A Shard Among Leaves: Konoha Crush (Patreon)

[Konoha Crush]

Hiruzen felt his heart drop into his stomach as a scream resounded through the stadium. He stood from his chair only a moment before an explosion rocked the ground underneath his feet, blooming from the stands where the civilians were seated. Another followed, shattering the glass of the spectator’s box, and then another. 

Pandemonium fell upon the stadium. Bodies tumbled over one another in the stands, civilians trampling whoever fell beneath their panicked flight. Paper bombs detonated all across stands, each blast sending fresh columns of smoke and debris skyward.

It lasted a scant few seconds, but the damage had been done. Hiruzen stared aghast at the blatant slaughter, at the bodies of his people, strewn across one another, only a few of them intact. It took longer than he cared to admit for his instincts to kick in, but when they did, his face hardened into stone.

“So, you weren't satisfied with just me, Orochimaru? You would kill innocents as well?” He said to the shadow behind him. Laughter resounded past the screams below as people poured out of the stadium in droves.

“Kukuku, anything to get close to you, Sensei.”

Hiruzen turned to face his former student, a scowl etched into his face as he glared directly into those venomous yellow eyes. The Anbu at the edges of the room moved to rush in, but Hiruzen held up a hand to stop them. They were no match for his former student and he knew it. 

“You've gone too far, Orochimaru.” Hiruzen spat. “These were innocent civilians.”

“And they died from the inaction of their Kage. How tragic.” Orochimaru's tongue flicked out past his lips. “Don't pretend you didn't know this was coming, sensei. You could have prevented all of their deaths if you had just listened to that little Chunin girl.”

Orochimaru suddenly leapt to the side as a massive slab of steel embedded itself into the wall beside him. Attached to it was Zabuza, and the Kiri nin was not at all put off by his near-miss, ripping his weapon out of the wall and bringing it around for another strike.

Steel rang hollow as a pure white blade speckled in blood interposed itself between Orochimaru and Kubikiribocho, stopping it dead only a foot or so from its target. Zabuza stopped, glaring at the figure that had appeared so suddenly, even as  he tried to push past him. The blade held strong, moving less than an inch from where it had stopped.

“As punctual as ever, Kimimaro-kun,” Orochimaru chuckled as the owner of the strange weapon raised his head, revealing a sickly pale face covered in sweat. Black lines were layered across the skin in strange patterns, covering him from his face down to his bare chest. 

“I won't let you lay a finger on Orochimaru-sama,” Kimimaro swore. Zabuza grunted, pressing down on his blade with his other hand.

“Haku!”

A handful of senbon cut through the air, heading straight for Kimimaro's neck. They sunk in one after the other with hollow thuds. The sound was not the one any present had come to associate with flesh being pierced, and all watched as the needles fell out of Kimimaro's skin one by one, the tips bent beyond repair.

Kimimaro's eyes shifted to the new figure standing at the edge of the room. He raised one arm and his fingers quivered, before spikes of pure white bone burst out of his fingertips. Haku lurched in surprise before leaping out of the way, though one still caught him in the shoulder, digging deep and drawing blood.

Zabuza pushed his sword down with a roar. The blade bit into Kimimaro's own sword then sheared straight through it, and the teen leapt backwards, tossing aside the useless weapon and reaching around to his own back. All bore witness as he tore a bone from beneath his flesh with a sickening sound, brandishing it towards the approaching Zabuza like a weapon.

Zabuza seemed to hesitate for a moment, eying the weapon warily, before lunging forward with a warcry.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen had taken advantage of Orochimaru's distraction. He threw aside his kage attire, revealing the armor he had kept hidden underneath, and rushed towards his student.

“This game of yours ends now, Orochimaru!” He shouted.  His fist soared over the man's head as Orochimaru ducked low, and he lowered his own guard, catching an upward kick on his palm instead of in his gut.

He underestimated the force of the strike, however, and his eyes widened as he was lifted off his feet and sent soaring out of the spectator's box to the arena floor below. 

Old instincts served him well as he rolled with his landing, orienting himself towards the direction he'd come. Dust billowed up around him as he pushed himself to his feet, gazing at the carnage around them.

The crowd had thinned considerably. Those who could still move were scrambling over one another to reach the exits, trampling the fallen in their desperation. The bodies of those who couldn't move lay scattered across the stands, broken and still among the ninja battling all throughout the stadium. Hiruzen's jaw tightened as he took in the sight of Suna headbands flashing through the smoke.

So many lives needlessly lost. It weighed upon him. He'd taken this threat too lightly, and now his people were paying the price.

“Having regrets, old man?”

Hiruzen lowered himself into a fighting stance as Orochimaru landed in front of him, looking utterly pleased with himself and the carnage he had caused. He spread his arms, gesturing around them. “Such a spectacle. Much more impressive than that boring tournament, don't you agree?”

“You monster,” Hiruzen spat. Orochimaru's smile grew wider, and he was struck by just how familiar his student looked, as if he hadn't aged from the day Hiruzen had found him performing those horrific experiments and banished him from the village. The only difference was the black mottling on side of his throat, marring the otherwise perfect skin.

Four shadows jumped from the stands, landing around them on each side. Hiruzen whipped his head around, tensing as he prepared for an attack that would not come.

Each of the shinobi placed a hand on the ground. Seals spread from their palms, spreading across the dirt and connecting in a rough-hewn square. As the last line connected, the entire array pulsed, before violet energy spewed violently from the points of contact. It rose high into the sky and spread, forming a cage that completely enclosed both Orochimaru and Hiruzen.

The old kage tensed as he recognized this technique and understood his student's intentions. “You want to fight me alone, is that it?”

“The pleasure of killing you is mine.” Orochimaru reached into his mouth, extracting a slime-covered sword from the depths of his throat. He licked his lips with anticipation. “You’ll die watching your village burn, Sensei.”

Hiruzen tensed his muscles to prepare for the incoming battle, though inside, his heart was broken. He hadn’t imagined that Orochimaru was so gripped by his desire for revenge that he would cause such destruction.

“I will stop you, Orochimaru.” Hiruzen swore as he pressed his thumb against his canine, jerking sharply and drawing blood. “You will not take another life today!”

“HELP ME!”

Hirari dropped down to street level, a kunai flying from her sleeve. The Oto ninja turned away from the civilian he was bearing down upon and deflected it with his own, only to find Hirari in his guard. Her kunai slid across his throat, opening a crimson smile that drooled down his front. He fell to his knees, clutching his ruined flesh, then toppled over.

Hirari turned to the civilian who flinched back at the sight of her bloody appearance. “Make you way to the main road. It is the most protected. You’ll find refuge in the bunker below the Hokage Monument.”

“R-Right,” the man nodded and scrambled to his feet. He edged around her and the body at her feet before running in the direction of the main road. Hirari watched him go before leaping to the rooftops and continuing her journey.

The village was in a state of chaos. Fires raged in the distance, near the eastern wall, and men and women ran through the street in a panic as ninja fought ninja around them. Konoha had become an open battlefield as its sons and daughters fought for its safety and security.

A man in desert attire jumped towards her with a kunai in hand. Hirari’s kikaichu burst out of her clothes and enveloped him completely, sending him flailing off course, and she continued on without stopping as every last drop of chakra was drained from his pores, leaving him teetering on the edge of death.

As she suspected, Suna had betrayed them, utilizing the event to infiltrate their village under the guise of civilians. They had joined forces with Otogakure, it seemed, and together, they were laying waste to Konoha. It was a dual pronged invasion, and no terms of surrender had been offered. They simply meant to slaughter.

In the near distance, a giant, three-headed snake rampaged through buildings as their forces tried and failed to stop or even slow it down. Hirari suspected it was Orochimaru’s doing, considering he was one of two people with the Snake contract. The monster was doing more damage than all the invaders combined and thus, was the greatest threat.

She quickly came upon the scene of the battle, killing three more enemy ninja on her way. She landed on an apartment building near some other Konoha nin. They started, glancing at her before turning their eyes back to the battle once they realized she was friendly. “What is the situation?” She asked.

A man with a sword shook his head. “None of our weapons can pierce its hide. Even paper bombs don’t have any effect. Nothing we’re doing is working!”

A jet of flame burst up from street level and splashed harmlessly against the middle snake’s chin. It reared up and then slammed back down. The flames cut off and when the beast reared again, its head was freshly coated in gore. A nearby Jonin clenched his fist. “Damnit! We’ve got to do something!”

“Hirari!”

Hirari inclined her head towards Ibiki as he landed on the roof beside her. His face was stony and he was covered in sweat, but didn’t seem injured. Together, they watched as the snake summon slithered its way along the wall, destroying every building that came in its path as the nearby ninja tried and failed to stop it. Hirari turned to the right where a large hole had been broken in the outer wall.

“That bastard, Orochimaru…” Ibiki growled. 

“There are several chakra signatures approaching the village,” Hirari noted as her kikaichu returned the report. “Several squads, all Chunin level or higher. If they aren’t dealt with, the loss of life will be substantial.”

“Our forces are scattered; we don’t have the manpower to split between two threats,” Ibiki stared after the snake, his jaw set. “We need to find a way to kill that thing first. If it gets too far into the village, then we won’t have a chance of protecting the civilians.”

Hirari did some quick calculations. “I have an idea, though it will be difficult to execute.”

“We don’t have time to weigh pros and cons. What is it?”

In response, Hirari held her hand out. A thick, bloated insect crawled onto her palm, and then onto Ibiki’s as he reluctantly grabbed it. The thing skittered across the man’s body and into his pocket, settling there as he scowled at it. 

“The hell is that?”

“A pheromone delivery device. Or a signal bomb, if you wish.” Hirari turned. “The summon is heading in the direction of the Forest of Death. You will need to keep it on that course and lead it inside. Once it’s within the boundary of the forest, throw that insect at it. It will burst and release its pheromones on the snake’s body, and from there, my insects will converge upon its location and devour it. Either way, it will be far too preoccupied to be a threat to the village for several hours.”

He scowled incredulously. “You think the bugs you used to chase the kids around are going to do a damn thing against that monster?”

“Of course not.” Hirari turned away from him. “But I have spent the last month taking preventative measures against a scenario quite similar to this. Colony Forty-Four has undergone a significant transformation since the second exam.”

She tilted her head to look him in the eyes. “Just ensure that you do not get the pheromones on yourself. And if you do, flee the forest immediately. Otherwise, you will not survive.”

“And what will you be doing?” Ibiki asked as she walked to the edge of the roof and stared out at the hole that had been broken in the wall. The chakra signatures were getting closer. They could not be allowed to make it inside.

“Defending our village.”

It was a very little known fact, but the Aburame Clan’s kikaichu had very short lifespans. Comparing their existences to that of the nascent fruitfly would not be a stretch and in fact, might even be an overestimation of their abilities. It was by design, of course. Shorter generations meant greater propensity for evolution, greater control.

That being said, due to their shorter lifespans, their breeding cycle was even shorter. If left unchecked, they were known to replicate at an astounding rate. To mitigate this, every member of the clan cultivated their own personal colony very carefully, micromanaging every single aspect of it. A large colony was an indication of talent. Capability. The largest personal colony belonged to their clan head, Shibi, who cultivated millions of kikaichu within his own home and the grounds surrounding it.

By this point, Hirari suspected her own had reached hundreds of millions.

From her place atop the roof, Hirari sent a single signal across the burning village. 

Come.

All across Konoha, her colonies responded. Every training ground that they had infiltrated was awash in the sound of millions of buzzing wings. Streams of insects crawled forth from seemingly random points in the village. Ten thousand from a shop here, another hundred from a condemned house there. It seemed as though a sheet of velvet had been pulled atop the village streets, blanketing Konoha in darkness that was as deafening as it was disturbing.

For a single instant, all the battles came to a halt as everyone turned to stare. Ibiki stepped back, eyes wide as Hirari’s colony converged upon their location like a tsunami crashing against the shore. The sounds of fighting were washed away by a cacophony of life that could not settle or quiet by its very nature.

“Shit,” Ibiki muttered as Hirari turned her attention to her swarm. Six sections split from the endless mass and were given form by Hirari’s chakra. Forming so many clones expended nearly every drop of chakra that Hirari had available to her, but that was fine. She would be getting it back shortly.

Hundreds of thousands of kikaichu settled upon and around Hirari’s skin, cloaking her in black. She would keep some close to her but she did not have room for them in her body. She turned to Ibiki who was staring at her.

“I will handle the approaching enemies,” Hirari said, her voice lost in that of her insects. “Remember what I said. I will not be able to split my attention if you mess up and get caught in the forest.”

The man nodded but did not say anything. Satisfied, Hirari leapt into the forest, prepared to fulfill her duties.

Sasuke had no idea what was going on right now. 

A kunai slit open his cheek as it passed him by and disappeared into the brush. Turning, Sasuke glared at the one responsible, his Sharingan spinning wildly in their sockets as he spied the enemy nin. They leapt to his branch, a curved kunai extended to cut him open, but they were so slow. He easily ducked under the strike and planted his own weapon in their gut, twisting for good measure before wrenching it out. They let out a gurgling cry and dropped to the forest floor down below.

Rustling in the branches had him turning just in time to deflect a thrown shuriken. More ninja leapt out of the treeline, moving towards him quickly. His eyes darted around as he did a quick count. There were too many of them to fight head on.

“Tch.” Sasuke turned and leapt through the forest, away from the stadium and any notion of help. The ninja pursued and he could feel them gaining on him. He wasn’t going to be able to get away like this.

Reaching into his tool pouch, he found and ate a chakra pill. As his reserves filled, he brought his hands together, weaving seals as the thuds of approaching footsteps grew closer and closer.

Landing on a thick branch, Sasuke turned, bringing a hand to his mouth. “Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!”

Dozens of fireballs lit up the sky, soaring through the air towards the approaching ninja. Most of them managed to dodge the barrage, but two of them weren’t so lucky and went down clutching their burning bodies, including the one closest to them. Taking advantage of the confusion, Sasuke ran through even more seals, drawing on a good chunk of his chakra as he leapt off of his branch with explosive power.

“Chidori!”

The sound of chirping birds rang in his ear as he brought one lightning-wreathed hand to bear, slamming it into the chest of the nearest ninja, frying their insides. Ripping his hand out of the sizzling corpse, he moved onto the next one, and then the next. Disoriented by his earlier attack, not a single one of his enemies were able to react as he darted between them at max speed, not slowing or stopping for even a second.

As the last one fell to the forest floor, Sasuke panted, looking around at the pile of corpses he had accrued and the forest surrounding him. He waited for more to show up, and when none did, finally released his hold on the jutsu. 

“What the hell is going on?” He wondered, staring down at his bloody, scorched hand. He had just been outside the stadium, trying to get some air before his match started, then everything had gone to hell and suddenly he was fighting for his life.

Dropping down to the forest floor, he bent down to examine one of the bodies. Lifting the man’s head, he scowled at the Suna headband plastered on their forehead. “What? Why’s Suna attacking us?”

“We’re being invaded.”

Sasuke whirled around, a kunai already slipping out of his fingers toward the voice. A familiar shock of silver hair moved to the side as the new arrival tilted their head to avoid it. Only then did Sasuke see the Konoha headband strapped to their skull, as well as recognize their face.

“A little jumpy, huh?” Kabuto gave him a disarming grin, holding his hands up. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to scare you. I saw you run away from the stadium and thought you might need help, but it looks like you had it handled.”

Sasuke relaxed as he realized it wasn’t a threat, shaking his head. “I was fine. What do you mean we’re being invaded?”

“Looks like Suna and Oto joined forces to try and bring us down. I don’t have a clue why, but the fighting looks pretty intense. It’s scary.” Kabuto rubbed the back of his head, before glancing down at Sasuke’s hand. “You’re hurt.”

Sasuke glanced at his hand. His fingers twitched and he winced. He’d let his concentration slip while using the chidori, and this was the result.

“I’m fine.” Sasuke said, holding his hand behind his back. Kabuto shook his head. 

“No you’re not. You’re going to need both hands if you want to make it out of here alive. Things are pretty intense out there right now.” Kabuto smiled, holding up a hand wreathed in green chakra. “Luckily, you have a healer right here. Let me see your hand, I’ll fix it up in no time.”

Seeing no reason to disagree, Sasuke begrudgingly held his hand out. Kabuto grabbed his wrist firmly with his off hand, running the glowing one over his damaged fingers. “I Didn’t know you were a medical ninja.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Kabuto chuckled. The sound rang weirdly in Sasuke’s head. He scowled, shaking his head as his vision blurred. That shouldn’t have been possible with his Sharingan active. What was—

His knees buckled and he suddenly found himself on the forest floor looking up at the light filtering through the leaves. A face drifted into his vision, blurry and getting blurier. “Oops. Might have overdone it a bit. Ah well. Thanks for makin…o easy…uke.” 

Sasuke’s eyes rolled back in his head and he knew no more.