Hey, guys, it's been a while! Almost two years, if I'm correct.
…Yes, I know it's been that long. This chapter is long overdue, but it should conclude the cliffhangers. Finally. There should probably be another chapter after this one, just to wrap things up and tie up loose ends. I'm going to leave a few untied on purpose, because there are some aspects of the story that I just want to ignore …coughunnecessarypairingscough .
Anyway, as is custom for this story, I'll let someone new read the disclaimer. We've gotten a bunch of new members of Akatsuki since we left off, so let's let one of them do it. How about it, boys?
"They all left me here to do it."
Kisame? But we already know you from pre-timeskip stuff!
"Yeah, well, I don't get enough love. And nobody else wants to do it."
All right…Do it, Kisame.
"Naruto and all of the characters involved belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I, however, belong only to my beloved…"
Is that a halibut, Kisame?
"IT IS!"
The Most Dangerous Game
Chapter 11
ENDGAME
"Your plans shall not come to fruition, demon! We, your former comrades, have finally escaped your servitude, and now we confront you! The circle is now complete!"
Morimoto boldly addressed Odoruwa. Odoruwa retorted:
"Keh! You're half-dead already..."
With awesome fury, Odoruwa's sword came down upon Morimoto. The other shinobi stood in shock.
"He...he didn't even finish his speech yet," Kiniro stammered, "You're a horrible creature!"
"Silence, dog!"
Odoruwa quashed Kiniro with his words, and then attempted to slice him in half. Kiniro barely escaped with his life. Raiken zipped around the giant sword and stabbed Odoruwa in the gut, but instead of a death cry, he was met with laughter!
"Keh heh heh heh heh...I'm no ordinary human, you wretch! I am Odoruwa, the paragon of evolution! You can't kill me with swords and knives alone!"
With that, Odoruwa's seal activated, and he was covered in black. Then, he began to grow. He grew to the extent that his gigantic sword was now in proportion to the rest of his body. Raiken was left dangling from Odoruwa's enormous abdomen.
"Now, you shall witness the power of he who shall rule the Water Country!"
Kiba could only stand dumbfounded as Lee and Gai began breaking their inner chakra gates. Their skin turned red. Their pupils rolled back into their heads. Their immense amount of chakra began whirling about them. Suddenly, they sprang into action. Lee and Gai sprinted in different directions, and each kicked a sister into the air. Then, they began beating the living daylights out of them. In their minds, they realized that this was not the best technique to start off with, seeing as how it would damage their bodies, but they needed to end this quickly and this would do the trick. Suddenly, both green beasts turned and slammed their opponents into the ground with the full force of their feet. They yelled in unison:
"URA RENGE!"
As soon as they had finished, they collapsed next to their fallen foes. One of the sisters' arm twitched. Kiba noticed this, and came down on her with a punch to the gut. This made him feel a bit more useful in the presence of these two maniacs.
Akamaru, as if he shared the same sentiment as his master, began gnawing on the hand of the other body.
"YES! Yoooooou shall be my opponent, nice guy!"
Hanzo giggled with glee at the thought of challenging his new "friend." Chouji was very nervous; aside from Jiroubou, he hadn't won a one-on-one battle before. Would he have to use his pills again, and go through the physical trauma?
"WE SHALL DUEL...IN SHOUGI!!!"
Shikamaru was shocked.
Shougi? Chess?! This guy's a nut! I wish he had chosen me as his opponent. I don't lose at that game to just anyone...
Chouji was horrified. He knew how to play shougi; he had played against Shikamaru hundreds of times. And he always lost. He gulped.
"In this game, each captured piece EXPLODES IN ITS OWNER'S FACE!"
Hanzo was getting manic at the thought of explosions. He began to cough up a few explosive pieces as he pulled a charred board from his backpack. He had obviously played this way before.
"Um...Aren't we going to fight?" Chouji asked.
"NONSENSE! There's no need to fight among friends, yeah?" Hanzo retorted.
"True, but if you're going to try and kill me anyway..."
"ENOUGH TALK! WE PLAY NOW! YESSS!!!"
Kumomaru gazed at his new enemy.
A girl comes to save the Hyuuga boy? How droll. I shall put an end to this and take Sasuke back to Orochimaru.
His thoughts were interrupted by a rain of kunai. The spider ninja leapt back into the shadows.
I see...They're using the eyesight of the Hyuuga in combination with the accuracy of the girl. This could get ugly. I may be forced to retreat...but not quite yet.
Kumomaru spat out three arrows, each tied to strings from his mouth. He loaded them into his bow.
300 accuracy...I won't miss.
He fired all three arrows. They wound around every obstacle they encountered, and began to circle the two leaf ninja. Neji noticed one of them.
"Tenten! He's attacking again!"
"Right! No problem for me!"
With Neji's guidance, Tenten launched an array of weapons at the incoming arrow. They were able to stop the arrow dead in its tracks, but this was the outcome Kumomaru had intended. He willed the second arrow to strike at Tenten. Neji saw the arrow coming, but he knew that Tenten didn't have time to dodge it. Without a moment's hesitation, Neji pushed Tenten out of the way and took the arrow in the shoulder. Tenten rushed over to him.
"Neji! Are you all right?"
"Tenten...behind you!"
It was too late. The third arrow ran through Tenten right into Neji. They were both trapped, and were wounded severely.
"It looks like..." Neji interrupted himself to cough up a bit of blood, which trickled down Tenten's cheek. "It looks like we both fell for it."
"Neji."
"What is it, Tenten?"
"Are we both going to die?"
Neji looked down. Although both arrows had impaled both of them, their internal organs were left untouched.
"The good news...is that there's no major damage..."
"And the bad news?"
"We could bleed to death if we're not given medical attention soon."
"Wonderful."
Kumomaru leapt down from his hiding place.
"Thank me, Konoha ninja, for I have spared both of you. However, you should not try to escape. Any attempt would most likely result in your death. By the time the medics arrive, I will be long gone, with my prize." He motioned toward Sasuke, who was tied up in webbing. "Until then, I hope you enjoy each other's company. This will be a nice bonding experience for you two."
With those words, Kumomaru vanished into the shadows, taking Sasuke with him.
"I'll say one thing," Tenten said, "that guy has good aim."
"Yes, that's all well and good, but we lost Sasuke!"
"Neji. Sweetheart. Don't stress over it so much. We're alive! We can try and get Sasuke back again, once we've healed!."
"Did you just call me sweetheart?"
Tenten blushed. "Did I? It must have been a mistake."
"Tenten, if your heart beats faster, you'll lose more blood."
Tenten looked crestfallenly at Neji. Flirting was obviously outside of his area of expertise.
Men.
KABOOM.
Chouji was never very good at shougi. He was lucky, though. The explosion, instead of killing him instantly, had flung him into the air...right at some enormous giant! Chouji knew what he had to do.
"CHOU BAIKA NO JUTSU!"
Chouji grew into a giant himself, and body-slammed the giant who was in his path. The two behemoths collapsed to the ground and shrunk.
"He...just body-slammed Odoruwa..." Kiniro stammered.
"So much for the 'pinnacle of human evolution.'" Kakashi said.
Naruto and Hinata stood agape at their once-formidable foe. They looked at each other. They looked back at the smoking pile that consisted of Chouji, Odoruwa, and a very squashed Raiken. Just as they turned to look at each other again, the enormous sword that Odoruwa had wielded crashed down right between them. They both shivered at their mutual near-death experience.
Kiniro approached the pile, and noticed that Odoruwa's mask had broke in half, and underneath, there was no face.
"His weak spot was...the mask? Come to think of it, that would have been a pretty obvious place to put it. Why didn't we think of attacking there?" Kiniro asked.
Kurenai, annoyed at how absurdly their battle had concluded, walked off in a huff.
"Aburame...Shiranui..."
Shino's blood ran cold through his veins. He knew about his traitorous uncle, and how he had tried to sell out the Aburame clan to its enemies. He had no idea, though, that Shiranui the traitor still lived.
"I thought you were executed, Shibi! Father told me so! He said that you had to pay for your crimes against the clan!"
"It broke your heart, didn't it, Shino?" Shiranui replied, "You didn't want to see your dear uncle die. Lucky for you, I'm still alive. Shall I go butterfly catching with you again, for old times' sake? Oh, no...you've probably outgrown that by now. What do young boy ninjas do in their spare time? Do they still spar? Let's spar, Shino."
"How are you still alive, and why are you still working for the enemies of Konoha?"
Shiranui's thick beard curled into a smile.
"It has always been the principle of Konoha ninja to spare the life of their enemies when it is convenient for them. Your father, Shibi, has adopted that policy, and as such, he is soft. He definitely should have killed me. Instead, he thought that taking out my eyes would render me impotent enough for a sentence of exile. He could not have been more wrong. You should know that the ninja of the Aburame clan have no need for eyes. Our ears are more than enough to allow us to fight. In fact, I believe that my blindness has done nothing but strengthen my capabilities as a ninja. I don't need the eggs, anyway."
From her hiding place, Sakura listened to the conversation.
Eggs? What does he mean by that? She thought.
"Anyway, Shino, let's not let this get in the way of our kinship. Shall we spar?"
Shino realized that his uncle was just trying to get him agitated. If he was to win this battle, he would have to maintain his composure. He let out a deep breath, and resumed his normal, inscrutable expression.
"We shall, uncle."
Shiranui did not need any more words than those. He quickly unsheathed his sword and began to slice at his nephew with blinding speed. Shino pulled out a kunai to defend himself, but because of the limited length of the knife, he was unable to make any counterattacks. Finally, Shiranui landed a devastating blow to Shino's abdomen, only to find that his target dissipated into a swarm of deadly insects. Shiranui deftly dodged backwards in order to avoid the bugs, but was caught from behind by Shino, who attempted to land a roundhouse kick to his opponent's ribs. Shiranui blocked the kick, and sent Shino spinning into a nearby tree. Shino's slammed into the tree and collapsed to the ground. As he staggered to his feet, his uncle chuckled.
"I fear that there is little hope for the future, if weaklings like you are to inherit the world."
Shino would not let Shiranui goad him. He took this time to formulate a plan.
"Oda," Shino whispered, "take a contingent of insects and move behind him. Do not attack until I give the command."
Oda saluted to his host and flew off with a small group of his fellow kikai bugs. Shino then drew a few shuriken from his pouch.
"What new trick are you going to use, eh, nephew?"
"You shall see soon enough. Then again, you can't see, can you?"
Sakura, who was still in her hiding place, made an inaudible groan at Shino's attempt at humor. Shiranui, however, found this change in Shino's behavior amusing.
"Are you getting cocky? I don't think you have anything special in mind, seeing as how you are just going to throw shuriken at me."
Shino remained deadpan. Instead of responding, he threw the shuriken all at once. Shiranui blocked them effortlessly, but that was exactly what Shino wanted him to do.
"What were you expecting, Shino? Such stupidity should be punished!"
Shiranui charged at Shino with his blade, and hacked with all his might, but as his blade connected with Shino's kunai, it cracked. Shiranui backed away.
"What have you done to my katana?"
"Kikaichu eat chakra," Shino replied, "But they are also good at breaking down solid material. They are called destruction bugs, after all. I had a few fly within the holes of the shuriken. The spinning sound of the shuriken distracted your ears from the bugs' wings. Give up, Shiranui! I've broken your weapon!"
"Don't think you've beaten me yet, boy," Shiranui said as he smirked evilly. "I have plenty of other ways to kill you."
Shiranui cast his blade to the ground and unleashed a barrage of his own bugs. They hurtled towards Shino, who had barely enough time to counter by sending out another swarm. What ensued was a deadly conflict of miniscule proportions. The kikaichu bit, stung, tore, and wrestled each other in order to serve their masters. The two ninja spouted out a continuous stream of insects to feed the growing war. Soon, neither opponent could see each other amidst the chaotic, undulating mass of battling bugs.
Sakura clenched her teeth and closed her ears. The noise of the fracas was deafening. She could hear the sound of thousands of wings buzzing, thousands of exoskeletons crunching, and thousands of little insectoid death cries. She could see Shino through the chaos, and she saw that his face was completely deadpan. How could he show no emotion when his soldiers, who had been living inside of him, were dying in droves?
The truth was that Shino could not afford to let his emotions get the better of him. He had to micromanage his armies so that, once the battle was over, he would have the advantage. He concentrated on each division of his bugs and issued telepathic orders. He had no time to think about anything else. He could not even think of the figure that was creeping up behind him…
Shino gasped.
Sakura screamed.
Shiranui chuckled.
The bugs, who were no longer receiving commands, flew back to their masters. As they cleared, the outcome of the battle was visible. Shiranui had taken his broken sword and stabbed Shino while he was distracted.
"Come out from your hiding place, girl. If your sense of fear didn't already give you away, your scream would certainly do the trick."
Sakura stepped out from the foliage and stared at the man who was now holding Shino by the sword which was embedded in his chest. Shino coughed.
"Your friend has lost to me. Leave now, and your lifespan will lengthen considerably."
Sakura's mouth moved, but her words were inaudible, even to the receptive ears of Shiranui.
"What did you say, girl?"
"He…was a mystery to me…I barely even got to know him…but he seemed to be…someone worth knowing. You killed him! You killed him before I even got to know him! I don't even know what his eyes look like!"
Shiranui's smirk turned into a frown.
"I dislike overt displays of emotion. You begin to annoy me, girl. Leave, now, and be content to know that he died a shinobi's death. As for his eyes…I suppose I can give you his head so you can find out…"
Shiranui slid his sword from Shino's body, and raised it so as to decapitate him. Sakura rushed toward Shino and blocked the sword with her bare hands. The sword shattered into hundreds of tiny flecks of metal.
She's strong, Shiranui thought, too strong to be left alive.
Shiranui called his bugs out, but he realized then that all of the bugs that had returned to him weren't his! At that moment, searing pain erupted throughout his body as Shino's bugs drained his chakra. He collapsed to the ground, with barely enough strength to keep himself alive.
Sakura immediately rushed to Shino in order to try and heal him. She popped open the snaps on his jacket and looked at the wound. He had been run through, and the wound would be fatal if she didn't act quickly. Just then, Oda and his squad of bugs buzzed over to her.
"Sakura-san! Shino-taichou's body will be strange to you, since it is also a hive for us. We shall guide your hand so that you may heal him properly!"
"What are you guys?" Sakura asked.
"We're a special squad of bugs that Shino set aside in case he should be defeated. We were to report back to the Aburame compound in Konoha to tell them of Shiranui, but we decided that our efforts would be best spent by helping you."
The bugs chattered into Sakura's ear as she used her chakra to mend Shino's internal damage. After a couple of stressful hours, she had finally stabilized Shino's condition. She lifted him onto her back and ran off to meet up with the others.
And that's it! Hope you're freakin' satisfied for now.