Chapter 22: Invasion
…
"I brought lunch," said Karin, holding up a basket shyly. "And I have a message from Ameko-san."
"Oho, is it good news?" Guy asked as Haku and I staggered over to the picnic blanket Karin laid out.
"It's approval for Kiyo-sama's procedure," she said, handing me the papers. Between Karin and Haku, the sama-ing was getting a little ridiculous, but it was my own fault for suggesting the whole 'vassal' thing, so I couldn't complain. "Ameko-san was able to convince the other senior medics, though they will all be present during the procedure to observe."
Oh. An audience. That was…great…
"That's wonderful news!" shouted Guy, catching Karin in a bear-hug.
"Please, Guy-sensei, she's still recovering," I said as I scanned the documents. Yep. It had all the signatures. This was happening.
"It's scheduled for tomorrow," said Karin when Guy released her. "Will you be ready? It's only been two weeks, but you've been training so hard..."
That was a bit of an understatement. On my first day I'd told Guy that I would train until I was exhausted. Unfortunately, Guy and I had very different interpretations of the word 'exhausted'. While I was willing to go until my legs gave out, Guy wanted me to continue until I fainted. Normally this was a very ill-advised training method, but we didn't have time for petty things like sustainability and safety.
That alone would have cut down the training time significantly, but because I was practicing chakra enhancement rather than doing actual strength training, I'd opted to use shadow clones too. It worked, and I was now able to carve the activation time down to just over a second. That was a far-cry from the micro-second activation time someone like Minato could do, but it was now something that would be viable in surgery.
Or combat.
"It should be fine," I said. "I'll need to rest if I want to have enough chakra for the procedure tomorrow. And Haku will want to rest for a few days before the exam too."
Under Guy's tutelage, Haku's taijutsu had improved in leaps and bounds, but he'd also experimented in unique applications of his blood limit. Shino would be facing an uphill battle during their match.
"I added some extra sembei cookies since you liked the ones I made last time," said Karin. She handed out several homemade bento boxes, and I took one with heartfelt thanks.
"Thank you for the meal," said Haku, bowing his head before seeming to inhale the meal in ten seconds flat. I couldn't tell if that was more speed training or if he was just really eager to get back to working on his water release exercises. Either way, he bowed again and retreated to the other side of the field.
I took my time savoring the bento. Karin, it turned out, was a talented cook. After exchanging sake with Sasuke and being released from the hospital, she made sure to bring us all lunch every day. She also brought lunch to Sasuke, and, like most girls our age, it hadn't taken her long to warm up to him.
"Do you think Sasuke-sama will win the tournament?" she asked. "I'd like to see him fight."
"Maybe," I said, noncommittally. "But I don't think it would be a good idea for you to attend."
"Huh, why?" she asked, blinking in surprise.
Because being in the middle of an invasion was a bad idea for someone on medical leave. Well, it was a bad idea for anyone, but doubly so for her.
"Your village disavowed you because they thought you were going to die," I pointed out. "The hospital didn't update them on your condition because you're no longer associated with them, but the third exam will have representatives from all the different villages. If someone recognizes you, they might try to bring you back. And if you don't go willingly, they might decide to use force. It's better if they think you're dead, at least for now."
Karin's former village probably wouldn't attack Konoha directly, not for a genin. But they might decide to make her an official missing ninja and institute a kill order. That could make life difficult if she ever decided to venture outside of the village's walls.
Karin shuddered.
"Yeah, I think I'll stay home," she said. "Oh, speaking of home, if you're done training, do you want me to sleep on the couch?"
Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Training with Guy meant that Haku and I slept when we passed out on the field. Incidentally, this meant that we hadn't returned home since our training began. I'd given Karin my room while I was away, but obviously if I was returning, we'd have to figure something else out.
"No, for now I'll take Nii-chan's room and you'll stay in mine," I said. "We'll figure something out after Nii-chan returns, probably not until after the exams are over."
The house had been more than enough space for Sasuke and me, but with Karin moving in, space was getting a little tight. But we'd make do with what we had for now.
My thoughts were interrupted when Haku's chakra spiked. I looked up in time to see Haku clutching his leg with an annoyed grimace. His chakra rippled with agitation and pain. I body-flickered to his side and reached up reflexively to perform a diagnostic jutsu, but then I stopped.
"What's the problem?" Guy asked as he appeared beside us.
"Haku is injured…" I said, unfairly annoyed at the vagueness of my response. Was it a muscle strain? A fracture? A break? It would be so easy to check, but that would require medical ninjutsu.
"Well then, it's good that we have a medic on hand," said Guy with a grin. When I didn't respond, he frowned "It's fine to conserve chakra for Lee's procedure, but you have an injured comrade right in front of you."
I winced.
"I'm…I'm not allowed to use medical ninjutsu without Ameko-san's permission right now, remember?" I asked. "If I use medical ninjutsu, Ameko-san will strip me of my certification permanently and bar me from being a medic at the hospital. I'm…I'm sorry."
There was a long moment of silence.
"I understand, Kiyo-sama," said Haku. "I'll be alright."
He tried to stand, but his leg wouldn't support his weight. I was there to steady him.
"Maybe I could…?" Karin offered, clutching her arm nervously.
I didn't want to agree, but what else could we do? As long as I was under Ameko's orders, I couldn't do anything…
Wait.
No.
I could do something. I had the power. I knew just what to do. Haku was right there in front of me. But I was choosing not to. Just like all the other times I'd chosen not to do something out of fear of what might happen.
It wasn't right to leave Haku injured when I could heal him.
It wasn't right to hurt Karin because of some silly rule.
Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. During the bell test, Sasuke and Naruto had risked being sent back to the Academy so that I wouldn't have to skip a meal. And I…? I wasn't even willing to heal an injured friend when he was training to fight for his survival.
"No, you won't ever have to do that again," I said firmly. I'd promised her that. It was a promise I intended to keep. I gave Guy a sweet smile and pointed to a distant pillar. "Guy-sensei, why don't you take a break behind that rock for…five minutes?"
If I was going to do something that could ruin my medical career, I wanted the smallest number of witnesses. Guy blinked and then grinned at the ridiculousness of my request.
"I think I would like a sight-seeing tour of those rocks," he agreed, wandering out of sight.
"If anybody asks, you were never injured," I warned Haku, calling up my chakra and sinking it into his leg. I turned to Karin. "And you didn't see anything."
Haku nodded.
Karin just looked relieved.
"Of course, Kiyo-sama."
…
"I hope you don't mind if I cheer for Naruto," I said to team Guy. I had to speak up due to the noise of the crowd in the stadium. The Hokage had just announced the start of the tournament, and the participants were filing out of the arena. All except Naruto and Neji who stood facing each other in the center with Hayate between them.
Wasn't he supposed to be dead?
"Of course not, and I will cheer for Neji!" shouted Lee, pumping his fist with far too much exuberance.
His surgery had been a complete success, though it still took a grueling five hours to complete. Although I'd been nervous at the thought of performing the procedure under the watchful eyes of the entire senior medic staff, things couldn't have gone any better. It helped that I was allowed to use the hospital's life-support seal. It took up a 10'x10' room and could keep most patients stable during surgery. I had, of course, taken the time to copy the seal with my Sharingan and had already put in a request for existing documentation on the seal. If I could replicate it, and if I could set the seal with a touch the way I could with Hiraishin, it would allow me to perform field surgeries.
"Not that Neji will need it," Tenten added. "He's sure to win."
"Indeed!" said Guy. "I'm afraid that your teammate will have a difficult battle ahead."
"You shouldn't underestimate Naruto," I said. "He really is something special."
Three days ago, he'd arrived at the hospital carried by a giant toad. It was good to know that things had worked out between him and Jiraiya.
"Now that you're off probation, I'm surprised that you're not with the medics," said Guy.
"Ameko-san wanted to give me a chance to enjoy the tournament," I excused.
At least that's what she'd said. Personally, I suspected that she just didn't want a repeat of the Hinata incident.
Yeah, that was…a valid concern.
But I didn't have much time to consider Ameko's motivations when the fight began. Naruto opened with a barrage of shadow clones, and the fight was on. I wanted to enjoy the spectacle, but my attention wandered, my senses stretching out to identify the ANBU interspersed throughout the crowd.
There were other, more familiar, chakra signatures as well. Hinata and Kiba were a few rows away while Ino, Choji, and Sakura were just a few seats over. The Hokage and Orochimaru were in their private box. Both of their chakras were sharp and wary, waiting.
In the arena below, Naruto and Neji were discussing destiny and the history of the Hyuga. It probably wasn't the best time for lengthy conversations, but no one really objected. Eventually, they returned to the fight, and Naruto won with a bit of trickery and Kurama's chakra.
The whole crowd erupted in applause.
Below us, Naruto grinned and ran around. He really did have an impressive amount of stamina.
"What a kid," said Guy with no small amount of astonishment.
"I told you that he's something special," I said, smiling. I couldn't help it. After all of Naruto's hard work, he deserved every single cheer.
"Where is your brother?" Lee asked. "It's time for his match."
As the commotion died down, the crowd began to murmur, growing more agitated.
"What is Kakashi thinking?" Guy murmured.
Good question.
Kakashi probably wanted to keep Sasuke out of Orochimaru's sight for as long as possible. Or maybe he knew that Sasuke's match was the signal for the invasion. Either way, Kakashi had more to gain from holding Sasuke back than presenting him early.
Eventually, the Hokage announced that Sasuke's match would be moved to the end. I expected as much. Next up was Haku vs Shino. It was an interesting matchup, and Haku began with a volley of senbon. Shino blocked them with his insects and immediately went on the offensive, but Haku was able to evade every attack. Normally his top speed was limited to his Ice Release mirrors, but in the weeks that we'd been training together, he'd increased his base speed to almost match Lee.
Once he'd opened a bit of distance, Haku performed a massive Water Release, drenching the insects in a miniature tsunami. It had very little effect, and I winced at the noticeable dip in Haku's chakra. It was unwise to use a high chakra cost technique if it didn't actually do anything.
But his purpose soon became clear as the water flowed around Shino's ankles and solidified into ice spikes. Shino dodged, but by now water had spread to the entire stadium, leaving nowhere safe for him to stand. Haku managed to pin Shino down, and the match was called in his favor.
There were more cheers, and Haku smiled politely at the audience, displaying slightly more decorum than Naruto after his victory. The ice spikes, I noticed, were not melting in the August sunshine. So, was he keeping them in preparation for his next match? We wouldn't make it that far.
The next match was Shikamaru vs Temari, and it went about the same as I expected. It involved tactics and stalling while Shikamaru took advantage of the shadows. It wouldn't be long now… I stretched out my senses and was surprised to feel Kakashi and Sasuke's chakra land on the roof of the arena seating area. Good, they were here and apparently waiting for an opportune moment to make a dramatic entrance. In the stadium below, Shikamaru pinned Temari and forfeited. Naruto leaped down to lecture Shikamaru, and Kakashi took that as his cue.
It was indeed a grand entrance, I'd give him that. The crowd went wild, and I took a few slow, even breaths. It was almost time…
"Heya Guy, and Lee is here too," said Kakashi, appearing on the stairs beside us. "Your body is alright now?"
"Never better!" shouted Lee with a grin. "And these matches are firing me up! I must train even harder for the next exam."
Oh, he wouldn't need to wait until then for his next match.
Kakashi might have been thinking along those lines too because he scanned the stadium and spoke to Guy in a hushed voice. I'd already picked out the ANBU and foreign jounin, so I leaned forward to get a better look at the arena below where the match between Sasuke and Gaara was beginning. It started off straightforward enough. After a month of training, Sasuke was noticeably stronger and faster.
But Gaara was a jinchuuriki.
"Kakashi-sensei!" shouted Naruto, emerging from the stairwell. Behind him trailed Haku and Shikamaru. "Sensei! Stop this fight right now. He's totally different from us! He's not normal! He lives to kill others, and at this rate Sasuke will die!"
After everything Gaara had done, it really took Naruto until now to understand?
"Well, don't worry," said Kakashi with laconic ease. "He and I weren't late for nothing."
Naruto tried to object further, but Kakashi dismissed his concerns. It was alarmingly similar to his attitude toward Haku. He hadn't realized what he was facing until it was too late. As a jounin, Kakashi really should have known better.
Still, we turned back to the match in time to witness Sasuke's Chidori. It was impressive, piercing even Gaara's defense, but Sasuke was quickly driving himself to exhaustion. Not good. This match was just a show. The real fight would soon follow.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than Gaara went crazy, and Temari leaped down from the competitor's box to spirit him away. From there, everything happened so fast. Sasuke pursued them as white feathers began to fall over the stands. I shattered the genjutsu with a brief flare of chakra. It was a weak technique meant to capture civilians and non-genjutsu specialists. Kakashi and Guy also dispelled the genjutsu, but most others weren't quick enough and fell unconscious.
Then the stadium erupted into chaos as the foreign ninja clashed with the Konoha jounin and ANBU. I ducked behind the dubious shelter of the stadium seating as Kakashi slammed his kunai into a pair of enemies, ending their lives with brutal efficiency. Guy was quick to land a follow up attack on another one nearby.
I scooted down the row, breaking the genjutsu on Lee, Tenten, Naruto, and Haku with a touch. Shikamaru was at the top of the stairs, but he was awake already anyway. Ino, Choji, Kiba, and Hinata were too far away.
"I'm going after Nii-chan," I whispered.
"Before you do that, we need to evacuate these civilians," said Kakashi. "We can't fight the way we want to with so many of them nearby."
Yeah…I could see that. It was a wonder that the invaders weren't taking hostages, but jounin like Kakashi wouldn't risk the whole village to save a few random people.
"It'll take a while," I said, biting my lip. Sasuke needed help now. "Naruto, Haku how are you for chakra?"`
They didn't look too battered despite being fresh out of their respective fights.
"I'm fine," said Naruto.
"I can fight," said Haku, though his reserves were far more depleted. I handed him a soldier pill.
"I'm ready for action!" shouted Lee, pumping his fist in the air. Haku pulled him down as a kunai flew past his head. Yeah, we should probably avoid getting attention.
"Alright, Naruto, Lee, and Haku, I'll send you to Nii-chan," I said. "Please help him."
They all nodded, and with a touch, I marked them each with a Hiraishin formula and sent them to Sasuke.
"Tenten, do you have any chakra conductive wire?" I asked.
As a weapons specialist, I wouldn't expect anything less, but she wasn't here anticipating a fight.
"Of course," she said, pulling out a scroll. "What's your plan?"
"There are too many people to Hiraishin them all individually," I explained quickly. In the rows below, someone used a fire ninjutsu. "If we can get the wire to surround the civilians, I should be able to set up a barrier and perform the Hiraishin: Guiding Thunder on everyone inside."
Tenten nodded and handed me the wire. In exchange, I handed her nine of my three-pronged kunai.
"I'm going to send you to the hospital," I said. "I need you to find nine large open spaces that can fit the stadium seating. Put one kunai in each location. Then let the medics know about the incoming patients."
The combatants were doing a decent job of staying away from the civilians, but I could already see an alarming amount of collateral damage.
"Right," said Tenten. "I'll send up a flare when I'm done. Good luck."
I nodded and Hiraishined her to the hospital. It would take some time to set up the barriers. Hopefully that would be enough for her to find suitable spaces. I scanned the stadium, mentally mapping it out and taking note of the ninja fighting nearby. The stadium seating was divided into three main covered areas connected by walkways. Each section had three seating areas divided by stairs. There were about a dozen ninja fighting on the stairs, but thankfully most of them had retreated to the open arena.
If I tried to Hiraishin the seating sections one at a time, the invaders would realize what I was doing and might target the civilians before I could get them to safety. I'd have to send them all at once. But I also had to make sure that none of the invaders were in the seating areas when I sent them. How could I make sure they were out of the way?
I ducked down and body-flickered to the top of the top of the stairs where Shikamaru was pretending to be asleep. I rolled him over and performed a sternum rub. Shikamaru yelped and pushed my hands away before giving me a venomous look.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"I need you to use your shadow jutsu to keep the invaders out of the stands," I said without preamble.
"Are you crazy?" he asked. "I just finished a match against that Sand girl. I'm almost out of chakra."
I passed him a soldier pill, and he grimaced.
"What a drag," he grumbled. But he took the pill, so I considered that a win. "I'll only be able to keep them out of one section. You'll be on your own for the other two."
Oh, so he'd been listening. That saved me some time.
"That's fine," I said, stabbing a kunai into the ground. I wrapped the chakra conductive wire around the hilts of a set of normal kunai and performed a few of Itachi's trick bukijutsu throws to get them into place. "Stay here while I set up the other sections. Wait for Tenten's signal."
Shikamaru nodded, and I body-flickered to the middle section where Kakashi and Guy were tag-teaming a squad of Sound jounin. I used the Blind Spot technique to ghost my way through the fighting, but Kakashi saw through me with his Sharingan immediately. He slit the throat of the jounin he was fighting and came to stand over me as I prepared another set of kunai.
"Can you get them out of the stands?" I asked, tossing the wire-wrapped kunai to the appropriate locations. I didn't bother with an explanation. Kakashi wouldn't need one. "Shikamaru is handling the first section."
Kakashi gave me an eye-smile.
"Of course," he said. And then he was back in the fray. He must have communicated something to Guy, because they both instantly went on a brutal offensive, pushing the Sound jounin into the arena below.
I moved on, body-flickering to the last section. Unlike the others, which were relatively undamaged, this section was littered with bodies, both ninja and civilian. But the fighters were either all dead or had moved on because it was eerily still when I arrived. I suppressed the urge to run triage and begin emergency care. I had to evacuate everyone first. The medics at the hospital would be able to handle it.
I prepared and positioned the last set of kunai.
In the distance, Tenten's flare appeared in the sky.
Good, everything was ready.
I took a deep breath and channeled my chakra through the wire.
"Hiraishin: Guiding Thunder!" I said, activating the nine barriers and teleporting everything within to each of the kunai I'd given to Tenten. The stands simply vanished, taking the people, the seats, and even the floor.
Oof.
That…was a lot of chakra.
Just over a third of my total reserves, actually. And between that, the body-flickering, and the Hiraishins I'd already performed, I had less than half of my chakra left. And I wasn't done yet.
I wasn't sure how much use I would be against someone like Gaara, but I had to do something. I scanned the now civilian-free stadium once before taking a deep breath and used the Hiraishin to jump to Sasuke's side. I ducked down and stretched out my chakra sense to assess the situation. Sasuke was splayed out on a tree branch with the curse mark covering his face. Naruto was nearby, and Gaara was already half-transformed, bleeding killing intent. Haku and Lee were nowhere to be seen.
"Are you injured, Nii-chan? Naruto?" I asked.
"…Hn," grunted Sasuke, clutching at his curse mark. If he'd burst through Kakashi's seal, he had to be dangerously low on chakra. I shoved a soldier pill from my pack down his throat to replenish his reserves, but that was a stop-gap at best. It would require more than a Chidori to take down a bijuu.
"DIE, Uchiha Sasuke!"
I barely had time to register Gaara's attack before I grabbed my brother and body-flickered away.
Fast.
Too fast for the Hiraishin. One second wasn't a long activation time, but it was too much for close-quarters combat against a jinchuuriki. I'd have to rely on the body-flicker. Gaara had pretty wide-ranging attacks, and he could still move freely, a fact that he used as he lunged again. I slapped down a barrier seal to slow him down…
…and he punched through it like it was tissue paper.
A quick body-flicker, and Sasuke and I were once again a safe distance away.
Thank you reflex training.
"Is running away all you can do?" Gaara mocked. The sand spread over the human part of his face until he was almost completely monstrous. Only his feet were still recognizably human.
My mind whirled through possible attacks. But I was severely limited in what I could do. Gaara would become an invaluable ally when this was all over. I couldn't risk that by torturing him with genjutsu or killing him.
"What's the matter?" Gaara asked turning to Naruto. "Weren't you going to retreat? What do they mean to you?"
Gaara's twisted eyes flicked to Sasuke and me. His bloodlust spiked, sending a bolt of fear up my spine.
"T-They're my friends, so leave them alone or I'll kick your ass!" shouted Naruto, his bravado belied by the tremble in his voice. "Kiyo-chan, take Sasuke and get out of here!"
And leave him to die?
I didn't have time to respond before Gaara was on top of us. I body-flickered away again. Gaara simply turned back to Naruto.
"What now?" he asked, mocking. "Aren't you going to kick my ass? They can't run forever."
Naruto swore and lunged forward in a direct attack.
Not a great strategy.
"Nii-chan, can you stand?" I asked hurriedly as Gaara casually swatted Naruto away. Sasuke was struggling to move, his chakra still too low despite the soldier pill.
"That guy's a monster," he muttered, standing sluggishly. "You have to get away."
I shook my head.
"We have to stop him," I said, activating my Sharingan.
Not that it would be much use. Shukaku could break Gaara out of any genjutsu. The Sharingan could, in theory, be used to control the bijuu, but Sasuke and I only had two tomoe each, nowhere near strong enough to influence a bijuu.
Naruto cursed again and bit his thumb before attempting to summon Gamabunta. But instead of the giant boss, only a small frog appeared. Gaara unleashed a barrage of sand shuriken. I grabbed Sasuke and body-flickered out of the way. Naruto was hit, but he didn't seem injured.
Right.
It didn't matter if Gaara would be an ally one day. Today, right now, he was trying to kill us. I took a steadying breath and palmed a three-pronged kunai in one hand and a set of exploding notes in the other.
"Stay here for a moment, Nii-chan," I said, setting him down in the questionable safety of a damaged tree.
I body-flickered in front of Gaara and threw my kunai. Gaara raised his sand-coated arm to catch it with contemptuous ease and absorbed it into his sand.
Perfect.
"Here, I'll give it back—," he began, but he didn't have time to finish as I Hiraishined the exploding notes to the kunai that was now well within his defenses.
They exploded with brutal force, disintegrating his Shukaku arm in an instant, leaving only a bloody human arm in its wake.
Gaara screamed in rage and agony. It was an inhuman sound matched only by the monstrous chakra that burst forth.
Oh no.
I body-flickered back to Sasuke, grabbing him and Naruto before retreating as Shukaku appeared in his full and terrible glory.
"W-what is that?" Naruto asked, craning his neck up at the monolith of sand that was Shukaku.
"A bijuu," I muttered, swallowing thickly.
What could I do against that?
"Naruto," said Sasuke, shrugging off my supporting arm and staggering a pace. "Protect Kiyo-chan. Take her and run as far and as fast as you can. I'll distract him for as long as I can."
"You…" Naruto began, but Sasuke interrupted him.
"I've already lost everything before," he said. Sasuke clenched his fist, and once again the curse seal began crawling across his skin. When he looked at me, his eyes were alight with manic fury.
"I won't watch you die again," he growled.
Again?
"Yeah, that's right," Naruto muttered, not seeming to hear him. "Because he was like me…Because he lived feeling the same kind of loneliness and sadness I did. I thought he was strong because he survived that solitude fighting only for himself. But I was wrong. His strength isn't real. Strength doesn't come from fighting alone. Real strength is not what you have when you fight only for yourself. When you have something special you want to protect, only then can you become strong." Naruto's chakra flared. "I will protect them no matter what!"
I grabbed Sasuke in time to narrowly avoided being crushed a second time as Naruto summoned Gamabunta.
They didn't begin fighting immediately. Naruto and Gamabunta seemed to be talking, and Shukaku was sizing up his new opponent. Great. As long as he wasn't moving, I had a bit of time.
"I'll be right back, Nii-chan," I said, leaping from the tree and heading straight for Shukaku. He was massive, towering well over the treetops. My exploding notes wouldn't do much, but I hadn't been training for nothing.
Shukaku didn't even notice when I embedded a three-pronged kunai into his flank. It was sometimes good to be beneath an enemy's notice. Of course, that also meant I was beneath an ally's notice too. Which was a problem when Gamabunta leaped forward with his sword raised. In one slice, Gamabunta severed Shukaku's arm, both the blade and the arm falling to the trees.
I avoided them with yet another body-flicker.
My chakra reserves were dipping low.
"This is interesting Uzumaki Naruto!" Shukaku shouted, not seeming bothered at all at the loss of his arm. Then again, since it was rapidly dissolving into sand, it obviously wasn't his real body being injured.
From Shukaku's forehead, Gaara emerged with a frenzied grin. Then Shukaku, the real Shukaku, laughed.
"I'm finally able to emerge!" he shouted to the sky. "And here's someone I can kill~!"
Gamabunta leaped up, firing a set of water bullets, which Sukaku met with three air bullet of equal strength. The first two met in a shower of water, but the third air bullet slipped through.
I Hiraishined to Naruto's side and body-flickered to below Gamabunta, right in the path of the air bullet. I held out my kunai.
I only had one shot. This was going to take most of my chakra.
"Hiraishin: Guiding Thunder!" I yelled, creating a barrier mid-air that absorbed the air bullet. I just needed somewhere to send it. Thankfully I had the perfect place.
Shukaku's flank exploded from the force of his own attack.
And then I was falling.
I Hiraishined back to Sasuke and collapsed beside him. I was acutely aware that I was now almost completely out of chakra. I might have had above-average chakra reserves, but I wasn't about to get into a stamina match against a bijuu.
Gamabunta darted forward again, this time transforming into the Kyuubi and latching onto Shukaku. I could just barely make out Naruto as he ran up the bridge of Shukaku's nose and punched a sleeping Gaara squarely in the jaw. Gaara woke, and then Shukaku was gone, pulled back within his jinchuuriki's mind and bound within his seal. Shukaku's body dissolved into a mountain of formless sand.
Then Gamabunta disappeared in a puff of smoke.
And the two young boys were falling.
"Naruto!" I shouted.
Sasuke stood, swaying slightly. He helped me to stand, and together we made our way to where the two boys landed among the trees. Naruto was clinging to consciousness by sheer willpower, and Gaara, who had landed nearby, wasn't too far behind. By the time we arrived, Gaara's bloodlust had vanished. All that remained was a scared little boy.
It was over.
We'd survived.
I fell to my knees beside Naruto. I fumbled in my bag for another soldier pill so that I could perform a diagnostic jutsu. Naruto was bloody and bruised. But it was nothing I couldn't handle. Unfortunately, healing him ate up most of my remaining chakra. I was so tired. I barely noticed when Sasuke took a step toward Gaara, and his chakra stirred. I glanced at him and frowned. There was something dark in Sasuke's eyes, something sinister. When he held up a kunai, I understood his intent immediately.
"Nii-chan?" I asked. "What are you doing? It's over. We don't need to fight anymore."
Gaara was okay now. He would be our ally. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder at me, and his eyes narrowed. The curse mark moved, spreading further across his face. His chakra felt sick.
"Close your eyes, little sister," he said, his voice strangely hollow.
He raised his kunai, his killing intent sharpening like the edge of a blade.
I was on my feet in an instant, grasping his arm and holding him back.
"Nii-chan, the fight is over," I said. "You don't have to kill him."
This wasn't right. This wasn't how this fight was supposed to end. This wasn't Sasuke. He pulled away, breaking free of my grip with the practiced ease of any ninja.
"It's the curse mark, Nii-chan," I said. "When you give into your hatred, it poisons you more. Please, you have to stop."
Sasuke sighed, but the curse markings did not fade.
"I am an avenger," he said, almost gentle. "I'll do whatever I must, kill whoever I must, to gain power. Now, close your eyes. You don't need to see this."
I shook my head. If I did that, Gaara would die.
"Please stop," I said, throwing my arms around him and trying to force his kunai down. Sasuke breathed a sigh and pulled me to his chest in a hug, burying my face in the dark fabric of his shirt. For a moment, just a moment, I thought I'd reached him. Then his chakra built up.
"Mythical Fire-!" he began.
"No!" I shouted, slamming my palm into his chest and using the Hiraishin to teleport him to the hospital.
Oh no.
What did I just do?
I didn't have much time to think about it as chakra exhaustion finally caught up with me and the world went dark.
...