Sasuke Uchiha was fast, very fast. With the Curse Mark, he had been able to save his teammates from Zaku's attack, and then attack himself, all within a time span of around fifteen seconds. But confronting him personally, not from afar, it was a new experience. Everything body part was a weapon, every outstretched limp meant to come in as a strike.

His training in the Land of Sound had been brutal, as only he, Zaku, and Kin were the only ones who emerged alive to even partake in the Chunin Exams. But even the final test, his fight against Sakon, the leader of the Sound Four, was cast aside in his and Sasuke's clash.

Uchiha lanced out with a kunai, and Dosu blocked it with the Melody Arm. The metal grinded, screeched, and Dosu released it. "Resounding Echo Drill, Tier Three!" Perhaps it was unwise, for him to release that much chakra in a single attack. The next level, Tier Four, would be enough to drain him dry, as he had not fully recovered from his battle with Shikamaru. He also didn't want to end the fight so early, not when he was actually facing his prey...

At any rate, Sasuke was unfazed by the assault. Though the ground cracked and broke with the release of chakra, Uchiha jumped away just in time, saved only by his Sharigan's ability to predict his attack. However, the effects of Dosu's attack were quite extensive; he suddenly clutched his ear as the edge of the sound's sphere reached him.

He's recovered some, but not a lot. If I can damage his ears enough, to throw him off balance and to wreck his chakra system, I'll be able to land a finishing blow...

There was no pause in their fight, however. Sasuke ran forward again, with that alarming speed of his, and this time Dosu couldn't react in time to block it. The black-haired nemesis struck him in the chin, sending him into the air and back onto the ground painfully.

The pain of being struck by him... it's almost... welcoming? What am I even thinking?

"What's the matter, that's all you've got?" Uchiha taunted. "I've taken out a bunch of you Sound ninja freaks, don't tell me you'll fold as easily as the rest of them?"

Dosu wiped felt his bandages stain with blood. His aiming is very precise, looking only for critical points in the body to hit. I need to avoid taijutsu, then. I'm competent, but not strong enough for meet him head on, especially with those eyes of his looking at my every move...

He felt the weight of the new, fresh Melody Arm against his chest, where he had stored it away. A blow from that would be enough to take him down, but I can't put it on in time-!

He ducked, rolled forward across the dirt and grass, avoiding Uchiha's oncoming fist. However, he did not see the sweeping leg underneath him, and his controlled roll turned into a confused tumble. How to get him?

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Again with fire?! His chakra is recovering this quickly? The heat seared his back, felt his straw cloak catch a few embers as he again rolled away from the march of flame. The dirt quickly choked the embers out, but he cursed his predicament. I don't have a lot of chakra left... perhaps it was a mistake to confront him now. Why couldn't I just wait for the final matches?

The sounds of battle around them were growing in intensity and sound as the Invasion of Konoha picked up its momentum. He could see the silver-haired Kakashi Hatake battling Sound and Wind ninja alike in the stands, and on the ground in the arena, the proctor was attempting to land an attack on the masked ANBU traitor. And even in the distance, he could hear great destruction in the village...

"Come on, fight back!" Sasuke was again reaching for him, and this time it wasn't a fist, but an open hand. It gripped the front of Dosu's cloak and he clutched it firmly, holding him in place. His knee came up and hit Dosu in the stomach, causing the air to rush out of his lungs. Unable to react in time, he watched as Uchiha brought his other fist down onto his head, driving him slightly into the ground.

I can't let him get the upper hand here... but I can't get away from him, not when he's so fast! How am I going to get around this ridiculous speed of his? He tried to pick himself up, but the weight of his injuries brought him down again. How...

Uchiha planted a foot on his back, and he fought the urge to yell as he felt a bruised rib come under pressure. "You clowns are all the same," Uchiha said smartly. "Our encounter in the Forest of Death was just a fluke, wasn't it? You and your team wouldn't have posed any threat if I had been awake."

Dosu made to open his mouth, but a horrific thought stopped him cold. What if that was the whole point of us going to attack Sasuke? Orochimaru didn't see us as anything but pawns... what if we were just supposed to die there? It's not like we had any job afterwards... perhaps it was supposed to end there...

"Crawl back where you came from," Uchiha said. "I don't know why I'm wasting my time here with this. My village needs help because you fools are here attacking it. This fight is over, on to the next."

NO! That was when he was in control, when everything I did was because of him. This is my time to rule, the first time for me to take control of my life... and I say I'm going to KILL SASUKE UCHIHA!

Sasuke took his foot off Dosu's back, but before it was even an inch in the air, Dosu had clasped it with both hands, having whirled around with incredible speed. His gauntlet, full of the sound of Sasuke's jeers, hummed gently.

It was just like when he had beaten Choji in the final exams. The human body is 65% water, and sound vibrates through water rather well. As long as I'm touching your body, you're vulnerable!

He flicked the Melody Arm.

"Resounding Echo Drill: Tier Three!"

Uchiha was blasted into the air like a firework, his eyes going wide as he suddenly saw all the chakra built up into Dosu's gauntlet. His leg gave a violent jerk in Dosu's hand before lifting off, the muscles reacting to slowly to the intense and close-range vibration, destroying itself as it tried to do its job. His leg was most likely dead on the inside, at the very least his muscles were ripped to shreds.

I... I did it. His one eye almost watered with relief as Sasuke's body finally hit the ground some ten meters away. It's... I beat him.

As if in a dream state, he got up, oblivious to the pain in his ribs that ordinarily would've prevented him from walking. The damage from Uchiha's blows had been devastating, but it did not stop him. He limped over until he gazed down onto his defeated opponent.

Sasuke looked up at him, but his neck wouldn't respond correctly. Instead of just gazing up, it sort of twisted around, dragging his face across the dirt ground. His entire nervous system is a wreck. The vibrations are stuck inside his body; he can't control his muscles.

He had learned how to snap a neck. It was simple, had done it a few times. Death was not an obstacle, just something that had to be done to complete an objective. But...

If I kill him, what then? All he could envision was Sasuke Uchiha in his life, his long-time opponent, them meeting and fighting time and time again. He had pictured his new life like this...

I told myself I would kill him... but that's not what I really wanted, was it? No... it's him. He wanted me to try and kill him, to see how far I would go against him. To test my limits...

So the question is... with him in my power... do I do it?

He took out a kunai, and he saw Uchiha flinch. Dosu looked around. There was no one, even if they saw what he was about to do, who could reach and stop him in time. But his arm hesitated, the kunai shivered in his hand. This is my chance, why am I hesitating!

Kill him, Dosu. His heart leaped to his throat. It was Orochimaru's voice speaking within him. It's what you want, isn't it? So do it! Prove your independence from me, do it and I will let you go free!

No, you don't want this! You want Uchiha! This is some sort of trap; I won't buy into it.

The monster laughed gently. Perhaps, but you could replace him, Dosu. You have potential, more than either of your pathetic teammates... you've just beaten Uchiha yourself. You've proven who's stronger... there is no need to contest it. End his miserable life, you will be my new prize!

"I..." The kunai began its descent, Uchiha made a failed attempt to move, only managed to flop onto his side.

Yes...

He dropped the kunai, not from trembling fingers, but from a controlled impulse. No, I haven't proven myself the victor. Not when we're at pre-exhausted levels like this. When we are both at our peak strength, and one falls, then I will be satisfied. And I'll never come back to you; if I kill Sasuke, it's for myself.

He closed his mind on the angry hiss. My choice.

Rushing footsteps to the left, and some more directly behind. The release of the Tier 3 Drill left him to tired, though he could hear the approaching attack. A sandal from a raised foot connected with the side of his head, sent him spinning away. However, he caught himself on his hands, spun on his fingers, and flipped onto the ground.

It was Naruto Uzimake and Sakura Hurano. His teammates... He abruptly felt the presence of being alone. Where's my teammates...

"Get your hands off my friend!" Naruto shouted angrily. "What's the big idea, attacking him like that? What's your problem with him?"

"Naruto, that's the guy who tried to attack us while you were unconscious in the Forest of the Death," Sakura whispered, but Dosu's keen hearing could still make out the words.

There was precious little time to understand that the moment after Naruto had spoken those words, he was charging towards him. He ducked, and the Leaf genin flew over him. However, Dosu heard the timed landing, the skrit skrit across the dirt as he whirled around.

He's recovered very quickly… impressive.

He swung his own arm around, and the Melody Arm caught Naruto's fist. The clash brought out an involuntary burst from the Arm, and Naruto gave a shout as he clutched his throbbing ears.

The pink-haired one, the one who had confronted him and his team first in the Forest of Death, was his next opponent. Sakura, that was her name. She was waving three shuriken in each hand, and Dosu raised the gauntlet protectively as she threw them all. However, as she did so, he saw her form blink, a lot like static would on the television, then refocus.

He saw through the deception immediately, and he jumped into the air, but he wasn't quick enough to stop the real Sakura's attack from nicking his left leg. He grunted, and with his right leg, he brought his foot across her face in midair. She went tumbling away, where Naruto caught her-

He's up already? The disorientation should have lasted much longer, especially in such a close range!

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Dosu blinked as six more Naruto's came out of thin air to confront him. The arena was somewhat thinned out now, as more horizontal bodies outweighed those that still stood. In the stands, the battle was also dying down; Kakashi and his friend had severely depleted the amount of Sand and Sound ninja in the stands. And in the distance, the amount of explosions and war had grown to slow motion. It would seem Konoha was thwarting the surprise attack quite well.

I don't even want to fight these two! But they're not giving me to much of a chance to even defend myself. They're quick on their feet… with Uchiha's prowess, they would be quite the formidable combo.

Naruto leveled a finger at Dosu. "You've picked the wrong village and team to mess with," he crowed.

"You idiot, I wasn't even going to finish your teammate!" Dosu retorted. "I was about to leave him there!"

Naruto blinked, confused. "What? Why the heck were you fighting him so intensely then? Don't try and lie your way out of this, you creep!"

Dosu looked up at the top box, where the enormous black barrier jutsu still stood in place. Where the Sound Four are, so is Orochimaru… He suddenly had an idea, to cover his dilemma.

"I've… been under the influence, the direct control, of Orochimaru." The startled gasp from Naruto and Sakura gave him time to continue his story. Plus, it wasn't all that false; he was able to draw elements from his actual slavery to the Sannin.

"Orochimaru used a mind control jutsu on me and my team to kill Sasuke, and anyone in the way. We had... no control over our actions." His teeth clashed on that last bit. Oh, we had every choice. But we were so dedicated to that... that... monster, we couldn't imagine another path.

The blonde seemed to be buying into it, but the pink-haired girl was adamant. "Oh come on, you expect us to believe that? There's no jutsu in the world that could do something like that, give such utter control over another! Only an idiot would so fanatical."

Her words were stabbing into him, and he fought the urge to continue the fight. No, if I want to continue into the next rounds to battle Sasuke again, I need to plead my case like this.

"Believe what you want," Dosu said aloud. "I've told you how it is."

"Then why is the jutsu ending now?"

"Ah..." She's got me.

At that moment, the top box gave a loud, screeching hiss. All three turned to look as Kakashi Hatake and his bushy-browed companion gave devastating blows to the black barrier surrounding the box, and the barrier emitted something almost like a gasp. Then, like a great sheet of glass, splintered and broke apart, disintegrating into nothingness.

And Kakashi's attack was just like Sasuke's... safe to say who taught him that attack.

Inside the top box was a disturbing scene. The Third Hokage was dead, strewn on the ground, barely visible from Dosu's vantage point. And his opponent...

"My God, his arms!" He could not contain his thoughts.

The Sound Four, their barrier ruined, rushed in to their devastated master who was shouting curses and threats at the motionless body of the Third Hokage. They picked him up, and Dosu saw a trio of ANBU rush to pursue. He saw Kidomaru give a net to stop them, and then the fivesome of evil leaped out of the field and out of sight.

Then... "I think you have your answer, girl," Dosu bit out slowly, the words coming out broken. His shock at seeing the great, powerful Orochimaru wounded so grievously had really shaken him And there was something else on the top box, two very familiar people who were coated in ash and gray scraps...two people whom he had been with for a long time . "With Orochimaru beaten, the jutsu faded away... I'm... free."

But the words sounded false in his mouth. He gave no glance at Sasuke uchiha as he, finally recovered from the attack, got up and was rushed away by his teammates. He gave no words of defense as the proctor, finished with the enemy nin, approached and demanded an explanation for his attack on the genin. And he gave no resistance when a duo of ANBU agents arrived and clasped his hands firmly behind him as they agreed to take him into custody for interrogation.

In fact, the only thing he really gave at this point was a single tear as he registered who the two other bodies were in the Top Box.