Her Destiny

Art is Eternal

He jumped from the roof that they had been standing on, racing toward the general area they had seen Deidara and TenTen falling.

Sakura took off after him. "SASORI!" she screamed.

Genma took a moment to take in the situation. Hidan was a literal whirlwind of death below him, taking anyone with a Stone or Cloud headband out. They had no chance to run when they came in contact with him. The man was in such a battle rage that he didn't even hear his Kage's scream.

Sasori has disappeared past a block of apartment buildings, Sakura flying over the roofs after the redheaded puppeteer. He looked to the man next to him.

"I know that this is war, Shiranui-san, but these men and women around me are so powerful that I always thought them indestructible." The man's shoulder's slumped. "This was bound to happen though. We are family, and family will do anything for the happiness of their own."

Genma laid a hand on the man's shoulder. "Losses are inevitable. It's what we choose to make of the sacrifices that those people made. That's what matters. Don't waste Sasori-sama's sacrifice Haku-san."

The man nodded before taking off after the other two Oto nin.

"Time for me to lend a hand, I guess," Genma muttered. He made several hand signs before shooting off a flare jutsu that only a select few could see. They should be here in . . .

There they are.

"Genma?" Tenzo asked, breathless.

"We've got a problem."

Those that had just showed up took in the grim look on his face and then took in the carnage on the ground.

"Kami, what the hell set that dude off?" Raido whispered.

Minato, who had just flashed in, cursed rather colorfully.

"That's Hidan. What got him so upset that he went into a Blood Rage?"

"What do you mean, Lord Fourth?" Iwashi asked.

"Hidan rarely, and I mean rarely, gets this mad. The last time this happened was when a jounin sensei made his genin watch one of Hidan's interrogations. When Hidan found out he went into such a rage that we had to all go out into a training ground and fight it out. You have to get close enough to him to touch him and literally smack him out of it. He won't see sense until we can get through that haze of rage."

"Good luck with that. He just saw his soulmate taken down by a lightning jutsu."

Minato cursed. "Leave it to me. I'm going to call in some reinforcements."

The fact that the Fourth Hokage felt the need to call in reinforcements to deal with this man when he already had his former protection detail and a former ROOT operative at his beck and call told them a lot about the capability of the man they were watching decimate the ranks of Iwa and Kumo shinobi.

Minato pressed something in his ear and spoke. "I need backup at the East Gate. Code HR."

Within seconds Tobirama was at his side, holding the arms of Gaara and Shikamaru.

Eyebrows raised on both sides. The new men at the destruction Hidan was causing, the men Genma had brought in at the show of force to reign the man in.

"Is this really necessary?" Raido asked.

"Hidan is in a Blood Rage. That requires getting to him without getting injured, while also dealing with enemies. What the hell happened?"

"TenTen and Deidara were shot out of the sky by a lightning jutsu."

Shikamaru blanched. TenTen had been one of the few that they had kept in contact with after leaving the village.