Silhouettes in the Night
XoXoX
Theres the second chapter.
If you read the first one before I put this up re read it.
I changed a few things to fit better with the plot.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its themes or characters.
Chapter 2
Illusions
"Thank you, Sasuke..." I whispered, smiling in shock at his back.
"Run." He spoke quietly, deadly. I nodded even though he couldn't see me, it was the distraction i needed to make it back to my team. As I turned I heard the sounds of a battle starting, Katana scraping against Katana. But I couldn't concentrate enough to watch as I pushed myself to my feet, trying to escape.
Only I couldn't move farther than that. My eyes locked straight ahead, to horrified and furious to look anywhere else other then the single red cloud that was only an inch from my face.
'Damn.'
I tried to run another direction but delicate fingers wrapped around my throat, lifting me off the ground. Recognizing Itachi immediately I clawed at his arm, trying to pull myself out of his grasp to no avail. Itachi's long bangs framed his face; he really was beautiful, in a very dangerous way. The shadows under his eyes showed lack of sleep, his lids shutting off the endless, emotionless pools.
"Let..Go..." I choked quietly, spots filling my vision from lack of oxygen. If his grip tightened anymore it would surely break my neck.
"Fuck." I heard Sasuke curse before I heard the distinct popping sound of a clone. "Don't look in his eyes, Sakura." He was still calm, as if coaching a child at their first swimming lesson. But it was already too late. Itachi's eyes snapped open showing his spinning Mangekyo.
I was sucked into his world. It was like a photo of a war zone turned into a negative and I was surrounded by the enemy, clones. In a synchronized motion they all unsheathed their Katanas. I could briefly remember Kakashi telling me and Naruto about his experience with the Mangekyo.
'Think of the most painful death imaginable, times it by a thousand, and then imagine living through it.'
I knew I couldn't let them close to me, but I didn't know how to stop them.
"In my world, I control time and space. You are at my mercy." It seemed to echo through the clones. I felt like my head was crowded, one too many presences.
"But this isn't your world." A voice similar to mine spoke calmly as I could feel power soaring through the negative world.
'GET OUT OF MY HEAD!' The words echoed around us as a white light burst from behind me dispersing the shadows.
Whiplash hit me as my mind was free, but I could tell my body wasn't. I felt the angry chakra burning from the man strangling me as I stared into his eyes without fear. In a rush of confidence I grinned at him, feeling the powerful aura darken even more. He let go, but I wasn't dropping, I felt the air rushing around me as I flipped backwards landing crouched.
'Snap!' I bit my lip, stifling a shout as I stood my ground, my left wrist breaking from the landing. I could feel heat on my face as I looked up fire heading towards me. I didn't have time to think as I was suddenly to the right of the flaming path. I looked up as Sasuke set me on my feet before turning back to Itachi.
"Get out of here," He growled in anger. But I just shook my head. "Anbu." He scoffed. "Konoha is lowering their standards." Anger filled through me at his statement. I'll show him.
"I can buy you a distraction." My voice was harsh but quiet as I ran to the left, Itachi's eyes still on Sasuke.
'Good.' I smiled as I filled my right fist with the smallest amout of Chakra that I could allow before punching the ground. The forest floor shook before it exploded under Itachi. His eyes flashed to me and I grinned again.
Sakura -2
Itachi -...well... you get the point.
I looked back to Sasuke who was staring at me as well. I thought I saw shock flash across his face but it was gone as soon as I was facing him fully.
So much for a distraction... I raised my eyebrow pointing after Itachi.
"Hn." He grunted turning after his brother. I try to help him and he just stares at me like an idiot.
"Tch, so annoying." I stopped dead at the comment before laughter shook me. Oh the irony.
Slowly I made my way back to my team healing my wounds so that i could be of some use. They were both so strong and even after all of my training i still couldn't hold a candle to them.
And then it hit me. I could cancel out Itachi's Tsukiyomi, one of the most powerful doujutsu's imaginable and it was powerless against me. Pride ran through me at that. Shikamaru really was a genius, that fact could be the only reason why he would send me out, because he had seen me fight with Ino, he knew what I could do. Probably figured it out on his own as well, the little bastard. It was a sore subject for me, I didn't like being more of a freak then I already was.
"Sakura!"
"Sakura-chan?" I heard voices calling my name from a distance.
"Naruto! Kakashi-sensei! Over here!" They materialized from the trees a second later, an overgrown fish slung over Kakashi's shoulder. They both looked mostly unharmed to my relief.
"Thanks for leaving me with the Uchiha. Assholes." I mumbled. Naruto scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin while Kakashi stuck his nose in his perverted book and pretended he wasn't listening.
"How did you get away?" Naruto's face turned serious as he grabbed my shoulders, shaking me lightly. "We were coming to look for you. Where's your mask?" Shit my mask.
"Well... It's back in the clearing." I wasn't sure if I could tell him the rest but it's not like it was a secret... "I thought I was a goner..." I wiped my face with my hands. "But Sasuke showed up... Sasuke saved me." It was my turn to grab his shoulders. I shook him so hard his teeth rattled. "Do you understand? It means there's still hope for him yet!" I shouted smiling.
"You saw Sasuke?" I nodded enthusiastically. "Then let's go get the bastard!" We started to head in the direction where I came from when Kakashi's voice stopped us.
"Sakura, Naruto." He spoke condescendingly. "What are we going to do about him?" He dropped said shark man in the dirt.
"Well he's dead isn't he?" I barked.
"Of course he's dead." Kakashi scoffed.
"Then leave him here he isn't going anywhere." I smirked at Kakashi's exasperated gaze. "Or better yet call a team to pick him up."
"Hows your chakra?" He questioned scrutinizing me.
"Not as good as Naruto's but its hanging in there."
"Come on old man!" Naruto shouted and Kakashi frowned in defeat.
"First we must contact Tsunade and receive orders." His eye crinkled sharingan locked behind his forehead protector.
"Go ahead." I waved my hand in a sweeping motion, gesturing to him."In fact allow me." I scraped my thumb against my teeth drawing blood. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." I slammed my hands on the ground.
"How may I be of service, Sakura-san?" A small slug spoke from the ground.
"I need to converse with Tsunade-sama." I spoke quickly.
"Right away." I waited until her optical tentacles twitched signalling that we were connected.
"Uchiha Sasuke has been spotted, following after Akatsuki member Uchiha Itachi. Hoshigaki Kisame's body is ready for examination." Again we waited as Katsuyu relayed the message.
"Tsunade-sama said to proceed. Leave Hoshigaki Kisame at check point D and carry on. She will be sending a retrieval squad as well as a backup team." I watched her face scrunch in distaste, probably editing the swears out. I imagined Tsunade yelling as Shizune to get her another bottle of Sake and then throwing the one she had in her hand at the younger Nin as she rushed though the door. I stifled a giggle before nodding at the slug.
"Thank you." She was gone a second later in a cloud of smoke. "Shall we go Naruto?" I smiled innocently.
"Bunch of little brats, I should have never passed you." I heard Kakashi mumble under his mask.
"I heard that, besides you ditched me with Itachi." I shot back. "You deserve to be out smarted a little. Do you know how hard it is fighting someone at that bastard's level without a sharingan?" He remained silent knowing he knew how hard it was to fight Itachi with a sharingan. "That's what I thought. And not being able to look in his eyes sucked to." I didn't bother mentioning that it didn't matter if I looked in his eyes anymore... mostly.
"Let's go!" Naruto shouted throwing his fist into the air. I nodded, twisting my pink hair quickly up into a knot with two senbon. We made our way back to the clearing; retrieving my tiger mask I placed it over my face once again before I took my place in the line. We reached the checkpoint quickly and once we were there I sat down in the grass and began healing the gash in my leg. I was shocked that the Anbu were already there, must have been on there way back from a mission. Kakashi handed the dead criminal over, and they nodded before disappearing into the forest.
"Not a very talkitive bunch are they?" Naruto commented about the departing anbu squad.
"Just because you wear your emotions on your sleeve doesn't mean that every anbu team is like that." I didn't bother mentioning my team knowing that they were a little out of the loop of sanity as well. I smiled sadly at the thought that team sevens reuniting missions were only temporary, and very rare, seeing as how we all had duties to our other teams now. Usually Sai was present on the missions that the former team seven were sent on but he was busy this time around, to bad, I could have really used him when I was fighting Itachi.
We held silence for a while as we ran through the trees tracking the two Uchiha brothers.
"I wonder who Granny Tsunade will send as back up." Naruto asked when we finally caught the tracks of Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha. Just follow the demolition.
"Don't call her that!" I yelled at him while Kakashi answered his question.
"Whoever Hokage-sama sees fit." Kakashi sighed. Probably still sore about losing our argument.
"ITACHI!" Sasuke! I sped up as fast as I could, gaining a good hundred metres ahead of my team. I broke through the clearing first, skidding to a stop as Sasuke ran at his brother, vile words escaping his mouth.
"Sakura!" I heard my teammates yell after me but I had already taken action.
"Earth Release: Rock Prison Technique!" I shouted slamming my hands into the ground. Domes of earth and rock folded over the two fighting within seconds. I would have to thank Kakashi for his practice against his sharingan. I ran to the domes collecting chakra into my fist before I hit the ground in front of them sending chunks of earth up into the domes filing the space. Anyone else would be at least injured, possibly even dead, but Itachi simply broke through the rock as easy as if it was butter.
"Chidori!" The sound of birds filled the air, the rocks tumbling around the younger raven haired Uchiha.
"Sakura!" He yelled. But I cut him off.
"This is Konoha business Sasuke. Stand down." Kakashi spoke stepping up to take the fight to him, his glare being enough to focus the younger Uchihas attention for a minute.
"Ah, Sakura, it's nice of you to join us." Itachi's smirk chilled me to the bone, I glared bravely into his eyes as Naruto took up my flank.
"Leave her out of this!" Sasuke barked. "I told you to get out of here. What part of my departure from that village did you not understand?" I knew he was trying to get under my skin but I simply smiled at him, an emotionless contemplating smile, rivaling even Sai's.
I cocked my head at him, green eyes mocking, before I turned back to Itachi, a plan already formulating in my head.
"Uchiha Itachi, by order of the Hokage, We am placing you under arrest, you will be taken back to Konoha where you will be sentenced for your crimes." I could see his eyes flair, if only slightly, I had hit a nerve. I blinked out of habit and when my eyes refocused he was standing before me, his chest almost brushing mine. I pushed myself into the air and back out of instinct, realizing a second to late what a mistake that was. I felt something sharp pierce my lower abdomen and as I looked down I could see the sharp end of a katana protruding from my waist, ironically the exact same place that his ex Akatsuki member stabbed me, only on the opposite side. My back arched involuntarily as I bit my lip from the pain. I looked over my shoulder, staring straight into Itachi's eyes. I couldn't beat him with speed or strength, and he definitely bested me in Ninjutsu, so all that was left was Genjutsu. Being a natural helped but still his Sharingan would cancel everything I could throw at him, but what if I could somehow trap him within his own genjutsu? Did his Tsukuyomi work like Ino's mind transfer? Yes it was a eye technique and not a ninja art but it basically had the same principle –invade the mind. I could push him out just like with Ino, but did that mean that anything that happened to him inside his world would happen to him outside as well? Is that why he always puts on the illusion of being tied up so we couldn't fight back? If I were to knock him out before he had a chance to escape would he fall unconscious in reality as well? It's a possibility, only one way to find out, I watched his Mangekyo spin; only this time it felt stronger, more secure. Good, by thinking he wasn't going to underestimate me he fell right into my trap.
We entered the negative world once again and he started towards me anger fully unleashed now. I closed my eyes and imagined two giant white arms wrapping around him and holding him in place, and as I opened my eyes surprisingly the sight before me mirrored my thoughts. Adding to the illusion I imagined medical chakra filling the palms of my imagined weapon before pushing the green substance into his skull and overloading his brain, rendering him useless. I watched as he sunk to the ground before the darkness overwhelmed my blurry eyes, sucking me in as well.
Well there it is folks.
I guess this will end up being a long story.
Hope you enjoyed,
Let me know what you though.
-engineFAILURE
