Hello everybody and welcome to chapter twenty five of the Winds of Change! This chapter... Kami, I've never had this much trouble with a chapter before! I don't know why, but it took me freaking ages to type this out. It would just not stick, nothing would fit... eugh! Whatever, it doesn't matter now. It's out. It's done, it's over. Phew. Anyway, on another note, WE HAVE OVER 210 REVIEWS! SWEET ARCEUS as a friend would say. I cannot believe we've hit this many after only about a month or so since we hit 100. This is insane, thank you all so much! As I've said before, we'll do something special when we hit 250. Because, let's be honest, we should hit that soon. With your guys' support, we can't possibly fail! Anyway, this is a very fight orientated chapter. And, as you may have already guessed, I can't write fight scenes. But, what can you do? So, without further ado, I bring you chapter 25, of the Winds of Change.
Chapter 25:
Hinata stood in utter fear. This… as her mother!? No, no, no! Her mother had left, she had died, she was dead! But this… it looked just like her. Every detail…
"Hinata." Hyouden muttered uninterested, turning her attention to her partner. "You know the other one?"
Garou grinned. "Sure do, this here's my pup!"
"I'm not your pup!" Kiba roared in anger. Garou chuckled, his posture relaxed.
"Look at the little puppy, trying to be the big strong alpha male."
Kiba bristled, his eyes becoming darker by the second.
Seconds ticked by in utter silence as the two opposing forces stared each other down. Hyouden's lavender eyes swept over Hinata. They looked uninterested. "It's been a while," she stated blandly.
"Y-you a-are d-dead-"
"That's what they told you? Hn, how pathetic. I defected."
"W-why? Yo-you had Father, a-and Hanabi, and-"
"You?" She scoffed loudly, "I only take the strong as family, Hinata. You were never strong."
The words cut into her like a hot knife through butter. Her mother, the one who had always said she was strong, was calling her weak and worthless. No, this wasn't her mother. She may look like her, sound like her, stand like her, and have the same eyes as her, but that was not Hinata's mother.
"You're not my mother."
Hyouden frowned. "Such confidence. Such a change in demeanour all of a sudden." Her eyes hardened even more, "And yet you still remain weak."
Hinata flinched. Hyouden picked up on that, and began her vicious barrage of words, "You can put up all the barricades you want. You can act all tough, and high and mighty. But, you're not. You're just a scared little girl. And one who is utter trash."
"Don't talk to her that way!"
Hyouden turned her withering gaze onto the seething Inuzuka, snorting in distaste. "You slaughter half your clan, and you leave this mutt behind? It seems both of our children are utterly worthless."
Kiba growled, dropping to his hands and knees. "That's it! Akamaru, let's go!"
Chucking the small dog a food pill, and swallowing one himself, they both powered up. Hyouden watched, amused. Akamaru turned into a full grown version of Kiba, and leapt atop the real one's back.
Garou guffawed, "You're using that basic technique! This is what your bitch of a mother has been teaching you."
Kiba saw red. "DON'T TALK ABOUT HER IN THAT WAY! FANG OVER FANG!"
The two now identical boys leapt into the air and began to spin rapidly, turning into grey typhoons. They speeded off towards Garou, tearing up the ground with their sheer turning speed.
"Hn," he muttered, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a few capsules. He threw them on the ground just as the typhoons almost connected. There was an explosion of dust and earth, and Kiba and Akamaru were blown backwards. Akamaru returned to his original form, hitting a dumpster with a loud thud. Kiba himself splattered against a brick wall, causing a sizable crack. He was still conscious, and slumped onto his knees, breathing heavily. His ribs ached and burned.
"You'll have to be better than that, brat." Garou grinned wolfishly.
Kiba grimaced. He was fast. Letting out a low growl, he leapt to his feet and charged in once more. Colliding with his father's stomach, the Inuzuka quickly followed it up with a kick to the kneecap. However, Garou merely dodged, socking Kiba in the gut. He doubled over in pain, and received a knee in his face for his troubles. Blood splattered everywhere as he stumbled backwards, momentarily disoriented.
Hinata was still frozen to the spot, her gaze quickly flitting from the battle and to her mother.
Hyouden gave a disapproving frown. "Are you not going to help your teammate?"
The Hyŭga gave her mother a curious and horrified look. Hyouden growled. "I won't interfere, if you impress me. Show me how far you've come in your training!"
Hinata eeped, and turned to assess the battle. Things were certainly not going in Kiba's favour. With Akamaru still out cold, Kiba was forced to use the Inuzuka style of Taijutsu. This mainly consisted of grapples, punches and throws. It was all about the strength. Kiba was a big guy, no doubt about it. But his father towered at a massive 6'8, and was far stronger than most.
Garou grasped Kiba's fist as he went to swing for him, giving it an crushing squeeze. Kiba cried out in pain, his hand being broken and crushed with every passing second.
Hinata was soon there, her palm outstretched. Garou leapt backwards in time to avoid the Jyuuken strike, releasing Kiba's hand. The Hyŭga grimaced as soon as she saw it. The hand would be useless, contorted in an unnatural angle and crushed.
"So you're Hyouden's little girl, eh?" Garou questioned, flexing. Hinata turned to him, trying her hardest to steel herself. She could feel her mother's cold gaze. Studying her. Watching her. Evaluating her.
Why did this make her feel so self-conscious? So weak? She had to be strong to push back these missing ninja… and yet she could still feel those lavender eyes boring into her side. She pushed back the wave of anxiety and fear that swept over her, and steeled herself outwardly.
Giving a bark of laughter, Garou dropped to his hands and knees. "She's cute, you know?" he addressed Hyouden, "Very curvaceous. If she were a few years older and I were a few years younger… Nah, I prefer my women with a bit of bite to them." He showed off his sharpened teeth, "She's far too timid for my liking. Shame. A pretty little thing. This your little girlfriend, Kibbles?"
Kiba bared his own teeth, slowly making his way upwards. He winced in pain as he tried to flex his crushed hand.
"Aw, how cute. Young love. If there is one thing I do enjoy about love, it's breaking it apart!"
With a roar, he leapt forward like a pouncing lion.
Hinata quickly turned around, grabbed Kiba's hand, and leapt out of the way. Garou used his arms and legs to stop himself from hurtling into the wall, before leaping off it to go after Hinata and Kiba.
Having leapt out the way, Hinata swiftly withdrew a kunai from her pouch and sent it towards Garou. The burly man twisted in mid-leap, effortlessly dodging the projectile. With a strangled cry, the Inuzuka's full force crashed into the Hyŭga's back, sending her flying forward. She collided with the ground and rolled, her head spinning.
Kiba had been left on the ground, his anger still growing stronger. "You bastard!" He stood upwards, reaching with his good hand for a kunai, and swiping at Garou. The burly Inuzuka swatted away the weapon. The clang of the metal on the floor woke Kiba up, so to speak. He was fiercely out-matched, and he saw that now. He was an idiot for running in and attacking his father head on!
"You never were a thinker, Kiba," his father said, reaching into his pouch. "Stopping and thinking about things while facing your enemy is a good way to get killed!" Before Kiba could move, a thick purple powder was flung into his eyes. Letting out a cry of horror, his eyes began to sting violently. Garou's sharp bark of laughter even overshadowed the screams of agony. "Don't worry kid, the stingin' will stop soon."
A hand clamped around his throat, and lifted him high into the air. Kiba fought harshly for air, kicking and wrestling, his hands trying feebly to get Garou to release his grip.
Garou licked his lips in anticipation, but soon let out a sharp scream of pain as Akamaru's teeth sunk into his skin. With a roar of annoyance, he let go of Kiba, who soon began gasping for air, and smashed his palm onto the skull of Akamaru, knocking him unconscious.
"Was that your ninken, hm?" Garou mockingly asked. Kiba growled ferally, the pain in his eyes still as strong as ever. It was debilitating. However, through the pain, it had helped somewhat clear Kiba's mind. As much as horrible scorching pain could. A plan had formed in his head. All he needed was a suitable distraction…
Hinata was right on cue, whether she knew it or not, her palm outstretched. Garou twisted his body around, dodging the blow with ease, and went to retaliate with one of his own. Hinata was far more graceful than he, and managed to dodge and weave her way through his lumbering assault.
Eventually, the pain began to stop, and his the blurriness of his eyes was beginning to fade slowly. Hinata was helping him more than she knew.
With his good hand, he carefully reached into his pouch, fumbling through his items until he felt the small glass case. The blurriness had now all together faded, replaced with a sharp contrast of colours as his eyes adjusted back to seeing. Hinata was managing to keep Garou distracted, but she couldn't keep it up for long. With the Inuzuka's fierce style of attacking, Hinata had no way of countering, and was forced to keep up the defensive. Eventually she would be caught and badly injured. He needed to act now.
His eyes flitted to the unconscious form of Akamaru, and grimaced. Asshole. He would pay for that.
He opened the glass case, and took out one of two purple pills. Slipping one into Akamaru's mouth, he quickly swallowed the other one.
The explosion of chakra took both Hinata and Garou by surprise, causing Hinata to slip and get caught by Garou's fist to the stomach. The Inuzuka didn't have time to take advantage, as he sensed a massive amount of chakra coming his way.
Kiba was now a powerful force of pure purple chakra that radiated off him. His appearance had changed to be more beast-like, his eyes becoming yellow like slits, teeth growing to sharpened sizes, and his nails becoming claws. He was on his hands and knees, baring his sharpened teeth. "Beast Mimicry, Shadow of the Wolf!"
Garou whistled in amusement. "Well damn, didn't have that back when I was around."
Kiba snarled loudly, bounding forward. Garou went to leap out the way, but found he couldn't. A sharp jolt of pain through both his knees froze him in place. Cursing that Hyŭga girl as she rolled out the way, he could only think for a split-second before Kiba barreled into him. They both crashed through the wall of a shop, sending the shelves tumbling in a heap of plaster and break. As they flew, they both landed just before they crashed through the front window of the shop. Using the momentum of Kiba's tackle, Garou used both his legs and pushed off Kiba, sending him flying through the window and through the wall of another building. He righted himself, and just managed to flip backwards to avoid another gargantuan mass of purple chakra. Akamaru was surrounded by an almost armour like chakra, turning his petite form into that of a giant purple wolf. Garou smirked in amusement, before dodging another charge from the empowered dog.
Hinata watched through the towering hole as the two shinobi and ninken did battle, both dodging each others animalistic blows. Kiba was faster and stronger than before, his fists now cracking the earth with their sheer sound of people screaming and running away from the fight filled her ears, and she went to run and help them. A sharp searing pain coursed through her shoulder, and she was soon clutching her ribs in pain. Hyouden stood behind her, a look of distaste set upon her features. "How weak," she spat, picking Hinata up by her hair,and striking her in the chest with her palm. She flew through the hole, landing with a thud on the ground outside the shop.
Kiba dodged another of Garou's blows, following it up with a strike of his own. Akamaru then leapt forward, leaping onto the Inuzuka and wrestling with him. Given a momentary reprieve, Kiba's eyes snapped to Hinata's prone form on the ground. He snarled, his eyes snapping to Hyouden as she walked calmly through the destruction to her daughter.
An explosion ripped sent a shockwave towards Kiba, knocking him backwards. He twisted himself in the air, landing on his hands and feet. Garou stood, his foot planted atop Akamaru's prone head. He grinned, pressing down his boot on Akamaru, causing the dog to whimper in pain. Kiba bounded forward, hell-bent on tearing a chunk out of his father. "I'll kill you!"
Garou made a simple hand sign. Kiba saw the glow of the explosive tags, but his body was already sailing over them. There would be no time to react. The explosions ripped through the air, sending Kiba hurtling backwards, his chest seared and burnt. The purple chakra dispersed from his body as he landed, unconscious on the floor.
Hinata gasped in fear as she rose upwards. Kiba and Akamaru were both out cold, leaving her to face down the two Akatsuki members.
"Attack!"
Guards swarmed the area, swinging their swords to injure the two Akatsuki. Hyouden scowled in annoyance, before he blurred out of Hinata's vision. The guards began dropping like flies, gurgling and spitting up blood. Soon the fifty or so force of guards had been reduced to nothing. Hyouden looked over her handiwork, her lavender eyes locking back on her main target. Hinata gulped.
She felt the presence of another, and looked upwards to reveal Garou, a lecherous smirk plastered on his face.
She knew what was coming; her inevitable death. It was over. However, her heart leapt when she heard a very distinctive cry. "YOSH!"
Gai blurred into the street, kicking Garou back through the hole in the shop, sending him crashing through another building. "Dynamic Entry!"
With a beaming smile and a thumbs up, he exclaimed. "It is I, The Green Beast of Konoha, Might Gai!"
Hyouden blinked. "Might Gai… Taijutsu master of the Leaf Village. A blithering idiot, but a strong one at that."
She heard the approach for more guards, and cursed. She would never reach the Uzumaki boy with both the guard of the city and Might Gai after her.
"We will not fight today Green Beast of Konoha."
Gai's face contorted in a frown. "I cannot let you escape Akatsuki."
Akatsuki? Hinata's brow furrowed. What was the Akatsuki?
"You won't have a choice. See you later Mebana." Hinata's breath hitched at her old nickname her mother used to call her. There was a flash of bright light, that lasted for only a few seconds, before it was gone. And so was her mother. Part of Hinata felt relief that the battle was over. And yet, a bigger part of her felt that she was a failure. She couldn't impress her father, nor her mother, nor her sister. What else did that leave? Nothing. And she was just that. Nothing.
Ino let out a puff of air as she continued on her quest. Right now she was sick and tired of looking for Gai-sensei. Nobody was at the coordinates that Kurenai-sensei gave her, and she had been waiting for a while. She sighed. Was it seriously so hard to meet at the meeting point!?
Grumbling to herself, she dodged and weaved out of the now thinning crowds. She estimated it was about two-PM, from what she could gather from the sun's position. If she couldn't find them within the hour, she would head back to the inn.
Before she could react, a little boy ran into her side, causing her to stumble into somebody. Apologizing profusely, she went to scold the boy. He had already ran off into the crowd, laughing as he clutched a straw doll in his hand. She smiled. The days when she could play with dolls. Running her hand over the wooden kunai in her pocket, Ino continued on her way. She watched the little boys progress as he somehow managed to dart from within the crowds, while also animatedly talking to the little straw doll. She overheard some of the conversation by straining her ears with chakra. "-I think mummy will be happy me, you and papa made that scarf for her, Kakashi."
Ino snorted. She could imagine a Kakashi-sensei doll... and a Gai-sensei one... Hm, interesting.
She followed him for a while, smiling as he continued to chatter away. It was cute and endearing, she missed being around children. She loved playing around her little cousins. But, she supposed she should keep an eye out of Gai-sensei...
Pausing briefly as the boy stopped at a vendor, she ran a hand through her hair. She had about half an hour left before she would head back. The platinum blonde smiled happily as the boy handed the vendor some money and in return was handed a ginger-bread man. The boy beamed happily, "Thank you mister!" he yelled, taking a bite out of is food, Kakashi the straw doll hanging limply at his side.
He turned around, and walked off. Ino decided to stop following him. While he was cute, she was sure she was getting a little bit stalkerish. She frowned, however, when the boy paused for a moment, turned his head to face an alley, and slowly stalked into it. What was he going to do in there? She took a step forward, but her gaze was momentarily distracted. A group of people, a few years younger than her, barreled through the crowd, the town guard hot on their heels. One of them, a boy, with shining silver hair turned and winked at her. "Hey there good lookin'," he greeted swiftly, stopping for a moment. She blushed indignantly, and she noticed the only female of the group, for some reason wearing a maids costume, smack him over the head. Ino watched as they ran, and just shook her head. Kids would be kids, right?
Her mind so wrapped around the fact that, for some reason, the boy had yet to leave the alley. It could have been open ended, and led onto another street, but a niggling feeling in the back of her mind worried her. She took off towards the alley. Eventually she reached the mouth, and peered in. She could feel a slight disturbance of chakra. She focused, and said "Kai." The illusion released. What she saw made her blood run cold.
The boy's straw doll lay on the ground, covered with blood. And lots of it. The blood caked the floor, and the walls. She forced back a gag. Footprints led from the pool, and ended with the boys limp body. A lumbering man towered over it, with a wide berth and shapeless face. He gnawed through the cloth of the boys clothes, and ripped into his flesh, letting out a pleasurable moan. Ino noticed the man was eating the boys arm. The arm that had been ripped from the boys corpse.
She couldn't believe her eyes. This... was horrific. Monstrous! Horrifying. The boy she had been watching had bright exuberant green eyes. They were now dull, and jaded. She let out the smallest of screams, immediately covering her mouth.
Big brown eyes soon reached her own blue ones. Blood dripped from the man's teeth, his face a mixture of dirt, and wetness. His hair was damp and disgusting, filled with all manner of lice and other insects. He wore overalls that one would mostly see on a farmer. It looked like he had been in a slaughterhouse, however. What horrified Ino the most, however, was the big, wide, innocent smile he greeted her with. "Hello! Bobo likes new friends!"
Ino began backing away in fear, her whole body shaking. She wanted to scream, run, through up, cry, curl into a ball and go to sleep, never to wake up. She wanted this to end, to stop. What had she witnessed, something so vile and disgusting. This... thing was a monster!
"You si-sick bastard..." She trailed off, her voice shaking as much as her body. Bobo took a long sniff of the air, his hand grasping at the boys chest. He pushed his hand in with a loud squelch, taking a handful of flesh and intestines and stuffing them into his mouth, chewing them with vigor. "Es berry tastet!" He called out, skin falling out of his mouth as he spoke. He reached into the boy's stomach, yanking out another bunch of intestines. Bobo swallowed his snack, licking his lips with glee as he extended his hand. "Bobo is always told to share. Would you like some of Bobo's snack?"
Ino couldn't take anymore, she bent down and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the concrete floor. Bobo cocked his head to the side as she retched. "Pretty friend not want any of Bobo's dinner? Okay, more for Bobo." He stuffed the rest into his mouth.
Ino wiped her own mouth, trying to get the bile off her face. She felt a little better, but this sadistic bastard... She reached for a kunai from her pouch. "You sick bastard!"
She threw the kunai. Bobo knocked it away with his hand, his eyes laundering over Ino's form. "Bobo would like another meal. Bobo is hungry." He licked his lips. "Bobo wants food!"
Without warning, Bobo charged at a speed that should have been illegal for a man of his stature. The air was knocked out of her lungs, and she was sure a rib was broken as Ino was thrown backwards, colliding with another wall. People all around her gasped, screaming obscenities as some looked down the alley. A mad panic soon began, people pushing and shoving to get away from Bobo, as he inched ever closer to Ino. With that wide, innocent smile.
She slowly stood upwards, using the wall for support. "Bobo wants to be friends," the wide man sounded torn," But Bobo is so hungry..."
Ino quickly reached into her pouch, thrusting a kunai at the man's shoulder. It connected, blood spurting out of the wound. Bobo simply turned, and cocked his head to the side. "Girl hurt Bobo?"
Ino shook with fear. He didn't even flinch!
"Bobo hurt girl!"
Bobo viciously backhanded the Yamanaka, spinning her around. The world was spinning. The large Kumo nin grasped at her ponytail, yanking her upright. She let out a sharp scream of pain. "Bobo and girl could have been friends!" He twisted his body around and threw. Ino connected with another wall, her back burning with pain. She coughed heavily. "But girl had to attack Bobo with pointy thing! Now Bobo crush girl's skull!"
The gargantuan nin was soon looming over her downed form, raising his large foot. Ino's eyes widened. She lifted her hands to block her face from Bobo's foot as it came crashing down. She envisioned chakra coating Bobo's foot. With an angry scream, she pushed as much chakra as she could. A blue glow covered Bobo's foot, and with a surge of chakra he was launched backwards, crashing through a wall of a shop.
Ino scrambled to her feet, looking around hastily before darting off in some random direction. She couldn't get the sight of that boys cold dead eyes. And that wide, innocent smile.
"Gai-sensei! Gai-sensei!"
Gai's head whipped around, the unconscious form of Hinata thrown over his shoulder. Beside him, Tenten's eyes widened. "Ino?"
With tears streaming down her face, Ino flung herself at Gai's feet. "G-Gai-sensei, I need... I need..."
Gai quickly handed Hinata over to a shocked Shizune, bending down and placing a reassuring hand on Ino's shoulder. "It's okay Ino, it's alright. Tell me what happened."
Ino began her horrible tale of how she found the boy, broken, battered and bloody, and fought with the man. Gai stayed unnaturally quiet throughout it all, his mouth curling into a frown. Ino broke down in tears after she finished her story, and with another reassuring pat on her shoulder, Gai stood up. Turning to Shizune with serious eyes, he stated. "Stay here with the girls. I'll go investigate."
The Medic Nin nodded, reaching forward to take Ino's hand and lead her away. The group was wholed up currently in a small abandoned building right in the centre of town. Shizune and Gai both agreed that, if the Akatsuki were to follow them, they would find their actual base, which would be horrible news. Kiba was inside, resting. He had lost quite a lot of chakra, and received multiple injuries.
Hinata herself was actually okay. A few bruises, but nothing major. Shizune and Tenten led Ino into the small building, Hinata being helped up by the two of them. Gai grimaced, before he darted off.
It was not long before he arrived back, his face grim. Shizune greeted him with a grim frown of her own. "How are they?" he asked.
"Kiba is stabilized, he should be waking up soon. Hinata is awake, but still rather tired. She seems to be in shock. Ino is... fragile, at best. I'll give her a full check-up once we're back at base."
"Thank you Shizune."
"What did you find," the brunette asked hesitantly. Gai's face contorted with an unknown emotion.
"Blood. Lot's of it. No sign of the man or the boy. From what Ino is saying though..." he trailed off uncertainly. "What do you know of the Hitokui clan?"
Shizune bit her lip. "Nothing really."
"I envy you," Gai replied honestly, running a hand through his bowl-cut hair, "The Hitokui clan are some of the most barbaric human beings you could ever meet. They force feed their babies flesh and intestines of animals and humans alike. Almost all of the children die. So, they're kept in cages, forced to breed like rabbits. Only the strongest babies survive. Some say it's a kekkei genkai that keeps them alive, I'm not sure. In any case, they grow up always hunting for flesh, always hungry. And they never, ever stop. Ino's lucky to have survived."
Shizune bowed her head. "I'm sorry, I should have informed you earlier. There have been... killings around the town in the dead of night. Someone has been eating people, bones, flesh and intestines."
Gai nodded. "I see."
"I'm sorry."
"Do not worry Shizune, it was not your fault." He smiled brightly at her. "Come now, our flames of youth may have dimmed, but not for long! Yosh!"
Shizune smiled, as Gai darted past her to greet his charges. She would never, ever understand that man.
The fountain exploded in a mass of stone and water as a chain shot forward. Sasuke quickly shoved Naruto out of the way, the chain crashing into his shoulder. With a cry of pain he flew backwards, twisting into the dirt. A deep laugh came from within the smoke.
A man with long dark brown hair stepped out, his forest green eyes watching with amusement as Naruto leapt to his feet. He held a long, thick chain in his hand, twisting it around his head like a lasso. A Kumo headband rested around his neck. He smirked. "How pathetic." He spoke with a regal tone of voice, "They send children now on rescue missions? How unproductive."
Naruto grimaced. "Who the hell do you think you are!?"
The man laughed, his chain sparking slightly. "I am Lord Kan. You're superior in every single way."
Naruto made a handsign. "You're not superior to me, I'll show you! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Six Naruto's appeared in a puff of smoke, charging forward at a breakneck pace. Kan snorted, whipping his chain. The surged forward, dispelling the clones with a puff of smoke. "This is what I have to contend with. I am your better, brat. You are weak and impotent. I should cut you down where you stand!"
Kurenai dashed out from behind a building, throwing a wave of kunai. Kan blocked them effortlessly, sending his chain once more to lash out. Kurenai dodged it, back flipping, before she rushed forward. Reaching Kan, she lashed out with her fist. The ninja ducked underneath it, pulling his chain back towards him. Realising what he was doing, Kurenai leapt into the air, dodging it. Or, she hoped. The chain shot up as soon as it reached it's wielder, curling around the Genjutsu Mistresses' legs. Sending a burst of chakra through the chain, Kan watched in amusement as Kurenai's body spasmed, and locked up. Whipping the chain forward, Kurenai crashed into the dirt.
"Kurenai-sensei!" Naruto called. Sasuke rushed past him, hands weaving through signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A ball of fire erupted from Sasuke's mouth, scorching the ground and hurtling towards Kan. Retracting his chain from Kurenai's legs, he merely leapt to the side. The ball of fire surged past him, connecting and setting a building aflame. "Sasuke, be careful!" Kurenai called, trying fruitlessly to make her legs work. Whatever this 'Kan' had done, it had paralysed her for the time being.
Sasuke grimaced. He couldn't be super offensive without damaging the environment. His gaze swept around, noticing the crowd of civilians that had gathered to watch.
By now the former monumental water fountain was now nothing more than stone scattered about the square. Benches lay overturned, dirty and rock littering the area. Water spurted from the ground, coating it. Kan smirked gloriously. "I'll give you a little lesson in chakra. You see, lightning conducts through water!" His hands whirred, making hand signs. "Lightning Style: Voltage Jutsu!"
Bolts of lightning shot out of Kan's hands, electrocuting the water. Sasuke leapt backwards onto a nearby rock to avoid the electricity, but had to dodge when Kan's chain shot forward, obliterating the rock.
Sending out another fireball, Sasuke ducked behind the rock that Naruto had ran too. "We need a plan." He stated quietly. Naruto nodded.
"Yeah!"
Sasuke let out a low growl. What an idiot. "Dobe, be quiet!" he hissed.
Naruto grinned. "Sorry Sasuke, you were saying?"
"We need to find a way of getting past his defences. We should use that Fuuma Shuriken strategy when we fought Zabuza."
Naruto nodded exuberantly. "I'll go and distract him with a Fireball Jutsu. You transform into the shuriken." With another nod, Sasuke raced out from behind the rock and fired off another Fireball. Kan's chain formed a dome around him, the ball of fire clashing with the lightning conducting metal. There was a blast, covering the area in smoke.
Naruto went to do as he was told, but paused. Why should he just create one shuriken. If he himself transformed into the Fuuma Shuriken, he could then transform his clones into other smaller shuriken...
A plan forming in his head, Naruto made the hand signs for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Whispering it under his breath, twenty clones appeared. He swiftly made them henge into three shuriken each. He nodded to himself, before leaping into the air and turning himself into the Fuuma Shuriken. The smoke had finally cleared as Sasuke caught the weapon in mid-air. Twisting around, he threw all his might. It sped forward, but Kan's chain was faster. He deflected it just in the nick of time, sending it veering off course. Naruto poofed into existence, as did a whole bunch of smaller shuriken that immediately shot forward. Sasuke's eyes widened. This wasn't part of the plan!
Kan easily deflected them with his chain, before sending it flying outwards. It caught Naruto square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, and sending him flying backwards.
Kan laughed loudly and clearly. "You fools! Your teamwork is appalling! I mean, really, using shadow clones to make shuriken? Ha! I could see you so clearly through the smoke it wasn't even funny. What a ridiculous orange getup!"
Sasuke growled. "Naruto, you idiot! Why didn't you stick to the plan!?"
Naruto leapt up. "Teme, your plan sucked! I made it better!"
"It would have worked you Dobe! Why couldn't you have just trusted me on this!?"
"Since when have you ever trusted me with anything, anyway! You steal Sakura, you steal Hinata-"
"Wait, what!? What the hell are you going on about you stupid bastard!? I didn't-"
Sasuke quickly substituted with a random rock just in time as a spear of lightning shattered it into pieces.
"How pathetic! Arguing in the middle of a battle! That'll cost your teacher her life!"
Kurenai was still paralysed, struggling with all her might to get her body to move. Kan's chain hit the water, sending a bolt of electricity towards the downed Genjutsu Mistress. She closed her eyes, ready for the shock. She felt herself being thrown into the air, however. Naruto spasmed as the lightning hit him, and he poofed away. Kurenai sighed in relief, and felt arms around her. Another Naruto landed on the ground safely, shooting her a foxy grin. "Hehe, sorry that was so close Kurenai-sensei! It won't happen again!" With a salute, the clone poofed out of existence.
Sasuke, meanwhile, had charged Kan with a kunai. Attacking him long range was proving useless, so short range would have to do. Somehow taking the nin by surprise, Sasuke got in a swipe with his weapon. It nicked Kan's cheek, but that was about it. Kan's chain was rather useless at short range, and a Taijutsu battle began. He was obviously not proficient in hand to hand combat, as Sasuke swiftly gained the upper hand with a well placed kick to the ribs. Kan gasped and was sent stumbling back.
The Uchiha quickly made some hand signs and gathered chakra for the Chidori. The bright blue light enveloped his hands as the sound of birds chirping filled the air. Sasuke heard cheers from the crowd of civilians that had stayed to watch the fight. They should have gone to hide! Or go get the guard, or something!
Still, it didn't matter now, he was taking this guy down!
"Chidori!" With a cry of rage, Sasuke charged. He didn't get very far as Kan's chain shot into the ground, before shooting back out behind Sasuke. It yanked around his throat, stopping his advancement, and choking him. Sasuke's Chidori dissipated, and he clawed furiously at the chain.
"How impotent. This is the Uchiha clan? I've seen more worthy blood in rodents!"
Sasuke's sharingan spun with rage, catching Kan in a quick genjutsu as their eyes met. The chain's hold slackened, and he managed to slip out. Kan broke out of the genjutsu quickly, ready to catch Sasuke in his chain's hold once more. However, soon the world began to look watery, as it if the very environment itself was slowly running down the proverbial canvas.
Kurenai got out of her crouching position, letting out a breath of relief. Thank Kami the paralysation wore off. "Sasuke, now!"
The Uchiha nodded, his pinwheel eyes spinning rapidly. "This is the power of the Uchiha! Chidori!"
With the roars of the excited crowd cheering him on, Sasuke raced forward, the blue lightning chakra in his hand ready to pierce some stomachs.
However, fate would not allow it. Something leapt from the earth behind Kan, tearing it in two. Dirt and earth sprung up as a large figure gripped Kan's waist and leapt upwards. Sasuke's Chidori just narrowly missed anything vital, just leaving a deep scratch on Kan's side.
The large figure leapt to the top of a tall building, placing a panting Kan down. "I underestimated you, Uchiha. That will not happen again." His regal voice rang clear throughout the square, enrapturing the crowds attention. "However, you can't save them all!"
With a handsign the Kumo nin fired a large bolt of lightning into the water. It headed straight towards the civilian bystanders. Before they would even have a chance to run it would be upon them. And they would be dead.
Sasuke's body moved on it's own, his hands blurring through hand signs. He intercepted the lightning, his own hand crackling with a Chidori. Kurenai and Naruto watched in amazement as he used his own lightning chakra to absorb the bolt. He grimaced, his arm painfully burned, but he had saved them. That was all that mattered.
"Help, we need some help over here!"
Sasuke's head snapped backwards. A little girl was stuck under a large rock, people trying to lift it, but to no avail. Sasuke took one last look at Kan, his thought whirling. Should he go after him? Should he help the civilians? With a begrudging noncommittal sound, he turned and began to walk towards the girl.
"What's the matter little boy, giving up?" Kan's voice angered the Uchiha, but he stood steadfast. He had to save this girl-
"If you can't even catch me, how to do expect to catch your big brother?"
Sasuke saw red, spinning around and charging forward. How dare he!
Kan merely laughed. "You fool of an Uchiha!"
The end of his chain shot from where it lay upon the ground, entering Kan's hand. He pushed some lightning chakra into it, and it began to spark.
Sasuke could only turn his head. His eyes widened in horror. The chain's other end lay in a pool of water. The pool led to where the little girl lay under a rock.
"No!" Sasuke called out in fear, ready to dart back. He was too far away. Naruto was too far away. And so was Kurenai.
Sasuke watched as the group trying to help the girl spasmed uncontrollably, thousands of volts coursing through their veins. They soon slumped to the ground, heavily burnt. And the little girl's whole body was laying in the pool. She was a figure of burnt flesh and blood. Nothing more.
Sasuke felt his heart pounding. This was... it reminded him of that night... that horrible, horrible night. His legs lost all feeling as he tumbled to the ground, darkness slipping over him. The last thing he saw were a pair of cerulean blue eyes, and striking blonde hair.
Sasuke's not dead, stop celebrating. He's just unconscious, shook and all that. Not much to say here, really. Chapter was a pain in the ass to write, so happy it's over. Next chapter will be a bit of a catch-up with Sakura and Tali. It'll be shorter, so you'll get it by next weekend, and hopefully I'll be able to get back to my once a week updating schedule. Thanks for reading, make sure you review and let me know your thoughts! Have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!