The Akatsuki Face Off

"What? Itachi was defeated!?" Deidara shouted out.

"Do we really believe a single man took out Konoha" Sasori said.

"The intel is reliable." Pain simply stated.

"And we will assemble to fight this guy?" Kakuzu asked skeptically.

"We can't underestimate him. The Akatsuki will strike with full force." Pain declared.

"Full force?" Konan asked.

"Yes. That includes I" Pain's rinnegan swirled

---------

"Brutal training with no breaks

Big Bro and Gyuki's threats

Can they even beat mine and

The power of my 8 tailed friend's"

"This is serious Bee, and we are having a break aren't we?"

"Gyuki talking but nothin' interesting

Even the time for lunch is dimini-

"Are you the jinchuriki host of the 8-tails?"

Suddenly alarmed, Bee focused his gaze to see a man appear. A long dark-haired man wearing a dark purple kimono.

"No. That's lord 8-tails. Oka-"

BOOM

Without Bee's intervention, a tail of the 8-tails had appeared before him and got instantly blown up from impact, hurling Bee at the side of the nearby cliff, creating a sideways crater.

"Who is he yo, attacking us near big bro"

"Bee. Just look at that chakra."

Bee's eyes widened.

"How does he have more than us, thought 9-tails was a giant fox!"

"It isn't time to rap Bee, we must hold out until A comes" Gyuki warned.

"Time to go all out yo!"

From the rubble popped out the 8-tails jinchuriki Killer Bee, wielding 8 swords.

"8? How fitting." Fang Yuan jumped forward.

An exchange of blows started, Killer Bee losing each and every one. No matter the technique, Fang Yuan's raw power was too much. In no time, Bee had no swords left.

"Shit!" He cursed as a devastating kick bent his ribcage.

"Don't worry Bee, A must be close." Gyuki said as they manifested the chakra cloak.

Bee attacked, now with his fists but no matter what he did, Fang Yuan easily dodged. It was as if the opponent could see the future. Then Fang Yuan caught a punch and clenched his fist. Bee couldn't free his arm as with a pull, Fang Yuan slammed Bee to the ground. And repeated. Again, and again.

"How! We have to transform" Gyuki exclaimed.

"Wait we havent lost, I sense brother close!" Bee rapped, although his mouth full of dirt.

Gyuki quickly manifested a tail from the arm, freeing it from Fang Yuan.

Just then, Fang Yuan ducked, seemingly for no reason and not a milisecond later, a punch, encased in blue lightning, was above his head, having missed entirely.

The owner of the arm jumped backwards, directly opposite of Bee.

"Bee, who is this guy!?"

"Big Bro, I don't know who he is, but he is extremely strong yo!"

"How strong?"

"Stronger than us and you" Gyuki answered instead of Bee.

"Tch, what do you want, stranger! Don't think you can get away with this, who sent you!? The rock humpers or those tree huggers!?"

Fang Yuan simply observed A for a few moments.

"Nice technique" was his comment.

Having been ignored, A looked at Fang Yuan in fury,

"Bee, Let's do it."

"Okay, Brother."

The two raised their arms, Bee's cloak getting darker while A's more volatile.

"Double Lariat"x2

And with a burst of speed, the two's arm's met the poor Fang Yuan's neck.

At least it should have. Instead, both arms were caught by each of Fang Yuan's hands.

"I understand it now." Fang Yuan commented and suddenly, a cloak of lightning chakra appeared around Fang Yuan, identical to A's.

"Though it can only increase my speed." Fang Yuan added.

A and Bee weren't so calm though. They had witnessed 2 incredible things one after another.

"Our combination jutsu was stopped!"

"How does this guy know the lightning cloak!"

In their confusion, the two tried to back away for naught. They couldn't free their arms at all.

"Not so fast." Fang Yuan said as he jumped up and slammed the two brothers into each other.

--------------

"What do you mean the Lightning Village is destroyed!" Konan shouted out.

"Hey Zetsu, we couldn't even assemble yet and you say he took down another village?" Kakuzu said.

"That is possible considering he destroyed Konoha without us even realizing." Kisame interjected.

"And I thought I was the best candidate to make offerings to Lord Jashin." Hidan commented.

"His next target will most likely be that filthy old man and his village devoid of art." Deidara said.

"We must kill him as soon as we can." Itachi exclaimed.

"Wouldn't it be better if we let him destroy the competition?"" Sasori questioned.

A single mangekyo swirled as words deeper than any shinobi in the room had expected, announced out "No, he is a threat of extreme priority, he gets stronger after each battle."

A momentary silence ensued as the Akatsuki members attempted to discern who the masked man was before the silence was broken by an equally imposing figure.

2 rinnegan swirled, the bloodlust making the members flinch. To the member's deep surprise, 5 other rinnegan users walked up to the circle.

"We shall catch him in the Stone Village." The 2 rinnegan gazed forward in determination, and then closed.

--------

"Ah, my back hurts! It is trying to tell me something is wrong!"

"What are you talking about grandpa, your back always aches."

"Tch, such disrespect for your senior. But this time it is different." Ohnoki's eyes narrowed. "Something is wrong. Is it that old fox Hiruzen or that Kumo youngster I wonder."

"With this much paranoia, it isn't surprising you became knows as the fence-sitter." Kurotsuchi chuckled.

"Ah, Kurotsuc-" Ohnoki suddenly stopped and turned his gaze towards his office's door.

Just then, the light in the room vanished. The two guards standing near the door both fell down with a thud with the rest of the people in the room quickly falling asleep.

"Who are you!" Ohnoki shouted out.

"Now now tsuchikage, will you show me that rumoured dust release?" A man wearing a dark purple-red kimono walked thoroughout the doors, appearing from the darkness beyond. Ohnoki stared at disbelief as the man threw down the heads of the 2 jinchuriki of his village, rolling them on the floor.

"For I, want that technique of yours"

---------

The members of the Akatsuki were all flying on top of a clay bird, quickly approching their destination.

"Is that... the Stone Village?" Itachi hopelessly asked.

"It is supposed to be" Zetsu said.

"What a way to go out, not a shred of art, hmph!" Deidara exclaimed, though eyeing the scenery, hiding a sense of fear.

In the place of the Stone Village stood a perfectly flat stone plain, it's edges ending abruptly at the nearby mountains.

"It is carved like a cube." Kisame said.

"It is the product of the previous and current... though most likely dead, Tsuchikage's Dust Release" Kakuzu informed.

"Why would the Tsuchikage destroy his own village" Hidan asked.

"Maybe he sacrificed his village to eliminate Fang Yuan." Konan said, her tone flat.

"That is impossible. Old Man could not do such a thing." Deidara stated, gazing forward.

After a few seconds of flight,

"He is there." The masked man remarked, gathering everyone's attention.

The members looked closely to see a single man standing at the very center of the destroyed village.

Another voice of authority rung out, by 6 people at an instant. "Land."

The giant bird lowered from the clouds to the ground in mere seconds, shaking the ground with its landing. It tucked its wings as the Akatsuki members all jumped off. The bird took a second to vanish in white smoke.

The Akatsuki all stood together in flesh against a single opponent for the first time.

At the middle stood the Deva Path Pain with Yahiko's body, standing with confidence in his power to take down this foe.

At his left stood Konan who had already manifested paper wings.

At his right stood the mysterious masked man with his single sharingan, although clearly a mangekyo at that.

At his right stood Itachi and at his back Kisame. Itachi had already activated his Mangekyo, even with these allies, he was fully on guard against such a powerful foe. Kisame had followed suit, holding Samehada tightly with both his hands.

At their right stood the Asura and Human Path, each as relaxed as Deva Path was.

At farther right stood Deidara and Sasori, each artist ready to strike anytime. Deidara especially seemed more careful, aware of the capabilities required to take down his past village.

Opposite of them stood Kakuzu and Hidan, just behind Konan. Kakuzu hadn't missed the seriousness displayed by Itachi and followed suit, his masks all ready to dodge if need be. Hidan in the other hand was as bloodlusty as any other day, wielding his giant scythe with drool coming from his mouth at the sight of such a great offering.

At their left stood the Animal, Preta and Naraka paths of Pain, each like an emotionless doll.

Last stood Zetsu, its white side immersed in the moment while the black side ready to run away any second.

Facing all of these individuals of the Kage level was one man, his long dark hair fluttering in the wind. His eyes curiously wandered around each and every member of the group.

"Great. Excellent. The greatest harvest of benefits one could dream of."

"Kekkei Genkai. That immortal body, infinite lifespan, a weird lump of will, the masterpiece together with the peak of human path, more like its mere parts."

The Deva Path's rinnegan flared.

"Fang Yuan, for peace, today, you will meet your end."

"Hmm, are you a warrior of justice?" Fang Yuan gazed at the sky.

"New titans rise to test my will,

Yet their strength means little still.

Instruments of progress, sharp and bright,

Temporary shadows in the eternal light."