QOTC

(After watching Deidara's fireworks)

Deidara: Art is fleeting.

Sasori: No, art is a world without an end.

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Chapter 71: I See Fire

Obito had opened the hideout towards six people with three vacant rooms. Deidara had been residing with Sasori, whose room was filled with unspecified works of their desired arts. Hidan and Kakuzu did not have any struggles sleeping with the same door (much to Obito's surprise). All of them were narcoleptic. Konan was tending to Yahiko the whole night, which explained the very dark circles under her eyes.

The latter still hadn't woken up yet.

Obito had seen rare people, who, like Konan, were dedicated to the lives who were taken from them. When Obito first lost Rin, there was hysteria that grew in his mind. An unrestful darkness that grew in him—-not only did he vow for revenge, he slayed a multiple number of people—-until now.

Konan of the Hidden Rain had not changed a bit since he remembered their fateful encounter. It was a rainy night, when all was dark and the clouds were weeping for the fallen village. Amegakure—-he considered the village cursed due to the fact that a lot of children were orphaned there, and there was a rumor not a single star had out shown in the night. Curiosity hit him knowingly the village was not an open door. What stroke him more was that a place where an endless stream of water even tended to exist.

Obito smirked. Nagato was truly a fascinating Shinobi, for someone who had been worshipped as a God. A part of him may have ached that he didn't make it. Madara had given the Rinnegan to him as a gift and he preserved it as a shepherd, not some wild boar who chased their enemies in ill will.

Obito was smirking as Konan had slipped from her room. She only got out to eat breakfast, which Hotaru had prepared from them all. She was carrying a plate as she went inside Yahiko's room. She did not even dare stare at Obito, who was leaning against the kitchen counter. Of course, people like Konan took pride as high as Ame's skyscrapers. Women like her were really difficult to beguile.

Hotaru looked at him afterwards, a thin brow raised. What? Was Obito's first and uncommon reaction. He had rarely seen Hotaru so involved with his life. Hotaru despised him. He could only picture the kind of pilgarlic he was to her especially when he instantly deleted Gaara's memories of her. Memories that could never be returned.

He lied when he said he could bring the Fifth Kazekage's recollection back—-memories were like stone and pebble attached on a flowing river. When pieces of Gaara's mind have been washed away for so long, it cannot go back to the way it was. Not that Hotaru was already asking for her payment—-she, like Konan, was still dedicated to the people she cared for—-Sasuke, Itachi's terrible little troublemaker.

"Memories are like precious little maps." Obito said to Wakana, when he caught her peeking through Kisame's door. He was clasping a picture of him and Itachi, a picture of him grinning. "I've realized whatever happens, life goes on. In gets so heavy. But nomatter how far you go, you will always go back to the place where you call home. It's where the memories remind you of the pain. Of the past."

"These people have been dreadfully looking back to the past. They wander in the night, travel in the day. They've lost their purpose. Now they seek for new ones, ones that might lead them to the light. You, on the other hand—-I'd like you to find your purpose before you get crushed."

He had taken her hand. Wakana's hand was soft and little. She did not speak anymore, rather kept a still mouth. She was still sleeping next to Sasuke, embracing her like an adorable spoiled sibling. Obito admired Sasuke sometimes—-he admired how he remained calm and strong in front of Kakashi's daughter despite how cracked open his heart was.

Hidan was still sleeping lazily in his bed. Kisame had poured cold water into his head, splashing him like a waterfall. "Rise and shine, religious ass."

Hidan screamed. "Fvck off, Kisame!" He buried his face under a pillow, a hand tangling off in the bed.

Sasori and Deidara looked at each other creepily, a smirk forming out of their faces.

"C1!"

"Iron Sand Drizzle!"

"When will they ever stop," Hotaru mumbled.

Hidan got out wearing his briefs, fire in his eyes. He had chased after Deidara with his scythe. Obito thought Kabuto was the worst roommate ever. Possibly he was wrong.

Dawn has arrived. Obito's plans have begun. He had given Hotaru an order to stay inside the house, an order not by a leader but a friend. He asked why she was still here. She told him she might have considered leaving. Obito managed to smile at her. She may be a pain in the ass before, but not today. She watched after Sasuke the whole morning, and unil the afternoon.

Deidara and the others were already outside. Surprisingly none of them looked hostile. They looked at the morning sun with their eyes in awe, hidden within the periliousnness in their stories.

All of them stood in poise. Konan was up in the air, her wings taking the most beautiful shape of an angel. The Samehada was already attached to Kisame's back, never wanting to travel on a place without his choice of weapon (and pet). The bones of Hidan's face was shading in black, the color of a Death God as he held his scarlett scythe above his shoulder. Four hearts were beating loudly behind Kakuzu's back, filling the silence as if it were their own. Sasori was sitting on his parents' puppets, sadness in his eyes. Zetsu on the other hand—-was standing behind Obito's back as usual.

And what of Deidara?

He looked upwards into the sky with his blue eyes glimmering. Lunging an explosion, he opened his palm to release fire. It bursted into the air, hundreds of his C1 that went out of his palm-mouths and begun to make blasts into the northern wind. It rained down in them—-the little sparks like an angel's tears, an angel weeping mournfully.

"Art is fleeting." Said Deidara.

"No," Sasori corrected. "Art is a world without an end."

"They're ready." White Zetsu whispered to Obito. "Are they?" Black Zetsu inclined, not a smile given. "You don't want to be certain. There are others who are willing to kill you. Dark forces you have awakened. Be certain of who you trust."

"My dear, I don't trust anyone." Obito said, smiling in appreciation. "Clearly you can see what that trust brought me. I trusted Kakashi to keep a friend alive and he couldn't have done it. I was aware for once, that I never should have trusted him. He was always so soft."

Zetsu looked at him as if he hadn't met him. "You were always soft."

"Don't antagonize me. You might as well know, when Madara died, it was yor job to keep me safe. I don't think sharing a bunch of complements at me is going to keep you alive, though." He had already passed him, not an inch of their bodies touching.

Zetsu had known him for years. Decades, as if in a dream. He would never forget how much life he had given him when he was fourteen. Without his cells, Obito couldn't have functioned properly until now. That was a secret only Sakura knew. Being a ninja nowadays is keeping your information clear out of anyone else's hands. If you don't, people would use it against you.

"You speak well." Black Zetsu chuckled. "But it is my mission, too. To bring him back."

Obito halted. He felt like gravity was asking him to turn around. He felt for once, that Zetsu might have had a grip on him—-a grip that came from Madara.

"When Madara had passed his will upon me, it was a gift. Why'd you think there was too of us? White Zetsu's purpose is to make sure you will go to no trouble. Mine on the other hand—-is to reassure that his body will climb back to earth, alive. That is why you are, too. If that mission fails, I cannot assure you my loyalty still belongs to you."

Obito didn't turn around, but he felt, rather than saw, Black Zetsu smirking, the other Zetsu frowning. He wondered what was it like when you were made of two. Two bodies; merged in one soul. Different personalities, same mind.

"My friends, enemies, the Reanimated." Obito started, his voice clean and well-founded. "Do you know-why you are here? Have you ever wondered the reason why you are born in a life of wretchedness and cruelty-a world of perdition where people lived and die? Where were your legacies when Leaf people have stepped upon you like ants? Have you achieved your purpose? Or have you already cut out a habit where in you wake up every morning, wondering what was it like, if you were an ordinary?"

Silence. Hidan was smirking, his scythe perfectly balanced in his bare shoulder. There was a triangle necklace he wore.

"But we are no ordinary. Unlike humans, we aren't spiritless. We were born to slay and abduct tailed beasts because it was what we are meant for—-for greater good. The Nations have branded us as monsters, an organization as an instrument of chaos. I must remind you that Yahiko had recruited all of you to bring peace, and the Nations could not see that. They would never understand the true definition of necessary evil, what it creates. We have been forged down, wanted for our sins, but that, my friends-will not change the fact of who we are—-saviors, fighters, soldiers. We are the Akatsuki! The title Dawn symbolizes the beginning of a new day! A new era that brings light to the darkness that invades this land!"

"I was close to death once. I knew the feeling of being alone; isolated. You could watch the living go on with their lives, while you were stuck at the path of nowhere." Konan was staring at him, those judgy orange eyes. "I am not Yahiko. Neither am I Nagato, the Leader you look up to. But we are a family-and that is the most powerful treasure of all. I promise you: live with our side, and you shall have the most comfortable place in this new Earth. The Eye of the Moon Plan, as my grandfather entrusted me. I challenge you-step forward and let us know that you are willing to go further. Step forward and know that we could gain your trust; a trust that could not be returned once you failed to agree with our terms."

Konan was first to apply. Her wings were submerged by the wind, and she went back in her feet as she stepped forward. Kisame did not straddle, Kakuzu was third, followed by Sasori, as well as Hidan who scratched his head in doldrums. Deidara was last to make his move, as if he was fighting his calmness.

"Very well." Obito said, his palms closed. "Then shall I have you be aware of our next inducement: we shall steal Haruno Sakura of the Hidden Leaf." At the sound of his voice the Akatsuki seemed to murmur. Kabuto was chuckling. "We made a mistake of not having a healer on our group; perhaps it is time to make some changes around here. I will not make the same mistake again as Nagato did. Although I should warn you—-she is with a child. So if we are trying to get our hands on her, best to keep them neatly and carefully. We cannot lose her."

"The Hidden Leaf did not hesitate to crush us. They were the reason all of you have died." He closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were flaring brightly with the Sharingan. "I will not take this risk again. Itachi's death would have been his sickness, and thank Kami his life was still spared, until the day his brother had killed him, of course. Nagato died because he sacrificed himself for the sake of the lives that were lost in Konohagakure! Well, I say it is injustice to shred one blood for a hundred—-people die. Hidan and Kakuzu were elliminated by Hatake Kakashi's men—-Shikamaru Nara. Choji Akamichi. Our troubled Jinchuuriki Naruto. An ANBU who carries the name Yamato. Sasori was murdered by Haruno Sakura because she was forced to."

"All Leaf people carry the mission of putting our organization in extinct. Sasuke's vengeance for the Leaf extended to the point it had driven him mad—-he killed two of our brothers—-Itachi and Deidara. Those two would have survived if it weren't for the existance of this filthy little village. Konan's death points out to me. Did you even know why I did it? Why I ended her life so she would not suffer an eternity of guilt? Leaf men brainwashed her. She lived a life serving the Akatsuki, and she would give that all up—-all for the sake of a young boy's words."

"I cannot stand seeing the rest of you like this; your loyalties seperated. Now is the time to prove your loyalty to me—-to us. Bring legacy to the Akatsuki's name! Let the souls of the dead know that we are back, the Nations set their gates higher that they fear us coming!"

Hidan and Kakuzu were giggling in evil laughter, the smoke rising higher. There was a camp fire they lit last night, as Obito had blown his fireball jutsu upon it. The smoke was towering that it turned the skies grey, and Obito closed his eyes. He could envision death, see angels being chokened upon their halos. Chaos has arrived.

"We will take back what was stolen from us: fame and glory." Obito said, and pointed his finger into right portion that led to a river that was a shortcut to the Land of Fire. "Go now, and make deaths of the Fire country. Kill as many people as you've thirsted, but not this village. There are fates far more worse than death; make them suffer as you have suffered hell!"

The smirks of the Akatsuki have turned into boisterous laughter of death, death and of the worst occurence. They poured outside like ink, six of them taking their own flights with their own choice of weapon. Obito, Kabuto and Zetsu were the only ones left, including the remaining two tombs that were leftovers of the ritual. Soon, the three of them-the Lords of Darkness-vanished.

⍨⍨⍨⍨⍨ ɐɥıɥɔu pɹıɥʇ ǝɥʇ ⍨⍨⍨⍨⍨

DEVILS FROM HELL

"It all seems quiet, the village." Ino said, sitting next to the ill Shikamaru. She was wearing a longsleeved purple shirt that revealed her bare stomach, sweatpants and knee-length boots. She was feeding him a hot porrige.

"What? You think something troublesome is going to happen?" Shikamaru said, as he forcingly gulped that sizzling hot appetite. Ino seemed to forget blowing his food cool, because she was a vampire, and vampires wouldn't get their tongues roasted.

"Something like that." Ino said. She had a point though; the village was at rest when Pein came, and blew all of the hardwork the First Hokage had built, like flicking an ant. No one ever knew Sasuke was in the village until Sakura told her. Sai's paintings were starting to scare her-visions of dark red clouds, surrounding the entire village.

"You don't have to do this." Shikamaru said, coughing. Ino used a tissue to wipe the food smeared in hsi mouth. "I know I already did a lot of things to hurt you. You deserve better. You deserve Sai."

"Shut up and get better, or I'll shove this in your throat." Said Ino.

"I know you hate me."

Ino put down his food. Earlier it was Yoshino who had surprisingly paid her a visit. She told her of Shikamaru's condition, how it troubled her seeing Shikamaru acting strange, sometimes she caught him coughing blood. Ino rushed at the Nara townhouse as soon as possible.

"I don't hate you. You can hate me all the way you want, I don't care. I can never be mad at you."

"You should be. I mean, it's a drag we can't spend some time again together. I miss the way we used to be-when we were kids, nothing happened. None of us got hurt the way we did now."

"That's because you won't stop smoking!" Ino said, her voice gripping out of control. "Bullshit, Shika!! Everyday since we were fifteen I've warned you of what could happen. Now you're lying there useless and sick because you can't stand a day without lighting a damn cigarette. I hate it when you smell like tobacco."

Shikamaru placed a finger in his lips, suddenly.

"What??"

"Someone's in here."

Ino turned her blonde hair behind her. Instead of using her earsight, she decided to feel the weight of that heavy chakra. Ino looked at Shikamaru in anxiety. She stood up, staring closely at the door. There was a window just above Shikamaru's bed, where he was letting the light get inside. Ino grabbed a kunai from her pocket as she readied herself.

A demon bursted out from the window-it wasn't a demon. It was a Reanimated man with grey hair. The man had light purple eyes, as Ino was deeply shocked and overpowered that she was standing meters away from Shikamaru, gasping.

Hidan had plunged the tip of the scythe's blade in Shikamaru's belly button. By the sound of the bed breaking, it reached the bottom of the floor. Shikamaru greeted the surprise with an overwhelming wheeze, stuck embracing the pain. Blood spilled in Ino's face like a spray paint. She did wish it were all some sort of a red liquor-a wine, Sake, anything but blood. Blood had been her top vulnerability, and seeing Shikamaru hurt was a way to keep her distance.

"I told you I'd find you. I know I said I'd bite your throat off, but I'd like to see the look on your face once you realize that the person you left out alive found his way out. And even if I didn't rise up on my own, I will climb up onto the top until I sit on your chopped head."

What do y-you mean, "didn't rise up on m-my own?" Shikamaru wanted to ask, but blood was running out of his mouth.

Ino was crying, tears flowing out of her blue eyes. She had never seen Shikamaru close to death before, not even those times at the Chuunin Exams. And it would be the death of her to see the love of her life-her supposedly best friend and brother-would die of blood loss. She could not even get close to him; if she would, she would have to fight the urge of cleaning that blood away with her mouth, and she didn't want anyone especially Hidan to see how downward they have fallen.

Shikamaru wasn't staring at her-he was staring at the blade in her middle part. Please let it not be in the stomach, Ino thought, almost collapsing inwardly. Please let it just be a tiny scratch.

"That's just the way you all die. Blood. I'll be the DJ in your funeral, motherfvcker. Since you cut my head back in the way, why don't I rip your arms off? I hear you're a regular smoker. I can't imagine what you're more afraid to lose-your hands or the fact that you can't light a cigarette anymore. You're afraid of death, aren't you?"

Shikamaru was forcing the blade out of him, his hands shaking enormously as if there was an earthquake. Then he gave up.

"So you're still alive, huh? Madara told us to behave, but I don't think I can handle being nice to people. I curse people I like, and I kill them because it is the will of Jashin. Ultimate destruction. You think your God can save you? You really think he can help you fight your cancer?"

"Let me tell you something-" Hidan said, as he leaned forward to Shikamaru's ear-"there is no God. This is hell. This is our hell, and your villages will burn. You will die as loads of shitheads and unhealthy smokers."

Ino bolted to plunge the blade out of Shikamaru's body, as she jabbed it into Hidan's chest. Hidan was obviously stuck in wonder, as he managed to smile afterwards. "That's really smart of you, but not smart enough to think that we're still undead."

"I don't care if your friends are reanimated or not. Get the hell out of this house, or I'll compel them to turn against each other."

Naruto wasn't truly certain of the reports coming-whether a bunch of Reanimated corpse were there to infiltrate the village for no reason (which would resolve to war)-or that they have come to claim something. Shizune had barged into his door at once, stating that Genma and Aoba were gravely injured. The high gates were forced down with a dynamite.

At first the whole statement was unbelievable; Neji and Kakashi have gone into the Hokage Tower, claiming that the Akatsuki were truly responsible for the smokes that were scorching the other day, and they have come here for one particular reason-Naruto.

"I knew one day this would happen," Tsunade said, rubbing her temple. She started placing orders with Neji and the rest, telling them to fight this and that, certain Akatsuki members that needed to be taken down for once and for all. If they wanted Naruto, that was the least thing Tsunade was about to let go of. She had given Naruto one simple task; that was to stay in the tower for as long as the battle ends. Naruto protested as usual, stating that he could stand watching his friends die for him while he remained in idle. Tsunade had brought him in her arms and hugged him. In front of Kakashi and Neji, the people who stared in shock. She told him if he wanted to become a Hokage, this was his purpose. That while he was vulnerable and a target to the enemy, he needed to put his life first to save a village, not the lives that were willing to sacrifice themselves for him.

Naruto sat in the chair with his butt burning. He held a phone in his hand, for the sake of the reports to keep him updated. He sat there, under his father's face as a futile little knucklehead. He was mad. He was driven by this hunger to finish the bloodline of those who have tried to killed his friends several times. People knew how to kill and hate for the sake of love. These people knew nothing of it, or family. Sasuke's betrayal taught him that.

He decided to stand up, and face his own village by the death of his two sky-blue eyes. Konohagakure was burning, his eyes staring back at the village he used to detest and make pranks endlessly. Now, it seemed that he'd rather go back to his dark stage where people loathed him as an outsider. Anything was better than this.

* P L A Y S O N G*

The battle had begun. Lives were taken, innocents were being slaughtered vigrously. Sasori chased his victims by the use of his killer-machine puppets, and simply regarded the Leaf as toys; toys he onced played with as a child, when he had been waiting for his parents for so long. Deidara was detonating every piece of his clay, and he was saving his last one for the Hokage Stone Henge. Konan approached the Shinobi with an abominating look, as Nagato secretly told her that it were Leaf men, too, who took his parents' lives.

The children were being captured, each being placed into a sack as Hidan suggested to the gang. It was a humor of him, as he once said, he needed lives to be offered to no other Lord than Jashin. Kakuzu on the other hand, enjoyed nothing more but to see kids be fumbled with fear and agony. They've always grown afraid of him and they needed to be punished.

The massacre stopped. Konoha 11 have arrived as Naruto told them too. Tsunade was also present, in fact she was wearing the clothes she wore when she was back fighting with her own teammates. Shizune was with her, and Katsuyu's snails have already scattered to tend to the wounded. The Akatsuki did not stop the medic from carrying the dead, though they must admit, they looked stupendous-watching the people responsible for their deaths. They despised each other so much that they could not wait to stain their headbands with blood and rust, and pile them up one they were all dead.

"Tsunade Senju," Kakuzu said. "It's been a long time, I see. I am most delightfully pleased to see that you have grown from your unclean self. I remember your grandfather's poise. How I could have gotten that heart of his and replace it with my vacant ones. I see now of what a gratittude this is. You have the most wonderful beating heart, as a mother loved her own children."

"Don't listen to him," Naruto said in a device that was cabled on their ears, "don't listen to any word they say. It's a trick. It's all a lie."

Tsunade raised a blonde brow. "You speak nobly. I see death didn't teach you a lesson at all, did it? It is your ambitions and unrightful intentions that led you to your deaths. Do not blame my children for protecting what was theirs. Your crimes are indisputable."

"You killed all of us, man!"Deidara insulted, pointing a filthy finger where a teal ring was still wrapped around it. "Your village deserves to be blown in ash. This country deserves to know the meaning of art. You will all explode and die with it!"

"We've asked one favor from you," Kisame said, stepping forward. "We came to you asking for help. Our leader has sent his message and offered a truce for a year and a half in exchange for one medic. One medic, and you selfish brats couldn't even let yourself be burdened with a thought that it might save one's life?"

"You?"Ino chimed in, in an unbelievable look. "You tried to infiltrate us for the last three years! What good do you think we can give you after trying to take Naruto from us??"

"Itachi died because he wasn't strong enough to battle Sasuke!" Kisame debated, sadness and bitterness echoing in his voice. "I tried-I tried to talk him out of it. That he might be unstabled. But he didn't-it was for the sake of dying, trying to protect his own dirty little secret that all he ever did was to save your tiny village. Konohagakure-a plague to this cursed city!"

That was enough to keep the distance between them. Neji, Kiba, Shino and the others have already stood themselves in front of their opponents, two Shinobi versus one Akatsuki. Naruto was still listening. He asked Tsunade if this was true, and Tsunade nodded her head silently as Naruto only watched them from his own window. Though Tsunade admitted, if only she'd known it was for the sake of Itachi, she might have reconsidered-but she didn't think word could already have gone out of Itachi's necessary evil. He would still be a rogue-nin, cursed and unwanted living in the outskirts like a dark shadow.

Hinata stood in bravery in front of Konan, while Tsunade landed from a post with a thud, raising her head in a way she had always known the purple-head. "You," Tsunade cursed, pointing a polished nail at her. "You killed him."

"You have no idea what it's like to be a woman in this world." Konan said, her wings shining in the light. "The Shinobi look down to us as weak citizens. The only effect we have is on men, and I cannot express to you how in joy I am to be in a battle with a kunoichi. I haven't worshipped any other woman than myself."

Hinata had her Byakugan exposed, her palms positioned against her. Konan was amused. "Very well then. Let's settle this dispute between us women."

"I can't believe of all people here, you're still alive." Kisame complemented, facing Neji with his most upbringing smirk. Gai was next to him. "My Samehada here smells a load of chakra in your eyes. I'd be foolish to rip them off like tiny balls, but I didn't say it wouldn't make a lovely collection of mine."

"The Monster of the Hidden Mist meets the Leaf's Sublime Green Beast." Gai said, if it was any way to add the tension between them. "How legendary."

Deidara was laughing. He had been riding his C2 falcon in the air, scouting the village with a pink-haired. That was when a dark-haired Shinobi had begun drawing endless black animals behind him, that it went chasing after him. He looked like Sasuke, Deidara thought, which only meant that he'd enjoy this more than he could ever imagine.

"Smart kid," Deidara said, as he threw a C1 at him. Luckily the man missed, and Deidara could only laugh at his medicracy. "Look at you. You think you're an artist? Screw you and your stupid scrolls! You all don't know what's coming, do ya?"

Sai decided arguing with this guy was no use to him. Instantly he whipped out a scroll again, and began scribbling his biggest and enormous dragons with the most humongous size indeed. "Ninja art: Superbeasts scroll!"

"I know that I'm just a woman, but I heard that a woman defeated you, too." TenTen said, as she stood in front of Sasori together with Choji. "Watch out of his weapons, they're deadly. My blades are wrapped with a red ribbon. I hope you can determine which can kill you and not."

Sasori smiled, a beautiful, unrecognizing smile. He brought his chakra threads in front of him, his parents facing the crowd with a smile. "Bring it on."

"Eh? Where's that blonde chick?" Hidan said, cracking his bones. "Kakuzu, I want that! I want to have some fun for a change! I keep on getting matched with losers. Jashin knows that."

A parasitic, virus-bringing insect bit Hidan's cheek. "Fvck!"

"That chick you called there?" Kiba said, riding on Akamaru's back. "Is my friend. Show some respect, motherfvcker."

"Kakashi, Kakashi. We meet again." Kakuzu had to admit, as he had stitched an arm back. "I hope your lightning blade will strike me this time, without any flaw. Or you know what is next once you fail me-your heart."

Ino wanted to advance to him, but Kakashi blocked an arm. "That's what he wants. He wants our hearts to be filled with anger. Don't let him drive your mind crazy."

"I'm an impure, sensei. Between the two of us, I'm still capable to function without a heart. Are you?" Ino boasted, wanting to roll her eyes for some reason.

Something ticked on Ino's ear. "Ino, switch with Captain Yamato." It was Naruto's voice, bleeding yet wrapped with an invisibility of impotence.

"What?" Ino asked again.

Yamato loomed in front of him as he took off his mask.

"I'm asking you to switch place with the captain. Go to Sai, he's alone. He's fighting that guy with a bunch of bombs. Do what you can to make it in the mid-air. Teleport or something. Find your way to help him."

Ino glanced at the sky above them-what a beautiful day it was, for terror and distraught to be filled upon the skies. To think that earlier, when she was feeding Shikamaru, she thought this day was doing to be perfect. She would visit Sakura, and go back selling flowers at her store. She saw the man named Deidara, and knew what she had to do.

"I can handle this." Ino said in confidence, as she nodded to Yamato.

Yamato had shrouded his trees with grasses and flowers, grew their trunks taller that it reached the clouds. Ino jumped from a roof to another, ascending in her own speed. Finally, she managed to leap into Sai's bird.

"Naruto, we are missing Shikamaru." Neji said, as he had performed another heavenly palm rotation upon the blue-colored monster. Gai assisted him, and gave Kisame a giant slap with the leg. Lee was able to trip Kisame by blocking a toe on his way.

Naruto frowned. "I don't see him, either."

"Then where is he??" Kiba uproared. "You know we can't put this all together if we don't have a strategist who still knows what to do even when you're cornered! That guy has like a five-hundred IQ plus!"

"200," TenTen corrected.

"You won't be seeing Shikamaru for a while." Ino said, teary-eyed. "He's in the hospital."

"Wha-"

Naruto could feel their hearts pounding. All of them. He told them that they could still manage. He told them that even without Shikamaru, they must prove their strength and independence.

"It's started." Said Naruto.

He counted the seconds.

One..

Two..

Three..

"Water Release: A Thousand Feeding Sharks!"

"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"

"Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood!"

"C3!"

"Prepared Puppet: Eight Waves of Needles!"

"Dance of the Paper Gods!"

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4.17.15

wow wrote this for like 8 hours

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