9. My Burden to Bear
Sasuke breathed in the cold night air… and smirked.
'Power…'
The Jounin raised their guard almost immediately, Kurenai turned away from Hinata to look straight into Sasuke's eyes. 'This is where it ends…' he thought. Sasuke chuckled lowly, black chakra emitted from his body, bringing with it the horrible feeling of death.
Hinata watched as Sasuke slowly straightened his back, and drew Samui Kaji from his back once more. The once beautiful blue runes immediately flared a dark purple in response to the corrupt chakra flowing through its black tempered blade. She noticed however, the last kanji symbol that represented Fire, was still flaring a bright red. A large wave of chakra washed over them all, causing the Jounin to flinch and Hinata to raise her arms to instinctively protect herself from a threat that was not actually there.
The curse had darkened now, and Sasuke had his eyes closed, the evil smirk growing wider slowly as the curse continued to call upon the reserves of his strength and expand it to three times its normal power. Sasuke felt the curse cease its activity, the feeling of darkness inside of him stopped moving. Now was the time.
Maito Gai stood in his classic battle ready stance, one arm behind his back and the other in front. A leaf passed over his eyes, and when it flew away, Sasuke was gone. He gasped ever so slightly, struggling to turn around, to raise his kunai just in time… But it didn't work, Sasuke closed in on his back at an incredible speed and soon a large slash bore diagonally across his back. With a pained yelp he struggled to counterattack, swinging his kunai knife vertically at Sasuke's chest. The corrupted Uchiha was too fast for him in his wounded state, and simply took one step backwards as the kunai sliced the air in front of him.
Sasuke, was about to kick him down when a trickle of movement in his left peripheral vision caught his attention. He brought his dark blade up and was rewarded with a clash of metal as Kakashi tried to catch him off guard. Another flash, this time to his right, holding back Kakashi with one hand on his sword, Sasuke moved his other hand to his kunai pouch, and drew one just fast enough to block Kurenai's slash attack to his shoulder.
Sasuke smirked, he could feel the darkness inside of him roar with activity, the curse working to keep his power at its highest point possible.
Hinata could barely keep pace of the fight in front of her, a flash of movement here, and then there. All the while clashes of metal on metal could be heard. Hinata saw Asuma limping Gai out of the fight, a large slash had torn the back of his Jounin's vest. The wound was large but not deep, and thus he could survive if treated properly. The Hyuuga heiress could hardly believe this was happening, one moment Sasuke was struggling to keep them at bay, and the next they were fighting an intense, even match.
By the time Sasuke disengaged his melee with Kakashi and Kurenai, his smirk had vanished. Apparently he only got Gai through the element of surprise. That did not please him at all.
Hinata struggled to stand, 'I have to stop this… I cant let it go on!'
Kakashi sighed "Well, looks like ill have to start taking things seriously…" he adjusted his headband, and his lone Sharingan eye met Sasuke's. Kurenai opened her mouth reluctantly "This is the last opportunity Sasuke, you and Hinata only have this chance to come back willingly, after this it will be done strictly by force."
Hinata glanced desperately at Sasuke, mentally screaming at her lips to move. She was scared stiff.
"S-S-Sa-a-a...s-u-uke…" it was just loud enough for him to hear her. His evil smirk and Sharingan eye momentarily darted her way, then vanished from his face when he saw how desperate she was.
'How the hell did I let it come to this?' he frowned as he turned to face their former teachers. 'It's the curse, its making me do this… making me think this way!' Sasuke felt the urge for combat… bloodshed trying to resurface itself on him, and he shoved it down forcefully. 'If there's any way to keep fighting with this thing on, I have to control my emotions.' The urge came back, stronger this time, Sasuke winced at the effort to keep it locked away in him. The feeling of darkness in his body was stirring again, disappointed, teasing him to give in, to let its power take over… 'I cant let it win, this curse is my burden, my responsibility… My…-
Greatest gift…'
Sasuke shook his head trying to erase the evil influence on his mind, and sensing his hesitance, Kakashi decided to spring on their newfound opportunity. His kunai drawn, he thrust for Sasuke's waistline. The young shinobi was caught by surprise, still struggling with his internal conflict. There was no way he could evade now.
Hinata shot forward at her comrades danger, and slapped Kakashi's hand aside, burning the Tenketsu on the back of his hand in the process. Kakashi rolled to the side, surprised at the sudden interference. Hinata Hyuuga stood in front of Sasuke, her Byakugan brought up and standing in her Jyuuken fighting ready stance. Sasuke buckled onto his knees, Samui Kaji fell into the mound of grass at his feet with a soft thud. His hands scrambled over one another as he gripped his neck. The curse was growing impatient with him, and was now deliberately causing him pain to take control. A pained growl escaped his mouth through clenched teeth as Sasuke struggled to seal the curse once more. It resisted him, with all of its might, and he growled in a frustrated tone.
'But I need that power…'
'No!'
Kurenai took a leap forward, and struck at Hinata with her left fist. The Hyuuga heiress foresaw the attack and countered with her free hand, two fingers lashed out and connected with Kurenai's ribcage. She winced, and jumped back panting.
Sasuke collapsed onto his side. The curse had been sealed away once more, but the action left him unconscious and vulnerable. Hinata gulped. Covering for the both of them wouldn't be easy.
A look of concern crossed Kakashi's eyes, but he erased it as he lunged at Hinata, intent on making her step away from Sasuke long enough for Kurenai to take him away or hold him as hostage for Hinata's cooperation. The Hyuuga heiress would not comply to his plans however, and stood her ground as he dashed towards her. The full moon shined brightly in the clear, star littered sky…
Sasuke couldn't tell where he was… it was completely and totally dark. He couldn't see a thing. Reaching out with one hand, he felt nothing, saw nothing, smelled nothing, and heard only silence.
"Where… Where am I!?" he called out into the darkness. There was no reply.
He panicked as he felt something tug at the edge of his mind, an evil being intent on devouring him whole. His memories… All those happy, and all those sad were being sucked right out of him, into the endless void. "No!" he fought against it desperately, seeking to safeguard all that he could… He lost everything, his name, his home, his belongings, his feelings. An empty shell.
His mind's numb fingers gripped tightly onto one memory however, and the curse seal moved in on it, intent on taking it too. He fought desperately, this was all he had left. He cursed, kicked, punched, and slapped the darkness away from his body. Only then did he take a look at what he managed to save.
'Hinata Hyuuga'
He buried himself in the memory, as if it meant the world to him. He only knew who she was, anything about him had disappeared.
"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata called out to him, they were standing out in Training Ground No.3
Yesterday, Hinata had finished instructing him in the ways of Jyuuken, and as promised, Sasuke Uchiha was going to reveal, each and every Fire technique known to him.
"Well start out this way." he spoke nonchalantly and clapped his hands together to form hand signs.
He spoke while doing so "This is the sequence, memorize it well, and remember that you have to concentrate your chakra in your chest while you initiate the sequence. Once you're done with the hand signs, move all the chakra to your mouth, and simply blow."
Sasuke repeated the sequence once more for her, this time calling out "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" a river of flames erupted from his mouth and shot forward at an alarming speed. At 10 meters out, the fire stopped advancing and formed a large ball of fire. Hinata gaped at the power of the jutsu and he smirked as the last of the flames left his mouth.
"Okay, now you try." He stepped aside and she nodded to him "O-Okay… I-I-I c-can do this!" she initiated the handsigns sequence and mimicked his words "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" a mouthful of flames erupted from her, and stopped at three feet out. A fireball the size of a soccer ball formed in front of her and she released the technique after only five seconds. Sasuke smirked, it was no different from when he first tried to learn it from his father. Hinata glanced down at her feet, blushing as the shame flowed to her face. Sasuke couldn't help but laugh lightly at this. She turned to face him "W-What is it?"
Sasuke examined her for a few moments, causing her to turn rose red. "Its nothing,-" he said "- nothing to be ashamed of, it was absolutely no different for me." Hinata looked surprised by his kind words and blankly stared at him for a moment before a smile registered across her face…
Sasuke smirked "Hn, lets try this again."
The fight was going poorly, Hinata had managed to stay next to Sasuke throughout the entire ordeal, but she was getting tired now. Kakashi was panting, and Kurenai had bent over, the absence of proper Tenketsu around her ribcage was beginning to affect her. The copy ninja attacked again, jumping high into the air and coming down at her from an angle this time. Hinata sidestepped, and as he flew past her, she tapped multiple points across his side, causing him to flinch and hit the ground rolling. Hinata waited for him to stand, only he didn't, she knocked him out.
Kurenai frowned, she was the only one left. Teacher against Student. Hinata faced her with a fierce expression, determined to keep Sasuke safe at all costs…
At all costs…
Kurenai dropped her fighting stance… "Go, now…"
Hinata was taken aback. 'Kurenai-sensei is letting us go?'
She didn't complain, instead her Byakugan shut off immediately and her eyes conveyed her most sincere feelings of gratitude. Hefting an unconscious but still breathing Sasuke onto her shoulder, Hinata took one last look at her teacher. For a few seconds their eyes met and everything was still. "Thank you…" she whispered. Kurenai watched peacefully, a small smile finally coming up to her face, and with a flurry of leaves, Hinata Hyuuga and Sasuke Uchiha had escaped once more.
A/N: Whew! That one took a bit, R&R guys,
Oh yeah, updates may take a bit longer then normal now that my school is picking things up once more, but ill still try to keep up to date!
