AN: Here is the next chapter and it is gonna be dramatic. Please excuse me now, I am not good at writing fight scenes but I did my best.

Warnings: Blood, Language, Death

EDIT: Chapter edited as of (July 4th) Minor editing for quality purposes.

…

Wasteland

Act 1:

Chapter 6

Time itself seemed to freeze before the ominous presence but the flames pranced on, unhindered on the helpless trees behind, and embracing the man with their eerie glow. Those which had fled about to retrieve water stood motionless, buckets and devices that wielded the water lax in their arms and wide eyes fixated on the unwelcomed newcomer. No one dared to move and were fearful to even release a breath too loud. Something bubbled uncomfortably in the pit of Domon's stomach that had never before roused in the face of a foe. Legitimate fear? No, fear of the unknown because everything the old man that foretold to him, it was nothing compared to the actual thing.

The imposing figure remained stationary, grin unwavering, wide and maniacal, and his scarred chest heaving with heavy, rattling breaths. The flower stretching from his back flexing its long petals and faintly shuddering, emitting a low hissing that only those closest could hear. The eyes of the soldiers fixated onto their captain, silently pleading him to give an order or explain this sudden enemy so they could proceed but Domon was lost also. Whisked away in the rushing river of a million thoughts between concerns for his missing teammate and recalling his father-in-law's tales of those which mirrored demons themselves.

Kakuzu kept his hand firmly on Domon's shoulder, preventing him from any brass movements that might provoke their unwelcomed guest. His only knowledge of the Mayfly was from the horror stories whispered during his years of imprisonment from excorticated veterans during the Second World War. He was unable to tell which had been fiction and those that had been truth, due to haven been incapable to witness it himself. He wasn't willing to take the risk in discovering the difference, however. One thing was for sure, this man was different from those he fought during the First World War, when those with the Mayfly had their sanity perfectly intact and did not sprout vegetation from their bodies or carve human flesh.

Unfortunately, that war had more than half a century ago and Kakuzu had only encountered a dozen of the Kusagakure shinobi before being reassigned so his knowledge on how to counter them was fuzzy. Avoid the ground, that was a positive, but that was all that rang. He blamed his memory partly on his older age. Something about…metal? Or was he confusing that with myth? Water perhaps?

"Captain Katsu!" Came a call from behind, breaking Kakuzu's concentration with a throaty growl. Domon followed the exclamation to discover the remaining members of the Explosive Corps, two male Chunin and a lone female Jonin, sprinting towards them. "Captain Katsu! Report!?"

It was then Domon realized Masato had yet to emerge from the tree line since his mine had been triggered and could no longer sense his chakra signature, confirming his suspicions the man had been indeed killed as a result. "Masato is dead."

"Dead!?" Kimiko, the female Jonin and Domon's second hand, gasped and the other two members exchanged startled gazes. "The explosion?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Him." Domon pointed at the Mayfly Man. The abomination snorted, his shit-eating grin vanishing, having apparently been offended from the innocent gesture.

"Who is…?" But the question could not be asked as 001 shrieked, a sound so shrill it would never be thought it could be produced by human lungs and those subject of the scream winced.

He dissolved into a blur of pale flesh and the glowing, red streaks of his eyes and within the next second, a recently graduated Chunin that had been standing mere steps away, was falling as slowly as the moment felt. Eyes bulged in their sockets and mouth agape, blood bubbling from his trembling lips. The metal bucket he had been grasping crashed to the ground, spilling its watery contents and washing away the blood that splashed the dirt. The boy struck the ground with a hollow thud and uttered a wet gurgle through the chasm which had been carved into his throat before breathing no farther. Above him, the Mayfly Man stood, arm outstretched with his hand flat, fingers compressed tightly together. The digits were covered in crimson.

"Haji-!" Domon gasped but before the name would escape his lips in its completion, 001 was moving again and another Chunin, who had been standing closely behind fell also. It was at the moment, any and every strategy Domon had conceived against this foe was whisked away in the wind. All his mind was emitting now was to run. To get away.

"Run!" The captain commanded, throwing his arm. "Position yourselves!"

Everyone obeyed as they fled, the air straining with the crashing of metal pots and buckets as they struck the ground. The choice of action was poor however, Domon soon learned, as similar to that of a predator, the Mayfly Man's eyes lit up like bonfires and with a thrilled howl he dove towards the ground, body paling into a white texture that phased though the dirt and disappeared from sight without even a chakra signature to trace.

"You fool!" Kakuzu barked, releasing the blonde as he skipped backwards, eyeing the ground for any evidence of lumps beneath the dirt pursuing him. "Get off the ground!"

People scrambled for the nearest structures for leverage while Domon hastily groped for another handful of clay while mimicking Kakuzu's actions. Unfortunately, those which straggled behind were picked off easily. A scream rang out and a Genin medic fell, yelling and clawing the dirt as his bottom half was swallowed up by the ground like quicksand. The two which had running ahead of him stopped and sped back for their teammate. Each clenched onto a flailing arm and struggled to pull the poor boy free from the devouring pit. Regardless of their intense hoisting, the younger man was steadily devoured into the floor until his upper body was swallowed whole and the two watched in horror as he vanished into the dirt, blood bubbling through to the surface.

Suddenly, a hand shot from the dirt and collided into one of the hovering men's faces, yanking the man head first towards the ground. The other shinobi shouted the man's name and caught his friend's arm, pulling it backwards to free his companion. There was a nasty cracking the man tumbled backwards with his friend falling atop him. He sighed but his relief quickly transformed terror when noticing the headless corpse now sprawled over him as the decapitated head was swallowed up by the ground also a few feet away. Seconds later, he met the same fate as his teammates are a pair of arms jutted from the floor and enveloped his torso, snatching him down also until the dirt muffled his screaming and pooled with blood.

Those went were fortunate enough to survive the first wave of attacks hunkered down in the classrooms of a nearby abandoned school building, weapons clenched at their vests as they peered out the empty window sockets for evidence of the enemy. Outside, Domon had mounted a grand, fabricated wyvern, hovering safely in the air with the remaining Explosive Corps clinging to its legs and elsewhere Kakuzu seated in the high branches of an ancient tree, both men eyeing the dirt and decayed grass below closely.

After several tense seconds, a creaking alerted the shinobi and they spun around to discover the splintered wooden floor was throbbing as an unknown white substance oozed through the broads. The tipped desks and chairs were pushed aside by the fluid as it spread out, shaping itself into a thin, star shape with a mouth-like extension in the middle. It slowly solidified, etching texture to the arms and the white colouring rusted, transforming into the Rafflesia the Mayfly Man bore on his back. Immediately, a putrid smell like that of a hill of rotting corpses assaulted the men and they wrenched and covered their noses from the offensive scent. The flower shuttered, the mouth audibly wheezing with a distinctively pink dust floating from its red lips.

Suddenly, it inhaled, petals swelling to twice their size and with a rattle the flower exhaled, a plume of the mist escaping its lips and infesting the air. Those unlucky enough to breath at the time were suffocated as the dust infiltrated their lungs, scorching them like fire and causing the tender flesh to melt away. The victims collapsed to the ground, gasping and choking as blood bubbled from their lips, eyes bulging and staining yellow as the vapor burned through their lungs and liquefied their internal organs in a matter of seconds. The rest of the shinobi shielded their noses and mouths with their headbands and dove from the broken windows to avoid the mist, only a dozen of them managing to escape. The airborne poison followed suit into the open air but evaporated into the wind and rain.

Don't breathe the mist. Shirou's dying words echoed through his captain's mind as the pink vapour drifted from the windows of the decayed school. Domon grit his teeth. 'This is what Shirou was speaking of. The bastard can produce a poison.'

Those which had survived the gassing fled to their leader's side. Domon analyzed them and swore beneath his breath. Within a matter of minutes, he had lost a member of his Explosive Corps and his manpower had been halved. The Mayfly Man has managed to do what an entire army took hours to do within a blink. He was beginning to understand better why those with the Mayfly had been perceived as such a massive threat by all nations during the war.

The atmosphere was tense as the survivors searched for the slightest hint of a chakra signature while additionally viewing the area around their feet for any signs of a shift beneath the ground. The blaze raging around them had seized the crumbled guard tower and ate away the stone structure. The crackling of the immense heat infected the air and made listening for movements impossible so no one heard the shifting of the ground as 001 emerged behind them. Kakuzu, still safely huddled in the branches above was the only witness of the attempted flank.

"Captain!" Kakuzu shouted. Domon spun around from the warning to see the experiment charge at his teammates which clung to the legs of his mount. Swiftly, he commanded the wyvern into the air and barely saved one of them from being snagged. The Mayfly Man snarled at the miss and quickly focused on the assortment of shinobi shattered around.

'We have to attack while he's above ground and ensure he can't phase again.' Domon thought, glancing at the small sized fleet which remained, concluding the appropriate method to proceed with. "Commence Formation 8, Strategy 3!"

"Yes, sir!" The remaining shinobi chorused and took position, creating a diamond formation while the Explosive Corps leap behind the men, lining themselves up shoulder to shoulder.

The Mayfly Man observed the soldiers that stood ready, not seeing the threat but rather an easy killing ground as he purred and grinned at the generous gift. Without little thought, he charged towards, releasing a predatory howl and making a grab for the person at the tip of the arrangement. The Iwagakure shinobi's reaction was barely fast enough to dodge the grapple, skipping backward into the heart of the formation with the abomination hot on his heels who had yet had to realize the blatant trap. Once 001 stomped in the middle of the constant, the others tossed down weapons scrolls, summoning steel chains they withdrew and hurled at the experiment. The chains made contact, winding themselves tightly around the man's limbs and body, wounding his Rafflesia safely shut and successfully anchoring him in place. He roared and struggled against the binding with little triumph as the shinobi kept a solid grip on the chains to prevent any and all chance of escape while the Explosive Corps booby-trapped the man with explosive tags.

In the trees above, Kakuzu snorted. "Looks like the boy finally has his mind in this game." The older man remarked as he relaxed against the rough trunk of the tree, crossing his arms across his chest, deciding to remain on the outside and spectate the rest of the conflict. He was only here to confirm the existence the Mayfly, which thankfully had done itself, so now all was left to retrieve his paycheck and if the Mayfly Man was alive, whisk him away for extra profit.

"Hold him!" Domon shouted as his men struggled to restrain the howling monstrosity. His hands hastily chewed mouthfuls of clay and spat out earthy fleas that bounced to the ground, marching in unison towards the thrashing Mayfly Man. "Do not release until my say!"

The insects crawled onto the experiment, each latching onto their respective explosive tag. Once each bug was in place, Domon positioned his hand in the required hand sign to detonate them and end this once and for all. "On my call…n-" But before he could give the call and command everyone to release and back away from the impending eruption, the Mayfly Man screamed and suddenly, the chains bounding him shattered like glass, the crimson flower on his back flying open again, roaring also.

A few men fell to the ground from the abrupt backlash while those which kept their balance struggled to rebind the enemy with the remaining length of chains. The Mayfly Man sidestepped most the attempts and grasped onto two of the chains, yanking them and causing the handlers to fly forward with such strength their skulls collided with a sickening crack and collapsed to the ground, blood leaking from their mouths and noses. He grabbed a random chain, wrenching another victim towards him and as the man slid through the dirt, he stomped on his skull, crushing it like fruit.

Those who remained released the chains and Domon urged them away before igniting the tags. "Katsu!" Nothing followed. Not a pop, or a sizzle. Just silence.

The Mayfly Man snarled and faced the blonde, revealing to Domon's horror, the tentacles of the Rafflesia had plucked off the clay blood suckers within the matter of seconds and had "killed" them by shutting down their chakra emitters with its poison. The plant crushed them into undistinguishable mush and tossed them to the ground, 001 smashing them into the dirt as he stepped towards Domon, tearing off the useless explosive tags coating his pale flesh.

"Explosi-" Domon called when the Mayfly Man lunged into the air, grappling onto the head of the wyvern. The dragon wavered, dropping latitude from the additional weight but barely able to keep afloat. The experiment hooked his fingers in the soft foundation as he clawed his way towards Domon, drool cascading from his snarling jowls and hellborn eyes burning. Domon scrambled to the opposite side of the craft away from his pursuer, glancing between the Mayfly Man and the ground decently far below, weighing his limited options. The Mayfly Man screeched and seized the opposing man's ankle, using it to pull him forward and in a split second, Domon made his decision and pitched himself over the side of the wyvern to the ground below. Mid-freefall, he flashed a hand sign and the dragon instinctively plunged into the black sky above and into the dark clouding, 001 still clinging on.

"Katsu!" A rumbling originated in the clouds, resembling loud thunder and a second later, the sky lit up with a brilliant light and fire.

Domon quickly braced himself and struck the ground, gasping as the breath was thrusted from his lungs and back throbbed from the hard impact, enough to bruise but not break as squishy mud had absorbed the blunt of his fall. The members of the Explosive Corps were fast to his side as they assisted their stunned superior into a sitting position, wiping the wet dirt from his clothing and hair.

"Above!" Someone shouted and everyone gazed towards the sky, including Domon, to see the Mayfly Man falling back towards the earth, his flesh blistered and smoking and the tendrils of his Rafflesia curled like the legs of a dead spider.

'If that explosion didn't kill him, the fall surely will.' Domon thought with a relieved sigh and pushed his dusty googles onto his sweaty forehead, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes. 'It's over, finally over.'

Those who had survived the massacre erupted into applause and hooting and hollering with the victory. The celebration was short-lived, however, once the Mayfly Man struck the ground. There was no splash of mud or satisfying breaking of bones, instead his skin paled into a blank white shade while still feet in the air and his body transformed into a shapeless mound that melted through the earth once it made contact. The cheers died out and everyone stared in silent horror at the vanishing white liquid.

"He phased…" Domon whispered in disbelief, readjusting his googles over his bulging eyes. "He…survived?"

Before the captain and everyone could register the impossible that had just occurred, The Mayfly Man burst from the mud behind the troop, releasing a high-pitched scream that made a few of the soldiers shield their ears in response. The experiment lunged at a random shinobi and the man drew a kunai, slashing at his attacker while backpedaling only to trip over debris and tumble to the ground. Without hesitation, other shinobi jumped into the fray to save their comrade, swarming the Mayfly Man with knives and shuriken. The blades lodged themselves into flesh deep enough to create rivers of blood across the abomination's body but it did little to deter him as he resumed his relentless pursuit of the man who struggled to regain his footing. He snagged the man by his ankle and lashed him into the air by his leg, using his body as a mock mace to counter his assailants as they attempted a second attack.

He swung his living weapon and the helpless man's body struck one of his teammates, the impact vicious enough to break the ribs of both parties and knocking over the latter male. A medic ran to his aid to heal his shattered abdomen but could do nothing when the Mayfly Man slammed his fleshy flail down onto him, hard enough to kill the poor boy instantly where he crouched. Realizing the new offensive their enemy had taken, the few which remained backed out of the ambush but did not escape when the Mayfly Man hurled the now fresh corpse at them, bowling them over like pins. The duo which were grounded strained to remove the dead weight from atop them when the experiment surged at them, stomping down onto the carcass and using it to crush them as he repeatedly jumped on it until there was nothing left but bloody mush beneath his bare feet.

The lone soldier which avoided the attack flung himself at the Mayfly Man whilst he was distracted with his bouncing, kunai glistening in his hand and plunged the blade into one of the coiled leaves on his back. The knife sliced the fleshy petal, blood spurting free and the Mayfly Man screeched. In response, the monster delivered a foul punch to the man's face, killing him as his nose was plunged into his brain, before shrinking away, yelling incoherently as he groped for the punctured leaf that split crimson down his spine in a great quantity. Domon saw the Mayfly Man's thrashing and obvious discomfort and noted it. So that was the weak spot. The plant was merely an extension of himself, after all, an extra limb. Losing an arm or a leg tended to be deliberating.

"Aim for the flower on his back!" He instructed the Explosive Corps members, the soldiers nodding and the three of them separated to flank the abomination. The few Iwagakure shinobi which lived joined the offensive.

The mouths of Domon's hand finished their chewing and he activated a pack of dogs as a distraction as they rushed the Mayfly Man. The man averted his pain as he noticed the hounds and roared, swinging his fists at them which harmless bounced off the solid muddy material. The dogs danced around him, agitating him farther and he roared again, spitting and snarling. With the foe successful distracted, the Explosive Corps zeroed in, explosive tags in hand which they tossed at the man, the extra help pinning them to the surface of the flower with senbons that activated them also. The Rafflesia on his back convulsed, spewing a cloud of poison in response.

Don't breathe the mist…don't burn! Screamed the dead man's warning in Domon's subconscious again, the words making his heart clench."Wait!"

It was too late, the tags were triggered and exploded, igniting the lingering mist and doubling the size of the explosion into a massive detonation that engulfed the Explosive Corps members and troops. The clay hounds fled back to their creator, heat of the fireball hardening their sensitive flesh and they collapsed into apart into broken shards. The eruption dissolved into smoke and Domon held his breath, awaiting for the smoke to clear and disclosed the fate of his teammates and the Mayfly Man. Seconds later, the wind and rain banished the murky fog, revealing the abomination had survived, the flower behaving like a shield as it hugged him with its tendrils, protecting him from the blunt of the combustion. Scattered around him were the bodies of Domon's teammates and men, having been less fortunate as they lay slumped on the ground. His entire army, now laid dead. The captain choked though before tears could be shed, two of his teammates began to move as Kimiko and Nabuo scrambled to their hands and knees, coughing and singed but thankfully alive. Iwao was the last to move and released a blood-curdling howl.

"My arm!"

Nabuo and Kimiko looked over to the Chunin only to discover in their horror his right arm was missing, blown clean off, as he cradled the bleeding stump, withering and moaning on the ground.

"Iwao!" Nabuo gasped and crawled to the injured man, shedding his Iwagakure vest and pressed the jacket against the stump to absorb the bleeding though the tightly woven fabric did little to interrupt the steady flow. All their medics now lay dead and there was close to nothing else he could do to save his comrade. "Iwao, stay with me! Stay awake!" He scolded as Iwao visually began to fade in and out of consciousness from the shock.

The Mayfly Man growled, exhaling excess black smoke from his nostrils and corners of his mouth from the explosion and paced toward the two men. Kimiko struggled to her feet, wavering slightly before chasing after.

"Don't touch them!" She screamed and propelled herself on the man's back, clinging to the burnt Rafflesia flower for leverage. The Mayfly Man yelled and stumbled back, groping wildly for the woman on his back and thrashing to shake her off. Kimiko held on with all her strength and withdrew a kunai from the pouch strapped to her leg, plunging the blade into the stem of the vegetation that connected directly into the man's back causing 001 to screech. More pollen expelled from the plant as a defensive mechanism and Kimiko shielded her nose against her vest, holding her breath as she cleaved at the flower, blood spilling from the lacerations and pouring down the man's back. The abomination squealed and bucked like a wild hog but failed to free himself of the Jonin and after much sawing, the knife broke through and Kimiko tumbled to the ground along with the amputated Rafflesia.

The flower violently spasmed in the dirt, emitting high pitched whines as blood and pollen frothed from its petals and mouth until it stilled and wilted away seconds later. The Mayfly Man shrieked, his voice cracking from the intensity of the sound, and collapsed, panting and moaning as blood bubbled from the gaping hole now torn into his back. Kimiko scrambled to her feet to get away before the monster regained his composure but the 001 recovered from the mortal blow like it had been a painful paper cut. He screamed, trembling, bloodshot eyes bulging in their sockets and jaw nearly unhinging with the force of the yell. Domon and Kakuzu both simultaneously flinched at the raw amount of chakra that was radiated and gasped as the impact of it left them breathless. The masks on Kakuzu's back shuttered. Kimiko froze up, incapable to move from the pure shockwave of it.

The Mayfly Man lashed around and grasped the woman by her hair, wrenching her up by the black locks so she was leveled with his snarling maw. She yelped and thrashed, clawing at the hand. When that didn't work, she reached to her weapon holster, a movement her assailant caught. He snatched the offending hand and with a single, harsh squeeze shattered it, making the woman choke on a scream.

"B-Bastard…" Kimiko hissed through clenched teeth and spat in the Mayfly Man's gleaming, red eye, much to his displeasure. The man screamed and cocked his arm back, proceeding to slam the woman's face into the ground with disturbing strength that caused an audible cracking to emit from her skull.

"Kimiko!" Domon yelled in horror as his teammate was repeatedly smashed into the ground until she was nothing but a blur of flying red and black hair, the sound of her skull being reduced into pulp assaulting the ears of the rest of the Explosive Corps.

"Kimiko!" Nabuo echoed, leaving the unconscious Iwao as he charged the Mayfly Man. His attack was unsuccessful as 001 perceived the rush and chucked the limp body at him, knocking the man off his feet. Nabuo struggled to heave the weight of the dead woman off him but the attempt was feeble as the Mayfly Man was above within a second and delivered a powerful punch into his face, causing his nose to explode in a cascade of blood. He reared back for another hit and in a split-second decision, Nabuo cowered beneath Kimiko, allowing her corpse to absorb the blow.

"Nabuo!" Domon shouted and ran at the Mayfly Man, producing a handful of clay bees which he then chucked at the man. Seeing the white spots speed towards him, 001 deployed an earlier technique as he scooped up Kimiko's body and threw it towards the explosives, effectively knocking them harmlessly from the air and striking Domon who was unable to dodge in time. The blonde fell to the ground with his teammate pinning him to the ground and the Mayfly Man wasted no time to lunge at him.

"Katsu!"

The insects which lay in the dirt discharged, summersaulting the abomination in mid-air and causing him to crash on his wounded back, stunning him as for gasped for breath and withered. Nabuo seized the opportunity and assisted his captain in rolling their former teammate off him. Domon stood, wincing at the sight of the blood which stained his vest and the strains of black hair caught in the valcro but forced himself to ignore its existence.

"Thank you, Nab-"

"Watch out!" Nabuo gasped before Domon could finish and wrenched his superior out of the way just as an arm swung towards them. It missed Domon, barely, and instead punched through Nabuo's chest like it had been made of tissue paper. Domon gaped at the sight of the bloody fist protruding from the fellow man's torso before shifting his eyes upwards into the burning pits of the Mayfly Man that hovered above. Nabuo wheezed, it faintly sounding like an apology to his leader before going lax and the fist was yanked free of his chest, allowing his body to crumble at Domon's feet.

"Nab-" Again, before he could even breathe the man's name, the Mayfly Man surged at Domon, snarling and canines gnashing like a rabid dog.

"Katon: Intelligent Hard Work!"

A stream of fire shot from above from the darkness, colliding with the Mayfly Man's back. He screamed and stumbled backwards, thrashing and shrieking as the flames devoured his back. Landing behind him were Kakuzu, having finally decided to join the bout after supplying moral support the entire time, and a strange, bipedal, black creature with a white grinning face. The experiment screamed and swung at Kakuzu which he easily avoided and the creature beside him opened its clay mouth, releasing another jet of bright fire that engulfed the Mayfly Man. He fled from farther attack before jumping into a nearby puddle to exhaust the flames.

"Akatsuki! Finally decided to help, yes?" The captain questioned sarcastically, despite being unspeakably relieved for the assistance.

"Kakuzu." Kakuzu grunted, releasing his real name, as Domon stumbled beside him. "And yes, only because I need you alive for my paycheck."

Domon snorted at the other man's apathy. "Is money all you care about, yes?"

"What else is there to care about? Now put yourself together, captain. This is no time for you to crumble apart." Kakuzu scolded, noticing the blonde's obvious trembling and heavy breathing.

"I just witnessed my entire team and army be torn apart by a demon." Domon retorted, swallowing back saliva that tasted of iron and dirt. "And it's been awhile since I've had cigarette."

"At least you have your sense of humour."

"It's all I have left." Domon replied, removing the pack from his vest pocket and tapping a cigarette into his palm. He shook the box, listening to the near empty contents before replacing it in his pocket. "Have a light, yes? I lost my lighter in the fight."

There was a purr beside him and he looked over to see the grinning creature staring at him, mouth agape with a tiny flame dancing inside. Domon hesitantly accepted the kind gesture as he poked the cancer stick in the mouth, lighting it and quickly taking a puff to drown his emotions and insecurities in a smoky high.

"I suggest you finish that and prepare yourself because everything that just happened was only the beginning." Kakuzu stated as the Mayfly Man finally succeeded in extinguishing the blaze and regained his footing, clearly unpleased as his lips curled back past his yellowed canines. The fire had managed to cauterize the wound on his back, ceasing the fatal blood loss and he was rearing for a second round.

"Beautiful." Domon grumbled and with one last drag, releasing the plume of tar-tinted smoke from the collar of his headband before flicking the live cigarette to the ground, smothering it in the mud with his boot.

The fire which consumed the forest began to surround them as it swallowed up the corpses littering the battlefield and decayed buildings, creating a stadium of fire that was steadily closing in around the three men. Domon realized only one of them might escape this, perhaps two if they were fortunate. Which two, he prayed it would be himself and the Akatsuki, Kakuzu. If not then, Domon would make damn sure the Mayfly Man did not escape, even if it cost him his own life.

…

AN: I am SO sorry for the delay of this chapter. Life was been a clusterfuck lately with college finals, relationship issues and moving. I also want to apologize for the problems with this chapter as writing fight scenes is not my strong point and I tried my best to keep it within the M rating. Please tell me if it was too graphic so I can fix it. Also sorry for typos and grammar. I have no BETA and this was a long chapter to read over so mistakes might have been missed.

I felt like I made everyone a bit too weak but then again, how do you fight an enemy that can go invisible and withstand being blown up and having a vital limb amputated? That is why zombies always take over the world. Next chapter should be better as now Domon and Kakuzu will be fighting together. After that, then we can get back to the boring stuff. That chapter might take awhile too as I have summer class but it shouldn't be as long of a wait as this chapter was.

Thank you to everyone that has favourited and alerted this story. You inspire me to update as quickly as possible. Please R&R?

P.S.: I changed the number of Explosive Corps members from 10 to 4 since figuring out 10 different ways to kill them was too much of a task and I was getting tired of juggling so many characters. I fixed this in chapter 4 also.