A/N: Well judging from the title I guess a few of you were wrong on your guess :p Sorry for the slight delay, I needed it for this one.
Chapter 40: FIDO
—20:49 hrs—
Sai surveyed the wall one last time. Clear. That could either be a good or bad sign, and he wouldn't know until he was inside. He checked his watch on more time, and looked over his shoulder.
Thirty-nine blank masks stared back at him from the shadows provided by village wall. There was ten meters of open space between the village wall and the Hyuuga estate's wall, with no cover between the two. Crossing unseen was improbable, not to mention the silhouettes they'd create climbing over the wall. Even with the skeleton crew maintaining the security tonight, they'd most likely get caught. No. If they were going to enter the estate unseen they'd have to do something a little more covert.
Sai turned to Atlas, his infiltration specialist, and nodded. The man was a legend in Root. One of a few who'd fought in the last war and survived. During that time he'd earned the reputation as a master of assassination, infiltration, and, during the later years of his career, a bit of a wild card. He retired just before the end of the war, when the peace talks first began. He was admired by all, but Sai would admit the man was a bit of an idol to him. Why? Because Atlas started a new life after he left Root. He even married and had a child. It gave Sai hope that one day—he might be able to do what Atlas accomplished. He felt slightly guilty pulling him out of retirement, but when he'd mentioned it to the man, Atlas had jumped aboard instantly. He seemed almost excited, and Sai knew why.
Atlas slowly made four hand seals, taking his time to ensure he was using the bare minimum for the jutsu. The plan was simple, but completely different from the original one. Before, four teams were supposed to breach the walls of the estate from four different sides, subduing all Hyuuga within the compound as they converged on one point. When they learned of the hostages, Shikamaru and Sai were forced back to the drawing board. And after spending hours staring at the blueprints of the Hyuuga estate, the two Night Angels finally came up with a new plan. One breach, at the least guarded section of the wall, and the teams would diverge from there.
Atlas placed his hands on the ground, and a meter by meter hole opened leading into the earth. The infiltration specialist jumped down the hole, swallowed up by the shadows as the rest of them waited quietly. Thirty seconds later a low whistle echoed from the darkness.
Wordlessly looking at his men, Sai flicked his fingers forward. Fifteen seconds later Sai jumped down the hole, and the earth closed up behind him leaving no traces of their presence.
Total darkness enveloped them. The only signs of each other's presences were soft breaths and the warmth radiating from their bodies from the close proximity. Then there was a click, and the hole illuminated from a flashlight revealing a small room the small Root force was packed into. At the far end, Atlas had his hands pressed against the wall awaiting Sai's order.
Sai pushed through his men, frowning under his mask at the unease building in his chest. It wasn't that he didn't like being underground, but something felt off. It had started after he'd finished phase-one with the others, and it had been steadily growing since then. He wanted to ignore it, but his instincts were telling him not too. And if there's one thing he learned during his time in Root—it was trust your instincts.
"We're four meters deep," Atlas said when he stopped next to him. Sai nodded. Any deeper and the amount of chakra to push through the earth would be noticed by the guards, any shallower and they risked being seen by a guard's activated dojutsu.
Sai channeled chakra to his eyes and Vengeance came to life. A moment later the HUD shifted from his periphery to the center. Lifting his hand, he tapped a finger forward on a tab only he could see. The HUD flickered and disappeared, replaced by a map of the Hyuuga estate in his original periphery. To the left of the estate wall he could see a green mass, him and the rest of the Root operatives. He checked his watch.
20:49
"Let's go," Sai ordered.
Atlas nodded, and the wall his hands were pressed against began to melt away creating a tunnel—big enough for two men to fit through, and tall enough so they only had to bend slightly. It was a tedious process, Atlas once again using the bare minimum for the jutsu so they'd remain undetected. The Root forces were reduced to a bent shuffle, following behind the earth manipulator as he inched forward. And with ever step, Sai's anxiety continued to build.
Two brief taps on Atlas' shoulder brought him to a halt directly under the estate wall.
"Five meters," Sai instructed. He looked at his watch feeling the strain of time.
21:51
Atlas went through his hands seals again. The earth melted away once more, and they continued forward. Two meters in though, Atlas froze mid-step.
"Taichou, I'm detecting another earth user's chakra."
Root or not, the entire infiltration force stiffened. A stagnant tension hung in the tunnel as breaths were collectively held.
"Sensory jutsu," Sai asked quietly.
Atlas was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "Negative, it's a residual chakra. The earth ahead of us has been moved. I can't tell when, but it was a massive excavation."
"Signs of life?"
"None," Atlas confirmed.
Sai frowned. Hyuuga didn't use elemental jutsu, which meant whatever lay ahead was created by someone else. The voice in his mind returned full force, and his body tension rose as he thought through his options.
"Proceed with caution," Sai ordered, and turned to the rest of his men. "Weapons free. Delta squad, on me. Stack up for breach."
After some cramped shuffling Sai's team assembled in a line, and the operative behind him rested a hand on his left shoulder. Sai adjusted the position of his tanto in his left hand, and in the other held a kunai in a reverse grip. Atlas pressed against the side of the tunnel to give room, and put his hand on the wall.
For two brief seconds everything was still.
Then the operative squeezed Sai's shoulder, and his heart slammed in his chest. He never liked breaches—mostly because he was always the first one in. And despite Atlas said about the room being empty, he wasn't leaving his life up to chance. He took a breath, felt adrenalin spike his blood, and nodded to Atlas.
There was a small, sharp burst of chakra. A light crack as the wall crumbled away. And Sai shot forward.
Everything slowed as he moved through the hole, like he was in Mercy's time manipulation. The flashlight attached to the side of his mask cut through the slowly undulating dust rising up, and flooded the cavern giving him a brief layout. Roots hung from the ceiling in two rows in intervals before reburying themselves in the floor. Then, his world reduced to terse observations, reactions, and commands.
Exhale.
Clear right. Scan left. Hug wall. Stay low. Move fast.
He slipped on something oily, righted himself, glanced down. Mounds covered in some kind of material around the edges of the walls. Avoid them. His eyes flicked back up.
Inhale.
Roots blocking view of room. Corner of wall reached. Move along next wall. Check behind row of roots. Clear.
Exhale.
Move up. Check row of roots. Clear. Move up. Check roots. Clear. Back wall reached. Friendly across the way. No signs of enemies. Room clear.
Time seemed to warp forward, and Sai took a staggered step as the rush faded away.
He glanced around the room, took a breath to give an order, and gagged as a wave of death invaded his senses. His eyes watered, and his hand shot up covering his burning nostrils while he retched behind his mask. The undeniable stench of rotting flesh permeated the room—caustic vapors of methane, sulfates, and ammonia threatening to close his throat. Fighting his bile back down, he heard his men having similar reactions as they gagged and choked on the festering air.
They may've been Root, but not even they could ignore their sense when caught off guard.
An involuntary shiver ran down Sai's back while he suppressed his sense of smell as best he could. "Find out where that smell's coming from," he ordered. "And stay away from those roots. I'm getting a strange reading from them."
In truth, Vengeance was indicating a faint chakra signature radiating from the plants, and Sai didn't know what to make of it. It was concerning to say the least, and unease filled him more every second they spent in the room. He felt like they were being watched, and more often than not, when he had that feeling they were.
A low groan caught Sai's attention, and his head snapped down to his feet. It had come from the mound next to him. Kneeling down cautiously next to it, he examined the material and realized it was burlap buried halfway in the earth. Grabbing one end, he pulled it back slowly until he saw…hair? His breath hitched as he ripped the burlap back and froze.
A Hyuuga corpse stared back at him through empty sockets. Its body decayed and bloated. The face and neck swollen, skin black and green and covered in rot blisters. Worms wriggled across the body while they gorged on flesh, and dark fluids ran from the mouth, nose, and eyes. The abrupt movement of the body caused the gases trapped inside to escape through the throat again, and a putrid moan echoed in the room. But the worst thing by far, and what sent Sai's instinct hay-wire, was the faint blue light bathing the edge of the body.
It was a hostage. And seconds later a profile picture appeared before Sai's eyes.
Hyuuga Eto.
Dread started to trickle through his body as he slowly turned to the other mounds. One by one, his men pulled back burlap revealing corpses outlined in blue light. His fists clenched together while his mind raced. Why had they been killed? But more importantly…
"I want a head count," Sai ordered standing up. "Bones!"
"Sir," the man responded coming forward.
"Get me a time of death."
Without another word, Bones was kneeling down next to the corpse and pulling on gloves. He felt the body in a few places, examined the fluids seeping from it, and then pulled out a digital thermometer. After a moment he nodded, and then checked the humidity of the room.
Pulling off his gloves, Bones stood up saying, "Time of death is no more than five days."
Sai's eyebrows furrowed. Five days? How could nobody notice these people missing for five days? Before he could think on it any further he was interrupted.
"Taichou, we counted twenty bodies."
Sai grit his teeth. Twenty people missing and nobody noticed. His eyes roamed over the room until they fell on the strange roots again. Another anomaly he didn't have an answer too or explanation for. Following them down from the ceiling, his heart nearly skipped a beat when he realized what he was looking at. They didn't go into the ground, they went into more mounds!
His flashlight skipped around the room as he counted the rows. "One…four…seven, eight."
Eight more bodies?
"Check the mounds at the base of the roots!" Sai said moving towards one. "And don't touch them!"
Once again Sai knelt down beside the mound almost completely enwrapped in tiny rootlets. He took a guess at one end, and slowly peeled the rotting burlap back. He got as far as what would've been the nose before he gasped and stood up. His heart slammed in his chest as he whirled around the room looking at every corpse being revealed in the roots. Gold light bathed every single one of them.
The Hyuuga Elders.
"Jihibiki we have a situation," Sai shouted while snapping his fingers, and then circling them in the air. Instantly, the squads were up and moving towards the back wall. Sai's heart pounded even harder when he received no response. "Jihibiki do you copy?"
Silence.
"Does anyone copy?" Sai asked straining to hear anything while glancing at his watch.
20:54
"Atlas, get us top side now!" Sai said. The others needed to know about his discovery, and he was silently hoping it was because they were underground that he couldn't get through to anyone.
Atlas risked a little more chakra and pushed forward quicker, which thankfully wasn't that much further. Without even waiting for an order he opened the ceiling above them and they were greeted by the stars and trees.
"Echo squad, secure area." Sai signaled, and the squad sprinted up the sides of the hole and disappeared into the night. After a few seconds of no response Sai began to tense even more. It shouldn't take this long to secure the area. Had they already been compromised?
A nightingale briefly sang, and Sai's eyes widened. It was a secondary signal—if they were using that instead of the radios then something was wrong with their equipment. Sai clenched his teeth and quietly used the most colorful words in his vocabulary to curse Murphy. Being the first one out the hole, he tried not to enjoy the fresh air too much and found Echo squad's captain.
"Batteries?" Sai signaled.
"Radio dark," the captain signaled back.
Sai's shoulders tightened as he activated his own radio, "Mike check. Mike check."
He turned to the captains of Zulu and Gamma who signaled the same thing, "Radio dark."
Trepidation began constricting around his chest. He activated the seal in his tooth whispering, "Jihibiki do you copy?"
Static exploded in his ear causing him to flinch hard, and sent shivers running down his spine as the open frequency squealed. They were completely dark. It wasn't some accident or coincidence that the seals Naruto made had gone faulty too. It could only mean one thing, and it made Sai sick to his stomach.
Someone was jamming their communications. They'd been compromised. And there was only one thing they could do at this point. His eyes flicked down to his watch, and he ground his teeth.
20:56
Hands moving so rapidly they nearly blurred, he gave his orders.
"Comms dark. Operation compromised."
Echo's captain was the first to respond. "Abort?"
"FIDO," Sai responded. "We're in too deep."
"Orders?" Gamma's captain asked.
"Zulu secure grid. Delta, Gamma, Echo secure hostages. Atlas on me. We go one minute early. R.O.E.—kill on site."
His men stiffened. Not at the mission being compromised or the fact they were walking into an ambush, but at the timeframe given. They were good, but they weren't fucking miracle workers.
Zulu's squad leader broke silence. "Permission to use Windsingers?"
Sai scowled. He didn't want to use them. Like Naruto, he had his own ace in the hole. And like his brother he was hoping to save them for the war. But his luck was against him tonight. He was just glad he'd decided to bring them—better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
"Break them out," Sai grunted. The words barely left his lips, and plumes of smoke were already appearing throughout the squads as they unsealed their secret weapons. Sai shook his head as he unsealed his own. Like kids with new toys.
Holding the contraption in one arm, Sai grabbed a metal bolt on the right side and pulled back, sliding a metal sheath back to reveal a shallow chamber. He placed a storage tag inside face down, and spared a second to glance over his men to make sure they were ready. This last part was sure to draw attention.
Thirty-nine masks peered back patiently, if not eagerly. Sai nodded his head saying, "Remember, these are only prototypes so don't rely on them." Everyone nodded at his warning. "Let's lock and load."
Audible clicks were heard all over as they released the bolts allowing them to slide back, and then pulsed their chakras activating the storage tags. Immediately voices began to call out and order the area investigated, followed by footsteps headed in their direction.
The squads said nothing, vanishing and going to their separate objectives. Their point of entry was convenient at least. The hostages totaling 340, now down twenty from the original 360, were located in the mess hall, council hall, and clan dojo—three giant buildings on the east side of the estate where they entered. Between the buildings and wall were gardens which ran parallel with both. They'd used the gardens as cover when they first entered, and now they'd use them ambush their targets.
Sai took point with Atlas behind him, and Delta squad brining up the rear. Their designated building was the clan dojo, located the furthest away on the southeast edge of the estate. The ten operatives blurred through grounds. The shadows from the wall combined with the gardens' silhouettes practically turned them invisible in the night.
Sai caught movement, and his eyes shifted right. Two Hyuuga guards were coming out between the council hall and the dojo. Orange light bathed their silhouettes, providing perfect targets for him despite the darkness. The world slowed as he shouldered the stock, and pivoted towards them still moving.
He inhaled, sighted the first Hyuuga's head, exhaled, and squeezed the trigger.
His weapon made no sound, but the effect was undeniable. The Hyuuga's head snapped to the side, a light sound of bone cracking and blood spraying, before the rest of his body followed collapsing in a heap. The second guard didn't have time to react. Atlas fired his own Windsinger, and the man's head snapped back in a second spray.
Sai shivered with excitement. This weapon was beyond deadly. It could change the way wars were waged forever. It was no wonder Sky Country was destroyed so early in the war. The technology they possessed was terrifying. And ever since Root salvaged the kunai launchers and modified them to fire senbon instead, the accuracy as well as covertness had increased tenfold.
They kept moving, two members of Delta breaking away to grab the bodies and drag them to cover. They reached the dojo, and the group came to a halt behind the gardens while the two ninja disposed of the bodies and linked back up. The building was tricky. It had two sets of doors, one on their side, and the other set on the opposite side. Plus the walk way around the building was no doubt riddled with nightingale boards. Odds were they'd attack from either the roof or the backside facing the southern wall. But it wasn't Sai's problem.
Moving to the edge of the garden, Sai got on his hands and knees and peeked out. That was the beauty of guards. They always checked for silhouettes at eye level, rarely looking at anything lower which allowed Sai to survey the area freely.
Two more guards stood between the clan dojo and the Main Family's mansion. Another was passing by, most likely patrolling the hostage buildings facing into the estate. The problem was the estate was open in the center, like a giant courtyard. No cover, and lot's of open space that was well lit. His eyes flicked to his wrist.
20:57
They couldn't wait, they were out of time. Sai re-shouldered his Windsinger and motioned to Atlas. They broke cover, moving at a low, fast pace—Sai on point again and Atlas one pace behind and half step to the right.
They moved silently between the southern wall and the dojo, the shadows created from the lighting of the courtyard bathing the space between the two structures in obscuring darkness. One of the guards glanced their way, and Sai felt a brief moment of anticipation shoot through his limbs. But he remained calm and kept moving towards the man, the guard's night blindness keeping him from seeing beyond the corner of the building and into the shadows.
Sai was two meters from the corner of the dojo when brief cries came from the north wall where the gate was. Zulu squad.
The guards made it two steps before Sai pulled the trigger. But he misled his target and the senbon pierced through his arm. He cried out and turned towards them while activating his Byakugan, his partner activating his own as well. Sai and Atlas never stopped moving, breaking from the shadows and opening fire. Atlas dropped his guard with three shots to the chest. Sai fired once, and the weapon jammed—the single senbon lacking the stopping power to put the target down. The Hyuuga charged at him eyes blazing, and Sai dropped the Windsinger reaching for his tanto. A sharp crack and explosion of bone shards brought the guard tumbling to the ground as Atlas blew his kneecap away. The man opened his mouth to scream but never got the chance as Atlas put two more into his mouth.
Sai paused only to recover the discarded Windsinger while Atlas moved ahead. He caught up to the older Root agent just as he slipped behind the Hyuuga mansion. Still moving, Sai slid the bolt back and tried to dislodge the senbon from the chamber.
"Fuckin' prototype," he muttered finally pulling the needle out and allowing the bolt to slide back.
"Sure, blame the weapon." Atlas said, and Sai knew he was smirking behind his mask.
"Fine, crackshot, you take point." Sai responded gruffly.
They sprinted to the edge of the mansion, crossed the open space again, and entered the western side of the estate. This side housed all the Hyuuga families, divided into two rows of one story houses with a path between them. Just as they were rounding the corner, three Hyuuga guards came into view.
A second stretched between the two groups before they all moved at once.
Atlas pulled the trigger—and his Windsinger clicked. Jam. The Hyuugas wasted no time charging him, trying to overtake him. Just as they were about to strike, he ducked. Behind him Sai's thumb flicked the setting on his Windsinger from single-fire to full-auto, and pulled the trigger down. The Windsinger vibrated lightly in his hands as he swept the weapon across the group of men. All three of them flew back in a cloud of blood, one of them close enough to a house to be pinned to the wall.
Sai's Windsinger clicked, and the bolt snapped open discarding the spent tag. Only a few seconds, and what was left of his fifty senbons had been spent. Another shiver ran through him as he moved past Atlas loading another tag. As he did, he heard Atlas mutter, "Fucking prototype."
Sai allowed one snicker to reach Atlas' ear before checking the time.
20:58
"Rooftops," Sai said and Atlas nodded.
They separated, each taking a different row of the houses. Abandoning subtlety, they sprinted and leapt between buildings dealing death to guards they passed over. Halfway down the rows Sai came to a stop before the only two-story building on the western side of the estate. The Hyuuga Elders' mansion. A brief whistle left his lips while he patted the top of his head, and the air moved as Atlas reappeared next to him. They passed the next few seconds quietly as Atlas reloaded his Windsinger.
Once he was done, Sai leapt to the roof of the veranda that wrapped around the mansion. He was thankful for the Hyuuga's steep traditions, trying to breach a second floor window while sticking to the wall would've been a bitch.
Lightly walking across the clay tiles, he came to a stop next to a window and pressed his back to the wall. Sliding over just slightly, he checked the room. Two guards were lounging on beds while another two sat at a small table. The upstairs had been turned into a temporary barrack for the guards. Motioning his hand, Atlas quickly joined and pressed up against the wall beside Sai.
"Four tangos." Sai signaled. "Two left. Two right."
Atlas nodded in understanding, and Sai ducked low and deftly moved across the open window. They both held their breaths, waiting for any of the men to alert the others about seeing something.
Nothing.
Removing an explosive tag from his pouch, Atlas snapped it out and stuck it to the cross frame of the window. Sai glanced at his watch one last time.
20:58:30
A gurgle and thud followed by a high then low whistle caused Sai to pop his head over the edge of the veranda. Eight green bodies were stacking up at the back door. Zulu squad was in position. Pressing back against the wall, Sai signaled Atlas they were ready.
Everything fell silent. The animals. Insects. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as the final seconds ticked down.
Sai calmed his breathing and steadied his shaking limbs caused by a new shot of adrenalin. But they wouldn't stop, and he couldn't figure out why until Atlas made the ram sign.
He had no idea what they'd find in this mansion. God did he really hate breaches.
20:59
Two breaching tags detonated in sync, the lights inside the mansion going out from the force of the explosions. Cries of shock and pain rang through the house as shards of glass and wood riddled the unsuspecting guards. Sai blurred through the gaping hole first.
Exhale.
Clear right. Tango trapped under debris. Three in the head.
Inhale.
Scan left. Tango stumbling for door. Two in the back, one in the head.
Exhale.
Sai glanced at Atlas' side and saw him finishing off his own target. "Clear!" He yelled and Atlas fell in step behind him as they made for the door. Below him he could hear Zulu crying out "clear" as they finished the kitchen and pushed forward. Throughout the mansion, alerts and orders were being screamed. Now things got messy.
The bedroom door was blown off from the breach tag allowing Sai to move into the hallway. The past month of training in a mock setup of the mansion took over.
Five steps to the bedroom on the right, six to the one on the left.
Sai shot a burst of senbon through the door, unconcerned about hostages, and kicked it open. A guard stood behind the bed staring at his chest in shock, a waterfall of red cascading down his white robes. Sai put another one in his head. "Clear!"
He moved past Atlas as he cracked the door on the left open and tossed a flash tag in. Curses rang out and a loud bang followed. Atlas kicked the door in and lay on the trigger spraying the room. "Clear!"
He didn't move on. Instead he entered the room, and moved to a bathroom that conjoined the next bedroom over. Sai pressed down the hallway alone.
Ten steps to master bedroom on the right. Below multiple voices rang out as they cleared more rooms. More shouting and screaming.
Sai stopped at the double doors to the master bedroom, and reach for the handle. Only for the door at the end of the hall burst open. A Hyuuga appeared eyes blazing and palm thrusting forward. Sai felt like he was moving through mud as he tried to turn and move away, Vengeance identifying the chakra gathered in the man's hand—Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. There he stood, stuck in a hallway with nowhere to go, with an attack that would easily take up the entire space.
Sai was fucked.
The Hyuuga flew back as he thrust his hand forward, blood spraying across from hip to shoulder as he was pinned to the door behind him. Unfortunately, Sai didn't have the luxury of thanking Atlas for the second save as the Vacuum Palm blasted him through the doors of the master bedroom.
The attack had been severely dampened, but that didn't stop the air from being crushed out of Sai's lungs or the left side of his mask to break off. Disoriented and ears ringing, he tried to get his bearings. The double vision didn't help any. Neither did the five Hyuuga glaring at him.
"Shit."
Two threw kunai forcing him to roll while the other three dove at him. Sai rolled, ripping a flash tag from his pouch and detonating it in his left hand. Six yells echoed through the room—five from blinded Hyuugas with Byakugans activated, and one from Sai whose hand was now a seared blistering mess.
Landing on his back, he swung his Windsinger across the room emptying the entire clip. Two seconds later Atlas came through the door ready lay down even more metal.
"Clear," Sai grunted sitting up clutching his burnt hand. Atlas lowered his Windsinger, and knelt down beside him. "And thanks for the save."
"Sorry I wasn't sooner," Atlas replied digging through his pouch and pulling out a tube of all purpose anti-septic/numbing cream and bandages. They were silent while Atlas made quick work of his hand.
"Is that alright," Atlas asked when he finished.
Sai grimaced as he flexed his hand a few times. "It'll do. It's still functional, and I can push past the pain."
Standing, Atlas offered Sai a hand and helped him up.
"Any sign of the elders," Sai asked checking his Windsinger. Realizing it was empty he resealed it—they only had two tags each. Atlas shook his head and Sai checked the time.
20:59:37
"We need to regroup then," Sai said. "Something tells me Zulu didn't find them either."
Atlas nodded. "Friendlies coming down," he yelled at the top of the stairs before leading Sai down.
The bottom of the staircase opened to a foyer. Glass shards and plaster chips covered the floor as well as a few Hyuuga bodies in growing pools of blood. Stepping over one, Sai and Atlas followed the voices through a doorway into what looked like a meeting room.
"Any sign of the targets," Sai asked.
"Nothing. Just a bunch of guards," the captain replied.
Sai grit his teeth and looked around the room. This didn't make any sense. They had confirmed sightings of the Elders this morning. And yet the bodies in that grave were registered to the Elders, which had been dead for at least a month. Warnings started going off in Sai's head, and anxiety exploded in his chest forcing his eyes to scan the room. Something was coming.
The ground rumbled for a moment before the floor swung open, sending the shinobi standing over the secret doors flying into the walls and ceiling. Before gravity could take effect, spears of wood burst from the darkness and skewered half of Zulu squad. Cries of surprise and pain only lasted a brief moment before exploding tags unfurled from the tips of the spears. Sai's pupils dilated as the fuses lit. Then a hand gripped the back of his shirt and yanked him through a window.
A bright light blinded him, followed a deafening roar that split his ears, and a crushing force rippled across his body smashing him back. He turned his head and raised his hands, only to feel the skin blister from the searing heat. He hit the ground and rolled limply several times before coming to a stop, but the world kept spinning.
He tried to breathe, only to be rewarded with a dry burning throat and screaming ribs. He coughed, and something wet splattered on the ground. Blood. He tried breathing again, ignoring the pain and realized his right lung had collapsed. Perfect. His left hand was shaking from the pain of the old burn and the new ones. He tried standing, but couldn't—the disorientation and ringing in his ears too much. A tingling sensation in his left thigh drew his attention, and he found a large splinter of wood sticking out. He pulled it out, a long hiss escaping his teeth followed by a small geyser of crimson. His only good hand started searching through his pack, looking for bandages and Quikclot powder while his eyes scanned the area.
Before him a massive inferno raged. The remnants of the mansion collapsed on itself, burning away any traces of what had happened inside. The best men Root had to offer, his men, all gone in a single flash. And only he survived…
A strangled cough had Sai snapping his head to the right so heard he nearly blacked out. Someone else made it? Thrown from the blast maybe?
Sai tried to stand up, but failed again. So he crawled the few meters between them. It wasn't until he rolled him over that he knew who it was.
"Atlas?!"
Sai's moved his hands as quickly as he could, which felt like mud yet again. His eyes scanned the man's body—he was a mess. His torso and arms were covered in cuts and larger shards of debris. His left leg looked to have second and third degree burns. The bottom half of his mask had cracked off, and his breathing was labored and sounded obstructed.
"Shit," Sai muttered as he started to pull out the smaller pieces and pour the Quikclot powder on them. "Shit!"
"I wouldn't worry about it boy." Atlas said quietly. He coughed, and a red mist blew from his mouth.
"Shut up," Sai said trying to steady his hands. It wasn't the pain causing it. Fucking emotions.
A strain laugh escaped his lips, followed by a gurgle and cough. "Looks like you'll have to find someone else to save your ass from now on."
"Dammit, Atlas, why'd you do it?" Sai growled out looking out across the courtyard. Where the hell was Bones? "You broke protocol!"
"Fuck…protocol." Atlas wheezed out. "You think I listened to it…when Danzo-sama was in charge?" He chuckled again, this time bubbles appearing in the blood around his mouth. "Prick said I was…compromised."
"You are!" Sai shouted, but his voice failed him and began to shake. Fucking emotions!
"Hehe…says the pot to the…kettle."
"Why," Sai asked pulling his broken mask off, only to reveal the broken mask of his soul underneath. Eyes dry of tears for so long welling up as he stared down at the old Root operative.
"You honestly think…I could look Naruto in the—" Another spray of blood erupted from his mouth.
"Just stop talking, and save your strength," Sai said quickly, pouring the Quikclot wherever he could. His shaking hands spread most of it around uselessly. Fucking emotions! "Bones will be here any second now."
"Had to save you," Atlas said softly. His breathing was growing shallow. "For Naruto."
"Just shut up!"
"You'll tell her…won't you?" Atlas said shifting his head slightly. "Tell her…daddy died doing…"
"Fuck, Atlas! Stay with me!" Sai said pulling out an adrenalin shot and jamming it in his chest.
Atlas took a deep, ragged breath and looked at Sai. Even behind the mask Sai knew his eyes held confusion. "Why are you trying…so hard?"
Sai shook his head trying to rid his tears, and applied some bandages to a nasty gash. "You think I could look Naruto in the eyes if I let you die?"
Sai put a roll of tape in his mouth and pulled out a, needle, tubing, and unsealed a blood pack—luckily the two shared the same blood type. It took a few tries, his jerking hands making it difficult, but eventually Sai had the I.V. constructed, inserted, and taped up. Lifting his head, Sai then put the packet behind Atlas and laid him back down.
"Wasting supplies boy," Atlas whispered. "Save it for…the…others."
"Idiot," Sai muttered. "We're the only ones that made it."
"Sai…" Atlas said softly, and from behind his mask a trail of tears ran down the sides of his face. "You can do it. You can…start a new life…"
Sai's lips trembled, and his breath shook violently as he reached up and pulled the rest of Atlas' mask away. "I know," he said. His eyes burned from the tears or the smoke, he couldn't tell.
Fucking emotions!
"After all, you did it." He choked back a sob as the guilt smashed over him. "I shouldn't have asked you to come back!"
The weathered eyes of the Root shinobi shifted from Sai's face to the dark sky above, "It's an honor to die for my village…and for a comrade."
"You're not gonna die!" Sai said, resting his head in his hand. "Not you. I won't allow it!"
"This is goodbye…boy," Atlas said slowly. His breathing was wet and bubbled far too much. "Give my regards…to the new Hokage…Just wish…could've seen it with…my own eyes."
"Atlas?" Sai asked.
His breathing grew shallow again.
"Atlas!"
He closed his eyes.
"Atlas!" Sai yelled putting his head on the man's chest before screaming, "Teuchi!"
A faint laugh caused Sai to look up and see the corner's of his mouth quirk ever so slightly. "Proto…col…Sai…"
"Fuck protocol!" Sai screamed. "FUCK PROTOCOL!"
"I guess two managed to survive my little welcoming gift."
Sai's head jerked to the left as he drew his tanto, and saw Zetsu shifting out of the ground.
Zetsu grinned watching Sai try to take a defensive stance. "Well, one now I suppose. Don't worry though, you'll see him soon enough."
A/N: Sorry again for the slight delay guys. This chapter sort of fought me every step of the way. I'm happy with it though, and despite the last minute decision to add the twist at the end I think it works. Let me know what you guys think. Also, the next update might take a week. School is getting busy so I'm pressed for time, but I'll get it done as soon as I can!