A Ninja's Guide to Surviving High School
By: JA_Japster
Chapter Fifty-Two: Betrayal
Kabuto was late for their appointed rendezvous, and the fact that the white-haired medic had yet to show up made Sasuke both anxious and annoyed. Kabuto was normally incredible punctual, and his unusual tardiness bothered Sasuke more than he cared to admit. Even earlier Sasuke had been apprehensive about this meeting; there were too many things about it that did not sit well with the young Shinobi. Against his better judgment though, he had decided to go ahead with it anyway.
Sasuke exhaled deeply, his breath visible in the chilling afternoon cold. He rubbed his hands together for warmth beneath his cloak and looked into the distance in hopes of catching a glimpse of Kabuto arriving There was none, however, and in the remote, empty clearing that Kabuto had requested Sasuke to meet him in, there was no chance that he would be able to approach without Sasuke noticing.
Their meeting spot was one of the things about this meeting that bothered Sasuke. Normally he would meet Kabuto at the medical ninja's office or at a coffee shop. Today, though, Kabuto had asked Sasuke to meet him in an empty field far away on the village's outskirts. Additionally, in the brief message that Kabuto had sent Sasuke, he had sounded urgent. The reason for this urgency Sasuke did not know, but he definitely could speculate. Maybe Kabuto suspected that the Konoha police force was onto him for smuggling Sasuke illegal documents, or maybe the medic ninja had some important new information for him. Whatever the reason, though, it unnerved Sasuke.
Normally this would be more than enough reason for Sasuke to do the smart thing and walk away. After all, he was not foolish enough to not appreciate the severity and illegality of his actions. If he got caught trading information for forbidden technique scrolls, expulsion from high school would be the least of Sasuke's worries. In the end though, Sasuke had elected to ignore his misgivings with the situation and had journeyed through the cold wind and fallen snow to meet Kabuto.
Kabuto paid well enough to take a few risks. The technique scrolls that he had given to Sasuke had only grown progressively more fascinating, and Kabuto had hinted that the latest batch would grant Sasuke abilities reserved only for a Hokage level Shinobi. Abilities, perhaps, that would allow Sasuke to finally kill Itachi. Besides, as mysterious and enigmatic as Kabuto was, it was true that the medic Shinobi had never given Sasuke a reason to distrust him before.
He glanced nervously down at his watch again, and decided that if Kabuto did not arrive in another five minutes he would leave. Sasuke had better things to do with his time than to stand around in the freezing snow.
For starters, Sasuke still had to find a date to the dance. It was a task, Sasuke was surprised to find, considerably harder than he had planned. Finding a girl suitable for an individual such as himself was no easy feat -they had to be an ace in the looks department, a good dancer, and someone who could hold their own during dinner conversation. However, such girls his age group were rare in Konoha High, and the few that did qualify to make it on Sasuke's special list had already found dates. He had been tempted to try and seduce them to going with him instead, but he had decided against it. Getting into petty squabbles with other boys in his year was beneath him; he had far greater enemies to concern himself with.
Sasuke mentally made a note to make a more concerted effort to find a suitable date as soon as his rendezvous with Kabuto was completed. After Sakura had staunchly rejected him, there was no way that Sasuke would show up with someone who wasn't in every possible way imaginable as impressive as Sakura. Finding a girl that met that criteria, Sasuke acknowledged with a disgruntled frown, would be no easy feat. Sakura had everything that he looked for in a girl. She was smart, talented, and most importantly, had developed a sort of rebellious sass over the last several months that Sasuke found far more attractive than her normal timid and demure demeanor.
He was just preparing to leave when he spotted Kabuto approaching in the distance. He scowled as the white haired medic approached, and he ignored the friendly wave that the other man offered. Crossing his arms, he leaned against a nearby tree.
"What took you so long?" Sasuke demanded, glowering at Kabuto. "And why the hell did we have to meet so far away from the village?"
"Security precautions," said Kabuto with a dismissive wave of his hand. "You recall, after all, what we're doing isn't exactly legal."
Sasuke pretended like he hadn't heard that. He disliked Kabuto calling their dealings 'illegal'. There wasn't inherently anything wrong about what he was doing. He was merely doing what was necessary to become stronger, more skilled, more knowledgeable, and ultimately, more powerful. His instructors should have seen to that he was equipped with the tools needed to defeat evil Shinobi like Itachi; all Sasuke's extracurricular studies were doing was rectifying their shortcomings.
"Did you bring me what I asked for?" Sasuke asked.
Kabuto nodded. "I feel as though I should warn you, Sasuke," he said as he removed a series of scrolls from a satchel he had slung over his shoulder. "Many of these techniques are forbidden and quite dangerous. Acquiring these scrolls was not easy."
Sasuke shrugged indifferently. "They will help me kill my brother, correct?"
"The proper usage of each of these techniques could inflict lethal damage," replied Kabuto. He tossed the scrolls to Sasuke. "So, potentially, yes."
"Then that's all I need to know." Sasuke caught the scrolls and unfurled them. His eyes widened a few times as he scanned them over. Kabuto had not been lying. There was a very good reason why these techniques were strictly forbidden from ever being used.
Kabuto allowed Sasuke to read the scrolls for a few more minutes before clearing his throat to redirect Sasuke's attention. "Now that I got what you wanted, did you bring what I wanted?"
Not even to bother glancing up from the scrolls he was reading, Sasuke dug into his bag and tossed the blueprints that he had obtained from the library earlier that day.
"These are the plans?" Kabuto asked.
"All the ones you asked for," answered Sasuke. He lowered the scrolls and eyed Kabuto suspiciously. "What did you need them for anyway?"
Or more specifically, why did Kabuto need Sasuke to get them for him? All the plans hat Sasuke had retrieved were available to the public. The majority of them had been blueprints and plans for different parts of the village; hardly anything that Kabuto couldn't get himself. For instance, one of the plans that Kabuto had requested was an outline of the newly constructed dance hall in Konoha High.
Kabuto had smuggled out incredibly dangerous and illegal, highly classified documents for Sasuke, and all he had asked for in return were some plans that he could have easily gotten himself at the public library. It did not make any sense at all, and it made Sasuke suspicious and nervous.
"My need for them is my business," said Kabuto shortly. "Was anyone aware of you while you took these?"
Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe. What difference does it make?"
Kabuto frowned for a moment, but it faded quickly. "None I suppose."
"Well then," Sasuke said as he rolled up Kabuto's scrolls and stowed them away in his bag. "I guess I'll see you later."
"Sasuke, wait," Kabuto said. "There was another reason why I asked you to meet me here."
The young Uchiha paused, his suspicion and his interest aroused. He had suspected there was an ulterior meaning behind their rendezvous other than to exchange documents. While ensuring their meetings were not being monitored had always been a priority, never before now had Kabuto had Sasuke walk miles outside of the village merely to disguise their activities.
"Over the last few months you've shown signs of significant improvement," said Kabuto. "New techniques will help arm you for your battle against Itachi, but there's only one true way to become powerful enough to contend with your brother."
Sasuke was definitely interested now. "I'm finally going to meet your master? He's going to train me?"
"Indeed," replied Kabuto. "He will be arriving from over there," He pointed at something in the distance, and involuntarily, Sasuke turned to look at what he was gesturing towards.
It was only Sasuke's sixth sense that alerted him. Without his Sharingan activated to give him the gift of precognition, it was only his raw instincts that warned him of the sudden movement behind him. Sasuke spun on his heels, just in time to grab Kabuto's hand and avoid the tip of the syringe that the medical ninja was holding like a knife.
"What the hell are you doing?" demanded Sasuke. He slapped Kabuto's hand away, but the medical ninja came at him again. The needle flashed past his face, almost finding purchase in the side of his throat if Sasuke hadn't barely managed to lean back out of its path.
Sasuke was startled, but he couldn't allow his confusion to make him hesitate. He did not know if this was Kabuto's idea of a joke or if this was some sort of test, but it did not matter. All he needed to know was that Kabuto was currently trying his damnedest to stab him with a needle full of sickly green liquid.
"Stop messing around, Kabuto!" snarled Sasuke. Kabuto circled around him, the syringe deftly bouncing back and forth between his hands. He lunged at Sasuke again, but this time Sasuke did not merely retreat from the attack. The young Shinobi stepped in to intercept Kabuto's arm, and in one brutal motion, twisted it behind his back.
Kabuto shouted in pain, and the syringe dropped harmlessly to the snow from his limp grip. Sasuke wasted no time smashing the glass needle beneath his boot.
Gritting his teeth in pain and gasping for air, Kabuto looked up defiantly at Sasuke. There was anger blazing in his eyes, but despite that, there was a malicious smile on his lips. "Sasuke, you idiot. You should have just made this easy on yourself."
Sasuke blinked, confused. "What are you talking about?"
It was then that Sasuke realized that him and Kabuto were not alone. There was someone else present there with them. An ominous aura swept throughout the snowy field, a presence as tangible and forceful as the fierce gusts of wind that added a freezing chill to the winter air. A cold chill descended down his spine as a horrifying realization dawned on him, and a familiar, paralyzing fear crept over his body.
"Hello again," said a voice Sasuke knew all too well, "Little brother."
Sasuke whirled around, and the moment he saw Itachi standing underneath a nearby tree, his hand shot forth. There was no need for hand signs, no need for a long intricate incantation -with a single, muttered word, a surge of crackling lightning burst forth from Sasuke's fingertips towards Itachi.
The maelstrom of sizzling energy raked across the snow, melting it into water and scorching the earth beneath wherever it touched. It wrapped itself around Itachi, encircling the renegade Shinobi with tendrils of of blazing electricity. Itachi crumpled to his knees as bolts of scorching lightning stabbed into his writhing body, his mouth open in a wordless scream of agony.
Sasuke grinned wickedly and thrust his hands forward, intensifying the lethal jets of light tearing into his older brother. He felt no pity, no mercy; all he felt as his brother's body convulsed on the snow covered floor was righteous satisfaction. Years of suppressed rage and anger were unleashed; the scrolls that Kabuto had given him had taught Sasuke the technique, but it was his hatred that fueled the brutal assault.
After several more moments, Sasuke finally allowed his hands to lower. Instantly, the lightening faded away, revealing the devastation that it had The tree and everything that had been Itachi was burnt to an unrecognizable crisp. Only scorched remnants remained. They still smoldered from the blaze that had eclipsed it. Itachi's corpse was nowhere to be seen; no doubt it had been incinerated into ash and blown away by the blowing wind.
The youngest Uchiha exhaled deeply. His body was trembling, and Sasuke realized how drained he felt. The adrenaline from the battle was seeping away, and he had used almost all his chakra to kill Itachi.
"I did it..." he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the howling wind. He clenched his fists together and smiled. "I finally did it."
It hardly seemed real. It hardly seemed possible. But it was. For more than a decade Sasuke had been plotting his brother's death, his family's revenge, and now his dreams of fratricide had finally been realized.
Sasuke's frown waned slightly as he looked at the seared clearing where his brother had met his demise. Even though Sasuke's attack was powerful enough to kill even the most skilled Jounin, his victory almost seemed too easy. It was almost disappointing. In the past, every time Sasuke had envisioned killing Itachi, the battle preluding his brother's death had always been far more grand and epic.
"Screw it," he muttered. Itachi was dead. And that was all that mattered.
He turned around and was ready to deal with the traitorous Kabuto when someone grabbed him roughly around the throat. Sasuke choked as fingers dug into his throat, and before he could even struggle to break free, he felt his feet being lifted off the floor. Sasuke's vision blurred as his unseen assailant smashed his head into a nearby tree and pinned his body against it.
Sasuke's eyes widened in horror when he realized who it was choking him. Standing before him, effortlessly holding a flailing Sasuke by the throat, was none other than a very much alive and entirely unscathed Itachi.
"H-how?" demanded Sasuke in between desperate gasps for air. "I killed you!"
Itachi laughed cruelly and his fingers tightened around his brother's throat. "You're such an idiot, little brother. Did you really think cheap parlor tricks like that had any chance of defeating me? Honestly. Lightening? I'm pretty sure I learned that technique when I was six years old."
Sasuke grabbed Itachi's hand and tried to pry it free, but it was useless. The harder he tried to break free, the tighter Itachi's grip became. His air flow badly restricted and his head began to spin. Sasuke could only gnash his teeth and snarl incoherently in defiance. Never before had he felt so powerless, so helpless.
"Hurry up and kill me you murderous fuck," shouted Sasuke.
Itachi only smiled playfully. "Don't you remember what I told you? I'm not going to kill you. Not until you become powerful enough to avenge mother and father anyway." He smirked when he saw the rage explode in his sibling's eyes at the mention of their murdered parents. "And I really don't see that happening any time soon."
"What do you want from me then?"
"It's like I said the last time we met before we were rudely interrupted by your friends," Itachi's other hand reached up to Sasuke's face and gently stroked his cheek. "I need some help, help only you can give me."
"Go to hell," snapped Sasuke.
Itachi sighed wearily. "Always choosing the hard way, Sasuke. First you wouldn't let Kabuto inject you and now this tiresome defiance? Very well. I did not want it to come to this, but it looks as though we'll have to do things my way."
In one violent motion, Itachi slammed Sasuke to the ground and secured him firmly into the snow by pressing his knee in the middle of his brother's chest. Sasuke was too stunned from the sudden impact that he didn't even realize what Itachi was doing until it was far too late. Itachi reached down and pried open Sasuke's eyelids.
It was only then did Sasuke realize that Itachi had his Sharingan activated, something that Itachi had never felt the need to do use before while fighting him. For a moment, Sasuke was confused. Itachi had no need for the powers of precognition at the moment nor did it make sense that he was casting an illusion on Sasuke. But that meant he was planning to...
"Oh shit." Sasuke gasped. He tried to screw his eyes shut, to turn his head to the side, to break free -anything to avoid eye contact, but it was useless.
"It's like I said," Itachi said calmly as he gazed down at Sasuke so that the brother's eyes met. His Sharingan began to glow red, shimmering ominously amidst the onyx hue of Itachi's retina. Powerless to do anything else, but await the inevitable, Sasuke could only stare at it in mesmerized, horrified, fascination.
"You're going to help me get Naruto. Whether you want to or not."
Author's Notes:
Sorry for the long delay guys. Just finished with final exams and am currently on vacation so I have more time to write. Expect more updates a little more frequently than the last couple months!
As always, comments, questions, feedback, complaints -drop them in the review section!
