Looks like the next chap is here. Its been many many weeeks since the last and I apologise for that. All I have to say is writer's block can be quite the bitch.
Naruto gave chase for the blonde Akatsuki member through the forest. He could sense Deidara was rather caught off guard by Kakashi's jutsu. "So, just you and me, jinchuriki?" Deidara still had a smirk on his face, even with one arm torn away.
Naruto stared at him impassively. His attention was solely on the blonde as he did not want to think about Gaara and his state. "You're quite confident even with one arm gone."
"I only need one arm to defeat you, jinchuriki," Deidara said as he threw a bunch of clay spiders.
"I see…" Naruto pulled up his mask as his azure blues stared at Deidara with one message behind them. A message clearly read by Deidara.
Naruto used a Light Step to dodge a swarm of explosives as he appeared behind Deidara. Deidara turned into nothing but mud as Naruto's kick went through him. From above, Naruto sensed a chakra spike and saw a clay bird smaller than the one that carried Gaara. The bird was diving straight for him.
"Katsu!" The bird exploded causing the surrounding trees to splinter and the ground to char. Deidara landed on a branch and before he could react, Naruto tackled him to the ground. Naruto locked eyes with him before he exploded, shaking the area slightly.
Deidara came out of the shrubs slightly singed as he had used a kawarimi with a stick slightly too late. "So you use explosions too…" Deidara said, a smile forming on his face. He could appreciate an enemy who shares an understanding of his art.
"Well…Not all the time but I definitely can," Naruto said as he hung upside down from a branch. 'He's a long distance fighter, from the way he uses kawarimi and those clay bombs of his… I can't let him get far away from me'
Naruto did not waste more time and rushed towards Deidara. Had Deidara been a less experienced shinobi, he wouldn't have been able to block the lightning fast kick Naruto gave. He skidded across the ground with his arm up as he blocked a kick for his head. He created several small clay birds which flew towards Naruto. They spreaded over an area before exploding on command.
Naruto substituted with a log and had to immediately duck under a kunai strike for his neck. He punched Deidara in the stomach but felt his arm get swallowed up by his body. Deidara's body turned to clay… "Katsu!"
The explosion that occurred took out a large portion of the forest. Many trees were singed to dust while others were uprooted by the shock of the explosion.
Meanwhile with Team Gai
Team Gai had escaped into the forest opposite Naruto and Deidara's fight. It was across the valley and gave them time to get the Kazekage into a safe area. Even the corpse of a shinobi is valuable, some may say more valuable than when they're alive. One could discover the secrets of the jutsu a man used while they were alive. Who knew what could happen if an Akatsuki member learned to use the power of the sands.
Lee was carrying the head of the clay bird which had Gaara within it. Gai was behind him while Tenten and Neji were in front leading the way. "Gai-sensei, there are multiple enemies headed our way…and I do not want to believe what I am seeing…" Neji said as he prepared to go into his stance.
"And what makes y-Konoha Senpu (Leaf Whirlwind)!" Gai was cut short as he launched into the air and he locked legs with a seemingly identical clone of himself. "What is this?!"
The clone backed off as Team Gai suddenly found themselves surrounded by the four enemies Neji mentioned. "This is ridiculous!" Tenten exclaimed as she took the faces of their enemies. "They're us!"
"They're similar even up to their chakra levels. They have our moves too if Gai-sensei and his clone matched their kicks," Neji informed as they surrounded Gaara. "We have to protect Gaara's body."
"I will protect it with my life!" Lee exclaimed as he and his clone launched at each other.
With Sakura, Chiyo and Shikamaru
"You get to see my art!" Sasori exclaimed, causing Sakura to form goosebumps.
"Do not fear, Sakura. Every enemy can be defeated, even someone like him," one could hear the bitterness behind Chiyo's voice when she spoke. She stepped forward and pulled out ten kunai held together by a chakra string. "Soshunjin (Manipulating Attack Blades)," the blades flew towards Sasori with a flick of her wrist.
A metallic scorpion tail lashed out from underneath Sasori's cloak to block the swarm of kunai. However, only a handful was blocked as Chiyo used her chakra strings to move a few of the kunai. The kunai missed the tail and ripped the Akatsuki member's cloak. The cloak ripped away to show his body fully.
"That's not his real body, is it?" Sakura asked after seeing the man on all fours with a scorpion tail and a shield on his back.
"I'm guessing it's a puppet," Shikamaru said as he observed Sasori's art.
"Yes. That's not Sasori but merely a puppet," Chiyo confirmed as she eyed the shield on his back and his left arm. The left arm was a metal gauntlet and both it and the shield were new additions.
"What do you think of my art? Art is something that lasts for an eternity and there's nothing better than puppets!" Sasori exclaimed proudly. If he wasn't on all fours, Shikamaru bet he would have his chest held high.
"Sasori is a prodigy in the art of puppet making. He created many puppets that are still in use in Suna till today. However, his obsession has caused him to lose his humanity. He found a way to create Human Puppets but the Suna council disapproved, me included. It was inhumane and one of the main reasons he left," Chiyo said as she eyed him contemptuously.
'So he has mental problems, can kill us and is a master at his craft. No sweat…' Shikamaru thought as he scanned his surroundings. 'The light level in the cave hasn't changed much. I can't use my shadows unless it's in the light.'
"Shikamaru…" Sakura whispered in his ear. "Chiyo-baasama has a plan…"
Sasori looked at the group with narrowed eyes. 'I'm too far to hear what they plan and I can't read their lips…' he thought. 'If they're not going to attack then I am,' he raised the metal gauntlet on his arm towards them and several metal canisters launched off it.
"Sakura let's go!" Chiyo exclaimed as soon as she saw Sasori attack. The metal canisters exploded, sending hundreds of metal and poisoned senbon into the area. Sakura rushed towards Sasori as she dodged the senbon like an agile gymnast. She swam through the sea of metal unharmed although it seemed never ending.
Sasori's puppet's mouth opened to show a cannon which spat out more senbon in rapid fire succession. Most of it was targeted at the advancing Sakura and Chiyo. Seeing this, Shikamaru summoned a wall in front of the man, blocking all the senbon. "Sakura, use the wall!" Shikamaru exclaimed as Sakura moved at a faster pace.
She jumped to use the wall as a boost. However, her eyes widened when the wall shattered like glass while she was midair. Sasori's scorpion tail launched through the wall and was inches before Sakura. Sakura could feel the air around her neck shift as the tail passed by her neck. "I see…It's you!" Sasori exclaimed as he realised how his tail had missed.
Since the wall was taken out before she landed, Sakura was now in very close quarters with Sasori. A large blade popped out of Sasori's arm as it aimed to cleave Sakura. However, he was suddenly thrown off balance causing him to miss. "Sakura, now!"
Sakura glanced at Sasori's feet to see a mud river pushing against him. Sakura smirked as she leaped and reeled her arm back. "SHANNARO!" The shell on the puppet's back broke like a twig being stepped on under Sakura's fist. Her fist went through more than the shell as it slammed the puppet into the ground. A spider web-like crack appeared in the ground where the puppet was destroyed.
'Nice one, Sakura,' Shikamaru thought as he spotted a cloaked figure escaping from the puppet at the last moment. 'That must be Sasori.'
"Nice of you to finally join us, Sasori. Now, let me see the face of my grandson," Chiyo said as she threw the scorpion tail she had ripped away from the puppet to the side.
"Ha, that fucker thought he could take me on alone," Deidara said as he ripped what remained of his Akatsuki cloak and wrapped it around his severed arm. A scar was left on the land from his explosion.
"Still do," Deidara's attention was pulled to in front of him. Naruto could see that Deidara was slowly losing himself from his injuries. However, knowing the Akatsuki, none of them would go down without a fight.
Naruto slowly walked towards Deidara as he took off his Konoha vest and tore off his mask. His vest had been burned by the explosion while part of his sleeves were also burned. He could feel his ribs bruised up from the rough crash landing he received from the explosion. He managed to use a kawarimi to escape the epicentre of the blast. However, he was still sent flying through several trees which caused his mask to tear.
"Come on, mad bomber. One last go?" Naruto placed his arms up as he gestured for the Akatsuki member to fight.
"I promise to send you off with a bang," Deidara said with a smirk before he launched at Naruto. Naruto caught the sidekick to his head and was about to flip Deidara over his head when saw a white spider crawling on Deidara's leg. The clay spider exploded before Naruto could blow it away.
"You recognise him, Chiyo-baasama?" Sasori asked rhetorically.
"T-that's…It was you! You killed the Sandaime!" Chiyo announced in horror. The puppet of the Sandaime Kazekage stared at them impassively.
"What do you think of my art? Wonderful no?" Sasori said smugly as his human puppet rested behind him.
'If I remember correctly, the Sandaime went missing causing chaos in Suna. He was one the strongest Kazekage…' "Cat got your tongue, Konoha-nin?" Sasori asked as he noticed the silence of Shikamaru and Sakura. "Now I believe this has gone on for far too long. You're not the jinchuriki so I don't have to keep any of you alive. Don't worry, I will make it as swift as possible."
"If you think we're just gonna stand here and wait for you, you're sadly mistaken," Sasori smiled at the bravado Shikamaru showed.
"It doesn't matter to me…cause the result is still the same," he said as chakra strings shot from all ten of his fingers to the Kazekage Puppet. The Sandaime flew towards Sakura who was the closest. A nasty mix of poison coated blades shot out of a compartment in its arm ready to shred Sakura into pieces.
Chiyo pulled Sakura back with her chakra strings while Shikamaru threw several kunai tied with paper bombs. Sasori shifted his puppet's attention from Sakura to the explosive kunai. He merely swiped them away before rushing towards Shikamaru.
From the Kazekage's back, a tube was shot towards Shikamaru. The tube broke midair to show three poisonous smoke bombs which exploded around the Nara. Purple clouds of smoke impaired his vision on top of needing to hold his breath. 'I can't breathe in this poison. I need to regroup,' he thought as two kunai shot towards him. He dodged them but found two more launched a few moments after. The kunai had reinforced ninja wire tied to it which wrapped around his left leg and right arm.
"Shikamaru! Just hold on to your breath!" Sakura exclaimed as she moved towards him. She dodged several puppet arms that flew towards her. She took out a kunai and deflected a swarm of kunai and shuriken. As she focused on deflection, Chiyo used her chakra strings to help her dodge and weave through them.
"Don't just focus on them, old hag!" Sasori exclaimed as Chiyo found herself faced with a barrage of dangerous projectiles.
"Don't think my age has made me any weaker," Chiyo said as she pulled out a scroll from under her sleeves. With a pop, a male looking puppet stood in front of the elder. Chiyo was left unharmed as a chakra shield from the puppet blocked every projectile thrown at her. "You recognise this puppet?"
"The father puppet…my first ever creation. You even made upgrades since I saw it last," Sasori said as he shifted his pinky and ring finger. More poison gas was launched at Shikamaru and Sakura while another barrage of kunai and senbon came at them. "It doesn't matter if you're using that puppet. The results will still be the same!"
Sakura was once again forced to go through the dance between life and death. She dodged nimbly and deflected the poison coated kunai and senbon while holding her breath. 'I can't make a mistake…I can't be a burden!' She thought determinedly.
Suddenly, the scorpion tail from the previous puppet lodged itself in front of Sakura. The tail blocked all the projectiles flying at her. "Sakura use the tail to cut the wire! A kunai won't break it!" Chiyo shouted as she pulled out another scroll from her sleeve.
Sakura nodded in affirmation. As soon as the barrage of kunai and senbon stopped, she pulled the tail out of the ground and made the last stretch to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru be ready! Shannaro!" With a swing, the two reinforced wires holding Shikamaru were cut.
Sakura felt her weight disappear for a moment as she found herself floating through the air. She looked down to see Shikamaru carrying her and blitzing out of the area. It caught her off guard but it was all explained when a large explosion that shook the cave occurred. They landed beside Chiyo and her two puppets.
"The complete pair to fight me…how ironic life is," Sasori said as the Kazekage puppet started pouring some sort of black sand. "You've forced me to use my favourite puppet to this extent, I commend you…It brings back memories no, baasan?"
"That's the Sandaime Kazekage's iron sand," Chiyo pointed out in horror.
"The jutsu he was famous for?" Shikamaru said.
"How can he use that jutsu? A puppet can't use jutsu," Sakura stated.
"A human puppet is different. One of the advantages of human puppets is the ability to use the jutsu of the human before they were turned. The Sandaime's jutsu is one of the reasons he was regarded as the most powerful Kazekage," Chiyo explained. She looked at her surroundings, the faces of the two teens and the face of Sasori before coming to a decision. "You should leave."
With Team Gai
Chakra clashed with chakra, fist against fist and weapon against weapon. Team Gai were in a stalemate with their own copies. The body of the dead Kazekage lay in the middle while the team was around it trying their best to protect it from being stolen. "This is getting quite annoying!" Tenten complained with a grunt as she took a hit to the back.
"I hate to say it, but I agr-Kaiten(Rotation)!" Neji was cut short as he deflected a swarm of kunai and shuriken.
"We need to end this faster or we'd tire out," Tenten pointed out with a grin as she stood up from a rough landing.
A row of trees was taken down in a matter of seconds as Lee and his clone sent each other flying. "They are the most worthy opponents," Lee said before he dodged a kick for his head.
Gai was locked in a fierce battle that he could not respond to his team. He had pulled the clone away from the Kazekage to an open field nearby. Shockwaves ran through the area as they met with equal force. "There's…only one….way to….beat them…" Gai said in between bouts.
"We have to be stronger," Lee said.
"More agile," Tenten continued.
"Better than ourselves," Neji added.
"Yes, my students. WE HAVE TO BE GREATER THAN WHERE WE WERE TODAY!"
Sakura and Shikamaru looked at Chiyo as if she had grown a second head. "I think I misheard that," Shikamaru said.
"No you didn't," Chiyo stared them both in the eyes. "Sasori is too powerful and you will die. You're still young, you ha-"
"Fuck that bullshit!" Chiyo and Shikamaru were taken aback by Sakura's rather vulgar words. "He may be strong but I don't care. After the chunin exams, I promised myself to be better. This is one way to see how far I've come. I will stay and fight no matter what you say, Chiyo-baasama!"
"But Sa-"
"We've made our minds, Chiyo-baasama. We will stay and fight and there's no way you can say otherwise. Am I right, Sakura?" Shikamaru said as he took in the puppet's new form. It had wings made of iron sand and had its chest open which was pouring out chakra. Large quantities of iron sand floated above it, ready to be willed into shape.
'That Sakura…she inherited more than skills from the Slug Princess. She even has her personality. The Nara too is unique. From a clan known for being lazy, he is quite the exception…' Chiyo thought in awe of the two Konoha teens.
"Time to end this game," Sasori announced as the puppet flew forward. The mother and father puppet duo weren't far behind as they flew to intercept.
"Sakura, Shikamaru, on my lead!" Chiyo commanded as the two nodded in understanding. Multiple barbed ninja wires were connected in between the two puppets capable of slicing through tough stones. Sasori flicked his index finger and hundreds of wooden arms launched from the back of the Kazekage puppet. The bunch of barbed ninja wire sliced through them like a hot knife to butter.
Chiyo activated a chakra shield on the father puppet as a large spike of iron sand came from its flank. The iron sand was deflected away before the arms of the puppet were broken off the mother puppet. "Smart of you to break off the arms before the iron sand could spread," Sasori commented. "But what are you going to do about that!"
Chiyo looked to her side to see a corkscrew of iron sand rushing towards her. Suddenly, a wall of earth rose from the ground causing the iron sand to impale it. Sakura came moments after and punched it into the roof of the cave, breaking through the other side. "Just keep going, Chiyo-baasama!" Shikamaru exclaimed.
Chiyo launched the father puppet in front of the mother to act as a shield. Its mouth opened to show a kunai launcher which fired at the Kazekage puppet. However, they were blocked by one of its iron wings. The Kazekage puppet continued forward towards its opponent as multiple blades jutted out of its arms. Saw blades were activated on the mother puppets arms as they came blade to blade with one another.
Sparks flew as the blades clashed. Sasori aimed a slice for the mother puppet's head but was blocked by the father puppet. Using this as a distraction, Chiyo sought to run a saw blade through the chest of the Kazekage puppet. However, the Kazekage puppet was faster as a spike of iron sand stabbed the mother puppet in its chest.
Meanwhile the puppet aerial battle was occurring, Sakura and Shikamaru went after the puppet master. It was easier said than done since they had to dodge constant attacks of iron sand. Sasori was a prodigy at the art of puppetry and could divide his attention between the aerial battle and the two konoha-nin perfectly.
A large block of iron sand aimed to crush the teens but Sakura used all her strength to launch it into the cave walls. Everytime an iron sand creation came towards them, Sakura would launch it into the cave walls. "Sakura, that's the last one," Shikamaru informed as they saw the mother and father puppet fall to the ground.
"Is that all you got?!" Sasori shouted as he ordered the Kazekage puppet to rush towards the Konoha-nin.
"Chiyo-baasama, get cover now!" Sakura shouted as Shikamaru went through hand seals.
"Doton: Tojinbo (Earth Style: Fighting Blade Rod)!" Shikamaru exclaimed as he slammed his palm to the ground. The ground shook as hundreds of earth columns jutted out from the earth around them. The earth was not used to such large movements that it caused the cave to become unstable. Shikamaru had the earth columns form around them as a shield while the cave came crashing down on itself.
Several minutes of silence passed as nothing but rubble stood in the cave that once was. Shikamaru retracted his jutsu to show a new landscape. The sun was high and shone brightly over the open area they were in. He turned around to see Chiyo relatively unharmed. He had placed several columns around her to shield her from the rubble but looked like it wasn't needed. 'Her arm…that's a chakra shield like the ones on those puppets…' he thought.
"Did we get him?" Sakura asked as she coughed from the dust around them.
"You crazy idiots! Are you trying to kill me!" They heard Chiyo shouting from behind them.
"It was Shikamaru's idea!" Sakura quickly replied.
"Oi! I was trying to kill Sasori…" Shikamaru retorted.
"And you failed," Sasori said as the rubble shifted. Boulders were sent flying as the Kazekage puppet broke its master out. Sasori had used the iron sand as a shield from the cave in. The Kazekage puppet did not come out unscathed from the cave in. One of its arms was broken while the chakra from its chest seemed lesser than before. "I'm going to kill you!"
Sakura felt a chill in her spine from the tone Sasori used as she and Shikamaru made haste to regroup back with Chiyo. "You…are…going…to feel my art…Satetsu Kaiho (Iron Sand World Method)..." Iron sand gathered at the epicentre before it spreaded out over the battlefield. It branched out hundreds of unpredictable ways at rapid speeds as they came down like a swarm of arrows.
'Shit!' Shikamaru thought as he saw the iron sand get closer to him and Sakura. "DIE!" Sasori shouted as he took joy in hearing Chiyo's painful screams.
"SAKURA!! SHIKAMARU!!" She screamed in horror as she watched them get stabbed by the iron sand.
"FEEL MY ART!!!"
Deidara watched the explosion with glee but his danger senses were flaring. The clay bird he was on suddenly lost its tail and one of its wings causing it to dive towards the ground uncontrollably. Deidara jumped ship before it crashed but was intercepted midair. Naruto's kick was stopped completely as Deidara caught his feet in his palms. However, another Naruto came from his blind spot and sucker punched him, sending him straight to the ground.
Deidara bounced off the ground as he spat out blood. He heard a swirling sound and looked up to see Naruto rushing him with a rasengan. He threw several small clay dragons into the air before Naruto reached him. The rasengan connected with a mud substitute of Deidara as the clay dragons surrounded Naruto before exploding.
"To think he would push me so far…" Deidara mumbled as he concentrated on escaping. He knew he could not win the battle of attrition against a jinchuriki.
"Where are you running off to, pussy?" Naruto asked as he jumped down in front of his fellow blonde.
"What…did…you…say?" Deidara said through gritted teeth.
"You heard what I said…Deidara," Naruto had the same lofty smirk Deidara wore when he first saw him in the cave. "Where are you going…you p-"
"KATSU!"
"Feisty much?" Deidara turned around to see Naruto.
"Oh ho ho, I am going to show you my full art. Art that nobody alive has ever seen before! My C1 clay bombs will destroy you!" Deidara laughed heartily as Naruto sensed much of his remaining chakra being built up.
'His high from rage. He's using a lot of chakra. Looks like this is the end if he is willing to kill himself…' Naruto thought as he concentrated chakra to his palm. The familiar swirling of chakra was held in his palm. "Hey, Deidara."
"Wha-"
Deidara was extremely shocked when he felt all of his chakra being put to a pause. A ringing was heard in his ears. 'No that's not a ringing sound…that's the sound of lightning…' He felt his body start to be drowned in blood as he glanced down to see an arm coated in electricity pierced through his chest. 'How…How did…I not see him?'
"Any last words?" He barely heard Kakashi's question. The world had gone silent for him, his head was pounding and he could feel his clothes wet. 'N-no…no…No…NO! I can't go out losing like this. NO!'
Naruto's eyes widened when he sensed a build up in chakra from Deidara. All of Deidara's chakra were going internally into his chakra points. "Watch my C0! I will die and take you with me, KYUBI!" Naruto suddenly appeared mere inches away from his face, surprising him.
"Maybe another time…" he heard Naruto whisper in his ear. Darkness came over Deidara's world as the last person he saw was the blonde with blue eyes. A sudden thought came to him, a laughable thought. 'He wouldn't be his son, would he? Ha, to think I would lose to his son of all people…' Deidara thought as his soul left his body. Kakashi pulled his arm out while Naruto stopped the rasengan rammed into Deidara's torso. Deidara's corpse fell backwards to show a giant swirl-like injury on his gut and a hole in his left chest.
The Kazekage puppet flew immediately towards their location to finish them off. Chiyo's eyes widened when she saw Sakura strike down the Kazekage puppet and shattered it. Its body turned to nothing but debris on the ground while its head flew off. "DON'T COUNT ME OUT YET! SHANNARO!!"
'How is she still moving? The poison on the sand should have left her paralysed' Sasori thought, bewildered by Sakura. 'Did they manage to make an antidote? No…It can't be, they couldn't possibly make an antidote in the short time they had. This poison is so intricate that even the old hag would take days to find an antidote. Maybe she's one of a kind, at least the-' Sasori's thoughts were cut short as he noticed Shikamaru was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, Sasori found himself flying straight into the cave wall. Shikamaru stood where Sasori was as his mud dragon dispelled.
'How are they moving? I'm sure Sasori coated the iron sand in poison,' Chiyo was as lost as her grandson. Sakura landed by her side, slightly unstable. "Are you okay, Chiyo-baasama?" She asked.
"I should be asking you that," Chiyo replied. "How are you standing? Are you not poisoned?"
Sakura's hands started glowing before she concentrated them to her thigh where she got hit. She showed her a small vial and said, "I created antidotes when we were in Suna. I managed to create three and used one on Kankuro to heal him. I brought the other two along because I knew we might run into Sasori. I used one right before Sasori hit me. I have 3 minutes before the antidote slows down."
Chiyo was stunned at Sakura's explanation. 'Her medical proficiency is spectacular. She managed to create an antidote to a poison which left our best doctors confused. I would have taken a few more days to find an antidote. I can see Tsunade Senju clearly in her…' Chiyo thought before Sakura moved to her.
Shikamaru landed beside the two kunoichi not long after. "I saw you get impaled, how?" Chiyo asked.
"Me too, I saw you stabbed in the chest," Sakura added.
"I used a kawarimi with a clone before escaping into my shadow," Shikamaru explained while he pointed to the sky. "Now that there's sunlight, there are more shadows for me to use."
"Impressive…" Sasori started out as he pulled himself out of the crater in the wall. The iron sand branches had crumbled moments after the Kazekage puppet was destroyed and it left only a rubble land behind. "You've pushed me to use this…" Sasori said as he pulled his Akatsuki cloak off. "I haven't used myself since I joined the Akatsuki."
"You! What have you done!?" Chiyo stared at Sasori in horror as he revealed his body. His body was no longer human.
"I've done the same thing you have…just much better," Sasori said as he pointed to Chiyo's arm. "I guess us puppeteers think the same, don't we?"
'I figured he had turned some parts of himself but I never thought it was to this extent,' Shikamaru thought as palmed two kunai.
"This explains why he looked so young. But it doesn't change anything…we're going to defeat you," Sakura said as she rushed in. Shikamaru was not far behind as he threw one of the kunai he had.
"Mere dreams at this point," Sasori said as he pulled a scroll from his back. Two tubes came out from his wrists and shot out a strong blaze. Shikamaru connected his shadow to Sakura, who was closer to Sasori, just in time to help her dodge the flames. Sasori changed the direction of his flamethrower and chased the two teens while keeping an eye on his grandmother who was waiting at the back.
'I can feel the flames heat even from far away,' Chiyo thought as she watched the two Konoha-nin run. She flicked her index finger and hundreds of kunai, senbon and shuriken which had been thrown out from earlier flew at Sasori.
"I knew you couldn't stay back, old hag!" Sasori exclaimed as he aimed his flames at the swarm of projectiles. All of them were melted before any could reach the puppeteer. However, it distracted him enough for Sakura and Shikamaru to hide.
Seeing his opponents hiding, Sasori aimed his flames directly at the boulders they were hiding behind. The flames were hot enough to turn the rocks a bright red. 'Shit, we have a minute and 15 seconds left…' Shikamaru thought as he used a kawarimi with some debris. A strong high pressure jet of water broke the extremely heated rock into pieces and could have taken his head off.
"SASORI!!" Shikamaru and Sakura were caught off guard by Chiyo's outburst. "I will no longer let you hurt them. It's time I take responsibility for you, my own grandson."
"And how would you do that, you old hag?" Sasori asked as he extended his arms out. "There's nobody here that can stop me and I'll make sure of it."
"This is a jutsu that I myself sealed up. It looks like I have to call upon it once again," Chiyo pulled out a scroll that Sasori recognised. "I'm sure you know what this is…" She unravelled the scroll and ten white puppets popped out from it.
"The jutsu that you used to take down an entire castle by yourself…"
"Yes, Shirohigi: Jikki Chikamatsu no Shu ( White Secret Jutsu: Ten Puppet's of Chikamatsu)," Chiyo confirmed.
Shikamaru and Sakura watched in awe as the ten puppets were brought to life by Chiyo, each controlled by a single finger. It was the ten puppets created by the man who invented puppetry. "They say a puppeteer's skill is judged by how many puppets they can use at a given moment…" Sasori started saying as he opened a panel on his chest and unravelled a scroll from his back. "So…behold my skill, my art! Akahigi: Hyakki no Soen (Red Secret Jutsu: Performance of a Hundred Puppets)!"
His opponents were left wide-eyed as a hundred puppets filled the sky. "You can take down a castle but I…I CAN TAKE DOWN AN ENTIRE NATION!" Shikamaru and Sakura landed beside Chiyo who was surrounded by her white puppets.
"Don't fret, we got this," Sakura said with a smirk. Shikamaru matched it as he started to gather chakra.
"Thank you," Chiyo said with a smile.
"No need to thank us, we have a score to settle too," Shikamaru said as the 100 red puppets stormed them. Sakura and Shikamaru rushed forward, each picking a side while leaving the middle for Chiyo. Ten puppets were sliced in half in one swoop from Chiyo's puppet.
Shikamaru ducked under a poisoned blade as an earth wall raised where he was standing. The extended arm of the puppet lodged itself into the wall while Shikamru used the advantage to smash its head into the wall, breaking it. He jumped over a puppet and placed an explosive tag on its forehead before using it as a jumping point. Meanwhile, another puppet swooped in from his ten o'clock and was pierced by multiple shadow tendrils before even reaching him.
Sakura ran from a line of puppets and led them on. '45 seconds left…' She thought as she hopped through a small gap in the rocks. The puppets tried to follow her through but found themselves stuck. 'Big mistake.' Sakura smashed them into dust one after another.
Chiyo used her puppets' in-built techniques to suck in as many puppets as they could using a vacuum. However, there were simply too many of Sasori's puppets. She moved her puppet to the centre of the collection of puppets before it exploded.
As Sasori's puppets lessened, his finesse with them increased. Shikamaru was rushed by three puppets at the same time from different directions. He made the rat hand seal before crouching. "Nara Secret Jutsu: Porcupine Guard," he muttered as the shadow around him exploded outwards into sharp spikes. The spikes formed a shield around him which impaled the three puppets after him.
Shikamaru saw Sasori hearing for him personally as soon as he dropped his jutsu. A thick pointed cable that was attached to his torso launched towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru could see the poison on it dripping from far. "Don't forget about me you bastard!!" Sakura exclaimed as she intercepted the cable and grabbed onto it. She spun Sasori around causing the cable to unroll itself until its end before she chucked him towards the surrounding walls. "SHANNARO!"
"Shikamaru, catch!" Chiyo exclaimed as a puppet spat out something at Shikamaru. A shadow tendril caught before he passed it at Sakura.
"TAKE THIS! SHANNARO!" Sakura shouted as she caught the object and used all her might to throw it at Sasori. The object gradually enlarged as it travelled towards Sasori before eventually pinning Sasori in between a giant skull and the cave wall. "Ten…Seconds…" Sakura breathed out as she fell to her knees. "Just in time…"
The three of them gathered back, battered up and tired. Chiyo had used all her white puppets to the fullest and was left with nothing. "You did it…" Chiyo said with a smile. A smile that was erased immediately as she was thrown out of the way out of sudden. A squelching sound was heard as Shikamaru took a blade to his stomach. He had used his shadow to move Chiyo out of the way but he took the blade for her.
"YOU!" Sakura spat with rage in her eyes.
"There's no way you can get out of this Nara…" Sasori said as he pushed the blade deeper into Shikamaru, causing blood to flow out of his mouth.
"If I'm not getting out of this, so are you," Shikamaru said with a smirk as he held the blade in between his palms. With a twist he broke it in half, with the other half still in his body. He fell to his knees as blood pooled below him. Sasori tried to move away but found himself stuck. "Now…" He said in a strained voice.
Sasori was stabbed in his heart by two blades while he received a fist to the abdomen which turned it into splinters. The mother and father puppets stood by his sides as they held the blades that ended his life. Sakura rushed to Shikamaru's unconscious side as her palms instantly glowed. She injected the remaining antidote into his thigh while she tried to heal his stab wound.
"Sakura, that's enough. I got this…" Chiyo said as she pushed Sakura's hands away from Shikamaru.
"But, Ch-" Sakura was cut off as Chiyo's hands started to glow white. She placed it on his wounded area before pulling the other half of the blade. After a few moments, the wound started to close before all the bleeding stopped. "What healing jutsu is that?"
"It's not. It's a resurrection jutsu. A jutsu that I started work on in Suna but it was stopped by me after realising how unnatural it is. I gave him some of my life force and chakra, he should be fine now," Chiyo explained as she wiped a trail of blood from the side of her mouth.
Naruto had Kakashi's arm slung over his shoulder as they reached an open field where team Gai were waiting for them. Team Gai had quite a few bruises and cuts for themselves while Gaara looked to be in the same condition from when they found him.
'Take this time to mourn. It might be the only time you can…'
Naruto agreed with Kurama and rested Kakashi against a boulder while he made his way to Gaara's side. "Hey, Gaara…It's me Naruto," he greeted with a whisper as he sat beside his friend. "Why…why must it always be you…"
He sensed Shikamaru, Chiyo and Sakura and smiled a smile of both pain and relief. He was confident that his friends would be victorious but he knew Sasori was no joke. Although, seeing Chiyo reminded him of the hardships Gaara had to live through. "If only you weren't chosen to be a vessel…this wouldn't have happened. Y-you sounded much happier compared to when I first saw you. Y-you j-just became Kazekage too…I'm sorry I was too late, Gaara…" He could no longer hold back the tears that were welling up.
"Naruto maybe I c-"
"Save your energy, Sakura-chan. His chakra is no longer flowing…I-I can't sense any of his chakra moving," Naruto said, stopping Sakura.
Shikamaru's mind was in a haze as he thought of ways to tell Temari. He was a smart man but smarts would not help in any way at this point. He could imagine her face and it left a bitter feeling in him.
"Move aside, Naruto Uzumaki…" Chiyo said as she sat opposite of Naruto on Gaara's other side. Her palms started glowing and she placed it on Gaara's heart.
"What are you doing?" Naruto questioned as he wiped his tears.
"You're not thinking of using that jutsu, Chiyo-baasama?" Shikamaru voiced out as he limped over towards her with Sakura's help. His wound still hurt even though it was fully healed.
"I'm a dying woman, young man. I've made many mistakes in my life and seeing my grandson the way he was cemented that. Let me amend at least one of my mistakes," Chiyo said as her palms glowed brighter.
"Shika, what is she talking about?" Naruto asked.
"It's a resurrection jutsu. She's bringing Gaara back to life," Sakura explained.
"But it has a cost…" Shikamaru added.
"Are you sure, Baasama?" Naruto asked as he looked her in the eyes.
"Take it from this old lady. In a world made by us, old people, it makes me happy to see people like you. People who will change the way this world works. A cycle of mistake after mistake became an unending cycle for me. I hope the future that you believe comes true…For Suna...and Konoha this will be the last action I do. Not a mistake…" As she went on, Naruto noticed that her chakra was getting lower and lower. Her palms started to dim.
She turned to Sakura and Shikamaru and addressed them next, "for you two,Sakura and Shikamaru, focus on protecting those close to you and don't risk your life for an old lady like me. Sakura, you're going to be greater than your master and me combined. Don't waste that potential, my child. Shikamaru, you're a unique Nara. I've never thought I'd see one as motivated as you. You've got a lot of potential so use it to change the world with Naruto…And take care of her…"
Shikamaru nodded solemnly at some of Chiyo's last words while Sakura had tears flowing. Naruto saw the light around her palms dimming and placed his over hers. He channelled his chakra and saw the light grow bright again. Over time, Chiyo started to slowly slouch before eventually slumping over. She was caught by Sakura who placed her gently on the grass field. Naruto stared at his friends closely as he waited for a sign of life.
He could sense chakra flowing through his system again and a slight twitch in his hand was a confirmation. Gaara's chest started to rise before falling and everyone in the open field breathed a sigh of relief. Naruto perked up when he sensed Temari and Kankuro's chakra signatures along with a large pack of Suna-nin. They started to circle around Gaara as they waited apprehensively.
"W-what…where…" Simple words from Gaara brought along a wave of joy among the gathered shinobi. Naruto smiled in relief as he placed Gaara's head on his lap.
"Gaara…" Naruto said as he couldn't help but chuckle. "You bastard, don't die like that on us again…"
He let Gaara sit up on his own before Shikamaru extended him a hand to help him stand up. "You gave us quite a scare there, Gaara," Shikamaru said as he patted the man on the shoulder. Temari came next as she gave him a squeeze while Kankuro gave him a side hug. The Suna-nin cheered on their Kazekage's survival.
"You kept your promise, Naruto," Kankuro said as he shook Naruto's hand.
"I didn't kill Sasori, they did," Naruto pointed to Shikamaru and Sakura. This brought everyone's attention to Sakura who was crouched down beside Chiyo with several Suna-nin.
"This is your moment Kazekage," Naruto whispered to Gaara. Gaara nodded as he went to Chiyo's side.
"My fellow Suna-nin and Konoha-nin. With every victory, there comes a loss. Let us pay our respects for our elder," his simple words got everyone in the field silent.
Ebizo looked at her sister's unmoving body solemnly. She had a smile on her face and he was relieved to see as such. "I keep expecting her to come back and shout 'got you! It's a joke!' but she never does…" he said as a few tears fell. 'I hope you left in a state of happiness, sister…'
Two Days Later
Team 7 with an out of commission Kakashi and Team Gai stood at the gates of Suna. The sand siblings stood opposite them to say their goodbyes. "Looks like I'm in your debt once more," Gaara said.
"Friends don't owe each other debts, Gaara," Naruto said with a smile. Naruto was surprised to see Gaara extending an arm towards him. His smile grew before he accepted the hand. The corner of Gaara's lips curved upwards slightly. "The next time we shake hands like this, I'll be Hokage."
"I look forward to it…my friend," Gaara replied with a proper smile that nobody has ever seen before.
A few moments later they were on the road to Konoha. Kakashi was being piggy-backed by Gai due to the use of his Kamui. "You shouldn't use that jutsu if it leaves you worn out like that," Sakura berated. "It's not healthy for you to be that low on chakra. You can't use the Raikiri and your new sharingan together."
Meanwhile Naruto and Shikamaru were at the back of the pack having their own conversation. "I know that look…she kissed you didn't she," Naruto teased as Shikamaru tried to look away.
"So what?" Shikamaru asked, looking slightly red.
"Oh nothing. I'm just surprised…you and Temari huh? How did that happen?" Naruto wondered.
"Long story," Shikamaru swiftly answered.
"Well…we have a long journey…do you see the vision?" Naruto said as he raised his eyebrows.
"No."
"Ok then, how about a trade?" Naruto suggested.
"What trade?"
"You tell me your story and I'll tell you mine," Naruto said with a smirk.
"No way…" disbelief was written all over Shikamaru's face. Naruto merely smiled at his reaction.
"Well, no better time to start than now…"
Damn that was a lot of fighting. Iirc there's 7500 plus words for this chapter and 4500 of it was the Sasori fight. Next chapter would be much more chill and shouldn't take as long hopefully.