"Look Cocotte, fusion sounds crazy but I trust you and the people Naruto surrounds himself with" Sakura said as they watched Vados dodge and almost gracefully dance around Sasori's attacks. "Naruto is a good judge of character and if Vados is suggesting it then it's even more reason to do it….I might not know how it'll feel to be fused but I'm willing to try" she added before she quickly put on one of the Potara on her left ear.
Sasori didn't let up, getting beyond frustrated before he turned all the iron sand around her into blades and firing them at her from every direction. Only he was surprised as a lavender barrier appeared around the woman with another woman he hadn't seen before inside it as well.
"Seems you took up the offer, how does it feel?" Vados asked as the woman before her pushed her hands out, the barrier expanding for a quick second before reverting to normal size, repelling the sand blades with enough force to embed them into the far off walls and cause Sasori to dodge a bit.
"It feels odd but I'll get used to it" the woman said, her voice being a mix of Sakura and Cocotte's as the barrier slowly faded away.
The woman, as all fusions Vados had seen, was a mix of the two that had put on the Potara.
Her eyes were still green, the color being more akin to Sakura's shade with her skin being a lighter pink than Cocotte's usual skin tone and possessing slightly less pointed ears. Her figure was also a mix of the two, bustier than Cocotte but smaller than Sakura, a J cup which was right between Cocotte's I cup and Sakura's K cup.
Given she was a fusion of two pinkettes her hair was now a dual pink tone, it styled like Cocotte's hair with the dark pink on the top and lighter pink under it with a few lighter pink bangs hanging forward, her hair a bit long but shorter than Cocotte's normal length.
Her outfit had Sakura's red top become an open vest with the black 'V' on it like how it was on Cocotte's uniform to represent the Pride Troopers with a tight long sleeved red shirt under it and Sakura's biker spats being replaced with black tights with the pink apron she wore turning into a pair of pink spats that were worn over the tights. Cocotte's white boots and gloves had turned black due to Sakura's sandals and gloves, their boots also gained a heel on them from Sakura's sandals.
"And your name?" Vados asked, curious of what this fusion would be called while she watched them stand up.
"Given we are a mix of Sakura and Cocotte I'm thinking Sakotte works best" the newly named Sakotte said as she clenched her fists, summoning a strong light-colored pink aura of Ki around them.
"Okay then Sakotte, give him hell" Vados said with a smile as she teleported away to give them space.
"Oh we will" they said before disappearing an intense burst of speed and appearing in front of the Kazekage puppet, launching a punch to its face before Sasori could react and instantly shattering the puppet into a thousand pieces.
-Naruto and Mira-
"So which universe do you come from? I ask cause it's obvious you aren't from this one" Naruto said as he and Mira stopped their ascent, being high enough and far enough from the others to ensure nothing would get in their way.
"It doesn't matter, I'm here to stop you from interfering, to keep you busy, and ensure the Akatsuki don't die too quickly" Mira bluntly told him with the same stoic look on his face. "Personally I don't find you worth the time but I was ordered to stop you from fighting the Akatsuki" he added, making Naruto raise an eyebrow at.
It wasn't like him being a God of Destruction he felt entitled or expected people to see him as someone strong but the whole 'not being worth the time' stung a bit. He knew he was new to being one but he liked to believe the fact he became a God of Destruction by killing the previous one at least amounted to something.
"Really? So if I attack you you'll just take it?" Naruto asked before Mira crossed his arms.
"I doubt anything you could give me besides an orb of Destruction Energy would make me feel anything" Mira said, a slight smirk breaking through his stoic look.
"Then I guess I'll just have to try and see but don't complain when I surprise you" Naruto said with a smirk of his own before he flared his Ki, summoning a golden orange aura around him before he disappeared in a burst of speed.
As Naruto appeared behind Mira the man didn't even turn his head or visibly react, even when he struck him with a kick to the side of his face, the force of it resulting in a powerful shockwave around them. He didn't let up though, using a move he learned from two friends of his he created three powerful Ki blasts floating in each hand and fired them point blank into Mira.
"Is that all you got?" Mira asked as the dust settled, his clothing and himself somewhat scuffed but no damage seemingly being dealt.
"Nope, thats what we call a diversion" Naruto said before another version of himself appeared behind Mira with the largest Rasengan he could make in his clone's hand.
"Sage Art: Chōōdama Rasengan!" his clone yelled, its orange toad eyes and red eyelids showing it was in the Toad Sage mode he had snuck back to learn before slamming the beyond massive Rasengan down on Mira faster than the man could react or move out of the way of it.
As the Rasengan bore into Mira it didn't take long before it exploded and sent Mira rocketing down to the ground, the force of the impact enough to cause a minor earthquake and destroy a lot of the ground under them.
"How's that for feeling anything!?" Naruto yelled down at Mira, sensing the man's anger and frustration as he floated up out of the deep crater that he had made upon crashing into the earth.
Unlike his other attacks, which weren't meant to have any actual effect on him, this one had a clear and obvious effect since Naruto could see one of Mira's arms were hanging limply by his side and he had several cuts and gashes from the attack and the crash.
"And don't go trying to make excuses how 'I could have handled any Ki attacks of yours' since both Ki and chakra are how I fight" Naruto told him before he watched Mira flare his Ki, producing a red and black aura around as the man glared with anger blazing in his eyes.
He also noticed how Mira's arm seemed to fix itself, as did most of the gashes and injuries he had caused him.
"I'll admit I might have underestimated you but tricks like that won't work on me again" Mira said which only got a loud laugh from Naruto.
"Mira, I'm a ninja, tricks are our bread and butter" Naruto replied only to find himself blocking a powerful strike from Mira that caused a powerful shockwave on impact.
"Then I'll just have to keep you from doing any of them" Mira said before going on the offensive a bit.
"We'll see about that but I'd keep an eye on the Akatsuki as well since I know you can feel the power levels of my friends rising higher and higher. Do you really think the Akatsuki can handle them even with your help?" Naruto asked as he could feel everyone's power growing massively all around them and he couldn't be happier about it since it meant he didn't have to worry as much and could fully focus on the new trouble in front of him.
"Don't worry kid, we still have a ton of cards up our sleeves" Kurama said as the sage mode clone dispelled, sending the Nature Energy into Naruto.
'You're right Kurama, let's start by showing off one of them' Naruto thought with a smirk as he used Sage Mode's invisible coating around him to help dodge a punch from Mira even quicker than he usually could before launching a strike at the man with all his strength.
He had to resist smiling as tried to Mira minimally dodge it, not nearly being enough to completely dodge it and resulting in another powerful and solid hit on the man.
"I'd be careful though Mira as I have more tricks than I can count and I just recently got a few more. You can try and stop me from using them but thats pretty difficult when you have no idea what they are" Naruto told him as he stared the man down, not wanting to have to use the Bijuu's chakra against him but was ready to if he needed to.
Its been awhile since he seriously fought someone that could give him a challenge and he wanted to enjoy it as best that he could.
-Caulifla and Kale-
"Lightning Style: Fasle Darkness!" Kakuzu yelled out, as his lightning mask fired a laser-like blast of lightning at Kale, the woman barely able to avoid it in time only for the wind mask to appear above her. He could only smirk as she widened her eyes just before it shot a Pressure Damage down at her.
"Kale!" Caulifla yelled out in worry for Kale, wanting to rush over there to help her only to quickly have to leap back and dodge as Hidan started to get even more wild with his swings.
"Yes! Let me get some blood for you! I'll ensure that the ritual is a grand one!" Hidan screeched out, his eyes wild with a frenzy to get her blood which required Caulifla's full attention to ensure that didn't happen.
She knew what he could do and the idea of dying that way wasn't the way she wanted to go down. The warrior in her refused to let her.
"I-It's okay Caulifla, I'm fine" Kale groaned out, her hand on a tree to help her stand up as her clothes were a bit torn and burnt. "I-I won't lose control and I will defeat you as I am right now!" she declared, her hair flashing greenish gold as she fought to stay in control.
"More durable than I expected which is annoying. I really didn't want to use what I got from those two but I guess I have to" Kakuzu said before he snapped his fingers which caused his creatures to gain a thin dark purple aura around them and the markings on their masks to change a bit.
"Lets see how you handle these!" the man yelled as he wove through a flurry of hand seals while his beasts kept her busy and he clapped his hands to finish it off, signalling the beasts to leap back.
"Lava Style: Magma Rush! Scorch Style: Hellion Spheres! Storm Release: Hectic Haywire!" Kakazu listed off as his fire mask became coated in liquid magma and rushed her, his wind mask launching three rather large 'miniature' suns at her, and his lightning mask fired off a free flowing blast of lightning that flowed around randomly at varying speeds before speeding off too fast to follow.
Kakuzu smirked as the attacks struck only for his fire mask to be launched back from within the dust.
"C-Caulifla?" Kale stuttered out, wide eyed as Caulifla stood in front of her with her back to Kakuzu having leapt in to help shield her from some of the attacks. The sight of her injuries was enough to make her yell out in rage in instantly go into her Berserk state.
"Stop!" Caulifla yelled as she looked up at Kale, even in her berserk state Kale always did her best to listen to her. "Don't do this Kale, if you want to get back at him we can do this together" she told her while she reached up for her Potara earring, smiling as Kale calmly powered down and nodded.
"Finally got you you fucking heathen!" Hidan yelled, his scythe cutting Caulifla's arm a bit as Kakuzu made more hand signs.
"Hurry and finish her off with your ritual! I'll take care of the other!" Kakuzu yelled before he fired off the same kekkai genkai techniques as with the woman's massive form, even if she eased out of it, screamed trouble.
Hidan was gleeful as the attacks hit and he set up his ritual before stabbing himself in the heart only to frown as he heard no screams of pain and had Kakuzu's fire mask creature thrown directly at him.
"Sorry about that but Caulifla no longer exists so her blood won't do shit for the next hour, you'll have to deal with us now!" a new voice yelled out before the dust was quickly blown away and they were almost knocked over from the force of the gust.
They were both a bit confused as they saw that the two women were gone with a new person standing where they used to be.
The woman was young and slender while standing around the height of the Kale woman with her hair spiky like Caulifla's with bangs framing her face and most of it held up in a ponytail. Her complexion even seemed a mix of the two, as did her entire outfit.
She wore a purple belly shirt that was rather snug around her F cup chest with form-fitting purple pants, a pair of gold armbands, and a pair of black and gold boots.
"Who the hell are you and what do you mean she doesn't exist!? Lord Jashin's ritual can never fail!" Hidan yelled only for a barrage of six green orbs to slam into him and destroy everything from the waist up for him.
"We are the fusion of Caulifla and Kale, our name is Kefla and yours is now screwed" Kefla said as she looked over to Kakuzu before she disappeared, the next second Kakazu widening his eyes in shock and pain as a fist collided with his cheek and he found himself flying through countless trees.
"Whoo! Feels so good to be around again! I swear fusing always feels great! If only I could get some fun within the hour I'm around" Kefla said as she bounced in excitement before pouting a bit once she remembered she was only around for an hour and Naruto was busy.
"I wonder if I can get some time with him if I get done quickly with these two, help him with his fight, and then rush to get everything else done. Then again that'd be running it close" she said with a groan only to backflip over one of Kakazu's masks as they tried to attack her.
"Oh right, I forgot about you guys. Here, let me get rid of you all" she said with a smirk as she summoned an orb of Ki in her hand. "Fist Cannonball!" she yelled as she threw the blast at the lightning mask, smirking as it didn't know what to do as the blast zigzagged around before she made the blast hit and kill it.
"One down, two to go" Kefla said, looking around for the other two masks only to see that they had merged together. "Oh copying me are we? Well come on, lets see what you can do" she goaded with a 'come at me' gesture before the mouths of both masks opened up for her.
"Strange Mask Simultaneous Arson!" Kakazu yelled as he limped out of the forest, his outfit and mask torn to reveal a glasgow smile before the masks took aim at her and let out a massive blast of fire, made even stronger by wind mixing in with it.
"Cocky arrogant girl, doesn't she know that's how you get killed?" Kakuzu said with an annoyed glare before turning to look over at Hidan to see he was working on regenerating his head and his right arm.
"Oh yeah? Like you are about to be?" Kefla said as she appeared in front of him, slamming him with an upper cut before she grabbed his feet before he flew too high up in the air. "Here! Let me take care of your hearts, you just go lay down!" she yelled as she quickly began to spin him around, going faster and faster before she threw him again through the forest to crash through some trees.
"I won't even have to go Super Saiyan for you weaklings so lets make this quick" she said as she held up her right hand to summon six Ki spheres before they started to rapidly spin around her hand so fast they started to look like one blast. "Gigantic Breaker!" she roared out before she burst forward, slamming it into the new mask fusion and smirked as it utterly exploded into a million bits.
"You fucking bitch!" Hidan yelled, having fully regenerated and quickly charged at her with his scythe somehow still intact although now with only one blade on it.
"Seriously!? You're still alive?" Kefla asked with a raised eyebrow in shock and annoyance as she easily dodged the man's attacks.
"With Lord Jashin's blessing I truly cannot die! You will though!" Hidan yelled only to fall to the ground as Kefla blasted his legs off.
"We'll see about that" Kefla said with a smirk as she slowly walked away a bit before turning back around. "Let's see how you deal with this you human cockroach!" Kefla yelled as she summoned six Ki blasts in each hand before she poured more power into them and made them spin until she had a massive swirling red and green disc in each hand.
"Lord Jashin will strike you down! He will curse you! He will kill you!" Hidan yelled as he tried to crawl away.
"If what you're saying is true then good thing I only exist for an hour at a time!" Kefla yelled with a laugh. "Have fun in hell! Gigantic Burst!" she yelled before she fired the two swirling beams at Hidan, the crazy cultist merely laughing before the beams overtook him.
As her attack died down she couldn't help but let out a whistle at the destruction she left behind. "Let's see you regenerate from that" she said with a chuckle before Cus landed down beside her.
"He won't, his soul has officially moved on to Hell. It seems you destroyed every bit of him so there was nothing for him to regenerate from" Cus explained which got an excited fist pump from the fusion.
"Yes! I knew I could finish off that fucker! Now I just have to deal with that stitched up creep" Kefla said before Cus shook her head.
"With Kakuzu though it seems he was teleported away, I assume whoever is empowering the Akatsuki don't want too many of them killed, or at least doesn't want two of the same group killed" the small angel said while she looked over in the direction she had thrown Kakazu.
"So what should I do? Should I help someone else?" Kefla asked since she was still itching for a fight.
"While helpful I believe everyone has things handled. All we can do is wait for them to get done" she explained and while Kefla groaned she knew that Cus was right.
Didn't mean she liked it.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Naruto will let Caulifla and Kale fuse again since you rarely get to see him" she added, noticing the fusion's somber look before she smiled and pumped her fists again.
"Awesome! It's been a while since I got to have a go with him" Kefla said with a giggle before she started to drift off into her imagination a bit, even going as far as to droola bit and giggle some more while she and Cus waited for the others to get done.
-Dyspo and Deidara-
"Stop moving!" Deidara yelled as he continued to make everything and anything explode around the purple creature in front of him in an attempt to catch him in an explosion but everytime the explosion started he was gone only to appear somewhere else.
"Ah yes, just let me stand still while you try to blow me up. That makes perfect sense" Dyspo said with a flat tone, looking at Deidara with a 'are you kidding me' look before dodging a centipede that tried to burst up from the ground under him.
"Come on, you can do better than that" Dyspo said with an eye roll as he blasted the centipede as it tried to go after him. 'All I have to do is run out the clock with him given his reserves aren't that large and hit him when he isn't expecting it' he thought as he kicked away a large chunk of the centipede as it lunged at him in an attempt to catch him in the explosion only for it to go flying back at Deidara.
"I can take a small explosion like that so don't think you got me!" Deidara yelled as he ran out of the dust, looking over to Dyspo only to find him gone.
"Trust me, I knew" Dyspo said as he appeared behind Deidara with a kick mid-swing aimed at the man's chest from the side he was missing an arm but as the kick connected, instead of Deidara being sent flying, Dyspo found his foot sinking into the man who now started to turn pure white and reveal he was made of pure clay.
"I had to use the last remaining bit of my clay and nearly the last of my chakra but in the end I at least will have finished you off!" Deidara's clay clone yelled out as it grabbed onto Dyspo and started to glow before exploding.
"Are you okay?" Marcarita asked as she reappeared beside the dust cloud before she blew it away to reveal Dyspo who, while a bit scuffed up with a damaged suit, was still alive.
"Yeah I'm fine, he underestimated my durability thinking it would kill me rather than just hurt a lot" Dyspo said, giving Marcarita an appreciative nod as she fixed up his suit and healed him up which confused him since he thought the battle was still going on.
"Deidara escaped, he used earth jutsu to begin making a tunnel. We got what we needed which was Gaara, if he flees then it's not important for now" Marcarita explained which made sense to Dyspo as sure, killing him meant one less Akatsuki member but at the same time retrieving Gaara was his mission.
"How are the others doing?" Dyspo asked as he could feel some crazy power levels out there.
"Kefla finished off Hidan with Kakuzu being teleported away while Sakura and Cocotte fused to fight Sasori as Naruto fights against a man named Mira. All we can do is wait and see what the final results are" Marcarita filled him in as she turned to look over to where the rest of the fighting was happening.
She was confident that the new fusion could finish Sasori and was also confident in Naruto's strength but that Mira figure was far too unknown to allow her to 'rest assured'. She knew she couldn't get involved so all she could do was have faith in the man she loved and the God she served.
-Sakura and Cocotte (Sakotte)-
Sasori was instantly on guard as the Kazekage was destroyed, throwing off his cloak to reveal his puppet body. He knew that given this fusion - no matter how outlandish that sounded to him - rushing in to fight against them with himself would only result in potential defeat, instead pulling out the second of four scrolls that were holstered on his back and opened up the left side of his chest.
"Secret Red Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!" Sasori declared as a hundred chakra threads appeared out of his chest and connected to the hundred puppets he quickly unsealed from the scroll in his hand.
"I'm done messing around. This is show time" Sasori said with an annoyed look before he sent the small army of puppets out to attack.
Sakotte wasn't too worried though as she dodged and weaved through the puppets, their speed being nothing for her as she effortlessly began to take them out. They shattered easily whether it be from her intense strength or her Ki blasts.
"Is this really all you have left Sasori? Some army of throwaway puppets to try and save your skin before you decide to fight me?" Sakotte asked she trapped the torsos of two puppets inside separate barriers, cutting them apart before sending them flying into another two puppets.
As she fought she used her barrier almost like Gaara's sand, her creating partial barriers around her to block attacks while she focused on fighting. It was more like her barrier dome was always around her, invisible and only becoming solid when she wanted it to so that it could protect her.
She still had to stay on her toes and keep an eye out for where the attacks were coming from but with the speed the puppets were going at they might as well be in slow motion.
All the puppets slowly became incredibly annoying, even with the speed she was taking them out at. "Enough of this! Let's get you out here" Sakotte said as she created her barrier around her, flaring her Ki before she pushed her arms out which in turn caused the barrier to instantly expand and cause all the puppets around her to get sent flying into the walls to shatter into pieces.
"Since the trouble I had getting into the Akatsuki I wonder when exactly was the last time I've had to do this…..I'll acknowledge you two are worth going this far so let's see how you handle finally facing off against me" Sasori said as he looked down at them, the blades on his back fanning out and the cable from his gut reeling out to reveal a sharp spike at the end of it.
Sakotte leapt to the side as Sasori's cable tried to stab into her, knowing it too was slathered in a fast acting poison. She had to keep dodging, leaping and sliding out of the way as Sasori continued to stretch out the cable to go after her.
"Got you! Your barrier can't protect you if its this close ranged" Sasori yelled out as he reeled in his cable which caused it to contract and, due to how he had moved it around her, caused it to wrap around her to bind her. This in turn allowed Sasori to rush at her with his blades spinning like a buzzsaw and the spike from his cable to go in to stab her.
"You seriously are an idiot" Sakotte said with a flat look as she summoned her barrier, cutting off part of the cable which went slack and dropped off her while also slicing off the spike due to it being inside the smaller than normal barrier she made around herself. "You know nothing about my powers and assume you do. That is a wrong move" she told him while his buzzsaws attacked her barrier, him trying to retreat before she lowered the barrier and made partial ones coating her forearms enough to protect her from his blades but still allow her to grab them by the base to rip them out.
"Come on Sasori, lets see what else you have" she said with a smirk, tossing the ripped out blades to the side as she stared him down only for him to make a rather obvious choice and try to flee. "Not so fast! Special Zone Max!" she yelled, creating her strongest barrier to ensure he couldn't escape the cave with the added bonus of ensuring no one could teleport into it.
"Running sounds about right for a man who used poison to kill an opponent behind his back" Sakotte said as she fired a fast Ki blast at Sasori, watching as it exploded both Sasori's left shoulder and bicep. She didn't even blink as she dodged swords thrown at her via chakra strings as Sasori seemed to be trying to hit her with anything he could while he just glared at her.
"Be careful, it seems that he - like all the other Akatsuki - have gotten a boost from an outside source" Vados said from nearby, bringing her attention to how Sasori now had a slight dark purple aura around him before she noticed two other things.
First being that Sasori somehow didn't have his core like what was shown in the intel and the second being that the destroyed portion of his arm was being pieced back together by small barely visible dark purple wisps of energy that were connected to the shards of himself that she had just shattered. She even noticed his blades were being brought back to him and his cord piecing itself back together before reconnecting to him.
"Great so not only does he not have a human aspect for us to kill but he can heal himself….there has to be a limit to it right?" Sakotte asked, Vados merely shrugging her shoulders as she didn't have the answer and telling her that it was something she'd have to figure out on her own.
"Well, no better time to figure out than right here" Sakotte said to herself before she appeared in front of him in a burst of speed, her fist drawn back and aimed at the human puppet's head.
Though sadly, shattering it didn't even stop him as even without a head Sasori attacked with his blades and cable, her shield protecting her but also resulting in her being pushed back due to being in mid air and not flying.
'Okay….that test failed….Not even removing his head works and yet he can still see somehow, probably seeing through the eyes of other puppets since even the destroyed puppets have that purple aura' Sakotte thought with a frown as she noticed the aura spreading to various puppets while Sasori's head was pieced back together.
"Now do you see the futility of fighting me? That woman truly allowed me to be the perfect immortal puppet. No human aspect to me any longer and I am not a fragile doll either. She ensured me that if even the smallest shard of my body remains I can use my chakra or even parts of other puppets to heal myself. Hidan and Kakuzu are no longer the only immortals in the Akatsuki anymore" Sasori said with a smirk as he held out his hands towards her and revealing two pipes that emerged from his palms, wasting no time before firing a stream of fire at her for her to protect herself from.
'Seriously!? An immortal puppet!? How the hell are we going to kill him if he can reform from a small part of himself?' she thought to herself with a frown as she stayed in her complete barrier to protect herself from the fire.
His attack actually was helpful as it gave her time to think about what to do next.
'I don't want to rush forward and attack him in my barrier as all that would do is shatter him….he said he regenerates from his body and only needs the smallest part. Do his blades and cable count or are they essentially tools that are added onto his body? He was able to attach them back to himself so they might count….' she thought with a groan and ruffled her hair in annoyance.
'I have something I think could work but I have to ensure I get all of him or else it won't work a second time….' she thought as she gained a resolved and determined look as the fire ended, instantly dropping her barrier and charging at him.
He didn't seem to care, though why would he if he could regenerate damage, merely attacking her with his cable and not even caring as she grabbed it a bit below the spike.
"Nothing you can do can work. You might as well just give up as all it takes is one knick to get infected by my poison" Sasori told her, watching as she ran from place to place around him, confused at what she was doing before his cable reached its end.
"Finally got it all" Sakotte said, ignoring his usual villain 'it's no use' prattle that Cocotte has heard a million times as she began her plan to take him out. Taking a page out of his book she quickly gave his cable a strong pull, not intending to rip it out but instead wrap him up in it before running around him a few times more to make sure it was nice and snug.
"This is ridiculous, this is a part of me so I can easily loosen this" Sasori said, clearly annoyed and confused before she appeared behind him with a smile on her face.
"A second is all I need, got to make sure I get all of you in here from head to toe, blades and cable included" she told him before trapping him in a barrier.
"This is your plan? Trap me? I promise you I can outlast you given I don't age. The second you drop the barrier from exhaustion you are dead" Sasori plainly stated only to frown as the barrier started to shrink while the woman gained a strained look on her face.
"Don't worry, you won't be in here for long and hopefully - if my gamble pays out - you won't be alive much longer" she told him, pushing herself more and more as she continued to shrink the barrier around Sasori.
"W-What are you doing!? Even if you crush me into dust I will piece myself back together!" Sasori said as the barrier kept shrinking.
"Who says you'll be dust? I'm going for complete implosion if I can push myself to do so since I'll be honest, I've never done this before. As a fusion though, I feel I can since even with half of me lacking Ki I feel stronger than ever" Sakotte said with a smile, staring Sasori in the eyes as she kept pushing her barrier to go smaller and smaller.
All of Sakura's medic-nin training was helping her stay laser focused on this one task, completely drowning out Sasori as he tried and failed to attack the barrier in hopes of breaking free.
"This won't work! I will piece myself back together! There is no way you can pull this off!" Sasori yelled out, actually showing anger and fear as his body was completely broken up with only his head left slightly in tact. He was a bit thankful as it seemed his cable and blades were making it difficult for her.
"It will work as I have a whole lot more power to draw on!" Sakotte growled out in determination as a purple diamond appeared on her forehead before markings emerged from it, the lines wrapping and going all along her body.
'Strength of a Hundred Seal….I didn't want to use it so frivolously but using it power up a technique to kill an Akatsuki member who is immortal feels like a valid reason' Sakotte thought as Sakura had spent years learning this technique, hiding it until she actually needed it in battle.
Almost instantly after activating it Sakotte found it so much easier to push the barrier smaller, the metal of the blades and cable crumpling and Sasori's head shattering. She didn't let up, pushing more and more as it got smaller and smaller.
She flared her Ki as hard as she could as she gave the final push, the barrier now smaller than her fist but knowing she needed to go even smaller.
"Sakotte Zone: Complete Implosion!" she yelled out before the barrier completely disappeared with an intensely powerful shockwave that nearly shot her into the wall only for Vados to catch her.
"Very well done, I know you two had it in you" Vados praised them with a smile, watching as the markings from the diamond on her forehead rescinded.
"Y-Yeah, we knew we could do it" Sakotte said, her voice tired and weak before Vados put a hand on top of her head.
"Yes now you two rest, I will ensure you are both safe" Vados told the both of them, putting them to sleep to rest as the fusion ended. 'For a first time and sudden fusion they were incredibly stable….I might have to see if they'd be willing to train like Caulifla and Kale do with Kefla' Vados thought with a smile, watching as the barrier that they had formed to keep Sasori from running finally dropped.
"Do be quick Naruto, you've played around long enough" Vados told him from afar with a smile, knowing he enjoyed a good fight nearly as much as Caulifla.
-Naruto and Mira-
"Fine, I'll end this soon" Naruto said with a smirk, responding to Vados in the middle of fighting Mira. He couldn't really argue with her since he knew she was right, even with Mira fighting more seriously neither of them were fully serious.
That didn't mean neither of their hits were anything to scoff at as the shockwaves from their hits were getting stronger and stronger, Naruto's Sage mode helping keep him from getting too hurt from the ones he blocked from Mira.
"End this? I don't see you being able to seriously do that" Mira said as he fully dodged a punch from Naruto, getting used to the invisible extra range to his punches. "You haven't got me anywhere near serious" he added while Naruto smirked.
"Really? Cause neither am I and I'm still putting you on the defensive" Naruto told him, smirking as he dodged another punch from Mira only to shoot a Ki blast just as he tried to fire one at him.
"Your strength is false! Derived from sources not your own, whether they be whatever energy you absorbed to change your eyes or the beast inside you. My strength is my own and I refuse to struggle any longer!" Mira yelled, his Ki flaring even stronger before charging at him.
Naruto winced in pain as he blocked one of Mira's punches, his power being far more than it was mere moments ago and being enough to bypass the added durability of Sage mode. Mira's speed was also a whole lot more intense as Naruto had to really work to dodge his barrage of punches.
"Here, use some of my chakra to match his and get yourself a window to fight back" Kokuo's voice softly spoke out as he started to feel his chakra start to almost raise in temperature. "My chakra will bring yours to the boiling point for Unrivaled Strength!" she informed him before he erupted in an 'explosion' of hot steam that caused Mira to retreat.
"You may complain about me getting help from others but I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the help of my partner. Though that isn't to say I'm entirely weak without him, hell I've been holding you off without their help….though to finish it I'm borrowing a bit" Naruto said as the massive amount of steam was still shooting off of him before it stopped and he dashed forward, completely ready for his increase in speed as he slammed his fist into Mira's gut, the steam rocketing his fist forward at the last minute to really increase the power enough to visibly hurt Mira from the look on the man's face.
Although he wasn't nearly done.
"One Handed Style: Shockwave Gun!" Naruto yelled as he immediately followed up the punch - as it was still happening - with his Shockwave Gun, hitting Mira essentially twice at once before the man shot backwards from the combined force.
He could see the man was trying to stop his flight through the air, smirking as he got an idea before he put his hands in a 'C', a familiar ball of blue swirling energy appearing in his hands. "Allow me to help you slow down!" Naruto yelled out to him before he quickly used his new increased speed to instantly get behind Mira and stop him.
"Tell whoever is helping the Akatsuki that if they keep it up I'll have to come and find them" Naruto told him before instantly going to fire his Rasenha at Mira's back only for the man to suddenly disappear after a purple aura enveloped him.
"Seems you were a bit too slow" Marcarita said with a slight frown before Naruto canceled his technique.
"Yeah, someone was ready to pull him away at a moments notice" he told her with a frown as they both started to descend, him looking down to see everyone waiting for them, some being a bit exhausted even if they were healed up.
"How did it go for you all?" Naruto asked as he landed with Marcarita and followed her as she brought Gaara out of her staff, his eyes on his friend while the others followed along - thankfully understanding why his focus was on Gaara.
"Kefla kicked Kakuzu's ass so much he got teleported away and we killed Hidan completely" Caulifla said with a massive smile, always happy and proud when she got to fuse with Kale as it was always a fun experience.
"Deidara ran off after his attacks kept failing, Gaara was my first priority so he wasn't around for the fighting" Dyspo reported before Sakura rubbed her arm as if she was embarrassed or shy.
"Sakura and I took out Sasori for good after we….kinda fused as well" Cocotte said as she opened her hand to reveal a purple Potara earring while Sakura pulled a matching one out from her pouch.
"Really? Wow….I didn't expect that…." Naruto said as he and the others were reasonably shocked at the revelation. Fusion was something he only expected from Caulifla and Kale given how close the two of them were together while Sakura and Cocotte on the other hand had just met a week or so ago.
"W-Well Vados suggested it and it was a lot easier given Cocotte was defense with her barriers and I was offense with my strength" Sakura explained with a slight blush, not really being ashamed but just still stunned by the whole experience.
"Yeah that sounds like Vados or any of the angels. They will tend to offer advice and give pushes when needed to help you grow in strength. If Vados gave you both those Potara I suggest you keep them...if you want to that is" Naruto suggested to them, looking at them both to show it was entirely up to them before they nodded after a few moments of thinking it over, Cocotte clipping it on her left ear while Sakura put hers on her left ear as well.
It felt a bit odd putting it back on but it was fine...for now.
"How is Gaara?" Naruto asked, now able to focus fully on his friend now that he was assured that everyone had handled things okay.
"He's alive but whatever technique they used to try and rip the leftover Bijuu chakra out of him put a massive strain on him. Healing him is easy" Marcarita told him, allowing him to let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, please heal him and bring us back to the front entrance of Sunagakure please" Naruto asked, getting a smile from his angels before they complied with his request.
-Sunagakure-
The second they returned he saw a brief moment where the shinobi of the sand went on guard mode before they saw it was them and quickly relaxed before growing worried as they noticed Gaara.
It was a nice show of shinobi training where even if he were to suddenly appear it wouldn't stop people from being on guard from it.
"Gaara! Is he okay!?" Temari asked as she rushed forward, Naruto nodding before Marcarita held her staff over Gaara, instantly healing his body and wake him up a bit to where he started to stir awake.
"Hey there Gaara, you had a lot of us worried for a while there" Naruto told him with a smile, crouching down as his friend woke up and softly smiled at him.
"Apologies, as Kazekage I felt I had to protect my village on my own" Gaara said as he sat up and looked over at him before noticing everyone surrounding them.
"Yeah and it seems your villagers really appreciate it as in the end you did protect them" Naruto pointed out, patting him on the back.
"What a relief….I thought the Kazekage was really gone" one shinobi said, crying a bit into his arm as he used it to wipe his tears.
"Lord Gaara wouldn't die so easily!" the kunoichi beside the man yelled, smacking him on the back before another kunoichi moved beside her. "Lord Gaara is a silent, cool, strong, and handsome elite warrior" she praised with the girl beside her nodded with a smile.
"Yes, yes,and he's cute too...but he is still the Kazekage" the other kunoichi said, showing that while they admired him they also respected him greatly.
"I'll protect you from your enemies next time! No I will!" the two girls yelled out as they tried to run forward only for Temari to get them to stop and settle down.
"Oh~? Seems you have some fans" Naruto teased him with a smirk, looking over his shoulder a bit at the two kunoichi which got the two of them to blush a bit. "I'm just glad you are okay though I would've liked it if our meeting again after so long had been under better circumstances" he added before he helped Gaara to his feet as his friend nodded to show he would have liked it as well.
Naruto stuck around as Temari, Kankuro, and various other Suna citizens talked with Gaara before Temari walked over to him and surprised him with a hug.
"Thank you for getting my brother back safely" she said as she buried her head in his shoulder.
"Hey I promised I would and I always stick to my promises. Plus Gaara is like a brother to me with how things have been, there is no way in hell I'd let those Akatsuki assholes take him" he told her with a smile, giving her a squeeze back before she pulled away.
"Enough cuddling you two" Kankuro teased, smirking massively as his sister instantly jerked around to glare daggers at him. "Gaara wanted to have me come and, on his behalf, invite you and your friends to stay the night in Suna before heading back. Honestly I feel everyone wants you to stay for a bit after everything you just did" he went on as Naruto looked to the others before nodding with a smile.
"Of course I'll stay the night! It's been a while so I want to catch up with Gaara and I can easily have an angel report back to Tsunade about how the mission went" he told Kankuro, getting a nod from him and - even if he didn't see it as she wasn't facing him - a smile from Temari.
"Great! We'll set up rooms for you in our house, we should have enough to handle everyone" Kankuro said with a smirk, looking over to Temari and getting a glare from her again before he headed off before he undoubtedly would have gotten whacked by her fan.
"I'll guide you there, just let me get Gaara since after all of this the council is insisting he gets some rest" Temari said before speed walking over to Gaara to retrieve him from the citizens of Sunagakure that were all expressing how grateful that he came home safe after protecting them.
"Shall I head to Konoha now with a clone of yours to report the mission?" Marcarita asked as he summoned a clone with a nod.
"She should understand but also give her a device that can call an angel staff in case something pops up" Naruto told her, getting a smile from Marcarita.
"How very cautious and smart of you, right away" Marcarita said before she teleported off with his clone.
"So you are close with this Gaara guy?" Caulifla asked with a raised eyebrow as she peeked around him over to where Gaara was talking with some other people.
"Gaara and I were both ostracized due to something inside of us…" he started off as he put his hand over his stomach with a bit of a frown."Suna treated him a bit harsher than Konoha did me though, in Konoha people ignored me….in Suna they saw him as a monster and raised him as such. It wasn't until we met, and subsequently fought, that I was able to get through to him. If I'm being honest he's more like a brother to me than I stupidly believed someone else was" Naruto finished, Sakura and his eyes meeting for a brief moment before she looked down at the ground.
"Then I am glad we were able to save him" Cocotte said with a smile, them all watching as Temari signalled for them to come over to her as everyone else seemed to be heading back into the village.
"Sorry to ask this of you but do you think you could take us to our house? I really don't want Gaara walking around more than he absolutely needs to" Temari asked with a slight frown, Gaara looking like he wanted to tell her it wasn't needed but also knowing it was pointless arguing with Temari when she got like this.
"Sure, makes it easier for us as well since some of my friends are a bit exhausted from their fights as well" Naruto said as he nodded to his angels, Cus stepping forward before all of them quickly reappeared in what Naruto figured to be Gaara's living room.
"Whoa...I mean I saw Temari arrive last night and you show up this morning but seeing and doing it are two different things" Kankuro said, looking around in shock at the sudden change in his surroundings.
"You should see what else is possible. Vados, Cus, can you make more seats for everyone as I feel it's about time we sat down and finally caught up" Naruto told them with a smile while his angels made seats for everyone as well as tea since they knew this would be a potentially long chat.
Thankfully, Gaara and Temari took it all in a bit easier than Jiraiya did. Kankuro wasn't that bad but did require a bit of 'proof' and also unlike last time he felt no need to erase the sun, instead erasing the seat out from under him which seemed to make Temari laugh at.
"When I saw you back when we talked amongst our Bijuu I felt there was something more about you and after seeing that dragon you warned us about as well as the people you keep around you I can't in right mind deny what you have said. Especially when Temari is backing you up" Gaara said with a smile as he looked over at his sister.
"You should have seen how he proved it to use, lets just say he destroyed something more than a simple chair" Temari said, still remembering the sight of the sun being erased above them like that.
"Well I'm just glad he's on our side like this" Kankuro said with a shiver since to him the power to destroy anything with no warning sounded terrifying if it was in the wrong hands.
"Can't argue there given the last God of Destruction tried to kill me for merely existing" Naruto reminded them as the whole reason Belmod had gone after him was because he felt Kurama's energy and declared it to be 'unsightly' more or less.
"Belmod was an odd God of Destruction. He was a former Pride Trooper in the past but, as most Gods tend to, he got drunk on his power and lavish lifestyle. Naruto has been very 'grounded' from the moment he became a God of Destruction" Marcarita said with a smile, having returned to catch the end of the conversation.
"Enough about me though! I want to hear everything about how you became the youngest ever Kage! Tell me everything" Naruto told them, wanting to get the conversation off him so he didn't feel like he was bragging and just being genuinely curious in his friend's achievement.
"Well, it actually started because of you" Gaara said with a soft smile as he began telling his story.
-Akatsuki-
"That did not go as I expected. Seems that boy has more power around him and in him" Towa said as she watched over the fights that had just transpired.
"That is rather obvious given we lost not only the Bijuu but also two Akatsuki members and their rings" Nagato said with a frown and slight glare on his face.
"Oh stop the glaring, it could have been four if not for me recalling Kakuzu after he nearly lost all his hearts and Deidara apparently not being worth the effort to chase after" Towa narrowed her eyes at Nagato, putting a bit of pressure on him to make him stop his attitude.
"I could have taken care of him if you left me there to fight him" Mira said with an annoyed tone, getting a raised eyebrow from Towa.
"Oh really? From where I was watching you were about to get severely injured after being caught off guard so many times" Towa scolded him as she pointed her staff at him, the tip of it poking against his nose. "I warned you to be on your toes against the boy but seems like you didn't heed my warning" she added, getting him to grow quiet.
"It is of no consequence though as in the long run those two were not nearly as powerful as your other members. The only benefits I could give them was a healing factor plus they proved useful in helping assess the level of the boy's company" Towa explained as she looked over to Nagato before pulling her staff away from Mira and sitting back on it as it floated.
"For now allow the members who survived the skirmish to recover and recuperate. I have an idea of what to do next so have everyone wait for the next orders" she commanded, getting a nod from Nagato before he walked off.
"Just send me Towa, I can handle that childish God this time now that I have a better grasp of him and his powers" Mira requested before Towa shook her head.
"You still don't, wait until you see more of his skills and abilities. I have other ideas for the time being, mainly involving someone who might create more interesting data from his struggles against the God" Towa told him with a bit of a chuckle as she summoned an image of the younger of the two Uchiha in the Akatsuki.
"Do you think it is wise given his performance earlier today?" Mira asked with a frown, getting a mere shrug from her before she erased the image.
"I expect him to fail but that doesn't mean we can't get good data from him. His past with the God makes things the most interesting so we shall see what fruits he bares in his struggles" Towa said as she motioned for Mira to follow her.
-Sunagakure - Later that Night-
Naruto groaned with a smile as he stretched, dinner having been nice and enjoyable as it was nice catching up with Gaara. Plus it was nice to see everyone get along throughout the day whether it be Kankuro showing off his puppetry or Temari showing off her fans.
Even Gaara showed off his sand a bit once he recovered enough to do a bit of it which had gotten the interest of a few of the others.
"Thanks again for lending us rooms Gaara" Naruto thanked him with a smile as he walked down the halls of Gaara's large house with Gaara and Temari towards the room they set up for him. Temari was mainly tagging along as she was still being a bit protective over Gaara and wanted to help him in case he needed it.
With how the rooms were set up it ended up with the girls all having rooms on one side of the house while the guys were on the other side.
Oddly it wasn't purposefully planned that way but more just ending up like that as with everyone unable to have their own rooms and Gaara's rooms having two beds to a room it just made sense to pair girls with girls for the most part.
The only exception were his and Dyspo's rooms as they were smaller rooms with only one bed which neither of them minded and agreed that the girls should have the larger rooms.
"Naruto you saved my life, the least I can do is offer you a room" Gaara said with a smirk, making Naruto chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head embarrassed a bit.
"Though what about your Angels?" Temari asked as they didn't have enough beds for them.
"We can sleep standing up and require no beds for the most part" Marcarita explained as while Naruto had gotten beds for them they were still able to sleep as they usually did.
It was still cute remembering how confused and worried he got when he learned how they slept, him getting them beds after finding it to feel wrong to have them sleep like that.
"Well here is your room, not too far from mine" Gaara said before Temari started to 'steer' him towards his room.
"Yes, a room you should be laying down in after such a hectic day" Temari urged before looking back at Naruto. "Also...can you maybe wait for me out here for a bit? I need to talk to you about something" she asked, surprising and confusing Naruto a bit before he nodded and watched as she took Gaara back to his room.
"We'll wait inside" Vados said with a smile before they left him alone in the hallway.
"Thanks for waiting" Temari said as she left Gaara's nearby room, not taking too long to come back to him as she probably didn't want to feel like she was keeping him waiting.
"Of course, what is it you needed to talk to me about?" he asked with a slight frown, noticing how nervous she looked as she fussed with her outfit a bit.
"Naruto….no offense but when we first met I thought you were an idiot" Temari said, getting laughter from Naruto as he nodded, hunched over a bit by the sudden bluntness.
"Yeah I was like that a lot back then but I doubt you just wanted to tell me that" Naruto told her, still chuckling a bit before he stood up and smiled at her, silently encouraging her to start.
"Right….well, you were an idiot until I really got to meet you after you defeated Gaara. You had basically every right to end him but….you didn't….you saved him. That simple act gave me back my brother…" she continued, Naruto knowing to stay silent when someone was making a big speech like this.
"From there on you were essentially part of our family as a dear family friend to me and Kankuro and a brother to Gaara. You being gone made us realize how much you meant to us three….and even more for me" Temari said as she quickly looked up at him. "Seeing how you have grown from the kid I first met and yet can still be there for Gaara made me even more certain about my feelings for you. I tried to ignore them, even going as far as to try and date Shikamaru but that didn't work as you were just too strong in my mind" she confessed before she leaned forward to capture him in a quick but soft kiss.
Naruto was surprised, his eyes going wide as she pulled back, her face entirely enveloped in a blush. "I-I know you are with Caulifla and the others as I overheard her talking with Ino and, to be honest, it's kind of obvious when I watched you all. And I might not know how things work out in space but I really don't care" she told her, her eyes giving away how nervous she was as she held his hands before going in for another kiss, this time one that Naruto was able to return this time.
The kiss was full of emotion, Temari wanting to use it to almost get some of the feelings across that she couldn't fully in words, her arms going around his neck while his hands went to her hips before they broke the kiss but she stayed where she was.
"Temari, I won't say this didn't surprise me but I will say I'm honestly really honored you feel this way about me since, as you said, I was just an idiot when you first met me and frankly I still can be at times. So for me to have such a place in your mind and heart means a lot" he told her with a soft smile which seemed to make Temari's smile grow larger and clearly much happier.
"And I'll admit I'm still not sure why so many women get interested in me but I'll tell you the same thing I told them - thank you for falling for an idiot like me and I'll do my best to deserve it" he told her, getting a chuckle from her before she leaned in for another loving kiss.
He though found himself backed up against the door as the kiss deepened, him pulling her in closer which made her smile and continue the kiss until they both froze as a throat was cleared.
Temari's face turned dark red as she knew who it was even before she turned to check. "G-Gaara, w-what are you doing out of your room?" Temari stuttered out, Naruto swearing he saw steam coming off her while Gaara merely looked the two of them over before smirking a bit.
"I wanted to ask Naruto something but I see it can wait until morning" Gaara said as he turned to leave only to stop and turn back around. "Also I will say that I approve since Naruto is the only man I'd be okay having you so goodnight and try not to stay up too late" he added with a smirk which only made Temari grow an even darker blush before burying her face in Naruto's chest.
"You okay there?" Naruto asked with a slight chuckle as he rubbed Temari's back, getting a nod as her face was still buried.
"Yeah but I swear I didn't know Gaara could tease" Temari grumbled before Naruto pet her head.
"Just goes to show he has a sense of humor...I'm just glad he's okay with this" Naruto told her with a frown, not sure how things would have gone if he didn't.
"Oh please, given your past with him it would have been more surprising if he wasn't okay with it" Temari said with a roll of her eyes before she put her hands on his chest and pushed herself back away from him with a smile. "Though I will say that is enough kissing for tonight as that surprise made me more exhausted than I imagined it would" she added with a sigh despite the smile still on her face.
"We can always talk more in the morning so it's fine" Naruto told her, getting a smile and nod from her.
"Night Naruto" she said as she waved to him while she started to walk away, him waving back before she turned the corner.
Temari was all smiles as she walked away, a bit giddy which was surprising given she was a grown woman, which explained why she didn't see Sakura as she bumped into her. "S-Sakura?! W-What are you doing out here?" Temari asked, silently hoping and praying that Sakura hadn't seen or overheard her confession to Naruto.
It wasn't that she was ashamed or wanted to hide it but more just it being a private moment that had already been spied on by her brother of all people….but then again it could have been Kankuro which would have been way worse.
"Sorry, I was just getting some water as I went to the bathroom" Sakura said calmly, instantly calming Temari down as one of the bathrooms were over near their rooms.
"Oh, okay. Sorry I just am a bit on edge after everything. Didn't mean to freak out" Temari said with a sigh before Sakura patted her on the shoulder.
"It's totally fine Temari, go to bed and relax after this eventful day" Sakura encouraged, getting Temari to nod with sigh before she walked off.
"Yeah, that's definitely what I need….night" Temari nodded along before she started walking off towards her room.
Sakura, once Temari was gone, sighed a bit with a frown. 'I knew Temari had feelings for Naruto but knowing and seeing her confession are two incredibly different things….he really has captured a lot of hearts and changed over the years….is his crush for me still in there somewhere?' she thought before she clenched her fists with another sigh.
'I need to go to bed….' was all she could think as she headed back to her room, the thoughts of Lady Tsunade possibly being able to help popping up in her head before she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow which was understandable after this beyond eventful day.
-Chapter End-