It's silent again...after the sound of metal clashing and the enemy screaming out his jutsu. Kakashi froze for a moment, because his students are behind him and the "Living nightmare" jutsu sounds like the type of trouble they didn't need. He quickly incapacitates his current foe and whips around. From what he can tell the damned jutsu was aimed for Sasuke and again memories of his last genjutsu encounter are far too fresh; but the boy is unscathed if not quietly fuming.
"Idiot! You can't just run in there!" Sakura calls out from the side. Sasuke has downed the caster and Kakashi rushes over to hold him. Naruto has been splayed across the field against a tree. He rolls up right muttering curses under his breath.
"Why? I had him!" Naruto grumbles walking a bit towards where Sauske is standing. The dark haired boy scoffs. Kakashi stands over their enemy securing his bonds but all the while gives Naruto a measured look. 'That had to of hit him but he seems fine...'
"Ne Naruto, Sakura is right...you took that jutsu without even thinking about what it may do..." Though his eyes are crinkled in a smile, Kakashi has some reservations. Naruto seems fine but he had never seen this jutsu used before. 'Did it miss him?'
"Eh? What do you mean? I'm fine!" Naruto turns around with a whistle.
"Though I sure got some distance, what a crappy jutsu though, that didn't even hurt!" He laughs it off looking over at where he had landed. Sakura makes an exasperated noise and turns away from the blond.
"Kakashi-sensei what do we do now? We weren't supposed to run into any enemy nin..." Kakashi turns to the girl with a sigh. It was true, it was supposed to be simple delivery mission. The enemy didn't seem to be expecting them either but attacked nonetheless, meaning they were not supposed to be in fire nation territory. Luckily they were on their way back to Konoha or this would have derailed the mission. Now they just have extra baggage. He could call for anbu assistance but there was only two to deal with. Kakashi lifted their now captive onto his knees, he was still conscious while his partner was out of it.
"Well we are just going to have to carry our new guests back seeing how they were uninvited. Time to move out my cute little genin." Sasuke nods without comment; but suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He turns to Naruto who still is looking over into the forest.
"Let's go dobe. You can carry the other one." The blond doesn't respond. He's just standing there, a kunai in his hand, but this is probably the most still Sasuke's ever seen him. Walking to him he can see the blond's head is down, chin to chest.
"Come on dobe, what are you do-" Sasuke trails off getting close enough to see the boy up close. His head slowly, almost painfully lifts and he's staring straight ahead. His normally bright baby blues are vacant and pupiless; just a cloudy, washed out blue. It's so disturbing that Sasuke takes an involuntary step back.
"Naruto?" Kakashi was securing the prisoner but stills hearing the normally stoic boy's change of tone. Looking up he now sees how Naruto's shoulders are heaving, like he's struggling to breathe. From Sasuke's point of view, Naruto's empty eyes widen and he's holding onto his kunai for dear life. It's when suddenly tears begin streaming down his face does Sasuke snap out of his shock.
"Kakashi?!" Both Sakura and Kakashi move toward the two boys in a panic. Sakura's eyes grow in size along with Naruto's. Kakashi is just as taken back but remains serious. It's a snicker that tears his eyes away from the little blond. The enemy caster is smiling in their direction, his eyes mirroring his victims; pupilless and clouded, but his smile is malicious and satisfied. Kakashi is at the kneeling man's side in a flash.
"What is this?" The man laughs eyes locked on the trembling boy, whose labored breathing has gotten even worse.
"Nothing you can do now." Kakashi strikes the nin and he collapses, eye contact broken. The jonin wheels back around to his students, but nothing has changed. What ever this jutsu is can't simply be ended by stopping its caster. He approaches just as Naruto bursts into movement and screams. He falls back, slashing and clawing at himself with terrible screams of pain. Sakura is frozen, crying herself. Sasuke goes into action with Kakashi to restrain the struggling boy.
"Naruto! Naruto!" Physical pain hasn't brought him out of this state. Now Kakashi is truly fearful in being unable to save his student. It's the malicious surge of dark chakra that has him tearing his headband up to inspect the boy. Sasuke's eyes are wide with his own sharingan to the side. They both can see the mass of dark chakra surging in the boy's gut as they hold him down. It appears to be surrounding the enemy's foreign chakra. Kakashi doesn't know if this is for the best, but Naruto falls deathly silent and limp out of nowhere. His eyes roll into the back of his head and his screams echo in the field as the trio stand by helpless.
