Wandering Heathens

Battle

The battle was engaged. Pein and her Paths were demolishing battalions of troops, while Konan made sure to pick off the wounded with paper shurikens and kunais. Screams of the dead and dying filled the air and their warm blood soaked into to earth.

Kisame was battling a large shark-man whose vicious strength was increased by his hatred of his former clan mate. Samehada was working overtime to defend Kisame and devour chakra so it could stay in the fight. Itachi moved along the battlefield, lending weapons or Sharingan powers to Kisame, to help her lover defeat her enemies.

Deidara laughed maniacally as she flew high above the fight, creating, sending and detonating her bombs every chance she could. Sasori had kindly stored more explosive clay in Hiruko for her and from time to time, Deidara refilled on clay and knocked on Hiruko's shell to let Sasori know she was still alive.

Sasori was creating chaos and devastation with her puppets. She had upgraded Hiruko to be more like a tank and sent out her puppets from the shell, connected by chakra strings, to fight while keeping herself protected.

Obita and Zetsuki worked together to send platoons of clones into the fray, directing the battle and cutting off enemy troops so as to slaughter them.

The ground became boggy with all the blood spilled. Each step felt like soft mud with a layer of blood on the surface. Shinjo readied his sword and removed it seals before launching himself into the fight. He kept Kakuza and Hida reasonably close to him for two reasons: to keep an eye on them, especially Hida, and because they fought well as a trio.

Kakuza was battling a Konoha Jounin who was making life difficult for her. The shinobi had already broken two of her masks and she had him trapped within her tendrils. With a yell, Hida swung her scythe and caught the man in the chest and abdomen, the two blades sinking deep into his body. With another scream and a lot of effort, she flung the dying man away from Kakuza. "Thanks" Kakuza said before unleashing her tendrils around another shinobi. "You fucking owe me" Hida replied, standing back to back with her partner, scythe at the ready.

Shinjo had gotten himself led away from the women by a renowned shinobi he was intent on killing. He had caught his quarry and killed him by slowly sliding his sword into the man's heart. Watching someone look at you in terror and pain while their life slipped away... He would forever love that look.

Kicking the corpse aside, he looked around the battlefield. Him! Mei stood, surrounded by his bodyguards, unleashing his signature Lava Style and burning clones to death. Shinjo gritted his teeth and ran towards the Mizukage.

Somersaulting over the bodyguards, he swung his sword in an arc before landing gracefully on his feet. Half the bodyguards stood stock still before blood began seeping out of their necks and their heads slid off and landed on the ground with a sickening thump. The remaining bodyguards screamed their rage and launched themselves at Shinjo, who ducked down and swung again. Pairs of legs separated from their bodies and they all fell to the earth, screaming and begging for their mothers. With methodical precision, Shinjo stabbed one dying man, made a sign, and watched as his lightning attack chained from man to man until all were dead. That just left Mei.

They stood, looking at each other, the sounds around them fading out. "So, you're not a myth after all" Mei mused. "No, I'm not. You, however, are disappointing" Shinjo snarled and readied himself, his blood covered blade held in front of him.

Mei wove signs and put his hand to his mouth. lava spewed out and Shinjo jumped out of its path. He used his wind style to cool and solidify the lava, rendering Mei's attack harmless. The battle continued, each fighter trying different attacks and tactics, trying to gain the upper hand. Shinjo realized that he was approaching the limits of his wind chakra and dug deep within himself to access his black chakra. He saw Mei readying another lava attack and he quickly made a sign, "Kinjutsu Art: Wind Cloak!" "Lava Style: Broken Volcano!" Copious amounts of lava spewed forth, which Shinjo had expected, but he hadn't expected flaming meteors to rain from the sky.

He ducked and dodged, thankful for his cloak which protected him when a rouge meteor struck him. He couldn't get close enough to Mei and it was frustrating him! "Earth Style: Underground Catacomb!" and he disappeared into the ground.

He dropped down into the darkness, still able to hear the battle raging above. He moved down small, tight corridors, sensing Mei's chakra and following it. There! With an almighty crash, he broke the surface and grabbed Mei by the throat. "The fuck?" He managed to sputter out. "You're good. But I'm better" Shinjo growled in his face, tightening his fist around Mei's neck. The Mizukage's face began to change color, from blush red, to tomato red, to finally white with the beginnings of cyanosis. "My dream won't die with me" Mei managed to say before Shinjo crushed his larynx. "I'll make sure it does" Shinjo sinisterly promised and gave the neck one last squeeze. He felt the vertebrae crumble under his hand and Mei's head flopped forward, internally decapitated by the powdered vertebrae.

A Kiri kunoichi, seeing her Kage fall, hid her chakra and ran at Shinjo who's back was turned. She threw kunais, shurikens and senbons at him and many hit home. Shinjo grunted from the impact of the weapons piercing his skin and sunk down on one knee. "FOR KIRI!" The kunoichi shouted, ready to plunge a kunai into Shinjo's brainstem and kill him. "FUCK YOU!" He heard as Hida impaled the kunoichi on her scythe blades and Kakuza wrapped her tendrils around the kunoichi's neck and forced tendrils into her eye sockets.

She screamed as the tendrils dug in and pulled out her eyes, crushing them as they left her body. Hida removed her blades and swung again, plunging into a new part of her body. Shinjo got back to his feet and slowly walked over. "Go home. Tell your people to stop this war. Or the Akatsuki will wipe Kiri from the map!" She nodded, her sockets bleeding and dripping blood everywhere. Hida opened her mouth to complain but Shinjo gave her a look. She finally accepted and removed her blades from the woman as Kakuza removed her tendrils. She fell to the ground and crawled away.

They turned to survey the battle. Shinobi and Hoshigaki lay all over the area, dead, dismembered, disemboweled, missing limbs or heads or worse. Bomb craters pocketed the land and he could make out Sasori walking around and collecting her broken puppets for repairs. He picked up Mei's corpse and walked over to Sasori, wordlessly handing her a new puppet. Sasori smiled and bowed her head in thanks.

The rest of the Akatsuki members gathered together, counted that everyone was alive and began making their way back to their base in Ame. Kakuza and Itachi were already discussing how to treat the wounded. Hida was still on the field, praying and sacrificing the wounded she found. Kisame was stroking Samehada, the sword bloated and uncomfortable from all the chakra it consumed.

Obita watched as they left the area. He's ready for an Sharingan.