Chapter XIII: An Angel
Gaara slowly walks toward Konan's immobile body, raising an arm in the air. The blue-haired kunoichi writhes as her assailant manipulates the sand encasing her to levitate, rising up in the air. It stops when it was up in the sky, a few grains of the sand falling to the ground. Konan grits her teeth harder as she looks down at Gaara, struggling to even wiggle a toe.
Damnit, at a time like this?! If I don't act soon, Nagato is going to...!
"Sorry, but I can't allow you to hurt any more of my comrades. I'll be the one ending you right here," the Kazekage bluntly tells her. He then clenches his hand into a tight fist, further manipulating the sand around Konan's body.
"Sand Burial!"
The sand suddenly implodes with tremendous force. Konan lets out a pained shout as she feels her own bones snapping like twigs. Some of her blood splatters against the sand and leaks down to the ground. Gaara scoffs before lowering his arm, which causes the sand around the woman's body to return to his gourd.
Falling out of the sky, a fair amount of paper forms from Konan's body, before a clone of herself is created out of it. Gaara gasps as the clone quickly wraps around his body. His emerald eyes widen as he immediately notices the lit paper explosive tag placed on its chest.
"Stay out of my way," the clone growls. A sudden explosion then engulfs the clone and Gaara, causing the former to disintegrate and greatly injuring the latter. Konan's real body crashes onto the ground in a wounded and bloody heap.
I can't move at all, she thinks. My entire body was crushed by that jutsu.
A new cloaked individual then makes their presence known, stepping next to her body. He lowers his hood, silently looking down at her. Konan takes a moment to look up, peering back into the intimidating blue eyes of the man with long, flowing blonde hair. His ocean-coloured eyes glisten in the light. His cloak, identical to the one Konan and Nagato wore earlier, was only zipped about halfway. His free hand, wrapped in fabric tape, calmly rests on his hip.
"I suppose it was too much to ask you to take Itachi down," the man sighs out. Konan slightly frowns at the sarcastic male.
"Hikari... why are you-"
"Lord Gyatsō gave me a task to complete here as well. I was just finishing up. But, since you and Nagato can't do your own, I'll handle it," the man named Hikari replies. He then walks to Itachi with his eyes closed. The Uchiha retracts his Mangekyou Sharingan, before even his base Sharingan deactivates. His onyx-coloured eyes inspects Hikari closely.
"And just who may you be?" Itachi asks.
Hikari unzips his dark cloak the rest of the way, revealing a large pouch strapped to his waist.
"My name is Hikari Notori, and I am a member of the Hidden Dark's Osore. My leader has plans for you, Itachi Uchiha. As such, I won't waste any time in dealing with you. Your defeat will be in an instant," Hikari replies, slowly opening his eyes. Itachi grits his teeth, taking out a kunai.
So, he's another one of Gyatsō's followers... I'll have to eliminate him as well. But first, I'll have to find a way to extract information out of him. He mentioned a Hidden Dark... a new nation? he thinks. He then rushes forward, raising the knife in his hand.
Hikari also bolts forward. Itachi performs multiple hand signs before putting a hand in front of his mouth, cupping his lips.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The black-haired ninja blows out a large fireball that rushes towards Hikari. His blonde assailant chuckles to himself as he, too, performs strange hand signs. Itachi studies his assailant's hands in confusion, having never seen such unique signs before.
And now, Hikari thinks, Speed Style Teleportation.
A mysterious yellow aura suddenly engulfs Hikari's body before he completely disappears from sight.
"What?!" gasps Itachi.
Itachi's eyes then widen as a reappearing Hikari jabs a long needle deep into his neck. The Uchiha clan member's vision quickly fades to darkness, and he falls to his knees, staring at the ground with sheer disbelief.
It's not possible!he thinks. I didn't even sense his chakra...!
When Itachi's face smashes into the ground, he was already unconscious. Hikari stands over Itachi's body with a smirk on his face.
"You underestimated one of Lord Gyatsō's best and brightest. Now look at you," he says. He then looks over to Konan before suddenly appearing above her.
"Mission complete," he says.
"Are you leaving?" Konan asks him with a faint voice, blood still leaking out of her body. Hikari takes a step back to avoid the red liquid touching his feet.
"...You want me to take you back to Lord Gyatsō. It's pointless, Konan. You'd be dead by the time we make it back," Hikari replies, emotionlessly brandishing a kunai. Konan could only stare at the soft light reflecting off the blade as tears begin to sting her eyes.
"I... just wanted to see him one more time," Konan says. Hikari nods at her with a gentle smile.
"Believe me, I understand that. And you're suffering through unbearable pain right now, I'm sure of it. I'll end it all here," he says. He then kneels over her, the kunai dangerously hovering above her neck.
"I see... very well," Konan says weakly.
I couldn't save my parents... the original Akatsuki... or my only two friends. Those pains... are far worse... than anything inflicted on me today. I'll see you both soon... Nagato... Yahiko...
"Konan, as a fellow member of the Osore, I humbly thank you for your loyalty towards Lord Gyatsō and the Hidden Dark Nation. We of the Dark shall forever celebrate your contributions. With that, I bid you farewell. May we meet again in the afterlife."
Hikari then closes his eyes.
Shnk!