Hideki coughed up a mouthful of blood as Lee arrived and tried calm Delarr down.
There was another ninja with Lee, someone unfamiliar to the ex-Akatsuki yet recognized by Delarr. He wore plain white clothes to match his eyes, the skin on the sides of his eyes were scrunched up into veins.
"Oji..." Delarr mouthed, backing away from the growing tension. Lee attended the boy while the other Hyuuga accompanied Shikamaru and approached the undead Sannin.
"I can't hold him for much longer." Shikamaru said as if it took a large amount of effort to simply speak. "He's as strong as he would be if he was alive."
"Not bad, Naruto-kun." Sasuke mocked, shaking concrete rubble from his back as he stood. "But just how many of those punches can you throw before running out of chakra?"
"As many as necessary." the Hokage growled, blinking several times while grinding his teeth together. "You don't need to do this, Sasuke."
"Naruto, Orochimaru.."
"I know. That's not actually Jiraiya, he was resurrected and reborn as a slave to Orochimaru." Naruto said, his voice shaking and his fists trembling.
"Very well." The older Hyuuga muttered.
"I didn't think it would end like this." Sasori spoke in monotone, shaking his head slowly before looking to Jiraiya and narrowing his eyes. "Bastard. Hidan! Give my regards to Orochimaru!" he shouted
before coughing up purple blood.
"He's dying!" Hidan shouted.
Sasori fought against the combination of Jiraiya's hair and Shikamaru's bind, managing enough for a final attack. Shikamaru squirmed, dropping to one knee as Sasuke and Naruto stood at a standoff.
"You can't move. You're as helpless as me." Jiraiya shook his head in disbelief as Sasori continued to resist.
Hideki was on her back with blood bubbling up in her mouth, making it harder and harder to breathe.
Sasori's head spun in a complete circle, stopping when he faced Jiraiya. His mouth opened and a green and purple covered roped spear, the one that he held at his middle, along with a wall of poison needles shot out from between his lips. Sasori gasped and fell limp, allowing the rest to be left up to physics. The force from the spear drove through Jiraiya's neck and was covered in poison needles from his head down to his chest.
Jiraiya barely had enough time to take a gasp of air before the needles paralyzed him causing his muscles to give out. Shikamaru collapsed in fatigue, releasing his hold upon Jiraiya and Sasori leaving them to fall at the same time.
Delarr backed up behind his uncle, who was inanimate and staring at Sasuke just as Lee was.
"Why?" the little one shrieked, gaining attention of everyone, "why must we all kill each other?"
"Lee..." Shikamaru groaned, taking coarse, shallow breaths, "remove your weights and get Tsunade out here." Lee nodded and did as he was told.
"Stupid asshole. All worn out and almost out of chakra from binding a dead Sannin." Hidan swore.
Tsunade and Sakura arrived a few seconds later and Sakura gasped seeing Sasuke before speaking to the Hokage, " Naruto-Sama! what do you need me to do?"
Naruto pointed behind him in Shikamaru's general direction, then over to Sasori. The Hyuuga took Delarr out of the immediate danger zone and Hidan cracked his neck in annoyance, getting used to the reattachment from Kimiko.
"Where's Lee?" Shikamaru asked Sakura when she approached.
"Back there with Delarr, now. He opened a gate or two to get to us then carry us back in the time that he did." she pressed her finger over his mouth when he went to speak, "don't talk, just take it easy."
Sasuke clenched his fists and pulled his arms back. Naruto tensed and narrowed his watery eyes when there was a glimmer of invisible wire around Sasuke's hand. Windmill shuriken were pulled from the earth from behind Naruto and guided into the Hokage's back. Sasuke's figure blurred, and he appeared behind Sakura, driving a sword into her side and firing off a projectile Chidori into the recovering
immortal. Hidan shouted in pain and convulsed to the ground.
There was a scream of rage and suddenly there were a dozen Naruto's charging at Sasuke, Tsunade rose from Sasori and punched the soil beneath her. The ground cracked and exploded upwards at Sasuke, the Hokage's clones using it to become airborne. Their red robes seemed complimented by the red chakra they were giving off, their eyes still resembling a frog.
Sasuke took flight and as if playing with a boomerang, he pulled his arms back and the windmill shuriken sliced through four clones.
Kimiko watched in awe as the windmill weapons seemed to fly around by themselves at Sasuke's will.
Their was a sudden influx of dark chakra as a tall figure appeared in front of Hideki, a wave of blood red chakra surrounding her healing her wounds. A smooth voice spoke and the hood fell away revealing a male with skin that was extremely pale, dark red eyes and long black hair. " Rise my faithful child and fear not, for I will protect you." the voice was a soft baritone, and around the males hands, chakra surrounded them solidifying .
"Hideki, he's not after you!" Hidan curelessly shouted from where he sat, just watching the fight, not bothering to stand. "Sasuke and Orochimaru are not on the same side!" his attention was caught by the figure in front of Hideki. "The fuck?"
The figure turned and smirked " Take care of young Hideki.. she still has much to learn of the faith."
Sasuke's shadow contorted on the ground and shot up, catching his foot and whipping him to the ground. Shikamaru passed out beside Sakura's limp form, Naruto's clones created blue-red balls of energy in each hand as they came down upon Sasuke. Tsunade came around from behind Sasuke, backing the -real- Hokage as he bolted towards his opponent.
Hidan looked from the figure to Hideki and then looked for Kimiko, but to no avail. She was nowhere to be seen. Sasuke slew the clones with three swift slashes from his sword and Tsunade sucker-punched him in the back, driving him into the ground. Naruto kneeled on the small of Sasuke's back and drove his fist into the back of his head.
Naruto single-handedly picked up Sasuke and flipped him over, kneeling over him. He produced a kunai in his hand and brought it to the traitor's throat.
Hideki walked over to Sakura and crouched down beside her hr hands glowing green as she heald the wounds.
"You fool." Sasuke coughed and Naruto's eyes returned to normal, his red chakra slowly fading away.
"It didn't have to end this way..." Naruto swallowed.
"There was no other way." Sasuke responded and tears fell down the Hokage's cheeks.
"I would have t-taken y-you back..."
"Baka." Sasuke smiled and closed his eyes. Naruto bent over, touching his lips against Sasuke's mouth as he drew the kunai across Sasuke's neck.
"I'm sorry..." Naruto sniffled, falling back as Sasuke died.
"Well this is unfortunate." a bystander said, drawing a bandaged weapon. "I wanted to kill Sasori." Hidan stood, picking up his scythe from the ground and charging the blue-faced Akatsuki.
"Get them out of here. Get back to Konoha." Naruto ordered as he forced himself to stand, his balance wobbling.
"Things just keep getting better and better." Tsunade complained, standing next to Naruto. "Kimiko, get Sasori, Sakura, Jiraiya, Shikamaru, Lee and the other two out of here."
"Sasuke too." Naruto added softly.
Kimiko nodded and got the said shinobi out of the area.
"Eeeeeya!" Hidan howled as he flipped over Kisame, attempting to bring his scythe down on the shark, instead Hidan got a blast in the chest from a water dragon that appeared out of nowhere."
"How did he get this far into Fire Country?" Tsunade asked.
"Not now." Naruto pursed his lips and shook his head, trying to get a hold of himself.
She nodded once and turned facing Kisame as she weaved a series of hand seals" Ice style, freezing water ropes.." a series of jets of water shot from her hands and wrapped around Kisame, freezing on contact.
Hidan landed on his feet and charged a second time, driving his scythe into Kisame's side.
"I never thought I'd get this far alone. Interesting how Fire Country's defense works." Kisame grinned before vanishing in a cloud of white smoke.
"Tsunade, take our reserves to the front line." Naruto ordered.
Hideki fell to her knees as the chakra seals began burning her wrists once again.
"What?" Tsunade shrieked in disapproval.
"We're losing this war. In three years, Konoha has lost over half of its military. The enemy grows stronger each day." Naruto explained.
God damnit." Hidan cursed, finally realizing what had just happened.
She clenched her fists as the skin on hr wrists began to blister.
"I need to join the war." Naruto stated.
"No!" Tsunade countered before he even finished the last word. Hidan walked over to Hideki, tossing his scythe over his back.
Hideki forced her self to stand and looked to Naruto " Hokage-Sama, put me on the front lines I will fight."
"Me too." Hidan added.
"I'm sorry about Sasori. Even Shikamaru, Lee and Sakura were critically injured. I... I fail as a leader..."
Tsunade shook her head. "That's not true."
Hideki placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze.
"I couldn't even save Sasuke! The ONE thing that I've been working at since I was fucking twelve!" he hollered, red chakra starting to mix with his red robes.
"What's with the robes?" Hidan asked Hideki quietly.
She rolled up her sleeves revealing scars from where blood had been drawn countless times. " He used my blood... he fucking used it to make damned clones.."
"C-clones?" Naruto asked, confused within rage and sorrow. Hidan shook his head in confusion and eyed Tsunade.
He used something in my blood to resurrect Kakuzu, and Kimimaro.. think about it.. that wasn't even Sasuke's chakra.. He didn't even use the Sharingan."
"Kakuzu was resurrected." Hidan pointed out and Naruto's jaw dropped.
"That... t-that wasn't Sasuke?" Naruto shook his head in disbelief.
Tsunade put her hand on the Hokage's shoulder.
Hideki looked at him. " Like I said I would fight to protect this village."
"Mmm," he sounded before speaking and turning to Tsunade, "thanks. Is Sasori...?" Tsunade shook her head slowly.
"Not likely. I will see to it personally with your permission." Naruto nodded and Tsunade smiled, ruffled Naruto's hair and took off.
Naruto turned back to Hideki. "I don't understand why, but thank you."
"What's with the robes?" Hidan asked.
"I was in an important meeting with Gaara and a few other allied countries."
Hidan bit his lower lip.
"They're going to be pissed when I get back." Naruto chuckled slightly, his brow pinched in worry.
Hideki started to say something and looked at her wrists. " Shit these seals are still burning like hell."
Naruto ran his hand over her wrists, his hands leaking some reddish chakra.
"You won't be using those seals anymore." he smiled at her.
She returned the smile " You wouldn't mind if I went to the hospital to Shikamaru and Sakura-San, would you?"
Naruto exhaled softly and shook his head. "Go ahead. I have a meeting to return to."
Once she and Hidan arrived to the hospital she heard Delarr's name and that he was being treated for shock. She managed to find his room and walked in feeling her chest clench as she saw the young boy sitting on the bed staring blankly at the wall. Cylo was sitting at his side a distraught look on his face.
She spoke softly her throat clenching " Cylo-kun..."
Cylo turned his head to look at her in silence.
She walked over and sat down by the two boys and pulled them into hr arms hugging them softly.