Devil From The Heavens
Chapter 3: Closed Casket
Three Days Later
Sasori and Deidara watched with bored expressions as the boulder slid away to let them in. The clay construct shifted in place and shook off some of the sand that had fallen off the Kazekage's body onto its tail.
The duo had successfully kidnapped the One Tail jinchuriki not too long ago. It was a relatively easy mission given that the only 'casualty' was the bomber's arm.
The opening revealed a man standing in the center of the room where their ritual was supposed to take place. He wore their uniform, a black cloak with red clouds, but they had never seen him before today. Even stranger still was the slashed headband from Amegakure, the same village that Pain hailed from.
The duo were instantly on high alert at the intruder but confusion replaced their nerves once they saw the shadowy form of their leader's hologram.
"You're late. Prepare it immediately."
Deidara, with a wary eye on the new guy, unceremoniously dumped Gaara's body on the ground. "The Jinchuriki was stronger than I thought, yeah."
Pain put his hands together before slamming a palm onto the ground for a summoning jutsu. A massive plume of smoke filled the room and the Gedo Statue, a sculpture of an alien looking creature with nine eyes, appeared before them.
"Right." The leader of Akatsuki spoke with no inflection of any kind in his voice. "Assemble." He joined his hands once more. The shadowy forms of the rest of the Akatsuki appeared on each individual fingertip of the statue. Deidara and Sasori quickly jumped up to join them with the mysterious guest staying put.
"From this point forward, it'll take three days and nights to complete. Everyone, also be mindful of your real bodies. Zetsu, use your real body as a lookout. Use your largest range."
The plant/man hybrid shifted in his spot. "...I know."
"Three days, eh? With Orochimaru gone, shouldn't we expect it to take longer?"
"If you really think so, then let's get started already."
The group of missing-nin lifted their hands and began channeling chakra to the Gedo Statue. A smoky cloud of chakra gathered in the mouth of the grotesque monument.
"Sealing Jutsu: Nine Phantom Dragons!"
The great coiling bodies of nine ghostly dragons slithered out of the Gedo Statue's mouth; to say the constructs looked predatory was an understatement. They locked onto the still body of Suna's Kazekage and crashed into him with great force.
The red life force of the Tailed Beast within him was pulled from his body in waves. It was a small blessing that the young man was unconscious for the ritual.
Days past without incident but in the final hours of the extraction, Zetsu discovered the presence of a squad of Leaf ninja.
"An enemy from Konoha is approaching our hideout. He appears to be very skilled...his name is Might Guy."
One of the Akatsuki phantoms, unfamiliar with the ninja, spoke up. "...Who's that?"
Another answered him. "He's a Jonin from the Leaf Village who uses taijutsu. He's quite talented, so take care not to underestimate him."
A smile full of shark-like teeth shone in the dark. "Ah...that bizarre beast, eh..."
"I'll use that jutsu then."
"Let me go instead. I've had a hard time finding my Jinchuriki and I've been starting to get irritated..."
"No... I will go." The predatory grin shifted into a scowl. "I have a personal vendetta against that man..."
"Indeed...after all, that jutsu is suitable for you, as you have a large amount of chakra even for us Akatsuki, Kisame. However, I'll still need to have thirty percent of your chakra."
Zetsu spoke up. "There's another shinobi of the Leaf."
Pain looked around for volunteers. "Well...who's next?"
There was movement in the darkness beyond his 'cell'. While there were no walls or bars to serve the name, they weren't exactly needed.
It had started when that statue first appeared. A small shift that he could've believed to be his own mind malfunctioning.
But as time past, it grew as if struggling against bonds like his own. Broly didn't fear it, not entirely, but he felt resigned to whatever fate would throw at him next.
After everything that's happened, it wouldn't surprise him that some abomination made itself home within his mind.
He looked out through his eyes. The man, a child really from young he looked, was falling apart. The cracks that lined his body had steadily grown more severe as his power was ripped from his body.
It was a terrible way to die, he thought, to have your very strength stripped from you.
'Better a powerless death than a strengthless life.' With a bitter taste in his mouth from the sight, his eyes wandered once more about the cave. How could anyone stay still for so long willingly?
Broly heard motion from the corner of his vision and he quickly looked.
Nothing.
Pain felt the release of his hold on the two bodies he sent out for the Leaf nin. "Hmm...the jutsu has been released but..." He looked over at the two he sent out. "We've been able to buy a considerable amount of time. Well done, Itachi and Kisame."
Sasori made his disapproval known with a grunt. "You say that so simply. I had to give up two of my subordinates as sacrifices for your jutsu."
The Rinnegan wielder brushed off the puppet master. "With my Shapeshifting technique, they became Akatsuki members, even for just a little while. I'd think they should be thanking us."
The line of red chakra coming from Gaara's body thinned out.
"Almost there, isn't it?"
"Zetsu, dispose of the two used for the Shapeshifting technique."
"Understood."
"Itachi, how many are there and who are they?"
"From Konoha, Hatake Kakashi, Haruno Sakura, and the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. From Suna, an adviser name Chiyo."
Sasori looked shocked by the last name but no one made any mention of it.
"Another Jinchuriki." The leader muttered without inflection. Madara still wanted them collected despite Broly's apparent power. He still needed to clear the air with the Uchiha but it would be a net positive to capture the Nine Tails regardless.
As the ritual finished up, they heard the crash of a fist against the barrier set up at the cavern's entrance.
"Sasori, Deidara, and Broly. Capture the Jinchuriki alive. The rest of you scatter."
'So that's the mystery man's name, yeah.' The blond thought as Itachi described the Kyubi's container as 'the one to shout loudly and rush at you' in response to Sasori's request for a description.
"That's all? You have nothing more specific, yeah?" The bomber asked which the stoic Uchiha promptly ignored.
"Tch."
As the Akatsuki disappeared, Pain stay behind a few more moments. "I'll be waiting for contact." He glanced at the Saiyan who stood up from his seat on the ground. "Be careful."
Sasori chuckled as he eyed Broly. "He's that green?"
"I was speaking to you two." The leader left in a puff of smoke.
The two shinobi looked at each with indignant confusion.
"We'll break in with a button-hook entry." The silver haired Jonin yelled as he got ready to pull the seal from the rock. Naruto stood on the right side of the entrance while Chiyo was on the left.
"Sakura!" Kakashi ripped the paper from the massive boulder that blocked their way.
"Okay!" The pink haired kunoichi yelled as she slammed her chakra infused fist into the stone.
As the wall of rock crumbled, he felt the chains fall from him and a feeling of defeated joy went through him.
Madara had warned him of this. During combat he would be free but only in the sense that he had a first person view of everything. He couldn't speak or interact with anyone, just watch.
If it was any solace, everyone- barring Akatsuki and the 'jinchuriki' as Madara called them of course- was fair game.
The four shinobi moved in but they hesitated.
There stood a man they've never seen before with Sasori, Deidara, and a large clay bird flanking him. His eyes were a burning red and his foot was on Gaara's head.
"Well then...which of you is the Jinchuriki, I wonder? Yeah."
Naruto's face took a feral appearance as his whisker-like marks thickened and his teeth sharpened. The utter disrespect to his friend's seemingly unconscious body was enough to cause malevolent chakra to rise from his being.
"You bastards! I'll smash you to pieces!"
"That one."
"Well, seems like it...yeah."
The blond leaf nin stared at the Kazekage's unmoving form for any signs of life. "Gaara, what're you doing, sleeping there lazily?! Stand the hell up!"
His fellow ninja gave him concerned looks as he hunched over, the beginnings of a cloak starting to form. Broly was intrigued by the desperation present in the brat.
He would be fun to break.
"Hey! Gaara, are you listening to-!"
Broly held up a hand and Naruto stopped at the odd gesture. Why was he sticking out his thumb like that?
The Saiyan gave him a bloodthirsty grin. Even as limited as he was, he still needed to cut loose; his blood screamed for combat. In this moment, there would be nothing else.
He knew the brat would hold back if he thought there was a possibility of injury towards the kid under his boot. They seemed close like that.
With all eyes on him, Broly put his thumb down and crushed Gaara's skull.
'Oh no' Sakura's eyes widened in horror at the sand and gore on the Akatsuki member's boot. A monstrous roar rang out in the cave as Naruto's mind registered the reality of the situation. They came too late to save his friend.
The blond Jinchuriki got on all fours as two more tails of chakra formed behind him. "I'll kill you!" The shinobi leapt forward, the ground beneath him cratered at the jump, with a massive Rasengan already formed in his hand.
Broly was all too eager to mimic the feral young man as his own hand was filled with ki.
"Everyone! Fall back!" Kakashi yelled as he quickly put distance between him and the two warriors. He couldn't feel out the Akatsuki's strength but he knew Naruto's output alone could cause serious collateral damage.
Deidara and Sasori seemed to think the same as they two made their way in the opposite direction.
"Giant Rasengan!"
The two powers met in a titanic clash that quickly exploded and sent tremors for hundreds of feet in all directions. Naruto was thrown out of the cloud of smoke, his injuries already mostly healed, and righted himself before slamming his claws into the earth to stop his momentum.
The cloud cleared revealing a hole of broken earth at the end of a trail of dug up ground. From the looks of things, the explosion forced his Broly underground rather than away like it did his aggressor.
Deidara whistled at the sight from atop his clay bird. "What fantastic art! It's a shame that he bit off more than he could chew, yeah."
Sasori eyed his team mate from below, his tail held in front of him protectively. "You should know better than to speak too soon, Deidara."
Kakashi eyed his former student warily. He had never seen the knucklehead use this many tails before and there was no knowing how well he was able to control himself. As he turned to Chiyo and Sakura to start trying to regain control of the situation, the sound of earth breaking reached their ears.
Naruto's savage facade gave way to shock at what he saw. "No way! I hit him directly!"
Broly's outstretched hand opened up and braced itself against the ground. The Saiyan pulled himself out of the rubble with only minor scratches adorning his form. An empty, soulless laugh rang out as he stood to his full height.
The blond jinchuriki's anger reignited at the sound. "If you think you can scare me, you've got another thing comin'!
The two went at each other again, this time with fists and claws instead of ki and chakra. After a quick melee, Broly landed a hard punch to the whiskered teen's chest which launched him out the side of the cavern. Without a second thought, the Saiyan chased after the boy.
After several seconds of stunned silence, the remaining shinobi turned their gazes upon one another.
"Should we fight or grab Naruto and retreat, Kakashi-sensei?" Whispered Sakura as she pumped chakra into her fists. Chiyo scoffed. "The Kazekage is dead; the mission's a failure. Let's cut our losses and leave."
Kakashi was inclined to agree, doubly so now given their opponents, but retreating was something easier said than done.
"If you think we'll just let you go..." Sasori's tailed coiled towards them like a snake ready to strike. "You're sorely mistaken."
Naruto bounced along the forest floor as if he were a pebble on the surface of a lake. He only stopped because he managed to find a comfortable boulder to slam his body against.
He quickly recovered and his cloak darkened several shades as his control momentarily wavered.
'Come on, don't let the power control you.'
Broly blasted through the foliage with tremendous ease as he tried to take off his head with a clothesline. He ducked in time and grabbed the Saiyan with one of his tails. He lifted the Akatsuki member fifty feet into the air before slamming him into the dirt.
Knowing he had merely moments to take advantage of this new opening, Naruto put his hands together in an all too familiar seal.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Two hundred clones popped into existence instantly in the forest around the Saiyan as he broke from the Jinchuriki's tail.
The Akatsuki member looked horribly confused in the moment before the hundreds of Narutos fell upon him with great fury. Broly took out clones three or four at a time with bone crushing strikes but it was an inevitability that he would soon be overwhelmed. Two rasengan got past his defenses and slammed into his bare chest.
The impact of the jutsu was painful, much more so than he expected, yet he took it with hardly a reaction. It won't due to give his opponent hope.
The Saiyan roared and a barrier of ki blocked the remaining clones while taking out the successful duo. He shot up into the air and the ground below him caved in. With the many blonds below him off balance, Broly's body shone with a brilliant emerald as orbs of ki rained down on the Jinchuriki from his form.
As his remaining shadow clones were destroyed, Naruto dodged the many explosions that were littering his surroundings. His cloak could take plenty of damage before he himself would start to be affected but there was no point in just staying still and taking it.
The blond shinobi stopped on a tree branch to survey his surroundings. A good square mile of the forest was gone in the wake of the Akatsuki's attack.
'So this is the kind of power that we're dealing with...'
He'd need to talk to Pervy Sage about increasing his training. This guy didn't have a Tailed Beast and look what he was capable of.
Broly landed in the center of it all with a ground cracking impact. His chest was scratched up but the man wasn't fazed from the looks of things. It only made him angrier.
He kills Gaara right in front of him and doesn't even have the decency to be hurt?!
His tails twitched behind him.
"Why'd you do it?! Gaara was no threat to you! There was no point in killing him!"
The redhead was the only other one who knew what it was like to be him. To be considered a monster by his fellow villagers. To have your shot at a normal life ripped from you before you ever had a chance. Why'd he have to die?
The man ignored his words as he paced towards him.
Naruto's eyes watered as more of the Kyubi's power flowed over him. Skin started to melt and fall away. The tree branch crumbled and burned underneath him and he fell to the ground.
With every step that Broly took, more of Naruto seemed to burn away. Another tail joined the other three. Two shining orbs and blinding smile of great gnashing teeth gazed upon the Saiyan where a face used to be. Any trace of humanity left was now merely an illusion.
The transformation gave the man pause. The beast that used to be Naruto lifted its body and dozens of globs of chakra both light and dark tore themselves away from its body. The tips of its tails gathered in front of its face as it seemingly beckoned its loose power back with a low growl.
The chakra gathered in front of the jinchuriki's face where it then condensed itself. The force of such an event cratered the ground around the crimson animal. After pausing for some moments, as if contemplating the sheer scale of what was going to happen, the miniature Kyubi's mouth unhinged itself, the action ripping its cheeks apart.
Broly took a step back as he thought on what to do. He'd seen his fair share of strange sights but this was up there for sure. The thing then ate the sphere that it created and sunk into the ground. What the hell was it doing?
The Four Tails blew up like a balloon, a comical sight were it not for the sheer amount of killing intent radiating off the beast.
Kakashi nearly collapsed once Deidara's apparent suicide explosion was transported by his Kamui. They were fighting a losing battle but with the explosive specialist out of the picture, they may have still stood a chance.
Sakura pushed herself onto her shaky feet. She was forced to use the last of the antidote for Sasori's poison after she and Chiyo were caught in a hail of Iron Sand by the puppet master; it looked like the poison still took its toll.
Sasori looked mildly irked at best at his partner's fate as his shield of Iron Sand melted away. "A warning would have been appreciated, Deidara." The blond Akatsuki member appeared from behind the puppet of the Third Kazekage and his child-like partner with a shrug. "I tried to get them by surprise but it's seems that that didn't matter, yeah."
The Copy Nin felt his stomach drop at the sight of the bomber. That Kamui took a lot of chakra to pull off and he was running on fumes because of it. His student and the elderly adviser from the Sand weren't much better off either.
That was when they all felt it. While the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra had weighed down on the shinobi, it was possible to tune it out. Now, it felt like the demon itself had them in its grasp.
"Kakashi..." Chiyo called out between gasps as she grasped at her chest. She had the most trouble dealing with the influx of the evil chakra. "...that kid didn't...?"
The masked shinobi shook his head. While it was bad, he was there when the Nine Tails attacked the village. This was just a fraction of it. "No but I'm worried. This is a lot of power he's releasing."
The chakra burst from his mouth with the force of a missile. Broly, unsure if he could take such a hit with how weak he was, jumped to the side and avoided the attack entirely.
The Saiyan followed the blast with his eyes. A pleased smile appeared on his face.
The boy had launched it right at the cave.
Author's Notes
After a good year, the story starts in earnest. Finally right?
It's rare that I leave a chapter on a cliffhanger. I like to have each one have some kind of ending given that my updating schedule -if you want to call it that- is rather sporadic but I got a good feeling this is going to continue.
If you have any questions, concerns, or criticisms, please leave them below in a review!
Ent out.
Review Responses!
FrostyMan122: Someone's confident! There's no guarantee he will ever escape y'know.
AdrienVictus: I've thought about it but where I'm planning on taking this story, it wouldn't be viable.
THE CREATOR: While the effort is appreciated, power levels simply won't be a thing in this story.
fan: That's certainly one way to take this fic. I might do something down the line with the Sage of Six Paths meeting Goku somehow. That'd be fun to write.
