin with gritted teeth, barely managing to talk.
''Admirable, but futile all the same'' Said the man before he lifted his other arm as several tiny missiles protruded from it as if it were a machine and aimed at the crowd of people in the back of the building, ready to fire.
The civilians begged for mercy as other yelled for help while the small children and some of the adults cried in fear for their lives.
''You bastard!'' Said the Chunin with a deadly glare.
''If you care about these people's safety you will tell me where the Kyuubi is'' threatened the Akatsuki with his weapons at the ready.
''I don't know where he is'' spat the Chunin. ''I wasn't given details, I swear!''
''I see'' Said the man before he regarded the crowd of fearful civilians. ''I have no use for any of you, then''
''No! Run!'' Commanded the Chunin to the people but it was too late, in the next second the missiles from the Akatsuki's arm lit up and they homed towards the defenseless citizens.
The civilians cries for help and mercy were deafening. They quickly curled into a ball and braced themselves for the explosion. But before the missiles arrived a thick wall of stone arose from the earth, taking the brunt of the subsequent explosions and shielding them from the danger.
Realizing that they were still alive and unharmed, the people slowly started to stand up and open her eyes and saw a Kunoichi with her palms on the ground that had come between them and the oncoming attack. They quickly concluded that she was responsible for the protective wall that had saved their lives.
''Are you guys okay?'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she stood up and turned to them. She didn't know what had Prompted her to act but she just couldn't stand by and see innocent people get slaughtered.
''We...we are fine'' muttered one man, noticing in surprise the Iwa headband on the girl's forehead. He recognized her, and he guessed that most people here did too. She was the Iwa Kunoichi that wandered around the village from time to time.
''Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!'' Said a woman between tears as she held a crying baby in her arms.
''Don't thank me just get out of here!'' Said Kurotsuchi before she made some hand seals and slammed her palms on the ground, causing a chunk of rock to hurl its left from the floor to a wall and a section of it crumbled to the ground, creating an opening to the exterior. ''Go, now!''
The civilians were still a bit shaken from all this ordeal but they complied at once and started escaping through the hole.
Meanwhile, the Akatsuki member stared in wonder at the stone wall blocking his view from the people he had been trying to murder. Then, the earth in front of him erupted and Kurotsuchi came out of a hole in the ground, taking a swing of her sword towards him.
The Akatsuki member blocked the blade with the metallic contraption in his arm as Kurotsuchi pushed her attack.
He dropped the Chunin to the ground before a sharp black red emerged from his now free hand and lunged at the tomboy.
Kurotsuchi ducked under the attack and threw a kick at the man's stomach, putting some distance between them. ''Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)'' she spat a rather big fireball that forced the Akatsuki to retreat back outside to avoid it. ''Is he some sort of puppet or what?'' Wondered the girl.
Taking advantage that the enemy was out of the immediate vicinity, Kurotsuchi turned to the downed Chunin. ''You there! Go and look for help, I'll hold this guy here!''
''Y-Yes at once!'' Said the Chunin as he got to his feet and rushed out of the building, knowing that he was no match for the Akatsuki member. The best course of action would be to retreat and get reinforcements.
Kurotsuchi also exited the building with haste to see the robotic man from before standing just outside.
The Akatsuki turned to see the Chunin rushing off into the village and he pointed another hand at him to stop him. This time, the fingers receded back into the hand as a cannon formed on the palm. Light started to gather in the cannon, preparing to fire. Then, just before he shot, an ash-like substance was hurled and stuck itself to the cannon, obstructing it and making it explode in self-destruction as the blast was trapped in the chamber.
The man turned to look at Kurotsuchi with a stoic look.
The Iwa Kunoichi stared at the missing arm of the Akatsuki with a smirk on her face. The man could have weird abilities but even he had to be at a disadvantage with only one arm.
Then, the Akatsuki grinned mockingly while Kurotsuchi stared in disgust and horror as two more faces materialized themselves at opposite sides of his head and he grew four more arms, two at each side.
''Oh crap'' was the only thing Kurotsuchi had the chance to think before the freaky man extended all five of his arms to her and more missiles emerged from them and fired themselves, leaving a smoking trail as the rain of explosives homed on her.
She quickly spat yet another fireball that caught a good number of missiles and set them off, making the loud cloud of fire block her view of the man as the rest of the missiles still made their way to her.
She made another stone wall immediately in front of her, jumped on it with both feet sticking to it before using it as support to kick herself away, leaving a huge explosion behind as her wall was shattered by the missiles. As soon as she touched ground she jumped to the side to avoid another missile, and she started doing backflips as she left a trail of smaller explosions that she narrowly avoided with each jump she did.
Then, she found herself surrounded by the projectiles so she put her hands on the ground as a dome of earth was erected around her, making the last batch of missiles collide with it, enveloping the area in flames.
As soon as it was over, the dome collapsed and Kurotsuchi came out coughing and waving away the smoke and dust that clouded the entire vicinity.
Then, she let out a silent scream as a long metal blade pierced her back. The Akatsuki had used the smoke as cover to sneak behind her and impale her, only for her to disappear in a puff of smoke and five more copies of the girl came out of the surroundings with their blades poised to pierce the man from all sides.
The Akatsuki used his machine-like arms to catch each and every blade aimed at him, albeit just barely. He had been lucky that he had just enough arms as the girl had copies.
Kurotsuchi and all her clones gritted their teeth as they continued to push their blades at the man, slowly starting to slice into his limbs. She finally felt like she had him on the ropes. But a long tail-like blade came out the man's back as he swung it in a circular motion around him, dispelling all the clones and throwing Kurotsuchi away.
The girl hit the ground with a pained yell, and as she tried to get on her feet she let out a cream of agony at the pulsating pain in her leg. She brought a hand to her thigh to feel a deep cut along her leg. She saw in alarm the Akatsuki starting to approach her in her vulnerable state and she used her arms to back away as fast and far as she managed but it was still painfully slow due to her wound.
The man towered over her like a predator, his long blade hanging behind him like a scorpion tail ready to strike.
Kurotsuchi gripped her sword firmly, ready to parry the incoming attack despite her poor position on the ground.
The man raised his blade to skewer her when Kurotsuchi saw the area around the Akatsuki's head start to distort in an inward manner as if being sicked by a small black hole. The machine-like man realized too late what was happening before his head was sucked into the void and he fell unto the ground like a rag doll.
Kurotsuchi sighed in relief. that felt like the hundredth close call this day.
''Kurotsuchi!''
At that moment, Yugao landed beside Kurotsuchi and she kneeled down to check on her with a worried face. ''Are you alright? You are injured''
''I'll be fine'' Said Kurotsuchi with an uncomfortable grimace as Yugao checked on her wounded leg. Regardless, she was glad to see the ANBU captain.
''Luckily we arrived just in time'' Said Kakashi as he approached the two girls while covering his Sharingan eye with a hand in pain at having used the Kamui.
''We need to treat this wound,'' Said Yugao as she pulled out some bandages from her pouch. ''I'm not a medic but I can at least patch you up''
''Thank you'' replied Kurotsuchi before Yugao went to work on her leg, pouring some alcohol to disinfect the wound before she started wrapping it up.
''Did a Chunin tell you I was here?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, remembering the ninja she helped escape.
Kakashi nodded. ''Yeah. We crossed paths and told us you were fighting Pain''
''Pain?!'' Asked Kurotsuchi in surprise. ''The leader of Akatsuki?''
''The same,'' Said Kakashi. ''Or at least one of his bodies''
''What do you mean by that?'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she endured the pain of her injury while Yugao took care of it.
''It seems that Pain can control several bodies at once while the real one hides them from a safe distance,'' Explained Kakashi. ''That's why every one of them has the same eyes and they share the same field of vision''
Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in realization. So that's why all the guys she fought had the same purple eyes. They were the same man. But she hadn't expected the leader of the Akatsuki to be such a freaking coward to hide while his meat puppets did all the work for him.
''It's done,'' declared Yugao as she finished adjusting the bandages. ''Can you walk?''
Kurotsuchi rose up slowly from the ground, wincing painfully and stumbling a bit as she did so but with some difficulty she found her footing. ''I'll manage'' Said the girl.
''Don't push yourself too hard,'' Said Kakashi. ''Leave the direct combat to us, you can give us support. In your current condition you are in no shape to be engaging Pain''
Kurotsuchi frowned in displeasure. She hated feeling useless in a fight but she knew that Kakashi was right, she wasn't going to be able to fight well like this. ''I understand''
Kakashi nodded in satisfaction, glad to see that she understood. ''Anyway, we should hurry. I heard that Tsunade-sama is going to fight Pain herself. We should back her up as soon as we can''
Kurotsuchi felt relief at the news. If the Hokage herself was going to take the fight to Pain this had to be over soon, right?
''Wait, guys. What is that?'' Interrupted Yugao as she pointed to something in the sky.
Kurotsuchi focused her eyes in an effort to see better. She could indeed see something floating over the village but whatever it was had to be very far away.
''I think it's a man'' commented Yugao as she analyzed the shape of the floating figure. ''How is he even flying?''
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the figure in the sky. He had a bad feeling about this. That had to be another Pain. Whatever he was doing couldn't be good.
They stood still, waiting for the floating man to do something, when they heard a thundering sonic boom as they covered their eyes at the intensity and a massive shockwave was released from the man which started expanding with great speed, extending for miles as it touched the ground.
The trio looked in shock and disbelief as the shockwave starting tearing through the village in its wake, leaving nothing but rubble behind as it continued growing outwards and towards them.
Kurotsuchi felt her body being thrown into the air along with her two companions and their surroundings, going limp and losing consciousness before she even hit the ground.
-hours later-
Kurotsuchi stirred as she opened her eyes with great difficulty. She felt as if she had been tackled by an ox. Her whole body ached and her leg especially was throbbing in pain.
Her vision was blurry at first but slowly she started to make out the figure of Yugao laying several feet away from her with dust and fragments of concrete covering her motionless body.
''H-Hey!'' Kurotsuchi managed to shout, albeit with great difficulty and a raspy voice. Getting no reaction, Kurotsuchi feared the worst and she started crawling towards the older woman.
''Yugao, can you hear me?'' Said Kurotsuchi once she was almost on top of the ANBU. Still no response from the older woman. Kurotsuchi put a hand on Yugao's shoulder and shook her gently, being careful to not hurt her in case she broke something.
Seeing that nothing was working, Kurotsuchi took off her gloves and put two fingers on the older woman's neck. Kurotsuchi let out a sigh of relief when she found a pulse. At least the ANBU wasn't dead.
''You don't have to concern yourself, I'll take care of her''
Kurotsuchi was startled at the unfamiliar voice as she saw a white and blue slug the size of a small dog crawling over the still body of Yugao.
''What the...'' muttered Kurotsuchi at the sight of the slug. She hadn't realized the animal was there. She concluded that it had to be a summon.
''Sorry if I startled you,'' Said the polite animal. ''I'm Katsuyu. Tsunade-Sama called me to tend to the wounded. But how things are, even I can't get to everyone in time''
At the summon's sad tone of voice, Kurotsuchi finally thought to take note of her surroundings, and she widened her eyes in astonishment and shock as words died in her mouth. There was nothing but ruins and destruction as far as the eye could see. Every building, every house, every store, gone. From the tallest tower to the benches on the street, everything had disappeared and only rubble and dirt had been left behind.
''Konoha...Konoha has been...'' Said the girl, having difficulty processing the situation.
''Destroyed'' Finished Katsuyu with melancholy in her voice.
Kurotsuchi couldn't think of anything to say as she surveyed the ruins of what once was one of the strongest villages in the elemental nations.
There had been a time where she would have jumped in joy at the notion of Konoha's destruction. But even if she were still stuck in her own ways she was sure that nothing would make this sight pleasant. These buildings had been bursting with life and the streets filled with unaware civilians not hours before, and now everything was gone, and the inhabitants were either laying somewhere barely clinging to life or they had been buried beneath the debris.
That thought was only accentuated when she finally noticed the faint screams of agony and despair at the distance all around her. No doubt coming from the survivors.
She clenched her fist in rage at the thought of all the friends she had made here being dead. Thinking of all the people here that she had come to care for being buried beneath the remains of their former home just because of the ambition of a madman, it simply made her blood boil.
She couldn't stay here. She could still do something! She resolved as she tried to get to her feet, holding back a cry at the pain in her leg.
''Don't move, you will only make it worse!'' Warned the slug. ''I'll take care of that injury when I'm done with your friend''
Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth, ignoring the concern of the summon. ''I'm a proud Kunoichi, not some prissy princess. If I can still do something I will'' she got to her feet, doing her best to withstand the pain and keep herself standing.
Once she got up he spotted Kakashi laying in a pile of rubble several yards away.
''Kakashi!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi at the copy ninja in worry, but just like with Yugao she got no response.
''He is unconscious but he is in stable condition'' Said Katsuyu which caused Kurotsuchi to notice another small slug clinging to the limp body of Kakashi. It appeared that the slugs were somehow linked between them for Katsuyu to reassure her with such confidence.
Kurotsuchi was glad that her two companions weren't in any life-threatening condition, but that didn't mean that she could stay there doing nothing. ''Then I'll leave my friends in your care. I'm going to go find-''
Kurotsuchi was interrupted as the echo of what sounded like an explosion was heard a good distance away.
''What was that?'' Wondered Kurotsuchi out loud.
''Naruto. He is fighting Pain right now'' Said the small animal.
Kurotsuchi could have sworn that her heart stopped at that moment. Naruto was back, and he was fighting the monster that singlehandedly destroyed Konoha!? She couldn't allow him to face Pain alone, she wasn't going to let that bastard kill the boy she had come to care so much for.
''I understand how you feel,'' Said Katsuyu, already guessing what the girl had in mind. ''Naruto has gotten stronger. Their fight is at another level. In your condition you will only get in his way''
No, the slug didn't understand, she couldn't understand. Kurotsuchi had this sinking feeling in her stomach. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew that something was wrong, and she would be damned if she stayed here while Naruto was out there risking his life.
Despite the injury in her leg and Katsuyu's attempts to stop her, she started rushing towards the general direction of the explosion she heard.
She stumbled but caught herself before hitting the ground and she continued her sprint, holding back a groan as she held back tears of pain due to the intense soreness in her leg.
She passed several mountains of rubble that had previously been buildings, along with corpses of both ninja and civilians alike, but she didn't stop, she couldn't afford to.
So she just ran, unconcerned for her own well being. She didn't care if she hurt her body beyond healing. She wasn't going to let Pain get away with this and she wasn't going to let her last interaction with Naruto be her being a bitch to him. She was going to help him and put things right. He needed her more than ever and she wasn't going to let him down even if it was the last thing she did.
After a while, she finally managed to see an Akatsuki member standing far away in an open field with someone laying at his feet.
She felt her blood run cold at the sight of the figure laying down before Pain. She couldn't make out who was it from this distance but she suspected it had to be Naruto. Fearing for her boyfriend's safety she quickened her pace even if her own body protested against it.
As she closed the distance her fear turned to anger once she confirmed that the person at Pain's feet was in fact Naruto. He was wearing a red coat over his usual attire but there was no doubt it was him, but he seemed to be pinned by several metal rods stabbed through all his limbs, bolting him to the ground.
''Yoton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu! (Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' Kurotsuchi spat a blob of quicklime at the leader of The Akatsuki, putting more focus on making it as corrosive as she could.
Pain felt the attack coming, and he simply turned around serenely as the attack was blown away just before it touched him, all without moving a single muscle.
''You again'' Muttered Pain as he narrowed his eyes at the nosy girl.
Having recognized the Jutsu used, Naruto turned to look in shock and horror as Kurotsuchi arrived at the scene. ''Kurotsuchi, don't come, get away!?'' Pleaded Naruto.
Kurotsuchi stopped a few yards away from Naruto and Pain, analyzing the situation but not before she took a moment to regard her boyfriend. ''Naruto, hold on. I'm gonna get you free!''
Naruto shook his head furiously. ''Listen to me, he is too dangerous! Just run! I'll find a way out of this!'' He didn't want to see Kurotsuchi die for a conflict she had nothing to do with.
''I can't do that,'' Said Kurotsuchi, managing to give Naruto a heartfelt smile despite everything that was happening. ''We said we were going to beat all hardships together, remember?''
Naruto widened his eyes at her. He could feel the warmth behind her words. He had missed hearing her talk to him like that especially after last time they saw each other. However, he was quick to return to the situation at hand and was ready to protest before he was interrupted.
''You are brave for coming here, girl,'' Said Pain. This one had short spiky hair but he had the same eyes and hair color as the rest of the bodies Kurotsuchi had faced until now. ''But ultimately you stand no chance against me. Leave now and I'll let you go. I'm after Uzumaki Naruto, I care nothing for what you do. This is the only warning I'll give you''
''Fuck you, I'm not abandoning Naruto. You know where you can stick your warning'' Said Kurotsuchi defiantly as she glared at Pain.
''No...don't do this...'' muttered Naruto, fearing for the life of the girl he loved. Why did she have to be so stubborn?!
Kurotsuchi stared hardly at Pain with determination. Her main objective was to free Naruto as fast as she could. But the wound in her leg reduced her speed drastically and made maneuvering almost impossible. Not to mention that she was very low on Chakra. All things considered, she knew that she wasn't going to last long. Her next attacks were going to be her last as she only had enough energy for a couple more.
''Have it your way,'' Said Pain with a glare of his own. ''You have gotten in my way for the last time''
Pain swiftly took out another black metal rod while he extended his other hand towards Kurotsuchi. ''Bansho Ten'in! (Heavenly Attraction of All Creation)''
In horror, Kurotsuchi felt her body rocket towards Pain as if being pulled by an invisible force. She saw Pain ready his weapon, preparing to finish her off.
She acted quickly and she spat even more corrosive goo that became affected by the gravitational pull of Pain's Jutsu and it shot itself at him.
Pain realized what she tried to do so he was forced to break the Jutsu, causing Kurotsuchi and her attack to hit the ground harmlessly.
''Kurotsuchi, he can only use his Jutsu every five seconds!'' Yelled Naruto, doing whatever he could to help.
That was good to know. That gave Kurotsuchi all the knowledge she needed to create an opening. She didn't waste any time and made some hand seals, spitting a fireball at Pain.
Pain ran towards her, uncaring for the upcoming attack. Before the fireball struck him, he raised his hand in front of him. ''Shinra Tensei! (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God)'' a gravitational push dissolved the fire away but as soon as it cleared, a Kunai that had been hidden by the fireball speeded at Pain. The Akatsuki barely moved his head out of the way as the Kunai graced his cheek as it ebbed itself just beside Naruto, but even that clever trick didn't stop Pain's charge.
He was almost upon Kurotsuchi. He raised his metal rod, knowing that the girl wouldn't be able to evade with that wound. He thrust his weapon forward and he widened his eyes in surprise when Kurotsuchi disappeared and a Kunai took the hit meant for her.
Kurotsuchi appeared beside a shocked Naruto as her substitution had been a success. She grabbed the metal rod keeping Naruto's hands pinned and gave a mighty pull, freeing the boy's hands. She went quickly for the one on his leg, knowing that her stunt wasn't going to buy her much time. Then, she realized in horror that her time was up when she felt herself being dragged backward by the same invisible force as before, leaving behind a mortified Naruto as she flew back, only stopping when she felt an overwhelming agony originating from her back and chest. She muffed a cry of pain as she stared down and saw a metal rod sticking through her torso.
''No!'' Naruto stared in despair as he saw Pain stab Kurotsuchi. Then, Pain put his hand forward and Naruto watched in silent horror as Kurotsuchi was sent flying violently through the air and crashed a good distance away in a cloud of dust.
Naruto felt the Kyuubi's Chakra enter his system as his rage overtook him. In a momentary release of power he was able to expel the remaining metal blades and with his movement range recovered he rushed at Pain so fast that the man never saw the punch aimed at his face, sending him flying into a nearby rock.
Instead of pushing his advantage against Pain, Naruto rushed to where Kurotsuchi had landed. He couldn't scream, he couldn't call out to her, he couldn't even think right now. He just had to know that she was okay, he prayed to any deity that cared to hear him that she was okay.
Once he spotted the still body of his girlfriend, he knelt down and took her in his arms as delicately as he could.
''Kurotsuchi..'' muttered Naruto, tears threatening to fall as he saw the condition she was in. She had deep nasty scratches all over her body, her arm had been twisted at an unnatural angle, but worst of all was the huge amount of blood she that was gushing from the metal rod going through her ribcage. Naruto's mind was going into overdrive. What could he do!?
''Help! I need a medic!'' Yelled Naruto. Sakura, Shizune, Ino, he didn't care who came, he just needed a medic-nin here and he needed it now. ''please, someone!''
''Naruto...''
He directed his attention to Kurotsuchi to see her opening her eyes slowly. She directed her unfocused gaze at him, taking her a moment to recognize the blond. ''You are free...I'm glad'' She said, managing to smile weakly at him.
''What were you thinking!? I told you to run!'' Said Naruto, his voice cracking as he tried in vain to hold back his tears.
''I couldn't just leave. Not after those horrible things I said to you...I didn't mean...'' She barely managed to speak, she struggled to even keep her eyes open.
''It's alright, it's alright. I know you didn't mean it. Please save your strength. I promise that you'll be fine'' Reassured Naruto as tears rolled down his cheeks. He coated his hand in Chakra and brought it to Kurotsuchi's chest, doing is best to imitate Sakura's healing Jutsu in desperation but to no avail. He cursed himself at seeing no effect. Why did he have to be so useless!?
''Stop that...it's no use'' Said Kurotsuchi before coughing a small amount of blood. She couldn't even feel the pain anymore. That was a bad sign.
''I'm not going to let you die! Not you too!'' Naruto cried.
''Just hear me out... It's important'' muttered the girl.
Naruto focused on her silently, waiting for her to continue, shaking as he repressed his sobs.
''You'll get through this, I know you will...you are strong'' Said Kurotsuchi as she did her best effort to keep herself focused on his bright blue eyes.
''I can't. Not without you!'' insisted Naruto, the desperation was clear in his voice.
''Of course you can,'' Said Kurotsuchi, giving him a small grin. ''And after that, become the best ninja you can be. Become Hokage, for both of us''
''Don't say that'' Pleaded the boy as he held her close to him. He didn't want to hear her talk like this, like this was farewell. This couldn't be goodbye!
''Find a girl. Get married, have children, live a happy life'' Said Kurotsuchi before coughing blood again.
''You are the only one I want!'' Declared the blond between sobs. ''You are the one who makes me happy''
''Me too'' Replied Kurotsuchi as tears escaped her eyes. With great difficulty she lifted her hand and stroked Naruto's cheek tenderly as the blond held her palm trying to enjoy the last of her warmth. ''You make me happy too''
Naruto closed his eyes in sorrow as he held her hand firmly, refusing to accept that this was happening. ''Please, Kuro-Chan. Please don't die!'' This had to be a nightmare. He couldn't accept that the girl he loved was dying in his arms.
''You are such a crybaby'' Said Kurotsuchi as she smiled warmly at him with what little strength she had left. ''But I love you just the way you are''
Naruto could feel as if his heart was being squeezed in his chest. Those were the words he yearned to hear the most, but not like this, not like this!
She gave him one last tender look. ''Promise me, never change...'' and with that, Her hand fell from Naruto's face as a trail of red tainted the boy's cheek as Kurotsuchi's pink eyes slowly closed shut, the light in them vanishing. Her body went limp in Naruto's arms while he tried to shake her awake.
''Kurotsuchi!'' Yelled Naruto, doing his best to get a reaction out of her but she never did. He widened his teary eyes as reality hit him: Kurotsuchi was gone.
He cried with all his might, letting out an ear-piercing scream of agony as he cradled the body of the girl in his arms. How did she expect him to go on like this!? He had lost so much, he wasn't strong enough. He would have traded his life for hers any day, why did she have to die on him!? This was his fault, if he had been strong enough to beat Pain none of this would be happening. This was on him.
''You finally know true Pain''
Naruto's face shifted from agony to ire in an instant at the familiar voice. He turned to look at the leader of Akatsuki with a look that promised the worst hell imaginable.
''Engrave that feeling in your memory'' Said Pain. ''That feeling is the only-''
''Shut up!'' Yelled Naruto as he put Kurotsuchi down. ''Shut the fuck up!''
Pain narrowed his eyes at Naruto as the boy started walking towards him with killing intent almost rivaling his own.
''I don't give a damn about what you have to say. Or about your ideals, or your reasons for doing this'' Snarled Naruto as rage consumed his very being. ''You took my teacher, my home, my love, you took them all. I swear I'm going to make you pay a thousand times over!''
Then, Naruto let out a battle cry that soon turned into a ferocious roar as a huge wave of malevolent Chakra enveloped him.
Pain covered his face at the intensity of the evil energy that Naruto gave off. ''Is this the Kyuubi's power? It's magnificent''
Once the Chakra receded, Pain saw that Naruto had transformed into a miniature tailed beast as the red Chakra took the shape of the Kyuubi around him. However, an external skeleton formed around his form while seven tails waved wildly behind him.
''You hate me?'' Asked Pain solemnly as he stared into the bright feral eyes of the Jinchuuriki. ''Come then. Let us see whose pain is greater!''
At that, Naruto let out a powerful roar that created a small crater around him. Getting ready to tear the Akatsuki member to shreds.
Author's note:
Uff! Man, I'm tired! This chapter was a bit troublesome to write.
Also, I'm a bit conflicted about it. One one hand, I finally wrote a ton of scenes that I had planned over two years ago, but on the other hand, I realize that this wasn't the most original chapter. Don't worry though, things will start to deviate from canon somewhat soon.
Now, to write the next one...but later, I'm already plenty tired as it is.
Please don't forget to leave me your thoughts!
