A/N: Had a break from lab reports and research stuff for school and managed to finish chapter 9 (don't be surprised if its edited at some point, though) Enjoy...Read & Review...

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Chapter 9

"Explosion"

Takeo glanced back towards the four Sound shinobi before loosening his grip on the kunai in his right hand, which he slid carefully back into the equipment pouch around his waist.

"Takeo-kun," Kaori sighed, her baby blue eyes showing relief.

"Guess I missed the fun," he replied, checking the small cut on his shoulder.

Kaori raised her hand and focused until the green aura of her medical jutsu illuminated it. She brought it up to Takeo's shoulder and gently traced her finger along the path of the wound until it sealed close.

"Thanks…" Takeo nodded.

"Always have to make an entrance," Kintarou grinned.

Takeo smiled back. "Can't let you two do all the work. Wouldn't look too good to Tsunade-sama for my ANBU application, would it?"

A high-pitched wail made the three of them cringe and look towards the vanishing cloud cover, where the Sound ninja angrily stood. Breathing heavily and holding several kunai wounds, they slowly sauntered towards the three ANBU-in-training and the old man behind them. Tossing his ivory-haired head back revealing a fairly long cut on his chin, Bandon coughed and wheezed a bit before spitting a mouthful of blood on the dirt. His stocky companion raised the goggles from his eyes to wipe the blood trickling down his forehead from the deep gash in his scalp. Mokina and the scrawny shinobi were both kneeling, obviously fatigued and out of breathe. Behind the Konoha trio, Ren was still shivering from fright, but had managed to hold it together long enough to speak.

"Please," he whimpered. "Kintarou-san, I…you must help me…I…"

"We will not let any harm come to you, Ren-san," Kintarou promised.

"No, that's—" Ren tried to continue.

"So…that makes three, then," Bandon called. "Now…as I was saying, it's four on three. I'm sick of these pointless delays."

Before he'd finished speaking, Takeo had withdrawn an arrow and had it aimed squarely at the Sound shinobi's heart. Kaori hurriedly removed a pair of kunai from her pouch and held them ready in each hand, staring intently at Mokina. The other two Sound ninja scowled at Kintarou, who was anxiously cracking his knuckles. The two sides stared each other down until the goggled Sound ninja leapt high into the air, pulling a giant shuriken from his pack. With one enormous heave, he spun it rapidly towards the ANBU hopefuls. Takeo and Kaori dashed to the side as Kintarou stepped in front. With one swift motion, he caught the shuriken in his hand and quickly whirled around to toss it back. But as he threw his arm forward to release it, the shuriken suddenly extended its four metal points down around Kintarou's arm; it's razor-sharp edges biting into the flesh on his forearm. As Kintarou flinched with the pain, the shuriken began to lose its shape, revealing itself as a coiled group of giant leeches.

"Oi, Kintarou," Takeo started.

"I'm fine," he grimaced. "Worry about them."

Takeo turned to see the other three Sound shinobi preparing to charge.

"Kaori, can you take care of those things?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah," she nodded. "No problem."

Takeo readied himself and fired several shots to delay the Sound ninjas' advance. Kaori rushed over to Kintarou, who had been forced down to one knee as the abnormally large creatures began draining him of vital plasma.

"It's not just blood those leeches are sucking," the goggled shinobi cackled with a raspy voice. "I created them especially for combat. You can feel it, right? They also drain chakra."

His shrill laughter rang loudly behind his fellow Sound shinobi, who despite Takeo's tactics, had begun to approach. Kaori concentrated hard, using a hand to surgically remove the leeches' mouths from Kintarou's forearm while simultaneously healing the wound with her other hand.

"K-Kaori-san," Kintarou said slowly. "It would be better if you helped Takeo with the other three. I'm not sure if he can deal with them alone."

"You're right, he probably can't," she responded. "But Takeo-kun will hold them off long enough for me to get rid of these things."

As Kaori worked on the final two leeches, Takeo drew back another arrow.

"Takeo-san, you can't stop all of them with one arrow," Ren gloomily warned. "You should guard your friends and leave me be."

"Hmph," Takeo smirked. "You wanna bet?"

"What…"

"Youkaiya! (Ghost Arrow)"

Takeo released the arrow, which radiated an eerie golden light. The arrow flew straight at the charging Bandon, who stepped away to avoid it. Suddenly, the glowing arrow shimmered and three more identical arrows appeared on either side. The Sound shinobi halted their advance to leap above now seven glowing arrows. With one final glimmer of golden light, the seven arrows multiplied again, with two arrows appearing above and below each of the seven. With thirty-five eerily shining arrows flying a few feet away, the Sound ninja tried desperately to dodge them. The scrawny shinobi held his sword up to deflect the arrows heading his way. His face shriveled into a contemptuous scowl as they passed straight through his sword and his body, leaving him unharmed. Mokina and Bandon both paused when they hit the ground and irately glanced at one another, watching several arrows pass through them and every other object they crossed until slowly fading from sight.

"Illusionary arrows," Bandon growled. "Very clever."

"Nice to be appreciated," Takeo glared back. "Oi, Kaori…finished yet?"

Kintarou agilely hopped over his head, with Kaori joining the two of them seconds later.

"What do you think?" she replied.

"I think the tall guy with white hair is mine," he said firmly, staring back into Bandon's green eyes.

"Kuma Tsume no Jutsu!"

Kintarou brought out his chakra claws again and charged headfirst towards the Sound ninja with the goggles and the black-haired man with the sword. Her crimson hair dangling over her eyes, Mokina sneered viciously at Kaori, who brought her kunai up in front of her face. The two kunoichi exchanged brief grins before rushing towards one another. Spinning the shaft of an arrow between two fingers, Takeo continued to stare down Bandon.

"I don't remember any Leaf shinobi being as resourceful as you," he called. "The ones I killed certainly weren't."

"That's what happens when you only target opponents weaker than you," Takeo retorted. "Which in your case is probably hard to do."

Bandon grunted and then leapt towards Takeo, who quickly followed him into the air. Exchanging and deflecting several blows with his bow, Takeo continued with the aerial assault until the two forced one another back to the ground. A few yards away, Kaori and Mokina danced and attacked in graceful style, neither managing to land even a scratch on the other. With one loud clang of steel, Mokina's sais and Kaori's kunai blades locked together. The two stared intently as each pushed with all of their strength to gain the upper hand. Their faces only inches apart, the two kunoichi literally butted heads as they finally broke the deadlock. Kaori wiped away the blood trickling down her forehead and immediately closed the wound with her medical expertise. Mokina sneered as she adjusted her forehead protector.

"That's what happens when you're more worried about messing up your hair then being prepared for battle."

Kaori gritted her teeth and rapidly tossed a handful of shuriken at her, then dashed in again to attack. Kintarou's loud roars drowned out the two girl's shouts as he fended off the remaining two Sound ninjas. Claws and hands outstretched, he lunged at the goggled shinobi, who leapt out of harm's way onto the ruinous rock wall around Ren's house. As Kintarou spun to pursue, the scrawny man cut him off.

"Ninpou, Kaze Muchi! (Ninja Art, Wind Whip)"

A fiery, stinging pain hit Kintarou's back as the chakra-driven high-speed air lashed across it. Kintarou growled and jumped high into the air. Raising both of his hands over his head, he snarled as he dropped down and forcefully smashed his fists into the ground.

"Hibiware Tekken! (Fissure Fist)"

The ground beneath him began to rumble and crack, the earth rattling attack knocking the scrawny ninja to the ground and crumbling the rock wall remains, which caused the hefty goggled shinobi to stumble headfirst in front of the debris.

"That was imp—"

Before he could finish, Kintarou was roaring down upon him. The sound of shattering glass and bones was muffled only by the man's own screaming as Kintarou speared his midsection and brutally drove him into the rubble. His broken goggles snapped free from his face, which had been severely cut up by the glass shards flying out after breaking. Kintarou stood quickly, panting and holding his tender back. He turned towards the remaining Sound ninja, leaving the unconscious one trapped in the rock wall remains. Observing with wide, unblinking eyes, Ren could only watch as Takeo, Kintarou, and Kaori managed to survive against the deadly shinobi from the Hidden Village of Sound. Suddenly realizing that neither side was giving him any attention, he cautiously began stepping back slowly away from the battle site his home had become. Inching farther and farther away, Ren eventually made it out of range of the fighting and then quickly took off running behind his house. The shinobi engaged in combat were nearly oblivious. Kintarou and the scrawny man continued back and forth, each matching the other's intensity and power. Kaori busily defended herself from Mokina's vicious barrage. Takeo, beginning to run low on arrows, began to charge in for close combat.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan (Fire Element: Fire Dragon Blast)"

Takeo quickly halted and flipped back out of the path of the wall of fire approaching him. A screeching wail brought him to his knees as Bandon appeared behind him, his hideous metallic teeth glistening in his gaping mouth. Takeo struggled to his feet, trying to hold his ears; Bandon simply shook his head, smiled, and delivered a punishing roundhouse kick across his face, sending Takeo flying back a few feet. He felt the blood oozing from his swollen lip and stood up despite the nauseating feeling in his stomach and the loud ringing in his ears.

"How do you like my singing voice?" Bandon shrieked. "Mind numbingly beautiful isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Takeo struggled to reply. "I'll pass on the encore, though."

"Oi, Oi…not a music lover?" Bandon grinned. "Such a shame…"

As Takeo readied himself, grabbing the kunai from his pouch, Kintarou's shouting made him pause.

"Ren-san?" he yelled. "Kaori-san, Ren-san is missing."

Kaori turned, moving away from her opponent. "Where could he go?"

"I don't know," Kintarou replied. "But for the mission's sake we need to find him."

"I'm on it," she responded, turning to give chase.

"No!" Kintarou commanded. "If the Sound give chase, or if there are others nearby waiting, you won't be able to defend Ren-san and yourself. And as much as I hate to admit it, I am running low on chakra. If not for those leeches then maybe, but as it is, I am not sure how much longer I can last."

"So…" Kaori began.

"Noppo!" Kintarou called. "Ren-san has run off. You need to follow him."

Takeo turned and nodded, then immediately dove away to dodge the kunai Bandon had tossed at him.

"That's about enough," Takeo muttered, shoving his kunai back in and withdrawing an ornately decorated dagger from his pouch.

He quickly swiped the talon-shaped blade across his calloused left index finger and then smeared the blood along the line of strange symbols carved into the blade. He flung the dagger into the soil and glanced briefly at Bandon before forming five quick seals and thrusting his palm onto the ground beside it.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning Technique)"

Within the large puff of smoke that appeared, a faint screech and the ruffling of feathers made Bandon pause. As the grayish mist cleared, a blue-feathered hawk stood perched upon the hilt of the dagger Takeo had thrown into the ground.

"I need you to follow the old man who took off…he should still be nearby," Takeo told it. "He has bushy silver hair and is wearing a green sleeveless vest."

The hawk flapped its wings in acknowledgement before taking to the air and flying up into the cloudless blue sky. It soared past Takeo and the other shinobi engaged in battle on the ground, circling overhead for a few moments before darting off in the same direction as Ren. Takeo rose and again faced off with Bandon.

"You're mistaken if you think you'll have the chance to follow your bird," Bandon cackled. "Your little tricks with your bow and arrow are over…"

"And your mistaken if you think all I do is play with my bow and arrow," Takeo calmly replied, yanking the fancy dagger from the soil and returning it to his pouch.

As Bandon grinned and moved to strike, Takeo dashed in straight towards him. Bandon's piercing shriek left Takeo's ears throbbing, but he withstood the pain long enough to counter.

"Tokken!"

With everything he could summon, Takeo rammed his shoulder into the Sound shinobi's gut, blasting him back off of his feet and sending him flying headfirst into the lone tree in Ren's yard. Takeo struggled for air and briefly massaged his aching shoulder. A thin trickle of blood oozed out from his ear; Bandon's destructive howling had no doubt shattered his eardrum and burst a few capillaries within the canal. Takeo shakily stood and glanced over to see Bandon hesitantly rising to his feet. Takeo began to approach him, knowing he had to hurry and finish this before he could go after Ren.

"Not bad…"Bandon gasped, discretely pulling something from the pack around his waist.

Bandon hastily threw down a small orb, which exploded into a foul-smelling gas that made Takeo cover his face. The noxious fumes seeped into his eyes as he began scanning around for any sign of Bandon. Choking back tears, Takeo speedily leapt into the air, forming several successive hand seals. Emerging from the cloud, Bandon smiled beneath the rubber gas mask across his face. He tossed it aside as the vapors faded, and anxiously looked around for Takeo. Despite multiple surveys of the area, Takeo was nowhere to be found.

"Running away like a coward?" shouted Bandon, a small snicker escaping his lips. "That's more like the Konoha shinobi I know…"

Still guardedly moving through the battleground that had once been Ren's yard, Bandon grew increasingly flustered. After circling back around to the tree where Takeo had knocked him, he paused in front of it. Suddenly, he felt something from behind grab his arms. He spun his head around and glimpsed a pair of piercing brown eyes staring back at him from the tree.

"How did y—" Bandon started

"Kamereon Kawa no Jutsu (Chameleon Skin Technique)" Takeo quickly answered, his clothes and skin returning to their original colors.

Before Bandon could respond, he felt himself being lifted high into the air

"Hishoutaka…"

Takeo and Bandon flew higher, until Ren's house was barely the size of a pea. Locking his hands behind his opponents back, Takeo pinned Bandon's arms behind him as he flipped his feet up. The two began to descend face-first towards the earth below.

"…Kyuukouka! (Soaring Falcon Dive)"

The rush of wind during their freefall pushed Bandon's white hair back into Takeo's face. Between the ivory-tinted strands, Takeo saw the ground grow closer. Despite Bandon's repeated struggles, he could not break free, and could only watch through his wide, fear-filled green eyes as the two shinobi continued to dive. Clenching his teeth, Takeo braced himself for the impact. Bandon's wailing moans echoed behind him as he fell, until his head crashed into the land. The enormous impact left a small smoldering crater; lying beside it, Takeo gingerly rolled his head over to check on the Sound ninja who he had driven into the ground. Bandon, unconscious and obviously saddled with internal injuries and several broken bones, was lying face down in the shallow hole with his mouth hanging open. Takeo noticed several holes in his metal-lined mouth; several of Bandon's teeth had shattered.

"Thank God," Takeo mumbled, pushing himself up to one knee.

The sound of Bandon slamming into the ground had drawn the attention of the four other shinobi, who stopped attacking one another long enough to gaze in awe at the crater now decorating the front of Ren's yard. Kaori deflected a few more slashes from Mokina's sais before peering at her friend lying beside it.

"Takeo-kun," she whispered in awe.

"N-No way," Mokina said, gritting her teeth. "Bandon was taken out…"

On the opposite side of the crater, Kintarou and his opponent were both staring.

"I've never seen Noppo use that jutsu before," he mumbled under his breath.

"Wow…"the scrawny Sound shinobi said weakly.

Gathering what stamina he had left, Takeo pushed himself to stand. He scoured the skies for the hawk tracking Ren.

"Takeo-kun" shouted Kaori in between swiping at Mokina with a kunai. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he called back.

Takeo's head perked up as he heard the distant cry of the hawk, and he hurriedly ran off towards its location. Kintarou glimpsed him as he dashed past him.

"You better find Ren-san," he grinned. "And bring him back safe. The mission depends on you…"

Takeo half-smiled as he replied. "Yeah…I bet you're thrilled about that…"

Kintarou chuckled as he dove away from another wind attack.

Glancing towards the two kunoichi, Takeo caught Kaori's eyes and quickly nodded.

"Be back soon," he yelled.

"Right," she shouted back.

Takeo was soon out of sight as he rushed to catch up with Ren. Kaori leapt over the lunging Mokina after allowing her gaze to linger in the direction of her teammate.

"You'd better be…" she said quietly.