Chapter Six - Two in the Morning
"Neji, wake up." I whispered, lightly shaking his shoulder. His eyes flickered open, and he looked at me curiously.
"Akari?" He muttered, still lethargic with sleep. "Aren't you supposed to wa-" I cut him off quickly.
"I need you to look around for enemies." I whispered softly. "I found a woman above me, but I don't know if there are more." I had checked before incapacitating the one above me, but they could have moved in as I took her out. He formed one singe handsign - how I wish mine was like that! - and closed his eyes. A moment later he reopened them, the Byakugan enhancing them. He glanced around.
"One to your right, about seven feet above the ground." I nodded. She was taken care of - but she'd break free soon. I let him continue to look around.
"And... one in the bushes, a few feet from Gai-sensei." I glanced towards my tree.
"I'll take the one up there behind me, then I'll help you." I whispered, beginning to stand.
"Get down!" He hissed, yanking me down again. I fell partially on top of him as three kunai's wizzed past overhead. I slid off of him, pulling my head up a little to look around. I needed to get back to my enemy fast. I darted for the tree, weaving slightly, hopefully throwing off the enemy's aim. I leaped onto the tree, using chakra to let me run up. I found the woman. She was breaking free. Pulling out a kunai, I knocked her out quickly, catching her as she went limp. I carefully nicked her arm, and when a drop of blood fell, I was unconcerned with her coming back to get me. I dropped down a branch, and then another, until I was on my branch, which held my pack. I produced a small coil of rope, which I wound around the woman's arms, hands, and legs. Satisfied, I dropped to the ground, depositing her in the shadows of the roots. I peered into the clearing. Neji was fighting with the second enemy. He'd just stepped on Gai-sensei, so now he had help. I decided to watch over Oroka, just in case they tried for him.
"What is this!" Gai-sensei yelled. "An enemy shinobi?" Tenten and Lee were scrambling to their feet, almost falling down in a sleepy stupor, as Gai began yelling. Oroka moved slower, and I helped him to his feet with one hand.
"Don't move." I commanded, watching the second ninja get pummeled by my teammates. I heard a whisper of sound to my right, but pretended not to notice. The person drew closer, and I turned, flicking my kunai at him. It took them by surprise, and they tried to dodge. It hit them in the shoulder, which they recieved with a grunt of pain. I watched the shadow, waiting for it to come forward. I heard Oroka's breathing shorten in fear. This was going to be hard. I had to play defense while keeping the enemy away from Oroka at all costs. Fun. I heard fighting behind me. What was taking so long?
The shadow lunged at me, and I brought up my kunai to block. Steel met steel with a clang - but my kunai hadn't blocked it. The headband at my throat did. The shadow had thrown his kunai at my throat. I was lucky I'd decided that I was going to wear it there. I threw mine at him while pulling out a second. My free hand dug into my holster, bringing a fistful of shurikens out. I lost sight of the enemy.
iOh no! He's going to get Oroka!/i My mind screamed. I formed handseals desperately, and flung my mind out. There he was, behind Oroka, but not close enough to get a death blow off. I shoved myself into the enemy, and dug, looking for a memory. There! I locked him into a replay of his past, and I pulled out of his mind, returning to my own. I opened my eyes, and whisked around Oroka and knocked the enemy unconsious. I focused on the others. The noise had stopped, so I assumed that the enemy was taken care of, but I kept Oroka with me. I saw movement, and I kept my hand steady, not throwing at whomever it was. Lee appeared in the darkness with a split lip, Tenten appeared with a large bruise on her arm. Neji had some scrapes, and Gai - well, I couldn't tell what was from the earlier ambush and now. I saw that they had taken down two, each tied up tightly.
"Can you get this one here?" I asked Tenten. At her nod, I walked across the clearing to grab the woman who was still unconsious. I drug her over to the other two. One of them was the man that almost killed me earlier. Great. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Neji carrying the last one over. I moved to the side and began to walk away as Neji set him down.
"Tenten, it's your turn to take watch." I called softly, walking towards my pack in the middle of the clearing. She nodded and picked her post while I curled up on the ground and closed my eyes, falling asleep.
