CHAPTER 7
-Get Away From Me-
The sun was high in the sky shinning in little slivers through the tree branches. Natural forest noises were the only sounds adorning the noon, that is until a certain big mouth decided to interrupt the peace. "I'm tired!" grumble….grumble "Ha ha, I think that's my stomach" Naruto placed a light hand on his abdomen. "Me too" Sakura chimed in "As I" Kai mimicked a royal personal by placing a light hand over her lips and gracefully pulling it away as she spoke.
"Yes, I do think a break would be appropriate" Osore looked around for a reasonable place to sit. "Here" Sasuke dusted off a rock that looked like a reasonable place to sit. Everyone else just dropped their things, if they had any, and sat on the dirt path road. "So, what are we having? 'Cause I don't have anything one me, I would had you given me the chance but I didn't now did I?" "I said you could take a break not that I was going to feed you" nobody was taking Sasuke off the high horse he daily rode.
Noticing the uneasy look on Kai's face Osore spoke "Is all alright, Kai?" The remaining pair of eyes darted towards her in awaits of her response. "Yeah, I just… I though I saw someone crouching down by those bushes" she pointed to the indicated direction. Tsunade had said that there were going to be people but nothing to worry about right?
"Who pushed her over the edge? She's seeing things now" a smirk left behind appeared on Sasuke's face. "Good thing I got you that discount for KMI * huh?" Naruto's smirk followed. Kai bit her lip in thought, not long after dismissing it as yet another hallucination of her over active imagination. As the chatter continued and Sakura passed out rice balls that she had packed for everyone, Kai could not shake off the feeling that they were being watched and that indeed she had seen someone.
It all seamed like it was going to go exceptional, there were no attacks and it seamed like what Kai had seen was her hallucinations. "What are you doing?" Sasuke's voice more egotistical than ever, he referred to Kai who stood her gaze fixed upon the location of her previous fantasy. She walked over to the bushed looked around, in, and through them nothing to be found. "I don't know I don't feel… right" and un-right was correct. A rusty kunai came flying her way "Move!" Sakura yelled being the first one that spotted it. A hasty retreat the kunai missed Kai by a split hair.
"Get over here" Sasuke commanded encircling Osore; she was their priority, their mission. But at that point it was safe to say that so was Kai. "Don't worry I can handle a want-to-be" she stood in front of Osore closing her inside. "No. You can't, not with out any of your weapons" he handed her a kunai. With out any of her weapons she was essentially useless and vulnerable for attack.
In all the history of Shinobi and fighters in general there was none that relied on their weapons more than Kai. She knew nothing of one-on-one hand combat, how she managed to pass and become a ninja with such a heavy dependence on her 'extension' of power was beyond anyone. If anything the reason that she was a ninja was because of her incredulous use of an added aid.
"Stay here" Sasuke darted away form their sight. Nothing could be heard, not a rustling of leaves, the crack of a twig, nothing. The whole situation was becoming a horror movie scenario. The clouds had rolled in covering the little bit of light that came through the tree tops, Sasuke was gone, and not a chirping bird was heard in the forest.
To make matters worse a low whisper could be heard, surrounding them from all angles. "A fighter will fall" it was a raspy voice but it wasn't Sasuke, it had a soft hint to it which he did not posses. Speaking of the king, he stepped out kunai in hand. "And an Avenger will rise and take their place."
"Do you hear that?" Kai wasn't sure if everyone could hear it or if she really did need to go to KMI. Sasuke nodded, he too heard what seamed like a warning. "I don't hear anything" "Me either" the two remaining girls agreed the entire time not a noise was heard. "A fighter will fall, and an avenger will rise and take their place" Naruto recanted shifting his eyes to Sasuke, the closest thing they had to an avenger.
The four ninja took their place around Osore, the same incantation playing over repeatedly each time in a lower voice. "What is that suppose to mean?" Kai dropped her guard. "Don't loose focus" Sakura nudged her to lift her kunai back up.
"Sh-Shouldn't we keep moving?" the fear induced stutter could be heard in Osore's voice. "Not in a time of ambush" they all moved closer finally realizing this was it. They didn't have Kakashi, they had a wanted target which they had to protect, and that yes there was a chance that some one was going to get hurt or worse.
Flesh hitting flesh could be heard as a fist came to Kai's face. Eyes snapped to see what had happened. Sasuke's fist was extended and Kai was on the floor blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. "Move!" he shouted leaping back to charge at them. "Sasuke…?" Naruto was the most surprised of them all.
"I don't know what's going on- I cant control-" a shaking hand holding a kunai was in front on Kai's neck. The struggle for the control of his body was obvious "Move Kai!" he demanded the shaking of his hand and entire body enhancing. She had no reaction; her body was paralyzed with fear after all Sasuke had just knocked her down with one hit.
Naruto was the one that reacted pulling Kai away from him. Suddenly he dropped to his knees a clink from the kunai that fell by his side. "Ugh…" he held his head tightly "don't drop… your guard" he tried to shake it off. Kai stared at him wide eyed, her hand on her cheek the other dropped by her side. "Kai… ar-are you ok?"he came close to her only to be pushed away by a hard shove.
"Kai!" Naruto and Sakura screamed simultaneously, a large kunai piercing her body making her stumble back. She looked down to see the knife deep under her rib, but she didn't feel any pain yet the blood continued to drizzle out. Sasuke jerked his head back; there was no one there but in front of him still stood Kai a kunai hanging off her side.
Kai stumbled forward falling to her knees clutching her sided tightly. The pain had finally hit her, hard. She coughed into her hand, pulling it away she closed it tight to not reveal the blood that was on it. The circumstances in which they were in did not call for her to alarm the rest of the squad.
"Sakura" Sasuke called kneeling beside Kai "Sasuke!" Naruto pointed to three approaching figures. Naruto and Sasuke charged at them before they could come close to the three girls. They need to keep them as far away as possible from Osore, whom they thought was going to be the target by the looks of it one would think that Kai was the target. As well as from Sakura and Kai so that she would be healed properly. "Shadow Clone Jutsu" Naruto called out allowing hundreds of himself to appear behind him.
The unknown figures whipped right threw them, picking up Kai while continuing on their path. It had all happened so fast that not even Sakura who was next to her was able to stop them. "Stay with Osore I'll find Kai" their easy mission had gone down hill in a matter of minutes. A mission where team 7 was suppose to protect Osore has just turned into a dangerous rescue mission for Kai.
"I found the fighter" "Now how do we get rid of it?" the two voices commented to each other. "The way we were told, Lord Orochimaru gave specific instructions on how to kill the one keeping him from Sasuke." "Then our job is done, the viper has bitten it's pray" the three figures decided to come to a sudden halt.
Osore covered her face "What just happened?" everything had happened so fast. "We're not sure" the drops of blood that scattered the ground began to dry with the sun that was shinning once more through the trees. "Maybe we weren't ready" Naruto continued "Don't doubt yourself Naruto, if we weren't ready we wouldn't be here" Sakura tried to comfort him. "No Sakura. If we were ready then no one should have gotten hurt" his tightened the grip on his kunai.
"Looks like we should get going" the three figures hastily left after Sasuke appeared. They were gone just like that. Down by his feet was Kai curled into a ball, scratches, bruises, and blood covered her body. It didn't look to bad, the blood was all from one injury and it looked like she had just been tossed around a bit.
Sakura was digging through her bag, Kai was on the ground surrounded by Naruto and Sasuke, Osore tried to remain calm. What had happened to Kai was horrible but she was the one who hired them so shouldn't they be more concerned with getting her home than fixing their friend. In other words she was jealous that she wasn't getting the attention that she thought she deserved.
"Don't pull it out Naruto" "Keeping it in wont help" "It will only make it worse" "You don't know what you are talking about" "I think I have more commence sense that you do" "Of course the Uchiha always knows best" Naruto and Sasuke's arguing was interrupted by Kai's scream "Sakura!" It was more on an impatient-come-get-me-away-from-these-two kind of scram than one of pain.
Sakura shooed them away, placing several objects next to her. "This might hurt" hurt it did, with ever dab of the disinfectant a sharp sting followed by a burning sensation was created. "Ow" "Hold still I'm almost done" the last bandage was secured around Kai's waist. "Let's get going then" announced the leader once he saw Kai on her feet. "Naruto come here" and so he did "Help me" she whispered into his ear, no way was she going to say that out loud she didn't want Sasuke to have anything to hold over her head. Kai put her hands over his shoulder; at that moment she wanted to be carried the pain that was coming from her side was making her whole body ache.
"How bad is it?" Naruto asked beginning at a slow pace. "Bad, but I can manage" she leaned more on him for support, even walking made pain shoot through her body. It wasn't long before the pace was picked up and everything seamed to go back to how it was at the beginning of the mission. "How are you holding up?" Sasuke looked back to Kai. It was him walking next to Osore and Sakura and behind them was Naruto and Kai. "Satisfactory" it wasn't difficult to see threw her lies. "Is that so?" he continued walking his gaze forward.
