AN: Phew, a lotta shit is going to go down in this chapter: Akatsuki vs. Orochimaru! With a surprising ending! Nothing else to say except fingers crossed I can finally write a half-descent fight scene, ugh. If anything, I get to write more Orochimaru in this chapter and every other one after this so woot!

Fun Fact: I hate the English dub for Naruto (except a few characters). So, I've imagined each character with a new English voice tailored for Wasteland:

Pein is Chris Rager as Gakuhō Asano from "Assassination Classroom". Konan is Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Motoko Kusanagi from "Ghost in the Shell". Kakuzu is J. Michael Tatum as Scar from "Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood". Zetsu is Anastasia Muñoz as Narberal Gamma from "Overlord". Sasori is Michael McConnohie as Kano from "Mortal Kombat X" with Hiruko being Paul Mercier as the Merchant from "Resident Evil 4". Orochimaru is Victoria Harwood as Sir Integra Hellsing from "Hellsing Ultimate".

Later characters: Kisame is Ray Hurd as Kizaru from "One Piece". Itachi is Jason Douglas as Claude Faustus from "Black Butler". Hidan is Doug Boyd as Augustus Sinclair from "Bioshock 2". Finally, Deidara is Ian Sinclair as Samurai Calibur from " ". Go take a listen to get a better idea of the characters. Or don't or listen and hate them, idk haha. I like them.

Cat Beats: True, true. It never was shown to a village despite it having the title and shinobi hailing from it. I'm going to try to show more of it through Wasteland but not positive if I have a chance except this chapter and one other one. I'm thinking blackjack and hookers, haha. As for Kaguya, I can't speak on that since it's still in development but yes, the plot had hella taken a turn from canon. Especially since there will be no involvement from Obito or Madara in this fanfiction, spoilers not spoilers (please forgive me since your icon is Madara!). Personally, I hated them and thought they ruined what could've been an interesting ending for Naruto with their deus ex machina presence. If they had taken the time to build up Kaguya and the Juubi, it would've been a lot better instead of pushing them in with no development. They were literal gods for crying out loud! Anyway, rant over, haha.

dustinpuffer: I know! I know! God, it's sooo bad. It's when I first started writing this fanfiction and I had never written a fighting scene before, like ever and it's so painfully obvious. I've gotten a lot of criticism on it and have to I kick my own butt to rewrite it one of these days. I've gotten better, I promise! Thank you for the creative criticism though and I hope one bad chapter hasn't spoiled the entire story for you. Thank you for reading!

Warning(s): Language (High), Violence/Blood/Gore (High), Mentions/Imagery of Slavery, Genderbend (High), Original Character(s)

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Wasteland

The Akatsuki Arc

Chapter 44

"What's takin' so fuckin' long, Glut?" Sasori interrogated, his tail swishing and kicking up dirt in his feverish state.

"Smidgen'll be back any minute." Glut insisted, staring over the mound they had perched themselves upon, overseeing the construction site below, in search for his little friend.

Kakuzu snorted, trampling the grass underfoot with his tapping. "It better be."

"Yes, just—wait, there she is!" There was a ball of white streaking through the grass and climbing up the bank. It was Smidgen, having come back from her surveillance mission.

"Did it find Zetsu?" Kakuzu urged but was silenced as his partner held up a hand to him, much to his frustration as he squinted his eyes at the ginger.

Glut read the mouse's itty-bitty pink hands as she communicated to him. He nodded for a minute, uttering a "uh-huh" before perking up. "She found Zetsu!" He announced, jubilant.

"Where is she!?"

Glut didn't answer Kakuzu as Smidgen continued explain to him what she found, causing his ecstatic expression to fall. "Oh no…"

"What?" Kakuzu demanded, his hands twitching with the urge to burke Zetsu's location and status out of the other man.

"She's in a barracks underground but she's in bad shape." Glut explained as Smidgen motioned at her head to describe the obvious injuries she had witnessed to the woman.

"Then what the fuck are we waiting for?" Kakuzu muttered, stepping past Glut to extract Zetsu but was interrupted by Sasori who extended his tail in the miser's path.

"Oi. Yer goin' to spoil our surprise attack. If yer lil' pets ain't done that already." Sasori said, crediting Daora and Teo who were taking care of the snakes around them after Smidgen had picked up on their scent—"taking care" by frolicking around after the reptiles which laid paralyzed on the ground from the electric current Rājan had sent through the woods. Daora was pecking at them and picking them up to beat them against the ground while Teo stamped on them and set them alight. They were obviously having fun with the massacre too.

"If Zetsu is hurt, I'm not leaving her down there for a minute more!" Kakuzu pushed the metal extension away and whistled at his hearts.

Daora and Teo were in the middle of a tug-of-war with a poor snake, pulling it in half between them. They dumped the leftovers and scurried over to their master, obediently waiting for their orders. Daora was sent up for overhead surveillance to track the security outside while Teo was swapped out for Rājan who was trained for close quarters fighting once they infiltrated Otogakure.

They were just waiting for the signal from Daora when the best time would be to go in when Kakuzu remembered something, something so important he could've hit himself for forgetting since he had been more occupied with Zetsu. "Glut." Glut glanced up from his hands where Smidgen was pulling her mouse-sized shinobi vest back on. "Did the rat find Orochimaru?"

"She isn't a rat!" Glut snapped at the implication then immediately realized who he was speaking to as Kakuzu's face darkened and he muttered a quiet apology before whispering to his companion if she had seen said woman. Smidgen nodded then motioned at herself to indicate the features the woman had. "Black hair, dressed to kill and stank like snake shit, yep, that's her. She says she saw Orochimaru but didn't get too near because of the snakes on her person might've smelt her out. So, she is on the grounds, just not sure where."

"Bleedin' 'ell." Sasori muttered and looked at Kakuzu. "Oi, if Orochimaru is 'ere then we can't go in fer the woman. Pein said we cannot git Zetsu out an' take on Orochimaru. It's either yer lil' girl er the bounty."

"Is that even a decision?" Kakuzu snarled back, ignoring the "lil' girl" comment.

"Yes, it is an' I'm decidin' I want the money. Oi, Glut, wat 'bout you?"

Glut swallowed thickly and precipitated as the bright spotlight was put on him. "Oh well, I like Zetsu a lot, but…three-hundred million ryō is a lot of money to and…" He trailed off as he heard the crackling of Kakuzu's knuckles as he balled his hands into fists.

"Then you two can go after Orochimaru and I'll get Zetsu." He informed the two other men and turned to leave with Rājan one step behind him.

However, before his foot left the precipice, the dark village in-progress below was illuminated by bright floodlights and a foghorn blared, waking up the neighbours as frightened birds fled the treetops and slumbering woodland animals hurried to safety.

"God damnit, Kakuzu! They saw yer lil' featherbrained pet!" Sasori exclaimed.

"They didn't see Daora." Kakuzu barked back by the fact Daora blended in with the blackness of the overhead timberland and was squat in the branches of one of the trees for its examination, not to be easily spied. Daora was trained for this. "No, something is happening." He said, evidence of which was when the security circling the grounds didn't run at them, but instead, inside the halls of Otogakure.

A few seconds later, an army of guards came running back out with panicked prisoners behind them. Whatever was going on was chaotic as the superintendents struggled to herd the slaves which had scattered like chickens with their heads cut off, trampling each other in the process.

Kakuzu decided this was a perfect chance as ever to go in as what little surprise they may've had was gone by whatever was happening in the depths of the capital. As he clambered down the hill to engage the enemies, Glut was behind his partner with a begrudging Sasori tailing them, maneuvering his heavyset frame down the incline without comically falling over.

"Where is the subject!?" One of the Otogakure guards yelled at his counterpart as they tried and failed to contain the stampeding slaves.

"She's inside Barracks 3! Approximately fifteen casualties have been caused by that bitch in there!"

"Has Lady Orochimaru been notified of the situation!?"

"Ye—" He was interrupted by a bronze fist being punched into his face, spraying blood and teeth as his face was caved in.

The other warden looked over to find three intruders dressed in black and red rushing towards them. He pulled back his arm with whip prepared as his hand searched for the whistle around his neck to notify the others. He didn't have the chance to blow it as there was a spinetingling scream and Daora divebombed him, crushing him against the ground. It pecked its beak through the screaming male's skull as if was styrofoam and used his back like scratching post for its talons. Kakuzu drew his hand back onto his wrist and after giving Daora a lot of head scratches, it was recalled then with Rājan, they flanked left in the direction of the entrance to Otogakure to infiltrate while Sasori and Glut neutralized any intransigence.

Unfortunately, getting past the swarming prisoners to get inside proved to be an issue in itself. As much as Kakuzu hated killing innocents or without benefit to him, he was going to do whatever it took to get to Zetsu and right now, these prisoners, innocent or not, were in his way. However, he hesitated because Zetsu could be amidst them but given her petite structure, it was impossible to see her past everyone else.

"Zetsu!" He called out. "Zetsu!"

All of a sudden, he was struck with an aerial blast, sending him scrambling back a few steps and his ear drums vibrating in his head. Once the next one hit, he had steeled himself with his Doton, so the tempest ricocheted off his brass skin and created a crater besides him in an explosion of dirt. He turned his head to discover one of the Otogakure-uniformed guard standing there, his arm held out with a bizarre device buckled to his wrist. He pressed a button on his palm and there was an ejection of wind. Rājan jumped in front of its owner, taking the attack then let out a thunderclap-este bay and belched white lightning, electrocuting the guard. Electricity travels, so the prisoners nearby also fell to the ground in seizures.

Kakuzu pushed through the terrified slaves in search for the entryway and discovered it just as a warden came scrambling up the stairwell, as if fleeing from something, evident by the animalistic scream that echoed from the depths. He noticed Kakuzu too and picked himself up, drawing out a baton from his sleeve, as if that was going to do something. Kakuzu decided to accept the challenge and Rājan bellowed, faux fur crackling with electricity as the guard picked up his weak weapon for a strike—then screamed in pain.

His baton fell from his hand and he started thrashing while grabbing behind him as if something was on his back and shrilling. All while Kakuzu and Rājan watched in bewilderment. Red bled into his white scarf, obviously blood, and a second later, there was a crunching noise, like that of bone breaking. The man's eyes turned white and he went limp, falling facedown onto the stairs. As the source of his death was revealed, Kakuzu's eyes widened.

"Zetsu…" He whispered in disbelief.

Zetsu wrested her canines from the dead man's neck to stare at her guardian and as she did, he recognized that empty yet malignant look in her caramel eyes. She had a filthy bandage on her head that was drooping over one of her eyes and her face was stained with blood and pus which gave off a putrid smell. She snarled at him, blood bubbling from her lips, and she hunched over the mort, climbing over it and up the brick steps towards Kakuzu.

"Zetsu…" He said again, backpedaling with his arms hardened in presentiment. "Zetsu!"

She inhaled and let out an earsplitting cry then pulled back on her haunches to leap at him. Kakuzu put his arms up to take the attack but it didn't happen. Mid-scream, her jaws clashed shut and her bagged eyes grew large as she stared past him. He glanced over his shoulder, thinking it was something behind him, but there nothing besides the panic. It was then he noticed the siren which had been blasting this entire time was silent and instead emitting crackling static.

"Hello, hello," A paradoxical masculine-feminine posh voice spoke over the speakers. In reply, everyone stopped dead in their tracks, guards and prisoners alike to listen. "First I'd like to welcome our newest little guests to Otogakure. I'm just chuffed to have you all out here! Next, I'd like to apologize because, as much as it hurts me, I have to put an end to this twee party. Trust me, this is going to hurt me more than it's going hurt any of you. Because, well, you're all going to be dead! Toodle pip!"

"Was that—?" Kakuzu muttered to himself but was interrupted as Zetsu began screaming again.

She charged up the stairs at Kakuzu and he activated his Doton in his legs also in case she tried sinking her canines into them. To his surprise however, she shirked around him and Rājan and disappeared into the mass of bodies, causing the calm slaves to go ballistic again.

Meanwhile, Sasori and Glut had paused in the middle of their murder spree during the announcement and once it finished, gifted each other curious looks. Sasori looked past Glut as the bedlam started up again and he saw something that made his eyes get bigger.

"Glutty Boy! Behind ya!" He yelled.

Glut pushed himself up from the guard he had taken pleasure in stabbing to death with his dagger and turned to see what had the puppeteer on edge.

Across the field and walking in their direction through the disorganization was a woman, black hair and purple dress with a white, make-up caked face and golden eyes that could kill a man on sight. It didn't take two guesses to figure out her identity. She met their eyes with a sharp glare with purple lips quirked into a smirk.

Immediately, he leapt back besides Sasori and they took defensive positions, ready to fight. Sasori pulled a scroll from his cloak and from a puff of white smoke, the Third Kazekage puppet was brought forth. As Orochimaru drew nearer to them, the Kazekage's hinged jaw cranked open and ejected a spray of poisonous needles while Glut withdrew two handfuls of poisoned shurikens, one between each finger, and threw them at her with perfected accuracy and precision. Orochimaru flashed a series of hand signs and threw up her hand, causing an earth wall to eject up before her and take in the barrage.

As it crumbled away, it exposed that Orochimaru wasn't behind it anymore. Just as they saw this, there was an eruption of dirt behind them as she instead came flying out of the ground. The feathered boa around her neck launched at Glut with its fangs glistening with venom but was intercepted as Sasori's tail stabbed through it, slicing it clean in half and sending the two halves falling into the grass. Orochimaru landed gracefully on the ground and Sasori flung his tail at her, succeeding in punching it through her but his exhilaration was gone as soon as it came when the woman turned brown and melted away as did the snake, revealing them to be part of an earth style clone.

"Son of a—where is she!?" Sasori snarled, searching for the mysteriously disappearing woman.

Smidgen popped out of Glut's vest pocket, squeaking and tugging on his cloak to get his attention. Once he glanced down at her, she pointed at the ground, trailing her pink finger over it, an indication he instantly picked up on. "Smidgen can smell her! She's right…" He mimicked her pointing until it landed on a point a few feet besides them and stayed. "There."

As predicted, a dirt cloud was kicked up as Orochimaru leapt out of the ground, but the men were prepared for it. The Third's head swiveled in the direction and spray the last of its ammunition at her. She was taken aback as her surprise attack failed and the being in the air, could not avoid the expulsion which Glut doubled up on by flinging invisible wires. Her boa enveloped her and puffed out its carbon fibre-like feathers to deflect the senbon. The thread landed though, tying themselves around the snake's long body and with a yank, Glut unwound it from the Sannin. It landed beside him and as it picked up its head to strike him, he plucked up one of the needles littered about and stabbed it through the serpent's muzzle and into the ground, effectively planting it.

"Faskom!" Orochimaru cried over her cherished snake. "How dare you!"

"Oi! 'Ow 'bout you worry 'bout yerself?" Sasori told her as he threw the Kazekage at her, the chainsaw hidden in its left arm extended and curved blades spinning with a nightmarish noise.

It swung it at her and the elder leapt up from the buzz saw, using the puppet as a springboard to get over it and at Sasori. She nailed him in the head with a flying kick, her heel purposely positioned into his eye for maximum damage. When he didn't react, she blinked to find his bloodshot eyes glaring at her, no bleeding or in obvious pain as if she had kicked a brick wall.

"My, my, aren't you particular?" She smirked at him.

The Third Kazekage came up behind her, slashing at her with its chainsaw again and she launched herself backwards using Sasori's face, grabbing the puppet's shoulders to flip herself over it then doing a few graceful backflips to distance herself from the Akatsuki men. She straightened up, dusting off her violet, evening dress and brushing her black strands from her face when she heard a sound to her right and saw something barreling towards her from the corner of her eye.

It was Zetsu, galloping across the field at her, drooling and snarling like a rabid dog. As she pounced at the woman, Orochimaru bent her knees, catching the girl by her muscle shirt and using it to chuck her harmlessly over her head. Zetsu swiveled her spine to fall on her hands and feet and lunged again, teeth snapping. Orochimaru lifted the hem of her dress and a large, white snake slinked out from under it. It lunged back at Zetsu, catching her mid-air and constricting itself around her, restraining her arms and legs and slamming her to the ground. She shrieked, wriggling which only made the snake tighten its body around her while glaring at her with its silvery eyes to hypnotize her.

Kakuzu had successfully wrestled his way through the horde only to find himself in the middle of a stand-off between Sasori and Glut and their target, Orochimaru. He also saw a snared Zetsu beside her and gritted his teeth with Rājan sensing his displeasure and rumbling, electricity sparking between its canines.

"Goodness me, it would appear I've been surrounded." Orochimaru said in a light-hearted manner as she noticed Kakuzu too and shrugged, shaking her head. "Well then, have at you! You'll all make brilliant experiments!"

Orochimaru made the first move, charging at Glut and Sasori with them meeting her in the middle and Kakuzu bumrushing her. She harvested a handful of needles which she infused with her chakra and flung at Glut. He drew his dagger to counter them with impressive speed and while he was occupied with them, she jumped over him, lifting her dress again where five massive boas slithered out and lurched at him. A black cloud drifting in front of the redhead which the snakes collided with, crushing the fragile bone with the impact and blood spewed from their noses and mouths. Glut looked over to discover the black particles was being supplied by the Third Kazekage puppet as it dribbled the Kekkei Genkai from its mouth.

Orochimaru landed on her feet just as Kakuzu came up behind her, his arm pulled back and skin hardened. She ducked under his fist he punched at her, causing it to strike the metallic wall also. As she slid backwards from him, she heard a telltale revving and saw the Kazekage's chainsaw swinging at her a little too late. It slashed through her, cutting her clean in half where her upper half to fell into the dirt while her lower half remained standing in a surprisingly blood-less and comedic show.

"Ha!" Sasori cheered. However, his triumph lasted all of two seconds as white snakes shot up from each half, biting onto each other bodies and pulling the two halves back together like a doll being stitched back together. "Oh, what the fuck!"

Orochimaru straightened up after literally putting herself back together and brushed herself off with a grimace as her dress had gotten dirtied. Kakuzu thrusted his arm back to clothesline her and the woman bent backwards onto her hands, so his arm harmlessly swung over her. She then kicked her leg up, nailing the dark-skinned man on the underside of his chin with a hollow thud as his metallic skin took the hit. He glared at her, gritting his teeth and slammed his arm down, striking the ground and creating a crater in a downfall of dust as she spun out of the way of the impact.

There was the telltale whistling of blades through the air and she lifted a delicate hand, successfully catching five shuriken between each finger that had been thrown at her. She turned her head and smirked at Glut who had been the party responsible. The thief smiled at her sheepishly before turning tail and retreating as she flung the stars back at him.

While everyone else was occupied with Orochimaru, Rājan had snuck off to the snake that Zetsu was wrestling. It saw the chimera approaching and hissed, bearing its poisonous fangs and glaring as an intimidation attempt. Rājan brayed back, fur standing upright with static in own display. When that failed, the white snake lurched, biting the manifestation on the arm in order to pump it with its venom. However, its fangs got tangled in the threading and it could not pull itself out after. With it snared, Rājan delivered an electric shock, the snake's body acting like a lightning rod and barbequing it. The heart wrenched the smoking reptile's jaws off it and dumped it on the ground before attending to Zetsu.

She had taken secondhand electrocution from the shock, but it hadn't been strong enough to kill a human being, just incapacitate them. Though, it didn't appear to have even done that. If anything, it just put her further in a tizzy because as Rājan pulled the dead serpent's body off her, she lunched at it while screaking. She chomped down on its arm and bit into it but like the snake, this did nothing. When that wasn't successful, she pushed of it as Rājan tried to detain her and juked its threading before taking off towards the skirmish going on between the Akatsuki men and Orochimaru with Rājan tailing her with as fast its little legs could go.

As Orochimaru stood up again, she heard the poor attempt at a flanking attack. She turned around to find Zetsu pouncing at her and the black-haired woman held up her hand, the joints in her arm dislocated themselves and the limb transforming into a jelly-like texture as it stretched. She caught the girl by the neck then wrapped her arm around her in a fleshy cocoon. Rājan saw this and tried liberating her by zapping Orochimaru, but the jutsu had transfigured her skin into rubber so the electricity had no effect. Orochimaru pulled Zetsu to her and hugged her against chest with a kunai pressed into her neck.

"Aren't you a feisty one?" Orochimaru smiled, chuckling as she held onto the thrashing Zetsu. "Something told me you'd be an interesting one and I was correct."

"Let her go!" Kakuzu barked, stepping forward but was discouraged from attacking for fearing of hurting Zetsu.

"Hmm, I'll consider it. Only if you lot surrender yourselves to me for lifetime servitude."

"Git fucked." Sasori snorted crudely.

"Oh, well then. You won't be wanting her then." She pressed the knife into Zetsu's throat to the point of drawing blood.

Kakuzu freaked out. "God damnit, Sasori! Shut the fuck up!" He roared at the puppeteer and Sasori gave him the flattest look only a puppet was capable of.

"Relinquish your weapons." Orochimaru demanded, motioning at them with the bloodied kunai. "And put a leash on this monstrosity." Obviously referencing Rājan.

Kakuzu glared Glut and Sasori to cooperate for the moment until they could figure out how to get Zetsu back safely. Glut didn't have to be told twice as he sheathed his dagger while Sasori begrudgingly deactivated his Third Kazekage puppet like a child being told to put his toys away. Kakuzu whistled for Rājan which cautiously walked pass Orochimaru to its owner where it was returned to slumber with the others.

Orochimaru fell the blade to Zetsu's throat but did not let her go, yet. "Brilliant! Now then, this is what is going to happen…"

As Orochimaru started explaining all the horrible things that were going to happen to them now that she "owned" them including but not limited to, slavery and human experimentation, Glut was struck with a brilliant idea. He whispered to Smidgen who poked her head out to listen. He explained his plan to her to which she nodded and gave him a thumbs-up before crawling out of her hiding hole and down the inside of his cloak so not to be seen. Once on the ground, she scurried over to Orochimaru was who continuing to describe all the horrible things she was going to do to them, taking much pleasure in it too by her snake-este grinning. Smidge crawled up the woman's pale leg and under her dress. The reaction was instant as the Sannin's painted lips suddenly pressed shut and her eyes grew large.

She let out a horrified scream, kicking her to leg to get the mouse off but Smidgen hung onto her garter. At one point, Orochimaru released Zetsu to free her arms and pull her dress up, giving everyone the unwanted knowledge on the colour of her underwear in the process. Once Zetsu hit the ground, Sasori quickly plucked her up with his tail and lifted her over to them but kept her coiled in the metal extension so she couldn't try any funny business with them next. With Zetsu free, Smidgen leapt down and ran back to Glut as Orochimaru saw her and tried stomping on her with her high heels. He picked up his little friend, apologizing to her for whatever she may've seen up there and tucked her back in his vest pocket for safe keeping. Now Orochimaru had nothing to hold over them, the Akatsuki mobilized again, primed for round two.

Orochimaru brushed her black hair from her face, flustered after her mortifying freak out. "Why I never! Well then, if you lot want to play dirty, then play dirty I shall too. Manda!"

The ground underneath their feet started shaking as if she had called down an earthquake, making the haphazard brick layout of Otogakure fall to pieces and leaves fall from trees like an outpouring. Smidgen jumped out of Glut's pocket again, squeaking frantically while pulling on his pant leg which he took as a hint to run as he scooped the mouse into his hands and booked it for the treeline with Sasori and Kakuzu behind. The prisoners and guards, however, were trapped in the epicenter of the quake and couldn't get their footing to flee. There was an explosion of dirt and stone and from the earth sprung a world eater-sized purple, tiger-striped snake. Half of Otogakure and all the slaves and guards fell screaming into its cavernous maw where they were gulped down like pieces of candy. It clamped its jaws shut with such strength the sound barrier was broken which sent out a sonic boom like a hurricane-grade gust that made everyone stagger. It shook its head of the dirt and debris from its entrance and slid its split tongue over its lips.

"Druv lost hi vopraan prakem fah grik aan tiiraazak zahrahmiik, Orochimaru?" You have awakened me for such a miserable sacrifice? Manda boomed, flicking his tongue.

"Miserable? I just fed you the entire population of Otogakure, you selfish old snake!" Orochimaru replied, personally offended.

"Zu'u, Manda, huvut gein-hungdred zahrahmiiks!" I, Manda, require one-hundred sacrifices!

"And you'll get them. But first, take care of this riffraff, would you?" She motioned at the Akatsuki members with a shooing motion and disgusted expression.

His emerald eyes considered the organization momentarily and he gave an exasperated sigh. "Hi fozir prakem fah daar, Orochimaru! Gein-hungdred zahrahmiiks!" You owe me for this! One-hundred sacrifices!

He pulled back in a striking position and yawned open his chasmal mouth, bearing his massive fangs and the venom which they secreted dripped to the ground, burning through the earth like acid and wilting the plant life in proximity. Little to no time was given to the Akatsuki to prepare themselves as the snake struck with a lightning quickness, terrifying for a serpent of his colossal size. Then like that, his attack stopped dead in its tracks as if obscured by an invisible wall, feet from them and wafting them with his vile breath as his mouth remained agape. Something had caught his interest as his eyes twitched to stare at it—it being Zetsu.

She was fighting in Sasori's grasp, kicking her legs and hilariously biting down on the metal joints of his tail, somehow not chipping her teeth in the process. At one point, she noticed Manda too as she interrupted her gnawing to glare at the leviathan, baring her teeth in an intimidation tactic.

"Well? What're you waiting for, Manda?" Orochimaru demanded, noticing the boss summon's hesitation and tapped her foot impatiently. Manda said nothing and did not finish his attack. Instead, he reared back, and his lips quirked back into a grin, exhibiting his hook-like fangs then he threw his head back and started laughing—a belly laugh, much to collective puzzlement. "W-What are you laughing at, you daft old snake?" Orochimaru appeared just as baffled as everyone else, hinting to this not being a trick by her.

Manda leant back over Sasori, cloaking the puppet in his shadow as he stared at Zetsu. "Aan Kiir se faal Nidhogg lahney! Ragnarök los nau mu!" A Child of the Nidhogg lives! Ragnarök is upon us! "Werid kos!" Praise be!

"What are you on about? Just kill them!" Orochimaru exclaiming, pointing at the Akatsuki with a stamp of her foot.

Manda turned to gaze eye-to-eye with her next as it spoke."Zu'u fen krii niin, nuz nid aax los wah mah nau faal Kiir se faal Nidhogg." I will kill them, but no harm is to fall on the Child of the Nidhogg. Once that was clarified, he switched his ire back onto the organization and posed himself for a second strike though this time, they were ready with weapons drawn and jutsu at hand.

Manda lunged again but like last time, he did not follow through with the attack though this time, it was due to outside forces. There was an invisible expulsion that struck the serpent with such unnatural strength that it made his head violently whiplash backwards, nearly breaking his spine. The remainder of his far-reaching body followed the new, sudden trajectory and he was sent crashing into the forest, mowing down the thick, ancient trees like twigs and sending tremors through the earth which could be felt miles off.

"Wha—" Orochimaru was in the middle of saying from the snake's plunge but didn't have a chance to finish it.

A seismic wave hit her too, sending her sliding through the soil and as she tried catching her footing, one her heels snapped off causing her to take a tumble through the dirt.

Everyone blinked at the unexpected turn of events and glances at each other before looking behind themselves where the source of the blast had originated. From the darkness emerged two figures: their surprise back-up—

Pein and Konan had arrived.

…

AN: Phew. I hate writing fight scenes, if it wasn't obvious. I'm always questioning if I've written them well or enough. I think I'm getting better (especially compared to a certain chapter -coughcough-) but I don't know. I went back to read Orochimaru's fight scenes and they felt brief except the one with the Third. Most his fights are spectacular shows such as the aforementioned fight with the Third and Four-Tailed Naruto. So, I tried to make a mix. Well thankfully, there aren't going to be too many fight scenes which aren't just rehashes of what happened in the manga or anime (except one but that's a secret for now).

Next Chapter: Reunion.

Until Next Time.