Chapter 11:

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

"Again with that? You're just a one-trick pony!"

One after another, Naruto's clones were all defeated and disappeared. Kakashi was just as tough as Naruto had always known. Defeating him would not be easy by any means.

Naruto sent out even more clones which Kakashi defeated as well. Naruto ran deeper into the woods and Kakashi followed. He sent more clones after him and Kakashi again defeated them. Kakashi seemed to be getting annoyed by this redundant attack. Growling, Kakashi charged at the original.

Naruto had been waiting for this. He was ready and waiting.

As soon as Kakashi was close enough, Naruto threw out his right arm with his attack already fully formed. "Rasengan!"

The unsuspecting Kakashi was blasted backwards and slammed into a tree. He slumped to the ground and looked up with a scowl. "So he can use it, too..." Kakashi was also capable of using the Resengan, but he wasn't expecting this boy to be able to use it. Maybe he wasn't a one-trick pony after all.

Naruto stood where he was, waiting for Kakashi to make his move.

Kakashi got to his feet and came at Naruto with his signature move. "Lightning Blade!"

Naruto stepped aside, having the attack graze his shoulder instead of his chest. He grabbed Kakashi's arm and forced it down. He brought his leg up and slammed his knee into Kakashi's spine. Kakashi took a kunai from his vest and drove it into Naruto's arm.

"Ahh!" Naruto didn't let go. He refused. Even with the kunai being driven deeper into his arm, he wouldn't let go of his sensei.

Kakashi pulled the kunai out and stabbed him again just below the elbow. Against his will, Naruto's grip went slack and Kakashi was freed. It was his body's reaction, not Naruto's. He physically could not hold on after the kunai struck his nerve. Kakashi pulled the kunai out and stabbed Naruto in the stomach.

He was trying to kill him.

This wasn't training.

He was actually trying to kill him.

Naruto pushed Kakashi backwards and the two sprang apart. Naruto examined the hole in his jacket and saw the blood. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal but it was a bad wound. Kakashi wasn't holding anything back.

"You wanted a fight, I'm giving you one." Kakashi came at him again, swinging the kunai.

Naruto ducked and punched Kakashi's wrist, forcing the kunai out of his hand. Kakashi drew another and stabbed Naruto's other arm from below. Naruto responded by kicking him in the stomach.

"Lightning Blade!"

The attack missed Naruto's head but hit his wounded arm. Naruto screamed in agony and was sent backwards. He skidded across the ground and landed on his back. Kakashi jumped through the air and landed on top of Naruto. He held the kunai over his head and brought it straight down. Naruto blocked with his injured arm, letting the kunai sink between his wrist and elbow. It caused him another injury to his already wounded arm but saved himself a fatal blow to the neck.

Naruto kicked his leg, his toes hitting the back of Kakashi's thigh. He then brought his leg around to the front and kicked Kakashi between the legs. Then another kick to the shin. Kakashi stumbled back but wasn't going down. Doubled over in pain, he threw the kunai in his hand at Naruto's chest. Naruto deflected it with his own kunai and jumped back to avoid Kakashi's next attack.

Kakashi used the Lightning Blade again but it missed and hit a tree instead. The tree fell over, shaking the earth as Naruto ran. Kakashi spun around and threw another kunai at Naruto. "You're more trouble than I thought you would be, boy."

Nothing about him other than his attacks were the same. Nothing about him was the Kakashi he knew. The smile, the sarcasm, the teasing banter, the whimsical, easygoing man was gone. In his eyes were nothing but malice and anger. Annoyance and confidence. No smile hidden beneath the mask. Just a scowl. The only time Kakashi smiled now was if it was an evil, wicked smile, relishing in his victory over who he thought were weak ninja. Or a cocky smile, confident that he was superior to those around him or just doing it to show off around his fellow ninja in a group Naruto knew nothing about.

They all had that same smile. That cocky, wicked smile. That twisted smirk just before they engaged in battle and tormented those they were sent to defeat. People Kakashi had once fought alongside were now nothing but trash in his eyes. They were people who needed to be dealt with and the rest of Kakashi's group seemed to have a mutual notion. They all had the same attitude and concept. They all wanted to defeat the Leaf and Kakashi was following their every move with the same ideals.

"What the hell did they do to you?!" Naruto bellowed.

Kakashi would never follow such people. He would never be a part of such a group.

Why? Why?!

Kakashi threw his kunai at Naruto and missed. Naruto pulled the kunai out of the tree and threw it back. Naruto stepped to the side and summoned up more clones. Kakashi plowed through them all to get to the original but he had disappeared.

"Why the hell are you doing this?!" Naruto's cry came from above. "Why are you like this?!"

Kakashi took a step back to brace himself. Naruto's foot came down on Kakashi's arm as he blocked the attack from above. Kakashi grabbed Naruto's ankle and threw him into a tree. Naruto threw out his arms and pushed himself away from the tree and back towards Kakashi. Their blades clashed, sending sparks into the air.

Those blue eyes full of passion. Kakashi met them with his one visible eye but there was no recollection. He didn't know this person.

Kakashi pushed Naruto back and started to form more hand signs. Naruto sent more clones at him. Grabbing his arms, the clones held Kakashi down with their full weight. Naruto landed in front of him but did not attack. Only stared at him. His breathing was uneven and the look on his face was pained. He looked like he was about to start crying but he also looked furious, like he was about to attack.

"Are you going to finish me off or what?" Kakashi asked him. "You have an opening. Why don't you take it?"

Naruto refused.

Did this boy know Kakashi was planing on attacking the second he got close? No. This boy just didn't have it in him. He wasn't ruthless, unlike him. Kakashi would do whatever it took to win. He would not be defeated this easily.

"Look at me," Naruto begged. "Look at me!"

Kakashi looked at him. At that face covered in sweat and blood. At the boy panting and staring back at him with pleading eyes.

"Tell me," Naruto said softly. "Tell me... Look at my face and say you don't know me."

Something had to be familiar to him. His face, his eyes, his hair, his clothes, his voice. Anything. Kakashi had to recall something.

He didn't know him. He truly did not know.

It wasn't an act. He didn't know who this person was.

"Please... Just tell me you know me. You have to."

It couldn't all be gone. His sensei was standing in front of him but it wasn't him. His body but not him.

Where was his Kakashi-sensei? Where was the man who taught him so much? Who protected him? Who encouraged him and looked after him even when he didn't know he was? Where was his friend? Where was his sensei?

"I'll tell you what I do know," Kakashi said slowly.

Naruto hoped he would say something encouraging. Maybe he did remember something.

"I know that you..." Kakashi lifted his gaze. "... are a dead man."

"Ah?!"

Kakashi broke free of the clones and thrust a kunai into Naruto's chest. Kakashi smirked.

Naruto vanished.

"That one was a clone, too?!"

Kakashi heard wind rushing from behind him but couldn't turn around in time. "Rasengan!" He was thrown forward into a tree and fell over.

Naruto stood over him, hoping that was enough to knock him unconscious. He didn't want to fight him anymore. Not when he was like this.

"Little brat!" Kakashi grabbed his ankle. "I'll rip you in half if I have to!"

Naruto kicked Kakashi in the face with his other leg but it wasn't enough to make him let go. Kakashi dragged him down and got ready to stab him with his weapon. Naruto blocked with his hands and forced the kunai down. They wrestled on the ground, rolling over each other, kicking and scratching. Neither was about to give up.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" More clones had come to help. They piled on top of Kakashi while pulling Naruto to safety.

"Lightning Blade!" Every last clone vanished and Kakashi went after the only Naruto left. He threw his hand forward at the same time Naruto threw his attack into Kakashi's.

"Rasengan!"

A massive explosion was the result. Both were sent backwards and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Hebi felt the ground shake and looked off in the direction of the sudden gust of wind. The wind was so powerful, he had to adjust his stance to brace himself. "What the hell? Was that Kakashi? Or was that Suzume?"

The wind caused the vines to sway and the people they were restraining. Neji dangled from both arms and wondered if there was any way out of this. The others were wondering the same.

"I hope they're not overdoing it. Or maybe these Leaf ninja are better than we thought."

Yamato tried to speak but the vines prevented him from doing so.

Hebi saw Yamato struggling and smirked. "Don't worry. I won't kill you yet. I want every single ninja you've come with to see my good work before that happens." He looked off in the direction of the fight waging on in the distance. "Perhaps I should capture them as well and speed things up a little."

At the same time, Shikamaru's mind was working frantically to end this battle. He had very little chakra left and he wouldn't be able to restrain these two ninja for much longer. He had to put the rest of his plan into action quickly.

As long as time allowed it, it would work.

Sakura jumped back, trying to get off the ice now that she knew Yari could come at her from any surface it covered. If she was on solid ground, he wouldn't be able to surface from under or behind her as he had been doing.

"I can freeze anything," Yari told her. She could see him swimming around in the ice like a fish. "Anything I freeze, I can use. You think you can escape from me? Think again. I'll freeze the ground and the trees and everything. There will be no escape for you. You might as well give up."

"Freeze anything, huh?" Sakura slammed her fist straight down into the ice. The ice cracked and splintered. "What if I break the ice you're using? What will happen to you if I break it while you're using it to travel?"

"Breaking it won't matter."

"I suppose. But I bet melting it is a different story."

Yari did not answer.

Sakura smirked. "Our friend here knows that one of you can use fire, so I figured we could use him to defeat you."

Shikamaru stepped forward and Shizuka followed.

"All he has to do is use the same hand signs and it's all over for you."

Shikamaru held up his hands and Shizuka mimicked his actions. He started to form the same signs he had seen Shizuka use in battle.

Yari quickly jumped from the ice and stood in the open air with a startled look on his face.

"Just kidding. Cha!"

"Augh!" Yari was sent into the fallen trees with only the whites of his eyes showing.

Shikamaru smirked. It was true that he could force them to mimic the same hand signs but he couldn't force them to focus their chakra for the jutsu. Therefore, he could not force them to use their jutsu unless they willingly focused their chakra for the technique. The jutsu mimicked actions, but not anything internal. Shikamaru knew this but he figured the enemy did not.

Shikamaru's shadow began to quiver and shake. He was running out of time. He couldn't keep this up for much longer. He looked up into the tree to make sure Supaisu was still there and hadn't walked off the branch when he forced Shizuka to move. Thankfully he was still there, having walked the length of the branch rather than off it.

"I think I'm at my limit here, guys," Shikamaru warned them. Aside from the two had had, the one on the other side of the blockage, Kakashi and the one Sakura defeated, there was still one left.

The shadow trembled and returned to Shikamaru. He couldn't do it anymore.

The two were freed and able to get their revenge.

"Fire St- Ahh!" Sakura cut him off before he could finish. Her punch sent him flying but it wasn't enough to stop him.

"You think you can use that jutsu on me and get away with it?" came the voice of the ninja in the tree. "Think again. Time for me to show you what I can do."

Shikamaru was feeling shaky. He wouldn't be able to stand up without stumbling. The enemy knew he was weak and was going to take full advantage of that. Shikamaru hung his head and waited for the enemy to attack.

Supaisu drew a long sword from his belt and held it over Shikamaru's head. "I'll cut off your head and show it to the people at your village. Won't that be a sight?" He started to laugh at the very idea. He was as ruthless as Shikamaru thought.

His eyes drifted to the ninja fighting Sakura. They were at the wrong angle. Just a little further...

Supaisu brought the sword down.

Shikamaru quickly jumped back and the sword stuck in the ground where he had been kneeling. He pulled a kunai from his belt and got ready to throw it.

Before he could strike, Shikamaru found himself thrown into the air. He hung upside-down with the kunai still in his hand.

It was a powerful wind.

"So that's what he can do." Shikamaru saw the one responsible but it wasn't Supaisu.

It was Suzume.

"Were you wondering where I had gone?" Suzume asked. "I was just looking for your little friend here." He held Ino by her neck.

Shikamaru couldn't do anything to help her from this position.

"Want to take her place or would you rather watch her die? Your choice."

The wind died down and Shikamaru fell face-first into the ground.

"Pick," Suzume told him.

Shikamaru's eyes darted to his left where Yari lay against a fallen tree trunk. His eyes then went to his right where Sakura was fighting. It was a risk, but he was willing to try it.

Shikamaru got to his feet and ran to his left.

"If you flee, the girl dies!" Suzume called after him. Then he realized Shikamaru wasn't running away. He was running to Yari. "Hey!"

Shikamaru stood over Yari's body and put the kunai to his neck. "Let her go or your friend here gets it."

Suzume scoffed. "Go right ahead. Not my life."

Supaisu threw a pebble at his head. "Idiot! What would the boss say if he knew you were willing to let one of us get killed before actually going into the Leaf Village? Or worse. What would he do?"

Suzume gulped. "Oh... Right..." He sighed. "I guess we have to save him."

At the same time, Sakura was in perfect alignment with the fallen trees. Shizuka didn't notice this when he unleashed his fire straight at her. Sakura jumped into the trees and watched as the fire went straight for Shikamaru. Shikamaru saw this as well and jumped to the top of the pile. Now the fire's only target was Yari.

The others saw this and gasped. "No!"

Suzume sent a gust of wind after the fire, not to blow it out, but to send it upward towards Shikamaru. The fire's course was changed and it went over the pile towards its new target. Shikamaru jumped to the other side of the pile, escaping.

"Aw, crap." Suzume knew Hebi wouldn't be happy about getting an unexpected opponent over to his side.

"What the hell?" Hebi yelled, seeing Shikamaru jump down from the fallen trees. "What the hell are they doing over there?"

The fire Suzume had sent upward went into the branches and started a blaze. Kiba hoped the fire would be able to burn the vines binding them but the fire was too far away.

Within seconds, Shikamaru read the situation and had come to the same conclusion. He had to take care of those vines. The fire wouldn't reach and he doubted the rest of the group would leap over the pile of fallen trees to help. Nor did he want them to. If they did, they would most likely get captured as well. The fire style-user wouldn't be so easily tricked this time and the wind style-user would either fan the flames in a different direction or blow them out entirely.

If fire wouldn't work, then the only other option was cutting them.

He could use his Shadow Stitching but his chakra was extremely low. He would only get one shot.

"You." Hebi rounded on Shikamaru. "Plant Style-"

Shikamaru dove out of the way and hid behind a bush, knowing what was coming. "That has to be the same jutsu he used to trap the others. I can't let it hit me. As long as I keep moving, I can avoid it."

"Quit running, Leaf ninja!" Hebi tried again and Shikamaru ran.

Neji watched Shikamaru run directly under him and behind another tree. Would he rescue him? Would Shikamaru get caught in the same trap? So many questions entered his mind and just as quickly faded away. Part of him wanted to be saved but another part wanted to get out of this himself. He didn't want to have to depend on them for everything. Neji could see now why everyone had to be strong and be able to fight on their own. With so many of them captured, it was clear that no one had the time to rescue them with the enemy trapping everyone so quickly. The enemy had to be dealt with first before a rescue was even possible.

He had to get out of this himself. Neji looked up at his wrists. They were the only part of his body that was covered in vines. His legs and torso were still free. If he could somehow reach his hands, he could find a way to free himself. But how? Neji tried to think.

Surely he could come up with something. These people he called friends all told him how intelligent he was and how strong. Neji was also discovering how strong he was.

That's it! He was stronger than he realized. Strength. That's how he could do it.

Neji bent his elbows and tried to pull himself up using only the strength in his arms. It was working. He was strong. He managed to pull himself up so his teeth were aligned with his wrists. Neji began to bite at the vines, hoping to chew his way out of this trap.

The vines were so thick, he might as well have been chewing through leather ropes. The vines left a foul taste in his mouth and oozed juice which dripped down his arms and chin. Neji ignored the unpleasantness and kept going. He had to.

"Quit running, I told you!" Hebi yelled, still chasing Shikamaru with his eyes. With the other ninja trapped, he knew he couldn't take his eyes off this one and let him capture his back. He knew Shikamaru was trying to free his comrades. If Hebi lost sight of him, he could succeed. Hebi had to capture him.

The vine holding Neji's wrist snapped and his body jerked slightly. There was one vine to go. He bit down on it and ripped it to shreds. The last remaining vine snapped and Neji began to fall. Neji threw out his arm still holding the kunai and plunged it into the tree trunk, stopping his fall. He wrapped his arms around the trunk and climbed his way back up to where Kiba and Akamaru were dangling. As long as Shikamaru kept Hebi distracted, he could succeed this time. Neji began to cut away at the vines again, hoping this time it would work.

"Plant Style, Plantation Prison!" Once again, Shikamaru dodged his attack. "This little twerp is starting to get on my nerves. Plant Style, Plantation Prison!"

Shikamaru ran deeper into the trees, hoping to draw Hebi closer. Shikamaru was also trying to figure out the extent of his jutsu and find a weak spot. Obviously he could use a plant style jutsu, but did this mean he could create plants, control the ones around him or both? Shikamaru had to figure that out before he launched any sort of attack. It was possible that Hebi caused those trees to fall but he couldn't be sure. It could have been a combined attack or one of his comrades could have done it. Shikamaru didn't want a tree coming to life and crushing him on Hebi's command so he had to be aware of everything around him.

"If that is how his jutsu works, then I'm in a bad position, running around in the woods like this. He could use anything around me to attack." Only he wasn't. He kept trying to use those vines he produced from the ground and trees. Maybe he could only create the plants that had imprisoned his friends. Or Shikamaru's guess was off and Hebi actually could manipulate the plants around him but simply chose not to do it at the moment. Shikamaru couldn't make assumptions. Not about limitations, at least. He had to assume anything was possible.

"That's it. I am so sick of this." Hebi made a new hand sign. "Plant Style, Botanist Bombardment!"

Shikamaru waited for the vines to come after him but they didn't. Instead came a massive explosion. Shikamaru was thrown out of his hiding spot and in front of Hebi. Shikamaru didn't clearly see what had happened but he could have sworn the explosion came from a bunch of flowers.

"There you are," Hebi hissed.

Shikamaru tried to get up but his leg wouldn't move. He looked back and saw that it had been badly burned in the explosion. He was only guessing, but his nerves might had been damaged which was why he was having a hard time getting up.

Hebi stood over him with a sadistic smirk on his face. "Looks like I've caught you. Anything you have to say before I finish you off?"

Shikamaru looked from left to right, then back at Hebi. He made his attack. "Shadow Stitching!"

Hebi jumped into the air to avoid his shadow. "I saw that trick before and there's no way I'm going to get caught in it. I'm not ending up frozen to the spot."

"Wrong jutsu," Shikamaru told him.

Hebi frowned. He was using shadows but they must have been versatile. What could this one do?

There was a loud snapping sound followed by a thud. Hebi turned around and saw that Yamato had been freed by the shadows. They had become sharp blades which snapped the vines imprisoning the older ninja. Now he was free.

"Payback time, plant-guy!"

Hebi turned around and saw Kiba and Akamaru standing beside Neji who still held the kunai. Hebi took a step back but there was no place to run. He was surrounded. He could trap them again but his chakra was starting to get low as well after chasing Shikamaru all over the woods. He shouldn't have used his jutsu so much. He should have waited until he had a clear shot. Now he was in a tight spot.

Wood began to wrap around his ankles and crept higher up his body until only his head was showing. Now he was the one caught in a trap.

Suzume, Supaisu and Shizuka looked at the two girls they were still fighting. Ino had managed to get free while the enemy watched Shikamaru escape over the wall of trees, but they didn't seem to mind. They looked at the girls, knowing they had them outnumbered but no one attacked.

"What do you think?" asked Supaisu.

"Finish them off? We could."

"It would be easy enough. What about Hebi? Something tells me he's in a fix."

"And he's outnumbered."

Shizuka looked from Ino to Sakura, thinking. "I could go over there to help him out while you take care of them."

"You? The fire-user? Get real."

Plants and fire did not go well together.

"Are you guys forgetting Yari? What about him?"

"Just stab him and see if he wakes up. If not, kick him until he does."

Supaisu frowned, looking at the girls. "Our orders were to kill them if we had an opening, but it wasn't a must. We've seen their powers. I'm thinking we should report back before we do anything else."

"And they still haven't seen what you can do so that's a plus on our side."

Supaisu had made his decision. "Retreat for now."

"You sure?"

"Retreat. I know what to do from here."

The other two nodded and turned to the girls. Shizuka threw a ball of fire at them and as the girls jumped back, he and the others left the scene. Suzume grabbed Yari and threw him over his shoulder as they fled.

Shizuka blasted the wood confining Hebi and grabbed him. Before the Leaf ninja could attack, the group split off in different directions.

As they were leaving, Shizuka looked back, wondering what happened to Kakashi.

Another tree fell as a result of the fierce battle.

Kakashi landed on a tree trunk and pushed himself off with both feet, launching himself into Naruto's chest. "Hyah!" He threw Naruto backwards, a kunai stuck in his gut. Naruto pulled it out and threw it back at Kakashi, cutting his left arm.

"Rasengan!" Naruto pushed off on the tree he was sailing towards and flew back the way he came towards Kakashi.

Kakashi grabbed Naruto's arm and forced it back before it could reach him. The two sprang apart and ran at each other from a distance. Blades clashed and fists were thrown. Clone after clone popped and blood was shed. Kakashi threw another punch at Naruto's face but it turned out to be another clone.

The ground beneath Kakashi rumbled and Naruto came leaping out of the earth with his fist held high. His fist made contact with Kakashi's jaw and he was thrown into the air. Naruto jumped straight up, following him. Naruto hovered over Kakashi for a moment, then slammed his leg into Kakashi's stomach, driving him back down to earth. Kakashi hit the ground so hard, his body left a human-shaped hole in the ground.

Kakashi climbed out of the hole and crawled a short distance before looking up at Naruto. "I have to admit I'm a little impressed."

He really was. He almost hated to admit that he was impressed with Naruto's skills. Even that last attack was something to be proud of. It reminded Kakashi of his own technique.

Kakashi quickly stood and threw another punch at Naruto. He stepped to the side and punched Kakashi in the stomach. Kakashi returned the attack with something extra to make sure Naruto didn't swing again. "Lightning Blade!"

Naruto grabbed Kakashi's arm and turned the attack back on him. Kakashi's one visible eye went wide. It was not only impressive but now Kakashi had to make a split-second decision. Either call off the jutsu or take the hit himself.

Kakashi willingly ended the jutsu and let his hand return to normal as it slammed into his chest. Naruto's full weight went into the attack and they both were thrown into a tree. Naruto landed on top of Kakashi which the masked ninja didn't seem to fond of. He grabbed Naruto by the hair and slammed his face into the tree trunk. Naruto punched Kakashi in the face before he could be slammed into the tree again and the two broke apart.

Naruto summoned up two clones which flung him towards Kakashi. Kakashi didn't duck or run. He met Naruto head-on and his fist collided with Naruto's shoulder, knocking him off course. Kakashi spun around and kicked Naruto in the spine. A clone jumped down from above and wrapped itself around Kakashi's shoulders and head giving the real Naruto time to recover. Kakashi tossed several shuriken even though he couldn't see where he was aiming. By the time he defeated the clone, Naruto's attack was already on target and mere inches away.

"Rasengan!"

Kakashi turned his body to one side and took the hit just below the shoulder. He was sent flying to the side and skipped like a stone across the ground. Kakashi hunched over, wincing. That last attack had hit one of the marks he had gotten from his boss when he got whipped earlier. His back was stinging.

He used the pain to fuel his next attack. He took a scroll from his belt and drew from it a long chain. He tucked the scroll away and went after Naruto with his new weapon.

Naruto sent several more clones after Kakashi and joined in the charge. Kakashi swung the chain like a long whip and sent many clones away. He wrapped the chain around Naruto's neck and pulled him forward. Naruto stuck out both legs and planted them in Kakashi's stomach. His legs pressed into Kakashi's body, Naruto leaning back away from Kakashi with the chain still wrapped around his neck. Naruto then kicked Kakashi in the face and wound the chain around Kakashi's arm. He then jumped down, uncoiled the chain from his neck and ran around Kakashi so the chain would bind his arm to his body.

Rather than be caught, Kakashi followed Naruto so they chased each other in a full circle. Naruto kept running and so did Kakashi. Kakashi freed his arm from the chain and used it against Naruto. The chain wrapped around Naruto's ankle and Kakashi pulled it tight, no longer running.

Naruto's body kept going, not yet realizing the chain was wrapped around his ankle. When Kakashi pulled it tight, Naruto's leg was yanked back and his body fell forward. "Ah!" Naruto's head slammed into a tree root and his body went limp.

"Finally," Kakashi grumbled, dropping the chain which vanished instantly.

He stepped over to Naruto and bent down. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and rolled him onto his back.

"You put up one hell of a fight, kid. I have to give you that much." Kakashi drew a kunai from his belt. "But it's all over now."

Naruto lay on his back unconscious as the kunai moved closer to his neck. The blade caught the light peeking through the tree branches and shone like a precious jewel.

Kakashi raised the deadly weapon high, ready to plunge it straight down.

The tip was pointed directly at Naruto who lay helpless on the ground.

Kakashi's arm hung in the air.

He frowned.

For some reason, his arm wouldn't move.

There he lay. The boy from the Leaf. The one who had been giving him such a hard time. The one with impressive skills and determination. There he was, covered in blood and sweat, his jacket torn slightly in places and covered in dirt. His ruffled blond hair and the thin whiskers on his cheeks, his headband slightly askew.

Why wouldn't his hand move? Why couldn't he do it?

Kakashi crouched over Naruto's body, his kunai frozen in the air.

It would have been so easy. The boy was helpless. They were alone.

His arm wouldn't move.

All he could do was stare at him. Only stare.

Kakashi blinked and looked over his shoulder. The rest of his team was in retreat. He had to leave as well. He had to follow them.

Kakashi gave the boy one final look then put the kunai away and left.

Thoughts?

Please review! ^-^