"Hatred is born our of the desire to protect loved ones."
Minxie's POV
After all of the confusion and endless drama in my life, you'd think I'd be used to the ninja world. Although, I couldn't really just call it the ninja world, could I? Because no matter what I called it, it was real, and it was happening right now.
I didn't want to fight Pain; that much was obvious. But he'd done something drastic and unforgivable when he targeted my village. I couldn't let that go. I'd have to fight him, and I'd have to protect Naruto.
But would I really be able to stand against Pain? After almost three years of being around him in the Akatsuki hideout, I'd grown attached to him. I loved my village, but throwing all of the memories I shared with him -even if they weren't all exactly comforting- seemed impossible.
My mental war was rudely interrupted when the female Pain, Chikushodo, slammed her palm to the ground, summoning one of her enormous animals. I couldn't decide if it was a boar or a rhino, or maybe even an armadillo. Now that I think about it, what the animal was didn't really matter much while it was trying to kill me.
Before I could react, however, Naruto stepped in front of me, grabbing the freaky hybrid animal by its horn, halting it. If that wasn't crazy enough, he was able to pick it up, spin it around, and fling it into next year.
Naruto must have sensed my wide-eyed stare, because he turned to face me, a grin threatening to spread across his face.
"Surprised?" He asked, grinning at me. I could only nod once in reply. "Told 'ya I got ridiculously strong."
I couldn't throw a witty reply back at him, because Chikushodo summoned another two of her animals, a dog and a bull. The beasts charged straight towards us, but Lady Shima and Lord Fukasaku were prepared.
The two toads jumped into the air, using their 'Sage Art! Frog Song!' jutsu. The jutsu made the dog and bull stop abruptly, and Naruto charged forward.
He made two copies of himself, sending them after the animals with his Odama Rasengan. They were tossed into the air, and the three large toads gathered around Naruto went after them.
Suddenly feeling useless, I took my fighting stance to deal with the next Pain that came towards us, Gakido. Before I could use jutsu on him, Katsuyu's warning came to my ears.
"Minxie, no! Ninjutsu doesn't work on the Pain in front of you. He will merely absorb your attacks," the tiny slug copy told me.
"Unfortunately for him, I've got some wicked taijutsu up my sleeve," I replied, charging towards Gakido. We raised out arms at the same time, ready to punch each other.
Before he could hit me, I activated my Heart's Eye, using it to create a tiny split in space. At the speed of light, I appeared on the other side of Gakido, landing a solid punch to his jaw.
Gakido flipped over a few times before landed on the floor, completely knocked out. This time, it was Naruto's turn to gape at me.
"What?" I asked, mocking shock, "You thought you were the only one with new tricks?"
The blonde shook his head, a smile on his face. "No... Just remind me not to get you angry. Ever."
I smiled. It was odd, of course, that I was smiling while I was in what could possibly be the last fight of my life. But I just couldn't help it. Naruto was so warm and happy. Even though we'd lost a lot, we still had each other, and no one, not even Pain himself, could change that.
"My new jutsu will finish this one in one try!" Naruto's voice exclaimed, echoing across the wasteland that was once our home. He created shadow clones, making me raise an eyebrow. What new jutsu was he talking about?
"I see you've become a sage..." Pain muttered. "Same as Jiraiya-sensei." I froze.
"... Sensei?" Naruto and I repeated at the same time, incredulous looks on our faces.
"I too learned from Jiraiya-sensei. He was also once my teacher," Pain stated. "The two of you, like me, have shared teachers. We are students of the same sensei, and therefore, we should be able to understand each other. Jiraiya-sensei... desired peace."
Peace. That's what he'd said. Peace.
"Peace?" I shouted. "What on Earth makes you think you know peace!?"
"You ought to understand me the most, Minxie," Pain said. "The very monster sealed inside of you has no purpose other than to maintain peace."
"Shut up!" Naruto yelled, created his new jutsu, Rasen-Shuriken. "What part of any of this... Is peaceful!?"
"You will never comprehend the true meaning of peace," Pain stated dully. "Just let yourself be captured. Your death... It shall lead to peace."
"I said..." Naruto growled, "Shut up!" To my surprise, he flung the Rasen-Shuriken, aiming it towards the final four Pains. It expanded, trapping the one with the long hair and tearing him apart.
"Deidara was right," Pain said, paying no attention to the explosion behind him, "You do not listen."
"We've got to break the Rinnegan link!" Lord Fukasaku exclaimed.
"I think I've got an idea on how to do that," I spoke up. "Rei!" I turned towards the large white leopard. "I'll need you for this."
"It'd be my pleasure," Rei replied, smiling her leopard smile.
Lady Shima created a large wave a dust after I explained my plan to Rei. The dust blinded the other two Pains, allowing Rei to trap the female Pain in her mouth. Naruto went in with her, and I knew that he had used his Rasengan Barrage when I heard a large explosion.
Rei then spit Naruto and Chikushodo out, and the female Pain's body fell limp. Her summons disappeared, making the battlefield a whole lot quieter.
However, I felt my heart drop when I saw Naruto emerge from Rei's mouth... Without rings around his eyes. His Sage Jutsu had been used up.
"This is my chance!" Pain shouted, running towards the currently defenseless Naruto.
"He's lost his Sage Jutsu... Can't you merge with him?" Mai asked.
"No, his beast won't allow it," Lord Fukasaku replied solemnly. "But he's come up with his own unique solution... Pay attention, and you'll see it!"
I watched as Naruto detached the scroll from his back, running from Pain as Gamabunta tried to stab the Rinnegan-user. Pain cornered Naruto after he used the toad's shoulder as a foothold.
I had no idea what was going on, but I knew that I had to step in to help Naruto. Just when the blonde tossed the scroll to Lord Fukasaku, I blocked Pain's path.
"Minxie, no! Get away from him!" Naruto shouted from behind me.
"I'm fine! Do whatever you're going to do! I can handle him!" I called back, dodging Pain's fist. I ducked under his arm, but he reached out and grabbed my wrist. I flipped over his arm, releasing myself from his grasp.
He pulled out a long rod from his sleeve, lurching forward to slash me with it. I whipped out my katana, slicing the metal rod in half. I flipped around, sending a strong kick to the side of his head. He tried to block it, but enhanced by my Dark Chakra, my kick was too powerful. It send him skidding to the side of the field.
When I turned around, I saw Naruto with rings once again around his eyes. I realized that he had made shadow clones to create nature energy back at Mount Myoboku. That meant that he'd be able to access Sage Jutsu in battle.
"Naruto, now!" I exclaimed, gesturing to Pain, who was trying to sit up.
"On it!" Naruto called back, creating a Rasen-Shuriken and tossing it at Pain. I thought he'd make the hit, too, until I saw the Gakido Pain stand up and absorb the jutsu.
"Um, what? No, you see, this is just not allowed," I said, shaking my head and crossing my arms over my chest. "I distinctly remember punching that Pain in the face and sending him soaring and flying away as if he was breaking free."
Naruto stared at me, a completely confused look on his face. "Uh... Huh?"
"High School Musical reference. You wouldn't understand." I blew my bangs out of my face. "Now, will someone please explain to me how he's still alive?"
"It's the Pain in the back," Katsuyu said from atop my shoulder, "He's the key player. He seems to have the ability to revive the fallen Paths of Pain. As long as he remains present, Pain can continue to resurrect his six paths. That's why he's standing so far in the back."
"Pain doesn't want us to touch him," I murmured, "We need to get rid of that Pain in the back."
"Indeed, that is the only way you'll be able to take Pain down," Katsuyu agreed. "However, I fear that is not the worst of your problems."
"Of course it isn't..." I sighed. "What else is there?"
"The Pain on the left, the main Pain... He can repel all jutsu and attacks, and he can also pull things toward him," the tiny slug told me. "He hasn't shown his power yet, which is odd... Maybe he can't use his ability right now."
"Yeah, well, I'm sure destroying an entire village has taken a toll on him," I muttered bitterly, my eyes narrowing towards the final three Pains. "Either way, the one in the back is our main priority. Naruto, you aim for the first two. I've got the one in the back."
"Got it," Naruto said, nodding and turning his attention towards our three enemies.
I made hand signs and slammed my palm to the ground, causing the earth below our feet to crack. The ground below the Pains' feet crumbled, making them jump into the air to avoid falling in.
I took that opportunity to make another set of hand signs, activating my Heart's Eye once again. I used a jutsu I learned a long while back, 'Water Style: Deathly Fog Jutsu.' Instantly, a deep fog enveloped the clearing. Combined with my Heart's Eye, the jutsu was much more powerful, creating a black smoke that blinded the three Pains.
Naruto saw this opening and hurled a Rasen-Shuriken at them, but Gakido absorbed it. However, that was exactly what the blonde wanted. He transformed from a Rasen-Shuriken into himself, tackling Gakido. Another Rasen-Shuriken flew at the Pains, this time at Tendo.
Of course, none of us had expected for the Tendo Pain to recover his ability so quickly. He repelled the jutsu expertly, making me question just how dangerous his abilities could be.
Realizing that this would be our only chance to take the reviver-Pain down, I leapt into the air under the cover of the fog, while their attention was on Naruto. I dove toward the Pain in the back, creating what was now my most powerful jutsu in my hand. A Rasengan appeared in my palm, surrounded by the flickering lightning of the Chidori.
I hit the Pain straight on, tackling him into the cracked ground. Pain turned around to face him, obviously not expecting that. Just as I rose from atop the reviver Pain's body, Naruto was almost finished with the Gakido Pain.
Pain realized that both Naruto and I were going to go after him, so he lifted up his arms, facing either of his palms towards both of us. My eyes widened when I realized that he was going to repel us, just like he repelled Naruto's jutsu.
"Naruto, look out!" I shouted, and the blonde's head snapped up to look at me.
"Too late," Pain said, using his jutsu to push us both in opposite direction. I tried to make sense of the world flying past my eyes, my body airborne.
Before I could crash into the ground, Mai jumped into the air, making my body land safely on her strong back. As soon as her paws touched the ground, she bounded towards where Naruto had fallen.
"Thanks," I murmured to Mai, who nodded in reply. I looked down at Naruto, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... What the hell just happened?" Naruto asked, just as Gamabunta and the two other large toads that had appeared with him charged forward to fight the two final Pains.
"It's his jutsu. I tried to warn you, but he had already-" I was cut off when Rei blurred past me to join the toads. "Rei, no! Wait!" But the large leopard wasn't listening to me anymore. "Why did she do that!?"
"Rei is an Elder who has watched over many Takeda, just like you," Mai answered, watching with still blue eyes. "One thing she does not tolerate... Are those who threaten the very people she wishes to protect. She will let no one, not even someone as powerful as Pain, to hurt her own."
Pain used his jutsu to push Rei back, but Rei was a lot more grounded than I was. She dug her claws into the ground, refusing to let herself flip over. Once she stopped sliding, she growled, charging straight back towards Pain.
"What kind of jutsu is that!?" Naruto asked, his blue eyes wide.
"It looks like the central Pain's power has returned," Katsuyu replied.
"It seems you were right, dear one," Mai said sadly, "Konoha must have been destroyed by this Pain's jutsu."
"The more power he uses, the longer it takes before he can power up to use another jutsu," Katsuyu continued.
"So then he couldn't use that repelling jutsu until now..." Naruto muttered, and Mai nodded. "So... What are we supposed to do!? I can't use ninjutsu or taijutsu on them!"
"According to Choji, the minimal interval between his jutsu is about five seconds," Katsuyu explained. "If the two of you plan on defeating Pain, you're going to have to strike during that window."
"Five seconds..." I muttered, trying to think of a way to get that to work. "Well, this sucks."
"The only way we'll stand a chance is to trap them with genjutsu, like we did last time!" Lord Fukasaku advised.
"How? I suck at genjtusu!" Naruto exclaimed.
"We'll do it!" The tiny toad said, gesturing to himself and Lady Shima.
At that moment, Pain shouted, "Almighty Push!" His jutsu sent Rei and all three of the toads flying.
"No! Rei!" I shouted, watching as Rei's body catapulted over the dozens of trees surrounding what once was Konoha. I was just about to jump up and go after her when Mai's voice stopped me.
"Wait, dear one!" Mai exclaimed. "Rei can handle herself. You have enough to deal with already."
Sighing, I remained on the leopard's back, "But Pain just blew them away like they weighed nothing!"
"We're going to have to launch the genjutsu right away," Lord Fukasaku stated. "But it's gonna take a lot of senjutsu chakra. It'll take some time to get it going."
"Naruto and I can stall," I said, looking down at the small toad, "We'll have to try and aim for that five second interval."
Naruto nodded. "When you have your senjutsu chakra ready, just do it!"
"Naruto-boy, remember, you only have one shadow clone left that can make senjutsu chakra. Once he's gone, you won't be able to use senjutsu chakra anymore, 'cause you can't stay still during a battle. Your sage mode won't last five minutes," Lord Fukasaku warned.
"I give you credit for finding a way around Nine-Tails, but why didn't you make more clones?" Lady Shima questioned.
"I couldn't do it. It's too difficult to manipulate senjutsu chakra... Two clones were my limit," Naruto replied, standing up. "Besides, because of that, I'm only able to create three clones here on the battlefield... If I go for too many here, the ones manipulating senjutsu chakra will get distracted."
"I see..." Lady Shima muttered. "Well, either way, we're in no position to prolong things."
"The two of you are very strong..." Pain said. "This is the farthest Pain has ever been pushed. But this ends now."
"We really don't have time," I muttered, sighing. "Wait, I think I might be able to help-" I was completely cut off when Pain used his jutsu, pulling me off of Mai's back and towards him.
"Minxie!" Naruto shouted. "Get off of her, you bas-" Naruto, too, was cut off by Pain pulling him forward with his jutsu. Gakido grabbed Naruto, while the main Pain wrapped his arm around my neck, trapping me in his grasp.
Naruto didn't seem to care that he was being held by a psychopath who absorbed chakra, because he looked at the main Pain, growling, "Let her go. Now!"
"Don't worry, I won't kill her," Pain assured. "I won't kill either of you... My precious Jinchuriki."
"You can't hurt me," Naruto shouted, "I'm in sage mode, idiot!"
"Ah, senjutsu... What a bother..." Pain sighed. He examined me. "And your Heart's Eyes are also activated... Another bother. But you see, I have a way to fix that."
The Gakido Pain released Naruto from his tight headlock. He wrapped his right arm around the blonde's neck and his left arm around mine. In seconds, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I then realized that this Pain was draining both Naruto and I of our chakra.
I felt my Heart's Eye fade, returning my eyes to their normal green color. The rings left Naruto's eyes, meaning that the senjutsu chakra had been sucked right out of him.
"Why... Why are you doing this, Pain...?" I asked, struggling to stay awake. "You know me..."
"I do know you," Pain replied. "I know that you are the one who will help me bring this world to peace. And you will help me, whether it is willingly or not."
"... No," I growled, shaking my head and trying to break out of the Gakido Pain's unbreakable hold. "I won't... I refuse to help you..."
"I almost forgot how stubborn you can be," Pain sighed. "But it won't matter. In a few moments, you won't be able to move at all."
My eyes snapped open at his words. Not able to move... That was it! Naruto had told me about his clones back on Mount Myoboku; the key to absorbing senjutsu chakra was to make sure you stayed absolutely still.
"Naruto!" I exclaimed, a final surge of chakra flowing through my veins. "You can't move!"
"Minxie, that's a terrible thing- That's it!" Naruto said, his blue eyes going wide. He shut them, prepared to take in senjutsu energy. Suddenly, his eyes opened again. "Wait... If I use it, won't you-"
"Don't worry about me!" I shouted. "I can handle myself!"
He was still unconvinced, his blue eyes clouding over with worry, "But... Minxie-"
"Naruto, do it!" I exclaimed more forcefully, making him sigh and close his eyes. He began to manipulate senjutsu chakra, just as I closed my eyes to manipulate my Dark Chakra. Gakido quickly absorbed the chakra we were producing, which resulted in half of him turning into a frog, while the other half was overcome by my Dark Chakra.
Naruto and I were able to break free from Gakido's constricting arms, falling onto the floor to catch our breath.
I looked up at Pain, a smile forming its way onto my face, "If senjutsu and dark chakra are hard to control by themselves... Can you imagine how difficult it is to manage both at the same time?"
Naruto was smirking along with me, "Now we're finally down to just you!"
"... Not quite," Pain stated.
"Are you kidding me!?" I exclaimed. "There's more!? What kind of freaky voodoo magic is this!?"
"The Pains are controlled by a Pain Master who manipulates them from the shadows," Katsuyu told Naruto and I.
Before I could complain about how completely ridiculous and unfair life was being to us right now, Pain extended his arm. I was going to ask him if he had gone crazy, because Naruto and I were in front of him, but then I realized that he wasn't aiming for us.
On the sidelines, Lady Shima and Lord Fukasaku were smiling at us, having gathered all of the senjutsu chakra that they needed for their genjutsu. Without warning, Lord Fukasaku was pulled towards Pain's extended arm.
"No!" Naruto and I yelled in unison, rushing forward to stop Pain.
But we were too late. Pain had pulled Lord Fukasaku right through one of his long chakra receivers, stabbing the tiny toad right through the stomach. I skidded to a stop in front of Pain, while Naruto crashed into the ground.
Pain lifted the rod into the air, hurling the toad towards Naruto. Naruto jumped up to catch Lord Fukasaku in his arms, sliding backwards. Pain aimed his rod at Naruto, who was distracted, so I quickly pulled out my katana.
Pain's rod clashed against my katana, and his Rinnegan eyes bore into my emerald ones. I pushed him back, causing the rod to leave his hands and land away from him on the ground.
He pushed me away with his jutsu, making me drop my katana, and I flew back a good thirty feet. My body landed against the ground with a large thud, hurting like hell. Thanks to Pain, I now had about a billion new cuts and bruises.
"How... How dare you..." Naruto's growl echoed across the clearing, making me ignore the aching in my body long enough to look up at him. He was cradling Lord Fukasaku in his arms, his blue eyes wide with anger. He set the toad down gently, his gaze falling on Pain. "I'm going to end you!" And then he charged.
But then Pain did something that changed the entire course of our battle... Again. When I was just sitting up to help Naruto, Pain used his jutsu to pull me towards him.
In mere seconds, Pain's arm was around my neck, holding me in place. Naruto had a Rasen-Shuriken in his hand, ready to use it on Pain, but he froze when he was only a few steps away from him, realizing that I was in the Rinnegan-user's clutches. The three of us stood in complete silence for a few moments; the only sound was that of my heavy breathing.
"... So much for ending me," Pain said, his eyes on Naruto. Naruto's gaze flickered from Pain to me, then back to Pain again. "What happened? I thought you came here to kill me."
"But... You can't kill me, now that I have her, can you?" Pain continued. "You want to kill me, but you won't. How peculiar... It looks like Deidara was right again. You would do anything, even spare me... All for this one girl... Because you love her, isn't that right, my precious Jinchuriki?"
Naruto didn't speak, and neither did I.
"Put the jutsu out, Jinchuriki," Pain commanded. "Or I'll kill her right in front of you."
"No, Naruto..." It took all I had to speak, what with Pain's arm constricting my neck. "Don't listen to him... Get rid of him... Use your jutsu!"
"You have a choice," Pain said, paying no mind to what I was saying. "Which matters to you more? Destroying me? Or Minxie? Take your pick."
Naruto remained glaring at Pain for what seemed like forever. When Pain tightened his grip around my neck, making me wince, however, Naruto's gaze dropped. He released his jutsu, allowing his Rasen-Shuriken to fizzle out into nothing.
"A wise decision, Jinchuriki..." Pain said. "... But not for you." With that, he pulled a rock formation towards us. He pushed me against it, stabbing two of his rods through both of my hands, pinning me to it.
"Minxie!" Naruto shouted, running towards me, but he wasn't fast enough. Pain pulled Naruto towards him, wrapping his hand around the blonde's throat. He slammed Naruto into the ground, grabbing the blonde's hands, placing them over one another, and stabbing them cleanly with another rod.
"It's about time I tamed you, Nine-Tails," Pain stated, kneeling in front of Naruto, who was laying on his stomach against the ground.
"What... What are you!? Why!? Why are you doing this!?" Naruto shouted, glaring at Pain.
"Why... How do I define why... Sometimes the why is only apparent later on," Pain said, his voice distant. "Under these circumstances..." He looked up at me. "And for old time's sake... Well, I'll try to give you a why, although I doubt it would change anything."
Pain stood up. "My goal... Is to fulfill the dream even Jiraiya-sensei was unable to achieve. What I want is to create peace and bring about justice."
"Peace? Justice? Give me a break! Like hell you want those things!" Naruto yelled. "You killed both of my teachers! You hurt my friends! You destroyed my village and threatened the girl I love! How dare you say you want peace... After everything you've done!?"
My heart ached for Naruto. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. All of the constant fighting... For what? Just so we could have everything we loved taken away from us?
I never wanted to hurt Pain. But there he was, right in front of me, spouting nothing but hypocritical nonsense about the peace and justice he apparently wanted to achieve.
I needed to destroy Pain. That would be the answer. With him gone, my village would be safe. Naruto would be safe.
I tried to pull out the rods from my palms, but they had already created a hole. I tried to understand why these particular rods hurt so much. I'd been stabbed hundreds of times, and never had it hurt this much. My hands felt like they were on fire, like something was flowing into them that was much too dark, even for me.
It was then that I remembered that the rods were really chakra receivers... And that they were receiving chakra right now.
And it wasn't just any chakra. It was Pain's. That's why it felt like someone was still digging the receivers into my palm. Pain was using his chakra to literally pin me against the rock.
Pain's chakra was dark enough as it is, so I knew manipulating my Dark Chakra to fight off his wouldn't be a smart idea.
Light Chakra it is, then, I decided. I closed my eyes, ready to manipulate my Light Chakra against Pain's, but then I heard Pain's voice.
"... What is your goal?" Pain asked Naruto.
"I'm taking you down! And then I'll bring peace to the shinobi world!" Naruto answered.
"Indeed, that would be justice..." Pain muttered. "However... What about my family... My friends... My village? Is it fair that you Konoha shinobi, who once did the same to me as I have now done to you, be allowed to spout all of this drivel about peace and justice?"
I couldn't help it, then. I blurted out, "What are you talking about?"
Pain's gaze drifted to me, before it went back to Naruto. "Long ago... There was a time when both the Land of Fire and Konoha grew too big. It became necessary for the Great Nations to engage in war for profit and resources to keep their people from starving to death. As it happened, our little village became their battleground. After many battles, the Great Nations stabilized... But our smaller nation suffered and barely recovered."
"Whether or not you believe it, we all seek the same thing. We all want the peace Jiraiya-sensei envisioned," Pain continued. "We are the same, motivated by justice. The justice I delievered against Konoha... Is no different from what the two of you are trying to do to me. Everyone feels the same pain when losing something precious. The three of us... We have each experienced that pain."
I looked down, staring at the ground beneath my feet. Pain was crazy... But why did a lot of what he said seem to be completely right?
"You strive for your justice... And I strive for mine!" Pain looked down at Naruto. "Ordinary men, driven to vengeance in the name of justice. And if one calls vengeance justice... Such justice will bring further vengeance... And a vicious cycle of hatred will be set in motion."
"Just as I know you, Minxie, you know me," He said, looking at me. "You were born to set this cycle to rest. But no matter what your abilities are... You are still human, and you still are moved by your emotions. You search for your own justice. You are no better than I am. We are the same, no matter how much you'd like to deny it."
"... I'm nothing like you," I denied, shaking my head.
"Aren't you?" He asked, stepping towards me. "What did you feel when you came here? How did you feel when you realized that I had destroyed your village? What did it feel like when you discovered that I killed your teacher? Threatened the Jinchuriki you love? Did you not want vengeance? What did you feel? What did you want?"
"I wanted you to burn in hell," I hissed at him, baring my teeth with a harsh glare. He remained indifferent, satisfied that he had proved his point. "... But I never wanted to kill you. Not really."
He stared at me for a long while. "And that is precisely why you were born to end this cycle. But I... Right now, I live in this cycle. I know the past and can foretell our future... It is the same as our history." He turned back to Naruto. "I do not see people as anything other than petty creatures that will never be able to understand each other."
He stepped back towards the blonde. "The shinobi world is ruled by hatred. How would you confront this hatred, in order to create peace?"
My answer to Pain's question would have been something like slapping every person in the world and tell them to get their act together and stop being stupid, so I left the talking to Naruto. Instead, I focused on freeing myself, all while keeping my ears open to hear Pain and Naruto's conversation.
"I... I don't know," Naruto said after a long while. "I guess... I hadn't really thought that far."
"But you see... That's why I formed the Akatsuki, to break the cycle of hatred. I can succeed... But I need Nine Tails to achieve it. I will use the power of all nine Biju to create a weapon much stronger than the one that flattened this village. Power strong enough to erase an entire nation in an instant," Pain replied. "I am going to show this world true pain... Stop all the wars with the terror that pain will aspire... And lead it into stability and peace."
"But... Peace like that is nothing but a lie!" Naruto objected.
"Humans are not the most intelligent of creatures. This is the only way that peace can be achieved. And after several decades, that pain too will eventually fade with time. Its effectiveness will diminish and humanity will begin to war once more. This time, they will use the Biju weapon against one another and reconfirm what true pain is. And then peace will be restored again, for a time," Pain said. "Creating these short periods of peace, through pain... That is my dream. But peace... Peace is now!"
Pain's sudden outburst made me work faster to free myself. I was cutting it too close. Pain and Naruto's conversation was coming to a close, and I couldn't risk Naruto getting hurt. I couldn't risk anyone.
"You argue that my vision of peace is false... But in this cursed world, a peace where people truly understand each other is nothing but fiction," Pain finished, his voice one of conviction.
"Pervy Sage believed that the day would come when people will understand one another and live in harmony!" Naruto argued, "You're the one who's wrong!"
"You are arrogant. You couldn't even answer my simple question. What can you possibly do?" Pain questioned. "Your only option is to give me the Nine-Tails' power. Like I said, your death will lead to peace."
I wasn't even halfway down freeing myself when Pain began to stab Naruto with more chakra receivers. I was running out of time. My heart burned with anger, watching Pain hurt Naruto right in front of me, but I knew that if I went and did something stupid, Pain would end up being right. I really would be no better than he was.
"I've avoided your vital spots," Pain's voice said, bringing me back to earth. "But you will no longer be able to move on your own."
"He's wrong, lad! You're the child of prophecy, the savior of this world! You aren't allowed to lose!" Lady Shima shouted. "Jiraiya and Pa risked their lives for you! They believed in you! If you give up, I won't forgive you!"
Tired of her interruptions, Pain used is jutsu to push her away. "Loud-mouthed frog," He muttered as she skidded across the dirt. He stepped closer to Naruto.
Knowing that I no longer had any time, I summoned all the Light Chakra I could and pulled my palms off of the chakra receivers. Pain hadn't noticed, because his back was still facing me.
As carefully as I could, I created a shadow clone, leaving it in my place at the rock formation. I sneaked underground using Earth Style Ninjutsu, waiting to attack.
"It's about time you came with me," I heard Pain's voice said, and with all the force I could muster, I burst through the ground.
Pain's Rinnegan eyes widened a fraction, and he stared at me, noticing the holes his receivers had created in the center of my palms.
"He's not going anywhere with you," I hissed at him, standing in front of Naruto protectively.
"Minxie, what the hell are you doing!? Get away from him!" Naruto shouted from behind me.
"I'm not going anywhere, Naruto," I said calmly.
"What do you mean you're not going anywhere!? Now's not the time to be a hero! Get away from him, now, Minxie!" He yelled.
"I told you that we were in this together! I'm not backing down because you tell me to! I'm trying to protect you!" I exclaimed.
"You're being a martyr! You're not dying for me! So just get away from him before-"
"I'm not letting you get hurt!" I screamed at him, making his blue eyes go wide. I turned to face him slowly. "I refuse to let you get hurt." I turned back to Pain. "You aren't fit to decide the fate of the world. There's no chance in hell you're going to hurt Naruto when I'm here. I'll kill you first."
"I thought you said you didn't want to kill me," Pain replied.
"I didn't. And... I still don't," I said honestly. "But you're forcing my hand. If I have to choose between you and Naruto... I am always going to pick him."
"Then you're a fool, just like him," He stated, and with that, he pulled me towards him. However, I was prepared for this. Wooden branches sprung up from beneath the ground, wrapping themselves around my waist. It hurt like hell, but it prevented Pain from pulling and pushing me around like a rag doll.
Landing swiftly on the ground, I uprooted the branches from the dirt and hurled them towards Pain, who was currently in his five second interval. He jumped to avoid the branches, but that was exactly what I wanted. In mid-air, the branches stopped, rooting themselves into the ground and creating a wooden prison that enveloped Pain. It didn't do much except scratch him, but considering he was someone who seemed unbeatable, I was doing a pretty good job.
I cast my Deathly Fog Jutsu once more, just when the five second interval ended. Pain pushed all the branches away from him, and my clone burst from the ground, aiming a Chidori at him. It took more than five seconds, allowing him to push the clone away until it hit the ground and disappeared into a puff of smoke.
I flipped into the air quickly, sending a strong kick to Pain's rib cage. The Akatsuki leader hit the ground hard, taking a few moments to stand up. Another copy of me burst from under the ground he was sitting on, kicking him up into the air. Another Chidori rocketed towards him, but he repelled it.
I had no idea how I was managing to fight against Pain, but it was working. I continued working at his intervals, shocking him with Chidori a few times, wearing him down until it was time for my final attack. I was going to send him many shadow clones hidden in the fog, all of them armed with Chidori. Once he used up his jutsu, I'd use the Rasen-Chidori in the five second interval, ending him.
But Pain did something that I didn't see coming, something that changed everything.
He was tired of my games; I knew that just from his expression. Instead of dodging my clone, he let it hit him. The punch sent him flying until he landed on his feet, right next to an all too familiar blonde.
He pulled another chakra receiver from his sleeve, holding it above the Naruto's stomach. In five seconds, he'd stab Naruto.
Whatever plan I had immediately flew out the window. I no longer cared about beating Pain. All that was on my mind was saving Naruto.
Five seconds when I jumped out of the fog.
Four seconds when I ran towards Pain.
Three seconds when I created a Rasen-Chidori in my hand.
Two seconds when I yelled Naruto's name.
One second when I extended my arm to finish Pain.
Zero seconds.
I should have realized that it was a trap the second I saw him stop struggling against my advances. But Pain had done the one thing that would ensure his victory, the one thing he knew would allow him to beat me.
He'd pretended to hurt Naruto, and I fell right for it.
Instead of using focusing on Naruto, he grabbed the wrist that manipulated the Rasen-Chidori and tossed me to the side. My jutsu hit the rubble, creating an enormous crater in the earth.
Naruto hollered, "NO!"
But the interval was up.
Pain pulled me towards him, and I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I gasped, blood trickling down my lip. I looked down, following Pain's extended arm. The receiver that I believed he was going to use on Naruto... Was now plunged into my stomach.
Pain's chakra spread through my body like wildfire. I had gone completely numb by the time I found the strength to put a hand on the receiver in attempt to pull it out. I couldn't breathe, much less move.
"... I couldn't do it," I whispered to Naruto, who hadn't made a sound in the longest time. "I couldn't protect you... Hell, I couldn't even tell you how I feel about you... Because I was never strong enough to... I... I've never deserved you..." Tears gathered in my eyes. "But... Maybe now... I was able to show you... Exactly... How I feel about you..."
When Pain pulled out his receiver, I didn't feel a throbbing pain. All I felt was a light sting. But I was bleeding enough to know this wasn't some tiny little injury. My hand was stained with crimson, but even then, I couldn't focus on my injury.
"Naruto... You have to win," I continued, struggling to get the words out. "You have to do what I couldn't do... Don't ask why... Just do it... For me, okay...? And just know... That I... I lo-..."
My body couldn't stand on its own anymore. I fell down, my body hitting the floor with a loud thud.
I thought of what I had wanted to say, three words that I wouldn't be able to say.
I love you...
And then I was overcome by darkness.
::In Minxie's Mind::
My mind didn't look anything like I remembered it. There was no singing Elmo, nor was there a gorgeous Paul Wesley waiting for me in my bedroom... Nothing. It was blank. The only thing left was the darkness.
Somewhere in the darkness, I found a large gate. There was a huge seal on the gate, making me wonder if I should really be this close to it.
I should have remembered the gate. I should have known not to open it. There was a part of me screaming to get away, but I wouldn't listen to it.
All I could feel was a burning. Everything burned, searing my soul with darkness.
It was only until I heard heavy breathing from behind the gate that I realized that I wasn't alone.
"It hurts... Why does it hurt this much...?" I asked no one in particular, my hand clutching my stomach.
"You are angry, my darling..." That voice. Why was it so familiar? "Pain has challenged you. He believes he is a god, that he will lead this world to peace... But he is not you. You are the one with the power. You have my power. Together, we can set this abominable world right."
"I'm so angry... Why am I so angry?" I asked the voice. "Why do I have to do to stop it? How can I make it stop?"
"Give into me, my little darling," the voice answered, a convincing edge to its voice, "That is how to make it stop. All of your anger... All of your rage... I will take it and use it with my power. We will show Pain what true power is. We will end him. All those on this earth... They are beneath you. Destroy them, with my help, and you will be free. You can have everything you want... And all you have to do... Is rip this seal off!"
It hurt so much. I was filled to the brim with rage. I was so full of pain that I listened to the voice, even though my conscience told me not to. I walked towards the gate, lifting my hand to the thin piece of paper that sealed the gate. I was just about to rip it off when a hand caught mine.
The hand belonged to a man I had never seen before in my entire life. He was tall and lean with strong shoulders, but his aura was warm and comforting. He had jet black hair and pure emerald green eyes. His eyes captivated me, and then I realized why. His eyes were my eyes, the eyes that both Ryuu and I shared.
"I don't think that's a good idea," He told me, a smile in his voice.
"You! This is all your fault! How dare you show yourself to me again!?" the monster behind the gates continued to yell.
"Who... Who are you?" I asked, paying no mind to the raging monster.
"My name is Hasashi," He said, smiling at me. "I'm your father."
Third Person's POV
Kylie had never before been so stressed out. She had just healed about 300 villagers, but there still hundreds more to go. It seemed as if every time she healed one, another magically found a way to injure himself. She was on the verge of exhaustion, but she wasn't worried about herself. She was just naturally good-natured. It didn't matter what she'd have to do, so long as she was able to help people.
But Kylie could hardly help people when her mind was a mess. Her hands moved of their own accord, blindly healing villagers as Ryuu escorted her around on Entei.
All that was on Kylie's mind was Minxie. The blue-haired girl was deeply worried for her best friend, who, along with Naruto, was facing Pain, the man who had single-handedly destroyed their village and the leader of the Akatsuki. Shikamaru was kind to her, promising to keep her posted on everything that happened in the battle while she healed the villagers.
Eventually, she stopped listening. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what was going on anymore.
Ryuu watched Kylie with blank emerald green eyes. To anyone else, Kylie looked normal. She was focused and determined, carefully healing whoever needed her help.
But Ryuu saw past her facade. He saw the way her hands trembled as they made signs. He saw the worry reflecting in her large cerulean eyes. He saw her constantly, nervously drumming on her knee. Kylie could smile all she wanted, but Ryuu knew she wasn't okay. He was just about to ask her about it when he felt a malicious chakra in the air.
Instead, he asked a different question, "Do you feel that?"
The blue-haired teen nodded solemnly. "I do. But we need to keep going. The villagers need us."
"Minxie's in that direction," Ryuu stated, his voice betraying nothing.
Kylie looked down, "... I know." And she did know, which is why she didn't want to think about it. If she did, she'd break down, right when Ryuu knew she was anything but okay.
Kylie knew she wasn't okay, too. But that didn't mean that she was allowed to give up. She stood up, seeing nothing but Minxie's image as she walked over to Ryuu. She was just about to mount on Entei to find other patients when she heard a small voice calling her name.
She looked around to find Katsuyu, Lady Tsunade's slug, on the ground. Kylie picked the animal up, raising an eyebrow, "What's wrong, Katsuyu?"
"You must evacuate this area immediately," Katsuyu said, making Kylie and Ryuu exchange glances, "Something terrible is coming."
"Now, I know I'm not everyone's favorite person," a familiar voice said, "But considering I just brought your two friends back safely, I highly doubt I'm that terrible."
"Scarlett," Ryuu said, surveying his sister's Doppelganger, who had just appeared on the scene. His cold heart warmed when he saw Rin and Mitchell walking behind her, followed by Luna.
Rin didn't care that her relationship with Ryuu was supposed to be a secret. She didn't care that she was the one who had insisted they keep it a secret in the first place. The moment she sensed his chakra, she ran into his arms and kissed him.
Ryuu was completely surprised. He quickly recovered, responding to her kiss eagerly. She pulled away just to hug him tightly, burying her face into his neck.
"Thank God you're okay..." the white-haired girl whispered, holding him tightly.
"I'm here..." Ryuu whispered to her, slowly and carefully wrapping his arms around her small frame.
"Wow," Mitchell said, surveying the couple. "How come you never greet me like that, Rin?"
Ryuu rolled his eyes at this violet-eyed teen, while Rin slapped Mitchell in the back of the head, giving him a brief, "Shut up."
She released Ryuu, but he kept an arm around her, turning his gaze to Luna. "Luna. It's been a while."
"It sure has been," Luna agreed, smiling at her old friend. "You're lucky to have her, you know. Don't forget that."
"I never do," Ryuu said, making Rin smile.
Kylie was smiling, too, happy that her friends were happy. At least something went right today. However, whatever happiness she had quickly vanished when she remembered Katsuyu's warning.
"Katsuyu, you said something was coming, but I doubt it was Scarlett," Kylie said, turning to the slug. "What happened?"
"Indeed, it was not Scarlett," Katsuyu said sadly. "On the battlefield, it seems that Pain has-"
"Ah!" Scarlett screamed, cutting the slug off. The Doppelganger swayed, clutching a hand to her stomach.
Mitchell shot forward instantly, catching her before she fell to the floor. He slowly guided her to sit on the floor. His eyes widened when he saw the crimson liquid that was staining her hand. "Oh my God..." He whispered.
"Minxie," Kylie and Ryuu said in unison, their eyes widening.
"That's what I meant to tell you," Katsuyu said sadly. "It seems Minxie was cut down right in front of Naruto. He's transformed into Nine-Tails, and now... Now, I fear things are truly only going to get worse."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hey, guys! Wow, it's been forever. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person. I don't deserve your love or your comments, but I finally pushed myself to get an update out! Sorry if it's not all you expected it to be, but I just wanted to put something out there.
If you're wondering about why I haven't updated in another long month, it's because of school. I just finished my midterms, and they were the worst. You can set fire to my school if you want, really. I won't mind.
I really wanted to thank you guys for all of the response on the last chapter. I try to reply to all of your comments, and I thank you for all of the wonderful ideas and advice. I hope this chapter gets as good of a reply as the last one did :P
I know I suck, but you should be happy to know that I've already got half of the next chapter written. Hopefully, you won't have to wait so long for the next update.
Much love,
-smilescutie3311 xoxoxo