Devil From The Heavens
Chapter 6: Legion of One
Given the casualties suffered recently by the Akatsuki, it was pertinent that he made his control over the Saiyan absolute. It had only been two weeks since the Pyrrhic victory of the One Tail's retrieval mission and they had lost Hidan and Kakuzu as well. Sure, they had gain the Two, Three, and Six Tails in the mean time but this was not a sustainable strategy.
Madara walked through the corpses littering the street like a proverbial reaper only this time his hands were mostly clean. Physically anyways. Broly pulled his hands apart and his victim's chest followed in their stead. He tossed the halves of the man away as the Uchiha approached. Another success.
The stench of death was strongest on the Saiyan who was covered in blood and bile. He had wanted to see how the alien fared with only taijutsu. Needless to say, he had done admirably. Of course, there were a few stragglers but he had taken care of them himself.
His control was getting stronger everyday as the intricacies and flaws of the conversion seal on Broly's head made themselves known. For a product of the Sage of Six Paths, it was poor.
Madara waved him off. "Find the nearest body of water and wash yourself off." Broly turned right and moved out of sight to the river right outside the village.
Zetsu appeared behind him and the Uchiha could only sigh. Every time the plant man has shown up lately, it was always a mixed bag of losses and wins.
"What news do you bring, Zetsu?"
"Orochimaru is dead. Felled by Sasuke's hand." The plant creature looked around at the carnage and whistled. "Subtlety is not a strong suit for him, is it?"
There was that bit of good news. The snake was an unpredictable variable in his plans so to see him gone is some relief.
Zetsu's black half's visage shifted into one of disgust. "From what we've gathered, Sasuke has brought together some shinobi to aid him in killing Itachi. Like he could such a thing."
"Pain is going to be calling for a meeting to update everyone in a bit. It seems he's worried about the boy potentially disrupting our plans."
"More than they've already been?"
"Well, yes, I'd imagine."
So little Sasuke is finally going to try and kill Itachi. Knowing what he did about the elder sibling, he wouldn't dare kill his brother. Perhaps, once their battle is finished, he could recruit Sasuke and his allies or manipulate them into working for him. The Akatsuki could use some filling out.
Madara felt a ping from the ring on his finger. Good timing on the Rinnegan wielder's part.
Moments afterwards, a holographic form of himself stood in a room surrounded by the rest of the members of the Akatsuki. Broly stood to his left. It was difficult to tether his own ring to the Saiyan's but it allowed him to bring him into the fold without raising suspicion from his subordinates. Kisame was holding the body of the Four-Tails. Good, another one off the list.
The discussion went as Zetsu described with the deaths of their own and Orochimaru being the main talking points. Of course, he'd put in his own interjections as Tobi. It was a tedious task but the more outlandish the personality, the less seriously people would take him.
Now if only he had somebody inconsequential to antagonize. Deidara seemed like he would have been perfect to provide him some brief entertainment but alas, that was not possible.
He eyed Itachi as they spoke about Sasuke and what to do about him. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities for the man to disregard his current mission of gathering the Jinchurikis for a reunion with his brother. In fact, he was certain of it. He'd have to keep an eye on the clan-killer so as to not miss his opportunity to get at Sasuke.
Pain held up his joined hands. "We'll discuss this further once the Four-Tails is sealed."
The rest of the group followed suit as shadowy dragons poured forth from the Gedo statue. Madara glanced at the Saiyan next to him. Ki and chakra were similar enough that, theoretically, there shouldn't be complications from including him in the ritual. He tested it with Nagato not long ago and it went without a hitch as far as they could see.
Most would advise against the use of the alien but with the end goal of his plan so close and losing so many of his assets so quickly, caution was a luxury.
Naruto was an easy kid to read. Unusual for a shinobi but she thought it to be part of his charm.
So when Tsunade told them that Orochimaru was killed by Sasuke, she expected some celebration on both his and Sakura's part. Of course, she got it but the kid lacked some of the enthusiasm she had hoped to see. It seems Gaara's death still weighed heavily on his mind.
"So...that mean's Sasuke's coming back right?"
The Hokage remained quiet as Jiraiya informed the blond that no, Sasuke wasn't coming back. Righteous anger poured from the Jinchuriki while the spymaster explained that Sasuke still seeked to kill his brother. The whiskers on his face darkened and she could see the Fox's influence color his eyes.
She stepped around the desk and laid a hard hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, calm down." He held onto his anger for a few too many moments before his visage returned to normal. Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya who grimaced at the silent message.
"Sorry, I lost myself there."
It shouldn't have been so easy for the Nine-Tails's chakra to bleed into Naruto like it did in that moment. It took a great amount of rage to draw it out under normal conditions and, while the brat was angry, the mismatch between how mad he was now and how furious he'd normally be for the red chakra to present itself was far greater than reasonable.
Kakashi came in with a hand in his pocket like this was a casual stroll down a street rather than entering the Hokage's office. It would do for the man to show a little more reverence but if the Third couldn't do it, she wouldn't. The slight tension in his body language told her that he was well aware of what had just occurred.
The momentary distraction was a welcome one as the Jonin launched into the briefing for their mission.
Capturing Itachi would not be an easy task but their best chance at finding Sasuke would be to capture his brother. The mention of the Akatsuki caused Naruto's expression to grow more severe. Tsunade briefly contemplated holding back the shinobi from the mission but struck the thought down.
His current emotional state could cause him to be reckless in their fight against Itachi and potentially lead to his capture but he was dead set on aiding in whatever capacity to bring back Sasuke. He'd probably just sneak out of the village which meant they had no way to track him at that point.
As much as she hated to admit, there was lower risk in letting him on this mission.
Once the meeting was over and her office was empty, Tsunade sighed.
"The brat has you worried?"
Coming from Jiraiya, she knew it to be a rhetorical question. Hell, she'd be concerned if the Toad Sage wasn't worried himself.
Oh, what she would do for some sake.
"He's drawing on the fox's power too easily."
"You want me to check his seal?"
Tsunade shook her head. "No, I don't think it's from the seal weakening or anything like that." She thought about his recent behavior and how notably different it was since the failure of the Kazekage retrieval mission. His latest mission talked about the brutality displayed in his disposal of Kakuzu. While it wasn't against any rules or regulations, dismembering an opponent before seemingly wiping them from existence was a concerning course of action. "Gaara's death has affected him on a deeper level than we expected."
Jiraiya grimaced at what she implied. "He's not going to sit still for any therapy or counselling, you know that."
"What do you suggest then?"
He went silent for a moment. "I could take him out to Mt. Myoboku."
She was surprised by the suggestion. "You think training him to be a Sage is what he needs?"
"In order to be a Sage, he has to be at balance both physically and mentally. If anything is going to help him get past this, that is going to be the ticket."
She sat back and thought about the man's suggestion. There was great peril when it came to becoming a Sage. He could just as well turn into a statue rather than heal from his grief.
"I trust your judgement, Jiraiya. If you think he's ready, go for it."
Another one of the Gedo Statue's eyes opened as the last of the Four-Tails chakra was sealed away. Its pupils had gained a subtle green glow with the end of the ritual. Madara made note of the new development. If ki and chakra could be joined in the same vessel, it could open a whole new world of possibilities.
Pain looked away as if listening to someone who wasn't there.
"One of my spies has informed me that Kakashi and the Nine-Tails have been sent out to retrieve Sasuke along with two platoons of shinobi."
"Really?" Kisame grinned, making a show of exposing all of his razor sharp teeth. "So what's the plan?" Kisame asked as he heaved Samehada on his shoulder. "Go after the Nine-Tails or Itachi's brother?"
"Focus on the Jinchuriki. If Sasuke interferes, dispose of him."
"Ooh! Ooh! Broly and I will grab the Kyubi!" 'Tobi' flailed as he put an arm around the Saiyan. "It'll be fun!" The others didn't react in any meaningful manner as they were all too used to it. Kisame shrugged.
"Fine by me."
"Return to your objectives." Pain began to fade away as did the rest. "Do not fail me."
Madara let go of Broly once they were out of the cave. Itachi would die against his brother as he would refuse to kill his younger sibling but that was a planned loss. No use interfering there though he'd have to be fast with the Kyubi.
This was a prime opportunity to capture the Nine Tails and quicken his plans. Zetsu came up out of the ground behind him.
"Where's the Nine-Tails?"
"About half a days travel to the North of Konoha."
The Uchiha smiled beneath his mask. It seems his bad luck was coming to an end. He grabbed onto Broly's shoulder and the two disappeared in a Kamui.
They reappeared where Zetsu told them and it was but a few moment's effort for him to locate the concentration of strong shinobi traveling through the forest. He looked to Broly and gestured towards the Konoha nin.
"Go forth and bring me the Kyubi Jinchuriki."
The Saiyan leapt high into the sky in search of his prey.
He saw them within seconds of leaving the masked man behind. Anxiety ate away at him once he spotted the one with blonde hair.
Broly floated down in front of the group in despair. There was the child who he had reached out to. The only one who had an inkling of the hell he was in. Capturing him as Madara commanded would result in the boy's death and his hopes would be dashed away.
Even if he didn't capture the blonde, who's to say his compassion wouldn't diminish in the face of any of his friends' deaths? Madara wouldn't let him pull punches against unimportant targets.
"Holy- he can fly?!" One of them, the pink girl, yelled. The group immediately jumped back and gave him plenty of distance.
'Keen eyes there.' He thought sarcastically as he slipped off the top of the robes he wore. It felt unnatural to fight with clothing on his torso.
Naruto pointed at him, the recognition in his eyes evident. "You're the one who killed Gaara." Several pairs of eyes glanced at the knucklehead in worry. They all knew how the whiskered teen had been handling his grief. The Son of Paragus noted how one girl's blank eyes lingered on longer than the others.
Probably a lover or a particularly close friend compared to the rest. He'd have to try to be careful with her.
Madara, hidden among the foliage, was amused by the Jinchuriki's outburst. The boy was emotional already and not a fist has been flung. Capturing him would be simple.
Kakashi tensed up as he remembered what Tsunade said when he reported what Naruto told him after the failure of the Kazekage Retrieval mission.
'You realize the implications of what you're telling me here, right?' Tsunade eyed him like a hawk over her joined hands. 'One of the most powerful shinobi to have ever lived is not only still alive but involved with the Akatsuki and directly controlling one of its members if what Naruto says is believed to be true.'
Kakashi could only nod. Her skepticism was completely expected, hell he didn't fully believe himself, but Naruto simply wasn't one to lie.
'Until we have proof of this, this information is to only be disseminated when absolutely necessary.'
'And if we are to encounter this Akatsuki again?'
She paused for a few moments. 'Capture him if you can. If you see Madara, flee on sight. No exceptions'
"Alright everyone, change of plans!" The Copy-Nin revealed his Sharingan. "Our priority is to subdue the Akatsuki!" The shinobi around him look at him in shock. Kiba was the first to recover. "Wait, what about Itachi?!"
Kakashi gave the feral teen a look that demanded no arguments. "I'll explain later!"
Broly brought forth his immeasurable strength and the air around them became weighed with toxicity. Trees fell in the wake of the winds being generated and boulders cracked from the pressure. The Saiyan smiled which sent chills down everyone's spines.
Sai stood with a bored expression on his face. The only indication that he acknowledged the alien's display was a tighter grip on his sword's hilt. The rest got into various martial arts stances or grabbed weapons from their pouches.
Yamato spoke up with no fear allowed in his voice. "Is that supposed to scare us?"
The son of Paragus held out his fist. Kakashi noticed the shining green light filtering through the man's fingers. The hand opened to reveal a pea sized orb of emerald...charka? That didn't look right. His Sharingan couldn't process what it was seeing.
'Take my power.' Naruto wanted to argue against the Kyubi but he remembered how the last fight against this man went. He stood defiant against the brainwashed nuke nin with the red hue of the Kyubi's chakra bubbling up around him.
'I will but this doesn't mean anything.'
'Of course.'
Hinata chimed in, her voice trembling. "That isn't chakra he's gathering."
The orb detonated and everything turned green.
Yamato coughed against the wall of wood he summoned at the last possible moment. The former ANBU looked over at his allies and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his constructs had stood firm.
"Is everything okay?" He yelled as he did a headcount. Everyone was here.
"Get down!" Yelled the Hyuga as Yamato's wall exploded around him. He turned in time to see an arm slam into his chest.
Broly tossed another ki blast as the man he clotheslined bounced away. Sakura came up and crashed her fist against the ground. A block of stone rose up to meet the attack head on. The pinkette as well as the two men behind her were blown away as the shield of rock failed to absorb the entirety of the impact.
He grabbed onto a set of claws that aimed to take his head. A snarling face, draped in crimson, came up behind the limb.
"If what you said is true, fight it!" Naruto yelled as he raised his free hand. The Son of Paragus backhanded the child away. As if it would be so simple to just break free of the masked man's influence. What the hell did he think Broly was doing? Twiddling his thumbs?
He was beset on both sides by Kiba and Akamaru with their Fang over Fang technique. The living drills bit into his skin and it hurt more than he'd like.
As the Saiyan swiped at his current aggressors, Shino summoned a massive swarm of his insects.
"Hinata, follow after my insects. Why? It will distract him from your strikes."
"Right!" She said, her words far more confident than she felt. Her Byakugan was on and focus on this singular target but what she saw simply couldn't be possible. What little chakra he had was concentrated on his skin and there were no chakra points to speak of. Pathways were there but they were far too thick and too few. She wasn't sure if her Gentle Fist could do anything to this man.
Hinata raced off as Shino sent his swarm at the Akatsuki who just freed himself of their team mate.
His body was covered and he struggled against the bugs that ate away at his energy. The Hyuga noticed how some of them dropped dead after a few mere bites. A hole in the swarm opened over the man's abdomen. Her fingertips lit up with power as she prepared to deliver the crippling blow.
She lashed out and it felt she slammed her fingers into a steel wall. Her chakra, meant to slice through the man, was swallowed by whatever flowed through the Akatsuki's system.
Naruto screamed. "Hinata!"
So in shock was she that she failed to react in time to stop the hand from clamping down on her head. The pain was incredible and she screamed.
Broly lifted the kunoichi up to eye level.
"Puny girl."
Author's Notes
Man was this one hard to write. Not satisfied with it to be honest but it's finished. Anyways, has anyone seen the new preview for DBS episode 75? A female LSSJ! I was so fucking hyped to see that!
I just hope that it's a meaningful addition instead of some bait and switch fantasy sequence or something.
Ent out.
Review Responses!
TheOnlyKing: Disgust is a strong word but yeah, a pitiful amount of them are any good.
fightingchampion: Find out next time on Dragon Ball Z!
Guest: Liberties were taken to make the story happen. Kinda how fanfics work.
BeerusUzumaki: It wouldn't be possible since nobody has any knowledge of Namek, the dragon balls, or can get off world at all.
NacNak: Do they have internet on Namek?
Uzushiogakure: This is true but, again, fanfic. Genjutsu does only work on chakra but the seal on his forehead allows the conversion of chakra to ki which I believe was touched on in chapter two. I do apologize if that wasn't clear.
