Kugutsu no Shinigami

| 13 | Emergence

Following Sasori's defeat, he had willingly surrendered all of his intelligence to me, as well as his spy network's contact list. He regularly updated me on the actions of the elemental nations.

"So... Konoha is chasing the Ichibi and the Akatsuki, now?" I muse to myself. "It's time."

I may need to save Sasori. After all, he will be fighting a superior puppeteer and Sakura. I hear that she had learnt Tsunade's super strength, and medical ninjutsu... interesting...

I create a blood clone and whisper my orders. "Act as me until I return." Plain and simple.

I summon Apophis. "Take me to the Akatsuki hideout."

He flaps his mighty wings, and we soar off into the distance. I needed to save my chief intelligence gathered before he perished.

~~~

An old grandmother and a pink-haired Kunoichi of a contrasting age stood in front of a young man, red-haired, now bare-chested and his joints seemingly made of wood.

"You wanted to know about Orochimaru?" He rasped. "A subordinate of his is a spy of mine, meet him at the Tenchi Bridge in five days... he was supposed... to meet me the-"

"You aren't dying on me today, Sasori!"

~~~

I soar in on Apophis' back through the roof, which had collapsed on them, though it hadn't killed them, I observed.

I get close enough, within range to hear Sasori rasp: "he was supposed... to meet me there."

No. My allies will not die today! My spymaster will not fail! The one with the best spy network since Jiraiya of the Sannin will not die today!

"You aren't dying on me today, Sasori!" I shout, as Apophis dives, and pulls up once I had placed Sasori on the graphene saddle.

Sakura's face looks up, Chiyo following her line of sight. "What?" They cry, upset that they had failed to kill their target.

I analyse their status. Chiyo had to be exhausted, in fact, she shouldn't be standing. Sakura seems rejuvenated, the contrast to her elder. Easy to kill, then...

I swoop back down, Apophis firing beams of chaotic matter at them, easy to dodge but effective in controlling their movements. I summon the Shodaime. "Shall we?" I gesture to them, mockingly.

They charge. I sigh, every time it is a charge, and never do they leap back. They are always so crude.

I'll leave the grandma to Sasori. It would be a great sign of benevolence to him, allowing him to execute her.

"Kugutsu: Nativity of a World of Trees!"

Massive roots shredded through the earth at an unnatural speed, and they all headed towards Sakura, their piercing properties, size and sheer quantity sure to succeed in maiming her.

"Kugutsu: Tear of Chaos!" The tear opened beneath her. She was sure to be dead...

"Sakura!" The old woman cried out her name. She turns towards me. "You will die for this injustice." She charged. Again, what's with the predictability?

As she commands the final two puppets of her Chikamatsu collection, I command mine to obliterate them. "Kugutsu: Arrow of Chaos!"

An arrow was launched from the mouth of the winged serpent, piercing through the Chikamatsu puppets' sides, corroding them like an invisible acid, and dispelling, as if nothing was there.