The Gallows’ Call: Fall of the Cannibal King

[Sasuke Uchiha]

The clanging clamor of two swords clashing thundered, sparks from a furry of steel on steel assailed the Uchiha’s vision, and the scent of blood drenched the air. The bandits he fought were crazed, ravenous savages; strong and fierce, but sloppy and unorthodox. With fluid and precise movements, the ninja kept them at bay, deflecting blow after blow from his multiple adversaries. He concentrated on his guile and agility, repelling and redirecting his opponent’s advances.

“What’s the matter?” the youth quipped from behind crimson pupils and a confident smirk, allowing his muscles to settle into the rhythm of combat by the sword. “Can’t the four of you avenge your friend?”

“Fuckerou talkin’ bout?!” a brute with fire for a Mohawk spat as he cleaved his way through with a battle axe and little regard for anyone’s safety. Even his own allies were cautious to avoid his path, as he made like a bulldozer and roared, “You’sa god damned deadman!!!”

A combination of powerful swings from his axe put the ninja on the evasive. Nimble acrobatics allowed the Sasuke to avoid the brute’s strikes for a time, until one came frightening close, just above Sasuke’s brow, splitting a drop of sweat. One misstep, one slight mistake, and he’d be bathed in a white canvas full of storm troopers all over again. No, not to this scum, not on this day, and not before the sweet taste of vengeance flavored his tongue. Sasuke would not die here; he refused.

Furiously, the Sharingan he possessed gyrated, studying, calculating, and predicting his opponent’s every movement. Nothing veiled itself from his eyes. Nothing was safe from his Kekkei Genkai.

One of the hijackers, fitted in a fetish leather, a gas mask, and equipped with a chainsaw, barreled into the ninja without concern for his own life. The roar of the rotating blades howled as steel severed flesh, blood, and bone all at once. The champion’s limp body hit the sand with a thud, and the thugs took a moment to admire their handy work. Jagged, rusty, and sharp rotary blades protruded from the young ninja’s chest.

The biggest of them who wore the Mohawk slapped a hand to the back of the gas mask wearing bandit, “Thought he’d never shut his yap. Ya dun good. Dun know how he got ta drop on Sleemey. He weren’t shit. Fuckin’ punk.”

“Yea, good going Copper Lung. Fuckin’ opened his cage. What’s he got on him? We come up?” a smaller runt with a hatchet leered at Sasuke’s lifeless body as he asked.

“Shut up Rodent,” Mohawk sneered, “you know you dun get dibbs. Ya gon get the left overs, or ya gon get dead right quick.” He then addressed one of them whose weapon of choice appeared to be a hammer and wrench, “Mechanic, check his pockets and get that bag Sleemey lost a hand for. Fuck! Sleemey! Someone check on dat git.”

“Uhh, Barrick,” Rodent squeaked nervously, the hatchet tightly held in his sweaty palms, “the loots gone.”

“What?!” Barrick alarmed, quickly turning around to see that not only was Sasuke’s pack missing, but Sasuke along with it. In his place only a single, three by two and a half foot long log of wood.

Barrick lugged his giant body around, wielding his massive axe, “Where are ya, ya fuckin’ git! I’ll fuckin’ slice ya balls off this time.”, but as he came to a stop, both Mechanic and Copper Lung were falling to the sands. The sword of Kusanagi was colored in crimson, ripe with its latest victims.

Barrick’s entire body reddened with anger, so much, in fact, even his Mohawk appeared more prominent. “I’ll CRUSH YAR PUNK ASS” Barrick erupted brandishing his deathly axe and advancing on the young champion, however Sasuke’s Sharingan had already seen the opening he needed. The ninja smirked, crouched low, and drove the tip of his sword into bandit’s ribcage just under his latest arcing swing.

Barrick dropped to a knee, gasping in pain. Sasuke, with lightning speed and precision, snapped his arm outward, catching the oaf by his throat and pulled him to his feet.

He was shocked and horrified to realize he would lose this fight. The ninja was half his size, he was surely far more powerful, but here he was, dying. It just wasn’t possible… And yet the sword protruding from his chest said it was. He died in disbelief and with Sasuke’s fiery red eyes peering into his own.

A bolt of awareness shot through Sasuke’s conscious. Rodent was on him, his hatchet inches from actually severing Sasuke’s head. The ninja jerked from harm’s way in a flash, coming away with no more than a paper cut. He grinned and thought of how truly grateful he was for his training with Kakashi Sensei, and the speed he had wrought from his time with him.

Sword to his ready, the ninja sighted on the small bandit’s eye and plunged the blade into its wet, mushy flesh. Blood squirted out of the optical wound, and the bandit hollered and hollered, and hollered… until life escaped him and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.

As the ninja swooped up his pack he noticed, once more, the billboard advertising Rick’s café. With that he started his trek through desert, leaving behind him four less highwaymen to worry about and one bleeding out.

“Wait!” the woman shouted as she came scurrying out from her hiding, “Can I come with you?”

“No.”

“But the car! Come on!”

Sasuke just kept walking.