So, there was no reason for him to stand there and wait for the spiders to catch up. Especially as his last view of Sakura was that she was now swallowed completely up in an evil tree.
He could, however, do this. Spit streams of fire into the wood where dry underbrush and skeletal trees might have impeded his progress.
There. Another of the odd silvery trees with the strange leaves, and human-shaped lumps under the bark - their mouths open in screams that were forever silenced.
Fire could cleanse that. As long as he kept to small "spitballs" of fire, he could start a number of these fires and continue on. Whatever this forest was, it was hostile and an enemy and that made it a target. It would also avenge Sakura and provide that dead last a better chance of escape.
Tree branches wrapped around his form and slowly moved him closer to the Eater. The tree would take him in and lock him into an eternal nightmare like the others. Most humans would last only a few hours, children typically less than that. Eventually he would break like all the other toys.
Already the first one's mind had been crushed and locked into despair and hopelessness that the Wood could feast on. The only decision to be made there would be to finish hollowing her out and then setting her to wander into a human village to kill and terrify the villagers, or would it better to simply make of this female an abomination? Perhaps simply swallowing her up until she was completely one with the Wood herself, drowning her humanity until the spark was lost within its own vastness?
Wait. Something was happening. Something new to the Wood's experience.
Pain. The human in its branches had surrounded itself with something that was not fire but burned like fire.
It must be snuffed out.
"Now."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaa!" managed Sakura, dropping to her hands and knees. She made miserable sobbing noises that sounded as if she were trying to throw up and cry at the same time.
"Sakura?" asked Naruto.
"Well, how about that. It worked."
"You didn't KNOW?!" asked Naruto.
"How many times do you think I've ever tried to bring one of your despicable race into my prison?"
"Uhm point."
"Where?" asked Sakura.
"Now I have another miserable fleshbag here. Joy."
"Naruto? What? A cage? I... AH!"
Naruto noticed that Sakura was now behind him.
"Now that this other useless fleshbag is safe from the Corruption inflicting her body, we can escape this place. Here's what you need to do. First, remove the seal on the front of this cage."
"Yeah.... No."
"Hmph. You're learning. I'm going to feed you some of my chakra. This will be painful, so bear with it."
"Right," said Naruto, fading out.
Sakura realized that she was alone with the Nine-tailed Demon Fox. "AAAAAAAAAAA!"
"Don't start that again."
Naruto burst through another set of branches, looking over the tree that had swallowed Sakura's body. The impression of her face was there. Power gathered in one hand before he unleashed it, smashing deep into the silvery bark.
He was also aware of nearby fires. Naruto moved back and began throwing burning branches into the carpet of silvery leaves near that and other trees.
The tree screamed, pulling back from Sakura's body which landed on the ground.
"Sakura?" asked Naruto, approaching.
Sakura smiled fondly at Naruto, getting up. She slowly approached him, reached out tenderly to touch his face, and then broke his neck.
Naruto poofed into smoke, causing Sakura to frown.
"Okay," said another Naruto, stepping out of a cleared area. "I kinda thought that would be the case."
Sakura's mouth opened wide and insects began pouring out.
As they swarmed Naruto there was a brief pause. Then another poof as that Naruto also vanished.
A kunai was thrown by a third Naruto.
Sakura caught it, sneering at the little metal knife with the piece of paper acting as a flag on it.
Up until it exploded.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" went Naruto as he ran down a path.
Naruto staggered in his run as he realized he saw the events going on with the shadow clones he'd already left behind.
He doubled his speed, leaving the Woods by following a trail of burned underbrush and scorched trees.
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(Posted Sat, 11 Jul 2015 16:24)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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