The 5th Great Ninja/Pony War

by Akasuna no Sasori

Prologue: Change of Destiny

Some know me barely, others know me to the fullest possible extent. Some have never seen me before, others never will. I am Rokuro Yamamoto, and this is my story. A story unlike any other; a story of how I explored worlds previously considered impossible to explore. Without further delay, let’s begin.

Many people believe there were only 11 members of the infamous criminal organization known as the Akatsuki. Sasori, Deidara, Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, Hidan, Kakuzu, Konan, Nagato, Zetsu, Tobi, and Orochimaru, a former member. But there were dozens of them, several of whom worked with Hidan who killed them because of their insolence and disregard of his religion. But there is one in particular who I wish to mention, myself. Rokuro Yamamoto, I am the only surviving member of the Sand Village Puppet Master clan. Sasori was my teacher and I joined the Akatsuki after I murdered Ebizo, one of the Sand Village elders.

There’s a reason many people have not heard of me. When I was a junior member of the Akatsuki, I was sent on a mission with my senior, Hotaka, a mission that failed and changed my destiny forever. We were supposed to retrieve a statue from the Land of Tea. The leader there at the time used it to store massive amounts of chakra, and our leader became interested in it. I remember it almost as if it was yesterday.....

- - - - -

“Hurry, Rokuro! We are almost there!”

“I know, just slow down this is my first mission and I’m just a little nervous.”

Hotaka slowed his pace and stopped completely. I almost ran straight into him. “Rokuro, something’s bothering you isn’t it?”

I was stunned, we had only been partner for a few days and he could already read my actions and behaviors.

“What makes you think that?”

“They call me Hotaka the Mind Reader for a reason, you know. I can read people’s behaviors like an open book.”

I looked up to the moonlit sky and the stars that plastered it like a canvas. “Yes, I am very nervous. I can maim, torture, and kill people. But when I go somewhere new, I shut down.”

Hotaka stared at me with those penetrating eyes of his before speaking. “My former partner was the same way. So I think, perhaps you are lying. Tell me, are you afraid of me?”

He had figured it out, I couldn’t lie to him anymore. “Yes, I am. Please don’t take it as an insult, though. You must understand, when you showed me your jutsus, I was just...”

“Afraid? Does that sum it up in a true way?”

“Yes, your moves reminded me of Madara Uchiha.”

Hotaka stared blankly at the palm of his hand, then turned his back to me.

“He was my mentor.”

I gasped, then regained my composure. “But you told me you from Kirigakure, Hidden Mist Village!”

“Heh, funny story behind that one, Rokuro. I am from Kirigakure.”

“So how did you learn from Madara? That would have made you a rogue ninja long before you actually left to join Akatsuki!”

Hotaka stared at me for some time, laughed, and then spoke. “You know Rokuro? You really are a funny one.”

With that, he jumped back up into the trees and continued moving towards our goal.

“Wait for me, Hotaka!” I ran after to him back into the woods.

- - - - -

As dawn approached, Hotaka and I arrived at the Land of Tea.

“Rokuro,” he said, “we are a little behind; we were supposed to steal the statue last night so we had cover of darkness. That just means we’re going to set up camp here until tomorrow night and then make our move.”

“Alright, I’ll go collect some firewood so we-”

He cut me off before I could finish. “Rokuro are you mad? This close to the village someone will see the smoke and come to investigate. No, just set up the tent we have other means to stay warm.”

I knew he was right, so I began setting up our tent and watched with interest out of the corner of my eye as he pulled two metal rods, a jar with holes, some strange matches, and some beeswax from his pack. He inserted both rods through the sides of the jar; one on top and one on bottom of the other. He lit the matches, or at least I thought he did. There was no fire on the tips of them! He touched them to the beeswax to melt it, and then let it drip over the metal rods.

He noticed me staring and laughed. “You like this, don’t you? It’s a little invention of mine. From where I come from, the mist is heavy and aqueous, so you are unable to light a fire inside the village. Therefore I came up with this lamp that uses the matches to create larger-scale heat.”
I sat there blankly, amazed by my senior’s ingenious invention, but I got back to work and finished setting up the tent. Hotaka brought the lamp with him inside, and we talked for a few hours about the heist we were about to pull, then we fell asleep.

We awoke to discover it was nighttime, so we prepared ourselves and raced to the village.

The front gate was crawling with guards, so we decided to take another route. We dove into the river, and swam up the village's canal; straight towards the central palace. We got out of the water and proceeded on foot towards the palace with our prize held within.

As we approached, Hotaka noticed the two guards normally stationed in front of the palace were nowhere to be seen.

“Rokuro, I don’t like this.” he said. “Relax, maybe they just both took a piss break.” I replied.

“No, I watched these guards and their habits for two weeks. They never leave the door unattended. Something’s wrong.”

“Would you feel comfortable deviating from the original plan then?”

He stared at the palace intently for a few seconds before replying. “Yes.”

I nodded, and we moved around the palace to look for another way in. Originally, we were going to zipline from the nearby bento eatery, but now we would have to find another opening. After circling the palace, we found it: a window barely ajar with no light coming from within. We jumped up onto the roof and peered inside; nobody was there as far as we could tell. Hotaka went first and I followed, then suddenly, lit torches appeared all around us.

Eight guards, all pointing their swords at us; we had no chance if we fought them here.

“You really thought you could break into the palace of the Land of Tea and not get caught? You two are dumber than you look.”

A rather fat man stepped from behind the guards. He was wearing a purple kimono with silver designs sewn into it. His face was round, with a long moustache stretching from under his nose, all the way to his chest. It was the daimyo, the leader of the Land of Tea.

Me and Hotaka stared at each other for a few moments: how could we be caught?

“Pay attention when I’m speaking!” I snapped back into reality when the daimyo shouted at us.

“You two are coming with me and my guards to the dungeon, immediately. From there, I will learn from what village you two hail and I will send a message to your leader.”

Our situation looked hopeless, but Hotaka whispered in my ear: “Follow him, don’t make any problems for him or the guards. I have an idea.” I nodded, and kept my mouth shut.

We followed the daimyo and his guards until we approached a thick, grey door. The daimyo turned to face us and spoke. “Welcome to the dungeon, it is here you two will suffer unimaginable torture so we may learn where you are from. Unless you would rather speak now, in which case we can avoid all those unpleasantries.”

Hotaka winked at me, and then said: “Lord daimyo of the Land of Tea. We apologize for breaking into your regal palace. We, as freelance thieves, just couldn’t help but wonder at all the amazing treasures you have in here. We know you have far greater treasure than anyone else, even the shinobi villages!”

I realized what he was doing now. He was attempting to the get the daimyo to play into his hands by using excessive flattery. Good old, Hotaka; he would never let us die.

The daimyo’s expression changed at what happened next almost made me laugh right in his face. The daimyo smiled and spoke. “Well now, I believe maybe I was wrong. Perhaps you two are NOT as dumb as you look. In fact, you may be smarter than some of my advisors. How would you two like an official apology followed by a new career in politics?”

Hotaka look stunned, but decided to work with what he was given. “Of course, Lord daimyo, only you would have such a kind heart, unlike the ruthless kage that rules my lands.”

Lord daimyo smiled, then laughed, then spoke. “You two really take me for a fool, don’t you? I can tell when someone’s lying to me. You have only enraged me further! Guards, take them both to the dungeon immediately!”

Four guards pulled me and Hotaka off of our feet and dragged us through the grey door. They dragged us down a long, dark hallway for what seemed like ages. I heard the creak of a door being pulled open, then we were thrown in. The door closed behind us, and the guards walked away, laughing. As they threw me, my head hit the stone floor and I lost consciousness.

When I awoke, Hotaka was sitting on a stool across the prison cell looking at me.

“Did you sleep well, Rokuro?” he said.

“Don’t be that way, you know we are in deep trouble for failing our mission to Nagato! The Akatsuki might be sending an assassin right now as we speak; just so we won’t spill any information to the daimyo.”

He sighed then walked to a small window in our cell.

“Rokuro, you do not know me fully yet, and that is understandable. I am one of the senior members of the Akatsuki, which means I have been doing work for our organization for many years. Nineteen years, to be precise.”

“So you think they’ll rescue us?”

“Oh yes, they will. We will be docked our pay for the job and we will get an earful from Konan or Zetsu, but yes, they will come to help us.”

As the day drew on, my hopelessness and misery grew. I still didn’t think anyone would come to our rescue; and by the time night drew around, I became accepting of my fate.

Suddenly, however, I heard an explosion from across the palace. I turned to Hotaka, he was laughing. I thought for a moment of who it could be, then I asked.

“Deidara?”

“Deidara.”

We waited in our cell, listening to the sounds of battle and cries of death rage outside. After what seemed like only seconds, the door to our cell opened and in walked Hotaka’s previous senior, Sora.

“Well, I never imagined I’d ever see the great Hotaka captured by the daimyo. But it seems anything can happen.”

Hotaka laughed and responded, “Thanks for rescuing us, Sora. Now please, get us to our weapons they were confiscated by the guards.”

“You won’t be needing them, I have orders to take you both back to the Land of Snow, immediately.”

Hotaka and I looked at each other in confusion, but nodded in agreement anyway. We followed him outside of the palace to where a great battle was taking place. Deidara, Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, Sasori, Kisame, Itachi and many other Akatsuki members were there, fighting the enemy.

“Lord Nagato,” Sora began, “I have them both here.”

“Excellent Sora, you may join the battle now if you wish.”

Sora nodded and summoned his water horse, removed a large poleaxe from the horse’s side, and rode off to help Deidara and Konan.

Nagato turned to us and spoke. “While I am greatly disappointed in your failure to do this mission stealthily like I asked, I am giving you a chance to redeem yourselves.”

“Whatever you want us to do, it will be done.” replied Hotaka.

Nagato pointed to the daimyo and a new bodyguard of his sporting a large longbow.

“Kill him and his bodyguard, retrieve the statue, and you shall be forgiven this day.”

Hotaka and I nodded and off we went to finish the job.

Nagato shouted to the other members of Akatsuki: “Shinji, Miyuki, Raiden, Akira! Fall back to the hideout and await further orders!”

The four Akatsuki nodded and fled the battlefield immediately.

‘Now, we see what these two can do.’ Nagato thought to himself.

As we approached the daimyo, I saw Hotaka removing a round, silver object from his robes. I knew exactly what it was.

“Hotaka, you think you’ll need to use THAT?”

“I do not know the enemy’s full strength, and I would rather not keep Nagato waiting. We are trying to impress and do a good job, not waste his time.”

“Very well then, I shall use this one.” I pulled out a scroll with gold highlights from my robe.

Hotaka laughed. “I do so enjoy that one, it will make a good impression on Nagato to see our new teamwork in action, too.”

We stopped as we came up to the daimyo and his bodyguard. He turned to look at us, and his expression changed from one of fear, to one of uncontrollable rage.

“I was looking forward to killing you in my torture room. But killing you on the battlefield will leave me with a better conscience.”

“Hotaka, let me do it I want to start off wi-”

I was cut off at that moment as the daimyo’s bodyguard shot an arrow with a large, round, center piece towards us. It turned into a large black hole and absorbed all of us into it. All of us, except the accursed daimyo and his bodyguard. Even his own people came with us.

I watched as Konan and Deidara flew past me. Chairs, bricks, parts of the nearby houses and the daimyo’s palace were sucked up into it. I screamed for Hotaka to help me, but the hole sealed up and all became dark.

When I came to, I was floating in the air. This at first frightened me, but I learned quickly how to sort of “swim” and move around freely. As I was “swimming” I came up the rest of my comrades and some of the Land of Tea villagers. While I was approaching them, there was a great flash and an apparition appeared before us.

“Welcome newcomers to the Plane of Isolation.” it said.

Deidara, with his usually big mouth, shouted, “Who are you and where are we?!”

The apparition looked thoughtfully at Deidara a moment before speaking. “You don’t seem to listen intently, I already told you are in the Plane of Isolation. A type of limbo for all universes and alternate time periods.”

Deidara was about to speak, but Konan cut him off. “What do you mean by that, exactly?”

“I mean that you have been transported here by magical means. Many who come here come because they have died. Since you are alive, that means I have no choice but to send you to a different dominion.”

“Well if you must, send these peasants somewhere else. I don’t wish to be near them any longer.” said Kakuzu.

“Very well, your group will go separately from theirs. Now........go......”

The apparition pulled a portal from the “floor” and put it in front of him. Suddenly, we were all pulled into it. As we went through, our speed increased. It felt like I was going to hit something but then we suddenly slowed, and dropped.

The night air was cool and light, and I felt a slight breeze on the back of my neck. At the same time, a mosquito landed on my face. I smacked it hard with my hand, but I noticed something wrong. My hand was no longer a hand, it was a hoof!

Comments

[Darkluigi]

OOOHHHHH A Naruto/mlp Story. This I like

[shadowedwolf97]

this has earned my interest.

[chaos2012]

Another akatsuki story... Interesting. Will keep an eye on this one

[Lobisomen616]

This is gonna be weird...

Perfect.

[syncroe]

Y ponytail deidAraia