Chapter 26
Fight or Die: A Shadow's Checkmate and an Uchiha's Rebirth!
The relief of Naruto's arrival wore off quicker than Amari wished to admit. Ecstatic as she was to see her best friend alive and well, his arrival did not change one simple fact: this Grass shinobi was beyond their level of strength.
Her strength, her bloodlust and her chakra were incredible. Vile, disgusting and chilling too, but incredible nonetheless.
They couldn't fight her and hope to win. Their best chance at survival was a tactical retreat into the dense forest. Yet to escape meant outrunning her and the Shadow user wasn't confident in their ability to do so.
Not forever at least.
Rest would be impossible, not when the Grass shinobi or one of her snakes could show up at any moment. Even if she somehow lost interest, they wouldn't be able to let their guard down for an instant.
Would she appear when they slept? Would she appear from this tree or that one? Was that shadow her? What about the snap of that twig?
Fear would deprive them of sleep, make them jump at shadows and act recklessly. But fighting wasn't an option. None of them stood a chance against her, alone or as a team. Should the desire strike her, this woman could annihilate Team Seven in the blink of an eye as silent and quick as the Silent Killing Technique.
The only reason any of them could still inhale the moisture filled air of the forest was because she allowed them to. They lived because she continued to let them live. At any moment that could change. Her mood could shift with the wind and decide her playthings—them—weren't fun toys anymore and needed to be thrown away. Killed.
So how do we make this survivable? It was the question at the front of her mind. How did Team Seven live to fight another day? How did Team Seven survive this encounter without casualties? So far the question lacked an answer.
Escaping will only grant a moment of reprieve, and fighting her means death. Think Amari, think. There had to be some way out of this! Some angle of attack she hadn't thought of yet. Damn it, she was meant to be the tactician of the team, so why couldn't she think of some way out of this?
No one shinobi was invincible. Every shinobi had weaknesses, as did every jutsu. The best shinobi could hide them from their enemies, but any keen eyed individual could find and exploit the weakness given time. Think, think, think, you idiot. Everything about a shinobi from personality and speech to attack patterns and specific jutsus can hint at their goals and their weaknesses.
There had to be something to exploit. One little mistake, one weakness to grant them the single opportunity they needed to survive this fight and escape.
I…I can't think of anything! No meager plan in Amari's arsenal could work against her. She was too strong. Too fast. Too intelligent. She hadn't even shown a fraction of her real skillset, yet what she did reveal was enough to make the difference between their respective battle experience and strength obvious.
How could a kid like her hope to outsmart an enemy of this level?
"You can have it!" Sasuke's voice cut off her thoughts.
"Huh?" Amari turned to him in confusion.
"Amari, give me both of the scrolls and don't argue," he told her.
If he's giving up without a fight…Does that mean there is no way out of this except forfeiting our scrolls? Two scrolls might be able to convince the shinobi to leave them with their lives, but did it even matter since she could kill them and take them anyways? Did the scrolls actually have any importance to her? Surely Sasuke could see this shinobi wasn't here for a promotion…But what if it did spare their lives?
Amari bit the inside of her bottom lip and tried to think of a better plan. This lady couldn't be looking for scrolls because there was no way she was a real Genin. Her first jutsu, her summoning snakes, they were too powerful. The proctors wouldn't have put her through this nonsense if they understood her true strength.
A Genin of the age she portrayed, even one with exceptional chakra reserves, wouldn't have the amount of chakra or strength she possessed. It took decades of training and battle experience to reach her level.
And her bloodlust is viler than Zabuza's Demon Chakra.
No, forfeiting the scrolls wouldn't grant them their lives. She also said she expected more. That meant she was here for another reason, a reason Amari feared the true nature of. Could she…could she be after Sasuke's eyes or mine? Amari gritted her teeth. Argh, damn it all! If there were more proctors and assistants observing this exam they would have sent real shinobi to stop this woman already.
Unfortunately they were on their own, out of options and out of luck. Her mind jolted at lightspeed through different tactics and their conclusions, none ending well for her and her teammates. Surrendering the scrolls didn't guarantee them anything. If anything, this woman would just destroy the scrolls out of spite. She was willing to swallow her own scroll, after all. It could only mean she didn't care how many scrolls were left in the Exam.
If we hand over our two, that could be two scrolls destroyed. Three including hers. Fewer scrolls would remain, meaning fewer opportunities to pass for them and others. It was a risky gamble; one Amari didn't believe would actually work in this scenario. But what choice did she have? They didn't have many options to pick from. If by some miracle playing along here actually granted them their lives, she had to take it.
Exhaling a deep sigh, Amari reached into her back pouch and pulled out two scrolls with the Heaven marker on them. Hopefully this gets her to leave us alone. "Here." She handed them to Sasuke without further argument.
"You want the scroll, right? Fine. Take these and leave us in peace," Sasuke said with a voice firmer than he probably felt.
"What the hell are you doing, Sasuke?! Why are you just handing the scroll over to the enemy?!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke's features shifted into anger, spinning to face the blond. "Stay out of this, Naruto!" he ordered.
"Very wise. Very sensible," the woman praised. "Sometimes the helpless prey, in order to save their own skin, knows that they must distract the predator with something even more precious."
"Take them," the Uchiha boy said then tossed the scrolls over to her.
They flew through the air towards the Grass ninja's clutches, yet they never reached her. Amari's stomach dropped as Naruto zipped past, grabbing both scrolls and landing on a tree across from them. He then pushed off it and landed next to Sasuke.
"Grr! Stop trying to play the hero and leave this to me!" Sasuke yelled at the boy. Naruto's retort was to punch him square in the face hard enough to send him flying to a tree branch adjacent to them. Sasuke touched his face in initial surprise, but that quickly turned to anger. "You brain-dead idiot! You don't know what you're doing!"
Naruto turned to Amari next and she visibly flinched at his disappointed glare. "I may screw up all the time, but I know who I am and I know who you two are. The real Sasuke and Amari would never give up so easily. You may sound and look just like them but there's no way you two are the friends I know!"
Amari wanted to speak. She wanted to tell him about how dangerous this woman was and how this wasn't about the scrolls or the test anymore. This woman was after something else, possibly the dōjutsu's they wielded. Possibly a simpler lust for blood. She wanted to explain her reasons, her plan to escape and why it was necessary to surrender the scrolls.
I…can't, though. She couldn't bring herself to speak or to betray the plan he unknowingly aided. For this to work, for them to get out of this alive she had to play her role and take his verbal berating. Even though it hurt to see him so disappointed in her, even though every word felt like he was punching the air out of her, for their survival she needed to keep taking this.
"I don't care how tough of fight you've been through. Surrendering? Giving up the scrolls? When did you two become cowards?!"
Amari flinched again as if he struck her. Just…keep your mouth shut and take the verbal lashing, she commanded. Sooner rather than later this would spill into a fight, and in the end the scrolls would still end up in the possession of the Grass ninja. She wished for there to be some other way. Yet the fight was necessary to survive, because this woman wasn't after the scrolls or a promotion.
She was after the two Uchiha.
"You keep saying I don't understand what's going on, but I do! You've given up!" Naruto finished.
Another flinch. Yes, they had. Sasuke fully. Her as part of her ruse. What Naruto didn't realize, however, was no amount of strength of will could change the outcome of their fight. And Sasuke hadn't realized how disinterested the woman was in scrolls. In this circumstance, they were both fools. One blinded by foolish bravery, the other blinded by self-preservation. They couldn't see what their enemy truly wanted.
Amari could see the patterns forming. The Grass shinobi wanted either her or Sasuke. Instead of targeting Sakura and her clone, when she could have easily, she targeted them specifically. Her eyes always watched them. The two Uchiha held her interest, not Sakura, not Naruto.
"Sad, but true," the Grass ninja drawled as she stood up. "It doesn't matter. As far as the scrolls go, I could simply kill you and take them."
Exactly. At any moment this woman could kill them. She could have killed them when they saw their deaths flash before their eyes. She could have killed them as they were plotting their next move without ever revealing her presence. Instead she made a show of her power and continued to take her time toying with them, testing them.
Of course, Amari knew she could be utterly wrong. Perhaps this was about bloodlust. Perhaps the woman wanted to be entertained by her prey before killing them. Perhaps she had no reasons whatsoever and only by chance they ended up in her crosshairs. Yet Amari was almost certain she figured out the general intentions of their enemy, and the means to survive this encounter.
Even if it means losing an eye…
Their enemy pulled up her left sleeve to reveal what appeared to be a black tattoo that covered most of her forearm. Amari couldn't make out the entirety of the designs or their purpose, but she noticed snakes. The woman bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood and wiped it down the tattoo. Naruto didn't hesitate to pull out a kunai and charge their enemy.
I…I can't be sure that any of us will survive this. This woman might just kill us all for sport. The woman summoned another giant snake under her and targeted Naruto, the only one among Team Seven to have the will to fight. Amari looked down at her hands. This fight may even cost me one or both of my eyes. She may pluck them from me and leave me permanently blind…She curled her hands into fists. But even if all I accomplish is fighting to my death, so be it.
A strange feeling washed over her in that moment. The only word she could think of to describe it as was acceptance. Acceptance of death, acceptance of losing her eyes and acceptance for all the pain this woman would bring her before the end.
So long as her team survived, though…As long as it was only her eyes and her life taken here, she would be okay. She could accept that fate, because there wasn't any other path she could see where Team Seven overcame these odds.
It was impossible.
As long as they live to see another day…Amari exhaled a final breath, fully accepting she might die or lose her eyes here, or both. But that was okay. She was okay.
Naruto took a hit from the tail of the snake, knocking him hard into a tree and seemingly unconscious. As he plummeted closer to the snake's mouth—which opened up to eat him—a burst of red, rage filled chakra exploded from within the boy, snapping Amari's attention directly to him in a wide-eyed expression. That chakra…Gone was the warm, soothing blue chakra of her friend, replaced by something…demonic. Full of oppressive negative emotions.
Twisting out of his fall, Naruto landed a kick to the summoning snake's head; the force of the blow thundered across the forest and repelled him back into the air. Even at a distance Amari could see his normal cerulean eyes shifted to red, his pupils becoming slits.
It's…the Nine-Tails.
No doubt about it. Somehow Naruto was channeling the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox to increase his strength and speed beyond his normal levels.
Even if my theory of her intentions proves right, one of us may die here. Amari narrowed her eyes at their enemy as Naruto pummeled the snake's face with his new strength. But I won't stand by and wait for her to kill us. This battle…it won't be Naruto's, Sakura's or Sasuke's end…
The Grass shinobi launched a large fire ball right at Naruto, but her teammate had no chance of dodging out of the way. Gravity pulled him closer to the attack without anything for him to use to change trajectory.
Chakra flooded throughout Amari's body before she launched into action. She sped across the forest at untraceable speeds and tackled Naruto out of the way of the attack to bring him to the safety of a tree branch.
But it will be hers!
"Fire Style and Wind Style," she muttered under her breath.
Her strength and proficiency with the two Natures was beyond what any Genin could hope for without a kekkei genkai. Further evidence this woman wasn't who she was pretending to be. Further evidence she could kill them whenever she pleased but wanted to play with her food instead of eat it.
"Ah, so you finally found your will to fight?" the Grass ninja drawled.
"You'll find my Will to be inextinguishable, you pretender," she snarled.
Their enemy's eyes flashed in mirth as her smile widened. "Pretender, you say?"
"No Genin can master Fire Style and Wind Style to such proficiency without years of training. And those summoning snakes, tch," she hissed out an irritated breath, "you should be exhausted of chakra from summoning two of those huge vile creatures, yet I can sense you haven't even used a fraction of your chakra reserves." Amari shook her head. "You're not some twenty year old woman; you're probably not even a Grass shinobi."
"Very observant," the woman complimented, grinning at her. "Very observant indeed. I wonder…" She trailed off and gazed at Amari for several more uncomfortable seconds. She felt like she was being dissected, but then their enemy turned her attention to Sasuke. "Let's see if your other friend can find his will."
The snake lurched forward at Sasuke. Damn, there's no way I can cross the distance fast enough! Their enemies pet already crossed half the distance faster than she could blink, and Sasuke still hadn't moved. Frozen in fear of an impending death.
"Sasuke, move!" she shouted as she sent chakra surging through her body.
Naruto disappeared from her side in a flash of speed she couldn't help but marvel at. How did he—
The snake stopped against its will.
Through her Byakugan eye she could see Naruto in front of the creature, a kunai in each hand stabbed into its mouth.
"Hey kid. You're not hurt, are you?" Naruto's growl could be heard by all in their section of forest. "You scaredy cat!"
The familiar taunt being thrown back at Sasuke made Amari wish for simpler days.
"Standing there like a frightened rabbit, no way! You're not the Sasuke I know!" the knucklehead seethed, his voice angrier than she could recall ever hearing it. "Where's the Sasuke who fought Haku without a shred of fear? The one who risked his own life to save me!"
"You don't understand—"
"Oh, I understand plenty! You're the one who wants to restore the honor of the Uchiha Clan, right? You think you can do that by rolling over and dying like a coward! I know she's powerful, so what?! That didn't stop me from fighting Zabuza and Haku, and it's not going to stop me here! Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die!"
Sasuke never had the chance to respond. The woman's ridiculously long tongue shot out of her mouth and wrapped around Naruto's entire upper body to restrain his arms. She then retracted her tongue like a measuring tape. The sight of chakra forming at her fingertips sent Amari charging across the forest to rescue her teammate.
Oh no you don't!
She was too late.
The Grass ninja slammed her hand, and whatever technique she was using, into his stomach, eliciting shrieks and screams of agony from Naruto. He squirmed against her tongue and tried to get away before finally falling unconscious.
"You'll pay for that!" Amari roared. She landed on the snake's head and went to kick her enemy's head off her shoulders from behind. Minimal effort went into dodging her attack. The moment her feet touched the snake again, pain erupted across her face as their enemy swatted her away like a fly.
Gah! Amari collided against the trunk of a tree and collapsed onto her hands and knees. Her cheek throbbed. Had her enemy put more effort into her attack, she'd either have drawn blood or knocked her out with the one hit.
Lifting her head up, she saw Sakura throw a kunai knife at the falling body of Naruto; the blade caught the back of his orange jacket and pinned it to the trunk of a different tree, keeping his unconscious form from plummeting to the forest floor.
One member of Team Seven down, three left for their enemy to harm.
The Grass shinobi pocketed their two scrolls and turned her attention back to the Shadow user, slurping her tongue back up into her mouth. She could have killed Naruto…yet she didn't.
Did that mean she wasn't here to kill them, only to torment them and beat them into the ground? If so, why? What purpose did any of this serve? Doesn't matter, Amari thought as she forced herself up onto her feet. She clearly had no intention of leaving them be now that she possessed the scrolls, as Amari expected. She wanted to fight. Possibly to capture dōjutsu's, possibly to test their skills or possibly for some sick twisted enjoyment of beating on Genin.
Her reasons didn't matter. All that mattered was doing everything possible to keep their enemy the hell away from Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto. Even if it costs me my own life…I will keep them safe.
She refused to let them die.
"What an interesting specimen you are," the woman said, tilting her head to the side as she continued to examine Amari. "You are clearly of Uchiha blood, your Sharingan proves that. Yet your ability to analyze your enemy's strength and motives are far beyond your team. They still believe this is about the scrolls and the Leaf's inconsequential test, but you." The woman licked her lips and smiled. "You see right through the illusion, don't you, Amaririsu Yūhi?"
Amari remained silent, neither trusting herself to speak without betraying her own plan nor wanting to entertain this sick freak with conversation. She could talk all she wanted, it only helped the Nara to understand more about her enemy and her plan.
Interesting specimen. Inconsequential test.
More words to help her see through the illusion.
"Such a sharp eye and mind you possess. It's only a pity you lack both eyes. Without both Sharingan your value is greatly diminished."
She's talking like I'm just an object. A specimen for an experiment.
Disgust wanted to take root in her, and it did, but Amari pushed it aside for a venomous smile. "So I'm just a useless pawn, huh? An extra piece on the board? Heh!" A laugh escaped her. "You've clearly never played shogi otherwise you'd know there's no such thing as a useless pawn."
She would lose this fight, but she would make this woman fight for every inch if it meant keeping her friends safe.
The woman hummed in laughter and dispelled her summoning snake. "Do try not to bore me."
Amari's battle instincts kicked on. She jumped up and back onto the tree trunk to dodge the Grass shinobi's fast attack. Flipping over her and back onto even ground, she ducked and rolled her body under another strike. Wind whipped over her head from the speed and strength of the attack. Amari delivered two quick punches to her opponent's stomach then moved into a back handspring, nailing her enemy under her chin with a hard kick as she did. As soon as her hands left the bark of the tree branch they moved in front of her chest to quickly speed through handseals. At the same time, her legs carried her momentum back and away from her enemy, her feet skipping and then hopping further away.
Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger. Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! Five small fire balls launched from her lips on a course to scorch their target. The Grass shinobi's agility proved impressive. Even at their close range she managed to slither through the gaps between the attack to close the distance again.
That was the plan though.
As the woman dodged the final fireball and shot forward with a wild grin on her face, Amari pulled out two kunais and tossed them dead on at her enemy. With the kunais on target, the Nara's hands sped back through her handseals again, her chest expanding as she took a massive inhale. Her feet touched the branch again and, using chakra sent through her body, she jolted into the air directly above her enemy in a flash of speed even the elite shinobi had trouble tracking.
As the Grass shinobi dodged between the kunais, the realization of Amari's current location and the whistling of the paper bombs attached to the ends of the kunais caused shock to take hold. "What incredible spee—Ahh!" The explosions detonated behind her, the heat of which burned Amari's eyes and heated up her body but didn't prevent her performing her next attack. Burning hair and fabric filled her nostrils as her lungs and chest reached full expansion.
The Grass shinobi, still disoriented and struggling to pick herself up from her fall, turned her head in time to see the fire igniting from Amari's lips. Turn to ash! Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!
Orange flames sprouted forth in a stream of fiery death. Before the flames could hit her target, a giant wind gust pulsed out in every direction from the Grass shinobi's mouth, dousing her inferno with its intense torrents before hitting Amari directly. She raised her arms to guard her face, never once letting her eye leave her enemy even when the wind cut through her clothes and left small cuts across her body.
I figured you'd do that, that's why I positioned myself here! Amari's back hit a higher up branch. Quickly turning her body, she summoned chakra to her hands and feet and scurried around it to the top of it for cover, already moving to her next plan of attack. The wind fading was the preamble to the Grass shinobi's appearance on the tree branch.
Amari rolled back onto her feet, narrowly dodging an axe kick in the process. Bark splintered and cracked underneath the woman's foot. The indention left behind a clear sign it would have taken her out had she not moved. As she came out of the roll she started throwing as many kunai and shuriken as fast as her hands could move. The quick succession of attacks left her enemy with no choice but to pull out her own ninja tool to block the more accurate attacks.
Just keep attacking. Don't let her have a moment to breathe, Amari coached herself.
She threw a final kunai with a paper bomb attached on the end right at the enemy shinobi's feet. The woman quickly jumped backwards to avoid the explosion, but as she floated backwards the tag did not go off. "Hmph," Amari smirked. "Wrong move."
The Grass shinobi's eyes bulged before she spun her head around to see the trunk of the tree littered with paper bombs attached to kunai. My ninja tool assault kept you distracted from my real intentions. Because of my first two paper bombs, your immediate instinct was to avoid the one right in front of you. What you didn't realize was I had thrown more into the trunk behind you, disguised as inaccurate attacks. By reacting to the dud, you played right into my hands.
A giant explosion tore the trunk of the tree and the branch they were on to shreds, drowning out the screams of the enemy shinobi as the heat and splinters brushed passed the Nara. For a brief second she felt triumphant her attack did damage, but her Byakugan eye pierced through the smoke to see her enemy both very much alive and mostly unwounded.
A frown creased her lips. What the hell is she made of?
Pressing her assault, she Body Flickered above the shinobi while the smoke still lingered and moved to land savage kicks. Despite the smoke, her enemy still blocked every strike she attempted to hit. Amari kicked again and used the block as leverage to flip over her enemy. She corkscrewed her body and threw several punches her enemy blocked before landing on the torn apart tree trunk, shimmering blue chakra appearing at her feet.
A blade slashed at her throat, but Amari pinned her back against the tree and let it cut the air instead, passing by mere inches. She preferred her blood to stay on the inside. Quickly equipping a blade of her own, she met the superior shinobi's blade in a fast paced and aggressive clash. The clang of metal on metal echoed in the forest, sharp and piercing. But the sound kept Amari in the moment; heart, body, mind and eyes fully synched with one another as her inner warrior spirit thrummed in excitement.
Neither landed a substantial wound on the other, though not from lack of trying. Her enemy had far more battle experience than her and it showed in their battle. The fluidity of her attacks was amazing and the strength behind her blows left Amari's arm feeling tingly. Yet her fierce agility and two dōjutsu's tracked her enemy's movements with enough precision to keep her on even footing, for now.
Another dangerously close swipe took a few strands of blue hair with it. Hastily, Amari climbed up the tree trunk in a tactical retreat, jumping to the bottom of another branch to meet her enemy's blade again and again as they continued to duel to an inevitable conclusion.
Their blades met in a deadlock, sparks flying from their attempts to kill one another. As their warm blades grinded against one another, Amari couldn't help notice the smile on her enemy's face. "Is it your keen eye Itachi left you alive for?" Her smile grew. "No, it's more than your keen eye and genius intellect. So much more!"
"Do you enjoy hearing yourself talk or something?" Amari growled. She broke the deadlock and swiped at her enemy. Her enemy dodged back, her grin refusing to budge. Amari jolted forward and attacked first with her original blade then a freshly equipped second blade in her once empty hand.
"He must see the wells of talent you have yet to tap into! Dearest Amaririsu—"
"Don't call me that, you creep!"
Either because her enemy let her or because she was too focused on understanding Itachi's plan for her, Amari broke through her guard and landed a chakra filled kick to the Grass shinobi's gut. The kick knocked her off the bottom of the branch, but she quickly corkscrewed out of her fall to land safely on a lower branch.
Amari shot down at her, a Phoenix Flower Jutsu ahead of her. The flames encircled the Grass shinobi, who wouldn't stop smiling! What the hell was she on about? And how the hell did she know Itachi so well?
"You could flourish beyond what you believe your limits are!" the Grass shinobi said. Her intrigue about her skills was really starting to creep Amari out. Hoping to stop it, she attacked faster and harder than before, her determination to shut her up and get her to leave growing with every renewed attack.
"Whoever this Itachi is, you sound way too invested in having an intimate relationship with him!" she fired back. She didn't want to reveal her knowledge of Itachi and risk this woman triggering the genjutsu in the middle of their fight. It'd be a drag to be incapacitated by it at this point.
She pushed the enemy shinobi closer and closer to the flames of her Phoenix Fire Jutsu, the heat growing with every inch closer they were to them. Beads of sweat formed on her brow from both energy exerted and the temperature surrounding them. She's not even taking me seriously!
Being toyed with by an insanely powerful enemy, this stupid test, this stupid fight and the stupid proctors not setting up safeguards in case someone infiltrated the Exams, this was all such a pain!
"And he wiped your memories?" Another laugh as she backflipped over the flames without them touching her. A gust of wind ripped past Amari, extinguishing the flames and repelling her back. She landed on her back first and skipped across the bark, the fabric of her tank top tearing as she did. Flipping back onto her feet, the Uchiha skidded backwards on her heels, barely getting her blades up to block the next attack.
Her eyes met her enemies way too interested eyes. "What delicious game is Itachi playing, I wonder. Does he desire for you to join his side, or did he hope you would never come to know your heritage?" she mused. "Hm, he must have very interesting plans for you. I'm almost tempted to deprive him of that by killing you."
"Almost tempted?" She pushed the blade away and jumped back a step. Shadow Clone Jutsu! Three Amari's joined her and launched forwards to attack their enemy as the real one tried to think of a decent plan to end this fight.
Her enemy let the clones attack and put up just enough defense to keep them at bay without expending her energy. "Well, you see Itachi is the one who murdered your entire Clan, save for you and Sasuke. Should he desire to one day use you to act against the Leaf again or aid Sasuke's precious eyes maturity, I'm compelled to let him use you for his means."
What the hell did she mean aid Sasuke's eyes maturity? Questions for later.
"It's a shame you'll never have a chance to meet him again in this life," Amari stated.
"Is that so?"
The Grass shinobi batted away two of her clones back towards Amari and dispelled the other with a well-timed slash to the chest. Before she could react, her body froze in place as Amari snatched her with her Shadow Possession Jutsu. I've only got one shot with this.
"Yeah, because I'm about to send you straight to hell."
Please work.
Shikamaru couldn't shake the twisting feeling in his gut. Damn it 'Risu, where the hell are you? You promised you'd be careful and come find us if things got too troublesome. Unfortunately he knew there was little to be done about it. If she ended up in a troublesome fight then it'd be unlikely she could just retreat without being pursued, and he wasn't really sure they'd be much help if Team Seven couldn't handle it.
Besides, between Ino's terrible plans and attempts to lead them and Chōji's constant snacking, he hadn't made much head room in finding 'Risu either. They were moving too slow. Too slow to find Team Seven, too slow for this stupid test. If they actually wanted to pass this—which he really didn't care to do, it was so much work—then he needed to wrestle leadership from Ino and make finding 'Risu and her team a priority.
Honestly, I don't think we have much of a chance on our own. Shikamaru sighed. More than once now they had to hide from other shinobi because they were too strong for them to handle. If it kept going that way, they'd never get a Heaven scroll to match their Earth scroll. Granted that meant less work overall, but less work meant dealing with Ino, Asuma and his mother harping at him for getting knocked out in the second part of the Exam.
The Nara looked up at the canopy of leaves to a break in them where the setting sun colored the blue sky with orange streaks. 'Risu…He closed his eyes and let the remaining warmth from the sun soothe his nerves. Please, don't do anything reckless, you troublesome girl.
Amari and her clones threw one final paper bomb attached kunai to form a circle of imminent explosive death around her enemy. The Grass shinobi offered no fight, watching her with amused eyes as she and her two clones moved through their Fire Ball Jutsu handseals, causing the Grass shinobi to do the same.
"Do you really believe this will work after your other attempts failed?"
"Oh, trust me, this isn't like last time," she promised. "My guess is you have some sort of regenerative abilities that kept my other attacks from doing real damage. But it has to have limits. I'm betting this is going to hurt more than you think it is. Especially when I amplify it."
"Amplify it?" she asked, intrigued by the notion.
"Girls, it's time to send this snake summoning freak to hell. Release all your strength at once!" she ordered. The three kunoichi shut their eyes and focused internally on bringing forth the chakra shroud consciously. I will not let her go after Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. I refuse to let her walk away from this fight without a critical injury. Three Sharingan eyes snapped open as the power within them exploded. She will be the one who dies here!
Three green shrouds came to life around the three blue-haired kunoichi. The Grass shinobi's eyes turned to awe as it became abundantly clear how different this attack would be from the last. "Such potent chakra!" her enemy awed.
"Now you burn!"
The three inhaled large, chest expanding breaths. For the first time the Grass shinobi showed fear at the coming attack. Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu! The hottest flames the trio could muster erupted from their lips with explosive fury and engulfed the Grass shinobi. Cries of pain echoed out of her as the flames caused the paper bombs to explode, the chain reaction sending a gust of heat back at the trio. None flinched. Instead they synchronized further to turn the heat up further.
Turn to ash!
Three shockwaves of power surged off the trio of kunoichi as their flames grew in size, intensity and heat. The orange and green flames shot across the branch of the tree, igniting everything in its path and filling the air with the scent of burning wood, leaves and skin.
As her flames died, her Shadow receded and her clones popped, leaving Amari to collapse onto one knee with labored breathing; sweat dripped from her face and her chakra cloak disappeared. That took…everything I had. She deactivated her Byakugan and tried to steady her breaths; the struggle to do so was immense and did not seem to be possible.
"My, my, that actually did hurt a little."
Amari's eye barely had enough time to widen before three sharp projectiles imbedded themselves into her body—two in her shoulders, the third in her right thigh. She grunted in pain and struggled to look up as the Grass shinobi appeared out of the smoke. "How…the hell…are you alive? Are you even human?!"
No normal human, even one with hypothetical regenerative abilities, could have walked out of that without any sign of real damage. The sleeves on her outfit still burned away with a green flame. Her skin did appear damaged by the flames, charred and ugly looking but she still held herself up as if nothing happened.
And that damn smile still remained.
"The human shell is so frail, wouldn't you say?" she asked as she continued to close the distance between them. "Look at you, for instance. Just a moment ago you were full of such fire and strength." The woman crouched in front of her and met her Sharingan eye with an evil glint in her eyes. "But now you're at the mercy of your frail mortality." She reached a hand up and gripped the kunai in her right shoulder, slowly pushing it further in and twisting it as the green flames danced on her sleeves.
Amari used every bit of willpower to not cry out in pain from the sadistic attack, but as the hot, piercing, cutting pain ripped apart her shoulder, she screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed until tears welled in her eyes. Kami, it hurt. It hurt so much. Her entire arm burned and tingled. Every inch of the limb screamed in the same agony she verbally unleashed as the blade dug in deeper and deeper.
Her agony never stopped, not even when the Grass shinobi released the kunai. Whimpers of pain escaped her with every haggard breath. What little strength she had left went into glaring at the grinning shinobi.
"Dearest Amaririsu, your Sharingan eye is so perceptive. Perhaps I should take it as a trophy." She brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face—nearly setting her blue tresses on fire in the process—then caressed her cheek. Amari flinched away but couldn't do much else. Not physically anyway; she was already pooling chakra into her right eye for one final attack.
"I'd…pluck my own eye out…before I let…someone like you have it," she panted.
"Oh, you possess such a defiant spirit." Her thumb slid closer to her eye. "If it weren't for that you'd be such a useful pawn to have. But even if I were to give you my gift, you would resist it and we can't have that."
"You…want a gift? How about this?!"
Sharingan!
Against her will, the Grass shinobi froze up as the genjutsu took hold. She gasped in pain as dragon claws dug their sharpened talons into every part of her body. "What…is this?" she gasped, body beginning to shake as a dragons claws dug deeper and deeper into her, blood being drawn in the illusion.
"Demonic Dragon: Shadow Checkmate," Amari answered breathlessly. Her strongest genjutsu. It took a lot of training with her clones to refine, and even more advice from her mother, but the results were worth the physical and mental exhaustion Shadow Clone training put on her.
The drawback was the amount of chakra it took for her to pull it off. She hadn't fully grown used to casting genjutsu with her Sharingan. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but the fact this woman survived everything else she threw at her caused Amari to put as much of her remaining strength into it, taking an even heftier toll on her already depleted chakra reserves.
She shouldn't even be able to talk. Her enemy should have been dazed and unaware she was even under the genjutsu. But she is, and that's really bad.
The roar of the dragon echoed in their ears as its body appeared from the shadows around them, its black scales and crimson eyes piercing into the Grass shinobi's soul. Every ounce of killing intent she possessed lurked within the dragon, more than she could consciously recognize due in no small part to her exhaustion dazing her.
The claws clutched her enemy tighter, digging its talons further and further into her in preparation to eat its prey. It bared its sharpened teeth and growled. "Such genjutsu prowess." Her enemy's shaking hands rose into a seal to release the jutsu. The dragon snarled and bit her hands off. "Ahh!" she screamed from a pain that physically did not exist.
I won't…be able to keep this up much longer.
Every jutsu was only as strong as its user, and Amari was fading fast. Any second now the genjutsu would end and her checkmate would be made moot. If she had the strength, she might have been able to slit her enemy's throat, but she didn't. Her chakra cloak attack took its toll on her chakra, and the wounds dealt to her made the act of breathing difficult.
When the strain became too much, her Sharingan deactivated, and with it the genjutsu faded.
Mom…I'm sorry, she apologized. I'm so sorry for dying here.
Who the hell is this woman? Sasuke couldn't believe everything he witnessed and heard during Amari's futile fight with the Grass shinobi. The attacks she endured, the way she spoke of his brother as if she knew him, none of this made any sense.
"Your genjutsu was quite impressive. Yes, I believe I will take your eye."
Amari slapped away their enemy's burning arm. "Get the hell away from me!" Her exhausted body collapsed backwards and left her again at the mercy of the Grass shinobi.
But what could any of them do? This woman, this thing, it survived a devastating attack that would have left any other shinobi incapacitated or dead.
What sense laid in fighting a battle none of them had a chance of winning?
"Enough!" Sakura's voice shocked Sasuke, as did seeing her pink-haired form shooting past him towards Amari.
"Sakura, wait!" Sasuke cried out in vain to stop her from getting herself killed.
Emerald eyes glared over her shoulder for the briefest moment. "Say what you want about Naruto and Amari, call them foolish or brain-dead idiots, but at least they tried to fight! At least they aren't cowards!"
Those words struck deep into Sasuke's heart…because she was right. Naruto was a brain-dead idiot and Amari a courageous fool, but they never stood by in fear like a coward when comrades were in danger. Even as the Grass shinobi reached to take Amari's Sharingan eye, he couldn't even budge, holding too tightly onto his own precious life because he was afraid.
So were they.
Both of those idiots knew how powerful their enemy was, but they didn't let it stop them from fighting. Even though it could kill them, at least they tried. It was more honorable than standing by watching comrades fall around them. At least they could stay true to their chosen ninja ways instead of cowering in fear.
"Get away from her, you freak!" Sakura shouted as she sped through the forest.
The Grass ninja didn't even acknowledge her presence, continuing to stalk closer to Amari's squirming form as she tried to kick herself away.
Before anyone could reach Amari, an uneven chorus of what sounded close to a hundred caws and flapping wings pierced the forest. The Grass shinobi paused briefly and started searching the forest in what was either desperation or excitement.
Sasuke's eyes widened as the source of the noise took form. Crows, hundreds upon hundreds of crows came from every direction of the forest right at the Grass shinobi. Pecking, scratching, clawing, the crows were unmerciful in their assault on her. She swung and slashed and attempted to use both Wind Style and Fire Style Jutsus to attack them, but the crows proved valiant enemies.
"Itachi!" the woman cried out in anger. "Show yourself!"
Among the black feathers, Amari's downed form disappeared. The Grass shinobi noticed it, too. She gasped and searched wildly for her through the feathered assault. Blue hair caught Sasuke's eyes as her form reappeared on the branch Sakura landed on, several crows surrounding her—one of which wore a Leaf Village headband around her neck.
Sakura halted her movement and immediately picked up Amari. The crows scattered and returned to join the assault on the Grass shinobi, who struggled to break free of the swarm. Carrying Amari, Sakura jumped back through the forest towards her original position, trying to put as much distance between her and their enemy.
A massive gust of wind exploded off of the Grass shinobi, providing an opening from the assault to speed after Sakura and Amari, her eyes crazed with a lust for the power in Amari's right eye.
There's no way she'll escape her!
Why? Why did his teammates continue to fight this futile battle? Why…why was he, an Uchiha, unable to stand and fight for his comrades when it mattered? Was he really a coward? Too concerned with his own well-being to stand up and fight for these people who were starting to matter to him?
"Sasuke, you know you can rely on us for anything, right? We're a team, that means we've always got your back when you need us most."
But what was he even supposed to do here? He didn't possess the strength to defeat this woman. He couldn't even find the strength to save his comrade when she was about to have her eye stolen from her. Apparently even birds had more courage than him.
Where was he even supposed to find the strength to fight?
"And if your strength ever fails you, you can always look to us to give you ours in its stead to overcome whatever obstacle is in your way."
Sasuke's eyes trailed over Naruto's unconscious, limp and hanging form.
"Where's the Sasuke who fought Haku without a shred of fear? The one who risked his own life to save me!"
He saw the desperation on Sakura's face as she tried her hardest to outrun the Grass shinobi.
"Say what you want about Naruto and Amari, call them foolish or brain-dead idiots, but at least they tried to fight! At least they aren't cowards!"
His eyes moved over to Amari's wounded and limp body, the blood from her wounds soaking through the fabric of her clothes and dripping down her arms and leg.
"We're a team, that means we've always got your back when you need us most."
"That child's eye will be mine!" the Grass shinobi declared.
Then his Uchiha blood boiled over.
That's it!
Sasuke's body acted on instinct, dashing through the forest at high speeds towards his two teammates, Sharingan eyes blazing as a snarl curled on his lips. As the Grass shinobi neared Sakura, reaching out to capture her prey, Sasuke appeared in front of them. "Get the hell away from them!" His foot collided against her face and sent her hurtling away.
He was done standing by.
Sasuke retreated back to Sakura and Amari; the pink-haired kunoichi had laid their teammate down and was checking over her wounds all the while keeping an eye out for their enemy. Amari barely seemed conscious, her chest rose and fell unevenly, shuddered breaths leaving her as the act of breathing was rendered painful by her wounds.
"Just hang in there, Amari. I'll patch you up," Sakura reassured.
"Sas- Sasuke." Amari winced as she raised her left hand up just enough to motion him to crouch down.
Sasuke obeyed and crouched onto a knee on her left side. Two fingers jabbed him in the forehead. "Yo- you can do this. Protect our pre- precious people." She inhaled sharply as her face scrunched up in pain.
"Do I have the strength to do it?" he asked. There was this burning feeling in his heart, a fire he could feel but couldn't see. Was it the source of strength she relied on?
Amari's hand began to drop; he feared she wouldn't be able to answer him when he needed her foolish courage most. Her hand pressed against his chest over his heart. "Real strength comes from here. Yo- you have to find it in yourself and let it ru- run free. You can do it." She smiled weakly at him as her hand fell. "You're a- an Uchiha and a member of Team Seven, after all. That makes you family."
Her eye fell shut.
Family…
Sasuke took his Uchiha clan-sister's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze in gratitude. The fire he felt in his heart spread across his entire body because of her words. "Sakura. Take her with you and bandage up her wounds," he said, standing up to fight the Grass shinobi.
"Okay. Be careful, Sasuke."
He pulled out a kunai knife and brought it to his mouth, clenching it between his teeth as his red eyes locked onto the waiting Grass ninja. She appeared pleased by his sudden decision to fight. The crows once populating the forest no longer lingered. That was fine. This was his fight anyways.
I only ever cared about my own survival so I could one day face my brother. What a fool I've been. Determination unlike any he felt before set in his being. I now feel the truth behind the words you spoke Amari. I see with both eyes why you and Naruto have succeeded when I have failed. Fighting for those precious to you is fighting for everything.
Naruto, Sakura, Amari. If I have not the courage to stand by your sides and fight this demon as a true Uchiha would stand by his brothers and sisters to the end…then I am un-deserving of the courage you each share when you stand by mine!
Sasuke jolted forward at a great speed and moved higher up into the trees, a decision that allowed him to avoid a dome shaped explosion of wind from the Grass shinobi. Weak air flow brushed against his body as he jumped up to the bottom of a tree branch, pushing off towards another tree. As he flew he tossed the kunai in his mouth and five others at the woman.
She waited until the last moments to dodge them, two passed over one shoulder and three passed over the other without hitting their target. Sasuke landed on another tree then pushed off at his enemy. He yelled a wordless war cry as he sped right at her.
I will not let her get away with this!
His feet met her forearms first, two kicks landing solid blows before he pushed off and over away from a high kick his enemy threw. He twisted in the air and landed back on his feet; quickly back flipping and then flipping again into a crouch, his eyes focused on the ninja as she ran at him. She moved quickly, hints of her true speed as she zigged and zagged to throw him off of where she would attack from.
The Sharingan never felt so strong and clear before. Sasuke could see her every movement as he charged back in to hit a jumping kick, which she blocked. As soon as he landed back on his feet, he and the ninja began trading punches and kicks, his coming fiercer and fiercer with every new strike.
He went for a kick only for the Grass ninja to dodge back then jump over him, but the moment she landed she flashed away in a burst of speed. Wher- There! Sasuke could see her dashing the branches in the same snake-like way as before but faster than she had ever shown them.
Despite her insane new speed his eyes still tracked her. No matter where she went or how fast she was he could see her. I can see, the Uchiha boy thought in brief shock. The woman came off the tree, her body fully stretched out in what was absolutely an unhuman fashion. She tried to come down for a strike but Sasuke jumped out of the way. I can see! He brought his hands into Tiger as he inhaled a quick breath; upon exhale he unleashed three separate fire balls.
They impacted around the Grass shinobi; large explosions of fire consumed her, but Sasuke moved his hands back into Tiger. I'm not done yet! He inhaled a large amount of air then followed it by exhaling a continuous inferno at his enemy. The result of his attack was a small tornado of fire.
She extinguished it before it could deal the damage it was meant to inflict, coming right back at him and tearing up the branch as she did. When she appeared in front of him she tried to swipe at him; Sasuke dodged back into a back flip and landed on his feet several feet away. Distance between them, Sasuke allowed himself to exhale a breath as he began judging the area around him for the move he had planned to kill this wretched woman.
He aimed his hand at her and took in every detail around them to ensure the amount of space for his new jutsu to work. If Amari were awake we'd be able to team up and create a more powerful flame, he thought but mentally shook it off. It's because I didn't fight that she's not. It's up to me now to protect us, and I will make sure this ninja never lays a hand on the people I care about again!
The woman raised her hands above her head then slammed them in a downward motion, forming a gust of cutting wind. Have to move! Sasuke ninja jumped up the trunks of two trees to dodge the wind as it cut straight through the tree he stood on previously; he landed upside down on a branch in her blind spot. Maybe I can finish her off now!
Releasing the chakra at his feet all at once, he dashed through the air at high speeds right at his enemy. The woman had only enough time to look up and let out a cry of surprise before his arms wrapped around her waist. He flipped her over, wrapped his legs around her chest and held her in a piledriver as they flew towards another tree branch with great velocity.
Their impact cracked the tree and the woman's body became lifeless. Not even her freakish abilities could survive a headfirst dive into the tree. I think that's it. Sasuke jumped away from her and watched her body carefully for any signs of life.
If she wasn't dead then that meant he would have to unleash his new move on her, a technique Amari helped him develop to near perfection when she leant him a clone early this morning as she meditated at their practice grounds. It hadn't been easy to ask for help; it was like asking for all the knowledge in the world.
Stubbornness, pride and believing he had to be alone and grow his hatred as his brother told him was what had stopped him, but now he understood something his brother did not. The hatred he wanted him to fester and grow had done nothing to help him grow stronger. As he wallowed in hatred Amari passed him with her strong emotions of love for all those she considered precious.
Her strength was far greater than his brother's hatred could ever be. He would need help, though. The emotions in his heart that Amari had helped awaken were as unknown to him as the Sealing Arts, but now he knew could count on her to help him make better sense of them.
She's never going to let me live it down. The smallest of smirks tugged at his lips before he focused right back in on the body of the woman he just piledrived.
Her body began to visibly melt into a muddy substance. "Substitution," he growled. Now it's time for plan B. A storm of kunai suddenly swarmed him from the side, one slicing past his cheek to draw blood. I need to start preparing my jutsu. Sasuke back flipped several times out of the way of the kunai storm and off the tree branch he was on. As he fell he pulled out his ninja wire and stretched it between both hands; he latched it onto the stump of a branch and used it to swing around the large tree to another branch.
Once he landed the Grass ninja appeared in front of him and punched him in the face, following it up with several more blows to his face and body. Her overwhelming assault knocked him back and left him lying face down on the bark. She may have believed she gained the upper hand, yet Sasuke was prepared for exactly this moment when he piledrived her.
"What a disappointment you turned out to be," the woman drawled as she stalked forward. "Your ancestors weep at the sight of a full-blooded Uchiha coward putting up less of a fight than a half-breed. Surely they will thank me for killing you both. Silly little worm."
The insult to Amari struck a harsh chord in Sasuke's heart. She may be a half-breed. Sasuke cracked his eyes open in preparation of his next attack. But she's still my clan-sister!
The tiny bombs he attached to the back of her garb went off just in time. Sasuke's body jerked into motion; he jumped up and away from the woman, tossing his special kunai knives and shuriken connected to ninja wire at the trees he measured up moments before.
Sasuke landed and started guiding the ninja tools movements using the wires and his Sharingan to help him track their movements. The Sharingan Windmill Triple Attack. Sasuke smirked mentally. Practicing this was what Amari would call troublesome but learning it seemed serendipitous for this exact moment.
By using the tree as an axis for one of his shurikens he was able to pull it back and tie it around both the tree and the Grass ninja. Using the force of the other kunai attached to his ninja wire aided in immobilizing his target by tying them nice and tightly to his axis point—the tree in this circumstance.
Once he was set he pulled the ninja wire back; the action tightened and tied his enemy against the tree, leaving her unable to move or fight back against his attack. No Substitution Jutsu to save her this time. Now you're mine! Sasuke clenched the wires tightly with his teeth and formed his handseals. Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger.
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
The flame ignited in a towering inferno just in front of him. Then all at once he summoned it to launch directly across his wire towards the woman. The flames moved faster than she could scream in terror. As the torrent of flames impacted against his enemy and the tree, they tore straight through the bark and blew a giant hole through the tree.
All throughout the forest her screams of agony could be heard.
When it was finally over, the tree was scorched black and the woman stood lifeless. And as expected, Sasuke heaved several heavy breaths, that drained the rest of my chakra. His body sagged down in fatigue but he remained standing, victorious and glad for it to be over. Sakura alone jumped down to meet him after cheering his name in victory.
"You did it!" Sakura said.
"No. We did it. All of us," Sasuke corrected tiredly.
It was thanks to all of them that he had found the courage to fight this woman and defeat her. They still had a long way to go on this exam, no doubt about that, but for now their priority needed to be finding a place to let Naruto and Amari rest and recover.
Finding some place safe isn't going to be easy, not with all of us like this. Sasuke exhaled more labored breaths, but we've got to find one. Right now we don't stand a chance against any ninja in this exam. He hoped Amari's recovery was swift. They needed her left eye now more than ever.
The sounds of ninja wire snapping and breaking startled and sewed dread into the Uchiha's very soul.
No, it can't be.
It was.
The Grass ninja walked out of her bindings with ease. From this distance Sasuke could see the left side of her already charred face was ripped apart, but under it was a paler skin and snake like eye. What the hell is she? Is she even human? She slammed her fist together and then a wave of killing intent overcame the two Leaf shinobi. The paralytic fear seized their bodies up once more and left them unable to move.
"Impossible," Sasuke grunted. Sakura collapsed to her knees next to him as he tried to keep his shaky legs firm under him.
"Such mastery of the Sharingan at such a young age." The woman's voice changed to a man's voice that was a bit more airy and sadistic. "You're a true Uchiha after all. Yes, you'll do nicely." The ninja moved his hand over his forehead protector and the symbol changed from that of the Grass to the Sound.
Sasuke couldn't get his body to move. Nothing was responding as it should and it frustrated him to no ends. Fed up with the entire situation, he screamed out wordlessly at their misfortunate. Why the hell wouldn't this shinobi just die already?! He or she or whoever they were had taken on two of their teams strongest jutsus and survived with barely a scratch on him. Even with severely charred skin he acted as if nothing even hurt.
"You're definitely his brother. If anything your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."
Normally that would have been a compliment but coming from this freak of nature Sasuke grew angry.
"Who are you? What do you want?!" he shouted angrily.
The Sound ninja chuckled sadistically and pulled out their Heaven scrolls. "My name is Orochimaru. But as to what I want, that will have to wait until we meet again, which won't be until you finish this test with the very best score of all." The scrolls in his hand began to burn with a green flame until nothing remained of them. "First you will have to defeat the Hidden Sound ninjas who serve me."
Now this freak had minions? Talk about fitting the bad guy cliché.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you're finished just beat it! If we never meet again it will be too soon!" Sakura yelled at him.
"Oh he and I will meet again." Orochimaru's neck extended up and his head crossed the large distance between them swiftly to then embed his teeth into Sasuke's neck.
Immediately pain erupted throughout his entire body. His entire chakra network felt as if this freak set fire to it. Thinking and seeing became harder and harder; seconds passed like years. An exploding pain erupted from the bite without preamble, causing Sasuke to grab at it and lurch over in pain. What the hell did he do?! There's just so much pain!
"You! What have you done to Sasuke?!" Sakura seethed.
"I just gave him a little parting gift." Sasuke fell to his knees, the pain becoming more unbearable by the moment. "Very soon he will seek me out; he'll desire my power."
Like hell I will! There was no way he was turning his back on the truth Amari had shown him now. The moment he figured out how to stop this pain and get it under control he would make this bastard pay!
"In the meantime, I enjoyed the demonstration of the powers the two of you possess," the freak said as he appeared to sink into the tree branch and disappear from the forest.
All the pain Sasuke felt came bursting out of him in a scream he couldn't hold back. He couldn't even hold himself up anymore. There in some forgotten portion of the Forest of Death he laid in the fetal position, each breath he tried to take echoed by grunts and screams of pain.
Sakura, finally able to move, came to his side as she always did, although this time he was glad to have her
A friend was much needed at the moment.
"What's wrong? What has he done to you?" she asked her tone laced with shock, worry and confusion.
He tried to form words to say, mostly they were to tell her he had no idea but nothing he tried to say made it out. Only choking sounds escaped him. Another eruption of pain chorused from his neck across his body. She tried to help him up, taking his hand in her own and he tried not to squeeze too tightly, but he couldn't tell how hard he was holding her hand.
Another wordless yell made its way out of him etched with all the pain he felt until he finally collapsed into Sakura's arms, falling into blackness as he did.