Stray Dogs

Chapter 25

A pack of lions emerged from the trees and surrounded Itachi and Kisame, as Sasuke flew, quite literally, towards his brother. Sai, Suigetsu, Naruto, Juugo and Karin following behind. Sasuke's Cursed Seal form was grey, with jet black hair and enormous webbed hands that doubled as wings. His clawed hands were outstretched aiming for Itachi's throat.

Kisame laughed and struck the lions with Samehada, watching them dissolve into ink. "What the . . .?"

Sasuke struck at brother, but Itachi vanished into thin air. Itachi appeared behind Sasuke and struck him in the back, knocking him face first into the ground.

Sai sent more lions toward Kisame as Suigetsu rushed forward with his gigantic sword, meeting Kisame's Samehada blade to blade. The lions jumped on Kisame's back, "NO! I want to take him myself!"

Sai waved his hand and the ink lions disappeared into thin air.

"Thanks kid, but you shouldn't try to fight fair with a Swordsman of the Mist!" Kisame laughed and the two began to clash once more.

A few hundred yards away, Itachi stood over his fallen brother, "I suppose it's time to tell you why I spared your life, all those years ago. The Mangekayo Sharingan renders it's user blind the more often it's used, and I have used mine very often."

Sasuke got up, snarling, "Do you think I'll have mercy because you're blind?! Then you're sadly mistaken, brother."

Itachi almost smiled, "No, my dear brother. I knew of this, and I also knew that the only way to regain my sight would be to transplant the eyes of a close relative to replace my own. That is why I left you alive, dear brother."

Naruto screamed and jumped at Itachi, unwilling to let his friend suffer in such a way, but Sasuke knocked him away, "Only I have the right to kill Itachi!"

Itachi smiled thinly. Sasuke's desperate slashes kept catching only air as Itachi moved with inhuman speed away. "You're too slow, brother. Perhaps you still lack the hatred to defeat me."

Sasuke screamed in rage and rushed forward, pressing home the attack yet still failing to land a single blow.

...

Sai, Juugo and Karin sat under a nearby tree, waiting.

"Why do they not accept help? Sasuke could certainly use some assistance." Sai asked calmly.

"Sasuke doesn't need anyone's help!" Karin snarled.

"That is not what my current analysis of the battle tells me, Pervert."

Juugo lay back against the tree, "He sees himself as the Avenger of the Uchiha clan, and, as such, the only one with the right to exact vengeance."

"If he accepts help, it will not make Itachi any less dead than if he wins alone. I am grateful that I have no emotions, they are, as lazy Shikamaru would say, troublesome. They only serve to cloud one's judgement." Sai observed thoughtfully.

...

The Hidden Temple of Jashin lay deep within the forested mountainside in Amegakure, carved from the solid stone of the mountain. The massive stone gates rose twenty feet high, towering over the intruders. At the doors stood thirty-odd priests and monks, led by the Five High Priests of Jashin.

Eiichiro stepped forward, "Just hand over The Invisible Blade, brother, and perhaps Jashin will forgive you."

"I can't let Jashin go loose, he'll slaughter millions."

Eiichiro smiled coldly, "That's the idea."

The priests rushed toward the intruders, only to be driven back by a blinding swarm of paper butterflies.

"Good job, Konan!" Mizuki threw his giant shuriken into the crowd of priests, cutting down High Priest Hakari as Iruka and Pein threw shuriken and senbon into the crowd, cutting down numerous monks.

Still the priests rushed forward.

"Do it now boy!" Pein shouted, and Zaku raised his palms toward the group, sending a Zankuuha wave that sliced down half the group in one blast, including High Priests Kashikawa and Senzo.

"They're not getting up, they're actually dead..." Eiji whispered in awe, the fallen priests were truly dead!

The survivors fell back, and Eiichiro pointed to one specific intruder.

"It's him, HE'S THE INVISIBLE BLADE!"

All heads turned towards one very surprised and confused fourteen-year old Oto Genin.

"M-ME!?" Zaku stuttered.

To Be Continued . . .