Devil From The Heavens
Chapter 22: Know Forever
Broly woke up with gasp as his burning lungs desperately ached for breath. It was dark with little shafts of light piercing through whatever surrounded him. He tried to move but it was clear he was pinned save for his right arm. There was a lot of rock on him.
"Fuck, everything hurts." He said out loud as he created a small orb of ki for some more light. There was a lot of blood and he couldn't see out of his right eye. Beyond the stones in front of him, he heard muffled shouting. What happened? As he asked himself the question, the image of a red blur and the smell of burning blood reminded him. Right, that one guy nearly killed him. Actually, he should have killed him.
He vaguely remembered suddenly feeling better in the middle of the fight. Like a second wind of sorts except a second wind doesn't make it feel like your back was suddenly unbroken. His heart stopped as he realized: he just spoke. Freely.
'As soon as I find you, I'm killing you and everything you love, Madara.'
"Old man, you there?" He asked out loud as he ripped his arm from the rubble. It felt strange hearing his own voice now.
Hagoromo's haggard voice answered. "Yes...I am."
"Are you okay?"
"As I can be. I had to use a lot of chakra to heal you. A lot for me anyways."
Broly pulled his legs free and he adjust his sitting position to be more comfortable. He needed a minute. Just doing that took pretty much what was left in his tank.
"I...Thanks, Hagoromo." He sighed. It was one thing saying it in his head but out loud felt even stranger. "How am I free right now?"
"Severe physical trauma can potentially break someone out of Genjutsu. Needless to say, that last fight qualified." The Sage managed to speak inbetween heavy breaths.
That explained some of the communication he was able to get out in previous fights. Broly adjusted his feet underneath himself and reared back a hand. He'll need to get Konan before he went over and murdered Madara.
Konan lifted the stone off of her body and tossed it aside. The sun still shone bright but that could mean anything; there were no windows in the underground prison they held her in. She wiped at the wetness on her brow, hissed at the pain of contact, and her hand came away red. She was still lucid so no concussion.
There was movement all around from other prisoners that had survived but she paid them no mind. They were all small fry like informants and the like. After a quick test to check that her chakra was unrestricted, she leapt deftly into the air. Hastily formed wings lifted her high above the prison and, while she wasn't shocked, the sight of the ruined village still made its impression.
She quickly landed and crouched low to avoid being spotted. As she hid behind some rubble, she spotted a small sandal. It could barely fit in the palm of her hand. There was blood and soot all over.
This was what she wanted, didn't she? A weapon so great and terrible the Hidden Villages would cease their endless conflict lest they face destruction. She noted bodies were few and far between but...this kind of power wouldn't leave much behind. It was closure to erasure than slaughter.
Being on the other side of such a plan made it far harder to justify.
How many people like her, Nagato, and Yahiko would they create before the villages surrendered to the new order? If they ever did?
It all suddenly seemed so foolish. Nagato could only live for so long and so could she. Who would they pass such a weapon onto? Or would they simply let the world fall back into old habits? She always had those questions but Nagato always had a way of burying those concerns.
She had to put a stop to this.
Konan looked around. The most notable thing she noticed was the lack of fighting. That worried her. They didn't kill Broly, did they?
She spotted the Hokage lifting- was that Jiraiya? She didn't think her former master would be in the village at this time. Whether that was fortunate or not remained to be seen. No one spotted her yet; she looked around for any sign of the man's body. There was no celebration among the remaining shinobi but that wasn't much evidence. It appeared they lost most of if not all of their forces in the attack. Who would be celebrating after that?
The ruins of the Hokage Monument exploded out. A hand burst forth from the tons of rubble that had entombed it and a wave of relief flowed through the former Akatsuki. Broly lived. The man pushed through with great effort only to fumble and fall into the dirt. He laid there bloody and beaten but alive.
"What the hell is this guy made of?" A boy with an upright ponytail asked quietly to his stunned comrades.
"Quick! Spread out and surround him! We can't let him take us out all at once!" The Hokage yelled as she went straight for the Saiyan with Jiraiya following closely behind. Only for the duo to stop in the tracks as Broly lifted a hand from where he rested. He lifted his head, one eye closed shut by dried blood, as he groggily waved.
"Stop...I give."
Was this a trick? No, it wasn't in character. He was brute force personified; even without incentive, he was honest. He had no need to be otherwise. Or, at least, that was the impression he gave her. He could have been fooling her the entire time. He was a prisoner after all. She could only hope he was. Things would go horribly otherwise.
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya with disbelief and he just gave her a tired shrug. She didn't let anyone relax. She remembered Naruto's warning about the man being controlled, perhaps Might Guy kicked the Genjutsu out of the man, but too much death had occurred for her to have any optimism here.
What could she do? What should she do? If Naruto was right, the man was completely innocent. Some poor pawn of one of the strongest shinobi in history. But the carnage wrought and her pragmatism fought against the compassion. Even if he was innocent, he was powerful beyond comprehension and without any loyalty to Konoha as far as she knew.
Once he was free, if he was or could be, what would stop him conquering them all?
But she stayed her hand. They all did. No one wanted to keep fighting if there was even a chance.
Broly pushed himself up off the ground and even that simple movement was a lot of struggle on his part. Still, he got his feet under him and stood a tired man. One with an impaired sense of balance as he leaned too far back and had to readjust to avoid another spill.
He noticed their reluctance. "You're the leader here, right? I told a blond kid what was happening. He must've told you."
Kakashi looked her way and she met his eyes for a moment. She eased her stance somewhat but maintained a healthy distance from the man.
"I was informed you said you were under Genjutsu during their battle."
He nodded and his feet wobbled. "Madara, he's planning something. Made some clones of me but they're not right. Ergh!" He broke out into a coughing fit and blood splattered the floor. A shadow passed over the shinobi and their heads snapped up save for the Akatsuki.
It landed in front of Broly and he nearly fell back in surprise. Great wings made of paper obscured its form for but a moment before they fell away into scraps. Great, just great, just what they needed. Another Akatsuki. Of course, Tsunade's luck couldn't allow her to be killed in Broly's rampage.
She couldn't be real. He'd resigned himself to never living up to his side of the bargain. He told himself that that's why he wished to see her again.
But he couldn't trust his perception. This could be Madara's brainwashing messing up.
Broly took a step forward with clear disbelief. "Konan?" He reached out a hand but hesitated just as his fingers brushed her shoulders as if afraid that to touch her would break the illusion. "What are you doing here?"
She had a soft smile at the reluctance and responded by gently grabbing his hand into hers. "I went ahead to warn them about Madara. I knew he was planning something to get the Nine Tails." She looked around at the Leaf ninja that had yet to move. Most of them were tired from surviving this long and she was an S class missing nin in her own right. They wouldn't attack for now. "I was...worried what he'd do now that he didn't need you."
Broly focused on the feel of her hands. They were calloused and rough like his own but much cooler to the touch and much smaller. If this was an illusion, Madara was paying attention. He took a breath and a sharp pain hit his abdomen. She caught him in her arms as he hunched over.
"How bad is it?"
"I'll live." He eyed the Leaf Shinobi. "Help me out with them. You're probably a smoother talker." He blinked and ever familiar chains were on him once more. He shook his head and he was back in the real world.
"No, no, I'm so close!" He whispered in a mad panic as he could feel the pull of his mind back to that hell.
Konan spoke and she sounded so far away. "Broly?"
He grabbed the front of her shirt, eyes wide and hands shaking. "Get away from me!" He threw her away well into the air as the vice grip of Madara's will squeezed. Broly grabbed at his face and dug his nails into the skin until rivulets of fresh blood ran down his face. Veins bulged as his eyes blanked out.
He stared into an endless expanse of galaxies among the black. Nebulas of a thousand colors birthed stars in moments and those very stars withered away into dull husks or shone in brilliant hyper expansions before collapsing into tears in reality.
He floated in that infinity for eons before his first blink. The first twitch of a finger wiped out entire systems of stars.
He moved and a billion trillion voices were instantly silenced.
Where was he? Who was he?
Why was he?
The black moved and the emptiness took shape. Incomprehensibly large eyes, blank but for the fires of creation within, opened in front of him. Something took hold of him. Hands of void wrapped around his impossibly small form and its weight crushed him, twisted him, into shapes that did not exist.
And it spoke in his voice.
"Know pain."
He felt every lash, every curse, every touch of malice he had ever delivered. His body was ripped and torn and his very atoms split apart like so many of his victims.
"Know death."
He stood atop an ocean whose waters were bodies. They dragged him into its depths and he did not resist.
"Know forever."
And he was no more.
He twisted around as the Genjutsu took its hold on him. Konan found her vision obscured by a dust cloud as his power skyrocketed. With a great flap of her mighty wings, she cleared the air. Broly floated within with a dead face. She lifted herself far higher. She knew what was coming.
"Take him down!"
A dog made of lightning lunged for his throat but a casual slap aside tore it apart and sent massive bolts of electricity along his body. He stopped for a moment as the current made its way through him and Kakashi's Sharingan shifted to the Mangekyou.
The space around Broly's head started to twist and, for a moment, it seemed the Akatsuki was to be pulled in but Kakashi had to jump away as the man threw out a dozen bolts of energy at him. He tried to maintain concentration of his Kamui but but the barrage was too much for even the famed Copy Nin. Just as one was about to turn him to ash, he sent it away with another hastily form Kamui.
Broly, free from the space time ninjutsu, rounded on Kakashi only for a sucker punch from Tsunade to send him flying away. He rolled along the floor until he managed to right himself as Neji came in with Byakugan roaring and hands blurring with movement. Each strike was like the sting from a bug but instead of pain, his skin was numbed by each blow.
The Hyuga prodigy jumped back as Broly swung down and his fist cracked the earth below. He was noticeably slower and weaker than before Guy's final stand. His sacrifice wasn't for nothing. As the Akatsuki pulled his limb out, Tenten jumped and unfurled one of her scrolls.
"Dragon Bomb!"
A dragon of fire exploded forth and its maw swallowed the Akatsuki in a
Tsume drilled into his back with a Tunneling Fang. He stood unyielding against the tornado of clawing wind. He twisted and her cry of pain answered him as he pulled her in front of him. She swung limply from her dislocated arm but her eyes were full of panic when he reared back a fist.
"Sixth Gate of Joy, Open!"
Lee appeared next to the Akatsuki with his leg outstretched mid-kick. A blast wave erupted as his heel fell onto the man's prepared arm. What Broly was going to do was use the woman as a bat against the kid but what happened was his body barely moved an inch. His eyes instantly went down to his shadow. That technique again that held him still earlier!
"Butterfly Bomb!"
Broly's body nearly folded over backwards as Choji crashed into his spine. His body went through the skeletal remains of a construction site and stopped face down.
"Ah, perfect." Ibiki grunted as he put his hands on the ground. "Summoning: Iron Maiden."
The ground beneath him split open as two halves of a cat statue rose around the prone Akatsuki and swallowed him whole. Chains rapidly wrapped around the 'Maiden' and began dragging it down.
Ibiki put some distance between him and his Maiden. That wouldn't hold him long but it gave the others time to get a plan together. That was the interrogation specialist's last thoughts as Broly burst forth from beneath him and bisected him from groin to skull with one swift motion of his arm.
A dozen more rained on him. Some in black with masks; others in green vests. Every few moments, spears of white hit him; he ignored them.
They all fell like wheat before a scythe. They used every element possible against him but he was the wall against which their wills would break. Broly walked through them like an evening stroll with every slight movement pulverizing spines and gutting bodies.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Broly looked up as the sun was suddenly blocked. The distinct reflection of light on metal was all the warning he received as the largest blade he's ever seen fell onto him. He moved at the last moment possible and the blade sunk into the ground next to him. A searing burn hit him a moment later but he elected to ignore it in favor of the massive toad that towered over him.
"Bringing me late to the party, Jiraiya." Gamabunta grunted as he pulled sword out of the ground. Or, at least, he tried.
Broly held onto the sharp metal even as it cut into his palm. His fist lit up with horrendous energy as he broke through the blade with a swift punch. Gamabunta, unprepared for the sudden release, was unable to stop his inertia and the toad fell onto his back with an earth shaking crash.
The Akatsuki jumped over Gamabunta with his piece of the blade held over his head. Jiraiya jumped up to meet Broly with a Rasengan but he hit nothing as the man shot around him in an instant. the Toad Sage could only watch in horror as Broly launched the shattered metal at Gamabunta's prone form.
Rather than a fatal blow, the Boss Toad, quicker than his size would imply, rolled out of the way and received a slice clean through the back of his shoulders. As he moved, the toad swung his broken blade at Broly. If it can make him bleed, it can kill him. The sword cracked against a raised barrier from the Akatsuki which, while it protected him, did nothing to stop him from being sent to the other side of the village.
"Gah, where's Katsuyu when you need her?" Muttered the toad as the back of his coat was soaked in his blood.
"She's here somewhere." Jiraiya replied as he landed.
"Where's Fukusaku and Shima? I heard they were with you."
Jiraiya opened his mouth to answer but the words were stuck in his throat. Instead, he looked away in shame. He had a responsibility whenever he summoned the toads and he failed. Another in the incredibly long list of mistakes he'd made.
Gamabunta seemed to understand the message and he grew solemn. "We know the risks when it comes to being summoned, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya put a hand through his hair. "...Yeah." It felt wrong to not grieve now but circumstance wouldn't allow for that. They both knew that.
So he bottled it up for now.
In the distance, he heard Anko argue with Shikaku and his son. The kid stood around awkwardly between the back and forth with an eye out for the Akatsuki.
"Anko, this is-!" Shikaku flinched at a distant flash of green. "We won't be able to hold him for so long!"
She waved the concern away. "I'll be quick about it then."
Shikaku grabbed at her shoulder. "We've already lost too many-!"
"So what's one more?!" She yelled as she pulled her shoulder away. The Curse Mark on her neck spread. Jiraiya's brows rose abruptly. What was she planning on doing?He looked up at the boss summon and jerked his head towards the shinobi.
"This is happening."
"Fine, Shikamaru, help me find Inoichi. He'll be able to help us keep him still."
"No need, I'm here." Inoichi said as he landed right by them with Ino in tow. "I figured you'd need me eventually and I looked for you."
Shikaku nodded. "You figured right. Now listen," He glanced at the Cursed Seal that had overtaken Anko's skin. "We only have one shot at this."
The shinobi snapped their heads to the left as Gamabunta landed right by them with Jiraiya on top.
"Whatever plan you have, we can help."
Broly crashed back down where the toad was. Despite the grievous injury, he stared him down with little fear.
"I've fought the Nine Tails with my bare hands." Gamabunta pointed his broken blade at the Akatsuki. "I'm not scared of you."
Broly crouched down and lightning flowed between the palm of his hand and the ground as they made contact. Lava poured forth as the heat of his presence soared. Gamabunta, panting from the temperature even from this distance, adjusted his grip.
"The odds are low of this working." Jiraiya said quietly from atop his head. Their plan was a desperate and it wasn't a matter of if someone will die but how many.
"I don't care if he's Kami himself. He killed the Sages."
The Akatsuki launched forward like a meteor and the Boss Toad's lip turned up. His neck engorged instantly.
"Water Style: Liquid Bullets!"
A veritable lake of water burst forth from Gamabunta's throat and smashed into the charging man. Broly, moving too fast, crashed into the attack head on. Gamabunta leapt to the side as Jiraiya jumped at the blinded Broly with a Big Ball Rasengan at the ready. Their ploy succeeded as his Rasengan drilled into Broly's shoulders. With hardly a grunt, his body fell out of the sky and carved through the earth beneath.
From behind some upraised stone, Shikaku gestured at his son and their shadows raced at the prone invader. Instantly, their bodies felt like the gravity around them increased ten times as Broly's body reacted instinctively.
Their bodies started shaking as the walking genocide pushed himself onto his feet.
"Go, Inoichi!" Shikaku grinded out.
Inoichi, a good distance away, aimed his sign. "Mind Body Disturbance!"
The strain on the Naras' bodies lessened immensely. Broly stopped moving. There was a collective hush as they waited a second to see if the plan would collapse but when the hold stayed, Ino signaled over to Anko that the jutsu was a success.
She moved, her body's capabilities pushed passed their usual limits thanks to the cursed Seal, and grabbed Broly's wrist. She tried not to think when she molded her chakra and held up her hand. Thinking would introduce hesitation. One thought did make it through.
She only regretted she couldn't use this on Orochimaru. But, if it saved the village, she'd make peace with it.
"Ninja Art: Twin Snake Sac-urgh!"
Anko couldn't breath past the hand in her chest. She hardly felt it when it was wrenched out of her. Why'd he move? Broly reversed their grip and he held up by her wrist. He clenched his fist and it roared with eldritch fury when it made impact once more. Blackened blood soaked the Akatsuki. Anko's legs collapsed as he tossed away the remainder of her arm.
Blood ran freely from Shikaku's nose. Their plan failed. He had expected as much but he had hope. How troublesome. He collapsed alongside his unconscious son.
Meanwhile, Ino looked over at her shocked dad in horror.
"What happened?!" She practically screamed. In the distance, Broly's head turned.
"I-I don't know." He numbly admitted. "The Mind Body Disturbance didn't stick- Get Down!" He pushed Ino away off of their improvised perch. That was all he could do before it exploded. Ino covered her head as flaming debris rained down around her.
"DAD!"
Another blast tore through Gamabunta's chest and the gargantuan amphibian fell back dead. A third hit Jiraiya but a puff of smoke had a wooden log taking the brunt of the attack. Broly released a fourth at the passed out Naras but the attack disappeared in a swirl of space only to reappear behind him. It hit dead on, scorching his back, but he stayed standing. Kakashi, hidden nearby, let out a heavy breath. He was spent.
Tsunade herself, alongside Guy's team, arrived to the outskirts of the battle looking better after some time with Katsuyu. Jiraiya popped up next to them with a Body flicker. The man looked caught between anger and despair but too spent to fully express either so he didn't. Tsunade had seen Gamabunta's body the moment she showed up so it wasn't hard to see where his mood came from.
"I'm ordering a retreat." She stated.
"But Lady Tsunade!" Lee shouted even as his team mates quietly accepted the order. "He's injured! Perhaps if I unlock the Eighth Gate!"
She shot him a glare that froze him to the spot. "I won't hear another word." She looked back at the Akatsuki who was seemingly looking for another victim. "I'm not throwing another body into the grave. I'll distract him as best I can. Pass the message along, rescue the injured if you can, and head back to the civilians. He's not interested in them."
The trio said their affirmations and left to gather the remaining survivors. Jiraiya held up a rock he was ready to throw at the Akatsuki.
"I won't let you fight him on your own."
"Jiraiya-!"
"I won't hear another word."
Up above, Konan listened to the Sannin argue about who would throw their life away to save what remained of the village. It was admirable to say the least as pointless as it was. She switched her focus over to the Saiyan.
He'd broken out of Madara's control. She'd help him do it again.
Or die trying.
She dive bombed the Saiyan to the shock of the Leaf ninja and exploded into tens of thousands of sheets of paper.
"Dance of the Shikigami."
Broly was surrounded and utterly left blind to the outside world. Paper, dozens at a time, struck his body like so many blades on his many open wounds. Outside of the hurricane of paper, Konoha's shinobi, save for Tsunade and Jiraiya, left with their injured as ordered. Tsunade couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Should we...help her?" Jiraiya tentatively asked. If they were to enter, they'd be torn to shreds.
"She's helping us. As soon as we can, we will." The Hokage answered.
The Saiyan roared as a barrier formed around him for the paper to impotently impact. He searched above for her and she obliged. A dozen of her appeared from the walls of the paper prison with spears larger than even Broly held aloft. He threw himself at a random pick and decapitated a paper clone to no avail. Eleven spears crashed into his back and threw him into the meat grinder that was the edge of this cage.
He felt fresh red mixed with the now drying black blood that colored his skin. With a scream, he burned away everything around him in the fire of his aura. Konan's doppelgangers fell apart as they caught fire showing none to be the real one. He pushed his power further and further until every shred of paper was naught but ash.
In the distance, he spotted her. The real Konan.
"No!"
Broly shouted as his body chased after Konan. He pushed and strained against the chains that held him. The pain from doing so meant nothing; it was nothing. He had to break free again.
She was-
He still had to talk with her.
He had to live up to his side of the bargain.
Konan kept dodging and weaving through Broly's attacks but the man was faster than she could have ever hoped to combat. It was only through abusing her Paper clone technique that she even lasted this long.
He snarled and punctured her chest before she fell apart into explosive tags. The explosion of a hundred tags was deafening but she knew all that would do would slow him down. He burst through and managed to catch one of her wings. He ripped it away with ease and Konan found herself twisting and tumbling through the air. She couldn't right herself, not without a second wing!
The explosion of the paper in Broly's hands further propelled her down.
Konan crashed into the ruins of Konoha with a thunderous boom. She let out a long breath she had held. The veritable sea of paper underneath her had cushioned most of her fall but she still broke something.
Broly landed beside her. She failed.
Failed everyone. Yahiko. Nagato. Broly. So much death. So much destruction. So many deals with devils.
And it didn't matter at the end.
Broly grabbed her throat. She heard a puff of smoke followed by an earthquake. A gray blur sped by her vision, a deafening smack was heard, and Konan was back on her knees with a hand on her neck. Broly was nowhere to be seen but the dust cloud in the distance told her what she needed to know.
Konan look back as something blocked the sun. Two massive toads, an aquamarine one with two swords and the other magenta with a sasumata, towered over her with a third on top of the magenta toad's head.
The second toad inspected their weapon. "Huh, he dented it."
"Are you alright?" A soft voice asked. "Some of your ribs are cracked and one is broken. Lady Tsunade is nearby. She can help you."
"How did you-?" Konan began to ask before she noticed her helper's eyes. Were it not for the rectangular pupils, and the strange markings on the skin around, she'd have guessed Hyuga.
Hinata smiled. "I'll explain later if we have the time. For now, heal up."
Konan recognized her other rescuer. Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, frowning with an uncharacteristic seriousness. His pupils were like the woman's.
"Where are we?"
Author's Notes
The carnage continues but things are soon coming to an end for Konoha. What end remains to be seen.
Next time: Naruto and Hinata Vs. Broly.
P.S. I literally wrote 1,500 words *today* to get this out on time. Most of it wasn't even planned, it just happened. It's a personal record for sure. I tried my best to edit it but if the later parts are rougher, that's why.
P.P.S. If you guys like this story, check out my other one "An Unburdened Fury". Leave a review and let me know you came from here!
Ent out.
Review Responses!
mugiwara-no-lucy: I aim to please.
DTLA1992: It'd be a disservice to do otherwise!
TheRightPrice: Thanks for the kind words!
SilverJoJo: I mean, not for nothing, but who would want to face a normal Broly much less an angry, zenkai-boosted one? Lol
fightingchampion: It wouldn't be close. Broly would be in more danger from a poorly cooked piece of meat.
Johannes293: Gah, Guy surviving was such a bad choice in my opinion. I feel like the impact of Eight Gates Guy would be far greater had he died. Oh, and here's the update.
Jutten: *Monkey's Paw curls*
Dontus -not Donut- Powerus: Nice.
Saga05: Aw, you make me blush.
rtwrtwrtw: Thank you? I think.
Guest: Write that down, write that down!
i. King: This chapter should shed some light on that first question. As for the prophecy, it would change slightly since it no longer would refer to Kaguya, Sasuke, and Naruto like in the original series. Instead, the subjects of the Prophecy are Madara (Obito), Naruto, and Broly.
The great one: Glad to hear it! I really wanted to make sure that Guy went out with a serious bang!
