//------------------------------// // Chapter 1:A New World // Story: The 5th Great Ninja/Pony War // by Akasuna no Sasori //------------------------------// Chapter 1:A New World I was stunned. Was this some sort of genjutsu that the apparition used on me? What if it was all of us? I had forgotten about my comrades. I decided to check on them. I stood up but found what I feared to be true. I had become an animal of some kind; some kind of four-legged creature. A mule? A zebra, perhaps? No, I had become a horse. I was shocked and I couldn’t move, all I could do was think: Why? How? Itachi broke me from my trance. “I see you figured it out as well, good. Hopefully you’re not too shaken up about it either.” “Actually, yes, I’m quite shocked. I....I don’t even know what to think....” “I think I can explain it, but first let’s find the others. When we apparated here, some of us landed a little further away. Let’s go.” Me and Itachi walked to the nearby cluster of trees to look for any of our comrades. As we looked through some shrubs, I felt my hoof hit something soft. “Ow, quit it will you? An artist shouldn’t be poked and prodded like some voodoo doll, hmm!” Deidara jumped out of the bushes and shook himself off. He tried to stand up on his back legs, so it was clear he hadn’t figured out what happened yet. “Hey, why is this so uncomfortable? Why I am so offbal-” He cut off as soon as he saw his long, blonde tail swish in front of him. “What was that? You both just saw that, right?” Itachi explained what happened to Deidara. “WHAT? I’m a horse, now? How am I supposed to make art with hooves, hmm?!” “Calm down, Deidara. I’ve figured out how to use our jutsus without handsigns. It’s not a problem. But for now, we need to find everyone else and get them together so I only have to say it once.” We searched high and low for everyone else and somehow succeeded despite the strange environment. Konan and Tobi were lying under a rock, Nagato, Hidan, and Kakuzu were stranded on a small island in the middle of a lake. Finally, Kisame and Sasori were in a tree scouting the terrain. Hahaha, like I didn’t know my own teacher all too well. He hates heights. Once we assembled everyone, I noticed immediately that Hotaka was nowhere to be found. I turned to Deidara, “Hey, did you find Hotaka anywhere?” “No my man, I couldn’t find him. Then again, when we were trapped in that Plane of whatever, I didn’t see him there, either. Perhaps he just didn’t come through that portal with us, hmm?” I nodded in agreement, but in my heart, I knew something was wrong. I could’ve sworn I saw Hotaka being sucked into the portal, too. Itachi’s voice brought me from my inner speculations. “Now, I’ve figured out how to perform our jutsus without hands. All you have to do is put your hooves together and focus chakra there. Next, concentrate on the jutsu’s nature swelling up inside of you. So in my case, I imagine a great fire inside of me. Allow me to demonstrate.” Itachi walked a safe distance away from us and placed his hooves together. He closed his eyes and concentrated for only a moment. “Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!” A great flame erupted from Itachi’s mouth and covered the landscape, burning the grass and trees. “See,” Itachi said turning towards us, “it’s not as hard as you’d think. As much as we should all practice, Nagato has something to say.” Itachi walked back to our group and we all turned to face Nagato’s Deva Path of Pain. “Thank you for your demonstration, Itachi. But now there is something far more critical to do.” Nagato began. “We need to find a way home. However, it won’t be easy. Zetsu has already informed me that many of the creatures who live here aren’t very powerful. Which means, we will have to find a source of energy that would be very hard to come by in these parts. So I believe we need to split up into our usual teams and look for some kind of massive, concentrated energy we could use to create a portal home.” We all looked at each other and I could tell we were thinking the same thing: we have no idea what to look for, and even if we sense the energy, how do we contain it without sealing scrolls? Obito, the true leader of the Akatsuki, spoke up. “I agree, Nagato. But we must remember that, should the object of power we find be something similar to a tailed beast, we will also need an object similar to a sealing scroll. Therefore, keep an eye out for something like THAT as well.” Pain nodded then pulled a scroll of his own out of his robes. He placed it upon the ground, put his hooves together, and suddenly a grey smoke covered him and the new figures with him. As the smoke dissipated, we could see had summoned the other 5 Paths of Pain. He nodded to Konan, and they both teleported from the clearing. Sasori and Deidara just walked north, away from the group, without a word. Kisame and Itachi began walking east towards a large river. I began to walk away, when Tobi stopped me. “Rokuro, you’ve never worked alone before. So I’m having Zetsu go with you.” Zetsu was the scout of the Akatsuki, being able to sink into the ground and “walk” unseen, anywhere he wants and the resurface again. His head was protected by a clam-like armor opened up to expose his two halves. One white, and pure of heart, one black, and more cruel than his other half. Zetsu rose up from the ground beside me, his clam head opening up to speak. “After you, Mr. Yamamoto.” Said his more polite white half. I nodded, and we began to walk west, towards a small mountain. Obito opened a portal with his Kamui ability and warped to another location. While me and Zetsu were walking away I heard Kakuzu sigh before walking south. Hidan broke the silence, “Okay, seriously, am I the only one that thinks we should be worried about being fucking colored horses?!” Kakuzu sighed again. “Shut up Hidan, let’s go.”