Chapter 14: Whispers in the Woods
The forest loomed dense and shadowed, trees clawing at the sky with gnarled branches, their leaves rustling in a restless breeze. A serene lake shimmered nearby, its surface a mirror of silver under the fractured daylight, rippling faintly with the wind's caress. The air carried the scent of damp earth and pine, a deceptive calm shattered by the chaos unfolding within the clearing.
Zabuza Momochi lay sprawled against a tree, his breaths ragged and wet, blood seeping from gashes carved by Kakashi's kunai. His executioner's blade rested uselessly beside him, its edge dulled by the clash. Kakashi Hatake knelt a few paces away, his vest torn, shoulder and thigh pierced by paper kunai that gleamed with an eerie sheen. His Sharingan flickered, dimming under exhaustion, as he gripped a kunai in a trembling hand. Above, Konan descended, a celestial specter, her paper wings unfurling with a soft, menacing rustle, amber eyes glinting like twin flames through the gloom.
Team 7 stood amidst the carnage, Naruto's fists clenched tight, his orange jacket streaked with dirt, Sakura's breath hitching, green eyes wide with terror, Sasuke's gaze sharp, as he tracked the threat. Tazuna huddled behind them, his hat askew, sweat glistening on his weathered face. The clearing pulsed with danger, a heartbeat of violence poised to erupt.
A voice sliced through the tension, sharp, silken, laced with a devil's mirth. "How troublesome."
All eyes turned. From the shadowed treeline emerged Vergil Sparda, his blue coat billowing like a storm's vanguard, silver hair catching the glow like a halo of frost. Yamato rested at his hip, its scabbard a quiet promise of ruin. He crossed his arms, a smirk curling his lips, amused, predatory, untouchable.
Konan's wings stilled mid-flutter, her gaze locking onto him with hawk-like precision. Her voice rang out, soft yet edged with steel, a velvet glove over a clawed fist. ""Vergil Sparda… I have heard tales of your strength," Konan's voice was cool, sharp, like the slicing edge of a blade. "Humiliating Konoha's elite ANBU and even Kakashi Hatake himself.
Vergil's smirk widened, a flicker of delight dancing in his icy blue eyes. "Praise from an angel? I might blush."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed"So this is the guy everyone's talking about, he thought, a tangle of curiosity and scorn twisting within. Some outsider swaggering into our fight like he owns it. His fingers brushed his kunai pouch, instinct warring with restraint.
Zabuza coughed, blood flecking his lips as he glared from the ground. This brat defeated Kakashi? The notion stung, a bitter splinter in the Demon of the Mist's pride. His hand twitched toward his blade, strength ebbing but defiance unbowed.
"No doubt these tales slithered to you from your legendary spymaster, Zetsu," Vergil mused, his tone light but cutting, as if he'd plucked a secret from the shadows and dangled it before her with casual glee.
Konan's composure cracked, a fleeting widening of her amber eyes, a sharp breath masked by the rustle of her paper wings. Zetsu? How does he know of him? Her mind churned, a storm of suspicion and calculation raging behind her stoic mask. This man's knowledge is a blade too sharp, too perilous to let linger.
"I know all about your organization, the Akatsuki," Vergil said, his voice rolling with effortless menace, each word a stone cast into still waters, rippling with unspoken threat.
Konan's gaze darkened, her wings shifting, a subtle, predatory ripple. He knows too much, she thought, resolve hardening into a silent oath. This devil's tongue will be stilled.
He rambled on, unperturbed, his smirk a constant barb. "If I hadn't sauntered in to play the savior, you'd have snatched the brat," he flicked a glance at Naruto, "and left this sorry crew bleeding into the dirt. Lucky for them, I'm in a generous mood."
Naruto's head jerked up, confusion flashing across his face. "Huh?! Why'd she want me?!" His voice cracked with defiance and dread, blue eyes darting between Vergil and Konan.
Sakura's hands twisted together, her voice trembling. "What's he mean, Sensei?" She glanced at Kakashi, then back at Vergil, her green eyes wide with fear and confusion. Sasuke's jaw clenched, his mind echoing the same question, What's Naruto got to do with her? his Sharingan flickering as he pieced together shadows of a larger game.
"The same reason the villagers despise your existence, brat," Vergil answered, his tone a blade's edge, blunt and unsparing, cutting through Naruto's thoughts with ruthless clarity.
Naruto flinched, his fists trembling harder. Despise me… because of the fox? The realization slammed into him, half-formed, jagged, a wound he'd always felt but never named. His breath quickened, anger and pain swirling in his chest like a storm.
Kakashi's single eye narrowed, his mind racing despite the haze of exhaustion. The Nine-Tails… Akatsuki's after the jinchūriki. But Vergil, how far does his knowledge stretch? His grip on the kunai faltered, blood dripping onto the forest floor as he fought to stay upright.
Vergil's gaze shifted, landing on Sasuke with a glint of wicked amusement. "You, brooding one, your older brother's a pal of hers." He nodded toward Konan, his smirk teasing the brink of a taunt.
Sasuke's breath stopped, his Sharingan flaring crimson, a wildfire of rage igniting in an instant. Itachi. The name roared through his mind, a scar ripped open with brutal precision. His hands clenched, nails biting into his palms as fury surged, hot, blinding, all-consuming. "What did you say?!" he snarled, voice trembling with venom. He lunged a step toward Konan, eyes blazing. "Where is he?! Where's Itachi?!"
Konan remained silent, her expression an unreadable mask, stone carved by grief and rain. Her wings rustled faintly, a whisper of disdain for his anguish.
Vergil chuckled, a low, velvet sound that danced on the edge of mockery. "Enough chit-chat." His tone darkened, eyes flashing with lethal promise as he swept his gaze across the group. "If you don't want to die, get out of my way. I've got a date with God's angel here, and I'd rather not keep her waiting."
Kakashi gritted his teeth, pain searing through his limbs as he forced himself to his feet. Blood soaked his vest, his vision swimming, but his voice rang out, hoarse yet commanding. "Team 7, Tazuna, retreat! Now!" His Sharingan flared one last time, a flicker of steel in his faltering frame.
Sasuke lingered, his glare searing into Konan, a silent vow etched in crimson fury. I'll find you, Itachi. Through her, through anyone. With a final, guttural snarl, he turned, ushering Naruto and Sakura as they hustled Tazuna back toward the treeline, their footsteps crunching on fallen leaves.
From the shadows, Haku emerged, swift and silent, his mask glinting as he knelt beside Zabuza. Ice shimmered faintly around his hands as he moved to lift the wounded swordsman. Before they could fade into the dusk, Vergil's voice cut through, cool and resonant.
"Rest up, Zabuza. Heal those wounds." His smirk returned, a devil's wager in his eyes. "Our clash is coming, Demon versus Devil. Don't let me down."
Zabuza's lips twitched, a rough chuckle rasping from his chest despite the blood pooling beneath him. "Only if you make it out of this alive, brat." His grin was feral, accepting the challenge with a swordsman's pride as Haku spirited him away, their forms swallowed by the forest's embrace.
The clearing fell silent, save for the rustle of leaves and the distant ripple of the lake. Vergil turned, slow and deliberate, his coat swaying like a storm's prelude. His gaze locked onto Konan, the air crackling with unspoken violence, a tempest poised to break.
"Let's settle this," he said, voice dropping to a silken growl, each word a spark igniting the tension. "A test of might, whose strength reigns supreme? The crippled God's angel…" His smirk sharpened, venom dripping from the words as he struck at her core. "…or this handsome devil?"
Konan's mask shattered. Rage erupted in her amber eyes, a blazing inferno behind her stoic facade. Crippled God?!The insult seared her soul, blasphemy against Nagato, her light, her purpose, mocked by this insolent devil. Her wings snapped wide, paper spiraling around her in a furious maelstrom, edges glinting like a thousand blades. How dare he?! she raged inwardly, her killing intent a tangible force, sharp, unyielding, a vow to crush this heretic where he stood.
Vergil's smirk held, unshaken, as Yamato gleamed in his grip. The forest trembled, the lake's surface rippled, and the clash of devil and angel loomed, a dance of death ready to ignite.