Devil From The Heavens
Chapter 20: Know Pain
Tsunade felt overwhelming power course through her as the seals snaked their way through her body and limbs. Broly stood there seemingly entranced by what was happening. It was like he knew that he'd get something in return for the patience.
A far off pebble of rubble fell. When it hit the floor, the trio disappeared.
A thousand sonic booms rang out as hundreds of blows were exchanged within the next few seconds. Tsunade's fists broke and healed every time she landed a punch against the man. The Hundred Healings allowed this level of recklessness as no injury stayed longer than fractions of a second.
Broly swiped at her and she leaned back as Jiraiya sucker punched the Akastuki. Broly responded with a backhand that sent blood and spittle flying. The Sannin's Sage Mode proved as invaluable as Tsunade's seal as the man was durable enough to take Broly's hits without injury.
She reversed course and socked the man in the jaw. He responded by biting down onto her fists. She cried out as he tore away several fingers and spat them in her face. Tsunade blocked her severed fingers but that just left her open to a gut kick that sent her sliding away.
Jiraiya came mid swing with an Ultra Big Ball Rasengan. Broly speared his arm straight through the man's chest but instead of blood and gore, he received a puff of smoke. Unbeknownst to the Saiyan, the ground beneath him became an extraordinarily sticky mud. Broly stepped forth only to nearly trip as the ground refused to let him go. Behind the stuck Akatsuki, Jiraiya rushed through another set a hand signs.
"Fire Style: Big Flame Bullet!"
He spewed the oil in his mouth and it ignited instantly into a massive column of fire that engulfed Broly in a torrent of violent orange. The Toad Sage nearly relaxed until a green orb rushed out of the flames. He was only just able to dodge it as it soared past and erased several tons of rubble in an instant. If it weren't for his Senjutsu enhanced reflexes, that would have killed him.
Broly burst through the dying flames and swung at the Toad Sage with an uppercut that tore through the ground beneath. In a panic, Jiraiya fell back and he shut his eyes in preparation for the pain.
There was a resounding smack of fist against flesh but nothing hurt. He opened his eyes and his jaw dropped. Tsunade was staring the Akatsuki down as she held his fist in her hand. Her arm was a deep violet, nearly black, from injury but she held firm. He saw the opening for what it was and formed a Rasengan in his palm.
Broly saw his attack coming and threw his head forward. His breath hitched as he stared into the man's wild eyes. His face showed rage and contempt but there was nothing to his eyes. No soul, no true intelligence, it was like he was little more than a machine.
Jiraiya's Rasengan burst like a water balloon as the Akatsuki barrelled through them both. Broly grabbed his shirt and slammed him into the ground. He raised a foot to stomp him dead but Tsunade interrupted with a sharp kick to his knee. Broly swiped at her as he fell but she waved out of the way and returned a slug to his temple. The Toad Sage used the moment to throw himself at Broly and deliver a knee against his chin.
The man put a hand to his chest. With an almost lazy shove, Jiraiya was sent tumbling end over end through the air.
Tsunade threw a hook at the Akatsuki but he smashed it aside. As her broken arm failed, the Hokage could only brace for impact as he reared back. As if she was made of paper, his arm speared right through her. She immediately lost all feeling in her legs as her spinal cord was reduced to powder. She gasped as he held her up. Her blood gushed along his arm and the copper smell flooded her nostrils. If she still had a stomach, she'd be sick.
'This is going to hurt when it all starts coming back.' Tsunade snapped an electrified hand out and stabbed Broly's forehead. His face quickly became incomprehensible as his body simply wouldn't do what he wanted. Tsunade couldn't help but smirk even as his erratic movements ruined what was left of her abdomen. In one smooth motion, she grabbed onto his arm and pulled herself off. She fell unceremoniously to the floor alongside the Akatsuki who was seemingly in a seizure.
Body Pathway Derangement. His nervous system won't know a hand from a foot for some time. Time she needed to heal the hole in her body.
Around the seizing Broly, the ground turned to a pink, sticky flesh. The Akatsuki was seemingly stuck as flesh blurred into existence all around him. The feet of the Toad Sage appeared in the corner of his vision. Jiraiya maintained his gaze as the giant toad esophagus contracted around the Akatsuki and released its digestive enzymes.
"Only two people have ever escaped the Toad Mouth Bind, Broly. Let's keep it that way."
The Toad Sage kept his eye on the trapped man and reached out to Tsunade who accepted his offered hand.
"You scared me there."
"I was scared too." She put a hand to the freshly healed wound. "In case you were wondering, a severed spine does not feel good."
Jiraiya let out a bark of laughter at the comment but any mirth was cut off as a hissing started to come from the Toad Mouth Bind. The side of the Bind burst out in an explosion of burnt gore as Broly floated out. The man was covered in digestive slime but was otherwise unharmed.
The Toad Sage shot her a bewildered look. "But I thought you hit him with-!"
"I did!" She hissed back.
Broly looked back and, with an angry swipe of his hand, the Bind was destroyed in a geyser of green. Both Shima and Fukusaku gasped at the sight. Their healing on Mt. Myoboku wouldn't be able to save a toad from such an injury. Jiraiya clenched his fists. He should have been able to dispel the technique in time but the bastard caught him off guard.
Tsunade leapt forward and stomped. The hollow earth beneath Broly caved, as he floated for a brief moment, Jiraiya crushed the man's ribs with the nature chakra-empowered Rasengan. The Akatsuki carved a tunnel through a mile of ruins. The Sannin moved. They wouldn't stop until the man couldn't move or they tore him apart. Whichever came first.
Broly burst forth with a roar and shot a flurry of blasts from his mouth at the shinobi. They dodged and weaved through the poorly aimed attacks and Tsunade launched herself upwards.
"Toad Oil Bullet!"
Jiraiya sent a smothering bomb of oil at the Saiyan while he was distracted by the Hokage. The Akatsuki was coated and he flailed against the sticky liquid. Tsunade raised her leg high.
"Heaven Kick of Pain!"
Her axe kick fell onto the confused man's shoulder and the area around them collapsed. She looked at the man buried up to his neck and he growled at her. Without hesitation, she drove her feet into his chin. Another boom rang out and the Akatsuki tumbled through the air amongst a storm of boulders and ruins.
There was an explosion to Broly's left as Jiraiya's body burst stright through a boulder. Broly deflected the kick, the force continuing through and flattening a nearby ruin, and crashed into the Sannin with a lariat. As the the Toad Sage was launched away, the Akatsuki twisted and met Tsunade's fist with his own.
Their meeting reduced all the rubble that still hung in the air to dust. Tsunade fell away, her broken arm already healed, and she slammed her shin into Broly's ribs. He took the hit with a pained grunt and wrapped his arm around her leg before he spun and threw the Hokage back at the still falling Jiraiya.
The rushing wind by her ears nearly deafened her but she still flipped around with a loud snap as her dislocated leg righted itself.
"Grab my hand!" Yelled Jiraiya and she instinctively clasped onto her former team mate's hand.
Fukusaku and Shima exhaled great hurricanes of wind and the duo spun like those great storms as they were collectively launched into the air. Tsunade prepared herself as Jiraiya's arm bulged against the forces threatening to loosen his grip. With a great cry of effort, the Toad Sage heaved his fellow Sannin at the Akatsuki.
Tsunade speared towards Broly and her eyes watered at the heat that ripped away her shoes and tore at the skin and bones of her feet.
Broly's own eyes widened.
Jiraiya had to hold up his arms Tsunade and Broly seemingly exploded when the Hokage hit him. Everything shook and he could feel the impact rippled through his skin and bones. The distinct warmth of the sun hit him not a moment later. He looked and his jaw dropped. The clouds above had been instantly cleared by the shockwave and the haze of ash that had fallen over the village was gone.
The Toad Sage hit the ground moments later. There was a great gouge in the earth that extended well into the forest around the village. He raced down the new formed valley until he spotted Tsunade, standing barefoot with a lot of blood staining her clothes and her pants missing fabric below the knees, at the edge of a miles wide crater. Somehow. She'd told him about the power of the Hundred Healings before but she did the seal an amazing disservice in his opinion.
Without looking at him. she pointed towards the crater and he understood what she wanted.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
He, Fukusaku, and Shima exhaled a veritable tsunami of oil engulfed in flames and wind into the crater and it quickly filled up into an artificial lake of boiling oil. The two Sannin stood vigilant as they watched the still form of Broly disappear beneath the waves.
His skin burned. His body ached. He could almost laugh. Now, seemingly at the end of his life, these shinobi put up a fight. He wanted them alive.
Because if he survived this, they'd probably be the only decent sparring partners on this damn rock.
He unconsciously floated up through the boiling liquid. The orange of the fires above danced oddly in the shimmer of whatever this was.
Broly looked at the chains that held him and he struggled against them. He just had to push against Madara's command. The chains groaned against his strength. Take a single breath and this would all be over. He almost did.
And then he felt something surge through the ethereal chains.
It seemed his body thought otherwise.
The Sannin watched the artificial lake intensely as the smell of rotten grease flooded their noses. Tsunade's face crunched; it was never pleasant to be around Jiraiya as a Sage for a reason. She glanced at the man who was breathing heavily. Broly survived everything they've thrown at him; they could only hope this was it. She put a healing hand on his back. As durable as he was, he wasn't unscathed.
"How much do you have left in you?"
He knew exactly how much he had left but he shook his head. "Can't say but I know it ain't much." The Hokage didn't need to be distracted by his state. They both had to focus on putting this monster down.
"Now why do ya hafta lie to the lady, Jiraiya?" Fukusaku admonished as he hit the back of the man's head. "We know you know how much is in the tank."
Shima answered. "He's got a few minutes, give or take."
Tsunade's body slumped as she sighed. "I'm in the same boat. If he survives..."
Jiraiya slapped her back which forced her to straighten up. "You don't have to say it." He ignored the angry look she gave him.
Then the ground shook.
"Ah, shit."
Massive waves of burning toad oil leapt up at the quartet and they were forced into the treetops. The momentum quickly shifted as the oil started to circle around the center of the artificial lake. A great, emerald column of energy exploded up into the sky from the center of the whirlpool that had formed.
In the aftermath, they saw him. Wrapped in a second skin of jade power and with veins bulging on his red, raw skin, Broly roared.
Tsunade's ear drums exploded at the sound. In the split second it took to heal them, she had lost focus. A moment that the Akatsuki exploited. He shot at her like a cannon and she tried to move but even with her near instant regeneration, it was too slow. His hand wrapped around her head and she was shoved into the super heated oil beneath.
Jiraiya was on him right after with another Ultra big Ball Rasengan but he had to duck as Broly tossed Tsunade at him. The sight of her cracked, bubbling skin sickened him but he couldn't stop. Her seal was still active; maybe she survived. The thought process was instantly caught off as Broly's fist ran into his gut. What momentum he had was reversed as the Akatsuki's punch had him crashing through who knows how many trees.
The momentum could only carry him so far and his lungs were emptied as he hit a tree that was hard enough to stop him and he slid down onto one of its roots.
Broly bounded at the Sage, each footfall uprooting trees and sending great waves around. With a final leap, he launched himself boots first at the prone Sannin. Jiraiya smashes his hands into the root and a gargantuan wall of stone erupted forth from beneath the great wooden limb.
It didn't stop the missile that was Broly.
Minutes before...
Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes. He knew the Sannin were strong but this was far above his expectations. At this rate, they'd have another Valley of The End when it's all said and done. An ever familiar man in an offensively green jumpsuit joined his viewing of the spectacle. Just in time as in the distance, he saw the Hokage seemingly turn into a burning missile and explode when she hit Broly.
His eyes, along with the other shinobi present, nearly bulged out of their sockets.
"So this is what it's like to see the Sannin go all out..." Might Guy whispered next to him in reverence. Kakashi could only nod in agreement.
The remains, as that's all they could be referred to as, of Konoha's forces had stayed back at the demands of the Nara clan head once Jiraiya and Tsunade got involved. They'd only get in the way, he said. Kakashi had to agree seeing what they were doing now. He had barely done anything in the battle before Broly seemingly killed everyone in one move.
"Who's left?"
"Hiashi, Inoichi, Shikaku, Tsume, Ibiki, Anko, and maybe a dozen other Jonin and ANBU...anyone else who's still alive is either injured or with the civilians." Konoha's Blue Beast slapped a hand on his shoulders. "The good news is our civilians are A-OK! Their flames may be dulled but Konoha is its people. As long as they live so does Konoha!"
'At least the quality of the survivors are high.' Kakashi thought morbidly though they had quality and quantity at the start of the this for all the good that did. Madara was still out there even if they survived all this. their only hope at standing a chance was getting rid of Broly. There'd be next to no hope with both of their forces combined.
'So help me.'
Kakashi closed his eyes. As far as he could tell, Broly wasn't guilty in all this. This wasn't his choice; it was Madara's.
But as it stands, it was one man, an unknown before all this, versus the village he was born and raised in. It wasn't a hard choice who to save.
Hiashi appeared behind the two in the familiar flicker of the Teleportation Jutsu. "I see six signatures about a mile away." The Hyuga clan head spoke irritably. "I recognize three as Neji's team. They broke off from the civilians."
Guy's ever present grin faltered. That was his team after all. "That's not youthful of them at all!"
That was an understatement as well as a court martial and a half. After a quick report to the other remaining shinobi, the three quickly intercepted the the two teams.
Kakashi made it a point to startle the six teenagers when he appeared in front of them.
"Damn it, Neji!" Tenten yelled as she rounded on her team mate. "You were supposed to keep your eyes out for them!"
The Hyuga had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry, Tenten, but this is reckless."
"My nephew is right." Hiashi added. "The Sannin are only matching our foe currently; they might yet lose."
Guy, his fists on his hips, stood stern in front of his team. "Students, if you don't go back immediately-!"
"We're not students!" Ino practically yelled at the bushy browed man. "We're fully fledged ninja!
Shikamaru sighed at the bickering. This was easily the worst- what was that up there? "Heads up." He said as he pointed at what he saw.
Kakashi, along with the rest of the shinobi, spotted a person shaped object sailing through the sky. Their details were hard to make out but whoever it was landed not too far from them. He didn't know whether to hope if it was Broly or not.
"You kids stay here. Guy, Hiashi, let's check that out."
Tsunade woke up as water from a broken pipe leaked onto her face. Why did it smell like someone was cooking? She moved her arm and heard the crack of fried skin. Right, the oil.
'I'm so glad my nerves are dead right now.' She pulled herself forward and tried to ignore the sound of something that was not clearly fabric being torn by the action. There was blood everywhere and she could tell her lungs were just about patched up because it was near impossible to breath. Moments passed and as her senses came back, she noticed several presences around her.
"Lady Tsunade?" Someone nervously asked. She could barely make out some of the shapes that moved against the light.
"I'm'ere." She half mumbled and half whispered.
The Leaf shinobi let out a collective sigh of relief at their Hokage's apparent survival. There was a worry there given she ripped part of her back off.
Tsunade blinked a few times as her vision became clearer. Chunks of cooked skin fell off as new skin replaced it. "I'm fine, just-" She let out out a long, pained groan as the nerves returned. "Thhhhhere they are, fuck."
Kakashi's eye, wide for the man, stared at the fallen chunks. "How are you-?"
"Hundred Healings, I'll explain after." She reached out a hand and Kakashi pulled her to her feet. There was something to be said about that seal; she felt amazing every time it worked its magic.
She then noticed that alongside Kakashi stood Hiashi and Guy. "What are you three doing here?"
Guy held up a fist in a righteous display of both pride and anger. His eyes were teary. "Some of our younger shinobi have flames that burn brightly and they were eager to join the fray, Lady Tsunade! We intercepted them and were in the area as a result!"
Tsunade looked past the eccentric man and scowled as a very familiar group of children approached. "You mean them?" In any other situation, this would have been a mild annoyance at best but they were tasked with protecting civilians! It's inexcusable that they'd abandon their post!
"What the hell are the six of you doing here?!" They seemed to have the decency to look ashamed as she stomped towards them.
"Lord Hokage, with all due respect-!" Choji started before Tsunade's deathly glare shut him up.
"I don't want to hear it! You're not supposed to be here!"
The group nearly jumped out of their collective skin as something crash landed from the sky not too far away. There was a pit in Tsunade's stomach.
"The six of you, go back to your post now!" She pointed to Kakashi, Hiashi, and Guy. "You three, come with me!"
They quickly stumbled upon the bloody, barely conscious form of Jiraiya. His arms were broken and his chest was collapsed too. She wouldn't be surprised if there were some spinal injuries from the impact either. Tsunade quickly put her hands on the Sannin and quickly went to work stabilizing the man.
"Where's Fukusaku and Shima?"
"He...he got them." The Sage barely got out the words before he passed out.
As if on cue, Broly floated down behind them. The old toads gasped as he squeezed their bodies. As he strode towards the group, he tossed Fukusaku down and crushed the elder toad under his boot. As she tried to cry for her lost beloved, Shima burst like a grape in the Akatsuki's grasp.
Kakashi lifted his headband to expose his Sharingan. "We'll hold him off."
The Copy-nin went in with a Chidori ablaze but Broly caught his arm easily. He punched through the ninja with a quick jab but the man disappeared in a puff of smoke. In his place, several explosive tag remained. The explosive went off and obscured his vision. Hiashi dashed in with Byakugan active. His dojutsu allowed him to peer through the smoke. Something Kakashi had done well to exploit.
"Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty Eight Palms!"
His blows rained down on the man's body with perfectly placed strikes to destroy the man's tenketsu. His arms were a whirlwind, little more than a blur to everyone else, and even the stone beneath cracked under his assault.
Kakashi, his hands at the ready for another jutsu, felt everything slow down as the smoke around Broly cleared instantly. The Hyuga's face was frozen in a mixture of agony and horror as Broly's fist crushed his chest. Hiashi's body released a sonic boom as it rocketed away and the Copy-nin himself was forced back as the shockwave smacked into him. A green blur rushed past his vision.
"Gate of Wonder! Open!"
Chakra exploded out of Guy as he rushed at the Akatsuki. He deftly avoided Broly's late strike and braced himself against the floor as his heel crashed into the man's chin. Konoha's Blue Beast followed him into the sky and cocked his fists back.
"Morning Peacock!"
Might Guy rained hundreds of punches onto the Akatsuki. Each individual blow moved so fast that his fists were wreathed in flames from the sheer friction against the air and Broly quickly found himself smothered in fire. With one final strike, the Akatsuki was sent flying away.
'That wasn't enough.' With seven gates open, his perception of time was dilated. He could see everything with unmatched clarity in this state. Broly wasn't dead; he probably wasn't even dying from that attack. He watched the amazing display of the legendary Sannin and this monster of a man defeated them.
He landed with a soft thud. To think that Lee and his friends were willing to fight against such an impossible enemy. They were such splendid ninja! Their flames of Youth burned brightest among their peers! But this Akatsuki, he was a suffocating void; he would snuff their fires with hardly a thought.
A green dome exploded on the horizon. A roar like thunder came soon after.
Guy turned to his allies. Tsunade was still trying to save Jiraiya. Kakashi was by his side in a flash. If he knew his students, they'd get involved sooner rather than later.
"I don't know if we'll be able to beat him, Guy."
Guy smiled. "Don't count my taijutsu out yet, Kakashi!" He held a thumbs up to the man. "Our youth has not yet faded! Do not lost hope! It's true that not everything we wish for will come to be but everything we ought to do begins with a wish! Like my challenges to you."
Kakashi caught onto his plan quick. "Guy, don't tell me..."
"Konoha's Blue Beast is no more! It's time for the Red Beast to emerge!"
Author's Notes
This one is dense folks. This one is a bit rougher than I'd like but I'm still proud of it.
Next up: Eight Gates Guy Vs Broly.
This is a fight I've been waiting to write for forever. I can't wait to get it done!
Ent out,
Review Responses!
Abyss Trinity: It's alive! Muahahahaha!
SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta: Full power within the limits of his seal.
fightingchampion: Yep, part of the reason I killed off Nagato when I did was so this event right here could have long term consequences. Something I naively hope for Dragon Ball to learn eventually.
Abyss Emperor: When you put it that way, this fic has been really unfair to the good guys. haha
puffpuff: Yeah, no. People are mad he's nerfed because they wanted him to just crush the narutoverse. That's it. They may say otherwise but they're lying to us and, again, those kinds of stories are shallow circlejerks at best. Criticize things that matter like stories and characters; not pointless bullshit like "nerfing".
Primal Warrior: As much as I want to, I can't agree with the whole "don't like it; don't read it" line of logic. You're just asking for an echo chamber with that. I appreciate the kind words!
SilverJoJo: You and me both buddy lol
Johannes293: Updates should be picking up steam as things have been stable on my end for a bit now so waits after cliffhangers shouldn't be so bad. As for Asuma, I just completely forgot about that. I'll just hand wave and say Broly's presence butterflied the timeline or some shit. As for Six Paths Madara, he still has the other eye c.c
DTLA1992: I'mma keep it real with you chief. I kinda forgot he existed BUT Imightstilldosomethingwithhimdowntheline.
Jutten: Glad to hear it! Subsequent waits won't be as long, I promise haha
Guest91pete: It's funny to think that the Byakugan and Sharingan were held in near equal regard at the beginning of the series and now the sharingan is basically a cheat code.
xana2: Yeah, I thought the same thing. The problem with power scaling still exists with Dragon Ball's humans. Hell, Roshi blew up a moon in Dragon Ball and Yamcha, the weakest of the Z-fighters, is easily magnitudes stronger than that nowadays. You'd still have to nerf the humans lol
Hamza9236: I'mma keep it real with you chief, I don't know if I'll ever write that one.
Guesy219: While I agree these aren't troll reviews (I'd consider the reviewer writing to be in good faith but misguided/ignorant nonetheless), a troll isn't limited to just that. If I wrote those exact same reviews but didn't believe a word of what I said, I'd be trolling.
IN: You're already seeing some of that with the last chapter. You'll see more of where I'm going after this.
