With her firmly in Marunomi's grasp, and the Behemoth's Tongue pressed against her body, ready to go off at any second, Sakura was almost entirely spent and just about ready to concede to her fate. Then, at once, some instinctive drive rose from within her. It wasn't exceptionally strong, but it was still enough to compel her to act. To make one last desperate move, regardless of what good it would do her or anyone else.
Without even thinking, Sakura moved her arm and, in an instant, smashed it against the Behemoth's Tongue. The device splintered into a thousand pieces, utterly destroyed.
Marunomi simply stared for a moment, not even registering what had just happened; first at Sakura, then her arm where the Behemoth's Tongue had been. Once the reality of the situation set in, Marunomi loosened her grip on Sakura and the Leaf ninja fell to the ground. Sakura began to cough and catch her breath, but did not have enough energy to pick herself back up. Marunomi, meanwhile, continued to stare blank-faced until she finally she spoke.
"You..." she said lightly. "...You little BITCH!" Marunomi turned towards Sakura and furiously began to stamp her foot on the young girl. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW HARD I'VE WORKED?!"
Marunomi continued to stomp the Leaf ninja, while Sakura tried to protect herself with her arms, but to little avail. Eventually, Marunomi began to relent and simply stood over the bruised and beaten ninja.
"So close!" Marunomi yelled. "You were the only one left and then I would have been through with you little interlopers!"
Though in a great deal of pain, Sakura felt a sense of satisfaction in what she had done. No matter what may happen to her, at least she had stopped Marunomi from doing what she had done to the Food Village ever again. Of course, it was still too late for her and her friends. Hinata and the other would soon be digested and Marunomi would certainly kill Sakura in whatever brutal way she could imagine.
Still quite livid, Marunomi tried to calm herself down. With her plans ruined, she tried to focus on accomplishing the one thing she had on her mind right now: Giving this pink-haired little brat the most agonizing death possible.
"I guess you are one tough cookie," Marunomi said, still noticeably agitated. "I bet you're proud of yourself. Bet you're thinking that, even if you die here, at least you've spared yourself the fate of being devoured." Marunomi smirked. "Well, I hate tor burst your bubble, little cupcake, but...I'm still going to eat you."
Sakura's eyes went wide as Marunomi's words filled her with confusion and terror. Marunomi knelt down and fiercely gripped Sakura by her arms. She pulled the Leaf ninja up, forcing her to face her.
"Yes, you are a succulent morsel," Marunomi said. "Far too good to pass up. So I'll just eat you whole." The rogue ninja licked her lips, delighting in Sakura's obvious fear. "You'll be digested alive inside my stomach and you'll wish I had turned you into chakra."
Wasting no more time, Marunomi opened her mouth impossibly wide and snapped it shut over Sakura's head. Marunomi took a moment to relish Sakura's flavor, but then promptly began to pull more of the girl into her mouth. Once Sakura's head was at the back of her throat, Marunomi took her first swallow, sending the Leaf ninja into her gullet. Marunomi then proceeded to swallow up the rest of Sakura, her chest, arms, and stomach all passing through her mouth. Soon, Sakura's head entered the sweltering confines of Marunomi's stomach, causing the rogue ninja's belly to swell out even more. With only Sakura's legs left, Marunomi quickly gobbled them up, their smooth streamlined shape sliding easily down her throat. Marunomi then made one final gulp to swallow Sakura's feet and, with that, the Leaf ninja had been completely devoured.
Her meal complete, Marunomi cradled and patted her greatly expanded middle. She let out a dainty burp and then chuckled.
"Mmm, so good," she said. "How does it feel in there, you little brat?" she said looking down at her swollen belly. "Because, I have to say, it feels wonderful to me." Marunomi cackled, enraptured by the euphoria of having the meddlesome Leaf ninja in her stomach.
Inside the belly of the gluttonous ninja, Sakura sat crouched in a fetal position, stewing in Marunomi's acidic stomach juices. Around her were the four glowing orbs that had once been her friends. She moved her head just enough to look at each of them. They each sat silent and inert, never again to revert back to the lively human girls they had once been. Despair overtook as she realized that they would all be dissolved into nothing inside this monster's stomach, right along with her. Tears streamed down Sakura's eyes and her head began to grow hazy from oxygen deprivation. Soon, she fell unconscious, never to awake again, just like her friends.
With her victory secured, Marunomi looked back towards the direction of the Food Village. She then looked at the shattered remains of the Behemoth's Tongue. Her plans had been ruined and she would never have the glorious feast she had hoped for. But at least she had made the little Leaf ninja pay for her insolence. The only left to do now was take her leave before she was discovered by any pursuers from the Food Village. With a large belly full of teenage girl and chakra, Marunomi sped off.
After a while, once she had gained a good distance from the village, she would rest and allow her stomach to finish digesting its meal. Upon awakening, her belly would be much smaller, but still quite round and bulbous as most of Sakura and the others had been processed. She would then venture out, making plans for her next meal.
THE END
