CHAPTER 7
Sasuke
I didn't know what this guy was made of but it couldn't be human.
His speed was extraordinary, possibly faster than Misaki's. But it was his strength and the way he moved that I couldn't grasp, like he was barely making an effort yet I was thrown around like a mere doll. Even after fighting Naruto for hours, I didn't feel this much pain and exhaustion, and we've only started not even two minutes ago. With Naruto, our fight had been mostly steady, our punches and jutsu counterbalancing each other, slowly growing in intensity as the fight required.
On the other hand, this was clearly a one-sided fight and I was on the losing end. No matter how hard I try to hit this man, it felt like I was hitting an unyielding and unbreakable surface, my strikes barely doing any effect on him.
The sudden loud choke coming from Misaki made me turn my face towards her. She was being overpowered by Funami, trapped between the rock behind her and the blonde, and she was taking a good beating. It wasn't like her to be in that kind of position. Since I was a child I had seen her fighting and not once I have seen her so vulnerable.
She had always been ahead of her opponents thanks to her innate skills but this time, her movements were sloppy and with no control. I knew she wasn't invincible because I heard about her fight against the Six Paths of Pain after they destroyed Konoha and I also saw her lose against Madara. She bled like anyone else as he stabbed her with a katana, just like he had done to me earlier. In my case, I had many counts of lost but fights compared to her it was nothing, she had only two. However, since the pair had made their appearance, Misaki had acted strangely, even scared so I wondered if they'd done something to her senses or chakra so she wasn't able to anticipate the enemy's movements and intentions as usual.
Misaki's chakra control was usually strong, she knew how to quickly redirect it towards the point of impact if she was unable to avoid getting hit, reducing the effect by protecting herself, something that didn't happen very often but that would drive her enemies to despair after struggling to land a hit on her. But now, as I looked at her chakra network, I could see this was barely moving and rapidly fading thanks to the blows that Funami was putting her through.
Ignoring my opponent, I made a move towards Misaki but right after my first step I got slammed from above for doing so. The force of the hooded man's strike probably broke a few of my ribs as my body hit the floor. I tasted the iron in my bloody mouth mixed with dirt from the ground when I spat the blood to clear my mouth. When I looked up, Misaki was closing her lifeless eyes and not in the way someone would do when falling asleep. My body turned cold at the sight.
"Where do you think you're going?" The man asked as he stood by my side, the sole of his foot pressing down on my shoulder to keep me there. With a kick, he turned my body around so I was laying on my back. None of my limbs responded and I wondered how many bones this man had broken in such a short time.
My eyes widened when I saw his hand slowly reaching out to my eyes. I felt like a déjà vu from the time nii-san made the same movement when he defeated me in our final battle. At the time, I thought he would take my Sharingan but because I had no strength left to move and every cell in my body hurt, I could only stay there and wait for the outcome. Itachi simply poked my forehead with a bloody finger like he always did when I was a kid but I doubted this man would do the same.
"Not so fast." Another man said.
I wanted to look at the newcomer who had just spoken but my eyes were glued to the hand that had frozen a few inches away from my face.
"I thought the whole point of this was to take Sasuke's Sharingan." The man who still hadn't removed his hand away replied.
"Yes. But there's a reason to why we took the girl. To kill the one he cares the most in front of his eyes and unlock its true potential."
Blood boiled in my veins. To think these people would use Sakura for that purpose. I stopped myself from turning to look at Misaki. It was a blessing that they didn't know about our relationship, that I considered Misaki family and that killing her would also unleash the power of my doujutsu. I could still feel her chakra so I knew she was still there.
"She's escaped but I'm going to get her back. Keep an eye on Sasuke for now." The man added before I heard him walk away.
The hooded man took something out of his pocket and it turned out to be a syringe. I didn't like the look of it.
"There's a few shinobi on their way as back up." He said looking over at where Funami and Misaki were. "I doubt Magire will be able to do accomplish his purpose. However, I'll be able to make a synthetic Sharingan in the meantime, it'll be enough for now. Father will be happy with that."
I guessed this Magire was the person behind Sakura's kidnapping and I made a mental note to never forget his voice so I could make him pay for what he'd done if I got out of this.
In a quick movement, the syringe stabbed into my left eye and the pull that I felt from it almost made me puke. It felt like my life core was being taken away from me. After he did that, he took another syringe and repeated the action from my right eye, the one with the Rinnegan. Not only that, he applied some sort of jutsu that left me partially blind, as I realised when I opened my sore eyes.
Everything was blurry as if I wasn't wearing the glasses that would correct my now poor sight and not only that, I knew the Sharingan had been deactivated and my Rinnegan wasn't able to see the chakra flow that it usually did.
"They're coming." He said to his partner who didn't answer and I heard the rustling of the nearby tree's leaves as they seemed to quickly teleport out of here. I was relieved for whoever was on his way, whether friend or foe, at least it mean that my eyes were safe for now.
I rolled over and spotted Misaki unconscious form, her back against the wall but her body was bent over to her right side, her long hair covering most of her face.
I tried to ignore the pain in my body as I crawled over to her. I wished I was able to read her chakra before I got to her because I was scared to find out she was beyond help. As I got closer, the weight of my heart was lifted after I saw the slight movement of her chest through my blurry sight. If she was breathing it meant that she was still alive.
My body gave up on me as soon as I reached out and held her cold hand. I heard steps coming our way and I hoped it was Sakura and the others coming to rescue us as I wouldn't be able to do anything against another enemy at this point. My instincts were telling me it would be our comrades but I couldn't look because my eyes were now shut, my brain following right after.
"Sakura, you should go home and rest. Sasuke-kun will be fine, his injuries had been healed, he just needs some time before his mind can wake up." My hazy mind registered Tsunade's voice say to her.
I then realised there was a warm hand wrapped around mine.
"Sakura…" I tried to say but it only came as a mumble. The hand's hold tightened.
"Sasuke-kun? Sasuke-kun!" She said impatiently. Probably a bit louder than my ears could handle.
"Always so annoying…" The left side of my mouth lifted up before I slowly opened my eyes. My eyes hadn't recovered yet but I managed to see Sakura's teary eyes as she looked at me.
"You're okay!" She cried before throwing her arms around my neck. I let myself enjoy the warmth of her body against mine and wrapped my arm around her. To think she had been in danger because of me…
"Where's Misaki?" I asked against her silky hair.
"She's fine. Just like you, Tsunade and I had healed her extensive injuries and it won't be long before she wakes up." She answered as she leant back and motioned to her right. I then realised Misaki was on the bed next to mine, Kakashi sleeping in the chair by her bed.
"When we found you, you were holding onto her hand and even in your unconscious state, you wouldn't let go of her, so we thought to keep you close… What is it?" Sakura asked when she noticed me squinting my eyes as I looked over to where Misaki was. She was about a metre away from my bed but my eyes didn't seem to focus.
"My eyes…" I answered as I rubbed my hand over them to try to clear the haze. It didn't work.
"You're eyes?" Tsunade questioned as Sakura looked at me dumbfounded.
"There were two shinobi that attacked us, one was Funami, the woman that infiltrated the village earlier on, and the other was a man whose face was hidden by a hood." I began to explain.
"Only two people did this to you?" Sakura interrupted me.
"Actually, it was just one, the man, since Funami just went after Misaki. He took some substance out of both my eyes with a syringe and my since then my sight has been compromised in addition to the inability to activate my Sharingan."
"That's terrible news. I have never encountered a wielder of the Sharingan with an eye injury. I'll need to investigate and see if I can find a solution if it's not a temporary side effect from the injection." Tsunade said.
"He might have also applied a jutsu or chakra into my eyes. I can't really remember it right now." I added.
"Oh, Sasuke. You're awake, I'm glad." Kakashi said as he slowly woke up and sat up on his seat. His voice, in turn, seemed to stir Misaki.
"Kakashi…" She whispered waking up.
"I'm here." He said simply, grabbing her hand with both of his. "You gave us quite a scare but I'm glad you're back."
"I am… Ouch." Misaki pressed the side of her temple with her free hand and closed her eyes in pain.
"What is it?" Kakashi asked worryingly.
"It's fine, it's fine. I think I just need to rest some more. Can we go home?" She answered. Kakashi looked up at Tsunade to confirm it that would be alright.
"That won't be a problem. Her mind just needs some time to heal and catch up with her body. She needs plenty of rest and home would be the best location for that. I will check on her regularly, Kakashi." Tsunade answered.
Misaki seemed a bit disoriented, looking around the room and at the people in it.
"You're okay." She said looking at me, I wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement.
"I'm fine, just a little issue with my eyes." I told her.
"Can you see what's wrong with my chakra?" Misaki asked me.
"Your chakra? What do you mean?" Kakashi questioned, bringing her attention back to him.
"Misaki's chakra was tampered by the man in the hood and she wasn't able to use her sensory skills after that. I'm sorry, I can't help you until my eyes return to normal." I answered for her, I couldn't confirm it with my eyes but that was the only explanation as to what happened to her. Misaki agreed with a short nod.
"My, my." Tsunade complained. "Let's get you back into shape and then I'll have a look at that. First let your mind recover, okay?" Misaki nodded first then turn to look at Kakashi.
Kakashi helped her stand up and then they left the room. It seemed that Misaki couldn't wait to get back home which was understandable but I felt a little stung for being left behind. It was a bit silly because it wasn't like I was a little child anymore, one that would need her older sister to take care of him. Also, I had Sakura by my side who was looking at me with a worried expression on her face.
"Sakura, thank you for being here." I said to her as I got lost in her emerald eyes. It took Sakura a few seconds to register the meaning of my few words but if anyone was able to read through my tendency of compressing my feelings into short sentences, it was her. Sakura's face suddenly turned pink, her eyes widened before she lowered her eyes. I wanted to keep looking into them so I lifted her face with my fingers.
"Sa-Sasuke-kun… what are you saying?" She said timidly.
"I won't always be in the village but when I do, I want you to be my side."
"Oooh, I leave you two lovebirds alone…" Tsunade said before opening the door and leaving this room. I didn't take my eyes of Sakura but I heard her leave and shut the door.
"When we first became a genin and after our battle with Haku, you were there when I opened my eyes. In the Forest of Death, after Orochimaru gave me the Curse Mark it was your hand I held on to for strength, and your embrace that brought me back when I lost control and then you supported my tired body to walk back. When I was hospitalised, you were the first person I saw when I woke up and your arms around my neck the first thing I felt, making me feel secure.
I tried many times to take your life in a futile attempt to cut you from mine. All because I thought you were my weakness. But I was wrong, it's taken me far too long to realise that you are my strength. If it wasn't for you, I would've been lost long ago.
Your feelings and emotions have finally reached out to me and I won't ever let go of them."
"Sa-Sasu-" I didn't let her finish saying my name, instead I place my lips over hers.
The world that had been spinning until this moment seemed to stop and finally settle. The way I knew life suddenly had a different light to it, the walls that I had built around my heart crumbled, also letting the love that Misaki, Naruto and others had been trying to force upon me during the last years. My heart seemed to swell and the warmth of it reached every part of my body.
I felt finally at home.
The following day, I was released from the hospital and headed straight to Misaki's home to check up on her. That day, Kakashi turned me away as she wasn't feeling well. The day after that, I tried again in the afternoon. I knocked on her door and Kakashi opened it a few seconds later with a dejected look.
"Sorry, Sasuke. Misaki still needs some time. She's having nightmares when she goes to sleep and doesn't want to leave the house just yet. As soon as she feels better, I'll let you know."
Without waiting for me to say anything, Kakashi started to close the door but Eiji's head popped up before he did. His eyes lit up when he saw me.
"Sasuke-oji! Can I come out and play with you?" He said happily.
I looked at Kakashi who simply nodded.
Eiji put his shoes quickly and jumped to my side. He seemed happy to leave his home. But as soon as Kakashi shut the door, his face turned downcast.
"What is it?" I asked him.
"Okāsan… Okāsan is hurting. She won't leave the bed or play with me. Sometimes I feel like she's back but then she'll start screaming and throwing things. She won't even let me stay in the room with her, she only wants Otōsan… I don't know what I've done wrong…" The look of despair his face made was heartbreaking.
"It's going to be fine, Eiji. Misaki had gone through a tough time and she needs a bit of time." I tried to console the little boy. I could only guess Misaki was going through a post-traumatic stress disorder caused by our recent event where we were both almost killed. Sakura had explained to me earlier that people going through something that would often have nightmares and flashbacks from the incident and wanted to be isolated from the feelings of guilt. Problems with sleep, irritability and lack of concentration were other symptoms.
I knew seeing me could become a trigger that would remind her of that day so I had to wait patiently. All we could do was give her time and be there for her for when she was ready to confide in us. Misaki was strong and I was sure she'd come around.
"What about shuriken training? Do you think you've become better than me?" I asked the boy in an attempt to take his mind off it.
"I did! I've been training with nii-san and I'm the best of my class, I'll show you!" His smile was contagious and I couldn't help but pat his silver hair. He was the spitting image of his father but I was glad he took after Misaki in personality.
"Where is Tetsu, anyway?" I hadn't seen my nephew in so long and I wondered if he still resembled nii-san.
"Nii-san," he began, addressing his older brother in the same way I used to address mine, "was on a mission with Lee-san but I hope he comes back soon. Maybe it would make Okāsan happy." Damn, wrong subject.
Luckily, we reached the training grounds and Eiji was eager to show me his new skills. Even though he was only five, I could tell he was more talented at throwing shuriken that I had been at his age. He was even able to bend the throws to reach targets at an angle.
I was impressed and terrified at the same time because of the level of his skill showing at such an early age. Nii-san and Kakashi had been the same at that age so it wasn't a novelty, still, it left me on edge, knowing that this child would end the shinobi world as we currently knew. Something his older brother had shown us when he came from the future.
The sun was starting to set when Eiji froze mid-throw.
"Nii-san!" He yelled turning around. He was facing towards the direction of the main gates.
Forgetting about my condition I tried to activate my Sharingan, a sharp pain in my left temple followed right after. I applied some pressure there with my index and middle fingers to relieve the pain, cursing the horrible timing of this inability to locate my nephew.
I caught up to Eiji soon after he had started to run towards the gates. I held him by the shoulder and he looked back at me with worry in his eyes. He must've sensed his brother was in danger but I couldn't just let him go to him, especially in my state. The way he was acting made it obvious that Tetsu was either in danger or in a bad shape.
"We need to get backup before we go to your brother, it might be dangerous." I told him.
At that moment, Kakashi materialised with Mikasi on his heels. She looked nothing like the kunoichi I had always known, her posture and movements resembled that of an Academy's first-year about to learn her first jutsu, unsure of herself and of the potential of her body.
Misaki was looking in the same direction of her son, having sensed her first born on his way back to the village either injured or in danger.
"Eiji, get behind me, now." Kakashi commanded his son and he did as instructed while a group of ANBU and Jōnin gathered around our little group.
"Hokage-sama, an individual got through the barrier undetected and attacked Lee-san and Tetsuya-san as they were returning from their mission. The did something to Tetsuya's Sharingan before they escaped and alerted us of the incoming attack from a group of shinobi with no land affiliation. They're almost here."
As if on cue, the hooded man appeared. Even with my poor sight, I was able to recognise him.
"Oh, there's a welcome party waiting for me?" He said mockingly before measuring up the shinobi in front of him. He didn't seem fazed at all by the ANBU nor the Hokage but after experiencing his strength first hand, I couldn't blame him.
His eyes locked on Kakashi and then he removed his hood as if waiting for his reaction.
From the corner of my left eye, I noticed Kakashi's form become rigid, followed by a sharp intake of air. Turning to look at him fully, I saw his eyes wide as saucers, there was even a twitch in his head, like if he wanted to look away but couldn't.
Kakashi finally looked away and turned to his left to look at Misaki, who was now holding both her temples as if in pain so I turn back to look closely at the face that was causing a stir.
His face was one I've never seen yet I felt like I knew him. He had long straight black hair tidied into a low ponytail like nii-san used too, only his hair was a bit shorter. He had a handsome chiseled face with clear lines and big black or maybe dark brown eyes. Eyes that had the same shape as Misaki's, even the shape of his nose was. Then I realised his overall appearance was very similar to hers. As if he was the older male version of… Misaki.
I turned back again to look at her and who probably hadn't yet blink during the few seconds these thoughts run through my mind. I felt that she was probably having an internal battle on whether to believe her eyes or what her brain found rational. Just like I was. I did another take, from the unknown man, and then back again to her. I couldn't believe my eyes but there was no other explanation even though it didn't make sense. Not one bit.
"T-Tet…" Kakashi mumbled.
"What is it, Kakashi? Don't you recognise your former classmate?"
