The 6th Great Ninja War
Chapter XX: On the Move
In Konohagakure, a mischievous-looking young man marveled at himself in front of a mirror. He was wearing the traditional Hokage robe. The young man stroked his soul patch, not completely convinced that the robe suited him very well. Then, the door behind him opened, much to his surprise. Two older people walked in, one male and one female. The man had gray and black hair mixed in from aging, and the woman had long black hair and wore a simple blouse and dress. The young man gave them a dissatisfied look.
Hasashi: You two? What do you want?
Lara: We’re just checking in on you.
DarkSage: Yeah…we wouldn’t want the temporary Hokage to be unprepared for his first public induction.
Hasashi: ……*sigh* Well, I’m fine. Now, please go away so I can get ready. You’re stinking up the place O-o
DarkSage: -_-‘ You little…
Lara: Okay ^_^ Let’s go.
The two advisers left Hasashi alone in his dress room. He waited for a minute after they left and took a breath of relief.
Hasashi: How annoying…
IN KUMOGAKURE
In Kirabi’s office, Izuna walked in.
Izuna: You’ve transported Nexus with the scroll?
Kirabi: Yeah…have you gathered the Stone Army to be transported here?
Izuna: Almost. We’re missing one degenerate.
Kirabi: *raises eyebrow* Who?
Izuna: He defected a few weeks ago to accept this bodyguard mission. It was apparently worth millions of ryo.
Kirabi: Tch…what a whack pack. Find him, or else Hachibi-sama ain’t gonna be happy!
Izuna: Of course, sir.
Izuna walked out of the room, smirking. He said quietly to himself…
Izuna: Soon enough, I will not be happy. That’s when the real trouble starts…for you…
ELSEWHERE
In a nice, populous, market town somewhere near Kumogakure, a good distance but not too far away, a brown-haired, simple and clean-looking man wearing very casual clothing lead someone to a place. He looked plain enough, but one could hardly tell if he was a ninja or not, because he wore the standard navy blue shinobi pants, but he was also wearing a tan long-sleeved cotton shirt. He had no headband on his head, but a kunai was kept handy by his pocket. The man following behind him was fully clad in almost royal attire. His hair was perfectly groomed, he carried a katana in a sheath on his side, and his royal blue robes were trimmed with priceless gold. Several servants stood by his side to the right and left. He passed by every local resident of the area as if they were commoners and shunned the crowds of people participating in the festive activities. The escort, who was standing in front, leading the royal man, sneezed heavily. The nobleman looked disgusted.
Nobleman: How shameful. >.<
Escort: My apologies, Lord Masahi. It would appear that someone is talking about me somewhere
Lord Masahi: Hmph…peasant humor does not amuse me, Kento. Take me to the finest inn here. It is of utmost importance that I replenish my strength for tomorrow.
Kento: (Sheesh…what a stuck up prick)……yes your highness. >_>
IN THE FOREST
Ali lay dead on the ground. Yoshino, Hiruzen, Ace, and Goro checked to confirm his death, and sure enough, he had no pulse. They took a sigh of relief. The battle was finally over. Goro clenched his fist at the remembrance of Elias’ death. How cruel it was. A light broke loose from within Caliburn’s statue and from two circles in front of the entrance tree. In a flash of golden and black and white lights respectively, Roku and Akira appeared. Then, Caliburn’s statue crumbled, revealing him as if he had been encased within the rocks of the statue. He immediately collapsed to the ground, bleeding out severely. Some treatment had been administered to him by Roku, but Caliburn was still in a critical state. Next to him, Kaito’s statue shattered, leaving nothing but the stone remains.
Yoshino: What in the world happened to him?!
Goro: Caliburn! O_O
Goro performed some medical ninjutsu to help Caliburn’s healing, but it was not of much use.
Roku: He got into a fight with Kaito…we need to get him out of here immediately. *looks around* Speaking of which…what happened here? O_O
Ace: ………Ali came and…
Hiruzen: We beat him!! >_> That’s all…
Roku: I can see that. Well…I can sense Elias’ energy. Did he pass by here or something?
Goro: …
Hiruzen: ………
Yoshino: Roku…………Elias…is dead.
Roku’s eyes widened to great extents. He had a look of complete disbelief.
Roku: You..........you can’t be serious…that’s…that’s impossible. Ali…he couldn’t have…
Yoshino: Roku…I’m sorry.
Roku clenched his fists tightly. He ran his hand through his hair in utter shock. Roku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He regained composure of himself.
Roku: …*sigh*…Ali used to say that he’d be the death of Elias. I guess for once, he was right…
Ace: Roku…
Roku: We no longer carry out this mission just for the good of the village and the world. It's also in memory of Elias. Let's protect what he was willing to protect.
Ace: *whispers to Yoshino* How can he say that without mourning...he just lost his master...
Yoshino: ......when you've experienced the hardships that Roku has experienced...when you've seen what he's seen...death no longer moves you to great extents, but it only reminds you of the suffering that goes on every day in this world. He can stay strong because of everything that has happened up to this point, because of who he is, and because of what he stands for. That's just the kind of man Roku is...
Roku: Yoshino...
Yoshino: o_o Yes?
Roku: I can hear you...
Yoshino blushed and turned away, embarrassed. Roku paused...
Roku: Let's get going...
MEANWHILE
At the top of the gate of the large Hidden Sand Village stood Nexus, cloaked in a black robe with a black hood covering his dreadful black hair and pale face. He was holding a bottle of what seemed to be a deadly purple poison. He popped the cap open and took a whiff of the poison.
Nexus: Hmm…smells great. Wouldn’t you agree, sandy wall? ………yep. You agree *smirks* Alrightly, let’s begin…
Nexus began humming a familiar tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” as he slowly let droplets of the poison hit the sand with each stanza. Each drop sizzled on the sand like a powerful acid. Several guards at the front of the gate behind Nexus lay on the ground dead. The remaining guards spotted him and began to rush up the wall to attack Nexus. Nexus took out a scroll: the same scroll that Izuna had retrieved for Kirabi. On the scroll read, in Kanji: Nevermore. Nexus lay the scroll down in front of him, releasing its power with a single, mysterious handseal that none had ever seen before. He continued to hum.
Nexus: The itsy bitsy ninja crawled up the village wall…
Sand Ninja: Hurry!!
Nexus: Oh my…down came the sand and took the ninja out.
Nexus flicked his hands and a massive amount of sand and rock collapsed from the wall, smashing the ninja into the ground harshly.
Nexus: Hehe…Out came the Storm, and flooded all the land!
Nexus threw his right hand into the air and the sky became dark. Dark clouds started to form. The wind picked up, blowing gusts filled with sand throughout the village. Rain fell, slowly at first, but it soon picked up into a heavy downpour. The sand soaked up all of the rain, but almost instantly began to flood with mud, the water being too much for the excessively dry village. Citizens of Sunagakure went outside in confusion, causing a mass amount of distress at the revelation of the flood. Nexus smiled sadistically and put his hands together, aimed at the village itself. The opening between both hands formed a triangular shape, which in turn spawned a triangular prism of dark green energy.
Nexus: And the people of the Sand lived no more.
Nexus suddenly thrust his arms forward, shooting off the triangular prism of energy which instantly expanded to many times the size of the village. For a brief moment, it seemed like silence had befallen the village, as the land faced the bringer of destruction before it. Then, as quickly as the blast expanded, the village hidden in the sand was crushed beneath the might of the energy blast. Dirt, mud, debris, and bits of remaining sand flew vehemently through the air, causing much chaos, and all that could be heard was the screaming of the people right before they were silenced. Nexus reveled in the glory of the blast. He expressed delight and happiness, so filled with joy over others’ suffering. Then, Nexus made a puzzled look.
Nexus: Hmph…come to think of it…that last line didn’t really match the song……ahhhhh, well.
Nexus leaped off the wall into the muddy outer path to Sunagakure. The streams of muddy water carried in them the blood of innocent people and shinobi. Nexus stood before the great wall of the Sand village and marveled at the sight that could be seen peering through the ravine: the death of the Hidden Sand Village.
Nexus: Now, Konoha’s last hope is no more.
Nexus walked off into the great desert, whistling a jolly tune.
END OF CHAPTER
Chapter XX: On the Move
In Konohagakure, a mischievous-looking young man marveled at himself in front of a mirror. He was wearing the traditional Hokage robe. The young man stroked his soul patch, not completely convinced that the robe suited him very well. Then, the door behind him opened, much to his surprise. Two older people walked in, one male and one female. The man had gray and black hair mixed in from aging, and the woman had long black hair and wore a simple blouse and dress. The young man gave them a dissatisfied look.
Hasashi: You two? What do you want?
Lara: We’re just checking in on you.
DarkSage: Yeah…we wouldn’t want the temporary Hokage to be unprepared for his first public induction.
Hasashi: ……*sigh* Well, I’m fine. Now, please go away so I can get ready. You’re stinking up the place O-o
DarkSage: -_-‘ You little…
Lara: Okay ^_^ Let’s go.
The two advisers left Hasashi alone in his dress room. He waited for a minute after they left and took a breath of relief.
Hasashi: How annoying…
IN KUMOGAKURE
In Kirabi’s office, Izuna walked in.
Izuna: You’ve transported Nexus with the scroll?
Kirabi: Yeah…have you gathered the Stone Army to be transported here?
Izuna: Almost. We’re missing one degenerate.
Kirabi: *raises eyebrow* Who?
Izuna: He defected a few weeks ago to accept this bodyguard mission. It was apparently worth millions of ryo.
Kirabi: Tch…what a whack pack. Find him, or else Hachibi-sama ain’t gonna be happy!
Izuna: Of course, sir.
Izuna walked out of the room, smirking. He said quietly to himself…
Izuna: Soon enough, I will not be happy. That’s when the real trouble starts…for you…
ELSEWHERE
In a nice, populous, market town somewhere near Kumogakure, a good distance but not too far away, a brown-haired, simple and clean-looking man wearing very casual clothing lead someone to a place. He looked plain enough, but one could hardly tell if he was a ninja or not, because he wore the standard navy blue shinobi pants, but he was also wearing a tan long-sleeved cotton shirt. He had no headband on his head, but a kunai was kept handy by his pocket. The man following behind him was fully clad in almost royal attire. His hair was perfectly groomed, he carried a katana in a sheath on his side, and his royal blue robes were trimmed with priceless gold. Several servants stood by his side to the right and left. He passed by every local resident of the area as if they were commoners and shunned the crowds of people participating in the festive activities. The escort, who was standing in front, leading the royal man, sneezed heavily. The nobleman looked disgusted.
Nobleman: How shameful. >.<
Escort: My apologies, Lord Masahi. It would appear that someone is talking about me somewhere
Lord Masahi: Hmph…peasant humor does not amuse me, Kento. Take me to the finest inn here. It is of utmost importance that I replenish my strength for tomorrow.
Kento: (Sheesh…what a stuck up prick)……yes your highness. >_>
IN THE FOREST
Ali lay dead on the ground. Yoshino, Hiruzen, Ace, and Goro checked to confirm his death, and sure enough, he had no pulse. They took a sigh of relief. The battle was finally over. Goro clenched his fist at the remembrance of Elias’ death. How cruel it was. A light broke loose from within Caliburn’s statue and from two circles in front of the entrance tree. In a flash of golden and black and white lights respectively, Roku and Akira appeared. Then, Caliburn’s statue crumbled, revealing him as if he had been encased within the rocks of the statue. He immediately collapsed to the ground, bleeding out severely. Some treatment had been administered to him by Roku, but Caliburn was still in a critical state. Next to him, Kaito’s statue shattered, leaving nothing but the stone remains.
Yoshino: What in the world happened to him?!
Goro: Caliburn! O_O
Goro performed some medical ninjutsu to help Caliburn’s healing, but it was not of much use.
Roku: He got into a fight with Kaito…we need to get him out of here immediately. *looks around* Speaking of which…what happened here? O_O
Ace: ………Ali came and…
Hiruzen: We beat him!! >_> That’s all…
Roku:
I can see that. Well…I can sense Elias’ energy. Did he pass by here or something?Goro: …
Hiruzen: ………
Yoshino: Roku…………Elias…is dead.
Roku’s eyes widened to great extents. He had a look of complete disbelief.
Roku: You..........you can’t be serious…that’s…that’s impossible. Ali…he couldn’t have…
Yoshino: Roku…I’m sorry.
Roku clenched his fists tightly. He ran his hand through his hair in utter shock. Roku closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He regained composure of himself.
Roku: …*sigh*…Ali used to say that he’d be the death of Elias. I guess for once, he was right…
Ace: Roku…
Roku: We no longer carry out this mission just for the good of the village and the world. It's also in memory of Elias. Let's protect what he was willing to protect.
Ace: *whispers to Yoshino* How can he say that without mourning...he just lost his master...
Yoshino: ......when you've experienced the hardships that Roku has experienced...when you've seen what he's seen...death no longer moves you to great extents, but it only reminds you of the suffering that goes on every day in this world. He can stay strong because of everything that has happened up to this point, because of who he is, and because of what he stands for. That's just the kind of man Roku is...
Roku: Yoshino...
Yoshino: o_o Yes?
Roku: I can hear you...
Yoshino blushed and turned away, embarrassed. Roku paused...
Roku: Let's get going...
MEANWHILE
At the top of the gate of the large Hidden Sand Village stood Nexus, cloaked in a black robe with a black hood covering his dreadful black hair and pale face. He was holding a bottle of what seemed to be a deadly purple poison. He popped the cap open and took a whiff of the poison.
Nexus: Hmm…smells great. Wouldn’t you agree, sandy wall? ………yep. You agree *smirks* Alrightly, let’s begin…
Nexus began humming a familiar tune of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” as he slowly let droplets of the poison hit the sand with each stanza. Each drop sizzled on the sand like a powerful acid. Several guards at the front of the gate behind Nexus lay on the ground dead. The remaining guards spotted him and began to rush up the wall to attack Nexus. Nexus took out a scroll: the same scroll that Izuna had retrieved for Kirabi. On the scroll read, in Kanji: Nevermore. Nexus lay the scroll down in front of him, releasing its power with a single, mysterious handseal that none had ever seen before. He continued to hum.
Nexus: The itsy bitsy ninja crawled up the village wall…
Sand Ninja: Hurry!!
Nexus: Oh my…down came the sand and took the ninja out.
Nexus flicked his hands and a massive amount of sand and rock collapsed from the wall, smashing the ninja into the ground harshly.
Nexus: Hehe…Out came the Storm, and flooded all the land!
Nexus threw his right hand into the air and the sky became dark. Dark clouds started to form. The wind picked up, blowing gusts filled with sand throughout the village. Rain fell, slowly at first, but it soon picked up into a heavy downpour. The sand soaked up all of the rain, but almost instantly began to flood with mud, the water being too much for the excessively dry village. Citizens of Sunagakure went outside in confusion, causing a mass amount of distress at the revelation of the flood. Nexus smiled sadistically and put his hands together, aimed at the village itself. The opening between both hands formed a triangular shape, which in turn spawned a triangular prism of dark green energy.
Nexus: And the people of the Sand lived no more.
Nexus suddenly thrust his arms forward, shooting off the triangular prism of energy which instantly expanded to many times the size of the village. For a brief moment, it seemed like silence had befallen the village, as the land faced the bringer of destruction before it. Then, as quickly as the blast expanded, the village hidden in the sand was crushed beneath the might of the energy blast. Dirt, mud, debris, and bits of remaining sand flew vehemently through the air, causing much chaos, and all that could be heard was the screaming of the people right before they were silenced. Nexus reveled in the glory of the blast. He expressed delight and happiness, so filled with joy over others’ suffering. Then, Nexus made a puzzled look.
Nexus: Hmph…come to think of it…that last line didn’t really match the song……ahhhhh, well.
Nexus leaped off the wall into the muddy outer path to Sunagakure. The streams of muddy water carried in them the blood of innocent people and shinobi. Nexus stood before the great wall of the Sand village and marveled at the sight that could be seen peering through the ravine: the death of the Hidden Sand Village.
Nexus: Now, Konoha’s last hope is no more.
Nexus walked off into the great desert, whistling a jolly tune.
END OF CHAPTER
