Devil From The Heavens

Chapter 35: The Summit, Part One

Tsunade sighed as they got ready to set off. How did meeting with the most powerful political figures in the nations seem like a relief compared to rebuilding the village? She mentally waved that thought away. The relief wasn't from avoiding responsibility like that; it was from avoiding Naruto. The kid was badgering them over what happened but both Sannin remained tight lipped about it for now.

She knew one of them would have to explain it but, to put it frankly, there were far more important matters that needn't be bogged down by confronting interpersonal matters like that currently.

That's what she told herself anyways.

"Will you be able to survive while I'm gone?" She asked rhetorically.

"I'm sure I can handle the village." Jiraiya responded with an eye roll.

He was getting better at hiding the tragedy's effect on him; they all were. If only they had the resources for counselors and therapists for her people. Who knew how many wouldn't live past the end of the year, unable to resolve their grief?

"Naruto will be hounding you while I'm gone."

"I know." He sighed. "I resigned myself to speak with him about it. It's my fault anyways."

She nodded as she returned her attention to her security detail. She noticed someone missing.

"Where's Temari?"

Kakashi looked up from his charred book. How he managed to save one of those was beyond her. "She's having 'diplomatic talks' with Shikamaru." He raised a hand and feigned air quotes. "Perhaps I was a bit too quiet when I went to get her."

Jiraiya barked a laugh. "Ah, let them have their fun then. Probably will be the last bit they'll have for a while."

The Hokage closed her eyes. They were ahead of schedule.


Broly stared at the provisions that were dropped off at the room he was staying in. From what he was told, these were for two days' travel with extra in case of delays including some more of those stupid uniforms. They had expected him to pack it up which was where his predicament lied.

He had no fucking idea how to fit all this stuff in the pack.

Ship travel and his ability to fly anywhere he wanted in a moment's notice didn't exactly provide opportunities for a learning experience. The Saiyan picked up a ration and looked it over. It shouldn't be too hard, right? This was like one of those puzzles for children where you just fit the pieces together...which he also never played.

Broly shrugged and started stuffing. There was a particularly bulky coat that he took care to ignore; the normal uniform was restrictive enough. In fact, he hated the long sleeves too on his uniform top. He ripped those off but left the vest and rest of the shirt alone.

Minutes later, he had a pack in his hands simultaneously ready to burst and with plenty of empty pockets. As he walked to the meeting point, he garnered a few strange looks but a quick glare had people back to ignoring him. He rounded the corner and arrived as some Jonin were finishing pre-mission checks of their equipment. They looked at his pack.

"Uh...you want some help with that?" One of them asked.

"No." He replied.

The shinobi met eyes with each other and shrugged. "Okay."

Moments later, as he sat down to wait for them, Konan walked in speaking with an older Jonin before they stopped in their tracks. The Saiyan sighed.

"Do you need help with that, son?" The man asked.

"No." He replied.

Another half hour passed where Konan detailed the mission and their travel route. He tried to follow but there was a lot of jargon and he wasn't going to ask for clarification. Anything to avoid attention on him and his pack. Before he knew it, they were on the way out.

Konan sidled up next to him. "I could have had someone pack your bag-"

"No." He hissed through clenched teeth. "It's fine."

She gave him a skeptical look but returned her focus to the road ahead. "Have it your way."

They hadn't known each other long but he had some understanding when it came to her mannerisms. She wouldn't help him later if he needed it which was fine because he wouldn't need it.

On the first night's rest, the Saiyan went hungry because he couldn't get to his ration bars unless he ripped his pack apart.

Soon enough, they were in the Land of Iron. Konan announced it but it wouldn't have been hard to figure it out. There was snow everywhere.

While he was pretty good at not showing it, Broly was soon freezing his nonexistent tail off. The cold had never bothered him before but the seal was interfering with his ability to warm himself up with ki. He couldn't get the control fine enough so all he wound up doing was powering up which was annoying.

"I didn't realize there'd be so much snow." He said between chattering teeth.

"I believe we made conditions quite clear to you." Konan replied. He was certain she was smug about it but couldn't tell beyond a hunch since her back was to him. "I was under the impression you had received winter gear."

"I did but..." His voice trailed off as some embarrassment hit. Some of the Jonin around chuckled.

"But...?"

"I didn't like how restrictive it felt so I left it."

She looked over her shoulder at him in her stoic manner as the others watched in open bewilderment. Shinobi died in this environment without suitable protection.

"The cold will do more to restrict your movement more than anything we provide you."

He adjusted his mask as his face reddened. "I'll take that into account next time."

Broly took care to stay close to the campfire that night. Not only was this journey way too long considering what he could do, it was fucking miserable too. If he didn't know any better, it was like he was trying to sabotage himself. He ran his fingers through his hair. Maybe he was.

Everyone else was asleep save for two whose turn it was to watch over the camp. No one tried to talk to anyone which he was thankful for. That's not to say it was a completely silent affair. Some of them struggled to stay still in their sleep and others muttered about terror they had witnessed. If he had to guess, the attack on their village that killed Pain had traumatized them much like the ninjas in Konoha.

"Before I go, I want you to know Broly. The only thing that separated you from your victims was your power. Were the threads of fate different, you would have been in their place. Think on that."

He felt firsthand how it feels to be utterly powerless to stop what was coming. Hell, he still felt it. Even now, he feared losing control any moment. That Madara's grip would tighten around his mind again and he could do nothing.

It would probably follow him into the grave.

Broly got into his sleeping bag soon after and faced Konan's tent. The knowledge that she was helping comforted him and help him to see a future where all this was behind him. Where he could sleep without a sword over his head.

He fell asleep faster than he had thought possible.


"Ape did bring something potentially useful here." Kabuto said as he held up the slide with a fragment of fur. "Or it might put a wrinkle into that plan of yours."

"How so?"

The medic-nin turned mad scientist put the slide down and gestured to the microscope in front of him. "When I asked for some clarification, he informed me when he looked at the full moon, he underwent some changes. Said Samehada was terrified of him."

This was the first he'd heard of it. He hadn't even seen Ape around since he came back. The Zetsu was avoiding him. "Changes such as...?"

He gestured for Madara to take a look which he did. "Well, when I compare this fur to some I got from the other hybrids, it's thicker and denser of course but there was a massive size difference in the cells too. I took some time and jerry-rigged a little experiment to see what would happen if I simulated the light of a full moon."

Kabuto smiled. "When I exposed them to concentrated moonlight, they underwent a radical shift and they matched cells in the fur that Ape brought. The energy output from them is through the roof too. A tenfold increase from baseline."

"...they undergo some sort of transformation under the full moon." Madara muttered. He straightened back up and shook his head. "This a variable we can't account for. It might be the final nail in the coffin for our adversaries or it might spell our doom."

"I won't be able to do anything about weaponizing this discovery unless we push our time tables back-"

"No!" Madara snapped. It was happening with the next full moon; he'd waited long enough. "Not when we're so close."

"Then priority should be to stop the transformation happening then." Kabuto added. "That would pull time and resources away from our other project."

Madara stayed quiet a moment in thought. "How goes progress there?"

"It's moving exponentially quicker than I expected. Hashirama's cells are miracles to put it lightly. We had a test subject survive an entire day recently though the last few hours had them deteriorating rapidly. It was like their body was forcibly aged 50 years. Theoretically, it is ready for battlefield applications." He smirked. His own genius surprised him sometimes. "Since these are ultimately Zetsu, the process is reversible so, again theoretically, as long as use is kept to short bursts, no harm is done."

"We'll consider that acceptable for now then." The masked man said approvingly. Kabuto was looking more and more like the best investment he'd made in recent memory. "Let me know once you've found a way to stop this transformation."


After several days of travel, Konoha's delegation arrived at where the summit would be held in the Land of Iron. The journey was uneventful, a not unwelcome reprieve from recent events, but that had only left them all on edge. Temari had fidgeted nearly the entire time within their carriage; a far cry from the normally composed Kage. Tsunade had initially regretted informing the former leader of Suna about the potential guest they might meet at the Summit but ultimately decided it was better than having her be surprised.

Normally, some time to rest would be customary before such important occasions but the time sensitive nature of the crises meant norms were thrown out the window. The samurai, along with Mifune himself, came out to escort them. One of them offered to push Temari around in her chair but she refused; she was a Kage. Her pride wouldn't allow her to accept assistance in moving around.

The two Kages approached the table. To their left sat the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, a short, bald man with a large red nose and an angular moustache/goatee combo. To their right was the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, a taller woman with ankle length brown hair. Temari made her way to her spot at the table as Tsunade sat down.

"You two are looking worse for wear." Mei said sincerely. "I doubted the rumors that the Kazekage survived...my condolences for your villages."

The kunoichi could only nod at the other woman's words; her voice was still weak.

As for Tsunade, she was hit with a pang at the reminder. "I'm not surprised you've heard what happened." She replied coolly. "I am, however, surprised that you haven't tried taking advantage of the situation, Ōnoki."

"You only have caution to thank for my not having annexed the remains of your village." The man said. "I may be old but I'm no fool. Your villages are formidable. Anything that could level both of them seemingly overnight is something to be avoided until we have more knowledge. It's why I'm here."

"How pragmatic of you." Tsunade added bitterly.

It was only about twenty more minutes before Kumogakure arrived. There was a stir as Darui, A's right hand man, was the one who entered with Kumo nin flanking him rather than the Raikage they expected. He was a tall man, just beating Mei's height, with dark skin and blond, shaggy hair that covered his left eye.

"Did A really send someone in his stead rather than attend himself?" Ōnoki said as Darui sat at the table. Save for Temari, he was the youngest there and equally as inexperienced in such matters. "The arrogance astounds me."

"Hold on, Onoki, let's hear them out." Mei held out her hand in a placating gesture. "I'm sure there's a proper re-"

"A's dead. Has been for a week now." The room grew quiet. Darui's normally laid back demeanor was gone and in its place was a man angry at himself. "He died from his injuries a few hours after the Akatsuki ambushed him and forced us to give up B."

Tsunade was disturbed at the news. "A is a stubborn man, he would die before giving up his brother..."

"But not before losing the village." He answered. "The Akatsuki were able to erase whole portions of our village from the sky. We were defenseless."

Temari cleared her throat and all eyes were on her. "Was...it...green?"

Darui's glare softened. He'd heard of Suna's demise too. "Yeah."

The Kazekage shot a pointed look at Tsunade. Broly never mentioned attacking Kumo. Ino didn't say anything either though the girl was barely speaking even now.

The Sannin anxiously tapped at the table with a finger. Temari had made it no secret that the Saiyan shouldn't have been saved; she had to have a watch dedicated to prevent the Suna nin from trying something she wouldn't have the time to regret. While it was certainly justifiable, that hatred couldn't paint their future actions. It would lead them to ruin if they tried to combat both him and the Akatsuki.

"So, only Iwa and Kiri have been spared the Akatsuki's wrath." Ōnoki muttered as he rubbed at his goatee. "A dream in any other scenario."

"Spared their wrath yet." Mei stressed. "We've no reason to believe the pattern won't continue."

"Pardon the interruption." Mifune, the general of the samurai of the Land of Iron, said as he entered the room and took his place as the mediator of the talks between the five Kage with two samurai behind him. He was second only to Onoki in age and it showed in the deep wrinkles of his face and long, gray hair that hung from under the bandages that wrapped around his head. "But since we're all here, I suggest we start this summit in earnest."

The samurai opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by a door opening. A man, one of his own, rushed to him and quickly began speaking. While he wasn't trying to whisper, his voice was quiet and rushed and it was difficult for the Kages to listen in.

Mifune's eyes widened. "Another village? Unless I have misremembered, there's only supposed to be five." He nearly shook his head in disbelief. "Those are some bold claims."

Mei, with chin resting in her palm, leaned forward slightly. Would the summit take a turn so quickly? "Mifune, what's going on?"

The general cleared his throat. "Ame is at our door demanding representation. They claim to have the key to resolving this crisis."

"And there it is." Tsunade muttered as the start of a migraine began to hit. She wanted nothing more than to drink herself into a stupor. "Let them in." She said loud enough for the rest to hear.

"Tsunade, what is the meaning of this? Some of the Leaf's famed treachery?" Onoki snapped. "This is for the Great Villages. To acknowledge them here would be to raise their status and upset our hierarchy!"

"I am rather interested in hearing your explanation for this myself." Mei leaned back in her chair and casually crossed a leg over the other. "While this talk of hierarchies and status is not something I adhere to, it is veering away from the status quo of these meetings."

Darui pulled out his cleaver which unfolded into its full length and stabbed into the floor.

"Amegakure is inextricably tied to the Akatsuki. Allowing them a seat is letting the murderer be apart of the investigation."

She shook her head. "There was a schism between Akatsuki and Ame. Their current leader, Konan, actually aided us against the siege that leveled our village. We can trust them against Madara."

Darui scoffed. "It'll take more than that to convince me."

"Look, I know what they're talking about and...I'm inclined to agree with them." The Hokage held up a hand to stop further comments. "You all have valid points and, believe you me, I don't want them here either but we should hear them out. I'm sure you'll see where I'm coming from."

"I...agree." Temari grit her teeth as she squeezed at the table; every word was painful. She hated every second of what was going to happen. "Let...them...in."

Onoki looked between the two Kage. Something wasn't adding up. "How do we know this isn't some plot you all have cooked up?"

Mei rolled her eyes at that. "Honey, do you really believe two demolished villages and another minor power would be enough for..what exactly? A little paranoid, don't you think?"

"It's not paranoia when there are people after you!" Onoki barked back.

Mifune gestured for the Kages to calm and there was silence once more. "I think it would be prudent to see what Ame has to offer. With the threat posed, it wouldn't do to ignore possible solutions due to previous history however justifiable your feelings are."

The general gestured for his samurai to allow Ame's delegation entrance. The Five Kage and their guards were ready for anything to pass through their doors. Most were skeptical; what right did Ame have to be involved? But Tsunade and Temari shared a knowing look. The Kazekage was white knuckling her wheelchair and a sweat had broken out on her forehead.

The contingent was led by Konan and a tension rose in the room. No one there was unfamiliar with her involvement with the Akatsuki. Temari's eyes were frozen on the man right behind her. The mask did nothing to hide him from her. The loud screech of a chair being thrown had everyone snapped to attention as Darui crossed the distance in a moment. Konan stepped out of the way.

"YOU!" He screamed as his sword unfolded in his upraised hands. The cleaver screamed with lightning as he brought it down only for it to stop dead in its tracks.

Broly's gaze lazily drifted to Darui. The Raikage couldn't budge his blade from the man's hand.

"Careful there, you might cut someone."


Sasuke deftly bounded from tree to tree as the others struggled to keep up. Save for the Hybrids Madara demanded he take who liesurely flew above them on constant watch. How he hated them all. He worked so hard for his power, betrayed his closest friends, cursed himself, killed his brother-

And from the moment they were born, it was all rendered pointless. One of them could take on a platoon of shinobi with ease. While he was certain he could kill a few, it would be suicide to be in their sights. Ape could probably take on a whole village himself after all the growth and training he'd undergone.

It made him seethe. He wanted to put them all to the sword. If only there was a way to take their power for himself.

He'd have to talk with Kabuto. He was under no delusion that the missing nin had anything but contempt for him but Orochimaru's former lackey had his master's predilection for information and medical knowledge.

And here he was, the only other living Uchiha. They could work out something.

He closed his eyes and felt the phantom touch of Itachi's fingers on his forehead. His insides roiled at the memory of his brother's last action alive. That shouldn't have been how it ended. He should have grown up in a loving family with his parents and his brother. Konoha forced Itachi to take that from him.

Konoha killed his brother.

He'd do so much more in return.


Author's Notes

The summit is already off the rails and Sasuke hasn't even arrived yet! Lol.

My memory is kinda shit so forgive me if some of these characters might be out of character. I know Darui is supposed to be lazy but I took some liberties and assumed he wouldn't be casual here after what happened.

And, uuuuhhhh, I can't really think of anything to comment on.

Review plz.

Ent out.


Review Responses!

Abyss Emperor: Yep, guy had to get some wins eventually but it inadvertently makes Broly's case much stronger which we'll see next time.

Isaiah: I'm happy to hear that I've been some small help there; don't be afraid to reach out to a loved one. It's helped me a lot when I've been low. Now, while I admittedly love the idea of Broly as a taijutsu master, that won't happen in this arc given how short the timeline is going to be. This is the last real set piece before we move onto the final part of this story.

DTLA1992: Even Saiyans want to rest in the end. And, I agree, Konan will be a great Kage.

fightingchampion: Now! Ish!

Andrej: Ah, shit. *Google translates* Ah, well, today. I update this fic once a month so the next one should be around this time next month if there are no setbacks.

Noch: Ah, shit, again. *More translating* I answered this in the review above but, as far as a sequel is concerned, I don't know if a sequel will even be possible tbh.

oscuro oscuro: The Hybrids can only use ki but stuff like healing is more biological in nature so they still have some of Zetsu's abilities. For the Ōtsutsuki, I'm not sure if I'll really include them in any significant capacity if at all.