Past Regrets Chapter 6: The Battle of the Brothers and the Beginning of a New Life, a naruto fanfic

Past Regrets

Chapter 5: The Battle of Brothers and The Beginning of a New Life

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The footsteps got closer and closer. Takeo stepped into the room and hid behind the door with Tetsu following his lead. The door slid open, but no one stepped in. Tetsu held her breath, her hands shaking with nervousness. Her stomach seemed to tighten and crawl up her throat with the excitement of the battle that was to happen within seconds.

The door closed slowly and Tetsu breathed out hesitantly. Takeo stepped to the sliding door and slid it open silently to see a pair of furious red eyes staring into his. Yasuo grabbed him by the collar of Takeo's shirt and threw him out of the room. Tetsu angrily jumped in the line of fire and swung a fist at his jaw.

Yasuo backed up smoothly, missing the hit by inches. He grabbed her outstretched hand and twisted it, flinging her over into Takeo. She growled and stood up immediately. She knew she had little chakra left and decided to save it up gradually as she attempted to fight him hand-to-hand.

Takeo stood beside Tetsu, his fists at his side and his back arched forward, ready to charge his brother if he tried anything. Yasuo began to walk slowly toward them, his arms crossed.

The arena was set. It was a huge rectangular room with a ceiling nearly 20 feet tall. There was a wrap-around balcony that would mark where the second floor would be. If the rectangle was seen length-wise, the closet was at the far bottom right of the room. Ahead, on the right side of the rectangle was a pair of double doors that lead downstairs to the holding cells. To the far left was a staircase that led up to the balcony and the outside doors. The outside doors were at the very top of the stairs and led to a maze of corridors.

The walls were made of tan rock sediments and plaster. There were six pillars keeping the ceiling aloft. It was obvious they were at least three flights below the ground, which was why the pillars were so enormous. Tetsu noticed a plaque beside the outside doors that said, 'The Buried Kirigakure Dojo – Ninja Elite – School of the Gifted – Teacher: Okamura-sensei.' Before she could look anymore, Yasuo stopped.

"Why did you betray Masahiro and I?" he asked with shame in his voice. Takeo narrowed his eyes at him but stood his ground.

"The only question that should be asked is 'why didn't I do this sooner'," he seethed. Yasuo threw his head back in laughter.

"You always were the clever one," he muttered. Tetsu's eyes never missed any motion he made. She had the awkward feeling that something wasn't right. She saw Yasuo's eyes shift above Takeo for a moment and knew that she was right.

She turned around immediately and saw the real Yasuo diving for his brother with knives in his clutch. She jumped up and punched him in the stomach, launching him over Takeo and into the decoy. The fake disappeared in a wisp of smoke as soon as the real one hit it.

Takeo was taken back, but didn't flinch a muscle. Tetsu's inner-self danced and paraded around in utter bliss and pride, but in reality she kept her cool and glared at the man skidding to a stop in front of them. She smirked cockily and huffed, getting in a ready position aside her accomplice.

Instead of making a witty statement, Yasuo jumped up immediately, diving straight for Tetsu. She moved out of the way swiftly, just to have him bounce off of his landing with his hands and spring backward, kicking her in the stomach and launching her into the wall just to the left of the closet. Takeo swung downward at Yasuo's back to have him grab his wrist and throw him forward at Tetsu.

The two stood up quickly. Tetsu was bleeding from the wound on her stomach and Takeo's lip was split. Yasuo smirked and charged them again, hands full of razor sharp stars. He shot the shuriken at the duo as they covered their faces in defense. The stars ended up planting themselves on Takeo's shoulders, thighs and one in the stomach and on Tetsu's stomach, thighs, and forearms.

They looked up from their arms to see Yasuo in the air, pummeling down at Tetsu's head. She pushed off against the wall and shot forward to have Yasuo bounce off the wall. Just before her got to Tetsu, Takeo grabbed his ankle and threw him into a pillar across the room.

He took out a pair of kunai knives and stuck his landing on the pillar, looking down at the two angrily. Tetsu flexed her fists and waited for him to move. He let go of the knives and landed on the floor. Before he could turn and ready himself, she charged at him, slicing at his stomach with a knife. He grabbed her hand before impact and, with his other hand, punched her in the gut. She flew backward and skidded across the smooth dojo floor.

It was Takeo's turn to attack. He ran at his brother with his hands on his shuriken holsters. Before his brother could react, he jumped up and stood on the two kunai knives Yasuo used on the pillar. He launched dozens of shuriken at his brother, which were dodged swiftly with flips and handsprings. He landed smoothly and looked back up at Takeo with a cocky grin.

"It seems you're out of shuriken," he muttered.

"But I'm not!" Tetsu shouted and began to launch another wave of ninja stars at Yasuo. He turned around just in time to see dozens fly into his body. A last one hit him in the throat and he gasped a little. He grabbed it and threw it at her, only for her to catch it smoothly.

"You won't get very far with a single star," she mocked. He growled and was about to get up before he was shot in the back with a wave of kunai knives. He fell to his knees as Takeo hopped down from his perch, landing in front of his brother. He crouched down and held a knife to Yasuo's throat.

"Right now would be a good time to beg for mercy," he threatened. Yasuo shifted his glance from Takeo to Tetsu then back to his brother.

"I don't beg," he spat out, blood seeping from the hole in his throat and trickling down his chin.

"Then you shall die," Takeo scowled and stuck the blade into the hole in his throat. It pressed against his spinal cord as he ripped the knife from side to side. Yasuo's stare didn't flinch as he fell forward, his head resting at an odd angle on the floor. The blood spilled everywhere as the fallen man's hand clenched then went limp.

Tetsu looked at the dead man with no emotion on her face. She had killed many people and seen many people die in her short lifetime, so this wasn't any different. However, she felt glad that she had helped in avenging Hisoka's death.

"Okamura," she muttered and looked at the plaque across the dojo. She stared at it a moment before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's over," Takeo muttered. She grabbed his hand and held it there for a moment.

"It is," she replied and turned, walking to the closet to gather her belongings.

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After freeing the slaves in the cells below, Tetsu arrived upstairs to see Takeo was completely changed. He wore a pair of sashinuki that matched Tetsu's with the tape up the shins. They were baggy and black, making a swishing noise with every step he took. He continued to wear his black top with the gloves and mask, but on top was a gray vest. On his forehead was the silver hitai-ate, covering the top of his head like a bandana. His shaggy, raven tresses hung down and grazed the top of his shoulders. He looked at her with warmth in his orange eyes.

"You should get going," he muttered and approached her, throwing her knapsack into her arms. She looked at him with a slightly confused glance.

"You mean 'we' should get going," she corrected. Takeo stood silent, looking at her with sadness in his eyes. They stared at each other quietly, waiting for one of them to speak.

"I don't think I should go," he murmured. A heat wave of sorrow ran up Tetsu's neck to her face. She realized that no amount of persuasion would get her new friend to come.

"I think you should," she demanded. Takeo looked away and stared at the doorway to the cells below. Tetsu walked up and stood in front of his gaze. "I want you to come with me."

"My life is a mess. I must set out and correct the mistakes my brothers and I have created-"

"And what better way than to start fresh," she interrupted, "with me."

"Tetsu," he said harshly. "I can't go with you." Her heart shattered to pieces with his last statement, but she did nothing but stare into his amazing ginger orbs. After a few moments of nothing but silence, she startled him with a tight embrace. He hugged her back, resting his head on top of hers.

"Thank you," she muttered and sniffled slightly, trying desperately to hold back her tears. "Thank you for saving me."

"This won't be the last time we see each other," he whispered and kissed her forehead. She nodded into his chest and released him, turning around and putting her backpack on.

Dust scattered with her every footstep as she made her way to the steps. She stopped at the bottom and put her hand on the cold, iron banister. "I hope you find your father," she heard Takeo say from across the dojo. She stayed hushed and walked up the stairs and out of sight.

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The sun was just peeking over the mountains in the distance as Tetsu appeared on the streets of Kirigakure. She squinted, having not seen the light of day in months. The days had grown colder since the last time she had been outside. The leaves had changed hue and began to fall.

She stepped onto the dusty street and began to walk through the morning mist. The village was beginning to wake as were the birds and rodents that hid in the forest surrounding the city. She walked through the ruins to the edge of downtown and stopped, turning to look back at the city she had lived by all her life.

"Goodbye, Hisoka-sama," she murmured and faced forward, walking into the unknown.

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As night fell, so did Tetsu's energy. She had been traveling southwest non-stop through rough terrain. She sat down on the ground and sighed, the mist of the village thinning with the closer she came to shore. She saw the glowing of the moon against the sea in the distance. The hill she was on top of was highly elevated, giving her a view only the birds and her could gaze upon. The peak of the hill that she resided on was clear of any trees, but rather had large boulders and a few shrubs about it.

The young ninja gazed up at the cloudless sky and sighed, laying her head down on her rucksack. She reached behind her head and into the pack, grabbing a pork roll from the pouch. She bit into it and chewed it slowly, watching the stars in the dome-shaped sky. After finishing it, she closed her eyes and fell into a sound sleep.

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"She's alive isn't she?" Tetsu heard a young man say. She lazily opened her eyes to see a pair of bright blue ones staring back at her. She instantly jumped up and snatched a kunai knife from her side, holding it to the man's neck. He held up his hands in defense and smiled nervously.

"Yeah," he chuckled nervously. "She's alive." Tetsu glanced about to see three others. There was an old man with a wisp of silvery hair atop his head. His hitai-ate was lowered over his left eye and a mask connected to his shirt covered most of his face. There was a woman about her age with a mess of pink hair and eyes as blue as the sea. There was another man beside her with hair as black as night and eyes that were just as dark but had a gleam of red.

"Uh... can you get the knife out of my face?" the blue eyed man asked, snapping her back to reality. She twirled the knife around and stuck it back in her belt, standing up to look at the newcomers.

"Who are you?" she asked them quietly, still a bit groggy. 'Curse my hard sleeping,' she thought and felt like kicking herself.

"We're jônin from Konohagure," the man with the blue eyes said, pointing to the hitai-ate on his forehead with a leaf symbol. The woman with pink hair huffed and rolled her eyes.

"That's it. Tell the world who we are. What if she was a spy for the Akuma brothers?"

"The Akuma brothers are dead," Tetsu affirmed. The man with the gray hair slumped backward slightly at her statement.

"Then this was a pointless mission," he muttered.

"How do you know this, girl," the man with black hair ordered.

"Firstly," she growled, "you're no older than I am." She stepped toward him and glared into his deep, crimson eyes. "And secondly, I have slain them."

"What about the slave trade?" the other young man asked, scratching his blonde head.

"I was the leader's slave. I freed them all."

"You were Yasuo's slave?" the old man asked. "How the hell did you get out of his grip and slay all three?"

"I had help from the youngest brother," she said. "Despite the fact they were related, he was just as much a slave as I was."

"So they're all dead?" the woman asked.

"Technically, one is dead, one is retired, and one is... dead-ish."

"So you didn't slay them all," the blonde man said with a smile. "Then we can still have a battle!"

"No," Tetsu corrected. "He will awaken but he won't have enough strength to help himself along. He will starve to death like the lowlife he is." The blonde man frowned.

"No battles then."

"I'm afraid not. We might as well be on our way back," the old man murmured and turned to walk down the hill with the others in tow. Tetsu grabbed up her belongings and began to follow. The man with black hair turned around and stopped in mid-stride.

"Why are you following us?"

"I'm heading to Konohagure myself. I'll leave you once we get there," she replied and passed by the man. He narrowed his brow.

'I don't feel right about this one,' he thought to himself and began to walk behind her.

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Everyone: Huzzah! They have entered! The next chapter should prove to be entertaining, yes? Heh heh!

Nishasha: DUDE! EVEN LONGER REVIEW! That's farkin' insane, man. Thank you so much! Now now... keep your amazing powers to yourself. No more HSlinger brain, no more story, yes? (I wanna Mystery Machine anyways! HEHE!) Yes...yes... hot guys do kick righteous ass. nods knowledgably And the way I drew 'im... Takeo's hot. HEH HEH. Okay so... yeah. Thanks again! You're so 1337 mann!

Krn-kimbap: To tell you the truth... I dunno. Yasuo's just an ass hole. I really hate him. He deserves what he got. does a little jig YEAH MAN! He be deeeeaddd now. It looks painful. >O I'll tell you a secret about Takeo... he is gonna appear in later chappies. OO Don't tell anyone, though! (even though Nisha and Tamera can read this. ; ) Thanks for the review, hun! It's much appreciated!

Tamera2187: Thankies muchly! I'm glad you like my work!