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the-creative-lounge-blog · 4 years

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Third Shift Kakashi - A Lounge Round Robin Story

In this modern AU in-server event for November, Loungers tell the tale of Kakashi's night shift at a convenience store/gas station one sentence at a time.

What is a round robin story? A round robin story is a story that is written by multiple people. Participants take turns contributing a sentence. The last sentence is sent to the next person, who adds their sentence, and then the process repeats through an established amount of time (our event lasted one week).

Participants in Third Shift Kakashi were contacted via DM with the last sentence, and they replied with one new sentence.

Often, round robin stories don’t make sense and they’re meant to make us laugh. To ensure this, a ridiculous topic was chosen from among the MANY fantastic plot bunnies that are Kakashi Lounge-originals:

Third shift Kakashi: Our favorite tired ninja dork punches in at 10pm to begin his third shift at the 7-11 (or Speedway, Circle K, Kwik Trip, or your country's equivalent of a 24-hour gas station/convenience store). Strange things happen during his nightshift but participants decide what those things are. The Slurpee machine gains sentience. Ōtsutsuki aliens land in the parking lot. Cheeto-fingers Obito tries to steal jerky. Deidara tries to use a fake ID to buy beer. Granny Chiyo comes in and pays with pennies. Any and all of these are believable occurrences from 10pm-6am, and more. The weirder, the better.

The only rules were to keep it rated T, and no romantic pairings.

This dumpster fire masterpiece of a round robin story was written by: @maiikawriter, @fleuraison7, Kitera_Matar, /vastments, @mouseymightymarvellous, @thetoxicstrawberry, @myaekingheart, @mallml, @nibbler747, @syusukewrites, @asiriyep, @azuzel23, @tenzosnewleaf, and @hkandiu (all contributed sentences are in italics and each are double-spaced) with opening and closing paragraphs written by @ohayohimawari:

Kakashi sighed as he punched in twelve minutes late to his shift. He’d been late enough times to warrant a written warning from management, but that threat was nothing compared to what he experienced during his overnight shifts at Konoha’s 24/7 convenience store. He pulled his book out of his back pocket with more hope than expectation that he’d actually find time to read amidst the strange things that occurred between 10 pm and 6 am.

Yukiko and her lover were just getting around to second base and ready to confess their love in this chapter when he’d had to leave for work.

Kakashi pocketed the worn Icha Icha volume reluctantly, hoping for a quiet shift so that he could dive into it again later, and took his prepared bag to head out to his workplace.

Kakashi walked through the store, prepared bag in hand, Icha Icha in his pocket, and sighed as he saw the repeat customer hovering by the front counter.

“No, Naruto, we still haven’t received the limited edition Gutsy Shinobi ramen cups; I told you I’ll call you if we get them.”

Kakashi never heard Naruto’s reply, because his voice was suddenly drowned out by the deep growl of engines pulling into the station, and any hope he had for an uneventful shift was dashed just as quickly as Naruto’s chance of indulging in the delicious goodness of Gutsy Shinobi ramen with the arrival of the Akatsuki Biker Gang.

The group of delinquents strolled into the store as if they owned the place, all sporting matching black leather jackets with red cloud patches on the shoulders and back--an omen that things were about to go south very quickly.

Without seeming to lift his eyes from his book, Kakashi sighed to himself as he watched them clumsily stuff candy bars and Slim Jims under their jackets... were the Akatsuki having an initiation night?

Should he bother confronting them? The long expired Slim Jims they were about to partake in might be punishment enough.

Kakashi put on his best fake customer service smile and didn't say anything - whatever they were stealing, he wasn't paid enough to care.

He sighed. ‘Sir, if you lick the candy bars one more time it’s a week ban. Not so funny when you can’t get those stale nachos, huh?’

Just to prove his point, and maybe because he was feeling a bit exasperated by now, Kakashi carefully unwrapped a candy bar of his own and inhaled the whole thing in two seconds beneath his mask - leaving the visitor stunned, staring wide-eyed with new appreciation at the silver-haired man’s obvious authority on the subject of candy-bar licking.

"Ew," Naruto reminded Kakashi of his presence at the same time that Deidara tried to sneak a six-pack of Budweiser beneath his shirt, so he changed tack to deal with the Akatsuki Biker Gang because he wanted to keep his loyal customers.

Although, 'loyal customers' was a bit of a stretch at times; yes, they frequented the place often, but more often than not they also gave him quite the headache.

He was too tired for this shit at this hour of the day.

Kakashi did what he was best at - feigning boredom and being unaffected by what was happening in the hope that the problem solved itself.

Kakashi pulled out his beloved Icha Icha and proceeded to hide behind the vivid orange cover as he ignored the problem happening in front of him.

The Akatsuki biker gang couldn’t be so easily ignored, as Hidan proved when he snatched the orange book from Kakashi’s hand.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Kakashi said pleasantly, his best customer service smile sharp as blades under his mask, “but that’s not for sale.”

Hidan squinted and flipped the book sideways in a gesture that made Kakashi think he had never held a book before, let alone read one, and Kakashi’s eyes flicked to the closed-circuit camera in the corner as he contemplated forgoing his service training in order to retrieve it, but stopped when he noticed the suspicious red smudges that the man’s fingertips left behind on the cover of his cherished Icha Icha.

It was too bright to be anything ominous - in fact, it matched the same shade as the cherry-flavored Slurpee they offered - but Kakashi wasn’t about to let Hidan slide on stealing a mouthful of frozen delight, or marring his favorite book, so he growled, “You owe me two dollars for the drink and a new copy of Icha-Icha.”

"Two dollars!--look, I'd pay ya, but my partner's a real Stooge [sic] with the purse strings... how 'bout I make it up to you in the stock room instead, if you know what I mean?" the gray-haired religious fetishist suggested with a waggle of eyebrows.

Kakashi considered the offer as it would lessen his shift duties and afford more time to read, however, just then his, Naruto’s, and every head belonging to the Akatsuki biker gang turned to the main entrance when the cheerful ding sounded announcing the arrival of another repeat customer, Granny Chiyo, with her fists full of scratch-off lottery tickets.

Granny Chiyo, was a legend not just for being the bad-ass take no names grandmother of one of the more dangerous Akatsuki gang members, but also for being thrifty. She slammed the scratch off lottery tickets on the counter, and reached into her jacket and pulled out Kakashi's most dreaded item - the jar of pennies.

She placed the jar on the counter with a loud clunk before reaching inside and pulling out pennies one by one, counting them on the counter under her breath. "This will only take a moment" she assured him, "I want to be precise!"

Kakashi took in the mayhem around him with a glazed 100-meter stare. There'd been worse nights, right? No machetes yet, right? All he needed was to make it to break time and have a smoke. 10 minutes.. Kakashi inhaled deeply and cleared his throat 'Take ALL the time you need Ma'am.' He shouldn't get involved right? He needed to man the till, right?

Kakashi smiled at Chiyo who was determined to pay for her weird collection of knickknacks with a gajillion pennies, but couldn't help glancing at the security camera that showed an energetic teenager mid-dance battle with the local biker gang; the only thing more bizarre would be Gai showing up to join them and to be honest he wouldn't be surprised.

The universe was not about to pass over an opportunity like that; if Kakashi had learned anything in his long years, it was that the best way to handle the sudden burst of GREEN and NOISE that assaulted his senses (out of seemingly nowhere) was to remain calm and tip a casual “Yo” to his rival while keeping an eye on Chiyo, the teenager, the biker gang, and the dance battle all at once... Gai would probably join the dance battle in a few minutes anyway.

Because, hello my dear, he wasn't going to leave his dignity in pieces. Better dead than ridiculous ... Although maybe ...?

He ran a hand through his already unruly hair as he rolled his shoulders, getting ready for whatever lay ahead; a quick glance at the clock confirmed his shift still had a long ways to go.

There was no time to relax when the biker gang was already making a move on some products, thinking he wouldn’t notice.

Kakashi decided that losing his job over a bunch of tough dudes acting like broke teenagers wasn't worth it, so he strode over to them first; maybe Gai would help him if they got violent - not that Kakashi would need help with that though.

And that was when it all exploded as Gai joined the dance battle causing them to knock over a display onto the Akatsuki teenage biker gang who exploded in rage causing both the aged Chiyo and Naruto to get knocked to the ground.

Kakashi in panic rushed to Naruto almost running over the old Chiyo and got out his flute then started to bang in on poor knocked-out Naruto's head, the Akatsuki teenage biker gang all nodded as they understood that it was an extremely necessary step of Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Gai—either unconcerned, not noticing the damage, or convinced that anything can be solved with the power of dance—dropped to the ground in an impressive worm, once more pulling the attention of the Akatsuki members.

Instigated by the impromptu dance party, the eccentric masked Akatsuki member jumped up onto a tower of canned diet Coke and started beat boxing, and Kakashi could only watch in horror as Gai’s worm morphed into break dancing.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his tired eyes from behind the counter as he watched Gai break dance down the snack aisle to the rhythm of the masked man's beatboxing, onlookers pumping their fists and cheering as another Akatsuki gang member started to rap about how "art is an explosion."

'What the hell,' was the thought that echoed through Kakashi's aching head with increasing volume; what the hell indeed?--and as he ripped off his red vest and leapt to the top of the counter, the crowd, one by one, turned toward him and fell silent: the cheering onlookers, the masked beat-boxer, the pony-tailed blond... until, at last, the only sound and movement was the frenzied tricking of Gai as the spandex-clad man danced on, unaware.

As he crouched on the counter he wasn’t sure if he wanted to go through with this - but desperate times called for desperate measures. He grabbed a Slim Jim and held it up as a mic. There was only one song that would shut them up.

Kakashi started the song softly, but got louder with each word, one hand leading the dance as he ever so slightly got closer to the crowd and then- 3am really was the witching hour, huh? - the crowd joined his dance and with each Ey macarena they were inching a little closer towards the exit in perfect synchrony.

Just then, Naruto regained consciousness and after blinking several times at the chaotic crowd, exclaimed, “What happened to the old lady that was here?”

Kakashi dropped the Slim Jim mic at these words, and glanced where Chiyo had once stood only to find a list of her purchases and her payment-the jar of pennies-waiting to be counted. He ran a hand down his face, noticed the mess below the dripping slurpee machine, spied Deidara passed out in a corner with empty beer cans around him, Kisame and Itachi not-so-secretly pocketing sunglasses, while Hidan sang and Gai danced on with abandon.

Irritably grabbing the mop for what would not be the last time that night, Kakashi unceremoniously stepped over Naruto.

Kakashi briefly considered whether or not this job was really worth the $7.25 per hour it paid him, before surreptitiously mopping himself within a meter of Itachi and Kisame, who he surprised with a heavy “Thwack!” of the mop handle across the backs of both their legs, causing them each to drop a pair of sunglasses and clap their hands across their backsides to smooth the stinging sensation.

He laughed devilishly, enjoying the momentary respite from the craziness of the shift and the antics of his so-called customers; was anyone actually buying anything tonight?

No matter, they didn’t need to, as long as they would get out.

But they just wouldn't get out, so Kakashi had to take more drastic measures - the fire alarm would get him into trouble with his employer, faking a power failure seemed like a safe option though, so he went over to the power box, turned off the main switch and listened with a deep satisfaction to the surprised screams and commotions in the shop.

“Lights are out,” Kakashi stated obviously, walking carefully back towards the register, “so if everybody could put any unpurchased items down and carefully head towards the still illuminated exit signs, that would be greatly appreciated.”

There was a moment of silence, followed by murmuring, and then the faint crumpling sound of what was either plastic encased items being set aside, or even more likely, being concealed in pockets.

While Kakashi knew that letting customers get away with stealing would come back to haunt him if and when his boss found out, at this rate he quite frankly couldn't even care--and besides, with all the lights off, he doubted the security cameras would pick up anything anyway.

As the subdued miscreants groped blindly to the door, illuminated only by the impassive green of the EXIT sign, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief that his shift was finally winding down--that is, until the resounding BOOM that echoed from the front parking lot.

The screech of tires, the thundering bass, it was a sound he was only too familiar with - it could only be one man.

Finally, finally the whole bunch was gone, only to be replaced by the loudest most obnoxious person he could think of, but Killer B was a regular and as such Kakashi had to endure his bad rapping.

Kakashi threw his head back and softly yeeted with fingers pointed skywards "Pew, pew pew! Fxxx my life!"

As the giant strode inside, clapped his hands on the countertop at the register and whooped “Yo! Bakayaro! Konoyaro! Kakashi, better watch me, can’t copy me, yeeeahhh!” the shopkeep wondered where this cheerful monster had been earlier, when so many folks were acting the fool (no doubt Killer Bee would have assisted him in wiping the floor with two or five of the previous visitors); “Bee, my man, you have no idea the kind of night I’ve been having...”

Unfortunately for Kakashi, Bee had become distracted by a motion sensor dancing sunflower, and took its song as a challenge for a mini rap battle.

"Yo, this flower's got moves! Look at it swaying while I spit some rad tunes!" Bee enthused and all Kakashi could manage in reply was a tired "You should've seen the dance battle earlier."

Lifting up his sunglasses to peer more closely at Kakashi's face--how was he able to see with those on in the middle of the night? the silveret wondered--B yelled concernedly, "Yo man, feeling tired? Uninspired? Say no more! Let's hit the door!" and, heedless of Kakashi's terrified recoil, scooped the smaller man up under his arm and boogied them to his ride, parked across three spaces in the parking lot.

“What is the meaning of this?” The assistant shift supervisor, Danzo, showed up at the door, with Konoha’s 24/7 general manager, Hiruzen, right behind him.

“Um—” Kakashi began, and ended because there was no explaining it.

“You’re fi—”

“I quit!” Kakashi shouted, silencing Danzo.

Bee brandished a peace sign while Kakashi offered a much ruder gesture and the pair took off in search of an after party, or a nap.

Just then, Naruto-whom everyone forgot about-stepped out from behind an endcap of ramen cups. “Does this mean you’re hiring?”

Hiruzen smiled, “I’ll get you an application.”

The End

Do you have an idea for a title? Add it in the replies to this post!

#the kakashi lounge #Kakashi #kakashi hatake #hatake kakashi #Modern AU #round robin story #third shift kakashi #the man is tired #strange things are afoot #the akatsuki biker gang #gai does the worm #the power of dance #killer bee raps #did anyone actually buy anything?#penny-pincher chiyo #naruto was there the whole time #server event #server shenanigans

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thefreckledone · 7 years

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fluff friday (saturday) “ghibli/runaway” {keep yourself a secret} [narusaku]

dedicated to @obsessed-lass who reminds me of my love of narusaku when I first read naruto. you’re great!

this is a castle in the sky au that I want to expand when I have time. I have the worst time management skills, lol.

“You sure you’ve got this under control?”

“You can count on me!” Sakura exclaims, hefting buckets filled with coal onto her shoulders. “Go on! I know Asuma wants you home in time for dinner.”

Kurenai chuckles, eyes soft as she ruffles Sakura’s hair. “He does kick up quite a fuss if I’m not home when the station actually closes. Should I bring you some of his pastries tomorrow?” She grins. “If I tell him it’s for you he’ll even bake them fresh.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal! Will he make—”

“The berry tart with extra strawberries? Of course,” Kurenai says before tossing the keys to Sakura. “I expect you here bright and early to open up. Hiruzen will panic if we aren’t up and running on time.”

“Got it!”

Sakura watches as Kurenai takes the elevator out of what is affectionately termed “The Pit,” before returning to her task. She dumps the coal into the bins by the trains, prepping for the bustle of the coming day. Sakura places the buckets back in the closet and snatches up the ring of keys.

Sakura cannot keep from grinning as she weighs the keys in her hand, looking over all the myriad of sizes and shapes to them. There are thirty-seven keys in all and her absolute favorite is the large bronze key that locks the gate. It is an old key and oxidized in a way that makes most of it appear green.

She feels stately and otherworldly as she turns the key in the gate, locking the passage between the station and the railroads. Sakura loops the key ring into her belt, grinning as they thump musically against her thigh as she walks.

A high-pitched, whining noise makes her pause. Sakura looks up, blinking as a red light descends from the sky.

A shooting star?

No, she can tell as it comes closer that the light is emitting from a necklace worn by a boy.

Sakura races in his direction, climbing the slope to one of the many precarious balances that cross above the Pit. They’ve been expanding the station, have been for years and the work is never done.

With an ease born of experience, Sakura steps out onto the plank and eyes the boy’s descent. She positions herself beneath it, balancing and bracing herself to catch him.

Sakura squints against the gleam of his necklace as he descends fully into her arms. The necklace’s glow fades and Sakura gets a better look at the boy.

He is unconscious and dressed oddly in garish hues of orange and blue. His face is strangely marked with lines on each cheek but Sakura is more focused on his hair. It is the color of sunlight.

Sakura cradles him close, listening attentively to the creaking of the board beneath her as she moves back to safer ground.

When she turns her face back to the boy, crystalline blue eyes meet her.

The boy is awake.

“Who are you?” he asks, squirming out of her grasp.

“I’m Sakura. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he blusters, brushing off his clothes. He glances away and back again before bending over in a formal bow. “Thank you. My name is Naruto. I’m not completely sure how I came to be here, but I’m grateful.”

“Of course,” she replies, flustered by the antiquated gesture. They stand in silence for a moment before Sakura says, “Do you have anywhere to stay the night?”

He opens his mouth, falters, and shakes his head.

“Would you like to stay with me?” Sakura asks. “You can take my bed for the night.”

His face splits in a smile so bright that Sakura loses her breath. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”

And that is how Sakura meets Naruto.

“Who are they?” Sakura asks, ducking back behind her house. She eyes the men in long black coats embellished in red clouds with suspicion. They don’t fit into the sleepy town of Konoha.

“Pirates,” Naruto spits the word and it is the most vitriolic thing Sakura has heard out of his mouth. “They’re called Akatsuki. They want the treasures of Uzushio.”

Sakura tightens her mouth and firms her stance as she catches the flicker of fear in his eyes. “They’ve chased you before?”

He hesitates for a brief moment before nodding.

“Okay,” Sakura says. “Give me a second.”

She ducks back into her house, heading into the room on the second floor. She listens to the soft hooting and cooing from the owls, all in various stages of sleep. Sakura opens their cages and sends up a brief prayer for their safety.

Sakura goes back out to Naruto, taking his hand in hers. “I’ll protect you from the pirates,” she promises rashly. “We’ll need to go into town. I have to give Kurenai the keys and hopefully we can shake them in the crowd.”

Naruto nods, not looking all that pleased with the plan but trusting her regardless. Something in Sakura is warmed by the notion, but she is quickly distracted with slipping past Akatsuki unseen.

Something goes wrong along the way, an unsure foot along the cobble, a perceptive glance around, something happens in a way that the tall blue one looks upon them with a disturbing grin.

“Konan, I found them!”

Sakura mutters the word Asuma said once when all of the pies burned while they were playing cards.

Naruto looks impressed.

“Come on!” Sakura hisses, dragging Naruto into the morning crush of people.

“Sakura!” Kurenai exclaims. “What on earth is going on?”

“This is Naruto,” Sakura says. “There are some bad people after him. I’m going to help.”

There is pride coloring Kurenai’s voice as she says, “I expected nothing less.” She draws Sakura into a brisk, warm hug. “Go on. Asuma and I will take care of them.”

“Thanks, Kurenai!” Sakura replies, bussing a kiss across her cheek before passing her the keys. “You need these more than I do but don’t worry; I’ll be back soon!”

Kurenai looks at them, rather, she looks at Naruto. “I’m not so sure you will be, dear.”

“C’mon,” Naruto says, tightening his hold on Sakura’s hand, brushing past Kurenai, and ducking into the nearby alley.

“Naruto!” Sakura scolds as she picks up her pace to keep up with him. “That was quite rude!”

“Sorry,” he mutters, casting his eyes about. “I’m just worried. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”

Sakura squeezes his hand. “You aren’t a burden! You’re my friend. Besides, my parents always believed in Uzushio.” She pats the map at her belt. “They’d be proud to know I’m keeping up the search.”

Naruto smiles. “It’ll be an adventure.”

“The very best,” Sakura says firmly. “First, however, we need to get away from the pirates. I think the train station is our best bet.”

“Didn’t you give the keys to Kurenai?” Naruto asks, following her as she begins to weave among the maze of buildings.

“Yeah but Hiruzen has a set himself. He always gets there before dawn and opens the train station. He always complains when we show up on time, saying that we’re late.” Sakura giggles.

“Sounds like quite a guy,” Naruto says.

“He’s the best.”

Sakura guides Naruto along her favorite path into the Pit, mindful of her surroundings. It still comes as a surprise, however, when Naruto is tackled to the ground.

“Running away was quite naughty!” an angry voice declares and Sakura prepares herself to yank the boy off of Naruto.

She stops, however, when she sees his face.

He has Naruto’s face. If not for his eyes and hair, Sakura would call them mirror images.

“Who are you?” she demands, gathering herself and pushing him free of Naruto.

“Menma of Fire,” he replies, red eyes cool and distant. He looks her over and sniffs, clearly finding her lacking. “And who are you, urchin?”

“None of your business!” Naruto declares, hopping back on his feet. His nose is bleeding but his gaze is hard as he stares at Menma. “You need to leave me alone!”

“You need to come with me, Naruto,” Menma says. “Just imagine what we can do together.”

“I already told you no! Why won’t you just leave me alone?” Naruto demands.

Sakura strikes a leg out, sweeping Menma’s feet from beneath him while distracted. He tumbles and, at the sharp angle of the slope, slides far away from him. Sakura winces in sympathy as he catches on hard edges but she doesn’t feel too bad when she sees the relief in Naruto’s eyes.

“Let’s go,” Sakura urges, eyes up on the lip of the Pit. Already, it is dotted with the pirates and men dressed in the same uniform as Menma. For the moment, they seem preoccupied with each other but that won’t remain the case for long. “Hiruzen will be able to help us get out of here.”

Naruto wavers, clutching at the pendant at his throat.

“Naruto,” Sakura says, waiting until he looks at her. Their enemies are closing in around them and they are in a precarious position that requires some finessing. She needs to get them out of here safely. And for that, she needs Naruto. “Naruto, do you trust me?”

Naruto looks at her and for a moment he looks so much older than his twelve years. Sakura feels as if her soul is bared to his eyes, scorched beneath his scrutiny. His hand tightens on the strange pendant and he smiles as he pulls it free from his body.

Sakura knows she’s passed some sort of test, though what kind she couldn’t say.

“It’s strange really,” Naruto says, grabbing her hand and pressing the pendant into it. She feels a shiver go up her spine and, for a moment, the pendant is heavy. The moment passes and Sakura wonders if she just imagined it. “I trust you Sakura.”

Sakura grins. “Good. What I’m about to ask of you is going to require all of that trust.”

Naruto nods, entwining his hand around hers, the pendant firmly sandwiched between them. “I’m ready when you are.”

Breath quickening, Sakura stares at the crane jib and hook that are moving slowly nearby. It is headed their way and Sakura tenses in preparation. She can do this. “When I say jump, jump.”

Naruto nods, his confidence in her obvious in his eyes.

Sakura takes a deep breath, tightens her hand on his, and says, “Jump.”

They jump.

#my fic #fluff friday #rather saturday #why do i always do this?#lol #narusaku #Sakura Haruno #Naruto Uzumaki #they're so young #and precious #and i definitely want to expand into a full story #someday

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scenariosofkonoha · 8 years

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Pein One Shot

I wrote this last year and totally forgot about it. It’s kinda AU, but whatever. I like it, but it’s super long, but if ya got the time, I’d read it. I think I had just finished AHS Freakshow, so that was kinda the inspiration; and I also thought that the way the Akatsuki went out in the series was complete BS but that's another rant.

Never has there been a story of a god who lost his power and was forced into refuge, trying to fight for survival in the land he once reigned over with the utmost glory. Not once a tale of a new almighty being taking a grip onto the entire world, causing the old one to crumble and a new one to mold. Through the centuries, seldom has such a thought come into the minds of those who have inhabited the world. For a god to become lower than the dirt he stepped on was such an obscene notion that no one ever dared to create such a tale.

Yet this was a story that had only began to be told. A new event in the human experience was unfolding within the shadows, an omnipotent falling into the clutches of one who held more authority and power, his world being torn into pieces and scraped into a new. The world of dictatorship and struggle hadn’t stood a chance once the new rulers came, but there was no single ruler to blame. It was a democracy that was forming, a democracy that had been formed with almost no riots or turmoil, something that had never happened before.

It was nearly unbelievable how smoothly the transition was, at least in the public’s eye. By some unknown miracle, every day brought a weaker and weaker dictatorship, and then one day, it was just a god forced into refuge, and a new society ready to be formed. The people, not only of Ame, but of the world, were no longer held in the chokehold of S-ranked criminals, living in fear of what these inhuman beings could do to their pitiful lives. All had come to think that they would never live in a peaceful world again, and gave up on every creating a world of their own, yet as the evils of others perished under the hand of an invisible savior, the bravery of the world grew, prepared to take on the burden of guiding a world.

Though, for those who ruled in the dictatorship, this was not the case at all. It was not something that went over easily; it was if the Akatsuki had been struck by a plague, and day after day, a new member fell, by murder or betrayal. One day the Akatsuki was in complete power with not a single notion of failure, but then it all just came crashing down without a single catalyst. It had all happened so quickly, almost as if they all had been placed under an illusion of time as someone had meticulously planned for their downfall. Not even a second was given for them to regroup and recover, and before the god knew it, his empire had fallen.

Some thought it be fate’s actions; the wrongs being righted. Those had been the last words from the woman who had spent her entire life by the god’s side, but as he remained in that moment, he thought differently. He was wiser than those who had surrounded him and he analyzed every movement of his men, every change in his nation, every flaw in the this invisible being’s plan, and had come to a revelation. This was not work done by a soulless entity; it was work done by someone who knew not only how to control people, but how to remain hidden while the world around them fell to the flames- someone very much like him.

Pein knew who had caused his downfall, and to be honest, part of him was surprised. Though, his surprise didn’t come from the ability of the one who did this, but at the fact that they were still alive and had taken such drastic steps so many years after their fallout. The god knew exactly who was the mastermind behind it all, though it had taken too long for him to come to this realization to save himself, but that was probably part of their plan anyways. Yet, he was still prepared to face this entity, even if the tables be turned from those that had been set many years ago.

And so, Pein sat silently in the rowdy tent, a place where he would have never stepped foot in if it hadn’t been this drastic. Cheering and gasps resonated against the thick canvas of the temporary walls, bringing in a high tension, so similar and so different to the one he had always been surrounded by. All seats in the makeshift arrangement were filled by every type of person that one could think of: young, old; male, female; shinobi, villager; everyone. Pein had never truly paid attention to those who created such an atmosphere among its audience, though that was not entirely his fault. Hell, it was a circus, and it was uncommon for circuses to have anyone with capable ninja skill in the line up, let alone ones able to take out his men, but now as he sat among the commoners, searching for the one who destroyed his empire, he realized that it had been his fatal mistake.

And so, no longer adorning the red clouds upon his cloak, Pein remained stoic as he watched the center ring, eyeing the slender being who remained effortlessly suspended fifty feet in the air. Long black hair was pulled tightly into a ponytail and contrasted sharply against the snow white skin and nearly transparent grey eyes as it’s owner flipped through the air and into the arms of another trapeze. Her movements were clean and precise, a perfect model for all trapeze artists throughout the entire world, but what set her apart from those around her was the fact that she had the chakra strength and control of an elite. In between each trick, a hand seal was made, it’s stealth hidden from the majority of those who witnessed, only being noticeable by those who were looking for it.

She was cunning, slyer than the devil, and Pein was well aware of that. Every move was deliberate and expertly calculated, a clear goal her mind, even if it be hidden from the rest of the world. He was certain she was the one behind everything, the true catalyst when there was thought to be none. There was no one else who could have done so much damage to him and his society. Whether it had been by her powerful genjutsu over the people, or her prototypal time jutsus used on his Akatsuki, or even her pristine plan that brought it all together, this was the girl who had caused a god to fall.

So, continuing to watch her as she defied death, Pein remained patient, waiting for the key moment that the show was over and he could approach her. He didn’t want to fight her- she had already won and he had accepted that, but he was curious to why she would have done such a thing, especially to the one who had saved her life nearly two decades ago. Twenty years ago, she was nothing but a starving child who hadn’t any idea on how to used the power that she possessed, but now, she was almost controlling the world like a doll.

She could have been one of Pein’s strongest tools in controlling the world…

But he made the mistake of underestimating her too early, and throwing out the one who was destined to be the strongest out of all his Akatsuki...

*****

Landing ever so gently on the ground, you smiled and bowed to the audience, not prideful of the tricks and flips you had completed, but of the genjutsu you had successfully placed on each and every soul in the audience, trapping their minds in a fake reality that would soon become truth. You heard the cheers and yells from every being in the tent, all riled from the finale of the show and now under your spell that would allow them the strength to continue to build their new world. You were proud of your feat, using something that seemed so evil to be used to for good, a rarity in the old world.

You took a glance over to the ringmaster, your partner in rebuilding this world, as he held his hand out to, motioning you to join him as he ended the show. Slowly, you made your way over to him, placing your hand in his, and raising it above both your heads while the rest of the circus circled around the ring. He gave a quick wink at you, fully aware that another performance, and another jutsu had been completed successfully, before he started to speak to the audience, “And we thank each and every one of you for coming to our show tonight, being witness to our tricks and charms, and truly being an audience we are not worthy of performing in front of, though we are more than happy to. I, along with my circus, are proud that you all have made us the most successful circus in the world, even in the midst of a revolution. You all are a people worthy of everything and we are merely here to lift away your worry of the every day, and I hope that is something we have accomplished by our feats of tonight.” he finished out the first part of your conclusion, looking over to you, his star in the whole circus.

Giving a smile that displayed every ounce of pride that ran through your being, you looked around at the massive crowd, all still cheering with their new found courage. Taking a deep breath, you finished everything out, sealing the deal, and making sure that you genjutsu was fully placed. It may have been a simple trick, but a little extra strength and the notion that they could do anything was going to give the people of Ame what they needed to finalize their revolution, though the hard part had already been done the second that the Akatsuki fell. “And so, let us all go out without any worry and with the awe of human ability, and create a tomorrow where we are proud of the land we live in! Let us all join together with the strength and courage that each and every one of us display right now and prove the world that we are not just a small nation suffering under a dystopian dictatorship, that we have banished the wrongful rulers, and that we are all ready to join with the other nations to create a utopia where all live in peace and equality!” you proclaimed, a leader rising.

The crowd erupted, cheering and proclaiming words that matched your own, only proving that they were ready to go into the word under your spell, ready to finish out the final steps of creation of a new world. Seeing this, you gave a quick smirk over to your partner who looked equally as prideful as if he were ready to set these people off into the world. So with this silent affirmation, you gave the final statement of the night, “Again, we thank you for coming to us tonight, and though we may not return for many days, we will all meet again! Thank you!” you called out, a final set of cheering following.

And with your final announcement, the curtains around the center ring fell, separating you from the audience. The moment this was done, you saw a change in the people around you. A calmer atmosphere came upon the other circus members, all partially tired from the long nights and the seven shows they had done back to back to back in the last three days. As this calmness came upon them as they began to head back to their tents and trailers, a tenseness came and clenched onto your partner as he let go of your hand and instead circled his arm around your slender waist. “I need to speak with you,” he calmly whispered to you, beginning to lead you out of the ring and into the back.

Slightly sighing, you just nodded, already having some idea of what he was tense about. You should have figured that an old friend of yours would have made an appearance at one of your performances this weekend, and that was something that would have put the ringleader on edge. Though this was something that he should have expected, you were on what used to be his territory, and it used to be almost off limits to you, but that was when he held the power. Now you held the power, but still, he was not one who was going to back down, so it didn’t truly surprise that he came around here, but still you were going to listen to what the ringleader had to say.

Gently guiding you through the back of the tent, he started to walk you to where the main trailers, a place where only the best of the circus resided and where he could find privacy with you. In a near whisper, he avoided the minor members, trying to keep the main point of his circus hidden from anyone besides those who needed to know. “There was someone odd in the audience…” the ringleader stated firmly as the pair of you walked through the various tents and trailers, already well aware of the fact of who it was.

“I know,” you stated, your lips in a tight line, simply because of the history you shared with this person. It wasn’t the nicest story, and it sure wasn’t the cleanest break. It was a history that had too much in all honesty; there was too much reliance, too much weakness, too many mistakes, too many unattended things. It was a pure mess; it was twenty years ago and it was tonight, and that was something that was never going to change. Each of you had seen each other go through pain, power, betrayal, and every other human experience, but instead of making the two of you stronger, it made your relationship weaker, and with the way everything ended, you didn’t know how the moment when you two met again was going to play out.

Stepping into a small trailer that belonged to him, the young man helped you into the safe haven, not wishing to speak of the matter until walls surrounded you. There were few things in this world that caused a worry in the young circus master, but when all his dreams and achievements could be hanging in the balance within mere hours, he become more than cautious. Almost instantly closing and locking the door behind the pair of you as you entered the humble home, the ringleader narrowed his eyes at you, even more unsure of what was going to happen in the near future than you were. “Y/N, why is he here?” the twenty six year old questioned you bluntly.

You simply shrugged as you walked past him and over to the small mirror that you spent a great deal of time at every day. Inspecting your now smudged and faded makeup, you really didn’t give your partner a true answer. “Kazuki, just calm down.” you offered up softly as you took up a cloth and began to wipe away the white and blue makeup that you had spent an hour putting on earlier in the day. Gingerly erasing the lines on your face, you glanced at the tense man behind you, wanting nothing more than for his worry to be gone; he was your closest companion, and for him to be in stress caused you to be in stress. “There’s nothing he can do to us. We’ve already won, and he knows that.” you stated confidently, having the utmost faith in your plans.

Still, this did not ease the brunette and he did nothing, but shake his head at you, “Y/N…” he muttered before picking up a cigarette and lighting it, trying to calm the uneasiness in his being. Normally he was one of the most confident people you could come across, but there was something about this situation that caused him to almost crumble. Blowing a line straight into the air, he shifted his focus back to you. “Y/N. You know that he will try to change your mind, or at least use your power for himself. I don’t care if we’ve already won and how far we’ve come; he’s done it before, and he will try to do it again. I know you’re strong, but there was a time where he was in the exact same position as you are now…” Kazuki stated, an obvious tension saturating his voice.

Slightly frowning at this tension, you sighed before turning around to face him, dismayed by his lack of faith. “And you need to remember who was the one who spent over a decade with this man. I know who he is and what he is capable of, and the second he lost control of the people, he became nothing. You cannot rule without having a nation behind you.” Now, you weren’t necessarily bothered that he doubted either of you, but it was something that you were not going to allow to continue, and so, standing up, you paced over to the opposite side of the trailer. Reaching him and gently taking the cigarette away from him, you gave a small nod, “Why do you worry so? You trust me, right? Have we ever failed together?” you questioned, looking for answers that were to never be spoken. Then, placing a soft hand upon his cheek, you gave him a statement, that needn't any further explanation. “Kazuki, I know you see him as a threat, but have faith in what we’ve created. It’ll always be me and you, and it’s even though it’s never been easy, we’ve always come through and succeeded, like we will now. Let this be. I will handle it, and you do not have to worry, and in the morning, all will be right.” you offered, words of purity rolling off your lips.

Looking down for a small moment, the young ringmaster stared into those nearly transparent eyes that seemed to see nothing, but the utopian future that lie ahead, and he realized that you did in fact have the world hanging on a string. He was staring at the previous god’s most beautiful and cunning angel, the one that the god cast aside foolishly and damned, but now had the world in her delicate hands. You were the maverick of their time, and Kazuki had the faith that you would remain this maverick and continue to right all the wrongs of the god before; there was too much tension between you and the god and there was too much desire to fix the world for you to fail at this point. Yes, Kazuki was well aware of your history, and your history with the pervious god, but his love with you was based upon broken bones and promises, and that was something that no one else could say. And so, he nodded and kissed the top of your head. “Ok, you take care him, but I am cursing the grounds until the sun rises.” the young man whispered before giving one last comment.

“I will not allow him to commit the same evil we committed…”

*****

Leaning against the trailer of a performer who had left the circus long ago, you rested your head against the metal wall, your eyes closed and your being simply feeling the atmosphere that surrounded you. A mixture of a heavy fog and the smoke from both cigarettes and bonfires filled the air, creating an expertly designed disguise for any who snuck around the camp this late at night, something that was a constant among your people. Whether they be sneaking around to a lover, or committing a deed not be spoken of, it was common practice for circus folk to have mastered the art. Hell, you, yourself mastered the art years ago, and still constantly used it to this day; you wouldn’t have had the world in your hands if you didn’t.

Still, for the most part, the hardest part of your scheme was over; the Akatsuki was destroyed, the lord had fallen, the people were empowered. The new world was already being created by those who deserved to create it, and so you would have retired back into a trailer hours ago, at peace at what was happening while you rested your weary body. You had done your work as the warrior who would bring the world to the new Eden and save the people from both the work of a dictator and themselves, and you were ready for them to grow on their own without you controlling everything, but with the events that were transpire tonight, you were forced to remain a constant presence in the camp.

There was part of you that wished this night would have never had happened, that you would never have had to face this man again, yet there was a small part of you that both knew better and secretly wished for him to see you like this- in power and the savior of the world even if you were not going to play such a large part anymore. You wanted him to see what he gave up on, how far you had succeeded and prospered in life, but you knew that this would not be a sweet moment that fast approaching. The pervious god that you used to have so much faith in was not someone who would go down without a fight, and would certainly not cease trying to control the world until every option was no longer available. You could remember your days with him like a child remembers a vivid nightmare, but in a sense that was what you were in those years; a poor helpless child who didn’t know her possibilities and didn’t know the world around her, at least until he came and saved you.

He took you in as that poor child, seeing endless possibilities, yet you were so young and so damaged at the time that he couldn’t use your skills to his needs, but he still kept you. An eighteen year old took in an eight year old, at first seeing it has nothing more than saving an innocent who had been terrorized by the same war he had been terrorized by, but as time went on and the original soul of the leader died, the outlook on you change. All of a sudden, that weak and starving eight year old was a twelve year old who was stronger and smarter than the original creators of the Akatsuki were at that age. You had grown and fought just to live and make sure that you were noticed, yet as you were getting stronger and more valuable, the Akatsuki in itself changed. All of a sudden, everyone was gone, save for two, and that blessed leader who had saved you long ago had the soul of another. New members were brought in; a man who had many hearts and a man who had none; a teen no older than you who had been the end of his name and a teen who who was going to make sure his name was known. They were foreign and forced you to resign to the new leader’s side, simply because you were not yet powerful enough to stand next to them, yet you were able enough to remain a trademark of the leader himself.

Almost six more years passed with you by the lord’s side, and you were no longer a child of innocence, but a woman of cunning lies and powerful tricks, though there was something odd about you that seemed so ironic to the god. It was as if you were the devil, able to charm and lure whoever you pleased, but you wanted nothing more than peace for the world around you; you had the power of evil, but the heart of good. You had become such a person that the pervious soul of the leader and the one whose soul occupied the body would have wished to spend an entity with, though that was something that was never meant to be; the fates were too cruel to create happy endings in the world.

Yes, you had become the companion to the god as he tried to make the evil in the world vanish, though as the days blurred into months and the months blurred into years, something changed in your fate. There was a point in time where you would have never left the god’s side, never letting him go and always leading him to his goal, no matter what the consequences to you. You would have given everything for that man: your soul, the heart of another, the ashes of Eden, it all could have been his with a single request to you, but then something changed in the bond between you two. To this day you did not know whether or not you came to this realization, because you yourself had grown to see the evils he had committed, or because the evils he had committed had caused you to grow. Truthfully that didn’t matter, simply because you realized that his idea of peace was nothing close your idea of peace.

Still even though you realized this, you tried to reason with him, become the conscious that he didn’t have, yet that was probably the worst mistake you ever made with that man. The second he saw doubt in you, he saw weakness. His most beautiful and cunning angel was about to fall to the ground and cause a living hell for him, so he did want every god in their right mind would do: he damned you before you could do any damage. Pein sent you out of a mission that he knew would kill you, or at least thought would kill you.

You remember the mission very clearly, the trap that was set to kill you before you could do any damage to the blessed man and his prophecy. Truthfully, it was an overly simple assault, something that almost insulted you, because you were far more intellectual than what this plan called for, but the brute strength behind it was what made it nearly impossible for you to escape. He took his own men, shinobi who had grown to know you and listen to your orders, to murder you because of your divergence from his orders. And with a the simple instruction from the dictator, that is what they did, and to be completely honest, they almost succeeded. They beat you till you were barely breathing and nearly at the end of your life, but you were god’s most beautiful angel, and even if you had fallen you were still one of the strongest and you were not going to allow this to be the end of your life. The world needed a catalyst to bring Pein down and rebuild itself on its own without living in fear of an omnipotent being ready to strike them down at any second, and you were going to be that catalyst.

That night was the first time you successfully completely a time jutsu, being able to stop time and slip away from those who used to be your allies. Yes, you were on the brink of death and the whole jutsu was sloppy and nearly killed you due to chakra depletion, but you had completed a jutsu that wasn’t even accepted as a possible jutsu in the normal world yet, and that had brought you into the arms of one who would become the backbone of your life. Pein had underestimated you that night, and that was his fatal mistake. It was his mistake to turn his own men on you; it was his mistake that caused you to use that jutsu; it was his mistake that brought you to Kazuki. You would have never met the young and confident man who was ready to take on the world if it hadn’t been for Pein crossing you; you wouldn’t have had the world in the palm of your hands if he hadn’t damned you…

And so, you remained leaning against the trailer, silently recalling the events of the past as you felt the heavy presence of the man who you used to worship come into range. There was a slight variance in the chakra you sensed, but that was most likely caused by the lack of power that the god now had and the trails that he now faced. Just as you were, he was now alone in this world, no one alive anymore who would support him. The tables were turned, but for some reason, you did not wish to see one who used to have such respect from you in such a weak state, though that wish was something was not going to be even heard, for within seconds, that undeniable voice sounded through the smog.

“There was once a time where I would have never thought that you were capable of doing so much damage so discretely, especially to one who saved you from death.” a voice stated monotonically, it’s owner coming into view slowly. Now, you weren’t surprised that he made it into the back section of the circus; it wasn’t too hard in all honesty. People came and went, whether the be children wanting a look at the animals or lovers leaving their marks on another, the back of the circus was something that was not hard to get into as long as Kazuki allowed it to be. It was his decision whether or not to allow others to enter or leave the camp, and if he decided against it, then he would curse the camp, not allowing anyone to enter or leave until daybreak, or they would suffer under his hand until death. It may have been a harsh fate, but unforgiving measures must be taken during a revolutions, and the current curse on the grounds could possibly be it for the fallen god.

Glancing over to him, you stayed stoic as you looked to him with the same eyes that looked to your assassins. Cooly, your words came out like you didn’t even have to think, “And there was once a time where I believed in the same future you did, but obviously the years have changed the both of us, for now I am more capable than you ever thought and the future that is unfolding in front of us is the one that I saw, not the one you tried to force.” you commented, bringing many truths out into the open with a single phrase.

“Y/N.” he answered, his tone acting as if he didn’t believe what you were saying.

“What?” you replied, not letting any time slip away from you. The quicker that this confrontation was over, the better, though there were other thoughts in the fallen god’s mind.

For a moment, he just stared at you, analyzing your appearance and presence, seeing how you had grown and changed as a person, but to be brutally honest, there wasn’t much that he had to analyze. Yes, you were no longer teenager, it had been almost nine years since you had lost that title, but your presence and the way you carried yourself hadn’t changed in the slightest; the only difference in today’s instance was that you led with another and not him. You still had that faith and justice and morality that he had seen the day that Yahiko came back to the hideout, a small child clutching on to him for dear life. A tiny child who could barely even remember where she came from had more integrity than the entirety of fallen leader’s army, and to this day, the soul who occupied the body of the one who saved that child could barely understand it.

Though, there was a lot Pein didn’t understand about the moment, or even about you, so he simply asked one of the first questions that he ever thought of when he realized that it was you behind it all. “How did you even survive? There was absolutely no way that you could have survived an ambush from that team, not with their physical strength against yours.” he questioned, beginning right off where his demised started.

Pushing yourself off of the trailer, so that you stood up straight and were now full facing the Rinnegan user, you shook your head, almost in disbelief about his naivety. “Physical strength is not everything in this world, and you know that; you just thought at the time that I wouldn’t be able to overpower that lot and that they would succeed with their mission. At that point, I knew you had doubt in me, and I knew that you had stopped paying as much attention to me as you had in the past, and that was probably the worst mistake you made. My genjutsu rivaled Itachi Uchiha’s and I had been dealing with time and space jutsus, and that was something you didn’t know. There were times where you just looked at me like I was nothing more than an ornament to a god’s side, but in reality, I was your devil. I was the one who was so close to you that you didn’t see the extreme differences between the two of us until it was too late, and then you simply casted me away in defense, not even trying to work with me. You didn’t know what I was capable of at that time, and that was what allowed me to survive.” you offered up the truth, knowing that this was probably the last time that you would ever see this man, and that he at least deserved the truth.

“They said you were bleeding to death; that you had taken so many fatal hits that there was absolutely no way to survive.”

Hearing this, you simply scoffed, “You don’t understand time and space jutsus do you? I was able to bend time, able to stop them and get myself out of there. Yes, I was bleeding to death, but history repeats itself, Pein. Just as Yahiko found me dying in the rain, Kazuki found me and saved me.” you offered up, bringing your closest companion into the story now. “I’ve been with him ever since, and with him, we brought down your Akatsuki and rebuilt a world that was stuck in the terror you placed it in.”

Already knowing much about this man, Pein just nodded, adding comments about the young ring leader. “He’s a healer and a master genjutsu user. He’s just like you; sly and cunning, able to convince anyone of anything. He was the one who convinced Itachi to leave the Akatsuki and Deidara to return to being a sole terrorist.” Pein stated, bringing up the end of two of his main members.

You just nodded, “Together, we either killed those in the Akatsuki, or convinced them to leave. We committed evils to get rid of the evils, and then once those evils were finished, we began to charm the people into the realization that they did not need you, and that they could lead a nation by themselves. We used evil to create good, and we have succeed. We had wills that wanted nothing but peace, not the lie of peace that was truly nothing more an a dictatorship.” You answered.

“You killed Konan.”

“Yes, I alone killed her. Kazuki had nothing to do with that. She was the last pillar to you, and that was something that we needed to get rid of.”

Again, he just looked at you, this time not necessarily looking for answers. Hearing the heartless tone in your voice as you spoke of the murder of the woman who had be an ally to you for so many years made Pein realize that he had truly lost you. You had moved onto a future where you led and guided those to a life in which was best for them, not what was best for him. You had turned his Eden into nothing more than ashes, and you didn’t even care about his well being. You had left him and belonged to another now, and not only did you succeed with the other, you acted as if you were meant to stay with him. And so, he made one of the final comments that you would ever hear from him. “You used to be so faithful…”

“Pein…” you frowned slightly, still slightly unwilling to tell him the truth that he should have realized long ago as you heard his comment. Slightly pursing your lips, you slowly shook your head as you stated something from decades ago, “I was always faithful to you. I would have done anything for you, anything at all. You just had to say the word and I would have had it done. Yahiko saved me from the Hell I was living, and I owed him my life, and so when he died, I owed his legacy and dreams my life. Yahiko and I believed in a lot of the same things, and you never realized how much I relied on him when I was a child. I owe him everything I am today, and I doubt you and Konan really saw the struggle it put me through after he died. Yes, you two were close to him, yet the bond I shared with him was something that differed greatly from your’s and Konan’s. I dedicated myself to his dream, just as you did, and in the beginning we shared the same dream, but as things went on and others came into the picture, your dream started to shift and you gave in to those who wanted something far different than from what Yahiko wanted. Pein, I stayed faithful to Yahiko. This is was what Yahiko wanted. I never strayed from my faith.” you proclaimed gently, bringing the truth out into the musky night.

And after that, the god said nothing at all.

Knowing that you were in your final moments with him, you gave a final saying. “Pein, there are no gods in this world. Heaven and Hell do not exist in this land, and they will no longer, because we have discarded the idea of an almighty dictator. The people of this nation need to be alone and create the society and world that they desire, without any help from beings like us. They know the turmoil and suffering they have felt through the decades of endless wars, and now they are beginning to lift those pains and make their lives into something worth living, which was what I planned for. I did not bring down your empire because of revenge and hatred; I brought down your empire to live out a dream that you abandoned years ago; the dream Yahiko lived and died for.” you offered out, slight pain in your being as you remember the young man who had treasured you so.

Still, silence came from the being in front of you.

So, knowing that there wasn’t much to be said, you crossed your arms and gave a nod to him, no longer speaking to the body, but the soul who controlled it. “Nagato, realize that I will always look at Yahiko in a light that has eternal glory, but I cannot stand by someone who allowed that hope of peace to fall out of their hands and be molded by evils who want nothing, but selfish desires. I created Yahiko’s promise land, even it meant destroying what you created…” you trailed off, you eyes falling away from those who shared the Rinnegan, knowing that your departure was coming. “Wait till dawn, and then go.” you whispered softly before those transparent eyes gave the fallen one last look, “Save yourself, Nagato. It’s over; the Akatsuki has fallen. Please, it’s time to put Yahiko to rest and finally live in the peace that he wanted, it’s least you can do…” you gingerly offered before turning around and beginning to walk away from him, your final ties with the Akatsuki being severed…

You may have been the devil to the Akatsuki, but to the new world, you were their most beautiful angel, the one who saved them from themselves and allowed them to build a world very much like the one a young leader dreamed of years ago. You had done what your savior wanted, and you knew deep down that Yahiko would have praised that young child he had found lying on the side of the road, and with that, you were finally able to rest…

#this is long #ugh #what do you guys think #i want feedback on this #yahiko #nagato #pein #akatsuki #naruto writing

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