She was running through the forest, microphone on her throat and an ear piece in her ear. She heard screams, and looked around to find a bunch of sand in the air, someone caught in it. 'Someone who can control sand…' the boy was crushed, and blood spurted everywhere, making her eyes widen when she saw a familiar friend, the sand retreating into his gourd. 'Gaara-kun…what happened to you?' She jumped down, looking at him with surprise. Gaara's eyes showed the same surprise, and Michiko took a step forward. "Gaara-kun…?" Kankurou seemed surprised as well, while Temari seemed worried. "Michiko-chan…it's been too long…" she nodded, saying, "I missed you guys…" Inside, Gaara was happy to see her again, but he was scared she'd reject him, after seeing what he just did, and tried to act cold and indifferent. For the first time in six years…he was happy…"Gaara-kun…are you okay?" 'Be careful around him, Michiko…he has a Bijuu in him as well…' 'So you mean he's…like me?' she got closer, saying, "I'm sorry I didn't notice before…" "Didn't notice what?" "That we're the same…"
That's when her ear piece buzzed into life, Anko's voice yelling into her ear. "Michiko, get out of there!! Orochimaru is after Squad 7!! He's in there, and you need to get out of there! We can't afford to lose you!!" Michiko sighed, and pressed her microphone. "Anko-chan, I'm going to back up Squad 7." "Are you crazy!?! You can't!!" "I didn't ask, Anko, I said! And unless you want me to destroy this whole forest in anger, you'd better let me go!!!" There was a moment of silence before Anko said, "Okay…I'll tell the Hokage and try to get to you as fast as I can…" a smile lit up Michiko's face. "Thank you, Anko-chan! Over and out." She turned to Gaara, saying, "I'm sorry…but I've gotta go…" she saw what looked like sadness or guilt in his eyes, and he said, "Be careful…"
She nodded, and disappeared in a flash, running through the trees. 'I hope they're okay…please…be okay…' 'They're ahead of us…I can smell them…' Michiko unconsciously nodded, speeding up, and soon saw Sasuke fighting the Genin from before. 'Why is everyone tricking me lately?'
She was about to run in when she saw his neck grow long, and bite Sasuke on the neck. "Sasuke-kun!!" In a moment, she punched Orochimaru in the face, making him fly away. She turned to Sasuke, and saw the pain written on his face. "Sasuke-kun…" she kneeled down, looking at where he was bitten, and saw a cursed seal. "Oh no…" Sakura came over to him as well, and rage filled Michiko's blood. "How could you curse him?" her eyes flashed cat green as she glared at Orochimaru. "I should kill you." She stood up, her anger never wavering. "I don't think a little girl would be able to do that." Her eyes swirled from dark blue to cat green, her pupils narrowing to slits. "That's it…you're dead." A lightning blue quarter moon appeared on her forehead, along with what looked like three lightning blue claw marks on each cheek. As her fangs and claws grew in, she said, "I'll show you why they call me the Lightning Cat Ninja."
In a flash, she punched him in the chest, and then kneed him in the face. He flew into the air, and she did hand signs so fast that her hands were only a blur for a moment before she said, "Lightning Release: Lightning Jolt jutsu!" She grabbed her blades, letting the electricity course through the blades before jumping up to slash at him. She then kicked him downwards, making him smash into the branch below with great force. She landed softly, but when he stood up again, she couldn't help the hiss that escaped her throat. "A Jinchuuriki…I didn't think there were any others except the Kyuubi." 'The Kyuubi has a Jinchuuriki?' 'Yes. It's…' Before Chiaki could finish her sentence, Orochimaru tried to bite her neck, but she dodged, almost cutting his neck with her claws, but he moved away.
"Now I remember why I tried to capture you at a young age…" She glared, her eyes seeming to glow with anger. "So it was YOUR fault that my squad turned against me! And left me to die in the middle of the desert!!" if it was possible, her anger grew, but she tried to suppress it. 'Anko-chan…where ARE you?' She scanned her surroundings, and noticed Naruto, hanging unconscious, from a tree. She couldn't suppress her anger any longer, and her chakra spiraled around her, growing in strength and intensity. "I'll finish this…now!!" she did some rapid hand signs, and held her wrist as she said, "Chidori!!"
As the blue chakra formed in her hand, and the sound like a thousand birds chirping filled the air, she smirked, saying, "Also known as Lightning Blade…and no one's ever lived through it…" in a flash she was gone, and reappeared behind him, ramming her right hand through his heart. She thought it was over, when he turned to mud or muck, and she couldn't rip her hand out of it. 'Just great! NOW what do I do?' his voice said, from behind her, "That's a powerful jutsu…but you can't kill me so easily…" She focused chakra into her hand, and let it out in a giant burst, blowing away the brown gunk, and tried to kick him. He dodged, and she growled with frustration.
"Getting impatient? That usually kills shinobi. But of course, YOU know that…" she glared, cracking her knuckles, and said, "I've had enough talk…I can tell you're not being serious…" "Of course not…I don't want to kill a Jinchuuriki…I don't know what might happen…" she tried to punch him, but he dodged, and her fist connected with the trunk of a tree, making the top part fall off. "Fast and strong…what an unusual combination…" she didn't like being toyed with, and she said, a threatening tone evident in her voice, "I don't like people toying with me…so either fight for real or leave…" she glared. "I'm not an immature Genin…I'm an elite Jounin, one of Konoha's best…and I prefer to be treated that way." She pumped her fist so full of chakra it looked like she was holding Chidori in her hand, and smirked. "And I'll show you what makes me so dangerous." She punched him in the stomach, hearing some ribs snap, and then pumped chakra into her foot before kicking him across the face. Before he flew away, he hit the nerve in her neck, if not directly, and it numbed her body, making her hit the branch with great force. "God damn it!!"
She cursed audibly for at least five minutes, trying to regain feeling in her limbs, and pumped her chakra through her arms, bringing an almost burning pain. 'I can move them now…' she moved her arms into familiar hand signs, her hands glowing green, and she brought the feeling back, and sat up weakly. 'I've used quite a bit of chakra…I feel…weak…' She looked at Orochimaru as he rose from the ground, glaring. "Feeling a little weak, little one?" she glared, trying to stand, and nearly falling over. "I took some of your chakra…it's actually quite concentrated…" she gritted her teeth in an attempt to contain her anger and not lash out. She pumped chakra to the soals of her feet and was about to charge when he said, "I've gotten what I came for…I'll see you and the Uchiha later…" he disappeared, and Michiko staggered over to Sasuke and Sakura. She kneeled down next to him, checking his pulse.
"Sakura-chan, get Naruto-kun down here, okay?" she nodded, and Michiko pressed a button on her microphone, saying, "Hello? Anybody there?" "Michiko! Are you okay?" she recognized her fathers voice, but wasn't used to the worry. "Dad…everybody's fine…but I'm too weak to get to the tower or to the fence…" "…Stay with the Genin…Orochimaru might try to attack them again…" "Yeah…" "…Are you strong enough to keep going?" her vision began to blur, and she shook her head, clearing her vision momentarily. "No…I need to check them for injuries…after that…I won't make it…" Sakura brought Naruto down to her, and she checked his pulse, and looked over him for wounds. She felt faint, and nearly fainted, but she held on for a few moments longer. "Sakura-chan…I need you to be strong…I can't stay awake long enough to protect you…you'll need to stand on your own two feet until one of us wakes up…"
Michiko put a hand to her forehead, feeling lightheaded. "Gomen…Sakura-chan…" and she fell backwards, unconscious…the only thing she heard was Sakura's faint cries of her name…then…nothing…