Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 121 SCARY

Sunagakure was a large settlement. Centered between large natural plateaus they protected the city on all sides. The city sat almost in a bowl made out of the plateaus. The buildings were made of stone and mud. Sand was everywhere, and I hated it. We arrived at the city, but the Hokage had sent carrier pigeons announcing our arrival. They were on full alert. 

The higher ups in the city didn’t want to believe me of course. That was until I told them who was attacking. Then it became a lot more plausible that they could sneak in unnoticed. The Kazekage took charge and was soon working with us to ensure my plan came to fruition. People balked and said it wouldn’t happen, but it didn’t take long for me to be proven right. 

The attack came the very night we had arrived. Much to my luck and despair. I had a deep fear of Akatsuki. They were a group of powerful ninjas that had been able to fight a war all on their own. A war against the rest of the world. They were the best of the best. Half of them probably didn’t even believe in the ideals of Akatsuki. Simply enjoying the challenge. 

There was something I had though. Knowledge. I knew their moves. I knew what should happen, and I hoped I knew how to beat them. Half of the fights Naruto ended up winning because someone fought an Akatsuki member and gave him a clue how to beat them. Jiraiya and Pain, Asuma and that weird blood guy. Akatsuki had cool members, but once you knew their skills it wasn’t as scary. 

But I was still scared. The blonde headed Akatsuki member soared up in the air on his white C-4 bird and my heart beat faster than it had in a long time. “Go time,” I said. Gaara, Temari, and Kakashi nodded beside me. 

Back when Gaara fought this guy in canon, the Akatsuki member had exploded a huge bomb over the city. Causing Gaara to protect the city and waste all of his chakra. No one in the city to protect would help him keep fighting. Apparently Temari was one of only a few that could fly to help. So she was needed in this fight. 

“Charging your eye?” I asked Kakashi. He nodded. Focusing his chakra he would be useless until he was ready. “Let’s do this. I’m heading to the others.” 

“Not staying to watch?” Temari asked. 

“Oh I’ll watch. But you 3 have this,” I said. “Remember. Kill him. Don’t question him. The guy will explode if you let him.” I left the building. Casting chakra to cover me in shadows I jumped down to the street and ran out of town. 

The plan was rather simple. Let Gaara distract him. Use his chakra coated sand to weaken him. Make him use his exploding chakra clay. Then when the Akatsuki member tried to blow up the town. Let him do it. Sunagakure had been evacuated completely over an hour ago. They wouldn’t have any idea that the city was empty. The destroyed buildings? Who cares? Most of it was made by compressed sand. They would have it all rebuilt in a matter of days. It was better than losing face by having their Kazekage stolen out from under their noses. 

While the Akatsuki member felt like he had pulled one over by blowing up the city, Gaara would really attack him. Trying to crush him. After the explosion Temari would fly Kakashi up on her fan. Once close he could use his upgraded eye to throw the bad guy in another dimension. Just in case he did try to blow up. 

I didn’t remember all the Akatsuki fights. Just the good ones. This one I was fairly certain they would win, which was why I headed to the really dangerous foe. He was far outside of town. Sakura and Chiyo were facing him out in the open desert. Sakura had broken apart his scorpion-like puppet exterior shell already. He was currently in his young puppet body. 

“You, how did you know?” The old woman asked as I ran up to them. She was Chiyo, an old woman that was far beyond her prime. One of the elders of the village she hadn’t believed me when I said her grandson was part of Akatsuki.

Her grandson was Sasori. Also known as Sasori of the Red Sand. He got that name during the last Ninja War because everything he touched was covered in blood. Currently he looked about the age I did. Late teens he had red hair and wore the uniform of Akatsuki. A black robe with red clouds placed randomly on it. 

“Doesn’t matter, not the time to talk,” I said. “Why are you stopping the fight? Getting cold feet?” 

“No,” Chiyo spat. “I am just in shock. Sasori, you haven’t aged a day.” 

“He’s a puppet,” I said. “That’s not his real body anymore.” The Akatsuki member looked at me genuinely surprised as I pulled my Jitte out and began pouring chakra into it. The blade sharpened instantly. Ever since my training with the Kamjutsu, my skill with water had become much better. 

“And who are you?” Sasori asked. He had an emotionless voice. 

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Girls, we need to do this now before he-” I stopped as Sasori pulled out a scroll. I cursed. I hated all these long pauses these people took during a fight. Sasori unrolled the scroll, summoning a puppet to him. I dropped the chakra from my Jitte, sticking it in the ground as I began to gather chakra. 

The puppet he summoned was a creepy looking man. Black robe for clothes he was obviously a puppet made of wood. In the shape of a man he had black hair, ball joints at his knuckles and wrists, and his face was split on either side of his chin allowing the puppet to open it’s mouth. 

“Let me introduce you,” Sasori said. 

“Sandaime Kazekage,” Chiyo mumbled as she looked at the puppet covering Sasori. 

“Good, you recognize him, grandma,” Sasori said without any emotion showing on his face. “It’s been over 10 years since he disappeared. The strongest Kazekage. Did you ever wonder what happened to him?” 

Chiyo gulped, obviously scared. I remembered the puppet, but I knew the ladies could beat it. They were able to last time. But there was a difference. Sakura didn’t have any anti-poison. I hoped that wouldn’t change too much. 

“3 Kazekages!” Chiyo yelled. “You have been involved with 3 Kazekage attacks. The Sandaime and Gaara. And our intelligence says Orochimaru was part of Akatsuki. Did you help him kill Gaara’s father too?” 

“I was partnered with Orochimaru for a time,” Sasori admitted. “But no I didn’t help him kill the last Kazekage.” 

“Orochimaru?” Sakura asked. “What about-” 

“Shut up and fucking attack!” I yelled as I threw the ball of highly condensed chakra. 

It was my Muzukashi. My water version of Rasengan. An orb made out of chakra it was filled with highly pressured water chakra. I poked 3 tiny pinholes in the exterior chakra orb around it and threw the ball at the puppet man. 

As my ball flew to him the pinholes couldn’t hold the pressure anymore. Water began pouring out of the holes. Thin streams of water shot out and I smiled big as they sliced through the puppets like butter. I picked up my Jitte and poured chakra into it as a huge explosion from the village sounded behind me. I ignored it as I ran at Sasori. 

“I’m so fucking sick of the talking during fights! Do something!” I yelled at the 2 women as I ran past. My Muzukashi ball had been knocked away as the chakra dispersed, but the damage had been done. The puppet of the old Kazekage was in pieces and Sasori lost an arm and leg to the highly pressurized water. 

He wasn’t done fighting though. The puppet at his back opened it’s mouth spraying out a purple smoke. I held my breath as I ran through it. Ignoring what could happen, as long as Sakura was there she could save me. I came upon the puppets, but Sasori was already far back. The broken up Kazekage was attacking me, but I had already fought a puppet master. 

As I dodge rolled from an attack I jumped up slicing through the chakra threads Sasori had connected to the puppet. It fell boneless behind me. 

“A chakra blade?” Sasori asked. His puppet face not showing any emotion. 

“Pretty much,” I said as I spun the Jitte from the fork. “Let’s get this over with. And you tell us about the spy you have with Orochimaru, alright?” 

“You know a lot, boy,” Sasori said as he pulled out another scroll. As he talked I began channeling another Muzukashi. “How do you know so much?”

“Unlucky,” I said. 

The puppet scoffed as he rolled out another scroll. Touching the summoning scroll brought out hundreds of puppets. “Heads in the game girls!” I ordered as I threw the condensed water chakra. It began spinning and slicing through puppets like butter as I ran for Sasori. Sakura and the old lady were soon behind me. 

We went into the fray. I began using my quirk to drop the temperature around me. The joints of the puppets rattled in the intense -100 degree air around me. I hyper focused the energy I was pulling from around me. Directing it in a thin wave in front of me the puppets caught in its path began to burst into flame. 

I had spent the last 2 and a half years training for this. I wasn’t about to be caught off guard. I was the Mizukage’s assistant for months of it, but I never missed out on training. My ankle and wrist weights were up to 500 pounds each now. I could use my quirk to instantly freeze or burn anything. My chakra was a part of me. I wasn’t Naruto. I didn’t need a clone to make a Rasengan. I could make my own version with my own skills. Oh and did I mention I had a quest as soon as Akatsuki showed up?

I was going to save the Kazekage no matter what. No puppets were going to stand in my way. I broke apart another one and was stabbed in the back. I ignored it as Sasori came into view. I jumped at him, the cocky man didn’t react as I slashed. At the last second I turned the blade, aiming for his heart. 

The second instance of emotion crossed the puppet man’s face when I did. I ripped into his real heart. It was a strong. Like hitting a rock, but my water blade still dug into it. As it did the chakra threads dropped from the other puppets, discarding them. 

“How did you…know?” Sasori’s puppet asked. I grabbed the black Akatsuki robe and ripped it off. Revealing the obvious wood joints of this puppet I also revealed the white face cylinder stuck through where his heart should have been. My blade was through half of it, real blood poured out of the heart. 

“Does it matter?” I asked. 

The puppet smirked. “I guess not,” he said as the girls walked up behind me. “But you’ll be joining me too. You’ve been stabbed by my poison. You won’t find a cure.” 

“I have trust in my comrade here,” I said. “Besides, I survived the Kage Killer poison. I doubt your shit is stronger than that.” The puppet’s eyes widened. I guessed he doubted it as well. 

“You, asked about Orochimaru?” Sasori asked.

“Yes,” Sakura said from behind me. It was easy to hear the desperation in her voice. 

Sasori nodded as the cylinder continued to bleed. “15 days from now. The Tenchi Bridge in the Grass Village. My Orochimaru spy is supposed meet me there.” I internally cursed. That didn’t give me a bunch of time to fuck Reina like I had promised. 

“How did I lose to an old woman and 2 kids?” Sasori asked. “I have beaten a country with my puppets.” 

“You forgot the most important rule,” I said. “The Puppetmaster shouldn’t take centerstage. He always needs to be at the backstage.” 

Sasori scoffed. Then Chiyo had questions for him, but I ignored her. The cylinder was damaged enough. Ending my water chakra I pulled the Jitte out and let her have her moment. Turning around I headed back to town. Grabbing onto the Jitte I stopped for a minute. Pulling the energy from the seastone my mind shifted into the Kamjutsu. Leeching energy from the small amount of moisture around me I felt a lot better. My chakra replenishing, I began to run back into town to make sure the other Akatsuki member was dead.