The Dusk Has Dawned

Bathed in the dying embers of the setting sun, the battlefield, once tumultuous, now lay shrouded in a serene atmosphere. 

The battle cries of ninja, and clashes of Ninjutsu had given way to a haunting quietude, interrupted only by the soft rustle of leaves in the evening breeze. 

Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, sat regally upon a weathered rock. His grip tightened around his adamantine staff, a symbol of his unwavering determination, even as blood trickled down his wrinkled features, staining his lips and nose.

Beside him, Rasa, the Kazekage, lay still, his once-vibrant spirit subdued by exhaustion. ANBU shinobis, the silent defenders, now lay scattered on the ground—some severely wounded, others silent in death. Their sacrifices hung heavy in the air, mingling with the fading light, yet they were not in vain.

For before their eyes, Sasori knelt upon the blood-stained earth, a ghastly sight to behold. His arms were mere remnants, lost in the brutality of battle. A grotesque cavity marred his stomach, evidence of a fatal blow that had left him jammed to the ground. Part of his once-imposing head was absent, leaving behind a chilling void.

Yet, despite his grievous wounds, Sasori remained eerily composed. Emotionlessly, he sat amid the remnants of his once-mighty puppet army, a testament to his artistry now reduced to shattered fragments. The silence that enveloped him was profound, a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded moments before, painting a picture of desolation and defeat.

On the opposing side of the battlefield, a starkly different sight unfolded.

Killer B stood tall, enveloped in a swirling maelstrom of reddish-black chakra that flickered and waned like a dying ember. His once-formidable aura was now a fading display to his resilience, a display to the immense strain he had endured.

Beside him, Deidara appeared as a grotesque spectacle. His body resembled a pin cushion, multiple swords impaled through his form, each blade a testament to the relentless assault he had faced. His figure, once graceful in its movements, was now nothing but a wisp, a testament to his enduring defiance in the face of adversity.

Deidara's arsenal had been depleted, every technique exhausted except for the dreaded C0. In a desperate attempt, he had even unleashed C3, a force capable of obliterating entire villages. 

Yet, Killer B, in his Hachibi form, had absorbed it entirely by wrapping itself to the bomb, enduring the devastating blow. This action had taken a toll however, forcing B back into his human form with his only form of protection being his chakra cloak.

Driven into a desperate Taijutsu battle, Deidara found himself utterly outmatched by Killer B's mastery over Taijutsu. Despite his disadvantage, however, Deidara's cunning shone through as he strategically placed multiple tricky bombs across the battlefield, creating an intricate web of explosive traps. 

Yet, even with his clever tactics, the end result was a stalemate.

Surveying the battlefield, Deidara's gaze fell upon Sasori's lifeless form. In a moment of grim realization, the truth settled heavily upon him; victory was no longer attainable, and escape was imperative.

Acting swiftly, Deidara hurled smoke bombs to the ground, shrouding the battlefield in a thick, concealing haze. 

Devouring the last bits of his clay, he molded a small, winged figure. With a forceful push, the bird rocketed toward Killer B, detonating in a blinding explosion, the shockwave rippling through the smokescreen.

Simultaneously, Deidara melded into the earth, employing the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique. Swiftly, he travelled beneath the ground, emerging beside Sasori's remains. With a practised hand, he extracted Sasori's heart, his core. 

Every ounce of clay he possessed was then channelled into crafting a colossal bird. With a powerful thrust, the giant bird took flight, disappearing into the distance, carrying their secrets and failures away with them.

Despite the temptation for retribution, neither Killer B nor Hiruzen moved to finish off Deidara. 

Killer B's exhaustion had rendered him incapacitated, his once-vibrant strength diminished. 

As for Hiruzen, his attention had long shifted towards the looming threats of Itachi and Kisame, their shadows lurking somewhere in Konoha. With resolve etched on his face, Hiruzen pledged to tend to them, as soon as he recovered enough chakra to heal himself.

______

Boom! Clash! Crack..Boom!

Multiple deadly explosions reverberated with each clash between Yagura and Kakuzu. 

Hidan's head had already been severed, as instructed by Enkai, leaving Kakuzu as Yagura's sole opponent. 

Yagura believed Kakuzu was much like himself in combat—calculating and ruthless, but with far more experience, creating a significant power gap.

However, Kakuzu was not gaining the upper hand; in fact, he was being pushed back by Yagura's relentless assault.

Yagura's combat strategy was simple yet effective. He skillfully reflected any strong ninjutsu with his Water Mirror technique and engaged in close-quarters combat using his other abilities. This approach proved particularly effective against Kakuzu, who excelled in mid-range combat.

"You're quite good for a kid, child. I might spare you so you can grow properly," Kakuzu remarked as he separated his masks from his body, signifying his intent to fight seriously.

"I am not a kid!!" Yagura's defiant cry, laden with unwavering determination, reverberated through the battlefield as he surged forward.

Contrary to Kakuzu's expectations, under the gaze of his masked entities, Yagura's response was not that of fear but of fierce anger, perhaps towards his words? Kakuzu wondered.

In a swift, fluid motion, Yagura brandished his club in a downward arc, the weapon gleaming as it cut through the battlefield haze.

Kakuzu and his masks reacted with calculated precision, leaping backward to evade Yagura's strike. However, Yagura was unyielding in his pursuit. He propelled himself forward, his club hurtling towards Kakuzu, who only had one heart left.

Then Yagura changed directions, side stepping to his right.

Closing the distance in the blink of an eye, Yagura's hands crashed forward, connecting with the black threads that comprised the water mask. 

In an explosive release of chakra, Yagura roared, "Coral Palm!" Every black thread in the water mask's body rippled, as corals erupted from where he struck.

Soon the corals started spreading in its body like a disease. The water mask soon found itself trapped within the confines of the encroaching corals, struggling futilely. 

Chakra leaked from its body, snuffed out by the relentless expansion of Yagura's technique. The cluster of corals tightened its grip, restricting the mask further with every passing moment. 

In an inevitable culmination, the water mask shattered, its chakra extinguished, and its form concealed beneath the engulfing corals.

However, a mere fight meant nothing amidst a war.

"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"

"Rising Coral Ripples!"

The fire mask prepared a jutsu, but Yagura's quick reaction speed was nothing to scoff at. Spiky corals emerged from beneath Yagura's foot the moment he slammed his foot into the ground, incapacitating the fire mask and shattering its mask as well. Yagura then turned his attention back to Kakuzu.

"You shouldn't have separated those things," Yagura chided while extending his open fist towards Kakuzu, closing his fist he continued. "You got careless."

Three giant water dragons materialised behind Yagura, hurtling toward Kakuzu, their power unleashed in a torrent of pressure.

Yagura anticipated victory, but his triumph was short-lived. As the water dragons dissipated, Kakuzu emerged unscathed, collecting his earth and lightning masks. "Maybe you are right," Kakuzu conceded.

"I am always right," Yagura asserted while spinning his club. 

In the heat of battle, both warriors charged at each other, but just as the distance between them closed to a hair's breadth, Yagura's instincts surged; with lightning reflexes, he leaped backward, conjuring a sphere of water in his hand that pulsed with his chakra.

In a swift, fluid motion, Yagura propelled the water ball toward Kakuzu, who was momentarily caught off guard. The sphere struck Kakuzu with force, propelling him away and disrupting his planned attack.

Undeterred by this setback, Kakuzu's tendrils extended like snakes, wrapping around Yagura with a grip that rendered him completely immobilised. With a malevolent glint in his eyes, Kakuzu's masks began to materialise on his chest, aligning themselves for a devastating multi-elemental Ninjutsu. 

The intention was clear—to obliterate Yagura, regardless of the collateral damage it would cause.

With a thunderous release of energy, the jutsu erupted, causing dust and debris to scatter in all directions along with Kakuzu's destroyed black threads, which snaked around Yagura.

Amidst the settling aftermath, a deep, ominous voice resonated through the air. "That was a strong one." The battlefield stood still for a moment, the echo of power lingering in the air.

Suddenly, Yagura transformed into a reddish-black silhouette of chakra with round white eyes and a spiky shell around his back. "I wonder if you can survive a strong one from me," the voice intoned.

With a deafening explosion, the silhouette expanded, morphing into a giant spiked turtle.

"Wait, you aren't a kid... You are the fourth Mizukage!" Kakuzu screamed, realisation dawning a moment too late.

"That's right. Now die," the fourth Mizukage declared. A massive tailed beast bomb formed in his mouth, and in the next moment, he unleashed it toward Kakuzu at full intensity.

Upon impact, the world whitened into brilliance—an explosion that shone like the sun in the cloudless evening sky, painting heavens in hues of searing orange and red.

A haunting silence settled over the scorched battlefield. 

The air, once alive with the forest's breath, hung heavy with the weight of destruction, lingering in the aftermath of the cataclysmic explosion. 

In those fleeting moments that stretched like eternity, Yagura, vigilant and resolute, surveyed the scorched battlefield, his eyes searching for any signs of Kakuzu amidst the devastation he had wrought. 

Then, as the echoes of battle slowly subsided, he relinquished his form, gradually morphing back into his human guise.