The noon-day sun pressed downward, the heat pressing against the ground. The forest glimmered, darkness flowing through the trees in the forest.
Asuma glanced over his shoulder. His heart pounded in his ears, like a drum. I made a mistake. He looked downward, dodging a tree branch twisting treacherously through the trail. I made a big mistake. I shouldn't have abandoned the others. All because I wanted revenge against Kakushiro. At the least, I should have made sure the jinchūriki could run as far as she could. My life is the provision of the village, not mine to hold, not mine to take.
Hidan roared, his voice roaring loudly and booming through the mountain. He chased after Asuma rapidly, froth gathering around the edges of his lips.
I can only hope that I can still do something! Escape this guy and finish off that villainous woman! Asuma's hands clapped together rapidly. Leaves blew up rapidly around his body. His body vanished.
Hidan's eyes widened.
Asuma disappeared.
Hidan gritted his teeth. "Playing hide and seek, huh?" His head tilted to one side. "That's just fine. As it happens, I can enjoy that, too." A mad grin crossed his lips. "Let's play." He walked forward rapidly, his head turning from side to side.
Asuma crouched downward. He peered through the gaps in the leaves, his brown eyes narrowed.
Hidan tilted his head to one side. "You there?" he went on. His ears pricked. "I promise I'll show you the divine."
Asuma's breath slowed, his hand clenching onto a trench knife.
"Hey! Come on outta there!" Hidan roared, glancing up at the copse of trees. "Seriously! I can't just slaughter trees! They ain't done anything worthy of Jashin's fucking punishment!"
A drop of sweat ran down Asuma's face. He stared at Hidan. What the hell is wrong with this guy? He grasped the hilt tightly. That being said, I've got him dead to rights. A trench knife shot out of the darkness of one of the nearby bushes.
Hidan's eyes widened. He twisted to one side, his arms rising defensively. "What?!"
The knife pierced through Hidan's arm.
"Shit. Okay, you bastard. You're starting to piss me off." Hidan reached downward. Grasping the trench knife, he hurled it back into the bushes.
Asuma dodged to one side. His eyes narrowed. The trench knife drove into the ground, sand exploding from the ground. Tch. This guy, seriously. He dug the knife out of the ground. He's acting pretty on top of things for a guy who's missing an arm now.
Hidan glanced around the forest. "He's just planning on doing long-range throwing, huh?" He sighed heavily. Picking up the arm, he held it up to the stump. "Damn." He reached downward with his teeth. Tearing a needle out of his waist, he started to lace the arm up with his thread. "This ought to work."
What is wrong with this guy? Asuma's brow furrowed. Ordinarily someone who just got their arm taken off would be more annoyed at it. Or screaming grasping a stump as tightly as they could possibly. Something like that.
"Okay, okay, okay." Hidan reached sideways, grasping his scythe. He exhaled and inhaled rapidly, his chest rising and falling. "I'm good now." He raised the scythe into the air, his mouth opening wide. "JASHIN! HEED MY PRAYERS!" he roared, his voice echoing across the mountain side. The last word transformed into a screech, unintelligible to human ears.
Asuma's brow dripped with sweat. Emperor. What is wrong with this guy?
Hidan frowned. He turned his head from side to side. His breathing. Where is he breathing?
Asuma's breath slowed again.
He came from over there, so the breathing should be from over here, instead. Hidan turned in a circle. He walked slowly toward the trench knife.
Asuma remained motionless in the bushes.
"Are you here?" Hidan demanded. He slashed the scythe through the bush.
Asuma remained motionless.
"Fuck. Where the hell is he?" Hidan demanded sharply. "Well, at least I don't have her around to hold me back. That fucking woman." Hidan's teeth sunk into his lip. Blood dripped from the edge of the lip. "Okay. I'm on my game now."
An arm doesn't seem to matter. I'll take off his head, instead. Asuma lifted the trench knife. He hurled the knife through the air rapidly, his arm extending fully in an instant.
Hidan's head twisted around. "Got you!" he shouted. He lunged forward, his arm reaching toward Asuma's arm.
Asuma forced the arm backward. The knife chopped through the side of Hidan's neck.
"Ah. Agh. Shit. Damn. Fucker." Hidan burbled out the words, blood running out of his mouth.
It's my win. Asuma exhaled. A triumphant grin crossed his face.
"Do you get it?" Hidan demanded. His hand lowered to one side, his fingers dripping with blood. He choked out the words between spurts of blood.
Asuma frowned. He's taking too long to die. He clapped his hands together in a triangle. Leaves fell across his body. He disappeared in a flash of motion backward.
"Fuck!" Hidan reached upward. His fingers drove into the back of his neck, piercing through the flesh.
Asuma gasped in shock.
Blood poured out the back of the neck. Hidan exhaled. "That's better. Do you know how much this fucking hurts? Huh? Do you?" He leaned forward, his gaze aggressive. "You piece of shit, do you get it?!" He pointed at his neck. "This ain't an ordinary type of wound!"
Asuma glanced over his shoulder. Even a direct impact doesn't hurt him. I need to go. He ran quickly, glancing over his shoulder.
Hidan rushed forward. The scythe slashed through the tree, sending it sliding to one side. "This ain't an ordinary pain, you bastard!"
You just cut open your own head to talk more easily! Don't talk to me about 'reasonable' or ordinary! Sweat dripped down Asuma's face as he glanced over his shoulder. His fingers lowered rapidly, twisting something around the bushes. He ran forward rapidly.
Hidan gritted his teeth. "Quit running, you damn coward! Jashin rewards those who refuse to be afraid! You are a fool!"
I think it's about ready, now. Asuma lowered his hand. A string around his fingers tightened, cutting rapidly into his hand.
"Eh?" Hidan's eyes widened.
It's no good to try to stop him, and wind's mainly suited for cutting. This is what you'd call a bad matchup. Asuma's hand drew the string tight.
A trap!? Rrgh. Hidan glanced down at his hands. I need to think of some way to take him by surprise. He gritted his teeth. "You're not bad at running! I'll give you that!" he claimed with a grin. His eyes narrowed. "But that ain't going to fucking save your life! Not this fucking time!"
He's already survived decapitation, so I can't assume that'll kill him. I need a more certain way. Asuma turned away. I could also run. He glanced over his shoulder. But that's not a guarantee. He hurled the remaining trench knife toward Asuma's neck.
Hidan grinned broadly. He dropped the scythe.
Asuma's eyes widened.
Hidan kicked the scythe forward rapidly, impacting the bottom. The scythe spun in a circle.
Asuma gritted his teeth. The scythe slashed through his arm. Blood sprayed along Hidan's face. "What?!" He raised his fingers. "I need to take him out!"
Hidan laughed. "Too late for that. Savor Jashin's suffering!" He frowned, licking his tongue along his lips. "That said, I can't kill you that easy, either." He spun his foot in a circle. "The ritual is prepared!"
Asuma's eyes widened.
Hidan smirked. "I'll explain as plain as I can. You see this circle? It's the area of my power. Inside it, I can kill you no problem."
Asuma's eyes widened. "Eh?!" He stared down at the circle.
"Any damage to me gets transferred back to you." Hidan remained motionless in the strings.
Shit. That was a premature trick; it's not good enough to keep him immobilized. Asuma gritted his teeth.
"Now, the reason I'm telling you this is, under the circumstances, I can't do much to kill you except this. I can't stab myself. So!" Hidan opened his mouth wide.
Asuma took a step backward.
"I'm going to bite your tongue!" Hidan's jaw opened wide. He stuck his tongue out, his teeth lifting. "It's not perfect, but drowning in your own blood is totally a great way to die, right! Fuck this world! Fuck this soul! Fuck it all! Savor Jashin!"
Asuma's fingers clapped together rapidly. Flames gathered around his fingers as he pressed his hands together. Flames burst out of Asuma's mouth, slamming into Hidan's body.
Hidan winced. "Damn, that stings." He glanced down at the ground. "Then again, you took damage too, right?"
Asuma's eyes widened. He stared at his burnt body. I'm out of trench knives, and I don't think I can knock him out of the business with a Wind Style technique. I have one option left. Asuma roared. Charging forward, he slammed his body into Hidan's, knocking him slightly backward.
Hidan's eyes widened. His feet leaned forward, remaining within the circle. "I'll take this too!" Using the momentum, he stabbed an iron spike into his waist. "No wonder you run so much. In a straight fight, you're a piece of shit! I swear to Jashin!"
Asuma's eyes widened. He slumped downward slowly. Blood sprayed from his lips.
"See? Ain't this divine?" Hidan's lips curled upward. "Jashin has spoken through his disciple on earth, me! You have now experienced the true virtue of my divinity! Suffer this fuckin' punishment together!"
Sorry, Kurenai. Sorry, Shikamaru. Asuma collapsed on top of Hidan. Blood spilled from the tip of his finger. I screwed up. Dying here, alone—it's a horrifying thought. His eyes closed. Dark light fell against his eyes as he stretched out his hand. Ino, Chōji, I'm sorry. If I had the chance, I'd say… To Ino… You're stubborn, but you take care of people well. So for Chōji-kun and Shikamaru-kun… Take good care of them. To Chōji… You're a nice guy who thinks about his teammates. That's why you'll be… a strong shinobi. Don't… lose that trait, ever. To Shikamaru… His eyes narrowed. Heh. Shikamaru already knows what I'd say to him. My love, my provision. And to Kurenai. I left her a letter in case I—in case I died. I sent it for the sake of her knowledge. I hope she will do well enough for herself. He stared up at the sky. Heh. Now I know how Dad felt. Always late, always lost. Through no fault of his own, never leaving something for the people behind him. What did I want? What was I going for? Asuma stared upward. The old guy understood things a lot better than I did. I didn't do it for my heart. I didn't do it for me. That's what I thought, but now I know. If I'd gone with Shikamaru and Ino and Chōji, when I fought these guys, we could have done something. It was my own pride. Just trying to prevent other people from getting caught up in my actions, my motives. Why did I do that? What were my motives!? I was afraid. I was aiming for security in my beliefs, what I thought of in reality. His fingers twitched in the leaves. Blood dripped from his fingers, resting against the earth.
Hidan groaned. "That being said, could you roll off me before you fucking keel over?" He paused. "If it's not too much fucking trouble. You know." He pointed at his body. "See, a guy like me, he's got a right to stand up. Jashin gives him that right, for his slaughter. Right? Fucking hell? Can't I stand the fuck up? I'm still alive!" he shouted in a sudden angry voice.
Asuma's eyes closed. I have no regrets. I have no points on which I feel angry. Only my death is a problem. In life, I lived the way I wanted to. My heart felt proper. Only if I'd seen my son. His thoughts slowed. If I'd had a chance to change my outcome. To make my world different. Yet—I failed. I didn't do that. What I did was worse than anything I've ever done, yet—somehow, I couldn't prevent myself—
"GET OFF ME! FUCK! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SLAUGHTER PEOPLE IF I'M COVERED BY YOUR FAT ASS?!" Hidan raged, his voice booming across the mountainside.
Asuma's fingers trailed along the leaves. He fell motionless finally, his eyes closing as the characters in blood dried along the side of the road.
Hidan screamed loudly. "DAMN YOU!" He ineffectually twisted his body against the body. "Roll! Can you at least try to roll your fucking body off me?!"
Asuma's eyelids trembled for a final time. A black kimono fluttered above Asuma's body. He stared at the form with incomprehension.
A golden sword slashed downward, passing through the head without cutting it. Shadows gathered around the body, pressing downward.
Asuma looked downward, and saw his body. He looked forward, and saw the body of the being who had saved him. He suddenly understood. His spirit dissipated, the pieces flying into the wind and scattering rapidly.
Hidan bellowed in a voice as loud as the heavens, "KAKUSHIRO! Get your ass over here and pick him up! I can't fucking move! FUCK YOU! Get over here!"
Blood seeped into the earth. The noonday sun dried away the dark red shadows. The motionless body of Asuma darkened in the shadows cast by the trees.