22 : Mission Group
By: Kokoro Kakera HP ^^
Disclaimer: Naruto, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kishimoto Masashi
Author's Notes:
I'm just a cliff-hanger-abusing bitch, aren't I?
Oh, and I'll get the responses to chapter 21's reviews up on my blog soon! (Call it a day or two). I can never express how much happiness reviews give me!
Note:
Kage Mane no Jutsu - Shadow Copy Skill
"The ritual that is performed." Tsunade said, "Will establish a link between the living and dead. The bridge that allows life to cross from one to another will be of blood. Naruto will supply the blood and the life." She paused, hoping that Sasuke would be ready to hear what she had to say. "Should Naruto be involved in this ritual before you reach him, then it will be too late to save him."
"I...failed..." Sasuke whispered. His fingers clenched, making tracks in the ground. "Fuck!" He hissed. His face became hot and his eyes moist. "Fuck!" Despair and guilt spun furiously and mashed into a disgusting monstrosity that jeered at him.
Failure! Failure! Failure!Failure!Failure!!!
He felt ill enough to die on the spot.
Failure! Failure! Failure!Failure!Failure!!!
First Sakura. Now Naruto. He was never good enough. That was why his brother was still alive. That was why he kept losing everyone close to him.
Failure! Failure! Failure!Failure!Failure!!!
The words were screaming in his head now.
FAILURE! FAILURE! FAILURE!FAILURE!FAILURE!!!
And he believed them.
Sasuke, so caught up in the flurry of his sorrow, failed to notice the three faint outlines of comma-shaped marks bud, then grow darker upon his neck. Then, as if changing its mind, the curse scar quickly faded away.
Nobody had noticed its brief presence.
Seeing that he would no longer be a nuisance, Jinn turned away from the distraught boy, to glance at the one they'd used as a sacrifice. 'After all this time... it's finally-' Her eyes narrowed when she noticed it. It couldn't be, but... "Junrou..." She murmured urgently. "This boy... He's- The ritual is not-"
"Patience." He said quietly, but his voice sounded tight. He'd noticed it as well. Nothing was happening. Blood pooled around Naruto's and the demon's joined hands, but none seemed to be actually moving into the demon's body.
"Naruto..." Sasuke murmured, still staring listlessly at the ground.
"I'm counting on you too, Sasuke!" A second passed between them, where their eyes met and an understanding was reached. Naruto turned away. "You'd better not chicken out." He said quietly.
Sasuke's eyes widened in remembrance. He'd forgotten...
A gentle breeze blew and a few bushes behind Sasuke rustled.
"Jinn." Junrou growled as he turned and saw Sasuke. The ritual was still failing and it looked as though the chances of it miraculously succeeding were quite low if there was any. He wasn't happy with the situation and seeing Sasuke somehow made him angrier. "Get rid of the eyesore."
Jinn stepped forward, expression hardening. She pulled out a dagger from her back pouch and took cautious steps toward the boy. Although he wasn't moving, she wanted to be sure that it wasn't just an act he was putting on. As weak as he was compared to her, it didn't mean that he couldn't do anything to wound her if she became careless. She stopped a few feet from him, eyeing him suspiciously.
He didn't budge an inch.
Then, in a burst of movement, she snatched him by his throat and drew him up so his face was level with hers, pulling back her armed hand at the same time - intending on stabbing his head through. Immediately, Jinn hissed in outrage, face twisting angrily as she threw the boy down.
The clone disappeared in a small cloud of smoke, the same time Jinn threw her hands up to block a kick meant to take her head.
Jinn jumped back a few steps, wobbling only briefly before she regained her composure. She threw up her arms again, wincing this time when another kick made contact with them. It had hurt this time. 'Damn it! This can't be the same boy. Too strong-' She forced herself to calm down and clear her mind. She was thinking too much too fast: her head overloading with fear: an ever irritating and distracting feeling. She was rewarded with her quick instincts when she felt a soft stir in the air behind her. 'Got you!' She pivoted and lashed out, noting with satisfaction, that she'd hit attacker's stomach. She hid the pang of annoyance that began niggling within her when she saw him land somewhat gracefully a few meters away, seemingly not too affected.
Lee sucked in a sharp breath. By acting quickly, he'd turned in mid-air so that he hadn't taken the full force of the woman's punch and managed to steady himself enough to land on his feet. It by no means meant though, that it hadn't hurt. He shifted, discomfort growing at the same rate as the bruise he now sported on the right side of his abdomen. It took a lot to hurt someone like him, he was aware, and the fact that this woman had done so with only one punch that hadn't even made proper contact worried him. She was definitely at jounin level if not higher. 'I can still hold her off.' Lee poised his hand before her to indicate that he would attack. The action would buy another few seconds if anything. 'For Sakura-san.'
Junrou gritted his teeth angrily. He'd witnessed the entire exchange and so far, hadn't been impressed. "Jinn! What are you doing?" He barked. He knew she was capable of far more than what he was seeing at the moment. He wouldn't have chosen to have her by his side otherwise.
"All that she can do." Sasuke said coolly. "Lee isn't someone to be taken lightly."
"Words of an idiot who knows nothing of her true abilities." Junrou smirked. "But as she's busy right now, I'll take the pleasure of making you regret them." He took a step forward, grating the dirt and rocks beneath his feet.
"Try it."
"You insol-" Junrou's eyes widened. His feet would not move. In fact, his entire body, save his face suddenly seemed incapable of motion. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Kage mane no jutsu. You have other friends." His eyes rolled to the ground where his feet were and followed his trapped shadow into the bushes.
Ino ran out, Sakura's body in tow. She swiftly passed Lee and Jinn, who were still locked in fierce combat and by Junrou, whom she eyed nervously as she went by. Then she propped Sakura's body gently beside alter.
'Sakura. You're coming back. Just wait a little while longer.'
Ino looked at Naruto, who was still unconscious, and sighed shakily. "Sasuke-kun...it's almost time-"
"Ya. I know." They both didn't move.
'Those kids are trying to bring back one of their own... but don't realize that it's not working...' Junrou realized. Blood was still running uselessly from the wound in Naruto's hand, but Sasuke and Ino thought it was natural occurence for the ritual. He kept his face blank. It still wasn't too late to save their friend, but he had no wish to help them figure this out. If he were fated to fail in resurrecting Amuka, then this would be his revenge. Letting them unknowingly murder their own friend for a ritual that did not work and then when it was all over, see the despair on their faces when he revealed the truth to them - if they were too shocked to comprehend it themselves.
Ino knew what was about to happen. Sasuke would place the demon's hand atop Sakura's, then pin their hands together with the kunai soaked in Tsunade's blood. He would be allowing Naruto to perish. Either way Naruto would die. But, if doing so would bring Sakura back, Ino was sure he'd allow himself to go peacefully. It was better than losing them both. That was why he was doing this in the first place. She risked a quick glance at Sasuke. He was looking at Naruto, probably thinking the same thing she had been. Ino forced her tears back. It would be embarrassing to get all weepy during such a critical part of a mission and it would also hinder her ability to see for a while.
'Naruto... I'm sorry. I'll cry for you lots later, okay? And... there'll be so many flowers at your funeral, that everyone'll think that it's for a great Hokage!'
She didn't know the boy very well and had never taken a great interest in doing so either, but she felt it was the least she could do for him. He would be, after all, the one to save Sakura. For that, she would be grateful to him forever.
"Let's do this." Ino whispered.
"Ah." Sasuke's expression was unreadable as he pulled out the kunai Tsunade had given him.
"Junrou!" In a shockingly sudden burst of movement, Jinn jumped high up to avoid a kick from Lee and spun, viciously cracking her foot against the side of his head. In the shocked stillness of the moment, she allowed the gravity of her fall to aid her with her next attack. Bringing her hand down just as she reached the ground, Jinn let out a terrific yell as she concentrated her chakra into her hand. The ground underneath her hand shattered and made dozens of long fissures - completely separating Shikamaru's shadow from Junrou's.
"Damn it!" Sasuke hissed, hurriedly shoving the kunai into his clothes, then jumping back just before the shadows were totally severed. He winced as the back of Junrou's hand barely grazed him. It was enough to make him lose his balance somehow and he stumbled when he landed. Cautiously, he lifted his head up, eyes widening when he caught sight of something.
'Lee!' The boy wasn't moving. Blood was running down from a large, darkened area about half the size of his head surrounding his temple. Sasuke's attention was quickly snatched away when a shriek came from Ino. He turned to find that she was now lying far from the alter, probably having been forcibly moved by Junrou. She didn't seem to be hurt in anyway though, just roughed up.
Junrou's attention was still on Ino. Sasuke glanced back at Jinn. Even as she swiftly tended to her broken foot, her attention her eyes darted around furtively, presumably searching for Shikamaru... But not for him.
'This is my chance.' Sasuke silently made his way back to the alter. The body of the pink-haired girl was still propped up in a sitting position at the foot of the alter. Ino had left Sakura's body there, thinking that Sasuke would be able to take care of the rest. 'And I will.' Sasuke's grim expression softened as he looked over Sakura's face. 'I'll make things okay again somehow. He mournfully looked back at Naruto.
I'll atone for all my mistakes.
"Annoying brat." Junrou snarled, snatching up Sasuke by the neck and harshly kneeing the boy in the chest. He was sent flying into the bushes. There was a rustle and a small cloud of dust rising up, but nothing else. "Weaklings," He spat. "Shouldn't cause so much trouble."
"There's one more-" Jinn made a move to stand, but Junrou held up a hand to stop her.
"Don't move. If you damage that foot permanently, you'll become useless." She remained still, comprehension in her features. He was worried about her, not threatening her like most would have believed.
Junrou stalked to the more wooded area of the forest, all senses searching for the last member of the team of annoyances. Jinn sat tensely behind him, ready to defend him should he be caught off guard - something very unlikely, but not impossible.
'Now.'
Her heart hammered as she ran for it. It was a very rash and impulsive move, she knew, but she didn't think there would be any more chances afterwards if she let this one go. It was only another three steps before Ino reached her destination. The elation she felt when she got to Sakura distracted her. So much, that she didn't notice Junrou appear behind her until he smashed his fist against the back of her neck. The ground rose up very quickly to meet her right after, but by some miracle, she was still awake.
I can't move.
It seemed to happen in slow motion - everything that happened next. As she lay there on her side, unable to get up and slowly sinking into unconsciousness, she saw Junrou walk, with deliberate slowness, to where Sakura sat.
"If I get rid of the rotting meat, then the flies will stop coming, no?"
'No-' Horror blurred her thoughts.
"Or at least go elsewhere until my business is done. Since swatting them seems to have become a far too tedious task."
She tried to get up to rectify the situation - somehow, there just had to be a way -
I can't move.
Everything was darkening and she wasn't sure if it was because the sun was almost completely below the horizon or because of the hit she'd just taken. And just before she could see nothing, she saw Junrou delicately curl his fingers around Sakura's neck. His grip tightened only enough to secure a steady hold. His face broke into an expression of malicious delight, at which point, he took a few steps to the side and held Sakura over the edge of the cliff.
'No! NO! NONONO!'
Tears filled Ino shutting eyes.
I can't do anything!
Everything, every conceivable part of her, screamed and savagely demanded that she get up. Anything as long as she could stop this unbearable thing from happening.
But all she do was close her eyes and allow the darkening edges of her vision to dominate.
'This is just too cruel...'