((Wow, um... Heh. Well, I can't say I wasn't expecting this. My friends all probably know how long it takes me to update from past fanfictions, too. I just can't force myself to write; what I manage to produce under pressure never turns out quite how I want it, and I can be very nit-picky, as you'll come to discover. All I can really say is I'm sorry to those who had to wait a long time for this chapter, and I hope you enjoy it.))
CHAPTER 2: KILLER'S INTENT
Neji awoke face-down on a hardwood floor, half of him sprawled over a small futon. The moment he opened his eyes groggily, his head pounded painfully, and his hand flew immediately to his temples. As soon as he did so, his arm began to ache persistantly, along with the rest of him. As if that weren't enough, he felt somewhat sweaty and hot, not to mention queasy. Uttering a few low curses, he lifted himself from the floor, only to flop backwards on to the thin mattress.
Staring at the cieling for a moment, trying to blink away the flashing dots clouding his vision, the ninja began to notice a few familiar things in the room. It wasn't his house, that was for sure, but he had been there a few times before. It was... Lee's house. Why was he in Lee's house? He wasn't left with much time to think about it, as an extremely unpleasant feeling hit him in the stomach. Lurching upwards, he ignored his body's screams of protest and stood up wobbily, looking around frantically for a bathroom. He spotted one on the far left of the room and made a dash for it, tripping over the small strip of wood separating the two rooms and banging his head off the toilet seat. Still, he managed to open it in time.
After he was sure he was finished revisiting what he had eaten the day before, Neji wiped a few strands of hair from his face, then paused. They were short, about shoulder length. Since when had his hair been shoulder length? Wiping his mouth with the back of his shaky hand, he grabbed the edge of the sink and pulled himself up into a standing position to look in the mirror. Sure enough, his hair was considerably shorter than it had been the previous night. He gawked at his reflection in disbelief for a good few minutes, before the door on the opposite side of the room opened.
None other than Lee stood leaning against the doorway, with a mug of coffee in his hand. He cast Neji's shocked expression a wide-eyed look, cocking his head slightly to one side in what he thought was a perfect immitation of innocence, although he knew perfectly well what he was so startled about. The ill-looking Hyuuga eventually turned to look murderously at his teammate.
"Lee," he said with clenched teeth, "what did you do?"
Shrugging nonchallantly, he replied, "I had wanted to make your hair style more charismatic and youthful like mine for ages, but you kept on moving around, so I couldn't finish."
Wrong answer. Needless to say, if Neji's hangover hadn't been so bad, what could have happened afterwards would not have been pretty. However, the situation was as mentioned above, so instead of introducing his comrade to a world of hurt, Neji glared for a moment more before taking a few steps and stumbling back on to the futon. Groaning, he asked in a pained voice, "Do you have to talk so loud?"
Lee feigned an expression of absolute shock, then exclaimed in that antagonizingly loud voice of his, "What's this! The genius Hyuuga Neji's inner flame has diminished to but a spark! For--"
"Lee." The protege of Maito Gai was interrupted sourly by the man on the futon a few meters away, who had to raise his voice more than he liked in his current state to be heard through the pillow his face was pressed to. Blinking for a moment, the aforementioned ninja finally took a hint. After a quick shrug, he made his way out of the room, though not bothering to quiet his footsteps any. In fact, if listening closely enough, they'd seem louder than usual. Neji sighed deeply, covering his ears with both palms.
A short ways away, Tenten stirred under the covers on another futon. She opened one eye experimentally, then closed it quickly as a fearsome headache took hold. Pulling the blanket over her head, she mumbled, "Breathe more quietly, would you?"
oooooooooooooooooooo
On the other side of Konoha, many hours earlier at the break of dawn, two people walked silently through the village's large main gates. They each sported a travelling bag of some sort, each stuffed to the point that the zippers wouldn't close all the way, indicating the long distance they had yet to go before reaching their objective. The lone guard cast a weary look at the two travellers, noticing the metal bands carved with the insignia of a leaf marking their origin. He nodded once to let them know they could pass, and resumed his light slumber, leaning against the stone frame tiredly. The two resumed their steady pace immediately, keeping silent all the while.
It was only around an hour later, when the two ninja were seated for a quick breakfast, that Sakura spoke up. Unlike Sasuke, the cheery kunoichi was used to talking and laughing with her companions, and the lack of chatter was beginning to unnerve her. Still, she broke the silence awkwardly.
"This feels a little weird to me," she started uneasily, taking a small bite out of a piece of dried apple. "I've been on plenty of missions away from home, but they've always been with at least three other people."
Sasuke seemed to consider his answer for a moment, then replied steadily, "It would have happened eventually. There have been more casualties lately, so ressources are getting rather slim..."
If she had been ten or so years younger, Sakura would have squealed on and on about how smart her handsome Sasuke-kun was, how knowledgable about the situation with a giddy smile all the while, no matter how serious the topic. However, a decade was definitely enough time to mature somewhat, so a simple nod of grim comprehension made for an answer.
The two were silent for the rest of the time they partook in their impromptu breakfast, and almost the rest of the morning, save for an occasional meek comment or question. When the sun had found its way to the sky above their heads, the two of them found themselves in the more agricultural part of the Fire Country, residing just before the huge forest spanning across the most part of the continent. They passed by the farms and large fields without incident, but just as the sun was setting, casting a golden glow over them, there was a quiet, almost unnoticeable rustle in one of the over-grown shrubs on the side of the rough path.
The two ninjas jumped at the sound and turned to face it. Sasuke shot a glance at Sakura and signaled for her to stay quiet, then they both started inching slowly and silently towards the source of the disturbance. They were a mere foot or so from the shrub when a bright form shot from the leaves, hitting Sasuke low and hard, sending them both careening into a corn field on the opposite side of the worn road.
Seconds after hitting the ground, Sasuke was on his feet, warily examining the threat (who looked strangely familiar). After the person was finished moaning, he stood dizzily and shook his head. As it turned out, he was...
"... Naruto?" Sasuke was quite obviously startled. "What are you doing here?"
Naruto looked up and blinked surprisedly, blue eyes wider than usual. "Sasuke? That was you?"
A sigh. "That wasn't what I asked."
"Yeah, um..." The blonde trailed off nervously, looking more than a little antsy. "Can we talk about this later? I kinda need to go." And with that, he walked out of the large field in somewhat of a rush, not noticing as a small shape dropped from one of his unusually bulging pockets. Sasuke bent over to pick it up; it was a tomato. He scruntinized for a moment, before stepping out of the field as well, muttering, "What did you do now...?"
Not surprisingly, there was somebody else back on the path. He didn't appear to be very old; about sixteen or so, with dark hair tied up at the back. Looks obviously weren't of much importance to the boy, judging by the plain dark sleeveless shirt and pants he wore, but it was very apparent he was a ninja. A Konoha forehead protector was tied almost as an after-thought to an ankle, but even that could have easily gone unnoticed; the betraying feature was the eyes. They were stark white, with no trace of a pupil. Only Konoha's Hyuuga clan had such a trait, and even to foreigners signified their shinobi lineage.
Still, there was something... Odd, maybe even familiar about the boy.
Whatever conversation he and Sakura had been taking part in ended abruptly as the two ninja stepped back onto the dirt path. The kunoichi looked pleasantly surprised at seeing her blonde companion and turned to face him, exclaiming cheerfully, "Oh! Hi, Naruto." She cast a quick glance at Sasuke, then back at the Hyuuga, before giggling quietly into a gloved hand. She recieved a quizically raised eyebrow in return.
"Hi, Sakura-chan," Naruto answered uneasily, scratching the back of his head. His eyes roamed to the boy, who nodded steadily and suggested in a surprisingly effeminate voice, "We should probably get out of the middle of the road."
That was just too out of place to let slip. As he grudgingly followed the other three back into the corn field, Sasuke gave Sakura a questioning look. She shrugged nonchallantly in reply, but traces of a smile were evident at the edges of her mouth. She knew at least a little about what was going on. Still, it couldn't have been very serious, otherwise she would have told him. It was probably no more than a practical joke, and Sasuke wasn't exactly in the mood for that sort of thing.
Still, the small group of travellers made their way about half way into the crops before they stopped. It was only when the Hyuuga yawned and stretched that a trace of white, tightly-wrapped linen bandage was visible under his shirt, and Sasuke understood. Partially, at least. His teammate's twitchy behaviour was still cause for curiosity.
Naruto glanced around the area, making sure nobody but them was there. Then he sighed in relief and took his hands out of his pockets. An assortment of small fruits and vegetables tumbled out onto the ground, earning an equally wide variety of looks among the party of ninjas.
The shinobi's expression of pride became one of pain as he recieved a smack upside the head from a fuming Sakura.
"Naruto! That's childish, even for you! Corrupting Hanabi-san like that...!"
Hanabi. So that's who it was.
At the word "corrupt", Hanabi began to laugh. Casting an appologetic look, she said, "It's okay, Sakura-san. I only watched."
Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto nodded eagerly. "Yeah, yeah! Besides, you never know when you could run out of food on a long trip. It helps to be able to make do with what's in the area." He made his blue eyes go wide, putting on an expression of complete innocence. The young Hyuuga snorted, and Sakura sighed, shaking her head resignedly with a small smile. Sasuke's mind was on other things, however.
... Long trip? Oh, no. He wasn't really planning to...?
"Naruto."
The blonde looked up at the seriousness of the ANBU's voice. "Hm, yeah?"
Gaze unwavering, Sasuke continued, "You do realise that this is a covert mission, and that nobody knows where you two are. A search will undoubtedly be sent out, and you'll eventually be found and sent back to Konoha. It would be better for you to just go back now."
At that, the unlikely pair smiled. "Already taken care of. I left a note in my house explaining that Hanabi and I will be gone for a while, so there's nothing to worry about."
Sakura commented skeptically, "Yeah, but don't you leave your window open all the time?"
Hanabi smacked her forehead as Naruto blanched considerably, then giggled nervously, stuffing his hands back into his pockets and averting eye contact.
The awkward silence was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps and faint yelling. The four of them froze, looking to where the racket was coming from, and could eventually see the head of a sickle as whoever it was came closer and closer to where they were. When the colourful curses the farmer was using became discernable (along with the tip of a straw hat), Naruto scrambled to pick up what he had dropped earlier, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process. Hanabi aided him in his plight, picking up some of the crops and carrying them in the rim of her shirt, and only after Sakura gave the two a look did the shinobi begin their sprint.
Having just picked a random direction and ran, Sasuke had no clue where the group was going. As he was the one in front, he made a descision and banked to the left, hoping the others would have the sense to follow him. He was sure they could outrun the enraged owner of whatever farm Naruto had decided to "make do" with, but it would be a good idea to conceal themselves, just to be safe. In his search for a tall, leafy tree to hide in, he almost didn't notice as the field ended abruptly to make way for a steep, muddy incline that lead to another path below.
'Well,'he thought as he skidded to a stop no more than a foot from the edge, 'there are plenty of trees.' Sasuke heard Sakura and Hanabi stop a short distance behind him, each pondering whether or not it would be a good idea to brave the rough, shrubbed hillside. He turned his head slightly and nodded, but as he readied himself for the jump, Naruto crashed through the corn field, looking overly panicked at the close proximity of the farmer, whose shouts could be heard from an alarmingly short distance from them. The bumbling ninja stopped too late, bumping into his smaller companion, and in result, sending himself and the rest of them tumbling down the slope.
It was a rough ride for the first dozen or so feet, but Sasuke was quickly able to maneuver himself into a crouched sitting position and launch himself from his heels on to the dirt road below. As he sumbled slightly from the sudden shock of his feet hitting the ground, two of the other three touched down somewhere near him, also relatively unscathed. The fourth member of the small group rolled out from a large bush of stinging nettle, covered in mud and scratches, twigs sticking out of his blonde hair. After he was finished spitting out leaves, he noticed the few crops that had survived the trip down the hillside forming a small pile a little ways away; they looked, if possible, in even worse shape than he did.
"... Awwww, crap."
Slightly amused at her teacher in crime's (more like petty robbery) perdicament, Hanabi picked up an apple and wiped it off on her shirt, uncaring of the large brown bruises dotting its red skin. As long as it was in one piece, it was edible, right? Naruto was quick to join her, salvaging what could still be consumed and sprucing it up a bit. All the while, Sakura watched bemusedly, giving the occasional chortle and glancing skywards, muttering something to the effect of "Those two..."
Sasuke observed from afar, contemplating recent events. They seemed to have lost their pursuer; he doubted anybody in their right mind would go down to where they were they way they had. Still, any sense of direction he had had before was lost. The sun was rapidly setting, so taking the chance while it was still light out, he unzipped one of the pockets on his bag and removed a compass, turning to face where the path headed. North was to the right, so... West. The path would take them to the west. He put the compass away and took out a map of the areas surrounding Konoha, searching for where they were. To the west of the farmers' district... Huh. "Nettle Hill". How fitting.
He scanned the yellowing paper for any signs of an inn, or something to that effect. Wandering around in the dark in a region almost completely unknown to him was not on his to-do list, and even if it took he and Sakura farther from their objective, it would be a good move to find somewhere to stay for the night. He and Sakura... That's right. What was he going to do about Naruto and Hanabi? He eyed the two for a moment, then turned back to the map. He would try to convince them to go back at the inn. Leaving for a day or so for a few errands was fairly common, hardly worth worrying over...
The dark-haired ANBU captain resumed his search for somewhere to stay, and eventually caught sight of the symbol for a tavern a ways down the path. The Lightning Country was North-East, but it wouldn't really matter if you could barely see your hand in front of your face. Besides, it was impossible to reach the Hidden Cloud Village in a day or so. The way to the inn was fairly straight-forwards, anyways; follow the road until it split, then take the upper-left path. No use wearing everybody out.
Sasuke folded the map and put it back in its place. He was about to inform the other three of the plan, when something rammed into his senses with the force of a bull. Whatever it was sent a tingling feeling down his spine, like a shiver you can't get rid of, accompanied by a great feeling of dread. He scanned his surroundings for whatever could have caused this feeling of extreme unrest, but saw only the others, all looking as shell-shocked as he felt.
"What... Was that?" asked a bewildered and nervous Naruto, looking warily from side to side. Without answering, Hanabi made a simple hand seal with her middle and index finger, closing her eyes. When they opened, the veins around them were clearly visible; similar lines ran from the edge of the irises to the faint outline of a pupil in each eye. She was silent for a moment in her widespread search of the area, then her brow furrowed.
"Found it."
"What is it?" Sakura asked, looking worried.
There was a brief pause before the answer. "A giant snake, at least eleven or twelve meters long. It looks like someone's on top of it."
"But aren't those kept in the second stage for the Chuunin exam?"
"I don't know. Maybe it's a summon; that would explain why whoever it is on top of it hasn't been eaten yet. Konoha's giant snakes aren't what you'd call docile."
Sasuke joined the discussion with a serious voice. "What makes you think this one is?"
That earned a few questioning looks. Naruto was the first to let his thoughts manifest into words, as usual, demanding, "What do you mean?"
"Think about it. If it had that much of a negative effect on us from a distance, it would be much worse up close."
Catching on, Sakura added in, "That sort of fearful aura is probably to freeze its prey so they don't struggle."
"In any case," Hanabi continued, Byakugan still activated, "we can't let it find us. The person on top is from the Hidden Sound. What he's doing here, I don't know, but it can't be good enough to be tresspassing on to our territory."
The Village of the Hidden Sound had only recently been established, about a decade or two ago. They'd stayed out of all the other, bigger countries' ways for the most part, but because of that nobody really knew where they stood in the alliances or if they even had any. The region where it was situated was part of the chain of smaller countries that separated the Fire Country and the Wind Country, and was only about a tenth of the size of Konoha's land of origin. Still, it was unknown if any advanced bloodlines or clans existed there, and probably would never be found out. The village's leader was unknown as well, but it was rumoured to be one of the late Third Hokage's pupils, who had all mysteriously disappeared for about the same stretch of time that it took for the Hidden Sound to be formed...
"Shit!"
Surprised at the Hyuuga's outburst, the other three followed her gaze down the path. Squinting, Sasuke could make out the faint outline of an enormous boa constrictor, its think, javelin-like head pointing out in front of it as it surveyed its surroundings. It was unmistakably heading their way, at an alarming rate, despite the slow, slithering way in which it moved. Any other observations would be saved for later as he frantically tried to think of a way to elude the giant serpent.
"Get off the road," he commanded in a low voice, startling the others out of their state of shock. They began to head for the bushes on the other side of the path, but Sakura stopped, a troubled expression on her face.
"It won't work," she stated, frowning slightly at their perdicament. "Snakes detect what's around them by their body heat, so even if we hide, it will find us, as long as we're emitting heat."
The four of them were silent, each panickedly thinking of what to do. All of a sudden, Naruto burst out, "Hey, hey! What if we reduce our body heat with that?" He pointed to one of the large puddles of mud dotting the path, resting near the bottom of the slope.
Sasuke nodded grimly, then agreed, "It might just work." Although he didn't relish the idea of covering himself with mud, it beat getting eaten by a long shot. The shinobi each hurried to the puddle, hastily smearing the thick, wet substance all over their clothes and skin.
Before they could check if they were adequately covered, Hanabi, without even looking, stated, "It's close."
Sakura stole a panicked glance, and sure enough, the giant serpent was in plain sight, only a little over two hundred meters away. Of course, if they could see it as clear as day, then it and its rider could most certainly see them.
Reclaiming his authority over the situation, Sasuke nodded his head towards a large, rotting tree sitting behind many bushes and shrubs on the opposite side of the road, whose roots had broken through the earth and were curling around each other. There were many small grooves created by these roots, and the ground sank low near the back of them, providing just enough space for somebody to fit and go unnoticed. "We're hiding there," he said, standing and drawing a flash-bang from his back pouch. He turned to face the snake, and narrowly avoided losing an eye to the shuriken that whizzed by his face and caught a bit of muddy skin, leaving a thin cut on his cheek. The Sound nin threw more, commanding the snake to go faster in an unaudiable voice. Its forked tongue lashed out, and the bloodlust radiating from its slitted eyes could almost be seen.
"Go!" Sasuke urged, pulling the string on the small sphere and looking the other way. A blinding white light erupted from it, sending the snake writhing in pain, almost dislodging its rider. The ninjas made a leap for the roots, trying to see through the flashing dots obscuring their vision. They had all barely made it out of sight when the light subsided, leaving nothing but the snake and a very angry shinobi from the Hidden Sound back on the path.
The man looked around blearily, rubbing at his eyes with the back of a clenched fist. "Damn it, I can't see!" He muttered angrily, blinking repeatedly to clear his sight. As if in response to the rider's comment, the snake flicked its tongue, searching the air for any trace of the four travellers. It moved its spear-like head around slowly, a thin flash of red penetrating the thick atmosphere every few seconds. Its eyes roved to where the shinobi were hiding.
As soon as he caught sight of the thin slit of a pupil, fear washed over every inch of Sasuke's body. His eyes met with those of the snake and widened, his face paling considerably under the dried mud. He started sinking lower to the damp ground, but then froze, completely unable to move. Still, his dark eyes remained locked with the snake's. He broke into a cold sweat, shaking almost uncontrollably in his futile effort to avert his vision. If he was found in that state, that would be it. Game over.
He crammed his eyes shut, and regretted it almost immediately. What first entered his mind was not a thought, but a picture. A body. Splayed spread-eagle on the ground, blood splattered across the ground under it and gushing from it. One leg was barely attatched, dangling by a thin stretch of skin and sinew, the rest of the muscle scattered around where it had been torn out. A few tiny fragments of bone lay in the messy puddle. The other leg was plenty intact, but bent at an odd angle, the heel facing skywards, ninety degrees from a mangled hip. From the pelvis to the collarbone was completely hollowed out, nothing but skin and an odd rib or two left where any vitals had been. An arm had been completely removed from above the elbow, and the white of a bone could be scarcely made out from behind the ripped skin and muscle. The other looked relatively unharmed at a glance, but looking for a second longer would reveal the sunken, deflated look of the upper-arm, caused in no small part by the pile of shattered bone scattered alongside it, having come from the gaping tear in the skin and muscle. About half of the head was gone, brutally torn off, the prominent organ it served to guard slowly spilling out. There wasn't much left of the face, but what was, Sasuke recognized. As his own.
The picture drilled itself into his mind, making it impossible to think or see anything else. There was nothing but his own mangled body, his remaining eye staring vacantly up into the trees, pupil shrunken to the size of a pinhead in fear before it had glazed over... His head spun uncontrollably and his stomach lurched, reeling from such a clear image of death. His eyes flew open finally, wide and terrified. Terrified... For only the second time in his twenty-two years of living, Sasuke was absolutely terrified for his life. He knew that if he moved an inch or made a single sound, he would be killed. He would end up exactly like he had seen himself only moments ago.
He clenched his teeth, still staring wide-eyed into the snake's slitted orbs. It took all of his free will not to scream in frustration and fear. It would be easier to just kill himself, instead of wait and see what awaited him at the hands of the serpent. His fate was almost completely out of his control, at this point. But then the snake turned away, flicking its forked tongue a few more times experimentally before slithering off East down the path. The rider blinked once more and scowled around the area before he disappeared completely from sight.
Sasuke waited until Hanabi climbed back on to the path tenatively, glancing from side to side with Byakugan-activated eyes until he made his way out from underneath the thick, twisted bark and through the few bushes in front. The other two were soon to join them. All four stood in silence, each looking shaken and twitchy and jumping at even the slightest noise. Suddenly, Naruto's voice broke the thick atmosphere.
"That..." he eventually decided, "was hell." Such a painfully true comment merited three grim nods.
For a while longer, the only sounds were that of the birds singing their last songs for the night, the insects, and the wind blowing through the high branches hanging over the road. Then Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, as if to calm his nerves. When they opened again after a moment, he said with a firm voice, "We need to keep moving. It's nearly dark, and that Sound ninja is still around. There's an inn down the path, we should be able to rest safely there." He put a hand to the small cut on his face and added, "The faster we get there, the better."
Though still a deal shaken from recent events, Sakura still couldn't help a tiny smile. The Sasuke she had always known took charge easily, and was able to assess a situation and make a good decision based on what he knew in a marginal amount of time; she suspected it had something to do with his lineage. Or maybe it was because he had been pushing himself hard ever since entering the Academy fifteen years ago, then even harder after the tramautic events that followed soon after. In any case, it was no big surprise to anyone that he'd become an ANBU captain only a year after enlisting. If she had had that determination back when it mattered, she thought, she'd be a much more formidable ninja than she was now, even if she had recently achieved Jounin rank. Even Naruto, who'd become a Jounin a year before her, didn't have the leadership qualities to take on such an important position, though he was renowned as one of Konoha's strongest shinobi.
She was snapped out of her reverie as the other three began to move down the path, Sasuke in the lead as usual. Hanabi, quiet and intelligent like her sister, seemed to understand the situation perfectly, following intently. Naruto on the other hand, while obedient (unbelievably so, considering his normally brash behavior) on missions, was obviously not too keen on letting his long-time companion make orders at the drop of a hat. While the two were close friends, they were both extremely competetive in nature, and absolutely despised having to do what the other said. But, the blonde knew what would happen if he ran ahead, so he kept a consistant pace with the others and held his tongue (but not without looking indignant).
By the time Sakura had taken all of this into account, they were flat-out running, and the sun had nearly set. She watched it disappear through the blurry outlines of the trees as they sped past, then focused on the road in front of her. All four of them were quiet until a steep turn to the right appeared up ahead, at which point Sasuke commented, "It turns for a bit until a crossroads, then goes straight until the inn!", having to yell over the wind whipping at his front as he ran.
He began to bank with the path when a big, wet raindrop hit him square in the nose. It was followed by another, and then several more, until salty water was pouring through whatever feeble protection the trees provided. The mud washed away in a matter of seconds; if they were to encounter the snake and its rider again, there would be no hiding, even if the heavy rain did make the air a bit cooler. At such a thought, he opened the main zipper on his sopping wet duffle bag, withdrawing a sheathed, standardized ANBU short-sword.
Almost as soon as he did, a scaly head lashed out from around the final bend a few meters ahead. Sasuke dove to the side, sending muddy water spraying in every direction as he skidded backwards across the damp ground, narrowly avoiding being swallowed whole by the slithering monstrosity. Finding a handle on his blade, he drew it quickly and stood, trying to make out the snake through the thick sheet of rain obscuring his vision. He could faintly see the tip of its tail vanish into the thick spray of mist that had rolled into the forested area of the Fire Country with the rain, soon followed by the voices of the other three. He stayed still for a moment, waiting to see if the serpent would come back his way. Then the ground shook violently, like something extremely heavy had been dropped from high up. Stumbling from the tremor, he made up his mind and surged forwards, sword at the ready, pulled back to his side.
"Don't look it in the eye!" he shouted, remembering the pure terror he had experienced not half an hour ago. He was answered by a sound that would have been almost comical if he hadn't known what it meant, as he caught sight of three of Naruto's Shadow Replications vanishing into balls of smoke. As soon as he could see all three of the other ninjas, the man on top of the snake from earlier lept from his perch, drawing a small kunai blade from his back pouch. But he wasn't fast enough to strike; Sasuke dragged the edge of his blade across the Sound ninja's side as he feinted to the left, gathering chakra to his feet and leaping over the summon before the man had even made it half way to him.
He touched down as Naruto was just starting to shape the energy he had gathered in his hand into a sphere, his other arm a blur as it beat down on the swirling vortex of chakra, compressing it into a discernable shape. A little ways away, Sakura kneeled by a pale and sweaty Hanabi, her hand glowing with a faint light as she pressed it against the Hyuuga's upper-arm, closing the small puncture wound. No sooner had the bleeding stopped than the younger girl doubled over on her hands and knees, and he looked away out of respect as she was violently sick. Just as his eyes met the snake, Naruto lunged, pushing the destructive ball of chakra into the creature's exposed belly.
With a shrieking hiss, the serpent thrashed wildly, blood flying from its maw. Then it fell forwards, mouth open wide. Sasuke got a good look at the pair of two-foot long fangs as they plummeted towards him, the poison sack resting in between emptying itself for a final attack. Just as the snake's jaw had reached him, he thrust his sword upwards, not even flinching as he felt it go through the roof of its mouth. Blood and poison spattered from the fatal wound, most of it landing on his arms. He winced as he felt the viscous liquid of the two beginning to burn his exposed flesh and yanked his sword free, stepping back into the rain as the reptile's head fell the short distance to the ground. The rest of the acidic compound washed off along with the blood fairly quickly, but there was still some damage done; numerous patches of skin had peeled off into small rolls at the bottom of the injuries, and while they didn't hurt terribly, the sting was rather unpleasant.
"Careless," he spat disgustedly, crouching to clean his weapon in a puddle at his feet with a frown. As he stood sharply and was about to sheath the sword, he heard someone take a step behind him.
Sakura asked, "Can I take a look?" Although she tried to mask it, concern was clearly written on her features, down to the way she anxiously ground her heel into the soggy dirt.
Sasuke silently turned to face her, clearly showing the marks on his arms; there was no need to say anything. She bit her bottom lip, studying the unsightly burns for a moment before remarking, "This will take a minute." The kunoichi made a few simple hand seals, then when a white glow envelopped her hands, she moved them slowly from the bottom of one of the wounds to the top, returning the raw skin to its original location. Then she repeated the process, going faster for the smaller injuries. Eventually, he lifted his arm slightly so she could reach the ones on the sides, and did the same with the other when she was finished healing the first.
After around ten minutes Sakura stepped back and exhaled deeply, looking tired. A small part of Sasuke wanted to thank her, but the rest of him knew how bad he was at being grateful. So instead, he looked over to Naruto as he was helping a shaky Hanabi to her feet. "What happened?"
She took a quick glance as well, then replied uneasily, "I'm not really sure." But that hardly qualified as an answer, so she continued, "After you jumped out of the way, Hanabi-san just... Froze. The man on top of the snake threw a few kunai at her, and one got stuck in her arm. I landed a hit on the snake, but my aim was off, so Naruto created a few Kage Bunshin to finish the job. That didn't work either, and then..." The ninja curled a few strands of her vibrantly coloured hair around a finger absentmindedly as she tried to recall what happened next, then remembered. "And then you came in." Sasuke nodded briefly, having understood.
"Hey," said Naruto, now standing a considerable bit closer, a look of bewilderment almost completely covered up by that earnest expression he got that one could almost label "outraged" or "perturbed". The others knew well what it meant, so it was no surprise to them what came flying out his mouth next. "What the hell's going on? Was that creep part of your mission, or what? This is getting seriously weird!"
"I'll explain when we get to the inn," Sasuke answered stoically, matching Naruto's serious look with his own. It was almost completely dark and the rain was still coming down hard, the mist creating an eerie, almost etheral white glow over the scene. He turned to commence the rest of the short voyage only to see the small shape of a kunai, rapidly approaching. Red exploded from his pupils, spreading to the rest of the irises like wildfire, and in a flash he reached out and grabbed the short knife by its handle as it passed his face. He then tossed it to his other hand, flinging it back at its source. When there was no response, his eyes faded to the same dark gray as before. Without a word, he started walking down the path once more.
Naruto was the first to follow, albeit reluctantly, still not completely satisfied with the answer he had gotten. He knew it wouldn't be a good idea to pester Sasuke for details in his tense state, and as much as he hated going at somebody else's pace, he wasn't completely stupid; it was possible there were more snakes out there, and though he wasn't one to second guess himself, it still wasn't a very good idea to fight one of those things alone. All the same, he'd have to wait to hear the whole story.
Sakura handed Hanabi her small bag a few feet back, picking up and shouldering the bulkier one she'd flung to the side during the fight. The younger girl nodded appreciatively, her mouth stretched into a grim line. Although she had finished vomiting a while ago, she still felt that if she opened her mouth, she'd be sick again; breathing through her nose would have to suffice for the time being. Seeing her discomfort, the older of the two kunoichi asked quietly, "You okay?"
Hanabi nodded again, avoiding eye contact this time, as if embarassed by her current state. It was true, Sakura remarked, that she looked awfully pale and sickly, but it was a big step up from how she'd been a short while ago. Casting a caring smile, she patted her on the shoulder gently before jogging a short distance to catch up to the other two. The Hyuuga closed her eyes briefly, leaning her head back to let the rain fall freely onto her forehead. After a moment, she sighed through her nose, then blinked the water out of her eyes before walking after the other three at a brusque pace.
A little ways ahead, Sasuke paused as he passed the end of the snake; a big part of its tail was almost completely crushed, the tip pointing up. He shook his head, moving forwards again just as Naruto opened his mouth to complain about the sudden stop. Had that tremor he'd felt before been Sakura? It was almost unnerving how much strength that girl had at her disposal. No, he shouldn't say "girl"... In truth, she was almost half a year older than him. It didn't show at all through her actions at all, though. They way she behaved, the way she dressed... It felt funny to think himself younger than her. It felt funny to think about her at all.
So he didn't. The Sound ninja from before lay sprawled before him, a kunai protruding from his forehead, blood streaming in separate trails down his face from the fatal wound. Into his open eyes, and on to the ground in a puddle; it was a messy way to die. As he walked over to his discarded bag a short distance away and leant over to pick it up, a question formed in his mind. Why had that man been after them? He didn't have any personal vendetta against the Hidden Sound village; in fact, he hadn't come in contact with anybody from the small region ever since it had been founded ten years ago. All he knew was their symbol, the music note. Which sure enough was carved upon the bloodied slab of metal sewn into the face mask of the dead ninja some ways behind him. He didn't even want to consider that they knew about his mission; if that were so, then he'd quite possibly just slain an ally of the Akatsuki. Somebody from another village was dead on their land, and the consequences would not be pretty if the body was found.
After putting his weapon back in the wet, muddy duffel bag and placing the strap over his shoulder, to the confusement of the others, he backtracked to the Sound ninja. Making five quick hand seals, Sasuke inhaled deeply, leaning back. Then he let out the chakra he had been holding his chest in one breath, enveloping the bloody corpse in a huge ball of flame. Naruto jumped visibly, then stepped forwards to confront Sasuke. Sakura's hand lashed out, grabbing the back of her old teammate's shirt and pulling him away from the fire, giving him a hard look. Hanabi didn't look any better than before, if not a little sicker. But still, nobody said anything. The heavy rain beat down on the flames, threatening to put them out, but they continued to lick at thewet air fiercely, refusing to die.
Eventually, Sasuke stepped back from the inferno, face tingling from the heat despite the dampness. As soon as he did, the words burst out of Naruto like air from a popped balloon. "What the hell was that for!"
Having lost all tolerance for the situation, he snapped back with equal contempt, "Think, Naruto. Think, for once in your life, about what would happen if somebody found the body of a Hidden Sound ninja on our territory." He turned his back sharply and continued down the road at a faster pace, leaving the rain to put out the fire on its own. The edge of the forest was almost in his sight; beyond that, the path would continue straight until they finally reached the shelter they had all sought and been denied for the past hour. From there, it was anybody's guess what would happen next. It was only the first day of the most important mission in his life, and he'd already gotten two, no, three people involved in what could have been the start of a war between two nations; things were rapidly getting out of hand.
((I know, I know, terrible ending. I wanter to get it to end after they arrived at the inn, but I was just taking up way too much space and time. It's quite possible I've made some spelling and grammar mistakes, but at this point, I really don't care as long as this chapter is at long last, finished. This will only get harder for me over time, so I shouldn't be complaining now, I know, but seriously, this chapter took forever. I posted the first chapter a month before school ended last year, and now here I am, posting the second a month after school's started, this year. I can't say I'll have a better update time for the next chapter, because I probably won't. But please bear with me. I will finish this story, even if it takes me until the end of highschool.))