Nagato's eyes rippled with power as he stared at the Konoha force. They stared back, their eyes wary. Slowly Sai drew his tanto, his eyes narrowed on the leader of the foreign country.
"You are the Amekage," Shikamaru began. "It is an honor-"
"Ignore my question again and you will regret it. Why should I spare your lives? I will not repeat it again."
Shikamaru winced at the words. He had nothing to say to that. There wasn't much anyone could say. They had been caught red handed and they knew as much. All that was left to do was fight. But could they defeat the Amekage? The rumors of his strength couldn't be true.
Could they?
Sai seemed eager to find out as he instantly whipped out his scroll, two lions made of ink charged towards the man. They didn't get far. The man's eyes merely looked at the creatures before the downpour increased precisely in that spot. The torrent of rain washed away the creatures of ink, leaving them nothing but puddles on the ground. Sai's eyes widened, and he instantly began to draw once more. However, this time he wasn't alone. Tsume shot forwards, as did Kuromaru. The two roared before they leapt and spun, threatening to pierce through Nagato's body with a shredding force. Nagato's eyes shifted to their form before a pulse of force sent them both flying away, completely unable to get near him. The two rolled against the ground, their heads snapping upwards as they saw Nagato staring at them with disdain.
"What the hell," Tsume whispered. "We can't get close to him!"
Sai grit his teeth as his picture was completed. A horde of small rodents poured out from his scroll, all of them rushing towards Nagato. The man's eyes gently looked over the swarm, watching as they formed different widespread channels to try and attack him. The wielder of the Samsara had to admit, he appreciated someone trying to gauge the level of control he had over the water around them. Of course, it was for naught. The shroud of rain poured downwards, washing over all of the channels of rodents and washing them all away. Sai's eyes widened before he grit his teeth and put his scroll away. It was clear that it would be useless in this fight. He instead drew his tanto and charged, joined by Sasuke.
The two speared forwards, blades flashing in the open air. Nagato's eyes narrowed, and he opened his hand, a black rod falling into it. Sai lashed out at his neck while Sasuke's blade swung at his legs. Nagato jumped, Sasuke's blade slicing through empty air while Nagato blocked Sai's blade with his rod. His leg snapped forwards, cracking into Sai's chin and snapping his head backwards. Sasuke took the opportunity to alter the trajectory of his blade, swinging it upwards diagonally to bifurcate Nagato. The man's eyes swung downwards, and his leg dropped. His foot touched Sasuke's blade and, with a deft overload of chakra, shattered it completely. Sasuke's eyes widened as the shards of the blade flew in all directions, some of them carving across his skin and causing open wounds. Nagato did not pause, none of the shards hitting his body. His foot snapped upwards as he landed, snapping into Sasuke's chin and sending him flying backwards from the force. The Uchiha and the artist collided into each other, forming a jumbled mess of body parts on the ground. Sakura's eyes widened, instantly rushing over to them. By the time their bodies came to a stop she was already there, catching both of them with her hands glowing with green light. Nagato's eyes narrowed at the sigh.
'She's fast. And a medic.'
Nagato shot forwards, only for Kuromaru and Tsume to appear before him again. Tsume desperately slashed at his throat, but he weaved backwards, eyes carefully tracing her strikes. She didn't let up, unleashing an onslaught that the Amekage skillfully avoided. Kuromaru made his presence known at that time. The ninken lunged at Nagato's throat, only for his hand to shoot upwards and the black rod to spear into the ninken's stomach. The creature howled in pain.
"No!"
Nagato threw the rod, with Kuromaru attached, and it speared into the ground. The ninken mewled out pathetically, squirming against the rod. Tsume saw red, the ferocity of her attacks increasing. It didn't matter. Nagato caught her wrist and easily snapped it, causing her to cry out in pain. The man kicked her away, blood shooting from her mouth thanks to the force. Sakura's eyes widened, looking at the woman's body flop onto the ground. She glanced at Sasuke and Sai.
"You're healed! I'm moving to Tsume!"
The two nodded, instantly getting to their feet. Sai drew his tanto once much and rushed Nagato while Sasuke stood back, his eyes analzying the man's movements with his Sharingan. Or at least, that was the plan. Nagato had no desire to give Sakura the luxury of healing another opponent. He rushed forwards, ducking underneath Sai's tanto slash and slamming another black rod into the man's stomach. The man heaved, blood spilling from the wound and from his mouth as he dropped to his knees. Sasuke's eyes widened at the moves, his eyes narrowing.
'I...I can't follow it?'
Nagato shot forwards towards Sakura, watching as the woman was trying to heal her fellow kunoichi. Sakura's eyes snapped upwards, locking with Nagato's. For a moment the two stared at each other, locked in a trance that only they knew existed. The next Sasuke was desperately engaging with Nagato to hold him off.
"Hurry Sakura!"
Nagato lazily deflected the blows of the Uchiha, his eyes locked on his Sharingan. The Rinnegan bore down on the inferior eye, completely confident in its abilities to resist any ocular tricks the Uchiha had up his sleeve. And try them he did, as genjutsu after genjutsu was launched by Sasuke but each was shattered easily by Nagato as if they never existed. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as Nagato finally batted him aside like a child, the Uchiha rolling across the ground. He ground his teeth and stood, only to watch as Nagato resisted his head turning. Shikamaru frowned.
"Hurry up Sasuke!"
Sasuke's didn't wait to react. Shikamaru had the Amekage pinned, but it wouldn't last forever. He would need to get him now. Sasuke shot forwards, a Chidori bursting to life in his hands. Sasuke lunged forwards, desperate to pierce the man's heart only for Nagato to unleash another blast of force that sent him and Shikamaru flying in the opposite direction. Nagato turned back to look at Sakura, a frown on his face as he saw her healing Kuromaru now, the ninken freed from the rod he had impaled in it. Tsume stood next to her, also healed of her injuries. Her wrist was functional, although she likely still felt phantom pain from it.
"You're quite the healer," Nagato called out. "What is your name?"
Sakura stared up at the man, her eyes narrowed. He was fast. Faster than he let on. He had deliberately been moving slower to stop her from healing. He was trying to gauge her healing capabilities, that much was clear to the kunoichi. Was he that confident he could defeat them all? Why he hadn't killed Sai or Sasuke yet? What a terrifying man. The woman slowly stood and walked towards Sai, watching as Nagato trailed her with his eyes.
"Sakura Haruno," she ground out as she stopped next to Sai. She pulled the black rod out of his body and began to heal, but she never once took her eyes off of Nagato. She felt small. Like an ant. She was truly puny in the face of this foe. It was something she had rarely experienced since she had become an S-class. It was...unnerving. Just what was this man before her? The rumors about the Amekage did not do him justice. She was confident she would not have felt this small against most shinobi on the continent. She had to stall. Give herself time to think of a way to counter him. No doubt Shikamaru was doing the same.
"Sakura Haruno...the Mad Titan. Disciple of Tsunade Senju."
"You recognize my name?"
"Yes. You're a well-known kunoichi. And your medical skills are truly impressive. Tsunade would be proud."
Sakura's eyes narrowed as she finished healing Sai. His wound was trivial for her skill level.
"What would you know about my master?"
"I've met her. As a child. All of the Sannin actually. Jiraiya was the one who trained me."
The shock that the Konoha shinobi felt was palpable. The Amekage had been trained by Jiraiya? By how could that be? Why would Jiraiya train him? If that was true, why had he not made a move to ally with Konoha politically? Many questions ran through their mind, and none had any answer. Of course, that didn't mean Sakura wouldn't ask them. It was useful to stall, and she was genuinely curious.
"Jiraiya trained you? Why would he do that?"
"He saw a young orphan boy burdened by the crucible of war...his parents killed by shinobi from his very own village. Jiraiya was a kind man at heart. It shouldn't be a surprise he took the opportunity to teach the child to defend himself."
Sakura stood, glancing at Shikamaru. The man shook his head. She frowned. He hadn't figured out a way to beat him yet. Of course not, they didn't have any idea how his abilities worked.
"Well...I don't suppose you'll let us leave based off that old comraderie?"
"You kidnapped my son."
Sakura winced. Yeah, there really wasn't a way out of that. She knew that was a dumb play.
"Is there anything else we can offer you?"
"Nothing that would change that offense. Although, I do wonder why Konoha chose now to invade Amegakure?"
"We came here for Naruto," Shikamaru interjected. He had to keep the stall up. He was thinking and the man wasn't attacking. That was the best bet they were going to get at this point. He had to think of a strategy to defeat this man.
"Come to take back Konoha's Jinchuriki?"
"Something like that."
Shikamaru's brain was running a mile a minute. How could they defeat this man? He had an insane control of the rain falling around them if he hadn't outright caused it. Sai's ink was completely useless against it. Even if they managed to close the gap, he had this strange forcefield that could repel them away from him. And even if he didn't use that his skill in taijutsu was superb. No one had even managed to land a scratch on him. But there had to be something they could do. That forcefield had some sort of rule. He wasn't using it all the time. It was less risky than using taijutsu to defend himself, which meant if he wasn't using it there was some reason why.
"Then why take my son?"
"Insurance," Sai interjected.
Shikamaru snapped his head at him, his eyes wide.
'What is that idiot doing!'
"An insurance policy we should have used."
Nagato's eyes turned towards Sai. They were cold. Frigid. The rain reflected it, becoming absolutely frigid to touch. The Konoha shinobi were shivering in the downpour. Sai didn't seem to care, instead dashing towards Nagato with a neutral look on his face.
"Sai wait," Sakura called.
"I should have killed your son when I had the chanc-"
Blood flew through the air. Sakura's eyes widened at the sight. All of the Konoha shinobi were too stunned to move. Nagato had deftly pulled out a black rod and spun underneath Sai's slash with his tanto. The man had stabbed Sai three times up his back, only to spin and lash out with his arm, cleanly cutting the man's head off. The dead shinobi dropped to the ground, his blood leaving his body as spurts of the red liquid shot into the air, mixing with the rain. None of the blood touched Nagato. Sakura's eyes widened. Shikamaru's narrowed. They both understood the circumstances.
They had to flee. The man had clearly been toying with them this entire exchange. When he decided to kill someone was when he woud stop.
He had decided to stop.
Nagato stared down at Sai, his eyes hollow. Sakura took the opportunity to look directly at Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru get everyone out of here now! I'll hold him off!"
"Oh, will you?"
Sakura's head turned, her eyes widening as Nagato was directly in front of her. The man was moving faster than before. She was right. He had been holding back. The man's black rod flew towards her neck. Her hand barely snapped upwards in time to deflect the attack into her shoulder. She grit her teeth, leaping away and ripping the weapon out. That was all the reprieve she was able to get. Nagato was on her again. The man lashed out with another rod, only for her to duck underneath it. She roared, smashing her foot on the ground. If it were an ordinary foot Nagato would not have cared about it.
The ground exploded.
Unfortunately for Sakura, Nagato was expecting that from the disciple of Tsunade.
The man flipped with the force, grabbing her shoulders, and swinging himself around to kick at her back. Unfortunately for Nagato, the second he had mentioned that he knew Tsunade Sakura had anticipated that he knew about the woman's legendary strength and that she would also have it. She turned, her strength overwhelming his and allowing her to break his hold. His kick went wide, leaving him vulnerable. She roared her challenge, her punch homed in to collide with the man's face only for a wave of force to send her flying away. Sakura flipped through the air, landing on her feet with her eyes never leaving Nagato. Her free hand snapped upwards, instantly healing her shoulder wound. Nagato's eyes narrowed at the woman. Sakura frowned.
He had acknowledged her. That was problematic.
Still, that was something she had expected. She had to. She was throwing away every one of her medical teachings and getting involved in the fight. She had to. If she didn't everyone would die, and that would violate those ethics even more. Shikamaru was taking advantage of the opportunity though. The group was leaving.
Nagato's eye twitching was enough for her to realize that wouldn't work. She moved just as he did, the man dashing towards the fleeing group as she shot towards him. She was faster than him! She could catch him! But not fast enough. He would catch the group, just moments before she reached him.
"Shikamaru!"
The man turned, his eyes widening as he saw Nagato approaching. Tsume and Sasuke desperately lashed out to protect themselves. Tsume with a claw strike to the throat, and Sasuke with a kunai to the kidney. Nagato intercepted both strikes, deflecting them to the side and shoving the two to the side. However, their intervention gave Shikamaru the time to slam his hands together. His shadow leapt upwards in the shape of hands, desperate to latch onto Nagato. Just as the hands grabbed him Nagato raised his hand, before the shadows were absorbed into the man's hands. Shikamaru's eyes widened, and he leapt away, fear on his face. He had just absorbed his jutsu?
Nagato was going to follow only for a bolt of lightning to shoot towards him courtesy of Sasuke. The man didn't bother to turn to face the attack, merely raising his hand in the direction of the attack and absorbing the bolt of lightning as well. Sasuke's eyes widened at the action. Sakura didn't let it stop her, landing next to Nagato and lashing out with a series of combinations that Nagato just barely managed to deflect. She was too fast. He couldn't dodge. Nagato's hands were moving as fast as he could, and yet he could tell if the assault kept up, she would eventually land a blow. The man grit his teeth.
She was his superior in taijutsu.
The man slipped another punch, only for Sakura to grin. The woman's foot burst forwards at speeds Nagato wasn't expecting, courtesy of overloading the tree walking technique. The blow would have landed and likely broken several if not all of his ribs had it not been for the instinctual activation of his jutsu. Sakura was sent flying away once more, landing on her feet once again. She grit her teeth, glaring at the Amekage.
"Your jutsu is bullshit you know that?"
Nagato didn't bother responding. Instead, his eyes snapped to Sasuke who was charging him once again. The Uchiha lashed out with a kunai, only for Nagato to duck underneath the attack. Their eyes met, frustration meeting apathy. The two dojutsu wielders clashed, Sasuke lashing out with any move he could. He did not have many. Nagato shattered the offensive with ease, instantly getting into a rhythm. Sasuke was desperate on the defensive and would have been sent flying if not for Sakura intervening. The woman shot forwards to join the fight, her fist aimed at Nagato's ribcage. The man batted her fist aside, spinning to backhand her face only for Sasuke to block the strike in her stead. He grunted from the force of the blow but retalliated with a kunai to the stomach. It may have landed, only for Nagato's hand to swing upwards and snatch Sasuke's wrist, stopping the attack before it even pierced his clothes. Sasuke didn't pause though, wrapping his blocking arm around Nagato's other arm. Sakura took advantage of the man's preoccupied arms, lashing out with a punch towards the man's skull. If it connected it would easily cave his skull in, killing the man.
It did not connect.
Two additional arms sprouted from Nagato's body, the arms segmented as though they were the arms of the puppet and caught Sakura's punch. The kunoichi's eyes widened at the display. However, before she had any time to react further a small growth shot forwards from Nagato's shoulder, ripping his clothes, and pointing a small cannon in their face. The duo's eyes widened. Sasuke desperately let go of Nagato's arms as he saw a dull blue light begin to glow within the cannon. Sakura's strength surged, ripping Nagato's arms off as she withdrew her arms. Both leapt away just as the cannon shot forth its attack, casting a bright blue light over the battlefield as a massive explosion of chakra shook the ground. Rain evaporated from the intense heat generated from the blast and the shockwave sent Tsume and Shikamaru flying in opposite directions. When the smoke from the blast cleared Nagato stood there, uninjured. Before him stood Sakura and Sasuke, both covered in burns and their clothes in tatters.
But they were alive.
Sakura instantly got to work, beginning to heal herself so that she could focus on healing Sasuke. Nagato had no intention of allowing her to do that. He shot forwards, only for Kuromaru to leap forwards in a spinning drill once more. Nagato's eyes narrowed, dodging the spinning, hairy, tornado. The dog barked, turning, and charging at him once more in a Tsūga (Passing Fang). Nagato frowned, a black rod slipping into his hand. He leaned forwards and underneath the attack, his eyes glowing in the darkness before he lashed out with his rod, the weapon piercing Kuromaru in the paw. The weapon disrupted the ninken's balance, causing it to collapse upon the ground. Nagato turned, watching the ninken yelp out for help. He snorted, turning only to see Sakura already healing Sasuke's wounds. The man frowned, charging forwards once more only for this time Tsume to appear before him.
Tsume who was charging him once more. The woman snarled, lashing out with her claws at Nagato's throat. The man's hand snapped out, snatching her by the wrist. Tsume didn't pause as her attack was stopped, instead lashing out with her own teeth to try and tear out the Amekage's throat. He took a slight step backwards, freeing her wrist only for her to leap upwards into the sky before she descended like a comet. Nagato's eyes narrowed as he saw the jutsu.
"Hakadōga (Tearing Vortex Fang)!"
Nagato raised his hand towards the descending, spiraling comet. His eyes pulsed with power before the surge of power once again flew from his body. The force broke Tsume's rotation, sending her flying high into the sky. She landed with a loud crack as her shoulder bore the brunt of her bodyweight. She cried out in pain, grabbing at the broken bone. Before Nagato could capitalize Sasuke and Sakura were both in front of him, fists prepared to fly. Nagato's eyes narrowed, ready to go on the defensive only for his body to momentarily freeze. His eyes snapped downwards as he saw a shadow connected to him once again. His eyes looked at Shikamaru, a frown on his face as Sasuke's and Sakura's punches neared his body. Then he was gone. Shikamaru in his place. The Nara's eyes widened in horror at the substitution. He only had a brief moment to turn before the blows sent him flying backwards. Shikamaru groaned, skipping across the ground. He slowly stood, rubbing his sore chest. They had probably broken something.
"Sorry," Sakura called out. "I tried to take out as much chakra as I could before impact!"
"Don't apologize," Shikamaru muttered. "You probably saved my life."
Sasuke frowned, watching Nagato stare at them. His chakra was so fast. The way he was able to mold it and utilize it was faster than anyone Sasuke had ever seen before. It was like trying to catch light. His Sharingan could barely keep track of it. This man was far above them. Far above all of them.
"I didn't know it was possible to Kawarimi (Substitution Jutsu) your way out of your clan technique."
"Neither did I," Shikamaru muttered. Sakura frowned, breaking off from the two of them to rush to Tsume. She frowned as she analyzed the wound. She could heal it, but it would be a longer process that the minor stab wounds or burns they had received thus far. She looked up at her fellow Konoha shinobi.
"Buy me three minutes! I can get Tsume functional in that time! Five for optimal healing!"
Nagato stared at the forms of Shikamaru and Sasuke, both of them standing before him with wary eyes. Behind him he noticed Kuromaru limping, the ninken's eyes glaring at him. It had pulled out the rod with its teeth. The man frowned. It was mirrored by the one on Shikamaru's face.
"Some form of repulsion, mastery of Suiton (Water Release) that I've never seen before, the ability to absorb ninjutsu, combined with the ability to manifest extra limbs and mechanical weaponry topped with an expertise in taijutsu. What the hell are you? I've never seen a shinobi like this before."
"I am the Amekage," Nagato stated as if the answer was as clear as rain. "My name is Nagato."
"Cut the shit," Sasuke stated. "I've never seen someone be able to wield these abilities. You would think some of them would be a Kekkei Genkai but they're too varied for that. What are you, some kind of puppet?"
"Afraid not," Nagato stated plainly. "I'm fully human, just as you."
"That's not possible. No human can fire off chakra cannon blasts. Only puppets can do that."
"Perhaps it is time for you to redefine what you consider is possible for a human," Nagato stated. The man raised his hand at Sasuke. "Like so."
Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt a pulling sensation. Before he was able to react, he was pulled from his feet, directly towards Nagato. Shikamaru's eyes widened, his shadow lashing out and trying to restrain Sasuke but it couldn't catch him. Nagato caught the man by the throat, his eyes boring deep into that of Sasuke's Sharingan. Just then Shikamaru's shadow enveloped Nagato's, only for it to break instantly under the weight of Nagato's chakra flaring. Shikamaru recoiled, but soon recovered and charged forwards desperate to reach Sasuke. Kuromaru joined him from behind. Nagato slammed Sasuke into the ground, drawing a black rod and preparing to thrust it downwards. Shikamaru's eyes widened. He quickly reached into his pouch and tossed a small orb.
"Sasuke!"
The orb burst just as Sasuke's and Nagato's heads snapped up. A shining burst of light enveloped the battlefield, making both of them recoil backwards. Nagato dropped the rod, the weapon stabbing into the ground next to Sasuke's head as both dojoutsu wielders struggled to clear their vision. Kuromaru was no exception, the ninken squealing on the ground with its paws over its eyes. Shikamaru didn't waste the opportunity, dashing forwards with a kunai in hand towards Nagato's throat. He had to kill the man while he had the chance. He could apologize to Sasuke for temporarily blinding him later. His blade neared the man's throat. But it never reached. A pulse of that strange energy once again sent all three of them flying. They stumbled around, barely able to come to their feet. When they did Nagato had already recovered, although there was a twitch in his eye that was new. The light had bothered him. Nagato's frown grew more pronounced.
"No more."
He shot forwards, his hand grabbing Shikamaru's head. He roared, smashing the man downwards into the ground. Sasuke desperate tried to assist his teammate, only for Nagato to duck underneath the slash from the man's kunai. The Amekage spun, kicking Sasuke in the stomach, and sending him flying away before he pulled up Shikamaru and threw him at his fellow Konoha shinobi. Sasuke grunted, Raiton (Lightning Release) chakra sparking around his kunai before he threw it at Nagato. The Rinnegan merely tilted his head to avoid it, his eyes remaining locked on his targets who just now landed. His eyes then snapped to Sakura and Tsume and he rushed forwards. Sasuke and Shikamaru panicked, dashing towards the duo of kunoichi, but instantly realized they wouldn't make it. Sakura's eyes snapped upwards, her eyes narrowing. Just as Nagato got close a tornado of fangs and fur descended on him, only for three segmented arms to stop the strike cold. The sound of scrapping metal filled the air as Nagato's arms slowly stopped Kuromaru's attack. The Amekage grunted, throwing Kuromaru into the air only for his arms to transform into another chakra cannon. It began to glow blue, clearly locked onto Kuromaru's form. Tsume, despite her injured state shot up from the ground, desperate to protect her ninken.
"No!"
Nagato smirked, the cannon separating itself back into three arms that slammed their fists into the woman, knocking her completely unconscious onto the ground with their force. Sakura's eyes glowed with anger. She shot forwards, her knee smashing through all three of the segmented arms. Nagato's eyes widened as he saw metal fly through the air. Sakura didn't hesitate, launching a punch Nagato just barely managed to dodge. Two arms sprouted from his back, each working desperately to help him combat the pinkette's superiority in taijutsu. It didn't matter. She would snap them like twigs only for Nagato to create two more to take their place. It wouldn't let him win the fight against her, but it did let him survive. The man would need to do more than survive as Sasuke and Shikamaru appeared behind him, each of them lashing out with blades to the man's back. Two more arms sprouted from behind him, forming a total of four, that caught both of their strikes. Crimson eyes narrowed.
"These are still metal!"
Electricity sparked in Sasuke's hand briefly before he let loose a discharge to electrocute Nagato only for the man to turn his head to stare at the Uchiha. Sasuke's eyes widened at the sight.
'It was no effect?'
"He's absorbing it Sasuke, there's no point!"
The Uchiha stopped, heeding the Nara's advice. He would just waste chakra if he kept that up. Luckily for him Sakura reclaimed the man's attention, her punches increasing in speed. Nagato grit his teeth, taking steps backwards slowly to avoid being overwhelmed. Unfortunately for him that brought him closer to Sasuke and Shikamaru. The two roared, drawing a kunai in their free hands and slashing out towards his kidnap and the nape of his neck. Nagato's eyes narrowed. A pulse of force sent them all flying away from him once more, giving him distance to maneuver. He glared at Sakura.
"You're just as proficient in taijutsu as one would expect from a disciple of Tsunade Senju. Truly you are a master."
"Thanks for the compliment. Now stand there and let me give you the personal lesson she failed to give you."
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Nagato stated. "I have estimated the level of your shinobi. None of you possess the capacity to defeat me."
"You sure about that," Shikamaru called out. "We almost had you there."
Nagato's eyes shifted to the Nara. Shikamaru wanted to wilt under the man's sole attention.
"You did not."
It was stated like it was a fact. Shikamaru found it somewhat hard to argue. They hadn't even landed a blow on the man yet. It wasn't unreasonable for him to believe they couldn't touch him. But how could they prove him wrong?
Could they prove him wrong?
Nagato turned back to Sakura.
"You are the only threat here. And even then, it is only in taijutsu. You have no capability to defeat me with taijutsu alone I'm afraid. The other two," he looked at Sasuke and Shikamaru. "Are annoyances at best."
"What about me then!"
Nagato turned to see Tsume shooting towards him. Her shoulder was still broken, but she was desperately trying to wound him. Her eyes were crazed, likely the result of having just woken up from being knocked unconscious. Nagato frowned. Perhaps he should have used his technique to send her flying as well. He was being kind because she was unconscious. The woman's claws neared his throat. He sighed.
His hand snapped out, snapping her wrist once more. Then his leg flashed out, smashing into her head. She flipped, landing on her back in a daze. Nagato pulled out a black rod. Tsume's eyes widened as she remembered what happened to Sai. It was only thanks to a head-numbing howl that Nagato paused. He turned up to see Kuromaru flying towards him once more, a glowing blue missile. Tsume's eyes widened at the utilization of the jutsu. Streaks of chakra left the ninken, courtesy of the chakra it was burning through at such a rapid pace. Nagato frowned, raising a hand. The momentum of the ninken halted. Nagato then flicked his wrist.
"Down boy."
Kuromaru smashed into the ground with a massive THUD.
"No!"
Tsume dashed over to her ninken, ignoring the fact that she left an open target for Nagato. The man didn't bother taking the opportunity. He stood and watched with cold eyes as she knelt in front of her ninken. She was checking it over, desperate to find some sign of life. Nagato didn't bother. With his eyes he could tell it was already dead. It wasn't long until Tsume came to a similar realization. She screamed in anguish and rage, turning to look at Nagato. She charged, blitzing forwards as speed she was previously unable to reach before she leapt and spun.
"Gatsūga (Fang Passing Fang)!"
Nagato didn't bother repelling the attack. Once more the man leaned forwards, dodging the attack once more in a show of extreme flexibility. Then his black rod lunged forwards, and Tsume stopped moving. The weapon pierced through her stomach, causing her to cough up blood. Nagato dropped her to the ground, staring at her this time.
"If you wish to end up like your ninken you will continue to fight. I recommend you do not."
Nagato then turned to look at Sakura, Sasuke, and Shikamaru, all three stuck in shock as they watched the man effortlessly dismantle the Inuzuka Clan Head. Nagato frowned.
"You invaded my territory...and this is the most you can do? I must admit I was expecting more from an invasion force."
Nagato turned to stare at Sakura.
"You kidnapped my son! And this is all you have to show for yourselves!" His eyes narrowed. "You. You are the mission leader, no? You're the strongest shinobi here."
"No!" Shikamaru shot out. Nagato turned to him. "She's not the mission leader!"
"Oh? Then who's idea was it to capture my son?"
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. He realized whoever he pinned the blame on here would die. There was no getting around that. There was no way the man would let the person whose idea it was to kidnap his child live. But whose death warrant did he sign? Sakura was too important, completely off the table. He couldn't have the entirety of the Uchiha Clan calling for head by sending Sasuke to his grave either. Konohamaru was a rising star in Konoha. That left...
"Me." Shikamaru stated. His heart hardened. "It was my idea."
"Shika-" Sakura tried to interject only for her and Sasuke to suddenly be pinned to the ground by needles of water. Her eyes widened. He could have done that the entire time? He was truly just toying with them!
Nagato slowly approached Shikamaru, his eyes glowing in the darkness of the rainclouds above. Shikamaru stood his ground, his feet not shaking nor his heart wavering. This was his choice. He had to do what he could to get everyone out of this situation.
"For that crime...the punishment is death."
Shikamaru nodded, but just barely. Nagato nodded. He pulled out another black rod. Shikamaru grit his teeth. He wanted to fight back, but he could barely move. The pressure on him was something he had never experienced. It was like death itself was walking towards him. The Grim Reaper. The Shinigami. And for all intents and purposes...it was.
"Any last words?"
Shikamaru bit his lip so hard it popped, blood trickling down his chin.
"Just one."
Shikamaru charged forwards, roaring his defiance to death to the world. One last claim to prove his existence. It was futile. Nagato deflected the kunai stab and thrust his rod through Shikamaru's heart. The Nara Clan heir spat up blood, the liquid still failing to touch even Nagato's clothes. He grabbed onto the Uzumaki, desperate to use him as a clutch to hold himself up. It was a failed attempt. He had begun to fall.
"Shikamaru," Sakura called. She roared her defiance, using her chakra-enhanced strength to shove herself off the ground and free herself from the water needles. She charged towards Nagato, ignoring the needles of water that sliced into her skin. They couldn't stop her now that she knew to expect them. But by the time she reached him it was too late. Shikamaru had hit the ground.
Dead.
"No!" Sakura cried out, tears forming in her eyes. "No, no, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to go! I'm the medic! You were supposed to escape!"
Nagato stared at the woman, a frown forming on his face.
"Do you get joy from this you sick fuck," Sasuke stated. Nagato turned to look at him. "Do you get joy from slaughtering my comrades? I'll get out of here you know, and when I do, I'll fucking kill you!"
"Then I better act quickly."
Nagato slowly began to approach Sasuke, another black rod slipping into his hands. Sasuke glared defiantly at the man, but his body betrayed his look of defiance. He was shaking. Terrified of the approaching death.
He would not meet it.
Sakura appeared before Nagato, her hands up and a pleading look in her eyes. She knew she couldn't defeat him, despite her strength. Not alone.
"Please," she begged. "Please no more! I understand your rage I do! I would never forgive someone who took my child. So please just...please don't kill anyone else! Shikamaru was someone's son. So is Sasuke. Please, as a parent, don't take someone else's child from this world!"
Nagato paused, his eyes locking with Sakura's crying orbs. The woman was begging him.
"You can have me as your prisoner," Sakura cried out.
"What? Sakura no!"
"Yes!" She cried out. "I'm Konoha's lead medical shinobi. They'll be crippled with me out of the picture. Take me and let my comrades live. Please. I beg you."
Nagato frowned, looking at her pitiful form. She was pleading with him to spare their lives. It...was an ugly sight. One that he had seen far too often.
(-Flashback-)
"Jiraiya-sensei?"
The mountain of a main turned, his white hair falling behind him. He was sitting on top of one of the sparse trees in Rain. The man looked to see a much smaller version of Nagato standing beneath him looking up with expectant eyes. Jiraiya patted the spot on the branch next to him. Nagato paused but nodded, leaping up onto the tree branch.
"What is it Nagato?"
Nagato was quiet for a while, somewhat afraid of speaking his mind. Jiraiya looked at him, a curious look on his face.
"Well? Tell me."
"You've been training us to be shinobi for a year now."
"Yes."
"We've grown a lot stronger in that time. Strong enough to fight. Fend for ourselves. But it just feels so...one dimensional."
"One dimensional? Hopefully, you're not implying my training methods are lacking Nagato! I worked very hard on these I'll have you know! Maybe I should step up your training you little punk!"
"No that's not what I'm implying at all Jiraiya-sensei," Nagato stated, waving his hands placatingly. Jiraiya laughed; the noise filled with life. His hair shuffled in the breeze. Nagato blushed, embarrassed now that he realized Jiraiya was just teasing him. The Sannin shook his head, a small smile resting on his face.
"No please go ahead, I shouldn't have teased you."
Nagato stumbled a bit before he began. "It's just...well..."
"Come on, out with it."
"I killed a woman."
Jiraiya froze, staring at Nagato. Nagato wasn't meeting his eyes, instead looking down in shame. He seemed like he was waiting for the weight of Jiraiya's anger to bear down on him only for it to never come. Instead, when he looked up he saw understanding and patience in the eyes of the Konoha shinobi. He felt...warm.
"Why? What happened Nagato?"
"She was threatening Yahiko and Konan," Nagato said. "It was a Sunagakure kunoichi. She came while you were away. I think she was tracking us. She was holding Yahiko and Konan hostage. I...I was so scared. I didn't know what to do. She was hurting them. Taunting me. I was just so angry. I didn't want them to die so I...I just...snapped. Everything went black in my head. I didn't know what I was doing and before I realized it...she was dead."
Nagato began to shake. Tears slowly built up in his eyes.
"After that I was...I was just so frightened. The...the hatred I felt then was something I've only ever felt when the Konoha shinobi killed my parents. It made me completely blind with rage, and I killed somebody because of it. I know it was wrong. It was wrong! They could have a family just like mine! I could have taken them away from someone just like they took away mine."
Jiraiya placed a hand on the young boy's shoulder. He wiped away his tears, a caring smile on his face.
"Nagato."
The child looked up, finally breaking from his rambling to look up at Jiraiya. Jiraiya smiled.
"I don't know."
The three words shook the child more than the rain falling on their heads. He was floored. What did Jiraiya mean he didn't know?
"I can't really say whether what you did was right or wrong. But, thanks to your actions Yahiko and Konan are alive right now. You saved your friends lives. I believe that that's always the right thing to do. No one can fault you for helping a friend."
Jiraiya shook his head, looking up at the raining sky once more.
"Once you've been hurt," he began. "Or the one you love has been hurt, you learn what it is to hate. But if you hurt another, even in defense of that love, you become hated; and you shoulder a sense of guilt. But it is because one understands such pain, that generosity towards others can become second nature. That's what makes us human. Pain allows people to grow, and how you grow is up to you. It's about being able to think and make your own decisions."
Nagato frowned, looking up at Jiraiya.
"What do you think about sensei?"
Jiraiya smiled, gesturing with his hands wide.
"There's so much war and hatred in this world."
He placed his hands down.
"Sometimes it seems like they're the only things that really exist. I wanna do something about it. And I would really like to know what the answer to finding true peace is. Who knows?"
Jiraiya looked at Nagato, a massive grin on his face.
"Who knows? Maybe someday you'll find the answer to that haha!"
(-Flashback-)
Nagato stepped backwards as if he had been slapped. Sakura's eyes widened, surprise in her eyes. What happened? He seemed more struck by her desperation plea to be his prisoner than any attempt to injure him. She redoubled her efforts.
"I promise I won't do anything! You can put chakra suppression seals on me! Please, just don't kill anyone else! I-"
Nagato raised his hand, causing Sakura to flinch. Nagato winced, lowering the hand.
"I...I won't...go heal those who you can."
Sakura flinched, shock on her face only for her eyes to widen as she heard a gruff complaint. She turned to see Sasuke no longer pinned to the ground by the needles of water. The Uchiha stood up, his crimson eyes blazing. He prepared to charge only for Sakura to catch him and stop the futile attempt at injuring the Amekage.
"No Sasuke! You have to go! Please!"
"Hell no! I'm not losing you! He killed Shikamaru! I won't fail to protect anyone else!"
"You didn't fail Sasuke, you didn't fail! We failed. The mission was a failure. We made bad decisions. Now get out of here while there is still a path for us to make amends. Please."
Sasuke snarled, his eyes meeting Sakura's. Crimson met emerald. Rage met desperation.
"Sakura..."
"Please Sasuke. Please."
Sasuke grit his teeth so hard the grating noise could be heard by others. His tooth slipped, causing him to bite down and blood to burst from his lip. Sakura kept his eyes throughout it, the pleadidng look on her face never ending.
"I know what you're feeling Sasuke," she whispered. "I do. And I appreciate it. Sage knows I appreciate your desire to protect those you care about. How I respect how much you care about not being a failure. But Sasuke you can't show any of those things if you die here. Please Sasuke, I'm begging you. Go home."
Sasuke bit his lip harder, his eyes snapping between Sakura and the confused Nagato that was looking at the battlefield. The man was clearly vulnerable mentally. If there was any chance they'd have to kill him this was the moment. But when he looked across the battlefield his anger was quelled. He saw Sakura's desperation written in blood. Sai's headless body. Kuromaru, his neck snapped from the impact with the ground. Shikamaru, blood still leaving his dead body. Tsume bleeding out before them, barely clinging to life. It was just them. Words rang out in his head.
"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."
Sasuke grit his teeth. What was abandoning his comrades here? Leaving Sakura as a political prisoner? Or leading them all into their deaths by attacking the Amekage right now?
He roared; his eyes squeezed shut as he screamed his frustration into the void. He looked at Sakura, anger clear on his face.
"I'll come back for you. I promise."
"I know."
Sasuke turned, sprinting over to the corpses on the battlefield, quickly beginning to seal them. Sakura took the opportunity to go to Tsume, pulling the rod out and beginning to heal her. Her eyes snapped up and fear flickered in her body as she saw Nagato standing above her. It drained rather quickly when she saw his eyes. They were not hard like before.
They were...fragile?
"Will she make it?"
Sakura was almost too stunned to respond to the question. He killed half of their team and put Tsume in this condition and he was asking if she would live? He had audacity.
"Yes," she mentioned. "I got to her in time. A wound like this is well within my skillset to heal, even delayed."
"That's good," Nagato whispered. He continued to look around the battlefield, his eyes not stopping to look at any particular thing but he looked, nonetheless.
Dead bodies. Wounded shinobi. This was what he had caused? This was the violence he had brought out because someone had threatened his son. It was just like what he had done when the Sunagakure kunoichi had threatened Yahiko and Konan. He had just been so angry...he had simply acted. He didn't need to do this. He knew how strong the shinobi were. He could have defeated them all without killing them. Why had he done this? To send a message to Konoha? To protect his son who was already safe with Konan and Karin? To punish the people who had dared kidnap his son?
What was the reason?
This was not what Jiraiya had taught him. He hadn't taught him to hate. He had taught him to protect those he cared about. He had done that. So...why? He was ripped from his thoughts when Sakura spoke.
"She'll be fine," the kunoichi stated, pulling away from Tsume. "Banged up. Needing of a lot of rest. But she'll live. The sudden stopping of her attack did more damage to hurt than your thrust. Momentum isn't meant to be stopped like that, especially at so small a point. The combined effect would have put her out if I got to her much later than this."
"That's...good to hear."
Sakura picked up Tsume, carrying her over to Sasuke who had finished sealing the corpses of the other Konoha shinobi, Kuromaru included. The Uchiha carefully placed the Inuzuka Clan Head on his back, frowning at Sakura. She smiled gently.
"Go," she whispered.
Sasuke frowned.
"You better not die here."
"If he tries to kill me, I'll be sure to give him a hell of a fight."
Sasuke frowned. Sakura smirked, enveloping the Uchiha in a hug.
"Go Sasuke. Go home. Let them know what happened. And please apologize to Kiba and Shikaku-san for me."
Sasuke frowned, returning the sign of affection. He had known Sakura since they were children. He had grown up with her. If this was the last time they saw each other...
"Stay safe...Sakura. You..."
"Hm?"
Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing. Take care of yourself."
"I always do."
Sasuke turned, and with one last glance at Sakura, took off towards Konohagakure. Sakura turned, somewhat expecting Nagato to try and kill her only for the man to be looking at the ground.
"So uh," Sakura began. "I guess I'm your prisoner?"
Nagato frowned.
Konohamaru sighed as he finally cut Naruto off. The blonde stepped backwards, a frown on his face. Naruto frowned in response.
"You run fast even with no chakra. Gotta admit that's impressive."
"And you are just as persistent as I remember."
"I wonder who could be responsible for that."
Naruto said nothing. He merely stared at Konohamaru. The Sarutobi Clan member stared back. They both knew what would happen here. Konohamaru would take him, and if he tried to resist, he would be beaten. Naruto couldn't fight back, not the cuffs on him.
"I don't suppose you'll just let me leave."
"No," Konohamaru stated, walking forwards. "No chance."
Naruto frowned, faking to his right before dashing to his left only for Konohamaru to grab him.
"Really?"
Naruto didn't hesitate, his foot sliding upwards aimed at Konohamaru's face. The Konoha shinobi effortlessly weaved the attack, tripping Naruto and smashing him into the ground in response. He placed his knee on the blonde's chest, a look of disgust on his face.
"You're that desperate that you're going to fight fruitlessly against me? You have no chakra. You can't hope to escape me. The smart play would be to not piss me off."
"Well, one can never say I always did the smart play now can you," Naruto grunted, swinging his leg upwards so his feet impacted with the back of Konohamaru's head. The blow forced Konohamaru's head forwards, but it didn't hurt. Without chakra to back it up there wasn't much any regular civilian, or a shinobi with their chakra suppressed, could do to actually hurt him. The blow did more to make him angry. Konohamaru snarled, picking Naruto up with both his hands, holding him aloft in the air.
"You're a piece of trash you know that! Fighting so helplessly for for your own freedom. Running from your responsibilities even now huh?"
"If that's what you call it."
Konohamaru growled.
"What would you call it then hm?"
"Grieving."
Konohamaru's eyes narrowed. Something foul bubbled inside him.
"Grieving?"
Naruto nodded as of it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes. Grieving. I was grieving the death of Hinata. Of Jiraiya. Grieving the death of my world."
"Your world," Konohamaru whispered. The words felt like poison on his tongue. He wanted to spit it out, to cleanse himself of such a filthy idea. "Was that all your world was made of? Hinata-nee and Jiraiya-sensei?"
"Konohamaru," Naruto said, a sad look on his face. "I understand that I've hurt you. But my godfather died. And then my wife and my unborn child did. I...I couldn't keep fighting at that point. It was too much. You say I fight in hopeless situations. That's not true. I didn't fight then. I didn't fight when I had already lost."
"And what about me!"
Naruto was silent.
"What about everyone else? I was supposed to be your brother, right? You couldn't have come to me. You think I didn't feel your pain when Jiraiya died? When Hinata died? You think Asuma-oji didn't? Kakashi-sensei? Sasuke? Sakura? Hanabi? Jiji? We all felt your pain. We all understood how you were feeling. We all lost someone. But only one of us ran from their responsibility."
"Responsibility to what," Naruto muttered. "The war effort? The same war effort that had taken my family?"
"The war effort that gave you a place to live!"
Konohamaru shook his head in disgust at the Uzumaki. "The one your parents fought for, to make sure Konoha was a place where you could live peacefully. The one Jiji fought for to protect our village from invaders. The one we fought for, to carry the responsibilities of our ancestors. When Kiri sent the Kekkei Genkai squad to invade Konoha you were the first one to stand ready to fight them. You led Konoha shinobi to a victory against overwhelming odds. The war effort we believed in."
"We were wrong!"
Konohamaru dropped Naruto, surprised at the level of intensity coming from his voice.
"We were wrong," Naruto repeated. "What did that war effort ever bring us? My parents? Dead. Hiruzen? Dead. Your father? Dead. Jiraiya? Hinata? Dead. Sasuke's uncle Shisui? Tortured. He lost an eye Konohamaru. What did we gain from those wars? Not happiness. Not joy. The wars just took and took and took until I had nothing left for them to take!"
"So, what you leave? The war goes on. The war doesn't care about you or me or anything else. You leave and who defends Konoha? Everyone else has to take up the mantle of superhero because the one everyone thought they could rely on leaves."
"That's just it!" Naruto exclaimed passionately. "Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. The more I accomplished in the war the harder it became. The more I defended Konoha, the more I fought to save more of my countrymen, the more responsibility was thrust on my shoulders. The burden just kept getting heavier and heavier. You need a foundation to support that weight."
"What about me?" Konohamaru cried out. Tears were in his eyes now. "Was I not that foundation? Did I really mean that little to you?"
"Konohamaru...you mean so much to me. I grew up with you. I don't have a blood brother...but if I did, I imagine it would be something like you."
"Then why did you leave!"
Naruto was silent.
"If I was truly like your brother why leave? What about me was so awful that I couldn't be there to support you?"
"...Nothing."
Konohamaru snapped. He roared, his fist whipping forwards like lightning and cracking into Naruto's jaw like thunder. The blonde flew to the ground, blood spitting from his mouth. Konohamaru didn't stop, getting into top mount. He snarled down at the Uzumaki.
"No!"
Another blow cratered down, snapping across Naruto's jaw.
"You don't get to say that!"
Another blow.
"Do you know what you put us through? All of us in your selfishness? We had to bear that weight. Jiji was the kage, but you were stronger. He had to go to the Suna front and fight the Jinchuriki. Kakashi-sensei stepped down from leading ANBU so that Konoha could have another known detterrant on a front of the war. I had to step up and trailblaze in your stead. To prove myself to be the next in line to become Hokage. To become Konoha's boogeyman because you weren't there. All of us had to step in. To carry the weight that you were too selfish to carry."
Tears dripped down Konohamaru's face.
"And some of us couldn't carry that weight."
The knowledge of Hiruzen's death sat with both of them.
"And that's on you," Konohamaru finished. "That's all on you. Neji being shunned by Hiashi is on you. Hanabi no longer talking to anyone is on you. Jiji being dead is on you."
Naruto was silent, a frown on his face. Konohamaru stood up, spitting on the ground next to the Uzumaki. He stepped off of him, throwing his arms out in frustration.
"It's a lie anyway," Konohamaru began. "You weren't grieving. Maybe in the beginning, sure. But what's this? Living in Amegakure? Who's the kid? What is all of this to you? You ran from Konoha just so you could go life in another village?"
Konohamaru turned to look at Naruto.
"You disgust me. You stand against everything Jiji taught us about the Will of Fire. About responsibility to your countrymen. About protecting those you love. Or maybe you never loved us. Would make it easy to run away."
"You're wrong."
"Hm? Didn't quite hear you."
"I sa-"
Naruto didn't get a chance to finish the sentence as Konohamaru kicked him. Naruto wheezed, blood spitting from his mouth again. Konohamaru's eyes glowed with rage.
"Say it again."
Konohamaru stomped on his chest, causing the blonde to wheeze.
"I said, say it again."
Naruto coughed, but his determination was as strong as ever. His looked Konohamaru in the eyes.
"I said, you're wrong."
Konohamaru stomped on his chest repeatedly, blood from Naruto's coughs beginning to decorate his boots and pants.
"Wrong," the Sarutobi Clan member chanted. He repeated it as if it was a religious phrase. As if it was the only word in the entire language. As if it meant the difference between life and death itself.
"I am not wrong!"
Naruto wheezed as the final stomp impacted with his chest. His ribs were broken. He knew that. Blood trickled down from his mouth, but his eyes maintained the same defiance from before. Konohamaru stepped backwards in shock.
"No...you are," Naruto wheezed. The blonde slowly began to stand to his feet. "Not about me running. You're right about that. I was grieving, and I ran from the responsibility of Konoha. From the responsibility of war. From the responsibility of defending my friends and family. I didn't even stop to think about how it would impact anyone else. I was selfish. You're right about that. But that is all you're right about. Kakashi-sensei made his choice. He was the one who chose to join the war under his public name. Hanabi was the one who chose to isolate herself from everyone. Hiashi was the one who chose to shun Neji. You were the one who chose to carry my mantle. And...jiji...the old man...he was the one who chose to fight. He knew the risks. They all knew that their actions had consequences. Even you. You can't blame me for that."
Naruto was standing now, staring at Konohamaru defiantly, despite holding his ribs. "Jiji was the person who allowed me to leave. If anyone knew how I felt it was him. Biwako died. Jiraiya, his student, was dead. Tsunade...she was broken. He had to bury his own child. The old man knew. He knew how I felt. He had gone through it himself. He chose to sacrifice more and more of himself for the village. And I respect him so much for that. But he knew that I couldn't. And he knew that that would mean Konoha wouldn't have its Jinchuriki. He knew that that would mean Konoha wouldn't have its boogeyman. And he did it without hesitating. Because that's the type of man he was. He knew what sacrifice was. And he sacrificed again for me. He shouldn't have. He was too old. Too weak at his age. He had earned the right to be one of the few shinobi to die of old age and not in the battlefield. But I took that from. Because I was selfish. And he didn't care because he loved me that much. He sacrificed one more time, of his own free will, and joined the fight."
Naruto shook his head.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when he died. Truly I am. He was closest thing I've had to a grandfather. He took me in and raised me as if I was his own. And I know how much I've hurt you. How much I've hurt everyone. So, you can blame me for leaving. But you can't blame me for the choices everyone made in response."
Konohamaru bit his lip. Blood trailed down his mouth from the pressure, the liquid boiling against his skin. His rage was overwhelming.
"How easy for you to say," Konohamaru spat. "Just say you're sorry and it becomes all better! Please, we're not kids anymore! You didn't have to see him buried! Or rather, not see him buried."
Naruto was taken aback.
"What?"
"Yeah, that's right," Konohamaru stated. "The Ichibi Jinchuriki has this sick little habit of crushing the bodies of his victims into pulp. He crushed Jiji, over and over and over again. Until nothing remained but a smear in the sand, and then it swallowed that up with more sand. We couldn't even get a body back. That's the sendoff he got. Not one surrounded by friends and family. On a bed. With flowers. Of old age. With a smile on his face. Beaten, no, tortured to death by a psychopath. That is the death you condemned him to."
Naruto wanted to stare at the ground. Hiruzen...he had been killed like that? That...he didn't deserve that. He deserved better.
"Yeah, reality has a harsh way of crushing those nice words you like to use huh Naruto? It's so easy to say they chose that action and ignore the role you played. Especially when you don't have to see the consequences. Like Danzo becoming Hokage. That was your position to take when Hiruzen passed it down. But you weren't there. And Danzo was. The village has never been the same since."
Konohamaru pointed at the blonde.
"So don't you dare lecture me about choice. You made yours. You didn't give a damn what choice anyone else made."
Naruto bit his lip, shaking his head.
"I...that is awful. But...it's still true Konohamaru. Hiruzen chose his fate."
Konohamaru's eyes lit up with rage and he shot forwards. He smashed into Naruto, the two falling to the ground in a pile of limbs. Konohamaru swung out his fist, the blow smashing against Naruto's face. He quickly got on top of him and let loose. Punch after punch smashed against Naruto's body.
"Who do you think you are?"
Punch.
"You leave the village!"
Punch.
"Don't even give us the courtesy of saying goodbye!"
Punch.
"Don't write. Don't tell us where you went. Just a note saying, 'I'll be gone for a while.' What the hell is that!"
Punch.
"And then the next time we see you you're in Amegakure, living it up with your new family? Did we really mean that little to you!"
Punch.
"Saying jiji had a choice? You left him no choice!"
Punch.
"I can't believe," Konohamaru whispered, losing the energy to keep beating his surrogate brother.
"I can't believe I used to call you, my hero."
Naruto's eyes remained on Konohamaru's. His face was a mismash of colors. He would need time to heal from the beating he was receiving. But he wouldn't stop just because he was being beaten.
"I'm sorry," Naruto stated. "But I couldn't be a hero. Not anymore. The hero in me died. The villain won my story."
Something in Konohamaru snapped. He drew a kunai, his eyes digging into Naruto's. Naruto's dug right back. Naruto didn't stop.
"I didn't choose Amegakure," Naruto stated. "They brought me here. And I learned...I learned that I wasn't as alone as I thought. As defeated as I thought. I know it's not fair. It's not right Konohamaru. But they saved me from myself. I was a dead man. They brought me back. I couldn't let them be taken into that world...not unless they chose to. Because they saved me from myself, they rescued me from my loneliness. That's why I couldn't let you take Ashino. That's why I chose to stay. To be something more than what I was. Not a shinobi anymore. To be..."
Konohamaru's eyes burned, but not with rage. With sadness. He felt tears well up behind his eyes.
"Say it."
Naruto looked at Konohamaru. The man he considered his surrogate brother. No. The man he considered his brother.
"To finally be a part of a family."
Tears burst from Konohamaru's face despite the rigidity of his face. He stared down at Naruto. Naruto stared back. He knew what he had done. Konohamaru knew too. The man raised his kunai.
"So, we weren't family..."
Naruto shook his head.
"You were. You are. But despite how wrong it was I couldn't return. Because...because I was running. Running from the past. I'm still running. But I'm learning not to. I can't forget what happened when serving Konoha. I can never go back there again. The wound may heal, but the scar will always be there."
Naruto stared deep into Konohamaru's eyes.
"But how can I keep moving forward if I keep regretting the past? I've failed Konohamaru. I've failed more times than I can count. I know I was your hero. I know I failed at that. I failed you. But I had to stop pitying myself. Because when you pity yourself, life becomes an endless nightmare. So do it Konohamaru. I am truly sorry for how I failed you. But I cannot change the past. So, if I die here, I die here."
Naruto smiled upwards at the man. Tears began to trickle down his face.
"Besides? Could I ask for a better death? Dying at the hands of my brother...my old family meeting my new family. If only I could have gotten you all to interact for just one moment."
Naruto's voice began to shake, but he also began to laugh.
"I'm sorry I failed you Konohamaru. I wish I could have done better by you. I wish you could have met Ashino. Or Nagato. They would have loved to meet you before all this. Fuka would have loved to meet you. Would have welcomed you into the family. Karin would think of you as an annoying little brother. But I ruined all that. Because of my selfishness. So do what you feel you need to do to punish this terrible older brother. But always remember this..."
The tears kept flowing, from both shinobi. Naruto smiled. The sky above began to part, the rain ending and the beginnings of rays of light peering down on the duo.
"I never stopped loving you."
Konohamaru's eyes twitched, and he plunged the kunai downwards. The blade landed, smashing into the ground next to Naruto's head. Konohamaru was panting, frustration on his face. He screamed, a loud, anguished noise. It wailed like a banshee. It was a pathetic thing. The voice of someone letting out all of their frustration and rage.
"You," Konohamaru whispered. "You deserve worse. You deserve so much worse. But..."
Konohamaru met Naruto's eyes, tears and an emotion he had refused to recognize for a long time in them.
Love.
"But I can't bring myself to kill you."
Konohamaru shook his head. He stood up, stepping away from Naruto. He looked at the broken and defeated body of the blonde on the ground. He had him right where he wanted him. He was easy to kill or take to Konoha in this condition. But he just...he couldn't do it. Something inside of him rejected the very idea of it.
"I don't know why. It goes against orders. But...I can't. I can't bring you in."
The image of his grandfather appeared in his head.
"Jiji let you go," Konohamaru stated. His eyes dropped. "Jiji knew that the only right way for you to come home would be for you to come yourself."
Konohamaru wanted to laugh.
"And yet here I am trying to pull you back. I guess you're not the only one who forgot what he taught us."
"That's the beauty and horror of growing up," Naruto stated. "We make mistakes...but we get to grow from them."
Konohamaru nodded, looking at the blonde. He still wasn't happy with him. Rage still existed in him towards Naruto. Wounds didn't heal that quickly. But he couldn't...he couldn't just kill him. He couldn't take him in either. He needed time.
"This...Uzumaki Clan..." Konohamaru stated. "Will they take care of you?"
"Yes," Naruto stated.
Konohamaru nodded. "Good. I...I need time to think."
Naruto smiled, rising to sit. "I think we both do."
The two grandsons of Hiruzen Sarutobi sat there, millions of thoughts running through their minds. They were absorbed in their world. So absorbed they didn't see their company approach.
"What do we have here?"
Konohamaru looked up to see the voice, his eyes widening as he saw Nagato standing there, Sakura at his side. Next to him stood another man who he did not recognize, the redheaded woman from before, and a blue man. If he knew his bingo book correctly it was Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Nagato," Naruto ground out.
"Are you okay Naruto?"
"I'm fine."
"Sure as shit don't look it," Yahiko muttered. His eyes settled on Konohamaru.
"Is this the shit stain that invaded Ame? I can kill him."
"Not if I do it first," Kisame stated, grabbing Samehada.
"No."
Both Yahiko and Kisame were given pause by Naruto's words. The blonde slowly got up, standing in front of Konohamaru. He threw his arms at protectively.
"No one will harm him."
"What," Kisame stated. "He attacked us!"
"He invaded Ame! And took Ashino," Yahiko cried out. "There's no way we can forgive him for that!"
Nagato was silent, his eyes trained on Naruto. Naruto met his eyes.
"I know. Just like he told me...he deserves worse. Much worse. But I can't simply let you kill him. The thing I wished for...solitude. It destroyed my whole family. My friends. I brought all this suffering down on everyone here because I thought selfishly. If there's anyone here who deserves to be punished, it's me. I'm the one who brought all this suffering down on all of us. He made his choice that's true. But just this once, just this once, let me bear the responsibility of it."
Naruto slowly limped over to stand in front of Nagato. The man stared back.
"You told me when I came to the village this was my opportunity to change. To fight not to kill, but to protect. That I could be someone different from who I was. Give me that chance. I've been a horrible brother to him Nagato. Please, let me do one thing right."
Nagato's eyes turned to Konohamaru. This man...he meant something to Naruto. He meant quite a bit. He had invaded the village. From the mission orders he had given when the battle initially began it was clear that he was the true leader of the mission and not the Nara he had fought. Which meant that it was likely his idea to kidnap Ashino.
But here Naruto stood protecting him. Just like he had protected Ashino from the Konoha forces.
Nagato saw the dead bodies on the ground in Ame. He remembered Jiraiya's words. He could not bear to see more hate created this day.
"Let him go," Nagato stated.
"Nagato!"
"Oi, there's no way you're thinking that!"
"Enough," Nagato cried out. Yahiko and Kisame piped down at that, clearly unhappy with the decision. The man looked back at Konohamaru. Your friends," Nagato stated. "The Nara Clan member. The ninken. The...painter. They are dead."
Konohamaru's eyes widened at the news.
"Shikamaru...Sai...Kuromaru..."
Naruto's eyes widened at that as well, his head falling to the ground.
"Shikamaru," he whispered. He bit his lip in frustration but nodded. Konohamaru did as well.
"Sakura Haruno," Nagato continued. "Is our prisoner, the same as you attempted to make Ashino. We will not abuse her. Do you find this acceptable?"
Konohamaru frowned. He wanted to scream out in frustration. His own rage had led his squadmates to their deaths. And for what? For petty revenge he hadn't even carried out? For a mission that was an absolute failure? What had been the point? His own anger had clouded him, and this was the result. It just reinforced it.
He was a failure.
"Yes," he whispered, defeated. "Your terms are acceptable."
Nagato nodded.
"Then you may leave. Unimpeded through the rest of Rain's territory until you reach the border. I promise you no harm will come to you."
"Nagato I must disagree," Yahiko stated, persisting. "He invaded Ame. Kidnapped Ashino. He deserves some punishment."
"Naruto is saving his brother's life," Nagato stated. "Just like he saved Ashino's."
Nagato looked hard at Naruto. The two understood one another. They both heard Jiraiya when he spoke next.
"I believe that is always the right thing to do."
Naruto nodded his appreciation. Nagato nodded back. He turned to look at Kisame and Yahiko.
"Am I clear?"
They nodded.
Karin stared at Konohamaru, a frown on her face. Konohamaru felt the intensity of her gaze, looking at the woman.
'His chakra,' she thought. 'It's conflicted. A storm. But there is warmth in it...buried deep.'
She turned her head. Konohamaru turned to look at Sakura, a small smile coming to his face.
"I'm sorry Sakura."
"Don't apologize," she stated. "I have full faith in you Konohamaru."
"But I caused all of this."
"And you will own up to it," Sakura stated. "Naruto being alive is proof of that."
Konohamaru's eyes widened. Sakura smiled.
"So, go. Go home. Heal. Grow. For the first time in a long time, it looks like the Konohamaru that I saw growing up is back."
The Haruno smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Now if only you'd stop beating yourself up all the time."
Tears fell from Konohamaru's face. He embraced the woman, his tears wetting her already wet clothes.
"I'll come back for you. I swear it."
"Mhm," she murmured. "Only after you've had time to focus on yourself."
Konohamaru nodded. He separated from the hug. With one last look at the forces before him he slowly began to walk by the Ame forces, heading in the direction of Konoha. He stopped to glance back at Naruto.
"Don't abandon them."
Naruto placed his hand on his heart.
"I won't."
Konohamaru nodded. He turned to look at Sakura. She smiled at him. A reassuring smile. She was strong. She would get through this. She had to. With that he retreated, heading back to Konohagakure.
A failure.
Hey! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Tell me what you thought! If I can be brutally honest, I had this chapter pretty much already written. Did some light polish, but...I'm not entirely satisfied with it?
The scene with Konohamaru just feels like it needs more work. I love it up to a point...and then it kinda falls flat I feel. I may go back and rewrite it, but it would really just be minor edits to make it feel better. If I do I'll let y'all know so you can go back and read it but that's really it.
Couple things I want to address from the reviews.
Guys the story isn't about Naruto being super strong haha :). It's about something way different than that. Naruto being strong matters (this is still a shonen after all), but that's not the central building block of this story. Also, just in case anyone didn't catch it, the reason Nagato was unaware of the Konoha forces was because he didn't have his sensory jutsu active. The Ukojizai no Jutsu (Rain Tiger At Will Technique) (yes that is it's official name) is the rain he activates and it was sunny when Ashino was out with Naruto.
Some of your predictions/suggestions were interesting too! Taking Sasuke's eye (or killing him) was really tempting. It would have made me have to rewrite a lot, and also was not at all what I had planned for him but I do think the idea is interesting. I may play around with the idea in the future who knows. Also, a lot of you wanted a lot of people to die. I hope this satisfies you for now. I already knew who was gonna die in this arc (fun fact I originally was gonna have Ino go on the mission too and she was going to die. But I have other things I have planned out I want to use her for). You guys were right, there was really no way everybody was getting out of that alive.
But similarly, this Nagato isn't Pain. He doesn't view himself as God. He isn't the type of person to go around killing people. And that can be seen. He...hurts when he realizes what he's done. Murder isn't who he is. That's not what he was trained in. He is a capable murderer if need be, as can be seen. But he isn't a murderer. He was never going to kill everyone.
It does suck Shikamaru is dead though. He's really grown on me as a character throughout all of Naruto over the years. I really didn't want to kill him, but he serves a greater purpose to me dead than alive. Alas, the life of some characters.
Please let me know what you guys think! Review review review! (The reviews did motivate me to polish this faster than I normally did so you guys directly impact my writing cycle).
P.S. Thank you guys so much for the reviews from last chapter! It was the most reviewed chapter! I'm happy you all had thoughts, even the ones that didn't like it. Really I do appreciate it. Means a lot. Hope you guys enjoy where the story goes.