Devil From The Heavens

Chapter 34: Where To Go From Here

It took the better part of a day for the crowds to calm and disperse after the arrival of their 'Angel' as Konan needed rest and time for herself. Before she essentially disappeared from his sight, she did give him free reign of the village but asked that he lay low. Those Zetsus were still fresh in the villager's minds and, without her to keep their attention, they might recognize him as such and cause panic.

While nothing here could make him suffer any negative consequences...she asked and so he agreed.

At first, he just stayed inside but being alone in a room just let him think and if he thought too much...he thought of the old man and that terrible, confusing pain would hit his chest. With no way to express it and no one he could really talk to, he was forced to wallow in it. That lasted all of two days before he was sick of it.

So here he was walking down a mostly deserted street in an Ame shinobi uniform with a ninja mask covering the bottom half of his face. He heated the restricting feeling of these clothes. He'd almost wanted the Akatsuki robes back. The man who gave him the uniform tried to give him a headband too but he'd be fucked before he wore one of those.

He pulled back his shoulders into a stretch but he hissed as one of his wounds were scraped by the jacket. Apparently, Tsunade was a freak of nature when it came to healing. Who knew? Their best here got him up and running but he still had to do a lot of the healing himself. He passed by an older woman praying in the direction of Ame's tower.

The way they worshiped Konan had Broly confused. Did other villages do the same with their leaders? He was never around long enough to determine that save for the Leaf and he never got that impression from them. He'd take a wild guess and say this is unique to Ame. He did remember Pain referring to himself as God.

A hand waving around got his attention. An old man ran up from his lopsided cart. "Hey there! Are you busy?"

Broly raised a brow. The man was talking to him. "What?"

"One of the wheels on my cart sunk into the dirt a half hour ago an' I need help getting it free! You're the first guy I've seen out since it happened! Can you help me out?"

The Saiyan stared longer than anyone would considered appropriate at what he thought was a ludicrous request but he had to remember he was a nobody here in Ame. As far as the guy was considered, he was just another shinobi of the village. Did they help out with shit like this? Did he care to answer that question?

Broly walked passed the man without another word. He wasn't going to waste his time here. Not that wasting it was really possible; there was nothing that interested him enough to be worth spending it on. What the hell did people do when they weren't fighting to the death or sundering civilizations? What did he do before Paragus put that damn crown on him?

It was a question with no clear answer.

He glanced at the cart as he was about to pass it and eyed the cart's owner for a moment. He was pathetic and he cowered underneath Broly's hard stare. The man was powerless to his circumstances; forced to get help outside himself because what strength he had was meaningless on its own.

The Saiyan shook his head. He was looking too deep into it; it was just a guy inconvenienced by an everyday accident. Something kept him from moving on just yet though. He could just imagine the old man's chastising for ignoring someone in need. He sighed.

Broly grabbed the cart and, with a casual tug, he lifted it clear off the ground. In the next moment, he set it down on the road. The man called out to him as he kept walking but he paid him no mind. There was no point in expending the effort and he didn't want to dwell on it.

Another day passed.

He sat on the edge of some random building's rooftop as the sun made its way below the horizon. Boredom reached its peak and he was left just interrogating himself. His life since he got onto this miserable rock was a nonstop frenzy of pain, anger, despair, and soul crushing moments. Near as he could tell, he was almost at the end of this damned tunnel.

What did that mean for him when it was all said and done? What did he want to do? Who did he want to be?

He didn't fool himself; he wasn't going to just dust this place and leave. Strange as it was to think, there were people he almost wanted to be around and the thought of them as space dust rubbed him the wrong way now. Not to forget he'd yet to atone for what he'd done.

But staying here and settling down didn't appeal to him either. He was free, and his power would be soon if the Leaf knew what was good for them, so shouldn't he explore and do what he wanted? He barely got the chance to before all this. Years and years of his life were missing because of his father after all; how different would he be if that wasn't the case? Would he be different at all if the crown never worked?

There wasn't a drive to be some protector of the innocent either as much as Hagoromo would be disappointed in him. Broly scoffed at the thought. The old man somehow wormed his way in and he wasn't around to see his success. There was the tightness in his chest again.

He really should hate the Sage for all that he did but he wasn't around anymore to hate. All that he was left with was a fragment of a memory of his sacrifice. Was that some calculated move by the Sage to manipulate him or was that a sincere gesture? Broly wanted to believe the latter.

Maybe he didn't have to decide right now. What was to stop him crossing that bridge later? Ah, but that'd just be procrastinating.

Maybe talking with the old man would-

Broly sighed as he stood up. The night had fallen and it was clear he'd need an early night tonight.

The next day came and he was itching to exert himself. His wounds had dulled to mild irritants which would allow training but doing that likedidn't sound like a good idea unless he wanted to cause potential mass panic. Not here in, or on the outskirts of, the village anyways.

Madara put a stop to any ideas of leaving the place for that too. Konan was still here and, while she was capable, Madara's pseudo clones would make short work of the village. So what did you do when training wasn't available as an option? His musings absentmindedly brought him to one of the sites of the masked man's last attack. There was a lot of rubble and remnants of buildings and peoples trying to clean it all.

There was quite a lot of stuff to move and some of it looked heavy. If he restricted himself, he might be able to get some sweat moving. As he took a step forward, a woman's voice called out for him.

"If you're here to help with the cleaning, you need to report to-" The Kunoichi started before Broly glanced at her. "Where's your headband?"

"Lost it." He replied thoughtlessly as he kept moving. "What's the heaviest thing that needs to be moved?"

"Um." The questions left her confused but she pointed close by. "Some buildings were toppled rather than destroyed in the attacks but we're waiting for equipment to deal with that...for a guy like you, we can- hey!"

Broly quickly left her behind. If he took his time here, maybe he could start to feel some aches like he wanted. The kunoichi tried to interrupt his journey but he didn't stop until he was right next to one of these toppled skyscrapers. Ame's buildings were far taller than what they had in Konoha. He idly wondered why that was as he crouched and dug his hands under it.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

With a grunt, Broly's muscles bulged under the strain of lifting thousands of tons of concrete and metal. The kunoichi stepped back in awe as the skyscraper started to move within moments. The Saiyan groaned as he slowly stood up with the building in his arms. He was really out of it, it seemed. Nearby, a crowd quickly formed as they heard the thunderous creaks and tumbling stone that resulted.

Another grunt of effort and he had it on his shoulder. He turned his head to the kunoichi. He was about to blow her off but the sight of Konan's tower over the woman's shoulder stopped him and he sighed.

"Where would be a good place to put this when I'm done?"

She pointed to her right dumbfounded. Not very specific but he'd probably figure it out. The streets weren't wide enough for both him and the building so he wound up flying over the rooftops to a spot right outside the village where he could lift away in peace.

After several hours of rigorous, if very improvised, training, he flew back into the village and set the skyscraper where he thought the kunoichi wanted it. There was a lot of other rubble and the like and it was a big, mostly empty area. He could move it later anyways, he was hungry now. A new set of clothes would be needed too. These things weren't made to handle rubbing against literal tons of hard, rough material.

As the Saiyan walked through the village, he tore away at the remnants of his top. How did anyone wear this stuff all the time? It was hard for his torso to breath and it felt so restrictive. The few people around gave him a wide berth.

A heavier set man bearing an eager grin approached him however. "Big man! Just saw the shit you were pushing around like nothing. I got a crew waiting on machinery before we can continue with reconstruction but it looks like you could fill in for that. Plenty of cash in it for you, if you're interested?"

Why were people just approaching him? "No."

Just then, Broly's stomach seemingly betrayed him as it growled hungrily.

"We got plenty of food too."

"Fuckin' goddam- where?"


Konan woke in the darkened room once more. Thoughts of her friends and village assaulted her but she pressed her eyes closed and took a deep shuddering breath. She had to lead her people. As much as she wanted to stay still and lay in the black for the rest of her days, Ame was directionless without her.

She dragged herself out of bed and took her time getting presentable. She sent out a message to her shinobi to alert the people for a message from her. She needed to show them they were still strong as a people in spite of the horrors that befell them. Even if she couldn't believe it about herself, Ame had to believe she was near invulnerable as their Angel, their messenger from God.

But how did you tell people God was dead?

Konan went onto the balcony that Nagato used so many times to look over the village. Below, she spotted Broly lifting a steel rafter and setting it in place for some workers to begin welding. This was a surprise as the Saiyan was not an altruistic person in the time they've known each other. He seemed to notice her stare and met eyes.

There was relief in his expression and he straightened up. He had been worried. He said some things to a nearby worker who nodded. Broly flew up right to her.

"You're back. I was-" He said with uncharacteristic sincerity. The Saiyan noticed right away and shook his head. "How are you feeling?"

"Not well." She said honestly. "But time never stops and our enemies will not wait for me to be well."

Broly's fist clenched. "Right."

"But there is time before I have to deliver a message to the village." She turned and gestured for him to follow. "Join me for a meal."

Broly followed in after her. She noticed the numerous stains of grease and dust that usually caked those around construction. He must've been out there a while. It brought some comfort to know that her people were taken care of in some way while she was gone. While her shinobi were capable and loyal beyond doubt, they rarely interacted with the civilian populace. A product of the near deadly kinds of training they endured and assassination missions the village was frequently hired for.

"I've noticed you're helping my village rebuild."

He shrugged it off. "Tch, I'm doing this to pass the time. Nothing more, nothing less."

An answer she expected but actions mattered in this case more than intent to her. "Regardless, I do want to thank you."

"It's nothing."

She left it at that. Soon enough, the two were sat at in a private dining room within the tower with freshly prepped food. The meal was humble in its offerings as Konan had demanded in previous days that the bulk of their stores be donated to the rest of the village. She would not live in luxury as her people suffered.

As Konan began to eat, she eyed the Saiyan's bare torso. "What happened to your clothes?"

Broly paused before he coughed in seeming embarrassment. "Ah, it was torn up when I was training with of the toppled skyscrapers lying arou-"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I got kinda antsy just sitting around so I picked one of them up, flew to right outside-." He muttered the last words as Konan's incredulous look, incredulous for her anyways as she was rarely very expressive, stopped him. "What?"

"You flew over my village, where my people live, with a building that had collapsed weeks before and was most likely falling apart?"

"...I was careful."

Konan heaved out a long, shuddering breath. "Please don't do that again."

Broly just made a noise of vague acknowledgement as he started to dig into his food.

"The Summit will soon be upon us." Konan continued as the shock passed. "We'll leave in due time and we should arrive right before it starts."

Broly looked up from his bowl of ramen with a noodle hanging from his lips. It quickly disappeared as he slurped it up.

"Not afraid of any delays?"

She shook her head. "Worst case, we can fly on ahead to ensure we're on time."

"Why not just fly there now?"

"Our flight here was a necessity that, while I did not show it, nearly exhausted me. I cannot be in such a state in a potentially hostile environment."

Broly grimaced but ultimately shrugged it off. "Makes sense, I guess." He took a bite of pork belly and quickly swallowed it. "I can't say I'm not eager to go anyways. I want to see Konoha squirm for that shit they tried to pull."

Konan nodded. She wouldn't say it but some part of her will probably always hate Konoha for how they treated her village in the past so that sight would provide some schadenfreude even if she never intended to accost them again. "I will admit, there's some muted excitement on my part. This summit will allow Ame to assert itself much more wholly in the other villages' eyes. That was one of Akatsuki's goals when we created it all those years ago."

"Madara's probably gonna pull something." He said. "Feels like the kinda thing he'd be keeping an eye on."

"Certainly but we can only prepare ourselves as best we can and pray we come out alive."

"No praying necessary, you've got me there."


"How goes progress, Kabuto?"

"This is some marvelous stuff you've got here, Madara" The former spy said as he looked over his notes. "Once I've finished these last few changes, the process will increase in efficiency tenfold. Your dozens of Hybrids will turn to an army over the next few weeks."

"Hmph, its seems Orochimaru's depraved studies proved useful for something other than feeding his delusions."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Kabuto replied as he went to look through a microscope. "While I'm confident in my work here, things could still go wrong; this is new territory for our science after all."

"And what of your other assignment?"

"Oh that? Definitely more uncertainty there. The first few test subjects all died in minutes. One actually disintegrated themselves." Kabuto chuckled. "A first for me there if I'm being honest. All that being said, things are improving there; we had one live about half an hour though they were screaming the entire time. I'll need some more of Hashirama's cells."

"And you'll have the-."

The two missing-nin were interrupted by a distant crash. Madara's eyes narrowed. "Some fool has a death wish, it seems."

With a Kamui, he was at the remainders of the entrance for their compound. A naked Ape strode in with a smoldering rage that burned the air around him. Samehada wriggled in pain like a worm on hot concrete as it struggled to get away. The Zetsu spotted him and approached to kneel before him. A great shame replaced the fury and the boiling aura fell away.

So his Hybrids failed. "You better have good reason for returning."

Ape closed his eyes, clearly hurt by the disappointment, but he held out a hand with unusually long fur and signed hurriedly with his other hand.

'Full moon. Great power. Can't remember. Will help in future if controlled.'

Madara scowled behind his mask but he grabbed the fur and dismissed the Zetsu. "Put on some clothes. I'll deal with you later."

Ape promptly left while the Uchiha inspected the fur. It was much longer but he noted how similar it was to the fur on the Hybrids' tails. This was normally something he'd dismiss but the full moon's connection was a curiosity indeed. He couldn't have any surprises on that fateful night.

Something for Kabuto to investigate then.


Author's Notes

Oh, I can't wait for next month and the events to come! Broly is accommodating himself to life in a more peaceful sense and, amongst the angsting, accidentally made himself useful to the people. Gotta love it. Unfortunately for Konan, the needs of her people override her own at this moment and she must push forward in spite of the pain.

Tell me what you think in a review below!

Ent out.


Review Responses!

p6lishb6kser: Welp, now I'm thinking of Konan as the Arnold character because of the typo lol. Glad you enjoyed it! ^^

SilverJoJo: The Rock and Mist haven't suffered directly, yet, but that'd bring its own tensions what with two villages smelling blood in the water.

Abyss Emperor: Ape is growing on me too, surprisingly. He was completely unplanned to be honest.

SuperSaiyajin4Vegeta: You're right, it's been so long since I've watched the Buu saga that I misremembered.

DTLA1992: Oh, don't worry, she'll be at the summit.

fightingchampion: Perfect, here's some more haha.

Isaiah Navarro: It would be a bit pointless, from Konan/Broly's perspective, to have him be disguised as they want the Leaf to know its him and they're not aware of what happened in Kumo either. Jiraiya will most likely be staying at the Leaf village as he is one of their strongest shinobi and Tsunade is leaving. It'd make more sense for just the Hokage to leave in that instance though you will be seeing Temari. As for the rest of your suggestions, they're neat ideas but not something I'm super interested in making happen for now but I appreciate them nonetheless!

God of Light: Yeah, Broly was speaking explicitly from his own experiences there. And you're right about telekinesis! Kinda! He does seemingly choke Goten like Darth Vader but it's only for a split second and you don't see...anything from Broly that suggests he's doing it? It could be interpreted as Goten just kinda freaking out at Broly tbh. Chalk that up to an oopsie I guess.

HyperExia: I mean, technically, he does have chakra flowing through him...also, having the Otsutsuki be victims of the Saiyans would be a real juicy narrative if I ever decide to do something with them. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll go that far with this story.