Chapter 8: Threnody
"A shinobi is still human. We may not be able to become emotionless tools."
--Momochi Zabuza
Sasori and Deidara heard something crash into the giant boulder that blocked the entrance to the base. With the barrier in place, no amount of physical force could open that door. However, they had to be prepared in case the team outside somehow managed to find all four of the other tags and remove the barrier. Both Akatsuki members moved to the middle of the room, flanking Gaara's corpse. After a few minutes of waiting for the enemy to appear, Deidara sighed and sat down on Gaara's body, apparently resting until their opponents showed themselves. Sasori was impatient. There was another jinchuuriki out there, and he wanted it.
Finally, there was a resounding boom, and the boulder crumbled into a pile of gravel. Four shinobi entered the cavern and quickly darted to opposite sides of the entrance. On the right were the famous Copy Ninja Hatake Kakashi and a blond boy in a bright orange outfit. On the left were a pink-haired girl with sea-green eyes…and Sasori's grandmother.
Sasori was momentarily shocked by how old Chiyo looked. Wrinkles covered every inch of her face, and her hair was snow-white. Yet he could tell from the determination in her eyes that she was still a formidable shinobi.
"Chiyo-baasama understands the way of the ninja. Although she mourned for your parents, she knew that their sacrifice was necessary."
A strange mix of anger, disappointment, regret, and happiness threatened to overwhelm Sasori, but he quickly subdued it. Chiyo had been the person he was closest to as a child. She had taught him what it meant to be a shinobi, and had showed him how to build and fight with the puppets that were now his sole weapons. But she had betrayed him by allowing her own son and daughter-in-law to be sent to their deaths. On that day, she had forfeited any loyalty that Sasori might once have owed her. Now she was just another enemy, and would be shown no more mercy than anyone else who stood in the Akatsuki's way.
The orange-clad boy—who was apparently the jinchuuriki—called out to Gaara, not realizing that his friend was dead.
"Sasori-danna, this will probably make you angry, but…I'll take care of this jinchuuriki, yeah" Deidara said. Sasori's eyes narrowed. Although there was some flexibility in which Akatsuki member went after each specific jinchuuriki, it had been made clear that each member was to capture one demon container: no more and no less. Sasori swept his tail towards Deidara in a warning gesture, but Deidara hopped onto his bird, which picked up Gaara in its mouth and flew out of the cave into the open sky. The orange-wearing jinchuuriki took off after Deidara, Kakashi hurrying after him with an exasperated expression on what little could be seen of his face.
Sasori sighed. Deidara was badly injured and had almost no clay left. There was no way he could fight a jounin and a jinchuuriki in that condition—especially after three days without food or sleep. If Deidara was really stupid enough to do something like this, Sasori supposed there was no point in trying to talk him out of it. Deidara would either get himself killed or he wouldn't. Either way, Sasori had two opponents of his own to fight. Chiyo flung a bunch of kunai at him, but he deflected them effortlessly with Hiruko's tail. Then he stripped off his Akatsuki robe, revealing Hiruko itself. The young pink-haired girl (whom Chiyo addressed as Sakura) gasped in shock.
Sasori eyed the two kunoichi. Both had large chakra auras, indicating prodigious strength. Chiyo was a puppetmaster herself, and Sakura clearly had unusual physical power. He didn't have any puppets quite like them in his collection. Besides, 298 was an annoying number of puppets to have—he would much prefer it to be an even 300. So…
"First, I'll drag out your entrails," he explained, as Sakura's expression of shock and fear deepened. "Then, when I've ripped off your skin, I'll clean off all the blood. I'll treat it so that it doesn't decay, then stock it up with the rest of my puppet collection…That is my fine art!"
He fought the girl and Chiyo for a while, but Sakura surprised him by dodging all of his attacks. The reason for this was revealed when Chiyo showed the chakra strings that she had attached to Sakura's body. Sakura raced towards him, and Sasori lifted Hiruko's tail with a vague feeling of disappointment. Is she really so foolish as to try an obvious frontal attack like that? As Hiruko's tail shot towards the girl, he suddenly felt it jerk to a halt mere inches from her face. What? Squinting closely, he saw the nearly invisible chakra strings stretching from the tail back to Chiyo's hands. He didn't have time to analyze any more than that, as Sakura chose that moment to deliver a devastating punch to Hiruko. To Sasori's amazement, he felt the puppet breaking apart around him, and he jumped clear, wrapping himself in a piece of Hiruko's cloak.
Sasori supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by Chiyo's audacious strategy. She was, after all, the Sand's foremost puppetmaster, the woman who had taught him the art of puppetry. Still, he was an Akatsuki, and not so quickly defeated. "Do you really think it will be that easy, Grandma Chiyo?" He let the piece of Hiruko's robe drop, showing his true face.
Both Sakura and Chiyo looked stunned. Sakura had clearly not expected the legendary Akatsuki member to be so young and innocent-looking. And Chiyo…she looked as though she had seen a ghost. If she looks like she's seeing one ghost now, why not show her a second? Sasori rummaged in the pocket of his robe, and pulled out the scroll into which he had sealed the Sandaime Kazekage.
When Sasori mentioned that he had originally been Orochimaru's partner, something in Sakura's face changed. The fear and uncertainty melted away, replaced by a fierce resolve. "No matter how much you resist, no matter what you do, I'll beat you half to death and make you talk about Orochimaru!" Sasori had to admit that he was impressed. Not many shinobi would be determined enough to wound themselves to escape from a trap. Where does this strength of will come from? And why is she so hell-bent on learning about Orochimaru? A thought occurred to him. She's a Leaf-nin…could she want to find Orochimaru and rescue Itachi-san's brother from him? Again, Sasori was reminded of Asana and Kagaiya, of Tobi and Akisane. This determination to protect a comrade…how did I lose that? Is it because I didn't want to risk the pain of losing someone close to me again? How can this girl be so full of hope?
Deciding to attack while the girl was distracted by making her speech, Sasori launched a flurry of kunai at her from within the tangle of Sandaime's arms. Chiyo pulled out two scrolls with a flourish, and the kunai were all blocked by two very familiar puppets. Looking into his father and mother's faces again, Sasori felt…something. Was it sorrow, regret, love? Whatever it was, he quickly concealed it and said contemptuously, "What is it you plan to do with those things? They're puppets I created. I know all of their secrets. This is pointless." After a brief clash of the three puppets, Sasori began to grow impatient. This is taking too long. I really should go make sure that idiot Deidara-san hasn't gotten himself killed. Well, I know the best way to end this…
At the appearance of the Iron Sand, Chiyo became alarmed and urged Sakura to leave. Sakura, to Sasori's complete lack of surprise, refused. The girl's got guts, I'll give her that. Sakura quickly showed that she had a lot more advantages than just guts—superhuman strength, for example. Still, she could not avoid all the spines of the Iron Sand World Model, and was cut by it numerous times. It's over, Sasori thought with a small smile of satisfaction. A single cut from any of his weapons was invariably fatal. So he was astonished when Sakura leapt to her feet and blasted the Sandaime puppet apart with a single punch. Impossible! Did she use an antidote?
Sasori was amazed. Mixing antidotes to poisons was notoriously difficult—only the very best medic nins could do it. And even the best medical shinobis in the world could not mix an antidote without some idea of what ingredients the poison contained. That incredible strength, the ability to mix an antidote to one of my poisons—how does she do these things? Does she have an advanced bloodline? Or is she simply a genius? Sasori found his respect for the girl growing. She is truly unique. Truly worthy of becoming part of my collection.
Given Chiyo's experience with puppets, and Sakura's ability to destroy anything with a single punch, there wasn't really much point in bringing out another puppet. The Sandaime Kazekage was the best one he had, and if Sakura and Chiyo could destroy that, they would utterly demolish any other puppets he threw at them. Any other puppet, that is, except for the one that no living person outside of the Akatsuki knew about. The puppet that only the Sandaime Kazekage and Deidara had ever fought.
It occurred to Sasori that he had not used his own body to fight since his match with Deidara when he entered the Akatsuki. Even against all the ninja of the Mountain Country, it had not been necessary. Truly, this is a momentous occasion. Slowly, Sasori unbuttoned his Akatsuki robe and allowed it to slip off his shoulders.
Sakura's eyes were wide, and the blood drained from her face as she saw Sasori's true form. "What…what is that?" she asked Chiyo in a bewildered tone of voice.
"Since he was separated from me, he has not aged…he is just like long ago…that is why," Chiyo responded.
That's right, Sasori thought, and he could not suppress a small triumphant feeling. You have aged, and your body has weakened, but mine has not. On the contrary, I can keep improving it so that it grows stronger and stronger. The ultimate work of art: a perfect body that will live eternally and only increase its strength as the decades pass. Sasori felt a pitying expression cross his face as he looked at Chiyo. She was so old, with white hair, wrinkles criss-crossing her face like spiderwebs, and a stooped posture. And Sakura, who was now so vibrant and beautiful, would be just the same one day. But he would not. He would never share that fate.
While Sakura and Chiyo were still stunned, Sasori dashed towards them, extending his hands in their direction with palms out, as though ordering them to stop. The tubes of the flamethrowers extended out of his palms, and jets of fire gushed out. The two women ducked behind a rock, but Sasori flung the cable out of his stomach and embedded its blade in the rock behind Sakura. Reeling himself in towards Chiyo, he screamed "DIE!" as memories flashed through him again. "Chiyo-baasama understands the way of the ninja. Although she mourned for your parents, she knew that their sacrifice was necessary."… Dear gods above! For all this time, I've been trying to rid myself of the human emotions that caused me so much pain. I've even altered my body for that cause. But her heart is even colder than mine!…
Suddenly, Sasori felt himself being jerked in a different direction entirely, and thrust his arms out to maintain his balance in the air. Looking around for the source of the disturbance, he saw that Sakura had taken hold of his cable and was pulling him towards her. Why is she so determined to protect this old hag? If she knew the things Chiyo has done, she wouldn't give a damn about her. It wasn't just her betrayal of his parents, either. She had been the one who sealed Shukaku into Gaara, condemning him to a life of pain and loneliness. The kid was better off dead, really. And she was responsible for that too. Then he saw that Sakura was curling one hand into a fist. Quickly, he attached chakra strings to his own limbs, just as the pink-haired kunoichi's fist smashed him apart.
His head flew in one direction, his arms in another, and his legs went spinning off into the far reaches of the cavern. Within the biological core embedded in his torso, Sasori felt himself go tumbling end over end. Finally, all of his parts came to rest and he began to tug on the chakra strings, piecing himself back together.
Behind him, he could hear Sakura exulting, "We did it! Chiyo-sama, we did it!" Then she stopped, and turned around slowly as she heard the telltale click of Sasori's arms rejoining his torso. Finally, he placed his head on his shoulders, realized it was on backwards, and spun it around to face the girl. This is another advantage of a puppet body, he thought smugly. No matter how much damage it takes, it can just be repaired. I don't care if you blow me to pieces over and over again; I'll just keep getting back up.
The girl's face was a picture of dismay; she had clearly thought that this battle was over. Furthermore, Sasori thought he had heard her say something earlier about how her antidote would only be effective for three minutes. If she had to fight for much longer, she would lose her immunity to his poison, and then he could kill both her and Chiyo with ease.
Chiyo looked sad, but it was not the same kind of sadness that showed in Sakura's face. Slowly, she pulled out a scroll with ten seals on it. Ten puppets burst from the scroll and took up positions around the two kunoichi. The expression of despair on Sakura's face changed to one of hope. Let's see if I can change it back again. He recognized the puppets that Chiyo had used to destroy a fortress during the war between Sand and Stone. They were her trump card, and after this she had nothing. "That is a considerable amount of puppets," he admitted. Then he pulled out a scroll of his own, and tossed it up into the air. He opened a panel on his chest, and numerous chakra strings burst out, suspending the scroll in midair. Puppets began to pop into existence around him. Ten, twenty, fifty, one hundred. "But with this," he said as Sakura's jaw dropped open, "I took down a country."
Sasori rubbed his forehead with his hand, as if massaging a headache. "How am I going to explain this?" he wondered. He could just imagine Deidara coming back and seeing him still fighting these two—with the most powerful weapon he possessed, no less. He really hoped Tobi wouldn't see this in a premonition and tell the entire Akatsuki about it. Even a puppet still had such a thing as pride, and Sasori couldn't quite believe it was taking him this long to kill a chuunin and a retiree.
The armies of puppets rushed at each other. Chiyo's puppets were designed to work in teams of two or three, ganging up on opponents to defeat them. Sasori's puppets, by contrast, were intended to fight as individuals. In some ways, this was an extension of Sasori's personal philosophy: rely only on yourself, for others are destined to disappoint you. The puppets fought for some time, slashing and stabbing and slicing at each other. One of Sasori's puppets managed to cut Chiyo's arm, and Sasori allowed himself a small smile. There was only one dose of antidote left, and it would only last for three minutes. Although Sakura and Chiyo were formidable as a team, neither could hope to beat him alone. If Sakura was cut, or if Chiyo was cut again after the last antidote wore off, it was all over.
Suddenly, Sakura was hurtling towards him, carrying a small, glowing sphere. Sasori frowned. What is that? Some kind of weapon? With all her considerable strength, Sakura threw the sphere at him. A slit opened in its side, like a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. With his blade-wings furled at his sides, the flammable fuel in his hands spent, and his attention distracted by directing a hundred puppets at once, Sasori couldn't avoid it. It slammed into him with devastating force, and he barely had time to activate the specialized Kawarimi jutsu that would transfer his biological core to another puppet.
Sasori allowed his puppets to drop to the ground. He wanted the kunoichis to think that he was finally defeated. As Sakura urged Chiyo to take the last dose of antidote, Sasori picked up a weapon that had been discarded by one of his puppets. He grimaced slightly. This puppet was well-made, but still cumbersome and slow compared to his own body. Plus, he wasn't used to fighting inside any body but his own. I don't believe this! To be forced out of my body by these…amateurs! Slowly, he stood up behind Chiyo, noting with displeasure that many of his puppets had been damaged or outright destroyed. Repairing all these is going to be so troublesome. The poison was starting to affect Chiyo's body, and she could not dodge or even raise an arm to block the sword. Sasori swung the weapon at her neck, but a pink blur interposed itself…and he found himself impaling Sakura on the blade instead.
As Sasori met Sakura's unwavering gaze, other faces superimposed themselves over hers in his mind's eye. Kagaiya, boldly stepping in front of a wounded Asana and killing the Mist ninja who had hurt him during one of their missions. Akisane, swordfighting with Orochimaru and threatening him with nine different kinds of violent death for daring to attack Itachi. One of his students from his time as a jounin sensei, shielding another member of the team from attack with her own body during the second part of the Chuunin Exam. This drive to protect others, even when it means putting oneself in harm's way…what's the point? Can any other person truly be worth the sacrifice of one's own life and dreams? I've never met a person who's worthy of that. I used to think that Chiyo and the other citizens of the Sand village were, but not anymore. Looking at Sakura, Sasori saw his teammates, his students, his subordinates, mirrored in her resolute expression. But what had Chiyo done to merit such loyalty from the girl?
Sakura gritted her teeth and looked back over her shoulder. "Hurry…take the antidote…Chiyo-sama…" Sasori felt an upwelling of anger. How can she still be determined to protect Chiyo? Doesn't she know it's useless? All the people I've ever tried to protect have left me. My parents and teammates died, Chiyo and the Kazekage betrayed me…even Deidara-san has gone off to get killed fighting that jinchuuriki and his sensei. Why bother protecting others when they're not going to stay around to appreciate it? Sasori pushed the blade further into Sakura's torso, deepening the wound. When she began healing herself, he pulled the sword partway out so that the wound would start bleeding again. This girl destroyed Hiruko and the Sandaime Kazekage. She's going to become part of my collection whether she likes it or not!
Sakura cried out, and her face scrunched up in pain. Chiyo crouched on the ground behind her, unable to get to her feet. Slowly, she withdrew the last remaining antidote from a pocket of her robe. Like that will be of any use to you now, Sasori thought scornfully. Once this girl is dead, you will be unable to fight me on your own. Once the antidote wears off, I'll cut you again and you'll die too. Then, Chiyo reached forward and pushed the syringe against Sakura's leg.
What! First Sakura had put herself in harm's way to save Chiyo. Now Chiyo was condemning herself to death for Sakura's sake. What is with these two women? Why do they protect each other so ardently? Suddenly, Sakura grabbed the blade of Sasori's sword and squeezed it. Blood dripped from her hand as she gripped tighter, and Sasori felt the strain in his arm as she tried to rip it out of its socket. Releasing the bolts that held the joints together, Sasori jumped backwards, leaving Sakura holding his forearm.
A shorter blade extended from the remaining portion of Sasori's right arm. As Sakura fell to her knees, he rushed at her, intending to end her life once and for all. Chiyo had collapsed onto her side, but she somehow found the strength to form chakra strings and twitch her fingers.
Out of the corner of his eye, Sasori saw two shapes moving towards him from opposite sides. From a glance, it was clear what they were: the puppets he had made of his mother and father... "Sasori-san…a few days ago, your parents were on a scouting mission that was ambushed by Rock forces. I'm afraid…that they were both killed." … He remembered the day, long ago, when he had turned the corpses of his parents into puppets and wrapped himself in their embrace for the last time. He had been so convinced that it would set everything right, that making them into puppets would allow him to avoid the pain of their deaths. He had thought that it would be as if they never died. But in the end, they had just been puppets, unable to move or act unless he manipulated them with his chakra. That had been the first day he had wished that he could be free of human emotions and weaknesses. Now, once again, those two puppets were approaching him from both sides, as though wishing to embrace him once more. Sasori hesitated for just an instant…and instead of embracing him, the puppets rammed their swords through the biological core in his chest.
For a few moments, Sasori simply stood there, stunned. Chiyo, the old, dying, retired hag, had somehow managed to beat him. For the first time in years, he felt pain, and it threatened to overwhelm him. He hadn't suffered so much as a paper cut in so long, and now he felt waves of agony as his parents' weapons pierced his heart. Then another thought pushed past the pain: he was going to die. He, whose body was immune to illness and poison and age and heat and cold, was going to die.
Oddly, that thought didn't disturb him as much as it should. He found that he really didn't care, in the end, if he lived or died. After all, the desire to live was an emotion, and he had abolished all emotions long ago. Besides, he wasn't really alive, was he? He was just a puppet.
With that thought, his normal placid calm returned to him. He even felt a certain grudging respect for these kunoichi who had fought so hard. It was at that moment that Sakura fell flat on her face. Chiyo bent over her, pulled the sword out, and began healing the wound. Amazing! Those two are still trying to save each other. Their unending determination was annoying him, so he said, "It's pointless…I hit a vital spot…I aimed for somewhere that can't be treated easily."
Chiyo looked up at him, and she seemed even older than she actually was. More than that, she seemed tired. Looking more weary than he had ever seen her, she informed him that she was using a tensei ninjutsu—she was transferring some of her own life energy to Sakura so that the girl would live. "In the beginning," she said, "it was for you…with this jutsu, I can even give life to a puppet."
Once again, Sasori found himself speechless… "Chiyo-baasama understands the way of the ninja. Although she mourned for your parents, she knew that their sacrifice was necessary."…He had hated Chiyo, believed that she had been complicit in his parents' death. Now he knew why. She had known that it was possible to bring someone back from the dead, and had been planning to spend years of her life mastering that technique. She had intended to sacrifice herself to resurrect them. She was not the traitor he had believed her to be. Yet…what was the point? By the time she had mastered the technique, the damage had already been done. His heart had already been so scarred that he was determined to turn it to stone. In the final analysis, her actions had been too little, too late. "Pathetic…"
Sasori couldn't move. With his biological core destroyed, the chakra was slowly draining out of his body. In a matter of minutes, he would be dead. Of course, so would Chiyo. That was some consolation, at least. It would have just been embarrassing for an Akatsuki member to die without taking any of his enemies down with him. He watched impassively as Sakura's eyes opened and she struggled to her feet. Sasori waited for Chiyo to collapse, but she did not. She explained that since Sakura had not actually died, Chiyo was not required to give up her life for the tensei jutsu. So Sasori was going to die without bringing down either of his opponents, after all. "Well…that's a pity."
WHAM! Sasori suddenly found himself staring at his own back as Sakura hit him in the face, spinning his head right around. Returning his head to its normal position, Sasori said contemptuously, "Give it up…this body feels no pain. If all you do is hit me, your fist is all that will hurt." Seeing the disbelieving and angry look on Sakura's face, he explained further, "Even connected by blood ties as we are, I won't feel a thing if Grandma here dies. My heart is just like this body."
Sakura's fist clenched, and Sasori expected her to punch him again. Instead, she yelled, "WHAT DO YOU THINK A HUMAN LIFE IS! WHAT DO YOU THINK BLOOD TIES ARE!" Perhaps it was the pain, or delirium caused by the chakra leaving his body, but Sasori was starting to see faces and scenes from his past superimposing themselves over what was before his eyes. Shimmering in front of Sakura's furious visage was Akisane's face, at the moment when she had confronted Kimimaro... "How dare you betray your comrades and superiors? How can you protect that bastard who tried to hurt Itachi-sama?"…Like Akisane, Sakura was outraged by what she saw as disloyalty. She believed that Sasori owed something to Chiyo because they were related by blood. Chiyo herself, however, looked not angry but sad.
"What made him this way is the terrible customs and teachings of the Sand."… "Sasori-kun, all shinobi are weapons. Our purpose in life is to be tools that are used to protect the Country of Wind." … "An individual life is subordinate to the well-being of the village and country as a whole. Each ninja is a tool that forms one part of the impenetrable defense of the Sand."…With such an upbringing, was it any wonder that Sasori saw people as expendable tools to whom he owed no loyalty? Was it surprising that he thought he could just make people into puppets and it wouldn't matter? Was it truly so unexpected that he would lack any respect for the 298 lives he had extinguished? That seemed to be what Chiyo was asking, and it surprised Sasori. Was she forgiving him for all that he had done? Was she saying that the final blame rested at the Sand's feet and not his own?
Sakura, however, was not as willing to absolve him of responsibility for the things he had done. "What the hell are you!" she demanded.
The memories were coming faster now, rushing through his mind in a jumble. Was this what it meant when people said that your life flashed before your eyes when you were about to die?
…"When I fight, when I go out on a dangerous mission, I do it with your face in my mind—because you are that precious thing that I will protect no matter the cost."…
…Is she right? Are shinobi really just tools…just puppets…
…"Sasori-san…a few days ago, your parents were on a scouting mission that was ambushed by Rock forces. I'm afraid…that they were both killed."…
… Why? Why can't I be like that—no suffering, no feelings, no pain? Why must I have this human heart that aches so much?…
…"You really do like your puppets, don't you? You almost sound like you'd rather have one of those by your side in a fight than a real person."…
… Asana-san and Kagaiya-chan did all they could—it was my weakness that led to their deaths. My simple human weakness…
… No pain, no fear, no sorrow. No need to fear injury or illness, or growing old. No more of this damnable human weakness…
… I've endured so much, because Sandaime-sama told me it was necessary, that my blood and sweat and tears were needed to protect the village. And I trusted him, because he was the Sandaime Kazekage—the beloved leader and protector of our village. But he sent my parents to die—and none of these people that I've bled and fought for ever bothered to tell me. Well, fuck them all—I'm done with them!…
…"I am Akasuna no Sasori, formerly of Sunagakure, now of Akatsuki."…
…Is everyone I consider a comrade or friend going to either die or betray me? Is this pattern of death and treachery going to continue forever?…
… All the people I've ever tried to protect have left me. My parents and teammates died, Chiyo and the Kazekage betrayed me…even Deidara-san has gone off to get killed fighting that jinchuuriki and his sensei. Why bother protecting others when they're not going to stay around to appreciate it?…
All these memories reminded Sasori of why he had chosen to become a puppet, and of why he had striven to eliminate all emotional attachments from his mind. But could he really say that he had succeeded? Other memories came to him: throwing everything he had at the Stone ninjas who had killed Kagaiya and Asana, overcome with rage and sorrow. Saving Tobi and Akisane after they had been wounded by Orochimaru. The relief he had felt when he saw that Deidara had survived his battle with Gaara. Letting Kankurou live because of the determination he showed to protect his Kazekage. Even now, feeling concern for Deidara's fate as he fought the Kyuubi brat and the Copy Ninja. Despite his best efforts, vestiges of human feeling remained within him. No matter how I alter my body, my mind is still human. Maybe it's just not possible for a shinobi to become a truly emotionless tool.
Looking up at Sakura, Sasori answered her question. "If I must say…maybe…a person who couldn't become a puppet…"
Sasori sighed. All the emotions that he had suppressed for so long were finally making themselves known. He felt the grief over his parents' and teammates' deaths that he had buried years ago. He burned with anger at Orochimaru's betrayal. His dark mood was brightened somewhat by the affection he held for Deidara, Tobi, and Akisane. And he also felt some respect for Chiyo and Sakura. An entire country had tried to defeat him and failed, yet these two shinobi had succeeded. Somehow, Sakura reminded him of both Kagaiya and Akisane. That determination to achieve one's goals and protect one's precious people that blazed in Sakura's eyes was the source of their strength as well. It was perhaps for that reason that he decided to give Sakura what she wanted. She might have no chance against Orochimaru, and Sasuke might not want to come back. But she had earned the right to at least try. "Go to the Tenchi Bridge in the Village of Grass at noon ten days from now," he told her. "I have a spy among Orochimaru's subordinates…I am supposed to meet…with him there…" One last time, a sequence of faces flashed across Sasori's vision. His parents. Chiyo. Asana. Kagaiya. Tobi. Akisane. Deidara. You were all…precious people…
When Deidara's face faded out of his vision, only blackness replaced it.
Tobi clenched Sasori's ring tight in his fist. They have to make me an Akatsuki now! They have to! I won't be able to avenge him otherwise. He trudged through the mud, barely noticing the rain that cascaded down around him. He was too lost in memories—memories of hiding behind a ridge and watching in awe as Sasori decimated the army of the Moutain Country, memories of waking up on the floor of the Akatsuki base and finding one of Sasori's puppets healing the wound Kimimaro had given him. "What's the point?" he muttered disconsolately.
"What do you mean?" Akisane asked. Her voice was rough and higher than usual. She carried Sasori's puppet body over one shoulder.
"I mean, what's the point of being able to see the goddamned future if I can't do anything to change it?"
"This isn't your fault, Tobi-san," Deidara said. In contrast to his normal cheerful and confident disposition, his current manner was subdued and quiet. "I should never have left him alone to go fight that jinchuuriki…I just didn't think an old woman and a little girl would have any chance of beating Sasori-danna, yeah." In his one remaining arm, Deidara cradled Sasori's biological core, wrapped in Sasori's Akatsuki robe.
"No," Akisane said, "This wasn't anyone's fault except those two kunoichi who killed him. The rest of us did all we could."
"Anyway," said Zetsu, "we will need someone to take Sasori-san's place." He looked over his shoulder at Tobi. "I think Tobi-kun is ready."
Tobi nodded eagerly. "I want to take his place. I'll…I'll honor his memory by doing the best I can for the Akatsuki."
"But," interjected Deidara, "I want to work with Zetsu-san again, like I did when Sasori-danna was partnered with Orochimaru. That means we need to finally replace Orochimaru, so that Tobi-kun will have a partner. We don't want him wandering around on his own—he'll probably just get killed without someone to look after him, yeah."
"I appreciate your confidence in me," Tobi said wryly.
"Hey, don't talk to me like that or I'll choke you with my legs again, yeah," Deidara said, and a faint shadow of his usual grin appeared on his face.
Tobi emerged onto the plateau behind the Akatsuki base, his steps slow and solemn. His new robe swished around his body, ruffled by the light breeze. He glanced back over his shoulder at Akisane and Deidara. He and Akisane were carrying a stretcher on which rested Sasori's puppet body, and Deidara was carrying Sasori's biological core in his left hand. Tobi had been able to heal Deidara's left arm, but the right was beyond repair, due to the fact that the portion of it around the elbow had been banished to another dimension. In the long term, that didn't really matter much—once Shukaku was implanted into Deidara, he would be able to create a new arm for himself out of sand and clay.
The other members of the organization were waiting on the plateau, flanking a pyre that they had built. Tobi and Akisane hefted the stretcher bearing Sasori's body onto the pyre, and Deidara placed the biological core on top of Sasori's chest. Then they stepped back, forming a circle around the pyre with the other members.
Deidara stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with what could have been either reflected light from the stars above, or tears. "He was…an artist, and he died as an artist should, in the moment when his art achieved its greatest perfection…He believed in eternal beauty, and though he himself is gone, he will indeed live eternally in our memories…yeah…" From a pocket of his robe, Deidara withdrew a small clay medallion into which the kanji for the word "artist" had been carved. He placed it on the pyre next to Sasori, and raised his hand to mold his chakra. Instead of detonating instantly like most of Deidara's creations, the medallion slowly began to burn, lighting the wood underneath it on fire. The flames rose, consuming the body that lay on the pyre. The Akatsuki stood silently, watching as the flames reached their peak and began to die away. One by one, they returned to the interior of the base, until only Deidara, Tobi, and Akisane were left standing around the pyre. Deidara eventually left too, but instead of re-entering the base, he walked over to the edge of the plateau, where he stood staring at the stars.
"You know…if it weren't for Sasori-sama, I would never have been able to continue as a ninja." Akisane stared into the dying flames as she said this. While the collar of Tobi's robe was open, hers was buttoned all the way up, so that only her eyes and the top of her head could be seen above it. This was, Tobi suspected, to hide the fact that her lower lip was trembling.
"If it weren't for him, I'd be dead."
"Please try…try to be a good successor to him, Tobi-san."
Tobi nodded slowly. "I didn't want it to happen like this. I wanted to be part of the Akatsuki, but I thought I'd replace Orochimaru. I didn't think…this isn't how…" He trailed off, not sure what to say.
"What are we going to do?" Tobi met Akisane's eyes, and saw an uncertainty in them that was rarely present. The look in those eyes was like that of a child who has just realized that her parents aren't invincible, that there are some things the people she looks up to just can't fix. Tobi knew how she felt. He had always thought there was nothing the Akatsuki couldn't do, no opponent they couldn't defeat. He looked down at Sasori's ring resting on his finger, and clenched that hand into a fist.
"I'll tell you what we're going to do," he said, removing his mask so that Akisane could see the resolute expression on his face. His left eye, the one usually hidden by the mask, was covered with a milky cataract. It could not see anything in the real world, but was constantly peering forward through time. "We're going to avenge Sasori-sama's death. We're going to pay back Konoha and the Sand a hundred times over for killing him. And then, we're going to finish the work he started—we're going to make sure the Akatsuki's mission is completed. That's how we'll honor him."
"Is that a promise?"
Tobi reached out and took Akisane's hand, gripping it tightly. He remembered watching Sasori build that hand, meticulously crafting it so that it would be a perfect replacement for the one Orochimaru had cut off. "Yeah. It's the promise of a lifetime."
Deidara stood at the edge of the plateau, staring up at the sky. It was a clear night, and the constellation Scorpio shone brightly in the sky directly overhead. Deidara remembered his fight with Sasori back when the puppetmaster had first entered the Akatsuki. Sasori had amazed Deidara with his skill that day, and his respect for the man had only grown since. Even more importantly, Sasori was the only other member who truly understood Deidara. Although they disagreed over the exact definition of art, Sasori nevertheless understood that jutsus were not just tools, but creations and expressions of beauty. No one else in the Akatsuki shared Deidara's rather unique outlook on life in that respect. You were…a great artist. Even greater than me, yeah. Rest in peace, Sasori-danna…
Perhaps it was only his imagination, but Scorpio seemed to glow just a little bit brighter.
A/N: Sorry this took so long to update! I took my time with it, because I wanted to make sure I got everything right. I hope it was worth the wait.
A threnody is a dirge or lamentation for the dead. Scorpio is one of the zodiac constellations, representing the scorpion who killed the great hunter Orion in Greek mythology. In astrology, it is a water sign, and is linked to regeneration, mysticism, sex, and death. A man born under the sign of Scorpio is believed to be determined and thoughtful. (Thank you, Wikipedia!)
A big, huge thank you to all who reviewed! This is by far the longest fanfic I've written, so I hope it came out well. Thanks for reading!
