The ground shakes beneath my feet, uprooting the trees around me. Reaching up I click on my radio as I flip through the air to avoid being buried. "Sasuke." I hiss into the mic, my speaker crackling from the distance that was now between us. "There... six... them..." His voice comes in broken by the limited range of the radios. Leaping the moment my feet touch the ground I narrowly miss a shockwave of chakra being sent in my direction. The Pein currently chasing me clearly out for blood and lacking any hesitation in his attacks. "Pein! I told you, there's another way! You don't have to do this!" I shout my tone wavering as my breaths come rapidly. Sweat dripping from beneath my headband.
I could already feel my energy depleting from my constant dodging of his attacks. Landing on a fallen tree I try to suck in a breath into my already pain-filled lungs. And yet the moment I land, the tree is pulled off of under me forcing me to jump again. Only to have a large metal pole slam into me with enough force what little air I had taken into my lungs is forced out. I nearly call out as I feel the metal breaking the bones in my shoulder as it thrusts me backward and drives itself through my body and into a tree. It was the plan to get different individual Pein's attention and lead them away from the village. Itachi, Sasuke, and I broke our formation to do just that.
Bowing my head a bit I struggle to take in another breath as I reach up with my left hand and try to pull the hexagonal pole out of my shoulder. My red gaze on his form. "You have betrayed the Akatsuki." His deep voice comes from his puppet just as another thundering shockwave rolls over the area coming from the village, blowing my bangs around my face. "Pein, I know you. You, you agree that I saved that boy from Tobi. Deep down, you know it was the right thing!" My voice pitches with my words as he steps towards me. "Just as you are happy the brothers have been reunited. I know you." My voice begins to drop as I watch his unwavering rinnegan. "You, whose sole ambition is peace." This time my words made his movements hesitate even though he still shows no emotion within his eyes or on his expression. "Nagato." I drop my voice lower this time I watch his eyes widen briefly. "That's right, I've known you since the first time we met. I know your heart. But you've been deceived. Tobi isn't Madara just as he doesn't wish for peace that's not his goal."
Seeing an emotion pass through his violet hues I plant my feet on the tree and push myself off, forcing the pole painfully through my shoulder until I manage to pull myself off of it. Landing on the ground in front of him I look up into his eyes as a tear manages to break free from my left eye and slowly make its way down over my cheek. Reaching up I push what energy I have into the fist of my good arm and aim it for his face. "I love every member of the Akatsuki except for him and Zetsu. You guys are my family. Not once have I ever lied to you. Nagato. Please, stop this now." I try to reach him further with my words as he grabs my arm and redirects my hand to hit the air. It was then a pole crashes through my stomach just below my sternum. Frowning I look down as the metal feels like it's searing through my organs. I know he isn't using fire or electricity. No, this pain is the same as when I had been tortured. It's the burning effects of a wound with something foreign inside of my body.
Raising my gaze I meet his rinnegan eyes as I reach out and clasp the metal between both of my hands. "I guess it was worth a try to be like the knucklehead." I breathe painfully as my lungs try to shut down. Even now I can feel my hands numbing from the loss of blood and damage I have sustained. Pushing the rest of my energy out I coat the bar in my shield, tightening my energy around it as I begin to gasp for air. My gaze never leaves his as I use my energy to push the pole through me and into him. His eyes widen as my energy disperses throughout the puppet disrupting his chakra emitters controlling it. As the body crumbles to the ground in front of me I drop to my side hard enough my head bounces off the dirt. For a moment I lay there watching the Pein in front of me, the pole now skewered through his body still glowing with my shield. "I told you... One of the terms to our agreement was the Akatsuki helping me learn more about myself. This, I learned from my cousin, the hard way."
Grunting once I feel my lungs heal enough I can take in a normal breath again I fight to my hands and knees. This movement causing a new flash of pain to radiate through me as more of my blood splashes against the ground. Closing my eyes I remember back to the start of the day.
- It had begun normally however instead of training Sasuke, Itachi, and I had met up at the Hokage faces. We were hanging out along the railing discussing what we should do about what is to come. Once again we were unable to come up with a direct decision to move on. "Did you tell Tsunade about Pein?" I asked Itachi as I watch him from the corner of my eye. He gives a nod. "She knows Pein fights with deceased human bodies. And as you said, his real one is never among them." I give him a nod and look back out over the village. "At least with that much information they'll know to waste as little time as possible on the puppets. The problem is.."
"With Pein's strength, his bodies will decimate this village." He speaks up as Sasuke just looks out towards the sky, his thoughts clouding his gaze. "I just hope he doesn't attack soon. I'm still messed up from whatever Lucas did."
"You sure you can't remember the time frame?" Sasuke finally speaks up and I shake my head. "No, I can't." The moment those words left my mouth thundering crashes echo over the village. Looking out away from us smoke begins to billow as projectiles crash into the buildings. Moments later black and red centipedes began popping up over the rooftops. "Damn, I jinxed us." I mutter hopping up onto the railing. "No more time for procrastination. What's our best option?" I speak out over the growing noise.
"Locate the real one." Sasuke grunts. "Then the puppets will destroy the village." Itachi interjects causing me to growl. It's the same argument. "Alright how about this, we each take a pein and draw them out of the village. Which will dwindle their numbers in the village by half. While we distract them we keep an eye out for the real one. He shouldn't be too far." I surmise and look over my shoulder first to Itachi, seeing him nod in agreement I look towards Sasuke. He gives a smirk nearly making me sigh. Yes or no Sasuke I didn't mean smirk. "Here." Itachi pipes up drawing our gazes as he digs into his ninja pouch. Pulling out three radios. "This way when one of us locates the real one we can alert the others."
"And you just keep radios in your pouch." Sasuke grunts with a roll of his eyes. "Actually if you remember Emo boy. Kakashi does too." I pipe up causing him to click his tongue. Giggling I take my radio from Itachi and fasten it around my neck, slipping the earbud into my ear. "Usual frequency." I mutter only causing Sasuke to growl in annoyance. "She means six." Itachi clarifies for me. Sasuke grunts and sets his radio. Once all of us drop our hands from our necks I look over each one. Meeting their gazes. "Don't die guys." I breathe out. "Scatter." With that one word the three of us separate. I could see their fast movement through the sky as I run down the front of the faces.
Running through the village on the rooftops I try to focus on my surroundings as well as my footing. Buildings around me bust apart threatening to throw me off of the stonework. I found my eyes widening as another Centipede breaks through the building I am on causing everyone on the streets below to begin running. As I leap from piece to piece of the building I found my heart lodging in my throat seeing a child fall to the ground and the people around her leaving her behind. Accept for an elderly woman.
Jumping onto the centipede's head I shove what I can grab of my chakra into my fist and punch the metal rod sticking out of its head, driving it through the insect and into the ground. Faster Kira. I tell myself inwardly as I move from the centipede and down onto the ground. In time to grab the woman and child and push myself away from the falling centipede. Once it crashes to the ground I let them go and smile at them. "Run." I try to coax as another building blows apart. With another centipede shooting through the air right at us. Looking back at the two of them as the child drops to the ground in pain I curse under my breath and raise my arms prepared to block with brute strength alone.
A sudden flash of pink buzzes past us just before she slams her fist right into the centipede's face slamming it into the ground. "Are you alright?" Sakura questions as she lands on the road. "The girl is hurt." I call to her causing her eyes to widen as I drop my hands to my sides. "I can't. I'm still damaged." I try to explain even as Sakura runs over to us and kneels next to the girl. Her hand already emitting her green healing chakra. "No need to explain, M'lady already informed me the other day."
"Sakura.." A familiar voice sounds over the area just as he leaps down from the rooftops and runs towards us. His eyes widening as he sees me. "We're fine, Kira protected them." I find myself shaking my head and looking down towards them. "It was actually you who protected us." With my words, her gaze moves from Iruka and up to mine her eyes widening in shock. "Gotta go, my team is already on the move and I can't fall behind." I give a light giggle before running off.
"Be careful!" Sakura's voice echoes behind me so I raise a hand in a wave glancing at her over my shoulder before leaping up onto an untouched rooftop. As I make my way over the village I close my eyes and move my energy blanket over the immediate area. Knowing that with so much destruction taking place it would make it near impossible to focus enough in order to find a body of Pein.
However, feeling the multitude of people running left me coming to a stop so I could focus more on what I am doing. Deciding to find one that wasn't actually running but for one that is moving more deliberately. This way I only have to discern between ninja and Pein. A sudden movement through my energy blanket forces me to jump back further onto the roof as a metal pole comes flying past me and crashing into the building. Opening my eyes I turn towards the direction it had come. "That chakra blanket of yours is a nuisance." His deep voice echoes around me ever before he appears on the rooftop. "Energy blanket." I correct him watching as his robes billow with his sudden stop.
"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?" His voice booms holding barely bridled anger. "He'll be here soon. Pein... There is another way to do this. You don't have to kill innocent people." I frown watching him only to see his eyes narrow upon me. "The Akatsuki are nearing our end goal. We no longer need you." As he speaks, it feels almost like he was telling himself this. Within a moment he raises his hand and my eyes widen already feeling the pull of chakra. Cussing I shove my foot into the roof of the building and kick the large tile into the air the moment my energy blanket gives a ripple. At that moment the tile is pulled towards him. Of course, I had to run into his main one. And in my state. Clicking my tongue I wait for him to come back into view once the ceiling tile breaks apart. The moment I see his violet-ringed hues I give him a salute and take off the nearest direction to the wall of the village.
Using my energy blanket I focus on him feeling him make chase after me. I nearly smile before I am forced to dodge yet another attack. Now adjusting my movements so I'm not running in such a straight line I reach into my kunai holster on my thigh and retrieve one. On my next jump to another building, I turn in the air and aim a kunai directly at him. With lightning-fast reflexes, he blocks the kunai with a metal speer without missing a step. Well not surprising of the strongest Akatsuki member beyond Obito. Turning in mid-air I land on the roof and push myself towards the opposite edge. Automatically leaping towards the village wall I feel my energy blanket ripple again moving towards Pein. Raising my hands I run through the hand signs. With a puff of smoke behind me, I leave a shadow clone in my wake.
With this use of chakra, my world threatens to spin as it tips on its axis. Nearly causing me to smack into the wall instead of landing on my feet. Sweat and exhaustion already seeping into my body I run up the wall and leap off of it towards the trees below. Making my stomach turn as my fear peaks watching the ground come ever closer. Moving chakra into my hands and feet I reach out and grip onto a branch to slow my fall before dropping to the ground.-
"Yup, I really did jinx us." I utter my breathy retort more to myself as my hazed vision darkens to a more solid red. My hand moves to my pouch at my hip reaching for my canister. "My hands are still numb." I mutter trying to keep my mind from slipping into the void. I find myself silently cursing as the canister hits the ground from me not having as tight of a grip on it as I thought. Reaching out for it I find my world tilting again causing me to hit my side on the ground. Which will it be I wonder. Death, or a blood haze. This thought made me smile. "Knowing my luck, I'll end up killing people." I mutter though I couldn't quite tell if I had said it aloud or not. "It'll be death." His deep solemn voice rings in my ears as the darkness continues to consume me. "It was an honor to know you, Nagato. My friend." I couldn't tell if I managed to say those words or not as the cold darkness took my consciousness from me.
