Devil From The Heavens

Chapter 12: A Lit Fuse

Broly was dropped off who knows how many days before after Madara used him to annihilate an entire settlement. Given the increase in scope, he idly wondered if the masked man was slowly losing composure. He had no real place to judge there but he was going to because fuck that guy.

It felt good to have some more of his power back in his body even if it was only temporary and it left him exhausted. It reminded him of when he first fought Kakarot and his father's crown tried to keep him back. He closed his eyes. That wasn't a good memory, why was he remembering it? He shook it away.

He rolled over onto his side with a quiet groan. The burns on his skin were pretty much gone but a lingering soreness still remained. Konan should be coming not too long from now. Her brief visits each day were a welcome reprieve from the utter boredom that was his existence when Madara didn't have need of him. The Sage was full of it but talking with the woman was a good idea.

It was only in those few minutes that he felt on equal standing with someone even if the bars told him otherwise. Being superior was the best option but he'd take what he could get these days. It helped that she got him bigger portions too. That was nice.

Someone knocked on the bars of his cell. He would have had some choice words for whoever bothered him with the loud ringing but the sight of blue hair kept him in check. What the hell was with these guys and not making any noise to warn him? The smell of the gruel hit him quick enough and his stomach forced him to his feet.

"Don't you have some minions to do this for you?" He asked as he took the bowl from her. She tried to get him to eat with these little things called chopsticks but they were a pain to use so he stopped. His hands were good enough to eat with.

There was a subtle raise of a brow. "Is my company offensive to you?"

Broly stopped mid chew with his cheeks almost swollen with food. What kind of question was that? It's not like he ever gave the impression that that was the ca- no, he had now that he thought about it. Plenty of times actually. His response came out as a muffle. "No."

"If our enemies know you're not a willing participant in Akatsuki, they might try to break you out of our control. Your imprisonment is a secret to all but us."

The Saiyan ate another bite with a simple grunt as a response. There was hope for him yet with that blond brat if the possibility worried his captors. He didn't want to hope, for he had only seen it in the weak as he crushed them, but he couldn't think of a better word for it.

"That'd be a real shame."

The sarcasm was purposefully thick and, while he didn't witness it, he could feel her sour from his comment. Or maybe he was completely wrong and she was utterly unaffected. He couldn't tell.

A silence fell between them as he continued to eat. He tried to come up with something else to say to break it. He was sick of how much he had to endure already. He glanced at the woman. She was weirdly compassionate compared to the rest of then. That's something to ask her about.

"I remember you saying you were a founding member of Akatsuki. How did that happen? You seem too...nice?"

That wasn't the word he wanted to use but it was the best he could think of. She looked put off by the question or so he assumed given the pause that followed his question.

"I don't believe 'nice' is a good description."

Broly shrugged it off as he dug into his meal once more. "It's the only one I got."

The Angel of Ame looked down in mild disgust at the display. Her attempts at teaching him how to use chopsticks ended in abject failure it seemed. Moving on from the disappointing thought, Konan thought on the Saiyan's question. The reasoning for their creation would not help him escape nor would it aid any enemies. Was his curiosity just what it was on the surface? While it was easy to think it was that simple, nothing ever was even with a man as simple as Broly.

"Why do you wish to know?"

He finished off his meal with a quick swallow before he answered. "No real reason I can give you. I just want to know." He was waving off her question but the inflections in his voice were odd. He might have fooled a civilian but no one else. The true reason made him uncomfortable.

In the brief amount of time she had known the man, Konan determined that he had tells for his lies just like any other human. It brought up the question of if their races were somehow related but there was little time to dwell on such matters these days.

"I can tell you're lying."

His lips turned up into a not quite amused smirk. "Heh." He pushed off the bars and stood straight. His form towered over her as he crossed his arms. "It's nothing serious; the longer you're here, the less time I spend just staring at walls. Asking a question like that might keep this conversation going. Simple as that."

That was the truth but there was more to it than that. The discomfort was there but not as apparent. In the end, she let it go. It's not like the information he wanted was classified or dangerous.

"Ame is in the center of several other Great Villages." She started, her voice made it clear that this was a practiced explanation. However, Konan made sure that the words carried the proper gravitas as it was why everything was the way it was. "Their wars were unending and would spill over here to kill thousands of our people. I, along with others, formed the Akatsuki to put an end to such atrocities and ensure peace in our village. That wasn't enough as the Great Villages continue-"

The Saiyan interrupted her with a shake of his head. That gave her pause. "I didn't ask how your little group was formed. I asked how did you become a founding member."

He was curious...about her? Why on earth would that be the case? It was a question that needed asking but it was clear that Broly wouldn't say why. Whether it was out of pride or some ulterior motive mattered little given who they were, who she was. Shutting this line of talk down would be the easiest thing to do but a little voice in the back of her head told her that she could use this to learn more about the man.

"That is rather personal," She said in a mutter. "It's not something to tell just anyone." It was out of place for her to act like this but if she outright demanded an exchange, he might shut it down out of a need for control. He had to believe it was his idea.

"Of course it would be." Broly grabbed the bars and moved closer. "Tell you what, you tell me and you can ask me anything in return."

While she wasn't one to use the word, 'bingo' was a good way to describe how she felt about her success. She let the silence reign for several seconds to appear as if considering the option. Her reasons for joining the Akatsuki were personal but it did not kill her to explain. She had been tempered and strengthened by the horrors of her childhood and the Angel of Ame now saw it as a lesson to pass on. Perhaps she might even win the Saiyan to their cause though she didn't hold her breath for that.

Konan checked her surroundings for any unwanted ears and she found none.

"Anything?"

He nodded.

"I accept your offer, Broly."

His smile was smug but she had an inkling that it wouldn't be once it was his turn to reciprocate. Her memories drudged themselves up as she put the story together. It's been years since she has last told it.

"When I was a child," Her voice was quiet and slow this time. The rain outside seemed to come down harder. "I was left orphaned when my family was killed in the Second Shinobi World War. Soon after, I met two boys, Yahiko and Nagato, and in time we became best friends."

The Saiyan stopped her with a raise of his hand. "Wait, Nagato? 'Pain' is your best friend?"

She dropped the stoicism for a moment and looked at him with open confusion. Only she and Madara knew the man's real name. "How did you know that?"

His head tilted as if making a note of what he witnessed. Konan cursed her lapse in judgement. Any ground ceded was too much.

"Madara referred to him by that the first time we...met. I don't think he knows I know." His indifference was made plain with a shallow shrug. "Or he doesn't care. Doesn't really matter now, does it?"

The Angel of Ame nodded as she returned to her line of thought with little hesitation. If she appear nonplussed about the revelation, Broly might not consider the information of much importance. She wasn't one to leave a loose end like that around but she couldn't exactly kill the man.

"It doesn't." She knew Nagato wouldn't be pleased by the idea of his true name being out there. The man thought himself reborn as Pain since Yahiko's death. In her wavering moments, the very idea was foolish to Ame's Angel but that helped Nagato cope. She couldn't criticize the man for Saiyan seemed satisfied with that and gestured for her to move on.

"One day, we came upon the legendary Sannin. Shinobi of immense skill and power. One suggested killing us so we did not have to deal with the horrors of the war but another decided that training us was a worthy pursuit." That conversation left her with a feeling of whiplash after it happened. To go from abject fear to hope from one sentence to the next. It did give her an idea of who Orochimaru was at the time. A cruel, calculating man who she was ashamed to have ever given a place to in the Akatsuki.

"It was telling that the conflict was so damaging that killing us was seen as a mercy. From there, the Akatsuki was born. To answer your question more directly, I helped create the Akatsuki because I did not want to see anyone else suffer as I have. To live in world where war is constant and death is preferred."

Broly's lips twitched downward. "As expected, almost disgustingly noble." He pushed off the bars and began to pace. "Why try to help this world when it has only caused you suffering? Why not take your pound of flesh? As weak as you are, you can still do it."

"Because living to punish is not living at all. It is only when humanity has nothing to fear will we truly thrive."

The Saiyan stopped pacing but he did not appear convinced by her words. It was a shame but she tried. She could only hope that, given time to think on it, he would come around to their point of view. She sense a quick flare of chakra to her right and glanced over. It was Nagato's Deva Path.

"Konan, I wish to speak with you."

It's eyes flicked over to Broly. The Saiyan had already laid down on his bed.

"In private."


"You asked for me, Nagato?"

Konan looked upon the sickly form of her long time friend with concern. While it wasn't rare that he summoned her here, when he did it was always of importance. She couldn't help the feeling that crept up her back that this was a more grave occasion. The emaciated redhead glanced at her and nodded.

"Yes, I wished to speak about Madara."

So her gut was right. "What has he done?"

"I believe our goals have shifted." He stopped for a moment as he thought on previous interactions. The Uchiha had always been suspicious, you couldn't not be when you shinobi of their rank and notoriety, but it was something he didn't take enough care to see beyond. "Or perhaps they were never the same."

He glanced at her stoic face. "You don't seem surprised."

She looked away from him. "I suspected that he had ulterior motives for his involvement in our plans. I had stayed my tongue as he has been a boon to our organization." And because she would follow Nagato into certain death no matter what she believed. It was all she could do to help him.

"I guess I have been a fool blinded by my ambitions." He spoke with regret for things that have not occurred. He blamed himself for letting things progress so far. It was easy to read the man which should be unsurprising given how long she'd known him.

"Ever since we acquired our weapon, he has been on a mission to master it, to make it his rather than ours. This is the weapon we wanted but he continues in his obsession with the Tailed Beasts. I fear he will turn it on us in time when we are no longer useful to his plans." He straightened himself out. The action was clearly painful but Konan saw that he felt the need to look powerful in both words and body. "I have no doubt he would seek to steal my eyes as well."

Her heart hammered at the implications of her friend's words. He wasn't saying that? Was he? "Are you suggesting we kill Madara?"

"Yes."

One word spoken without hesitation and they found themselves on the opposite side of one of the strongest shinobi in recorded history. She wasn't against the idea but reckless didn't even begin to describe such a course of action. She was only just understanding how his intangibility worked. Until they did, there'd be no way to harm him. There was also the big, green elephant in the tower.

"He's already incredibly hard to fight. With Broly under his control, we'd stand no chance."

"A puppet is useless without strings. He will be no issue."

Except that the puppet is far and away the most powerful being on the planet. She was fairly confident if Broly decided not to be touched, neither of them would get close enough. Nagato had to know that.

"You speak as if it's so simple."

He nodded in response. "It's not but nothing we do ever is. You've studied his intangibility, have you not?"

She pursed her lips at that. She knew there was a time limit and that he couldn't use Kamui while intangible but there were holes that needed filling in her theory. "I'm not done but there's enough there to exploit."

"Good. Once the time is right, we'll strike."


Jiraiya thought himself dedicated to his village. Even when he spent years away, he maintained an intricate spy network to aid Konoha against potential. It was this dedication that forced him to follow every order and accept every mission no matter how heinous. Keeping Konoha safe was the most important thing to him. Enough so that he'd kill anyone up to and including Lady Tsunade herself if they proved traitorous.

So when he denied the mission to go into Ame to gather information on the leader of the Akatsuki and possibly Broly, it was with great reluctance. When asked why, he only said one name. Naruto.

He spoke to the blond brat not long before about his difficulties with the training. Jiraiya took care to mention the fox's interference. Naruto said that the fox's presence won't allow him to enter Sage Mode as the Tailed Beast implied it wasn't doing it purposefully. A lie if he ever heard one and he made sure to tell his godson as such.

"No, you don't understand, the Kyubi has only helped me until now. Why would it hurt me now?"

Oh, maybe it was because it was a giant, evil fox. An animal known for its cunning and trickery. The Toad Sage contemplated sealing the Kyubi's chakra even more but that would do far more harm than good as that was a major source of power to deprive from the kid.

The boy had suddenly attained Sage Mode seemingly overnight. Something that would normally be cause for celebration was instead the cause of his anxiety.

It was just another day of training. As expected, Hinata was progressing admirably without the oil. Naruto had been meditating for hours at this point. All of a sudden, like a bonfire being lit, a great burst of malevolence sprang from the Jinchuriki's body. Hinata almost fell off her board a hundred feet in the air out of shock. He sprang forth into action ready to potentially fight the Kyubi itself.

The damn brat smiled at him with the tell tale marks of orange around his eyes. His pupils were a fusion of the horizontal bars of Sage mode with the slits of when he was using the fox's chakra. The around him for several meters felt stale and lifeless. Hinata later revealed to him that the Natural energy around the kid was being sucked into his chakra paths like they were a vacuum.

Wherever he stepped, the grass around him withered and died from the corruption seeping off him. Naruto looked without a worry in the world.

"Naruto, what did you do?!" He demanded of his godson.

Minato's son looked at his hands coursing with power he had never felt before.

"I stopped hesitating."


Author's Note

God, this chapter was hard as shit to write but it's out of the way, thankfully enough.

Let me know what y'all think in a review!

Ent out.


Review Responses!

Marouan: And it loves you!

fightingchampion: Pain will teach Madara why he's named such is what he'll do.

Abyss Trinity: Dude's too confident in himself. Whether that bites him is another thing entirely...

Jutten: Here's a little more Konan and Broly for ya.

The awesome one: I think you're overestimating Madara/underestimating Pain a bit here in my opinion. Nagato's a powerhouse even here.

Hawkcam1996: This is a chakra construct of Hagoromo, not the man himself. It was created before Madara was a twinkle in his dad's eye.

destu: Who lives on drury lane?

coronadomontes: Thank you!

Guest: I appreciate your kind words and review!