Chapter 55.2- Gamer of the Desert

With that question answered, there now stood five of them before me. Pain stared at the sand coffin containing one of his bodies, careful not to touch it. Too careful. Too cautious. I guess Zetsu had been watching me for a while. Shame. I made the thing explode either way. When the smoke cleared, I was unsurprised to find the rest of the paths standing unscathed before me. All five remaining ones.

“I will enjoy finding out where you got the information you have” Tendo spoke, and I smiled. Chikushudo slammed its palms on the ground again, summoning both a giant panda and a centipede at once. The panda Hund back while both the centipede and dog charged at me. I could remember from the anime that the dog had some hydra like power. I just couldn’t tell whether that related to splitting its body or its head if it was damaged. It didn’t matter, either way. I would just deal with so throughly that neither would be an option. Without even moving, I commanded the sand all around me to rise in one big wave that threatened to swallow both creatures and then envelope the rest of the paths.

I felt the sand scatter to the winds against my will in the face of Tendo’s almighty push. But that didn’t matter. His technique had a cooldown. Mine didn’t. My sand was too scattered to gather before they would be upon me, but thankfully my dear dfather had been kind enough to leave behind an appropriate amount of golden dust. Enough golden dust to encase both creatures completely. I clenched my fists intoning out loud, “Magnet Release: Golden Shower”, golden dust squeezed in on itself, crushing both creatures back to the summoning realm. I wasn’t going to let the other paths of pain get at me as I just made a cross symbol with my hands.

Two shadow clones formed behind me, and then they both jumped away.

“Whatever aid you summon will share your fate, Gaara of the Desert. You are a powerful shinobi, but you remain just that. A shinobi. I myself am a god” he said grandiousely. The anime really understated how much Pain enjoyed hearing the sound of his own voice.

I reached into my seal for Shukaku, to find that he had gathered a sufficient amount of nature energy, and then I did it. I allowed the natural energy flow into my body in the only form in which I could use it. I wasn’t a sage. Far from it, in fact. But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t use Senjutsu or Sage mode itself. The idea came from Orochimaru and his curse seals. Shukaku was the originator of cursed seals in general, either way. So I had him gather nature energy for me. When I’d first tried just introducing that energy to my system and then consciously balancing it out with my own chakra to form senjutsu chakra, I’d failed woefully and almost got myself killed.

In the end, I decided that it was too risky to attempt to learn it with the time I had so I allowed Shukaku balance the nature energy with his own chakra to form Senjutsu chakra, and then that chakra was what was pumped into my bloodstream. It took all my stats to a previously unseen level, removing most of my limits, and making me more powerful than I’d ever felt. It was even better than taking Shukaku’s power into myself and executing a bijou transformation. And in my own admittedly biased opinion, it made me the coolest looking sage out there.

The same curse marks that covered Shukaku’s form now covered mine. They contrasted heavily with my pale skin and red hair. And then my eyes. The right one turned from teal into a bright yellow that I knew would glow in the dark. While my left eye remained with the sharingan in the centre, but it saw itself brighten just a shade or two, and it gained an additional tomoe. One that looked like a curse mark.

Transformation complete, I could feel Pain’s movements without even looking at him. I could feel the plan he was forming to tighten the noose around my head. I reached up and caught the punch aimed at my head by Shurado. He strained against my grip, but I did not allow him to budge. I dragged him into me and lashed out with a devastating headbutt. A headbutt he met with glee. His body strained before my strength, but he was doing a good job of holding on for the ride.

Two more arms formed at his side and punched into my face quicker than I could react. The punches met a brick wall. I didn’t budge with Senjutsu enhanced durability. I lashed out with a return punch of my own, enjoying the feeling on bone cracking beneath my fist. The hands in front of my face began shifting into canons. I felt another path running towards me with an outstretched arm, thoroughly covering my only viable path of retreat. Good thing I wouldn’t need to be retreating in the end. I couldn’t sustain sage mode while shifting my form into sand for some reason so I can to pick a solution different from my first instinct.

In fact, I ended up going with the option I almost never chose when it came to taijutsu- overwhelming force. I just wasn’t strong enough against most opponents to risk it. Now, I was. I slammed my head into his. Once, and then twice. He stumbled backwards and I used the opportunity to separate our hands and allowed dark sister appear in my left hand. I split the first canon in twain as he levelled it at me, and for the second, I pretended to be caught by surprise and allowed him fire. Of course, there was no discharge from the canon. It was completely blocked by iron sand. The arm and much of Shurado’s midsection blew up from the accumulated power.

Thanks for the idea, Shino. I thought with a laugh before I pressed in to take advantage of my position against Shurado. It jumped backwards, allowing the panda to cover its retreat by smashing down on my position with a giant hardened punch. A punch that I caught above me. Sage strength was no joke. It felt like I could lift the panda. And I did. I grabbed a hold of its knuckle, and instead of merely stopping his punch from landing, I heaved and tossed him into the air.

I weaved two hand seals and took a deep breath. “Wind Release: Sand Buckshot”

A/N; Another bit in