I feel like this might not be a great chapter, but I hope you guys like it regardless.
This chapter includes:
Roar, Chidori! Brother vs. Brother!
Hate Among the Uchihas: The Last of the Clan!
A New Training Begins: I Will Be Strong!
Keep on Training: Pop Goes the Water Balloon!
Focal Point: The Mark of the Leaf
"Why don't we take a walk?" The familiar man asked. Might as well stated it. Itachi Uchiha. Orochimaru wanted Itachi so bad, but Itachi was too strong. Itachi was Orochimaru's pipe dream. I felt my hand twitching, anxiously wanting to go for a kunai. Not that it would do anything. Itachi could probably break my hand before I could defend myself.
"Do as he says, Naruto." I said quietly, glaring at Itachi, trying to avoid his eyes. Naruto looked at me unsure, but I looked at him, fear in my eyes. I grabbed Naruto's hand and gently pulled him with me, out the door slowly, hiding Naruto behind me.
"Hey, Itachi, it'll be a pain in the neck if these kids make a run for it. Maybe I ought to chop off a leg, just in case." The blue skinned man said. Kisame Hoshigake. Again, known to me because of Orochimaru. I knew all of them to be honest. I looked up with narrowed eyes, trying to not show the man next to him any fear.
"Sorry, we kind of need those. We'll cooperate." I said seriously. We just had to cooperate long enough for me to figure a way out of this, Naruto's and I's legs intact. I squeezed Naruto's hand nervously. I'm sure he could feel me trembling, no matter how much I was trying to hide it.
"It's been a long time." I heard Itachi say. "Sasuke." My eyes then widened, looked, seeing Sasuke standing behind Itachi and down the hallway. God, I must have been so scared I didn't even notice Sasuke.
"Itachi Uchiha." Sasuke only said. I looked at Sasuke in nervousness. I opened my mouth, but stopped when I heard Naruto.
"Itachi..Uchiha?" I felt him squeeze my hand back, probably in fear as well.
"Sasuke, get the hell out of here!" I shouted, anxiety lacing my words. "Just go, we don't have a choice!" I yelled. Sasuke ignored me, igniting his Sharingan.
"Well...The Sharingan." Kisame acknowledged, looking over his shoulder at Sasuke. "And he looks an awful lot like you. Itachi, who is this kid?"
"He's my younger brother." Itachi spoke emotionlessly. I took a step back, trying to push Naruto back the slightest bit, trying to get some distance between us and the two ninja. Kisame raised his sword, putting it behind Naruto threateningly.
"Don't move, brat." I stopped and bit my lip in frustration. There's no way we'd be getting out of this. "That's strange," Kisame said, continuing as if Naruto and I hadn't even moved. "because the way I heard it, the whole Uchiha Clan was wiped out. By you." My eyes darted around, hoping to see if there was some way out of this, but I wasn't finding one. I saw Itachi's cold eyes staring at me, but I tried avoiding them. Orochimaru told me about him getting caught in a Genjutsu by Itachi once, and said it was horrible.
"Itachi Uchiha, I hope you're ready to die." I shook my head.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?! I told you, get the hell out of here! We're going with them!" I shouted. Sasuke again ignored me, watching as Itachi turned around, looking in Sasuke's direction.
"It's just as you said, brother. I've fostered my hatred for you all this time." My eyes widened as Sasuke effortlessly used his chakra, bringing forth a ball of chakra. Chidori. "I've lived my life for one single purpose. To see you die! It ends here!"
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted with worry. I took the chance and quickly shoved Naruto backwards, pushing him farther away from Itachi and Kisame. Kisame turned towards me quickly, but I ducked in time to see his sword go over my head, me jumping backwards as well. Kisame's sword swung down over my head, me instinctively raising my hand to block it. However, as soon as I did this my magic automatically put a shield around me, Kisame's sword bouncing right off of it. Kisame looked at it confused, slamming his sword down multiple times, it bouncing right back off.
"What the hell is that?" Kisame asked annoyed. He growled but then smirked, making my eyes widened as he darted past me, aiming right for Naruto.
"No!" I reached my hand out, projecting my shield onto him instead of myself. Kisame's sword bounced off of it once more, making him angry. Behind me I could hear Sasuke screaming, and a loud explosion blew. I tried to ignore it as I concentrated on protecting Naruto from Kisame's sword. I let out a breath, trying to focus when I heard a crack to my right, followed by a scream of pain. I gasped, seeing Itachi had just broken Sasuke's wrist.
"Sasuke!" I growled, feeling powerless. I knew I was no match for Itachi, and neither was Sasuke. To my left, I saw Kisame move making me even more anxious. I cursed, realizing I let Naruto's shield down without even realizing it, however Kisame's sword didn't hit Naruto, merely brushing in front of him. I gasped as I saw the sword moving, like it was...chewing?
"We don't need this kid whipping out any more Jutsu. Forget the legs. Maybe I ought to start off with those arms of his." Kisame threatened cooly. I stood up, my hands both pointing at Naruto and Sasuke.
"No!" I focused my magic, covering both of them in shields, the power overwhelming me. I could hold it for a bit, but not very long before the bloodlust started coming back. While I could try to push it off, and it might've been helpful in a situation with lower class ninja, me trying to fight them in my bloodlust would only destroy my body. My body wouldn't be able to keep up with the fighting the bloodlust would want me to, and these guys would destroy me.
"Kisame." Itachi spoke. "You can take off her right hand." he said emotionlessly. I winced at the thought of this, Kisame turning to me with a grin on his face.
"Oh, I can? Spectacular." He spoke, raising his sword towards me. I gritted my teeth at the pressure on my body that my magic was putting on me. Shit, I can't make another shield for myself.
"Spectacular is a big word for you Kisame. I didn't know you could handle that level of vocabulary." I spoke sarcastically, trying to get under his skin. Maybe he'd make a mistake that way. His face twisted with visible irritation, his sharp teeth shining.
"You're dead, kid." He swung his sword over my head, making me squeeze my eyes closed, preparing myself for the hit.
"Tessa, no!" I heard Naruto shout. I waited for the impact, but it never came, instead a metal clang sounding in front of me. I opened my eyes to see a red-orange toad in front of me, armor guards on its arms and blocking Kisame's sword with them. A poof sounded behind Naruto right after.
"You two don't know me at all, do you?" The familiar voice asked. "Should have done your homework. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage falls victim to no woman's charm. Rare beauty is dropped for me like blossoms in a storm. It isn't in my nature to be duped by the wiles of women. When you reach the stature I have, the ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!" I let out an annoyed huff.
"You really can't do this another time?" I asked, dropping my left arm as well as the shield that was protecting Naruto. I panted to catch my breath a little, grateful for the toad between Kisame and I. I'm honestly almost out of breath and energy.
"Ah, don't give me that! One wink from a pretty girl and you turned into a mountain of mush! You fell for it like a ton of bricks, Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted, pointing at Jiraiya aggressively.
"I really wish you wouldn't call me that in front of other people." I continued trying to catch my breath, feeling much more relief at me being able to drop Naruto's shield. I kept Sasuke's shield up however, worried about Itachi standing so close to him still.
"I know Naruto and Tessa are the one's you're really after." I heard Jiraiya say, making me glance at Itachi and Kisame in shock. Why were they after us though?
"That explains how Kakashi knew. Now. I understand. He learned it from you." I felt my stomach drop at these words.
"What did you do to Kakashi?!" I shouted without thinking, anger and worry filling my chest. I could feel the buildup of evil crawling up like bugs on my skin. Itachi only glanced at me.
"He's temporarily indisposed." I gritted my teeth, wishing I could stab him with something but knowing it would be no use, and I would just be wasting energy that I didn't have. I felt myself trembling under the pressure of my magic but tried to ignore it, desperately trying to keep control while keeping Sasuke safe.
"You're right." Itachi continued. "Naruto and Tessa are the prizes that the Akatsuki are after. And we will have them." The frog in front of me disappeared, making me a little more cautious at my right hand being exposed. I had never been worried about it before, but now that Itachi said for Kisame to cut it off, I couldn't do anything but worry.
"No way you're getting them." Jiraiya said seriously, making me feel a little grateful for once.
"We'll see about that." I looked between Kisame and Itachi warily as Jiraiya mentioned he could take out the two of them at the same time, when a weak voice interrupted.
"S-Stay out of this." Sasuke spoke, forcing himself up.
"Sasuke, stay down." I said while still panting, trying to keep the shield around him small so he couldn't get up. I saw Kisame's sword come down on me, making me gasp and jump back, releasing Sasuke's shield. Shit!
"The only one who's going to eliminate him...is me!" I growled, going forward to put another shield around him, when Kisame swung his sword at me yet again, making me put a shield in front of my arm and blocking it, both of us pushing against the other in an effort to overpower the other. I knew I wouldn't last though, Kisame was much stronger than me, and clearly I had endurance issues after my magic. I got distracted, looking at Sasuke who ran at Itachi. Itachi easily slammed his foot into Sasuke, flinging him into the wall down the hallway.
"Sasuke, no!" Naruto shouted angrily. Meanwhile, Kisame took this chance to overpower me, kicking my shield and slamming his sword at my side. I gasped as it hit my side, the bandages around it shredding, and the exposed sword spikes ripping at my skin.
I let out a scream of pain, jumping backwards next to Jiraiya, gripping my right side with my left hand, blood immediately soaking it. Kisame only smirked, his sword soaked in my blood.
"I'm going to cut you into ribbons." Kisame grinned, his nasty sharp teeth glistening at me. I groaned and fell to my hands and knees, my hair falling over my face as I felt drained. I still held my right side with my left hand, my right arm shaking under my weight both from the wound and from using my power. While I still had my chakra, this magic in me took a toll on my body. I hated using it, but I know that now was one of the times I really need to, especially with me not having the power to fight Itachi and Kisame.
"J-Jiraiya.." I forced out through the pain, my voice cracking. "Please...Sasuke.." I managed to get out, looking up at him. Jiraiya moved forward slightly to go help Sasuke, when Kisame raised his sword in a threatening manner.
"You heard him, old man. This fight is none of our business. Let's let the two of them sort it out." I coughed out some blood on the floor, but ignoring it, I sent some chakra to my hand to roughly heal my injury. It wasn't gonna be perfect, but it could at least stop me from losing so much blood.
"No.." I protested weakly, looking up in the direction of Sasuke and Itachi. Itachi easily started hitting and kicking Sasuke, who took it until he hit the ground. I felt myself shake at the thought that Itachi might kill Sasuke. "Itachi, leave him alone! Please!" I begged, watching Sasuke lie on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth. Itachi lifted Sasuke by his shirt and held him against the wall by his throat.
"You're still too weak." Itachi spoke softly. "You don't have enough hate. And you know something?" He leaned closely to Sasuke. "You never will."
"Itachi stop!" I begged, screaming. "Please stop it!" Sasuke's eyes widened, his eyes glazing over slightly. He put him in some sort of Genjutsu. Right away, Sasuke let out a bloodcurdling scream, it making my skin crawl. Itachi was torturing his mind.
"Isn't that heartwarming?" Kisame asked sadistically. "Using Tsykyuomi on his own brother." My eyes widened as I looked back at Sasuke, who was still continuing to scream in agony. Sasuke's body went limp, his head hanging down as Itachi still held him to the wall.
"That's it, I'm through standing around!" Naruto shouted, running at Itachi. I forced myself to stand through the pain of using my magic and the pain of the blow Kisame gave me, jumping next to Naruto and running with him. I heard footsteps and turned to see Kisame right on our tail. Naruto and I stopped immediately, my feet sticking to the floor. Around us, some squishy substance covered the hallway around us. "What the-What's going on?"
"Ninja Art, Toad Mouth Trap." Jiraiya said. I ignored his explanation as I looked at Sasuke, my frustration building up. What had Itachi done to him?! I ripped a kunai out of my pouch, ready to use it, whether I was a match for Itachi or not. I didn't care anymore. I know that Itachi killed Sasuke's whole clan, but despite how dangerous he was, Sasuke was my teammate. We might not have gotten along all the time, but he was a comrade, and I wasn't about to let Itachi hurt him anymore.
"Kisame, come." Itachi said, breaking me out of my thoughts. Kisame took two steps towards Itachi, moving slowly.
"Easier said than done." He growled, ripping his sword from the squishy toad mouth.
"It's useless! The ninja hasn't been born who can survive this powerful stomach." Itachi and Kisame went around the corner past Sasuke, and it was quiet for a moment before there was a loud explosion. Jiraiya ran past Naruto and I towards the explosion, me heading straight for Sasuke. I gently yanked Sasuke from the wall and laid him on the ground, his head in my lap. His eyes were still glazed over, open, but he gave no indication he knew I was there.
"Sasuke! Please wake up." I begged. I focused my chakra and tried to release the Genjutsu he was under, but nothing happened. I felt a lump in my throat as I tried to push back the feeling of dread. I closed my eyes, focusing chakra in my hands and pressed them against the sides of his head. Maybe I could do something. I had to do something. I tried healing whatever I could in Sasuke's head, but it wasn't working. "Sasuke please.." I begged yet again. "I...I don't know what to do." I whispered, my hands trembling at the thought of him possibly being gone.
Beneath me, the toad mouth started to retreat, turning back into the inn we were in. Naruto came over and knelt next to Sasuke and I, me trying to control myself. Naruto and I couldn't do anything to help Sasuke, and here, Itachi used him like a punching bag.
"Is...Is he alright?" Naruto asked, looking at me. I looked back at him with watery eyes, shaking my head. Naruto looked at me with despair, seeing that I couldn't do anything to help him. A kunai flew past us into the wall, someone coming in yellng.
"Dynamic Entry!" They slammed their foot into Jiraiya. I saw green and orange, a familiar man ignoring Naruto and I.
"Guy?!" Jiraiya managed before getting slammed in the face with his foot. I gasped as I watched Jiraiya fly backwards into the wall. When the ordeal was over, his face was red, eyebrows twitching in annoyance and anger.
"I guess I was a little over enthusiastic." I shook my head ignoring the rest of what he was saying as I looked back down at Sasuke. His expression hadn't changed. I remembered his wrist, and left Sasuke's head on my lap as I sighed, putting my chakra filled hands over his broken wrist, attempting to heal it. After a few moments, I pulled my hands away, nodding in approval. While I didn't know extensive healing, Kabuto did teach me to heal broken bones and generic surface wounds, due to me having a lot of broken bones when I was with Orochimaru.
"We need to get Sasuke to the Medical Corp immediately." Jiraiya stated, making me look up at him. "He's badly beaten up, his arm is broken, and he's been knocked out by whatever Jutsu that was that Itachi used on him."
"I healed his broken wrist," I corrected Jiraiya softly. "but I can't help him any other way." I said, my voice drifting off. I felt so useless in this moment. I needed to learn more healing Jutsu, and get better at healing, for purposes like these.
"Pervy Sage, Sasuke is gonna be all right though, isn't he?" Naruto asked. I looked at Naruto with doubt, and then back up at Jiraiya.
"Physically, yes. But I am worried about what may have been done do his mind." I felt Naruto tense beside me.
"What did Sasuke ever do to deserve this?" He asked, clenching his fist. I looked down at Sasuke, brushing some of his hair out of his face and closing my eyes. Sasuke didn't deserve this. I don't know what his life was like before I joined the academy. All I know is that he lost his entire family, and his way of coping is revenge. It's hard to imagine knowing everyone with your last name that you knew was dead. I couldn't imagine what Sasuke had to go through, but despite everything, he didn't deserve what was happening to him now.
"What we need is a supreme medical specialist, a master of healing arts, and soon." I hear Guy say. He was right. The leaf village might as well have been desperate for one.
"You're right." Jiraiya responded. "And the woman you're talking about is the one we've come to find."
"Huh?" Guy looked at Jiraiya. "The woman? You don't mean-" He stopped. Jiraiya smirked in response.
"Yes, that's exactly who I mean. Another of the Legendary Sannin. The Queen of Slugs and Elixirs. The Gambling Fool and Mistress of the Healing Arts, Lady Tsunade."
"Alright Guy, we'll leave Sasuke in your hands." Jiraiya said, us standing in the street. All of us had gotten our things, and while I wasn't fully at 100% because of my side, we were leaving.
"Master Jiraiya." Guy spoke. "Be sure to find Mistress Tsunade and bring her back to us."
"Don't worry, you can count on us. We'll have her back in the village in no time!" Naruto reassured in his usual energetic voice. I nodded as well, a small smile on my face.
"We'll bring her back Guy. Not just for Sasuke and Kakashi, but for Lee as well." I said sincerely. Guy looked at me for a moment, in thought. Jiraiya just chuckled, placing his hand on both Naruto's and I's heads, slightly ruffling our hair.
"I like kids with guts like you two. Here." He reached in his flak jacket, looking for something. "Lee got stronger with this."
"What?! What is it?!" Naruto asked excitedly. Right away, Guy pulled out a green jumpsuit just like Lee's making Jiraiya and I deadpan. I felt a vein popping out of my head, not quite sure what to say for a moment.
"I am not wearing that." I stated flatly. Naruto meanwhile was gushing over it, probably excited that it would make him stronger, or as Guy said.
"They're breathable, retains moisture and offers freedom of movement all in one sweet package. If you wear it while you train, you'll notice the difference immediately. They really grow on you." I groaned in annoyance, not even sure what to say before turning to Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya?" I asked, getting his attention. His eyes were slightly widened in surprise, probably because I called him by his name instead of Pervy Sage.
"Hm?" He asked curiously, hearing the serious tone in my voice. I looked up at him sincerely, and appreciative.
"Thank you." He looked at me confused, but surprise still on his face. "Thank you for showing up when you did. Naruto and I probably wouldn't still be here if you hadn't. I know I couldn't have protected both myself and Naruto. We wouldn't have been able to get away if you hadn't shown up, so.." I bit my lip, playing with the ends of my hair. "Thank you for protecting us." I said genuinely, a small smile on my face. Jiraiya looked at me for a moment before smiling and nodding, placing his hand on my head.
"You're welcome, kid. You've got spunk, and you're pretty strong. I can't wait to see what kind of things you and Naruto will be able to do." I smiled wider, feeling appreciative to actually have a student/teacher moment with him instead of a girl/Pervy Sage moment. It was nice, I have to admit.
After Guy Sensei left, I turned to Naruto.
"Naruto, I swear to god, if you wear that, I'm disowning you as a teammate, and I will murder you in your sleep, no regrets." I said, narrowing my eyes.
"Huh? Ohh, come on Tessa, it could make me stronger like Lee!" He shouted, anime tears flowing down his face. I shook my head.
"Lee is the only one who deserves to wear it. If any more people start wearing that jumpsuit, I'm going to go insane and throw myself from the Hokage cliff." I said sarcastically.
Naruto stopped in the road, making me stop and turn to look at him next to me.
"Hm? Naruto?" I asked, looking at him curiously.
"What's up?" Jiraiya's voice asked, him stopping as well.
"Pervy Sage," Naruto started seriously. He looked up at Jiraiya, me not being able to see his face. "What do those guys want with Tessa and I anyway?" I looked down at my feet, my hands gripping the straps of my backpack a little tighter. That's a good question, Naruto. While Orochimaru told me a little bit about his time in the Akatsuki, he never told me what the overall goal of the organization was. "Come on, out with it Pervy Sage, you know, don't you?" I looked back up at his face to see that Jiraiya's eyes were flickering back and forth between Naruto and I. I could practically see the gears turning in his head, but what for? The wind suddenly picked up, my hair swaying past me in my face, me moving some of it.
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not you guys they want. It's what's inside of you." He said, looking between us. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, my arms crossed over my stomach, imagining the seal on it.
"What the hell are these things anyway?" Naruto asked, making me look over at him. "Some horrible demons that terrorized the Leaf Village. That's why everyone's so afraid of them, right? So why do these guys want them so bad?" I felt goosebumps cover me, a chill suddenly catching me off guard. They wanted both the nine tails and the twelve tails, and they wanted them now.
They won't have me.. Itama's voice spoke softly, surprising me. I hadn't heard from him for a while.
You tend to be quiet a lot...why is that? I asked genuinely. Itama scoffed, his eyes turning away from me.
Why would I want to talk to the prison guard who is holding me prisoner..? I looked down at the ground.
I'm not the one who put you here though. I'm just the vessel. If I could let you leave with the certainty you wouldn't harm the village, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But you're evil. You have power that you'd destroy everything with. And it is my duty to serve as the jinchuriki.
"As for what they want with you two, that's a hard question, I honestly can't say." Jiraiya's voice brought me out of my head. "I supposed with the demons sealed inside you both, they might be thinking of somehow seizing control of that power. Bending it to their will. It's a bitter pill to swallow knowing that those two will be after you both now. But that is your fate. Uh, not to worry though, after all, you will have me around!"
"Well, I'll just have to hurry up and get stronger! There's no other choice!" Naruto shouted excitedly. I wasn't as excited however, looking up at Jiraiya's face again.
"Jiraiya?" I spoke softly, making Naruto and Jiraiya look at me. Naruto looked almost concerned that I hadn't called him Pervy Sage for a while.
"What is it, Tessa?" He asked genuinely, looking down at me. I bit my lip, feeling the cold chill come over me yet again before replying.
"Is it true..." I started, feeling hesitant to ask, but knowing I needed to. "Is it true that...if a demon is extracted from a jinchuriki host...the host will die?" The soft look on Jiraiya's face disappeared, and was replaced with concern. Naruto looked over at me, his eyes widened. I bit my lip, looking down at my feet. "So it is true.." I mumbled. His face gave it away. Jiraiya got closer, kneeling down to my level.
"While that may be true, there are steps that must be taken to do so. And if they caught you both, it would be a while before they could take those steps. Not to mention that the village would be out looking for you both." I looked back up at Jiraiya's face, my hands tightening yet again around my backpack straps. "You both are safe with me however." He gave a reassuring smile. I smiled back little, feeling a bit better with his reassurance.
I'm gonna skip a bunch of Naruto's training because Tessa is not training with Naruto and is instead going in hope to learn more healing from Tsunade. She will train more later, but for now, I'm gonna skip a bunch of training context.
"Here you go kids, now do be careful!" The man said, handing Naruto the bag of food. I nodded at him and started walking with Naruto down the street.
"This is lame. I know you're doing your training, but I'm literally doing nothing here while waiting to find this Tsunade." I said, putting my hands on the back of my head and pouting. "Maybe I could learn your Jutsu too at this point. Or I could start looking for books on medical ninjutsu. I guess that could help for now." I pondered loudly. When I finally noticed Naruto hadn't said anything, I looked over.
He stopped walking, looking up and making me look over at the direction he was looking at. There was a young boy, his hand in his father's. They got what looked like a popsicle, the dad pulling it apart and sharing with the young boy.
"Here you go."
"Aww, I'm big now, I can eat the whole thing myself!"
"No, we'll share. Besides, what would your mother say if I let you spoil your supper?" The father asked, a grin on his face.
"Mkay." The boy said, the father taking his hand and leading him away. I looked back at Naruto, seeing the glazed look in his eyes, my chest panging with sadness. I know what he was feeling, because I was feeling it too.
"Naruto.." I stepped in front of him, looking at him sadly. "I'm sorry. I guess...we just don't get parents." I said, looking down at my feet. "We're not the kind of people to get parents, I guess." Naruto said nothing, him walking back to where we were with Jiraiya.
"Say, um..I was wondering," Naruto started next to me.
"Hm?" Jiraiya asked, looking at us.
"Well um..maybe you could stick around for a while today? Help me train?" Naruto asked softly, yearning in his voice. I looked at Naruto and then back at Jiraiya.
"Sorry, no time. I gotta go into town for an appointment with someone to help me with my research." He looked back up at Naruto, my eyebrows narrowed angrily. "It's up to you to figure it out by yourself, Naruto. Otherwise, there's no point in learning it for all the good it will do." I clenched my fists angrily, my arm twitching to just punch him right in his smug face. He was doing so good too, to not piss me off. "I thought I made it clear three weeks ago, stop acting like a helpless child. You're a ninja." I looked over at Naruto to barely see his lip trembling.
Poor kid. He just wants some company. I could tell that Jiraiya had become a close person to him, but this..
"Haha! Oh sure, of course, don't worry about me, I understand. Forget about it, I was just asking, that's all! Go on and do whatever you have to do, Pervy Sage!" Naruto said upbeat, his voice masking what just happened. I growled, watching Pervy Sage leave, when I looked at Naruto.
"Hey, I'll be right back." I said quickly, stomping towards the old Perv. I jumped right in front of him, my arms crossed angrily across my chest. He stopped, looking at me and raising his eyebrows.
"Yes?" He asked curiously.
"You're such a joke." I said menacingly, pissed off. "You want to train Naruto, yet you're not even here helping him. Did you ever think that Naruto is just lonely and doesn't want to be alone anymore?!" I yelled, my eyes getting watery with anger. I cried sometimes when I was angry, and I hated it. I felt like I looked weak when I was angry, when I was honestly just frustrated. Pervy Sage looked at me in surprise, when I looked away, trying to barely fight the urge to punch him. "I've just lost all respect for you." I snarled before stomping right past him, slamming my shoulder into him as I did. I didn't hear him come after me or Naruto, or anything, instead, me plastering on a fake smile.
"Come on Naruto, let's get started!"
After hours of watching Naruto train, we headed back to our room. Naruto got into his pajamas, but I could see how much his hands were hurting him. He had wrapped them in cloth and bandages, and I could see his hands trembling.
"Here." I spoke softly, kneeling down to Naruto on the ground. I closed my eyes, focusing my chakra and placed my hands on his left hand. I could feel how tense and strained his hand felt, and while I couldn't do a lot, I tried to at least sooth his pain, doing the same with his right hand. After talking with him a little bit about his progress, Naruto fell right asleep, though I could hear him hissing in pain. I let out a sigh, pulling out a book on healing Jutsu and studying. I flipped through the book, seeing what I could learn to help Naruto and heal his hands, but it was too advanced for where I was at now. I groaned in frustration but started reading the beginning of the book anyway. Had to start somewhere.
I heard footsteps later, stirring me out of my sleep. I had fallen asleep next to Naruto, the book in my hands and me lying on the wood floor. I must have passed out while trying to figure out how to help him. My hair lay in my face covering most of it, but I did see a pair of large feet stop above Naruto's head.
Hm. Yeah, like he cares. I thought sarcastically, closing my eyes yet again and falling back asleep.
My mind filled with a familiar scream. It was in agony. I followed the screams down the hallway, shuddering in nervousness. Something was wrong. This place felt familiar but...where was I?
The scream sounded again, more raspy and guttural. "My arms!" The voice panted for breath, the pain clearly overtaking them. I followed the sound into a room, gasping. There in a bed was Orochimaru, his arms bandaged and him sweating, clearly in pain. I stood frozen, standing there but he didn't see me. In fact, it's like I wasn't even there.
"Lord Orochimaru!" The man next to Orochimaru shouted, worry clearly lacing his voice. "Are you okay?" Orochimaru screamed again in agony, the pain echoing through the hideout. "Your medicine!" The man said, turning to grab whatever he needed. Orochimaru looked up with a menacing look on his face before striking and killing the man, blood splattering all over the bed sheets, the floor, and the wall. I let out a shriek, my hands over my mouth, but Orochimaru still did not hear me. His raspy breath was the only thing breaking the silence, when the door behind me opened, light shining inside.
"Huh. I just got back, now I have to clean the room." I turned around quickly to see Kabuto standing there, his voice calm at the blood soaking the floor. I knew this was definitely not the first time Kabuto had to play clean up, but I was still shocked at how calm he was at every body he came across. "Please be sure to take your medicine, will you?" I could see Orochimaru's fingers twitching. I wasn't sure why his arms hurt, whether they were burning, numb, paralyzed or what, but it was clear he was in pain because of them.
"That medicine will do nothing for me, you simpleton!" Orochimaru scolded.
"I made it specifically for you." Kabuto replied calmly, pushing his stupid glasses up his nose. "It should ease your pain." He added, walking through me into the room. "At least a little."
"This burning in my arms.." Orochimaru said, gritting his teeth, making me look back at him. He took in a breath, wheezing loudly. "I never imagined the suffering would be this great." I've never seen Orochimaru in this much pain. The Third Hokage really took a toll on him. Not that I'm not glad. Orochimaru looks like he can't harm anyone in this state.
"It was Sarutobi after all. The Third Hokage. This was his final curse." Kabuto replied, standing at the end of Orochimaru's bed.
"Enough of your prattling, tell me, have you found the one I seek?" Orochimaru snapped, blood from the man earlier dripping down his face.
"Yes. The trail led to a place called Tanzaku Town." I gasped. That was really close to us.
"Tanzaku Town." Orochimaru growled, before smiling the slightest bit. "I see."
"Lest you forget, your opponent's one of the legendary Sannin. This isn't going to be easy." My eyes widened the slightest bit. He was going for Tsunade. Orochimaru started snickering, the evil smile still on his face.
"The best medicines are always bitter. Isn't that right...Tessa?" His eyes darted right past Kabuto, straight at me. I gasped, taking a step back when Kabuto turned, throwing a kunai right at me.
I sat up and screamed, backing up across the floor and hitting my back against the wall, me panting for breath. What the hell was that?! A nightmare? A vision? What the hell?
"Tessa!" Naruto's voice shouted. I looked up to see him sitting up and crawling over to me, concern in his eyes. "What happened, what's wrong?" Jiraiya leaned against the wall, his arms folded and him looking at me, eyebrows furrowed in either confusion or...concern?
I pulled my hair back out of my face, my eyes widened at both Naruto and Jiraiya.
"They're coming for her. They're coming for Tsunade."