Thunder and Black Wings

Chapter 10:

– Blake –

I hovered in the air with my black wings beating slowly, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears. That crazy woman with blue hair and those pristine white wings had spotted me. There was no sneaking off now. Yeah, I could try to run, but I really didn't want her blowing me up—or anything else, for that matter. I'd never been blown up before, and I wasn't eager to find out what it felt like. Getting stabbed was bad enough.

She flapped those white wings and glided closer, her expression cool and unreadable. Below us, in the treetops, I heard Tsunade and Shizune yelling at me to back off. Too late. She was already here, closing the distance between us in the sky. I couldn't help noticing how she seemed so calm.

I glanced behind her and saw the water below slowly dousing the flames, but the bridge was completely wrecked. A bunch of smoldering debris and sinking shards of wood was all that remained of something the people of this land had pinned their hopes on.

"Why'd you do that?" I demanded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Don't you know what that bridge meant for everyone here?"

Her frown was brief—just a flicker of regret, maybe, before a fake little smile took over her face. Her gaze drifted to my wings, like she was sizing me up. "Are you an… angel…?" 

I let out a short laugh, though there wasn't anything funny about the situation. "That's exactly what I was gonna ask you," I shot back, trying not to sound as tense as I felt.

She tilted her head, blue hair swaying in the wind. "People in the Land of Rain call me one," she said softly. "But the truth is, I'm not. I don't consider myself an angel, at least." She paused, looking me over again…

I hesitated for a second. This wasn't exactly something I told every random person who tried to blow up entire bridges. But what the hell. "I'm half angel," I said, forcing my voice to stay even. "My dad was one, apparently, and my mom was human."

Her eyes went wide, like that was the last thing she expected. She stared at me, mouth slightly open, as if I'd just announced I was from another planet. 

Which I did not of course…

– Konan –

An angel…

Konan couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was an actual angel floating in front of her!

He was certainly handsome enough to be one… No, those were blasphemous thoughts. She pushed them away immediately.

The Land of Rain had always followed a unique belief system. Unlike other nations that worshiped multiple gods or ancestral spirits, her homeland was monotheistic, believing in a singular god and his angelic servants who shaped the world. Not many people outside of their Nation knew about this though, because they never went out of their way to advertise their beliefs. 

…Neither she nor Nagato had ever truly believed in such things, but the people of the Rain were unwavering in their faith. It had been easy for them to use that devotion to their advantage.

Nagato was Pain—he was their god.

And she was his angel.

Now, however, she was standing in front of something—or someone—who made her question everything.

There was an angel hovering before her, and she had spent years pretending to be one.

A sharp embarrassment churned in her stomach, and she fought the urge to bury her face in her hands. How was she supposed to explain this to Nagato? To Yahiko's memory? To herself?

"Do you have any idea what you've done to these people by destroying that bridge!?" the angel—half-angel, apparently, though it didn't make much of a difference to her—snapped. 

If it had been anyone else accusing her, she wouldn't have cared. The mission always came first. The goals of Akatsuki—the vision Nagato carried for peace—those were paramount. 

The world had no god, so Nagato would become one.

But what if they were wrong?

A part of her had always believed in their cause, in the necessity of force to create true peace. But looking into the furious eyes of this angel, she felt something unsettling crawl up her spine. Was she really just another weapon of destruction, another cog in the cycle she claimed to despise? She had done to the people of Wave what the Great ninja villages did to Rain...

What was she supposed to say about that?

She had no answer. None that felt right, anyway.

She held his gaze for another agonizing moment before something in her broke. Spinning sharply, she snapped her wings out, beating them hard as she launched herself backward.

"Hey!" he called after her, his voice almost drowned out by the wind.

She ignored him, pushing herself faster. The smoke from the ruined bridge curled around her as she shot past it, the acrid scent stinging her nose. Below, the waves hissed as charred debris sank into the ocean. She didn't dare look back.

The farther she flew, the colder the air became. The scent of burning wood and destruction faded, replaced by the sharp, salty breeze of the open sea. Her wings ached from the sudden burst of exertion, but she didn't slow down.

She needed to think. She needed to breathe. She needed to figure out how the hell she was going to explain this—to Nagato, to herself, to the world she thought she understood. Because if Angels were real, then maybe everything she had ever believed in was a lie...

– Blake –

She ran away from me…

I sure as hell didn't expect that. She just spun around and flew off over the ocean, leaving me gaping like an idiot. I hovered there trying to process what the hell just happened.

Did I scare her?

No—that seemed unlikely.

She'd just destroyed an entire bridge. She had enough firepower to blow me out of the sky if she wanted. Yet she fled. Why?

I hovered there a moment longer, glancing after her fading silhouette. My thoughts were still scrambled when I heard shouting from below. 

Tsunade and Shizune's voices. I shook off my daze and descended slowly.

As soon as my feet touched the ground, Shizune was on me, her arms wrapping around my shoulders in a tight, almost desperate hug. "You scared me half to death," she muttered against my chest.

I sighed and hugged her back. "I'm fine, really."

She pulled away just enough to look up at me, her eyes scanning for any injuries. "Are you sure? She didn't—"

"I promise," I reassured her. "Not a scratch."

Before I could say anything else, Tsunade stepped forward and smacked me lightly upside the head. It wasn't hard—just enough to let me know she was pissed. "That was incredibly stupid and reckless," she scolded. "Someone with that kind of firepower is not an opponent you go poking at. I'd even think twice before taking her on."

I rubbed the back of my head, shooting them both a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I know. Sorry… She spotted me before I even had a chance to hide."

Tsunade huffed, shaking her head. "Next time, don't just stand there staring down someone who can blow up an entire damn bridge. Got it?"

Shizune sighed, brushing some dirt off my sleeve, her fingers lingering like she needed to reassure herself I was still in one piece. "I thought she was going to attack you," she admitted softly. "But she just… left?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It was weird. She looked kind of—conflicted? Like she wasn't sure about what she just did..."

Kakashi decided to interrupt. "Alright–well if she's gone then we need to figure out what the hell we're doing next, because the plan is pretty much shot." Then, in a whiny tone, he added, "Damn it, I just wanted my first edition Icha Icha!"

I turned my head and gave him the flattest look I could muster. "Really? That's your biggest concern right now?" That's when I noticed something was off. We were missing some members here. "Uh… where's the asshole and his trap?" Zabuza and Haku were nowhere to be seen. 

"Oh," Shizune spoke up, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "They left…"

I blinked. "What do you mean they left…?"

Tsunade sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "They ran off," she said bluntly. "...Something about every single rogue ninja knowing not to fuck with the red clouds. They took off and said we were free to have their share of the money!"

I groaned and rubbed my temples. "Fantastic. The only one who knew where Gato kept his damn safe was Haku. Now we're just going to have to tear apart the entire mansion looking for it."

Tsunade turned to Kakashi. "You still with us?"

He let out a heavy sigh. "I probably shouldn't be, and the Hokage is definitely going to yell at me for this... but honestly? I'll do anything for Icha Icha. Fuck it, I'm in." He gave a lazy thumbs-up.

Tsunade grinned, already formulating a plan. "Alright then. Subtlety is out the window. Blake, you'll go back to Kakashi's team and the bridge builder, make sure they're safe. Shizune, Kakashi, and I are going to storm Gato's main base, kill him, and take the money."

I raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't the whole point of this to make sure no one knew it was us robbing him? If you go in guns blazing, you're going to end up with bounties even bigger than your current debts." And considering how deep Tsunade was already in the hole, that was a horrifying thought.

Tsunade just smirked. "This is the perfect opportunity. And we can thank that psycho Rain chick for it. The entire Land of Waves was relying on that bridge to escape Gato's rule. Now that it's gone, they're going to riot."

I paused, realizing what she was planning. Damn. My girlfriend was a genius. "You're going to make it look like an angry mob killed him and took his money?"

She nodded. "Exactly. And if we leave Zabuza's share of the money with the people, it'll sell the story even more."

I whistled. "That's actually kind of brilliant. The money will help this country get back on its feet too." Who said crime is always bad…?

– Konan –

…She might have fucked up. That was the crassest way to put it, but Konan didn't really know how else to frame it. 

She had been too hasty in destroying the bridge, rushing to complete the mission, collect the money from Gato, and get back to the Land of Rain to be with Nagato. But in the aftermath, she realized she had done exactly what Akatsuki had sworn to fight against—become just another heartless ninja willing to trample over innocent lives for the sake of a mission.

The weight of that thought settled heavily in her gut as she flew back toward the small, rundown base Gato had set aside for them.

When she landed, she quickly noticed that Aoi was missing, but his genin team was there, waiting. The three young ninjas stiffened the moment they saw her, their expressions a mix of awe and unease. They bowed slightly, almost reverently.

"Lady Konan, welcome back," Oboro said solemnly. His voice was careful, measured. "We heard the explosion from here. I take it the mission is almost complete, then? We just need to finish off those Leaf ninja..."

He trailed off, eyes darting away from hers. Konan didn't miss the hesitation, nor the slight discomfort in their postures. They were young, but not stupid. They knew this mission didn't sit right. Maybe it was the destruction of the bridge, or maybe it was her expression right now, but she could tell they weren't as confident in this job as they had been before.

She exhaled slowly, steadying herself. "We will not be attacking the Leaf ninja."

There was a beat of silence. Oboro's team exchanged uncertain glances before nodding. "If that's your decision, Lady Konan."

Konan's gaze swept the area. Something was still off. "Where is your sensei? Where's Aoi?"

The three genin looked at each other awkwardly. The hesitation was thick enough to choke on.

Oboro finally answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "He's uh… attacking the Leaf."

"...Fuck."

She immediately launched herself back into the air! She couldn't let any harm come to a genuine Angel! It wasn't like she expected him to have the answers to all of the world's problems or anything, but his existence itself was hope that maybe there was another way to save this cursed world full of unending violence!

He might even be her only hope of snapping Nagato out of genuinely believing he was a God…

– Aoi Rokusho –

Aoi Rokusho smirked as he stared down the three annoying little Leaf brats standing between him and his payday. He didn't know their names, and didn't care. 

All he knew was that they were in the way, and that meant they had to die. Simple as that. Gato had put a big bounty on the old bridge builder and his family, and Aoi wanted to collect. Easy money.

Not to mention, he was more than happy for an excuse to get the hell away from Konan. That frigid bitch had threatened to kill him the last time he'd so much as tried to flirt with her. He still wasn't sure if she was bluffing, but he had no plans on finding out.

He adjusted his grip on the Sword of the Thunder God, feeling the crackling electricity hum along the blade's edge. Yeah, this was going to be fun.

The Leaf kids, meanwhile, were scrambling to stop him. He had to give them credit—they weren't backing down. But it was painfully obvious that none of them had ever been in a real ninja fight before. 

Aoi was a seasoned jonin, and these brats? They were barely out of the academy. This wasn't going to be a battle, it was going to be a slaughter.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the loudmouth in orange shouted, and suddenly there were dozens of him rushing forward, trying to dogpile Aoi.

Aoi just laughed. One swing of his sword sent a surge of lightning through the air, popping every last clone in an instant. The real one yelped as the electric current slammed into him, sending him flying backwards and crashing into the dirt. His body spasming as lightning attacked all of his muscles.

Aoi really loved his sword!

"Naruto!" the pink-haired girl cried, rushing toward her downed teammate.

"You'll pay for that!" the black-haired kid growled, his fingers flying through a sequence of hand signs. Aoi barely paid him any mind—until he got a better look at the kid's face.

"Well, well," Aoi sneered. "If it isn't Itachi's little brother! I thought you looked familiar." Yeah, he'd seen Itachi Uchiha around in the Rain village once or twice over the years. The clan killer freaked him the fuck out.

Sasuke's hands froze mid-hand sign, his expression shifting from anger to shock. "What do you know about my brother!?" he demanded.

Aoi grinned, seeing an opportunity. "Wouldn't you like to know, dumbass?"

He lunged, swinging the Sword of the Thunder God in a wide arc. Sasuke barely had time to react before the blade connected, sending a jolt of electricity surging through his body. He screamed, his muscles locking up as the energy coursed through him, and then he collapsed to the ground, twitching in pain.

Wow, Itachi's little bro was straight up trash… That was sad.

The pink-haired girl let out a horrified gasp. "Sasuke-kun!"

Aoi rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. Are you even going to try and fight girly, or just sit there like a freaking cheerleader!" Not that it would save her either way, but her shrieking was annoying. Aoi hovered over the pink-haired brat, sword raised, eyes narrowed viciously. One good strike and she'd be done—no more whining, no more screeching. Right before he swung, though, every nerve in his body screamed at him to move. A ninja always knew when to trust their instincts.

"The hell?" he muttered, jerking his head to the side just in time to see a dark blue, almost purple spear of energy whiz by. It passed so close he felt its heat singe a few strands of his hair.

He spun around. There, floating in midair, was a pretty boy with black hair and blue eyes. Even weirder, he had a pair of black wings spread out behind him, looking suspiciously familiar—like that bitch Konan's, except hers were white!

"Who the hell are you?" Aoi demanded, gripping the hilt of the Sword of the Thunder God a little tighter. This guy was interrupting his fun, and he sure as hell didn't appreciate it.

"Help, Blake!" the pink-haired brat suddenly hollered. She pointed a shaky finger at Aoi. "He's trying to kill Tazuna's family! Naruto and Sasuke are both down!"

"Shut the hell up!" Aoi snapped, turning back to finish the job. But before he could take a step, another spear of that freaky plasma flew right at his face. He cursed and ducked aside.

"I'm not letting you hurt these kids or an innocent family!" the black-winged boy—Blake, apparently—declared from overhead. His voice held that self-righteous tone that made Aoi roll his eyes. With a powerful flap of his wings, Blake swooped down, another glowing spear in his hand.

"Great," Aoi muttered under his breath, glancing at the battered Leaf brats on the ground. "Now I've got a freaking angel wannabe to deal with too!"

Without another second of hesitation, he lunged. Blake dove in at the same time, hurling another spear of that strange plasma. Aoi batted it aside with the Thunder God sword, a smirk twisting his lips. He was faster, stronger, and certainly more experienced than this pretty boy. The only real hassle was those goddamn wings—Blake kept swooping out of reach whenever Aoi tried to land a clean hit.

"Quit flapping around," Aoi growled, launching himself at Blake with a burst of chakra. Their weapons clashed, spear against crackling blade, sparks lighting up the air. The force of it made Aoi's arms tingle, but he pressed on. With each exchange, he could see the strain in Blake's eyes, the slight wavering in his defensive posture. He was an amatuer!

Aoi reached into his kunai pouch and tossed a knife at one of his opponents wings! 

Blake let out a yelp of pain and was forced to land on the ground, losing his only advantage!

"Pathetic!" Aoi seized the moment. He darted in, the Sword of the Thunder God humming with lethal energy as he slashed it across Blake's chest, expecting to fry the bastard's heart on the spot. But to his shock, the second the energy sword connected, the weapon flickered—like something short-circuited it. A fizzle of light arced up the blade, and then the sword's energy sputtered out completely!

"What the fuck!" Aoi cried out! Aoi just stood there, mouth half open, sword in hand—completely dead. The Thunder God's power was gone, leaving him with a lump of useless metal. His brain struggled to process what the hell just happened...

"Holy shit!" Blake cried, recoiling with a flap of his injured wings. He clutched his chest, gold electricity flickering around his body. But as Aoi watched, that gold hue slowly shifted into a deep purple, crackling like a storm about to break.

Then, with a startled yelp, a second set of black wings tore out of Blake's back!

– Blake –

Holy crap! I thought, noticing how the gold sparks dancing around me were turning a deep purple. That sword didn't hurt me at all—if anything, it felt like it jump-started something inside my body and gave me a power boost out of nowhere. I'd somehow ended up with a second set of black, fallen angel wings. 

Talk about a bullshit anime moment.

Aoi stood there gaping like I'd just grown a second head. Well, I guess I kind of did—except it was a second pair of wings.

My chest throbbed where he'd cut me, but there was no burning or searing pain, just this weird tingle of energy. I flapped my newly sprouted wings experimentally, trying to keep my balance. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I was about to pass out or if I was ready to lay down an ass-kicking. Maybe both.

"I feel like I'm in the middle of some contrived power-up sequence," I muttered under my breath, then let out a short laugh. "But screw it, I'll take what I can get."

I definitely felt stronger—like a barrier blocking me had snapped inside me. That didn't mean I was invincible or anything, but four-winged angels were a hell of a lot better than two-winged. If I focused, I could sense that Aoi and I were probably on even footing now, especially since his sword had just died on him. 

Aoi looked beyond pissed that his sword had just crapped out on him. He practically foamed at the mouth as he screamed, "I gave up my status as a Leaf shinobi to steal this sword!"

I shrugged, and didn't feel sorry for him at all. "Sounds like a you problem..."

He snarled, veins popping on his forehead, then yanked out a kunai.

In a blink, he flickered forward, moving faster than before. I was half-expecting not to be able to keep up, but to my shock, my eyes could track him just fine. All of my senses and abilities had gotten an upgrade!

My wings propelled me forward, closing the gap, and another purplish Lightspear crackled to life in my right hand.

Aoi jabbed his kunai at my spear, hoping to parry, but the instant metal met plasma, he let out a choked yelp. The metal superheated and shocked him in the process. He reeled back with pain etched on his face.

I lunged in with my left hand and smashed my knuckles into his throat.

He stumbled, clutching at his neck, his eyes brimming with raw hatred. "I'm gonna fucking kill you," he rasped, forcing himself upright. Then he started weaving a set of hand signs, clearly aiming to pull off some big technique.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Dude, do you seriously think I'm just gonna stand here and let you cast that jutsu?" I reeled my arm back, preparing to chuck my Lightspear straight through his chest. But something flickered at the edge of my vision, drawing my attention.

A small piece of paper floated down from above, smacking Aoi right in the face!

"What the fuck—?!" was all Aoi managed before–

"Boom!"

My eyes went wide as his entire head vanished in a burst of red. The rest of his body dropped to the ground with a sickening thud.

Shit...

I flapped my wings out of reflex, spinning around to figure out who'd tossed that bomb. My heart skipped a beat when I spotted the figure descending from above. That blue-haired angel chick from before, the one who'd wiped out the bridge.

She landed lightly, white wings fluttering behind her, an expression I couldn't quite read etched onto her face.

"...You're back…" I said, a bit nervous.

"Hello… I apologize for leaving so suddenly before," she said quietly. "I had a lot on my mind… and still do, to be honest." Her white wings folded behind her, turning into some sort of paper. My brain did a double-take. They weren't like mine at all—no flesh or feathers, just paper.

So she wasn't an actual angel, but used some kind of jutsu. Not that it changed the fact she could probably nuke the entire area if she felt like it. Sakura had managed to drag Naruto and Sasuke inside Tazuna's house, but I had zero illusions about that door holding up under her firepower.

"Yeah… we can talk," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.

She smiled faintly, tilting her head as she regarded me. "You have more wings now…"

I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to act casual. "Yeah, angels get more wings when they power up. Up to twelve, I've heard."

"I see," she murmured, looking almost fascinated. "My name is Konan."

"Blake Himejima," I replied, nodding at the corpse nearby. "So, uh… why'd you kill your own guy?"

Konan barely even glanced at the dead body. "He wasn't truly a Hidden Rain ninja. We kept him around in case we needed an idiot for a suicide mission. Attacking an angel, though, is a crime punishable by death in the Hidden Rain! Or at least it will be, if people learn about your existence!"

Woah… All of a sudden I was getting some hardcore religious yandere vibes from her.

XXX

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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:

The Fallen Gamer ch 320-324

Thunder and Black Wings 12

The Fox Hole 61

The Titan 28

The Fox Hole 60

Thunder and Black Wings 11

The Blood Queen 36

The Fox Hole 59

The Titan 27

The Fox Hole 58

The Blood Queen 35

The Fox Hole 57