Chapter Four
Sasuke stares down at the brick walkway, a look of pure horror in his eyes. The spot nearest his front door glistened with a sheen of red. Is this...blood? The raven's heart leaps into his throat. I heard Naruto's voice last night! He suddenly remembers.
Sasuke jumps over the blood and spins a full three-sixty, trying to see where the blood had come from. Surely enough, further into his yard is another smear of crimson. It looked fresh... And further still, is yet another splotch of red. A trail? He frowns. It was almost to convenient...but he wasn't going to ignore it.
He'd never forgive himself if Naruto really was in danger, and had needed his help from the start...
-xXx-
As Sasuke takes off sprinting into the woods, following the trail Naruto had left for him, the blonde nods, approvingly. See? I told you so, teme! And, with a quick glance at his surroundings, he too runs to the forest. Following a trail he'd left for himself so he'd arrive at the same time Sasuke would...
-xXx-
It only takes a few minutes for both boys to arrive at their destinations. Sasuke immediately finds the 'gift' Naruto had left for him...
"Naruto..." Sasuke stares at the ground below his feet. It was soaked, drenched with red. Blood... He swallows, nervously, feeling the panic building in his chest. Yeah...something was definately wrong here! The Uchiha's eyes drift away from the crimson puddle. He didn't want to think about the, very real, possibility that it could belong to his best friend. But just then...what was that?
A spark of light, like a ray of sun glinting off metal, catches his eye. He frowns, crossing the grass and kneeling beside the bush the reflection had come from. The breath catches in his throat. No...no way...! A Konoha headband was dangling from one of the branches. A firmiliar nick in the plating confirms his suspicion. This was Naruto's headband, for sure. And it too, was dripping with fresh blood. Naruto...! Sasuke's hands ball into fists, shaking with fear. What happened here?!
An image of his best friend's sunny face suddenly finds the forefront of his mind. Admit it, Sasuke! Naruto had barked, angrily. You'd be worried if something happened to me! Yes...he was right. Sasuke was more than worried. He was terrified! What if Naruto was hurt? With all this blood... Sasuke swallows. Naruto could be laying dead somewhere!
Without a moment's thought, he bolts back out of the woods and toward the training field. He would need Kakashi's help if he was going to track Naruto down. Sasuke could only hope he wasn't too late...
-xXx-
A little smirk crawls over the boy's tanned face. His eyes gleaming with mischief. "Hmph! You wouldn't be scared, eh? Sasuke-teme?" Naruto laughs as he drops down from his perch in the trees. Hm...he's probably gonna go tell Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan about the blood... His smile melts. They were really worried earlier...I didn't want to scare them. Only that jerk, Sasuke. With a resigned sigh, he says, "Maybe I should just-"
Crunch!
"What was-" Naruto turns around, thinking maybe Sasuke had returned for some reason, when a hand clamps down on the back of his neck. A crushing weight slams him to the forest floor and suddenly he's face down in the dirt. With a feeling like someone's knee digging into his spine. "Ugh! Geez, Sasuke! Okay, I'm sorry there's no need to-"
A pair of lips brush his ear, the feeling of his attacker's breath whispers over his cheek. "Did you miss me, Konoha brat?"
Naruto's body goes rigid. He recognized that voice...one of the rouge ninja who'd managed to escape during their mission! He immediately steels himself, preparing for a fight.
"You know," She purrs. "You gave us quite a hard time back there. A few of my friends even got hurt..."
He growls furiously, struggling against her weight. But no luck, he was pinned. Her grip tightens, almost painfully.
"I've been waiting for one of you Leaf Ninja to wander off on your own...and lucky me...it was you! You're the one who hurt my little brother...!"
Naruto swears under his breath, still pushing to get her off of him. Kuso! What do I do?! I can't move at all!
There's a weirdly firmiliar sound, like metal clinking against metal. Something cold and...sharp? touches his neck...His body instantly goes as still as a board and he stops his fighting.
The woman's voice turns hard when she says, "I oughta slit your throat right here...let your friends find you dead or close to it...by the time they get to you, there'll be no saving you." She presses the blade of the kunai closer to his skin.
Naruto's heart was hammering painfully fast in his chest. Slamming against his ribs with each powerful thud. What do I do?! What do I do?!
"Oh-ho! Your little heart's beating pretty quick now, boy." She comments. A hint of morbid humor in her voice. "Are you scared?" With a tilt of her head, she whispers, "You should be..."
"Gg-" Naruto gasps when she suddenly draws the tip of the blade along his jugular vein, drawing little circles in his flesh.
"This might hurt just a little..." She giggles, angling the knife to make a single, clean slice. Ending his life in a matter of seconds. "That's what you get...for hurting my little brother...!"