Chapter 37 Birth of Team Seven.
As blood dripped to the ground, I couldn't help wondering where I went wrong. Was it when I came into the clearing? No. It was sometime after that. I should have known something like this would happen, yet I still fell for it.
"I really despised being told what to do," I muttered. My hand shook as it held the blood-stained kunai. "What a pain; why do I have to do such troublesome things?".
I pulled the kunai from the back of my left hand, and more blood fell to the ground. It wasn't enough to cause blood loss, but it threatened to form a puddle. I focused on the dripping of blood to center myself.
"You never make things easy for me," I cursed. "Do you Kakashi."
I glared at Kakashi's mismatched eyes, clenching my bleeding fist to keep me in reality. He was using his Sharingan; why the hell was he using his Sharingan. Had my springfly not shown me a different view, I would never know I was in a genjutsu.
The reality was different from the genjutsu. Sai was now one of the hostages trapped by Yamato's wood style. Shin, Naruto, and Sasuke were still unconscious; I was on my own.
"It's over, Sakura," Kakashi taunted. "You're all alone." There was no question about my chances of victory. There was no way in hell I could defeat them, free everyone, and escape. We all knew this.
That's why I smiled when I sensed them; we all knew I couldn't beat them, but I never planned to.
I was merely a distraction after all.
With a thought, all the springflys I summoned swarmed the clearing. It was a beautiful sight, like cherry blossoms in the wind. It's only a shame it was as beautiful as it was, deadly.
"Shatter," I commanded, "Senbonzakura." The calm fluttering "cherry blossoms" turned into a whirlwind of death. A springfly flew by Kakashi cutting his cheek and alerting him of the danger. He leaped away from me as my summons formed a protective barrier around me. Their numbers increased as more were summoned from my pooling blood. They multiplied until I was surrounded by pink, no longer visible from the outside. While they couldn't see me, I had eyes everywhere.
The Anbus looked at the whirlwind of pink with a perplexed expression. To get near it was death but leaving it alone wasn't wise either. All eyes were on me.
Perfect.
The moment I saw the springflys, I determined I would have them. My parents were both contracted with them but rarely used them at all. Father had had his place in the bingo book, "The reaper in sping." Using the springflys, he devastated the battlefields. I never believed the stories until I saw the springflys for myself.
In another life, Father was stronger than anyone else and took the place of the fourth Hokage. He was also dead in that world, so I liked this version better.
Like the noble Kuchiki, I stood proud and stretched out my hand; my summons followed the movement and flew forward. I didn't need wind chakra; their bodies were ready weapons. Just flying near the enemy would cause damages.
The Anbus scattered as the pink swarm flew towards them. Any other enemy could only focus on one enemy at a time. Such limits didn't exist for me.
The attack split into three and pursued the fleeing Anbus. Surprised was a shared feeling among them as they tried to dodge. I watched with a split view using the springflys instead of my own eyes. Using this method made me dizzy as I didn't accustom to it. Father said it would get better with time, so I held out hope.
Itachi clicked his tongue and turned toward the attacking swarm.
"Fire style," He inhaled, "Fireball jutsu." A ball of fire blow from his lips and toward my summons. Burning the problem was always his go-to solution, but it was useless here.
"Water wall," I muttered, and a bubble formed around the swarm. Steam scatter from the vaporized water surprising Itachi, who returned to running when the springflys emerged unharmed.
"Tch, what is this jutsu?" he cursed. My summons and I shared a link, enabling me to share my jutsu and chakra with them. This jutsu took a lot of chakra and control, only one of which I had so I could keep this up for long.
Yamato leaped into the air to avoid my advanced and formed hand seals. "Wood style," he starched his hands out, "Wood dome jutsu." Wood sprung from the ground and making a dome over the swarm.
"Useless."
The wood was cut apart by the blade-like winds, making Yamato gasp before flipping away from my counterattack.
The screaming of birds reached my ears two beats after the vison of Kakashi activating Chidori did. I cringed as the overpowered jutsu shocked my summons. Cherry blossoms to the ground, stunned from the sudden attack. With his path clear, Kakashi locked onto me and disappeared.
I didn't have time to react before Kakashi was in my face. Lightning screaming in his right hand, he moved with intent to kill. He probably wouldn't kill me outright, but that didn't stop me from panicking. There's a saying, "Don't startle someone with a gun."
Shhkkk
Blood splattered all over the ground as the springflys shredded him. My eyes trembled as I watched helplessly. The chunks of meat fell on the grown making a swishy sound that made me sick. It wasn't like in the movies; there was no censoring. With blood flowing towards me, I was one step away from puking.
It was then.
Scrrrream!
I looked up started to see Kakashi falling towards me, his hand still covered in lightning. I had a moment to feel relief before the situation caught up with me. Even as the Chidori neared me, I couldn't help but smile tiredly.
They sure took their time.
"Fire style," He shouted, "Fireball jutsu." With that, a ball of flames shot towards Kakahi, who was still in mid-air. The flames enveloped Kakashi, but my eyes moved to the tree where Kakashi substituted to. The brightness of the sun and the cold of the night smothered me as Naruto and Sasuke appeared.
"Did you enjoy your nap?" I asked them.
"I'd rather be fighting," Sasuke stated.
Naruto punched his palm. "let's kick some ass!"
Sai and Shin appeared at our rear kunai drawn.
"Sorry for the trouble," Shin said brightly. "I'd do it again, though." He didn't have a scratch on him and looked to be in a good mood. Sai, on the other hand, seemed down, though I could guess why.
"Nice work Sai!" I said, placing my back against his. "That diversion really helped me out!" Sai had realized I was under a genjutsu and stupidly tried to help be only to get caught by Yamato. My springflys saw the commotion and showed me the conflicting views triggering my awareness.
"Thank you."
He flinched at my words, and I hurriedly moved to the middle. The boys formed a protective circle around me, the "Four-point defense formation."
I stood in the center, playing the role of "protected." I didn't need it with my springflys sting active, but I wouldn't say no. I could feel the shame they felt at having to be rescued. If they needed this to bust their ego, I wouldn't stand in their way.
During the altercation with Kakashi, I stopped attacking Yamato and Itachi; the two Anbu took the time to group with Kakashi. It was us against them. We could take these overpowered Anbus, we won't win, but we can take them.
"Here, kitty kitty," I called. In a flash of fur, the cats I summons entered my protected space. They licked their paws, looking pleased. I smirked at the glares I was receiving. I didn't believe for e second that Sai and I could rescue the others on our own. I turned myself into a diversion allowing them to go in undetected.
"As expected of my kittens," I purred as I petted them. I wasn't wasting time; I needed to do this to ensure their corporation in the future. They purred as I scratched under their ears, and the ritual was complete. "I'll be counting on you next time."
"Meowvelous."
with that, they disappeared in a poof of smoke.
"Are you sure you don't want to keep them?" Sasuke asked me. He knew the capabilities of the Neko clan from his families' association with them. The cats wouldn't be much help in a fight with Itachi, however. The Uchiha defeated the entire Neko clan at a young age, after all. I couldn't put them through that trauma again.
"It's fine. We have Naruto," I said, standing. "And we all know he's the cutest feline around." Naruto's ears turned red. Making light of Naruto being the jinchuriki was something I pride myself in.
"Are you done?" Itachi asked, annoyed. "Don't make light of us!" He stepped forward, and a barrage of shuriken was suddenly flying towards us. Just following the trajectory, I knew they would bounce off each other and attack from all angles. It was Itachi's signature move.
Annoying.
With the flick of my fingers, the springflys gathered to protect us.
Kunais knocked against their metal wing and fell uselessly to the ground.
"Amazing, Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. "It looks like cherry blossoms."
"Don't touch it!" I yelled when he reached for it. Surprised, he fell back, landing on his rear.
"It looks pretty, but it will shred her hand if you touch it." My warning had its intended effect; the boys took a step away from the pink wall of death.
"I can't see past it," Sasuke complained.
"That goes both ways," Shin said, looking to me for confirmation. I nodded, they couldn't see us, but I could see them.
"Their gearing for battle," I warned.
"We should follow their example." Shin took charge as the oldest and most experienced.
"Wind style spiraling gust!"
"Fire-style fireball jutsu!"
The pink barrier fell in time with the attack, flames riding spiraling wind flow outwards, forcing them to retreat. Naruto's wind amplified the fire, making a firestorm they couldn't brave easily. Not giving them time to breathe, Shin and Naruto rushed through the flames towards Yamato.
Sensing the danger, he touched the earth, and wood sprung forth and tried to ensnare them. Expecting this reaction, Shin threw Naruto into the air and cut through the wood. His tanto was surprisingly sharp as he sliced through wood and continued his charge.
"Shadow clone jutsu!" In a poof of smoke, twenty Naruto's appeared. The multiplication of targets didn't deter Yamato, who increased the number of woods. He couldn't tell who was the real Naruto, but it didn't matter. Wood shot toward the sea of orange. Suddenly, Sasuke rained a barrage of shuriken attached to paper booms down at him.
"What!?" Yamato exclaimed as he noticed the attack. He cursed and formed a wooded dome around himself. The resulting explosion distracted Itachi for merely a second, and Sasuke took the opening. The kunais weren't meant for Yamato but Itachi but missed. Happy accident?
Itachi glared as blood ran down his arm; was he going easy on his little brother? Pale white lions drawn with ink attacked from behind. Itachi leaped into the air to avoid them. With practice moments, he pulled out a hand full of kunai and threw it at them. As expected of Itachi, the kunai bounced off each other and attacked from impossible angles, dispatching the lions.
The black hair look-alikes stood back-to-back as a wave of cherry blossoms spiraled around them, blocking the attack. Red eyes looked over towards me with a hint of surprise. Naturally, someone who was dodging for their life didn't have time to worry about anyone else.
Screaming lightning flow over my head as I rolled away. I was grateful that he was keeping that death scythe on his arm and not throwing it as I knew he could. I leaped to my feet and flipped in the air using the springflys to cover my retreat.
I skidded to a halt on the ground as I landed. With a thought, the springflys attacked Kakashi driving him back.
Poof
I looked back wide-eyed as Kakashi appeared behind me. He aimed for me at the same time Sasuke threw a barrage of shuriken. Kakashi easily avoided them, but it provided me with an escape. Shin entered the fight with tanto clashing with Kakashi's kunai. Strong and hard hits rained down on Kakashi, who had switch to taijutsu.
Bastard.
I supported Shin more out of spite than necessity. Springflys threatened to shred Kakashi, but he couldn't retaliate as Shin stood in his way. His frustration was delicious.
Yamato was being overwhelmed by Naruto's endless clones, forced on the defensive. Sasuke and Sai worked well together, but they were having little luck with Itachi. Time to play my part.
I raised my foot into the air and slammed it down in an ax kick. The ground cracked like spider webs before exploding. Rocks and boulders flew into the air throwing everyone off balance.
Before the dust cleared, we moved. With the Sharingan, it was near impossible to sneak up on him. But he was no Hiashi. My kick connected with Itachi's back, sending him flying toward Kakashi and Shin. Sai opened his scroll, and with practiced movement, drew on its blank surface.
Pale lions emerged and ran towards Naruto and Yamato. The beast caught the Anbu captain unaware and threw him towards Kakashi and Itachi. With the targets altogether, Naruto waved through hand seals and took a deep breath. "Wind style," he said. "Whirlwind."
As he commanded, the wind picked up and formed a whirlwind around the Anbu captains. They stood back-to-back instead of trying to escape. That was their second mistake.
"Fire style," Sasuke breathes deep. "Fireball jutsu," he blew flames. Said flames met Naruto's winds and turned into an inferno that baked the shinobis inside.
"Now to end this," I muttered as I gathered the necessary chakra. They won't die from this… probably.
"Gokei Senbonzakura."
The spirals flames vanished, giving way to my summons that closed in from all possible angles, including the ground. The attack formed a sphere around them and imploded before exploding in a blast of pink.
When the springflys cleared away from the crater they made, I groaned. There was no blood or bones.
Clap clap. We turned in unison to glare at the three captains. Kakashi had removed his Anbu and was smiling at us.
"You pass!" he declared.
"HUH!?" we screamed in confusion. Even I, who was expecting this, cried out in disbelief.
"What do you mean we passed?" Naruto stepped forward. "Wasn't our mission to get a scroll from the tower back to you?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto with disbelief. "You got that mission as well?" Naruto looked baffled.
"No way," he breathed, "You too, Sasuke?" They looked at me, and I nodded in confirmation; we all received the same mission.
"All this was to test your teamwork," Itachi explained. "Or your teammates' teamwork."
The test was simple; give us the same mission of receiving a scroll and returning with it. However, as a part of the test, one of our teammates would be taken. Those remaining would then decide on whether to rescue or abandon them. They didn't expect Shin to protect me and so grabbed the wrong person.
Yamato bowed his head in shame, revealing he was the one to screw up. Had I been so out of it I hadn't realized it was him?
"This isn't a test about your teamwork, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura; we already know you three work well together," Kakashi said before looking at Sai and Shin. "This is a test for your teammates to see if they would try and save you or prioritize the mission."
I groaned. I finally realized why this mission was so familiar. It was a good strategy; we weren't the targets, it made sense to have us be the hostages. Just showing up to save us would garner a pass.
Much like the inspiration, Kakashi and Obito were the remaining teammates when Rin got kidnapped. One chose to save her while the other chose the mission.
"Those who break the rules are trash," Kakashi said. "But those who follow the rules and abandon their friend are worse than trash." Those were the words Obito once spoke to him, and he took them as his creed. I smiled despite wanting to punch him.
"Even if Sakura was the one that was capture," Shin said, looking at me, the smell of affection in the air. "I would still rush here to save her." A shiver rocked my body at his words and chakra.
Naruto stood in front of me and rudely pointed his finger at Shin. "Who the hell are you anyway, huh!?" Shin tilted his head. "I've never seen you at the academy before!"
"How would you know? He's wearing a mask," Sasuke rebuffed Naruto, causing the blond to tremble with embarrassment.
"Whose side are you one, huh?" Naruto demanded, grabbing Sasuke's collar. "That bastard passed too, ya know. Do you realize what that means?"
"Don't worry, Shin and Sai aren't academy students, so they won't be placed on the same team as Sakura," Yamato put an end to Naruto's turmoil.
"Then, does that mean?" Naruto asked, teary-eyed.
"Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi called out. "Henceforth you are, Team Seven under my leadership; I look forward to our time together," he smiled.
"Yahoo!" Naruto jumped and pumped the air before tackling me. "Sakura, we get to stay tighter just like you said!" He rubbed his face in my chest in what I hoped was an unconscious gesture. I patted his head as he bawled his eyes out.
"This idiot," Sasuke muttered, scowling down at Naruto.
I was tired and so down with today.
"Let's go to Ichiraku to celebrate," I said. "Kakashi's treat."
"Sakura is the best!"
"Hey! Why me?"
"I look forward to the meal, senpai."
"Not you too, Itachi!"
This was fun to write; long and filled with errors, but hey. Team seven is born and now I can finally move on to the land of waves arc. "Our heroes have only passed the first test, they must now prove themselves worthy of the trials to come. Look forward to action mystery and yaoi! Next time on thrill seeker.
"I'm so done with D rank missions."
Night song~
Next chapter Aug 3.