06-02-2018, 01:44 AM
Freedom came to the sound of shackles, collars, and chains, all being released by kunai-tip, and abandoned with a thud, covered by the sands of an Endless Dunes waning dawn. Thanks to the shinobi, the chain-gang’s long journey of misery was finally coming to the end, and to the captive, it was like waking from a nightmare.
“Thank you!” they cried. “You saved us!” they cheered. Their faces painted a relief of burden, a gleam of hope, and a profound appreciation and admiration that touched the shinobi. It truly was joyous, and Sasuke couldn’t help basking in the moment. An interesting turn of events, as he hadn’t the slightest interest in playing the hero, and he had no delusions of being one himself, but he had to admit: it felt good and he liked it.
“I can’t believe you did it!” they applauded.
“That was spectacular. Who is he?” they asked.
“Papa, did you see him? He was all, 'unhand them!' Bam! Pop! Boom! Wham!”
“Yea, son, I saw. He was great, wasn’t he, boy.”
“How come you couldn’t do that, papa?”
“Hush boy.” Everyone laughed
“But, now where will we go?” It was then that a newly freed, mother of four, discovered a new fear: uncertainty. She gripped her younglings close, kept a strong face for her family, and looked to her beaten and battered husband. “Wherever it is, we’ll go together.” she said, squeezing her spouse’s hand.
“Where will I go?” asked a boy, lost in the crowd. Others followed suit with similar questions as the realization sank in. They were all displaced, had nowhere to go, and the pleasant environment was beginning to sour.
“Nippur.” Sasuke answered, his voice commanding, and an envy for any of the public speaking realm, “All of you,” the child reagent began, “listen well, there is refuge for you in Nippur.” He studied their faces, each and every one of them, and embodied strength as he spoke, for them, for their sanity, “If you seek the great city of Nippur, my jutsu shall escort you to safety, as far as I am able.” Palms open, the ninja’s body language embraced them, “The rich and poor alike, prime or secondary, it doesn’t matter. You need simply follow our laws, and the rightful King of the Dune shall see to your provisions, that they are fulfilled.”
“At what cost?” someone heckled from back of the crowd.
“You need simply acknowledge his grace,” Sasuke smiled, disarming their skepticism, “acknowledge his grace as the rightful king of the Dunes.”
“That it?” another voice called.
“His grace decrees it.” the shinobi replied simply. He then offered his arm as a guide, “Now, If you will just come this way.” The shinobi directed them while weaving hand signs, “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” and just like that, everyone had been freed, guarded by shadow clone, and were now undertaking the journey to Nippur. Well, almost everyone.
“That’s all great and everything,” a voice from behind Sasuke spoke, “but I know who you are.” When the ninja turned to see, it had been none other than one of the freed desperados, “You’re the Hand to the King in Nippur.” he said.
“You recognize me?” the shinobi responded surprised.
“Damn right!” the cowboy grinned, “You’re a Dante’s Abyss Champion. You’re Sasuke Uchiha!” The bandit all but asked for an autograph before continuing, “You’re going onward, aren’t you?” the cowboy paused for a moment before it hit him, “You’re going to kill Baron Deathchew, aren’t you?!!!”
“I am.” Sasuke answered simply.
“I knew it!” the desperado exclaimed. “Hot dog!” he said and grinned, “I knew it!” As the desperado went on, he was also keeping pace with the real Sasuke, and not the clone.
“You’re going the wrong way…” the shinobi blurted out.
“I knew it,” the gunslinger still wore a shit eating grin as he ignored Sasuke’s deflection, “Ya know? I told the other prisoners as soon as I saw you! That’s him, I said!”
“Refuge is back that way…” Sasuke declared with a pointed finger.
“Look, I can help you.” the desperado rebutted, “I’m good with a pistol!”
“No.” Sasuke pressed.
“Hey, I can respect your looking out for me,” the cowboy was persistent, “but I’m going whether you like it or not. I got my own revenge to collect!”
“Sorry,” the shinobi said sympathetically, “but no. I can’t allow for that.”
“But, I can help!”
Sasuke had made up his mind, “No.”
“You’re not listening!” the cowboy shouted, “I know where Baron Deathchew’s main hideout is!”
“…” Sasuke was silent for moment. The outlaw grinned in response, but before anyone said anything more, they were both interrupted.
“Hello.” A voice came from behind the ninja, “Sasuke… is it?”
Both the shinobi and the desperado turned to see a child, a young boy, standing there waiting patiently.
“I want to go with you.” the child declared.
“What?” Sasuke exclaimed, now flabbergasted, “No! What is this?! Refuge is back that way!” This was getting out of hand and fast.
“But sir,” the boy’s countenance was of an eerie clam, and it was clear he chose his words deliberately when he spoke, “I don’t seek refuge.”
They both turned to look at the kid again.
“What I seek is vengeance.”
“…”
“What’s with the kid?” Kuzuru asked with his arms folded behind his head for shade, while accompanying Sasuke in the rear of their new traveling party of four.
“It’s a looong story.” the shinobi gave a deep sigh, passively communicating his frustrations.
The demon chuckled while thumbing at the cowboy, “And John Wayne over there?”
Sasuke grinned at Kuzuru. “Says he knows the main hideout,” the shinobi shrugged, “inside and out.”
“Okay, but,” the demon objected with a raised finger, “I thought that was why we talked to the dead guy?”
“Yea, it was,” Sasuke conceded, “but this guy’s alive.”
“Oh,” the demon grinned, “so, in case the first one was lying, we can torture this one.”
Sasuke almost choked on a chuckle, “I did not say that.” He laughed.
“No,” the demon’s grin expanded, “but you didn’t deny it either.” Kuzuru prodded a laugh out of the shinobi again and continued, “Also, none of this explains the kid.”
“No it doesn’t.” Sasuke conceded again.
“Okay, I’ll let it slide,” Kuzuru teased, “this time only, but sooner or later you’re going to have to tell me.”
“Okay,” the shinobi said, “I can live with that.” In that moment, the shinobi was grateful for Kuzuru. The demon had eliminated an outpost all of his own, so Sasuke didn’t have to, and, whether the shinobi wanted to admit it or not, he was actually pretty good company.
“Thank you!” they cried. “You saved us!” they cheered. Their faces painted a relief of burden, a gleam of hope, and a profound appreciation and admiration that touched the shinobi. It truly was joyous, and Sasuke couldn’t help basking in the moment. An interesting turn of events, as he hadn’t the slightest interest in playing the hero, and he had no delusions of being one himself, but he had to admit: it felt good and he liked it.
“I can’t believe you did it!” they applauded.
“That was spectacular. Who is he?” they asked.
“Papa, did you see him? He was all, 'unhand them!' Bam! Pop! Boom! Wham!”
“Yea, son, I saw. He was great, wasn’t he, boy.”
“How come you couldn’t do that, papa?”
“Hush boy.” Everyone laughed
“But, now where will we go?” It was then that a newly freed, mother of four, discovered a new fear: uncertainty. She gripped her younglings close, kept a strong face for her family, and looked to her beaten and battered husband. “Wherever it is, we’ll go together.” she said, squeezing her spouse’s hand.
“Where will I go?” asked a boy, lost in the crowd. Others followed suit with similar questions as the realization sank in. They were all displaced, had nowhere to go, and the pleasant environment was beginning to sour.
“Nippur.” Sasuke answered, his voice commanding, and an envy for any of the public speaking realm, “All of you,” the child reagent began, “listen well, there is refuge for you in Nippur.” He studied their faces, each and every one of them, and embodied strength as he spoke, for them, for their sanity, “If you seek the great city of Nippur, my jutsu shall escort you to safety, as far as I am able.” Palms open, the ninja’s body language embraced them, “The rich and poor alike, prime or secondary, it doesn’t matter. You need simply follow our laws, and the rightful King of the Dune shall see to your provisions, that they are fulfilled.”
“At what cost?” someone heckled from back of the crowd.
“You need simply acknowledge his grace,” Sasuke smiled, disarming their skepticism, “acknowledge his grace as the rightful king of the Dunes.”
“That it?” another voice called.
“His grace decrees it.” the shinobi replied simply. He then offered his arm as a guide, “Now, If you will just come this way.” The shinobi directed them while weaving hand signs, “Shadow Clone Jutsu!” and just like that, everyone had been freed, guarded by shadow clone, and were now undertaking the journey to Nippur. Well, almost everyone.
“That’s all great and everything,” a voice from behind Sasuke spoke, “but I know who you are.” When the ninja turned to see, it had been none other than one of the freed desperados, “You’re the Hand to the King in Nippur.” he said.
“You recognize me?” the shinobi responded surprised.
“Damn right!” the cowboy grinned, “You’re a Dante’s Abyss Champion. You’re Sasuke Uchiha!” The bandit all but asked for an autograph before continuing, “You’re going onward, aren’t you?” the cowboy paused for a moment before it hit him, “You’re going to kill Baron Deathchew, aren’t you?!!!”
“I am.” Sasuke answered simply.
“I knew it!” the desperado exclaimed. “Hot dog!” he said and grinned, “I knew it!” As the desperado went on, he was also keeping pace with the real Sasuke, and not the clone.
“You’re going the wrong way…” the shinobi blurted out.
“I knew it,” the gunslinger still wore a shit eating grin as he ignored Sasuke’s deflection, “Ya know? I told the other prisoners as soon as I saw you! That’s him, I said!”
“Refuge is back that way…” Sasuke declared with a pointed finger.
“Look, I can help you.” the desperado rebutted, “I’m good with a pistol!”
“No.” Sasuke pressed.
“Hey, I can respect your looking out for me,” the cowboy was persistent, “but I’m going whether you like it or not. I got my own revenge to collect!”
“Sorry,” the shinobi said sympathetically, “but no. I can’t allow for that.”
“But, I can help!”
Sasuke had made up his mind, “No.”
“You’re not listening!” the cowboy shouted, “I know where Baron Deathchew’s main hideout is!”
“…” Sasuke was silent for moment. The outlaw grinned in response, but before anyone said anything more, they were both interrupted.
“Hello.” A voice came from behind the ninja, “Sasuke… is it?”
Both the shinobi and the desperado turned to see a child, a young boy, standing there waiting patiently.
“I want to go with you.” the child declared.
“What?” Sasuke exclaimed, now flabbergasted, “No! What is this?! Refuge is back that way!” This was getting out of hand and fast.
“But sir,” the boy’s countenance was of an eerie clam, and it was clear he chose his words deliberately when he spoke, “I don’t seek refuge.”
They both turned to look at the kid again.
“What I seek is vengeance.”
“…”
***
“What’s with the kid?” Kuzuru asked with his arms folded behind his head for shade, while accompanying Sasuke in the rear of their new traveling party of four.
“It’s a looong story.” the shinobi gave a deep sigh, passively communicating his frustrations.
The demon chuckled while thumbing at the cowboy, “And John Wayne over there?”
Sasuke grinned at Kuzuru. “Says he knows the main hideout,” the shinobi shrugged, “inside and out.”
“Okay, but,” the demon objected with a raised finger, “I thought that was why we talked to the dead guy?”
“Yea, it was,” Sasuke conceded, “but this guy’s alive.”
“Oh,” the demon grinned, “so, in case the first one was lying, we can torture this one.”
Sasuke almost choked on a chuckle, “I did not say that.” He laughed.
“No,” the demon’s grin expanded, “but you didn’t deny it either.” Kuzuru prodded a laugh out of the shinobi again and continued, “Also, none of this explains the kid.”
“No it doesn’t.” Sasuke conceded again.
“Okay, I’ll let it slide,” Kuzuru teased, “this time only, but sooner or later you’re going to have to tell me.”
“Okay,” the shinobi said, “I can live with that.” In that moment, the shinobi was grateful for Kuzuru. The demon had eliminated an outpost all of his own, so Sasuke didn’t have to, and, whether the shinobi wanted to admit it or not, he was actually pretty good company.
Dante's Abyss 2015
GRAND CHAMPION
![[Image: Sasuke_DA_zpsb4vizgxd.png]](http://www.cytokineindustries.com/chevereto/images/2018/02/07/Sasuke_DA_zpsb4vizgxd.png)
Mark Twain Wrote:"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."