The ice fortress shook with the force of an earthquake, with walls of frozen water smashing to little more than mist and chunks of debris as the Neko Jinchuuriki was forcefully plunged through the nearly foot thick surface.
She landed on all fours, claws steaming as ethereal black flame melted the ice with withered heat.
Her enemies moved with speed, mist dispersing in their wake as they circled her before she could move, Sasori falling from above, the dark haired woman in front, the red headed male behind. Weapon compartments were open, gleaming blades mounted on powerful prosthetics ready to skewer her with more of the poison that even her dark chakra was beginning to have trouble exorcising from her system
She drove a single claw into the ice at her feet, leaping off the edge of the catwalk, chakra arm stretching out as the claw anchored her down. She swung down, the momentum of her fall carrying her up and over, landing behind the red headed puppet that had been behind her. She lashed out with both tails, twin cracks of splintering wood following the impact as the puppet was thrown forward, passing under Sasori as the Suna ninja descended.
Sasori's body twisted unnaturally, arm lashing out and finding a perch on his stumbling puppets shoulder before he harmlessly pushed himself off, landing on his feet on the ice bridge.
He lashed out with his tail at the fire Neko, watching as the massive, three hundred pound head was caught in her claws before she heaved.
Sasori felt himself being lifted, slow at first, as the claws on his feet dug into the ice, trying to anchor him down before he was forcefully pulled free, the sudden lack of resistance only adding to his momentum as he was thrown upwards towards the high hanging ceiling.
The Puppeteers two other weapons lurched forward before they attacked the Jinchuriki from behind as she, in her rage lunged directly for his body, airborne and defenseless, his puppets leaped upwards after her. The black haired woman slashed with her blade, to the Jinchuriki's back while the male dropped a brutal ax kick onto the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Both strikes struck true, a yowl of pain escaping the cat as she fell back down back onto the bridge.
The puppets landed soon after, pushing the attack.
Yugito turned, an echoing growl bubbling up from her throat before she rushed them, slipping past their attacks, the purple flames of her transformation licked their sides as she passed right by them before she swiveled on her heel, claws smashing into the red maned puppets face, nearly knocking the wooden creature off the ice bridge before she drove an upwards kick into the turning woman's chin, knocking her into the air.
Yugito leaped with her, passing her in mid air before she smashed both feet straight down into the black haired puppets stomach, echoing cracks bouncing off the walls before splinters descended the chasm as Yugito slammed the puppet back down onto the ice bridge. It twitched, the sound of groaning wood and straining metal escaping its shattered shell as Sasori continued trying to control the puppet even in its damaged state.
Something struck the small of her back, knocking her off of the dark haired female and onto her hands and knees a few paces away. The red headed puppet appearing infront of her a moment later, thrusting his hands forward as a multitude of metal razor wire extended from his fingertips. Coated with chakra, they seemed to have a life of their own as they coiled themselves firmly around her right arm and leg, pulling her tightly. They held fast against her flames, heating but not breaking.
She growled, ready to attack with her remaining limbs when suddenly they were offered the same treatment. Her head snapped back to find the broken husk of the female puppet, arms extended, metal wire spilling from open compartments along her fingertips, pulling her tightly as her other arm anchored her down into the ice, preventing Yugito from throwing her, wires and all.
Sasori fell from the ceiling, landing in a crouch directly infront of the bound death cat
The Suna Nuke ninja's limbs were a blur of gleaming steel, as strike after strike cut through the protective flames of chakra and into her skin, ethereal fire fell away from her body, dying away as they hit the floor, cut off from the chakra that fueled them.
Blades with the sharpness of razors sliced into her skin, striking tendons and nerve clusters sending spikes of pure agony that pierced the foggy blood drunk haze of her demon's fury.
Finally, Sasori ceased his assault, taking a step back as the Jinchuuriki slumped forward, her legs holding her upright merely by sheer force of will.
Sasori stood back, watching her. Her breathing was heavy, labored. These weapons were coated with his strongest poison. One drop could kill a man in an less than ten minutes. Perhaps he'd overdone it...Even Jinchuuriki had their limits apparently.
The flames began to dissipate, licking tongues of dark fire fading away as the Neko Jinchuuriki's chakra finally began to die out...exhausted and spent.
Because however Sasori did not have a physical body, by proxy, he did not the sensory organs that could sense chakra, the Puppeteer did not sense the approaching danger until it was too late.
Yugito's claws, previously seeking freedom from the wires that bound them, lashed out, obscured feminine digits coiling tightly around the collective metal wires, tightening her grip with bone breaking force even as they cut into her palm.
The blond wisps of hair, that had momentarily revealed themselves as the black haze fell away were shielded again, hidden beneath black fire as the fell powers returned to her in a rush, pulling out every last vestige of chakra she had within her, the fires pushed themselves through the thin mediums. They crawled up the wooden frames of the two puppets, , enveloping them in the blink of an eye before Sasori himself could give much of a response.
The chakra strings that connected him to his two weapons were cut off, burned away by the ethereal flames, not allowing him to reconnect with the wood dolls that fell limp and lifeless as their strings were literally cut.
He struck at her, bladed fingers again seeking to strike true. But she moved this time, her anchors no longer giving resistance before she simply...lunged
Her shoulder slammed into Sasori's stomach, pushing them both clear off the catwalk, straight down into cold icy abyss.
The fires around her grew, dark fire now dancing over Sasori's scorpion tailed body as they spilled over him, Yugito's enraged howl echoing through his audio receptors as they fell and fell, a minor warning as the fires grew again through sheer determination.
The ground rushed up to meet them. And its surface was unyielding to armored exo-suit, and Demonic flames alike.
They both fell with an eye watering crack, black fires scattering through the base of the cavern as Yugito hit, and bounced once, twice, and finally lay still on her side. The fires finally died away, wisps of black fading to nothingness in the cold, revealing her battered, cut body to the harsh enviroment. Blood and blackened puss seeped from her injuries, a horrid gash trailing weeping crimson from her forehead onto an eye as her heavy breaths heated the air infront of her mouth.
She grit her teeth pushing herself with a single, functioning arm into a semi sitting position. She paused, seeking to catch breaths that eluded her before she took a single deep breath, and heaved herself up onto her feet.
She stumbled forward, eyes, blurred and darkening as they were, scanned Sasori's still body, worried that he would begin to move again, even as fires burned away at his chassis and armor.
"Its over." She breathed with palpable relief.
"You're right. It is over."
Her eyes snapped open, a sharp intake of breath and then, pain blossomed through her chest and lower stomach. She jerked forward, pushed by something. And then her gaze fell downwards, to the blades that protruded from her body as if it were some macabre taunt on her senses before they were brutally yanked out and she felt her legs give out. The burning, searing agony that trailed liquid fire through her blood stream never ceased, never let up. Until finally she fell into darkened nothingness.
Sasori stared down at the Neko Jinchuriki, brown, glass eyes completely blank as he did. The poison was no doubt already moving rapidly to her heart. He'd have to use a stasis seal to contain her body in until they could begin the extraction.
He kneeled down, an ink cartridge escaping a small compartment along his wrist as he prepared to create the construct. Before he could begin however a shift of stone reached his ears, echoing snaps of ice striking ice as several small chunks of the frozen water fell from above.
He sprang to his feet, weapons at the ready, the state of the Neko Jinchuuriki forgotten at his feet.
Glass eyes shifted upwards, optical receptors and cameras scanning the frozen cavern as he searched for these...late arrivals.
Heat washed over his face, prickling his skin and stinging his eyes as he leaped back, away from the expanding heat and rush of air, landing on the ceiling and using its solid surface as a brace, allowing the shock wave to wash over him.
There was a rustle of cloth, a shift in the air that brought Itachi's eyes to his right, finding the girl at his side, weapon dancing with electricity as its tip sought his heart.
'Fast'
His hand lashed out, coated with chakra he batted her attack asside before he avoided the follow up to his head, from the whiplash of the other end. Cutting off the chakra to his legs he avoided a swing to his knees as he fell to the dais below.
His eyes remained on her, finding the familiar blood red gaze of the Kyuubi no Yokou lingering within her irises.
But she is not him. Weaker. Uncertain.
Pathetic.
His body shifted as it fell, twisting quickly before he landed in a crouch, absorbing the impact with practiced ease, distributing the force throughout his entire legs rather than the joints.
He knew she would land behind him, and in another moment she did not disappoint. A blade of wind coalesced around his hand. Invisible if not for the thin distortion where his palm and fingertips met the air around it.
He turned, the world slowing to a crawl with his Sharingan's perceptions. Optical synapses firing at nearly four times the speed of a normal human. Super developed nerve clusters taking in every detail of the woman as he turned, the haze of chakra, the droplets of sweat that trailed down her cheek, the direction of her eyes as she registered his actions, the coiling of muscles beneath the white silk of her clothing, the shift of her weight, almost even the physical shift to her center of gravity. Nothing was hidden from his eyes.
He timed his strike carefully, watching as the danger registered in her mind too late to dodge properly.
She tried anyway.
Blood showered his face and arm where a long, deep gash sliced deeply into her stomach, the crimson liquid was warm against his pale skin, her expression of pain clear to his eyes as he took in every detail, every line, wrinkle and crevice brought on by her pained hiss as the wound completely opened, revealing its trail from the center of her stomach to the side where it had left her body, only to meet the back of her forearm as well before she pulled away.
She backed to the edge of the dais, skin healing beneath the blood ridden stains of her clothes as her hand found the Shuriken in her pouch.
She launched three with a flick of her wrist, timing their release so that each angle was unique, and so each of the bladed stars would curve in the air. And though it would have been unnoticed by any other ninja, it was not unnoticed to Itachi that thin strands of chakra were manipulating their trajectory as well. If he tried to dodge in the most predicted paterns, then she would merely correct the trajectory at the last minute and catch him by surprise.
Clever...but not enough.
The tomoe of the sharingan spun within his iris, genjutsu settling over her mind like a fog, making it seem as if he did move in those directions, and she moved the Shurikens trajectories perfectly, and it was as she failed to strike did she realize that she was in a genjutsu. She moved her hands to the proper position for a dispel technique, and Itachi took the opening. Launching a kunai of his own the weapon sliced through the side of her throat, leaving a wide gash that sprayed blood. He missed the artery, but that injury was the one that would not be so easy to heal and should, hopefully prove hampering.
To the Uchiha's mild surprise however the girls body soon dispelled with a crackle of electricity. A Rai-Bunshin...hmmm...then where-
The chakra build up was rapid, and the heat that followed warned him of the attack long before it ever hit him. He turned, looking up to the ceiling where he found a bright, red fireball falling towards him like a meteor.
The Sharingan in his eye shifted into that of the Mangekyo, and his already sharpened sense of sight magnified even further.
There...
He lunged through the flames, body tightening into a ball as the temperature rose till it was an inferno, and he held his breath, lest he breathe the fire down into his lungs. With the speed at which he and the fireball moved, the air he brought, was sucked into the vacuum, momentarily shielding him enough to break through, singed, but unscathed.
The Kaze no Yaiba flared to life in his hand, cutting the edges of the cloak that brushed against it as he uncoiled himself and set his eyes onto the surprised Jinchuuriki again.
She leapt away as he drove his hand down onto her, the invisible wind blade digging deeply into the ice.
Foolish...
She never reached the dais floor, airborne and vulnerable, a kunai soon found its way into the side of her ribs.
A gasp was released from her throat shortly before a kick smashed into the juncture of her neck and shoulder, shattering her collarbone and smashing her down onto the unyielding wooden surface.
Itachi continued to stand on the ceiling, watching as the young girl pushed herself up to her feet, animal like growls vibrating out from the back of her throat as the red haze grew around her, now beginning to coalesce into a recognizable form.
Finally the chakra exploded in a fiery red haze, the gusts of wind, powerful enough to push him back across the wet floor as he raised an arm to shield his eyes from the billowing dust.
Lowering his arm slowly he found her there, standing amidst the charred shingles of wood as a single bubbling tail smashed against the floor and clawed hands dug deeply between the boards as she was hunched on all fours.
The sound of his own heart was the only sound Gaara was really aware of. Caught in a daze, half asleep, half awake, with only fleeting moments of true thought, the repeated beating was the only thing that really pierced the heavy veil that had fallen on his senses.
At least that was true until every nerve in his entire body surged to life in a burning agony. He gasped, body lurching forward into a sitting position before falling onto his back again, coughing as he breathed in frighteningly cold air. Reflexively he rolled onto his side, wet saliva falling from his lips as he continued to cough, bile rising in his throat as his arms and legs flailed wildly.
Somewhere, amidst the pain and disorientation he heard a womans voice, concerned...or fearful..he wasn't sure.
"Damn! I don't think I did the release seal right. Fuck! Why does sealing have to be so complicated."
"No time!" Another voice responded. "We need to leave!"
As the red headed Kage's thoughts began to become more and more clear, he felt himself being lifted, one arm pulled over someone else they hawled him to an upright position.
His shoulder ached as he was pulled, and then dragged across the icy floor. He tried to get his footing to relieve the pain. But it was in vain.
"Go on ahead!" The voice was next to him? Was this who was lifting him? "Make sure there are no surprises down the hall. We'll go back the way we came."
"Right."
Dizzy and lethargic Gaara could only groan in response.
Kisame laughed heartily, a full blown guffaw of amusement as Samaheda brutishly batted away Kankuro's massive wood and steel fist, knocking the puppeteer off balance while his leg lashed out behind him smashing against Kakashi's jaw, sending the Copy ninja reeling as he fell onto his back.
The massive blue skined man smiled, spinning Samaheda in one hand in an unbelievable display of skill and raw, brutish strength. "Come on! The legendary Copy nin and the Puppet prince of Suna. You two should be putting me on the ropes a lot more than this! Feel like I'm fightin' snot nosed punks out of the academy here."
The blue giant was baiting them, Kakashi recognized as he stood up, rubbing his bruising jaw, tomoe spinning slowly in one eye. The Monster of Kiri may seem like little more than a brute at first glance and it was something he played on. Made himself seem like all muscle and no brains. But Kakashi could see the cogs in the Nuke ninja's mind turning.
He wasn't charging in like a berserker, though frequently he had them on the ropes, he always backed away sooner rather than later. Even though pushing the attack would have meant he could have easily won the fight, it also increased risk to his own person. He was making sure neither he nor Kankuro had any secret weapons. No tricks they could pull out in a critical moment if he just charged in without stopping. And even if they didn't have any tricks, the Nuke ninja had the advantage that this tactic made his opponents more and more desperate as they tired out.
Kakashi had heard rumors and read the profiles on the Bingo books. Kisame had an unbelievable amount of chakra according to most of the records. Some say that his reserves were completely off the charts. Comparable to Jinchuuriki. So he had the means to wait them out and wait them out until they both ran themselves ragged.
They had to think of something. Do something that would make Kisame desperate to attack them in a frenzy. But what. Outlasting him wasn't an option. Outright beating him certainly wasn't an option. Kakashi didn't know enough about the Nuke ninja's profile to try mind games with him. And even trying to use his signature copying abilities to mess with his head wouldn't work. Not only because Kakashi didn't have the raw chakra necessary to replicate even half the techniques Kisame had displayed so far on a good day. But because Kisame had worked for years with an even better mind game specialist than him. Uchiha Itachi.
Anything he could come up would pale in comparison he was sure.
The blue skinned humanoid chuckled darkly as he watched the two of them on either side of himself. Fanged teeth gleaming in their pale surroundings. "Come on..." He taunted, holding his blade diagonally infront of himself, a balanced stance that favored defense. He was still toying with them. "Thought you two were 'legends'. Copy cat Kakashi and puppet master Kankuro of the pale sands." He mocked. "Feel like I'm fighting a bunch a snot nosed punks out of the academy here."
Both Kakashi and Kankuro knew better than to let the man bait them into doing anything foolish, they circled slowly, searching for any sign of weakness or opening in his stance, but the fact was that neither of them had ever worked together before. As such, their teamwork, could barely even be called such, and they needed to pay attention to both Kisame and each other simultaneously, to avoid accidentally harming one another which would...most likely mean that both would be equally dead mere minutes later by their opponents hands.
Kisame's harsh, gravely voice brought the copy nin out of his musings.
"So...who's it gonna be? Who's gonna step into the ring this time eh?"
The two unlikely allies did not make any move of acknowledgement, merely continued circling slowly, hoping that somehow they could find something.
This course of action was of course, highly boring towards the older nuke nin.
"Alright fine..." he growled. "If none of you are man enough to step up I'll choose."
He lifted a single hand from his sword, now holding the blade lightly, tip towards the ground as his free hand pointed at each of them in turn.
"Enie-menie, miny-you."
Kankuro barely even heard the word escape from his lips while pointing at him before he found the blue fist approaching his he face.
He raised his massive arms, crossing them infront of his upper body as the force of what, to him must have been a two ton battering ram slammed into his suits arms. The wood and metal groaned, straining to hold back Kisame's monstrous strength before the pressure vanished.
Kisame had turned, sword held in one hand, using its massive, flat side to hold back the two kunai Kakashi had attempted to thrust into his exposed kidneys.
"Not nice copy cat."
Kakashi then felt the full brunt of Kisame's kick smashing him in the stomach before he could back away, though, with his off balance due to his extended fist in Kankuro's direction, the force wasn't nearly as bad as it would have been.
That did not mean however that it did not knock every last bit of air and wind in his lungs right out of him. Leaving the Konoha elite a gasping mess on the floor.
Kankuro shoved off Kisame's fist with a heated battle cry, his massive suit's gears and pulleyes straining with the force he was making them exert. Kisame laughed, blocking a heaving downward blow with his forearm. "That's it. Get mad! Watch the limbs go flying."
He backed away, once again falling into his defensive stance as he used Samaheda to block the armored pupeteeres crushing blows.
He ducked under an overhead swing, sliding into Kankuro's guard before he took a wide swing, smashing his forearm into the chest chasis, and as the suit itself recoiled, he slipped further in and in a second strike smashed his elbow into the same area.
He felt and saw the wooden armor give another little bit, the cracks ringing in his ears like music as he swiveled around, Samaheda gripped now in both hands as he swung low, sweeping Kankuro's legs out from under him, toppling the puppeteer onto his back, knocking the wind out of the young Suna nin as the whole interior jerked to a jarring and abrupt halt.
With a flourish Kisame stepped back, taking in the sight of the two groaning fighters on the ground with a wide, satisfied smile.
After nearly a minute or so Kankuro and Kakashi began their slow, painful ascent to their two legs.
As the two were struggling on their hands and knees, Kankuro spoke, voice directed at Kakashi. "Copy cat..."
"Yea." The silver haired jounin groaned in response.
"Fuck it." The puppeteer breathed making Kakashi glance at him curiously.
"Fuck it?" He echoed.
"Yea." Kankuro said as his entire suit reached one knee. "Fuck it...this careful planning thing isn't working so...lets just go in...fuck it. See what happens"
"Just...charge in?" Kakashi asked breathing heavily even as his Sharingan continued to spin slowly in his eye.
"Yea..." Kankuro nodded, though it was unseen beneath his armor.
Kakashi thought for a moment, looking from Kankuro to the, now positively amused, Kisame then back to Kankuro.
Shrugging once, he gave his answer. "Fuck it."
And in an explosion of energy brought about through sheer desperation their two battered and beaten bodies were rushing across the icy field to close the distance between themselves and their still smiling opponent.
Kakashi's lithe form was the first to reach the Monster of the mist, leaping in a high spin kick, he was not surprised to feel his foot connect with Kisame's arm as the man blocked the strike.
Leaping off of him Kakashi backfilled once before his feet came in contact with the ground, rushing forward he barely took notice of Kankuro's massive fist slamming once again into the flat side of Samaheda as he slipped behind the man.
Kisame apparently noticed his maneuver because he suddenly lurched sideways, guiding Kankuro's massive fist to slam into Kakashi.
The Copy nin leapt up onto Kankuro's knuckle in a single step, swiveling in another spin kick that caught the somewhat startled Kisame in the jaw.
Though now bleeding from a split lip Kakashi could see that Kisame's smile had never been wider. As he landed in a roll Kankuro spun around, in an awkward sweep kick, which was again blocked by Samaheda.
Wildly Chakra flowed into Kakashi's arm. Crackling with bright wite electricity as he ran up Kankuro's bulk, leaping off of the top of his armor like a spring board, Raikiri extended into a desperate dive to strike the Kiri nin.
For a moment, he saw Kisame's eyes widen with surprise, and he felt his own heart leap into his chest with relief at the sight thinking that perhaps they'd taken him down with this...half cocked...not even plan...thing that they'd done.
Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for Kisame, the Nuke nin released his blade and jumped quickly to the side, snarling as his right side was burned harshly by the proximity of the Chidori, the muscles in the area of contact jumping at the touch as the pain burned across his ribs.
Slipping between Kisame and Samaheda Kakashi landed with a forward roll.
Swiveling back around he saw Kisame block another of Kankuro's fists with his bare arms before lunging for Samaheda.
Only for a familiar and massive hammer to bat the weapon clear across the white expanse of their icy terrain, out of the shark mans reach.
Then, that hammer's head turned right back around and swung to Kisame's head.
The massive ninja fell onto his back, letting the swing pass him by harmlessly. He watched as the hammer once again rose high into the air, intending to come down on him, along with Kankuro's massive fist.
Digging his clawed fingertips into the Ice he lay on, he gave a single 'push' onto its surface, sending himself into a slide across its surface until he came to a stop nearly ten feet away, Kankuro's fist and Yoshihiro's hammer crushing the area he had been previously laying on.
He got to his feet, bloody smile firmly in place as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with uproarious laughter. "Now you're making this interesting!"
Glass eyes scanned the hollowed cavern, eyelids that mimicked flesh blinked slowly, looking for what had caused the disturbance.
High above, two Suna Anbu huddled within the mouth of one of the honeycombing tunnels, hidden by Genjutsu one looked down upon the very recognizable figure of Akasuna no-Sasori while the other continued to softly rouse their still disoriented Kage.
Though he seemed to be slowly coming to more and more awareness of his surroundings it wasn't quick enough in the lookouts mind. Marching quickly over towards his recently revived leader he lifted him a bit off the wall with one hand, then punched the red head soundly across the face, thanking the gods that his gloves muffled the sound enough so as not to carry an echo.
"What are you doing!" his partner said, using the standard Anbu sign language, though through body language alone he could sense her panic.
Gaara shook his head, the cobwebs slowly clearing from his addled mind as he blinked apparently the punch had actually worked. His eyes looked straight at the two, finding Suna's symbol etched onto their masks. The Anbu nearest to him wasted no time in informing him of his necessity for silence.
'No speaking. Enemy near."
Nodding once to indicate his understanding. 'Numbers?'
'Unknown, Akasuna no Sasori. He uses many puppets. Not sure how many he used to beat Yugito-san.
At that Gaara seemed to jump. 'Yugito-san is dead?'
'Unknown. She's laying at the bottom of the next room.
Gaara nodded. Breathing in relief after a brief moment. 'Dont worry. She isnt dead.' He thought. 'They needed me alive. They need her alive. There's still time.'
Just then several black robed figures pounced along the surface of the bridge walkway.
The two Anbu moved to grasp their weapons when suddenly Gaara moved faster than he should have been able to, grasping their wrists with a surprisingly firm grip halting them in place.
The two Anbu looked startled until they saw that the figures made no moved to strike, despite the fact that one was staring straight at them. Then, they simply left, vanishing as they and several others continued to climb up the walls.
"Its a scare tactic." Gaara said, using the designated sign language. . "Remember, Akasuna no Sasori is a puppeteer. He can move his puppets limbs but they do not have senses of sight or sound. He can only see through his own eyes...not theirs.
The two Anbu nodded slowly. Realizing that, in their surprise they would have drawn their weapons or used a jutsu, giving away their position. He was doing this to flush them out.
"He knows we're here...just doesn't know where." the female Anbu stated.
"And he fears walking into an Ambush by pursuing us himself." The male continued.
"Then that must be his real body!" The female deduced.
"Real body?" Gaara questioned, nursing the side of his head wincing.
"Yugito-san seemed to have burned him before. But...obviously he's not dead...and he seemed different then, like an armored suit not unlike Kankuro-sama's... but this time he just looks like an unarmored human...this must be his real body."
Gaara mulled this information in his mind turning it over in his thoughts before he nodded, the familiar glint of determination once again in his eyes. "Give e one of your kunai pouches."
The two glanced at each other. 'Sir please! You're in no condition to fight Sasori. You do not even have your sand. We do not even know if we did the release seal properly. For all we know you could relapse into the condition we found you in?'
He appreciated their concern, but the fact of the matter was that he did still have a small amount of sand at his disposal, the bits and pieces that still clung to his unwashed clothing, his hair and skin. It wasnt much, if he put it all together it's probably be about the size of a human head. It would be enough for what he had planned. He was not entirely helpless without his sand.
'We do not have time to argue.' Gaara gestured. 'Give me a kunai pouch now!"
The two Anbu hesitated further. But after a that moment the one closest to him reached down to his thigh, and silently unlatched his pouch. Handing it to Gaara the Kazekage strapped it to his arm before he formed his next orders.
'When you see your opening. I want you both to go in, and get Yugito out of here.'
'Sir you're our mission. Not-'
"I'm changing your mission." Gaara resisted the urge to growl. They did not have time for these two to be second guessing him.
Before anything else could be said. Gaara stood, holding himself upright with the walls help as he marched over to the edge of the tunnel opening. Calling what comparably little sand he still had with him to life. Gaara could feel his chakra was sluggish, and slow to respond. But that was alright. He wouldn't need much chakra for this fight...he couldn't use much chakra for this fight.
Marching to the edge, he looked down at Sasori, who stood just beside the still Yugito, four black puppets surrounding him on all angles, forming a protective diamond around him.
Gaara took a breath, closing his eyes before he focused on the grains of sand that he was now scattering across the chamber.
Below, Sasori watched as a mist began to blanket the whole chamber, glass eyes fogging with the dewy moisture.