Chapter 92
Wills of Fire Burning Part 2: Don't Underestimate the Leaf! CHA!
"Shika, are you all right?"
Shikamaru rubbed his forehead and sighed. Being saved by four girls wasn't exactly manly of him, so his pride took a blow there. He'd been so sure he finally pieced together the patterns for Tayuya's summons, but then that club-wielding one nearly transformed him into a smear of blood, speckled with displaced organs and broken bones.
His mind, now calmed after the previous tense moment, automatically added the new attack pattern to his analysis. Like shogi pieces, Tayuya's summoning creatures possessed a limited range of attacks, restricted by the notes the kunoichi could play on her flute. If they looked at her music as a set of commands, each note dictated a specific action—dash, jump flank, smash, etc.
Another complication: different ogres reacted to different notes. So within her complicated melodies, containing a vast range of notes, trills and tempo changes, were specific orders for specific ogres. Someone more musically inclined might've been able to piece it together by ear, but Shikamaru had never had an ear for performance music.
He couldn't designate orders to the proper notes on sound alone. Honestly, sometimes he felt like he was hearing the same note, yet it moved a different ogre. This whole battle was such a pain. Tayuya was essentially speaking a whole different language; one that might've been pleasant to listen to if it wasn't trying to kill him.
Still, he'd been biding his time, learning a new way to read her orders that didn't require his off-tune ears. It had kept him alive so far. A little longer, without the recent incident, and he'd have been able to turn her troops against her, just like in a game of shogi.
But he made a mistake. A nearly fatal one. Maybe it wasn't manly to be saved by a squad of girls, but it was preferable to being crushed into itty bitty, mushy, gory bits by that club-wielding ogre.
So was he okay?
"Considering how that would've turned out without your arrival, I'd say I'm doing pretty well," he said, kneeling on the branch.
Tayuya seemed to be too stunned to make a move. He wasn't surprised; last she knew, 'Risu was dead. Now the Leaf kunoichi stood before her like a vengeful revenant on the hunt for blood—Tayuya's blood.
"Guess we can add resurrection to your list of talents, huh, 'Risu."
"Heh. Let's hope I only have to use it this one time. Like I said before: Dying really pissed me off."
He could sense it. Tension bubbled beneath the surface around his cousin. It coiled dangerously around her, invisible yet so tangible he almost believed he could reach out and touch the darkness.
At the same time, despite her quiet internal war of anger, she carried herself with the calm exterior of an experienced leader. He appreciated that. This whole mess, the slow, methodical disassembling of his squad, it left him uneasy. And with Kiba and Akamaru separated from them, and Naruto chasing after that fifth Sound shinobi…
Shikamaru glanced up at his cousin. "You run into Chōji and Neji?"
He observed her reactions attentively, hope for any good news about his best friend and comrade. Fear from a terrible gut feeling.
'Risu didn't look at him. "I already sent them back to the Leaf. They're injuries are already being taken care of by our medics at the hospital. They killed the other two."
It was at that moment, with a sudden breath of relief he'd imprisoned and starved the last couple days, Shikamaru's tension dissolved.
"Man, that's a relief," he sighed. "What about Kiba and Akamaru? And how'd you get them back to the Leaf so quickly?"
"Mimi, Aoko, Ino and a clone of me went to retrieve Kiba and Akamaru and to finish off Sakon and his brother. Technically, Mimi was the one sent to retrieve all of you; I'm supposed to be at the hospital still, and I'm pretty sure Aunt Yoshino will clobber me when we get back home, but…" Amari shrugged. "Dying made me restless. I'll explain later how the others made it back to the hospital so quickly.
"But where's Naruto and Sasuke, Shika? And have you seen Lee? Did he help Naruto grab Sasuke before we got here?"
Lee, Ino and Mimi were out here, too?
A full mobilization of our peers. Shino's the only one missing; it's too bad he was out on a mission, he'd have been a huge help.
"I haven't seen Lee. Did he leave before your squad?"
"Yes. By an hour or more."
Shikamaru hummed. "Then he's with Naruto. Or lost."
"Lee wouldn't let himself get lost at a time like this." Tenten started confidently, then sweat-dropped. "But…well, he's Lee. So it isn't impossible."
"So Naruto has rescued Sasuke already?" Sakura asked.
"No," Shikamaru shook his head. "We made a miscalculation none of us could have predicted." He glanced up to his cousin again. "There's a fifth member, 'Risu."
He noticed her jaw tighten.
"We had Sasuke in our grasps; me, Naruto, Kiba and Akamaru caught Sakon and Tayuya in our trap. As we were escaping, Akamaru ended up pinned down next to one of our paper bombs. Kiba went back for him, and he, Akamaru and Sakon were separated from us in the explosion.
"My plan was to hold Tayuya here so Naruto could get Sasuke back to the Leaf, but then the fifth guy came out of nowhere. He was able to steal the coffin from us without even breaking a sweat—he was too fast, too agile, and we were too caught off guard to stop him. I think he used to be their leader; Tayuya was deathly afraid of him.
"We tricked her again and I sent Naruto to retrieve Sasuke back from the enemy." He cast a nervous glance towards Tayuya's back, where the pair had gone. "But…I don't know, 'Risu. Something about that guy, he's not like these four. In that short time we saw him, I was able to get one feeling off of him."
"What kind of feeling?"
Shikamaru met her eyes. "He's just like you." 'Risu stiffened significantly. "According to Tayuya, he shouldn't have been able to move, let alone do the things he did. But it's like he's transcended his physical pain. Beyond mind over matter. All he has is his objective. His convictions."
"His single purpose in this life," 'Risu murmured. "Just like Haku. Hikari. Me."
"Yeah."
"Enough of this talk! You!" Tayuya jabbed one end of her flute at 'Risu. "How are you even alive?! That fat idiot killed you! I saw it. I checked your pulse." 'Risu bristled. His information intensified the tense air around her. But she said nothing. "Whatever. Doesn't matter how you're still alive. We're lucky Jirōbō didn't kill you."
"Lucky? Wasn't it your plan to get me out of the way?"
"No," Tayuya scoffed. "Those idiots wanted to test yours and Sasuke's strength, as if Lord Orochimaru would choose a weakling to be his vessel. And while Sasuke played his role as a new vessel, you were chosen to be the new leader of the Sound Five. Then that fat idiot almost ruined everything by crushing the life out of you.
"But you're here now." Tayuya reached her hand out. "You can come join us. There's no reason for you to stay in the Leaf, playing at being shinobi, playing by their rules. Their rules and their ridiculous morality will waste your potential. In their hands you'll be an average shinobi at best. A low-life weakling like these little kids you're surrounded by."
You idiot, thought Shikamaru. Insulting us won't convince her to join you. You're just pissing 'Risu off now.
"Lord Orochimaru can help you ascend to a level of power these fools couldn't ever dream of. The scum of this world will quake in your presence. They'll shiver in terror, fear the day you enter their Villages and avenge the Clan and family they stole from you. Even Lord Orochimaru would be too weak to stop you. With the power he can grant you, you could even kill him."
"Uh-huh. And you'd just let me kill your master?"
Tayuya smiled in spite. "I hate him. More than you can ever know. You don't know what it's like to live in one of his cells. Starving. Experimented on by that puppet Kabuto. Being forced to fight and kill other prisoners for his entertainment and the right to survive. I survived. And with every day I lived, my hatred for him grew more and more. But his Curse Mark binds me to his Will. Which is fine. You're free. And you're his objective. You can kill him, and then his Will would demand I submit myself to you. That's as close to freedom as I can get."
"Freedom, huh?" Amari murmured. "I'd pity you, but you'd only be insulted by that, wouldn't you?"
"Spare me your softhearted nonsense," Tayuya scorned her pity. "Just because I'd gladly submit myself to you as my leader doesn't mean you get to look down on me. Save your pity. Pity is for the weak-minded.
"Now, come on. We don't have all day. Leave these fools behind. Take the gift Orochimaru offers you and you will experience power beyond the likes which the scum in this world can ever hope to claim. Then take his place and I'll be an instrument of your Will. We can crush the scum of this world and be free together."
"You clearly don't know me as well as you think if you believe power is a decent bargaining chip," 'Risu drawled. "Orochimaru's 'gifts' are cheap. It's a crutch. A double-edged sword that, while powerful for a brief time, doesn't translate to real power.
"But your idea that he'd teach me or gift me with techniques or power to kill him is foolish. Anything he offers me will bind me to him, just like you are bound to him. There's no freedom in what you seek. Only servitude. For both of us. Servitude to a man we both hate for our own reasons.
"Orochimaru may be a legendary shinobi, but nothing he has to offer interests me. Power? My teachers will train me to gain it. Knowledge? I'll earn it through my experiences as a shinobi, that's the only way it'll mean anything. So no, I won't join Orochimaru. The Leaf's rules and morality may seem a prison to you, but to me, servitude to Orochimaru is the worst prison."
Tayuya frowned in disgust. "Your righteous attitude sickens me. You think the Leaf is so good? So innocent and pure? Don't make me laugh! Besides, it's not just power Lord Orochimaru offers you. He knows who's responsible for the death of your family. Itachi Uchiha was acting on orders of the Leaf. Bet you didn't know that!"
Shikamaru inhaled sharply, darted his eyes over to 'Risu and felt his stomach drop. So, this is what their master plan was! He didn't know if it was true or not, but if even an inkling of his cousin believed it… Shikamaru couldn't help but think of Kurenai recounting when 'Risu had been consumed by the Curse of Hatred.
"It changed her, inside and out. Her green shroud took form around her, but the color shifted to black. It swirled and lashed around her with a life of its own. I- I could feel the essence of Amari slip away, replaced by a person without light. Without love. Only hatred, anguish, suffering.
"Her killing intent flooded the entire battlefield. She didn't even know we were there anymore. That demonic chakra…I still can't believe it came from Amari."
The haunted voice of Kurenai painted a vivid image. Yet…
"You mean the Foundation, right?" 'Risu replied steadily.
Tayuya recoiled. "How do you—"
"Yeah," she continued as if the kunoichi hadn't spoken, "like I said, Orochimaru has nothing to offer me that I can't gain myself or don't already know. I've already learned about the Foundation; it's a rogue black op within the Leaf, responsible for the massacre of the Uchiha—a massacre that only occurred because their leader stopped my cousin from preventing the downfall of the Clan by poisoning him and stealing one of his eyes.
"Why, you might ask yourself as you look at me with that stupefied look on your face, would he do that? Well, that man, the leader of the Foundation, is an old warmonger who believes peace can only be achieved by force. He obviously hated my Clan, and undoubtedly justifies his actions. Not that the Uchiha Clan were innocent either."
'Risu spread her hands out. "So, if Orochimaru happens to know this information, I have more incentive to kill him. Because from my perspective, if he knows such intimate details that even my Uncle Shikaku wasn't aware of until recently, that can only mean he's worked with this man before. He may even still be working with him, which only makes me wonder if he and this rogue faction worked together for the Invasion."
Tayuya's mouth hung open at that. Shikamaru and the other kunoichi joined her. Only Atsuko and 'Risu stood calm and collected.
"By her response, I'd say your conclusion is accurate, Young Haya. I had suspicions, but no evidence. It is yet another crime he will pay for when the time comes."
"…'Risu, what…" Shikamaru rarely found himself at a loss for words, but his cousin was doing a marvelous job at it. Troublesome girl.
"Later, Shika."
"…You- You know the Leaf is responsible for the death of your family, for all the pain you've gone through, and yet you still stand by it. By them!" Tayuya accused. "How can you not hate them for it? They murdered your family! And then they pretend like it never happened!
"They smile to your face and treat you like a friend, a student, a daughter all the while your parent's blood is on their hands. I'm bound to Lord Orochimaru because of this Mark. But you… You have a choice, you have the freedom to stand by whomever you desire, yet you choose the people you should hate the most."
'Risu shook her head. "No, you're wrong. I don't stand by the people who murdered my family. The civilians of the Leaf didn't kill them. My sensei, my friends, my mom didn't kill them either. Those are the people I stand by, the people I will willingly risk my life for. I stand by the people who freed me from my loneliness, who guided me towards the strength I possess and gave me a purpose to live—a purpose I chose for myself, not one I was branded with.
"But the people responsible for the crimes committed against my family, my Clan and the Leaf will be brought to justice. I'll purge the Leaf of the Foundation's darkness. That, too, is a part of the purpose I've chosen. But not today. Today I'm rescuing my friends, cousin and clan-brother and going home."
Shutting her eyes, 'Risu took a breath. She looked directly at the Sound kunoichi.
"Tayuya, if there is any Will left in your heart and soul that is your own, I'd ask you to take hold of it and free yourself from Orochimaru's binds. Don't let him win. Don't be his puppet. If you truly hate him, if you truly wish to be free, come with me."
"Back to the Leaf where they'll imprison and torture me?" Tayuya sniffed dismissively. "I'd rather die than be imprisoned again. I've scratched and clawed my way to this scrap of freedom I have; I won't go back. Joining me and killing Orochimaru is the only way you can free me."
His cousin sighed, and he sensed her regret. "No. I can't do that. I wish your answer was different, but I don't possess the power to free you, Tayuya. Not in the way you want. And since you'd rather die than reform from this evil path you've chosen, I'll purge you first."
Tayuya smirked cockily. "Heh, fine. If that's how it is, I'll play you a sweet melody, and drag you to Lord Orochimaru!"
The discussion was at its end. The battle stood on the hair trigger of beginning again.
Shikamaru shook the information overload from his head and stood up.
"No, 'Risu. Take your squad and go. I'll deal with her."
"It'll be quicker if we work together."
"Maybe. But I'm worried about that fifth guy. We don't know his abilities, his battle strength or if he has a Curse Mark or not. I've got a bad feeling about him. Probably the worst feeling I've had about an enemy since I learned about Itachi, Aimi and Kisame's infiltration." He met her eyes. "And if either of us has to back them up, it needs to be you. You have more battle strength than me, plus the battle strength of your squad. I've got this. So go back Naruto and Lee up."
'Risu held his eyes for a brief moment, then looked back to Tayuya.
"If that's the feeling you have, I'll go. But I'll only take Hinata with me," she said after a moment of consideration.
"'Risu—"
"Don't argue, Shika. Tenten and Sakura will even the odds here and bring a swifter end to this battle. I… You can't ask me to leave you behind, knowing that you almost were crushed by one of her summons. I'll be less focused. I'll worry about you, because I know your strength and limitations better than anyone here. And I know her abilities, too, thanks to Genma-sensei, Miss Anko and Mr. Raidō. Sakura and Tenten wield that knowledge, too."
She looked at him again, earnest. "Keep Sakura and Tenten with you. Together you three can end this fight before it can get out of hand. Our main objective is to retrieve Sasuke and get home safely, not prove our courage and strength."
Troublesome girl, why did she have to make such a good point?
"All right," he conceded. "Get going. We'll come back you guys up if you haven't returned by the time we're done."
"Right," she nodded. "Hinata, take my hand. All right, Atsuko. Let's go."
The pair vanished into a flock of Crows that darted past Tayuya with ease, reappearing as the two kunoichi after they were long past their enemy.
Tayuya gripped her flute tightly. "Stupid girl," she hissed.
"'Risu's a lot of thing. Stubborn. Driven. Compassionate—that's why she tried to reach out to you, despite your history with Orochimaru. And 'Risu is without a doubt troublesome. But she's not stupid."
Shikamaru flicked his eyes between the three ogres and Tayuya herself, analyzing the positions of his enemies on the battlefield, the layout of the trees around him, mentally imagining the remaining ninja tools he had left as he calculated a plan.
"I admit, I don't know a whole lot about what she's talking about. But if this Foundation and Orochimaru were working together to destroy the Leaf, it just gives me more reason to take you down."
"Heh, that'd be the day! Your best chance at beating me just abandoned you, like you abandoned all your little friends along the way. Some leader you are! She was probably just cutting her losses so she didn't have to carry around your lazy weight!"
Shikamaru brushed her barbed statement off with a chuckle.
"That's where you're wrong. You see, this is actually hers, mine and Mimi's first real mission as Chūnin, without our Sensei's backing us up. To be honest, I'm not sure I've been making all the right calls. I wasn't even sure I should be promoted.
"I've been asking myself a lot of questions on this mission. Should I have stayed behind with my best friend to beat that giant? Should I have called a retreat instead of risking our lives for one guy? Were my friends alive or did I leave them behind to their deaths, just like you and all your teammates keep telling me?
"But 'Risu's arrival, and that of Sakura's, Tenten's and Hinata's, reminded me of something important: We all chose to be here. Chōji, Neji, hell, even Sasuke, they all volunteered to put their lives on the line."
"Sasuke…volunteered?" Tayuya's eyes widened.
Shikamaru didn't bother to hide the cocky smirk tugging at his lips.
"Yep. All to make sure you guys didn't hurt the Villagers or find out 'Risu survived. He played you four as well as you play that flute. But 'Risu wasn't just abandoning us or cutting her losses to avoid carrying my lazy weight. 'Risu was entrusting this battle to us. We of the Leaf aren't like you of the Sound. You don't even care that Jirōbō and Kidōmaru are dead, or that Sakon will be next. To put it in 'Risu's words: You're the worst kind of scum."
"What'd you say?!"
"You heard me," Shikamaru stayed cocky. He could push his enemies buttons, too.
"You don't even see your teammates as comrades. They're just 'fat idiots' and 'dead weight.' Because you think you're something more than just another pawn in this game, but for someone pretty smart you're also an idiot to believe your master sees you as anything more than a disposable tool. Or maybe you do. Maybe that's why you fight so hard to prove your worth to him, so Orochimaru won't dispose of you.
"It's the exact opposite in the Leaf. I wasn't just leaving behind my friends, cutting dead weight as you put it. They volunteered to hold your teammates back, and I trusted them to come out on top. Hell, even before 'Risu arrived I didn't believe any of them were dead. No, I truly believe Chōji, Neji and Kiba will be fine. I believe in them, just like they believed in me. Like 'Risu believes in all of us.
"That's where your master made his greatest error. He thinks everyone is like him. He thinks if you dangle a little power in front of someone, they'll discard everything they love to become his new puppet. But 'Risu has one more thing that you, your teammates or Orochimaru lack, and that's integrity."
Tayuya scowled. "Screw your integrity. Screw your self-righteous speeches. And screw you! I've heard enough of this."
Tayuya lifted her flute up to her lips.
"Sakura, Tenten, get ready. Once she starts playing those notes, these three ogres will be on us," he informed seriously.
"Right. But what's the plan, Shikamaru?" Tenten asked.
"I'm working on it. For now, just dodge and try to stay hidden when you can to avoid wasting too much energy."
"Sounds easy enough."
"Don't bet on that," Shikamaru said with a shake of his head. "Stay focused and keep them in sight. And whatever you do, don't try to charge her if you see an opening. These three can move about as fast as 'Risu."
"Oh. Great," Tenten sighed.
"This'll be tough, but we can do this. We just have to be smart," Sakura said.
Melodious notes filled the air, and with them the ogres attacked. Shikamaru evaded the first attack, mind racing. He lacked decent information on what equipment Tenten wielded in her scrolls. Sure, he could just assume every weapon known to man, but that didn't help him calculate a strategy. He'd feel more comfortable knowing her tools, but, well, nothing about this mission ever took into consideration what made him feel comfortable.
But he wasn't without knowledge of his two new teammates fighting styles. Tenten was a weapons specialist, with precision aim greater than anyone he knew. Her varying tools afforded her the opportunity to fight efficiently at close, mid and long range. However, in this battle he calculated the best chance of success was using her at long range.
Sakura was a close-quarter fighter. Pure physical strength, like Chōji, just more agile, with a quicker mind, too. If she could get through the three ogres to Tayuya, in a hand to hand combat scenario she'd crush the enemy kunoichi. Tayuya wasn't a close-quarters fighter. She relied on these three ogres to enhance her battle strength, all while never allowing an enemy to get in range to physically attack her.
She played the long game. Wear the enemy down, count on them making a mistake as they got tired—like he had—then crush them without ever taking a hit. In this way, she and Temari were similar. Not to mention harsh attitudes.
Shikamaru leapt from branch to branch, eyes keeping sight of all the moving pieces on the battlefield, including Tayuya, as she used one ogre for each of them. And of course he got the really creepy, mummified, broken neck looking one on his tail.
Why were their enemies summoning contracts always demons and snakes and other creepy creatures? It was such a pain.
Anyway, by his calculations, their formation needed to be Tenten at the rear, providing overall support through her ninja tools; he'd get more specifics on her weapons as they moved forward. At the center would be him, in the midst of the most danger, coordinating the attack and evasion, looking for an opening to ensnare the ogres or Tayuya with his Shadow Possession. Sakura would be their front-line tank. When the opportunity came, she'd end this battle by attacking the master puppeteer of these giants.
Right, Shikamaru nodded to himself.
It was time to put his plans into motion and finish this fight.
Tenten back flipped onto a higher tree branch, air and splinters whipping past her body as the giant club cracked and disintegrated her previous position. She barely had time to breathe; the ogre leapt up after her, possessed by Tayuya's melody, club crushing through the branch with a heavy, upward swing.
Again Tenten evaded, narrowly. Shikamaru was right about how fast these guys were. It was like being chased by Lee or Mimi; the pursuit was relentless, the strength of the attacks carrying physical power she lacked, all while she tried in what felt like a futile effort to gain a better position to retaliate from.
She reached into her pouch for ninja tools, but paused. These things, these monsters, they were persistent. How long had Shikamaru evaded death against these three, and yet not a single ogre appeared at a loss of strength or stamina.
Were they even living beings? Or were they merely some kind of puppet?
I don't think normal ninja tools will cut it against these things, she analyzed. Little kunai and shuriken wouldn't pierce deep enough, wouldn't immobilize even if she turned the ogre into a pincushion, especially if it wasn't even alive.
"Tenten," Shikamaru called, voice tense as he, too, was chased, "without taking your eyes off that ogre, I need you to recall the tactics you used against Temari in the preliminary rounds. Can you do that for me?"
The tactics she used against Temari? Tenten felt herself frown, even as she ran up the trunk of a tree. Of course she could recall them. That battle still left a sour taste in her mouth; just being asked to remember flourished her self-doubt.
"I can. I don't think that weapon is going to work here, Shikamaru," Tenten replied.
First she'd tested Temari out at range, learning through repeated attacks the Suna kunoichi's Wind Nature was an ultimate defense against projectile weapons. Then she tried close-range, using her kusarigama and extendable chain to attack and capture her opponent's limbs. Despite her great attempts, she lost.
Her kusarigama wouldn't work here, not against this ogre. If she wrapped her chain around any of its limbs, it would rag-doll her through the forest, cracking her considerably smaller and fragile body into any of the numerous, remorselessly thick and sturdy trees surrounding them. Then it would crush her, just like Temari did.
"True, it won't. That's why—"
Something splintered and snapped where Shikamaru was. Tenten's ears could hear the crack of wood over the seemingly endless melody Tayuya played; girl had some serious breath control, the Leaf kunoichi would give her that much.
"Heh, that was a tricky move," Shikamaru chuckled beneath his breath. "Tenten, I don't know what weapons you're equipped with, but if Mimi sent you here and took Ino with her instead, there has to be a reason for it."
Tenten dashed along a branch, up the trunk of a tree then released chakra from her feet, shooting off and over the wide swing of the ogre. Shikamaru's words stuck with her.
Mimi's decision to take Ino instead of her, it had been bothering her. Nagging at her, really. To her mind, it made more sense the other way around; Ino should have been sent here, because she and Shikamaru shared a depth of experience as teammates, and her experience with Mimi and Aoko made them a formidable team.
Surely they could've taken on that Sakon guy and his brother. So…why did she send her to fight alongside Amaririsu and Shikamaru? Mimi was always so supportive, always pushing her to be better; she'd been there for her after her loss to Temari and swore to help her become better. To help her become the weapon's master she wanted to be.
Of all of Team Guy and the Rookie Ten, Mimi was her closest friend. Of course there'd been a time she was…jealous of Mimi's growth, and how close she followed Lady Tsunade's footsteps. But the Inuzuka never stopped encouraging her to chase her dream. She believed in her, always. Even when there may not have been any reason to.
For a short time she believed hard work alone wasn't enough. That to become a shinobi of such legendary status as Lady Tsunade one had to be born with the gift, like Neji and Mimi were. In her self-doubt, she'd listened too closely to Neji's speeches on destiny, became a silent worshipper of the philosophy without ever realizing it.
But Lee, that hot-blooded fool, he never gave in. If everyone was working twice as hard, he would work four times as hard so he could one day be an equal, even without genjutsu or ninjutsu. His Will, his heart, along with Mimi's, inspired her to never give up, to continue seeking to find something she was good at. Her own specialty.
It took time, but she found it—ninja tools. Mimi, Lee, Guy, they told her she didn't have to become a carbon copy of Lady Tsunade to become a legend. She could make her own legend. The legend of the very first ninja tool specialist.
Tenten, to her horror that day, almost fell into tears. She'd been so happy.
Then Temari crushed her. Even with all her hard work, none of it had seemed to matter in the end. She felt so stupid. So foolish. So…weak. But, again, when she needed it most, when she needed her most, Mimi grabbed her by the shoulders and refused to let her quit.
"Don't you dare put yourself down like that! You can't let this single loss ruin all the hard work you've done! You are special Tenten. You're our ninja tool specialist and you're gonna become a legendary kunoichi. All we have to do is train more.
"You're not giving up. I'll train with you by using long distance ninjutsu until you can beat me without a handicap. And I'm going to fix Lee too. I'm the kunoichi who's gonna surpass Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu prowess, after all. So don't you quit on me. We're gonna get stronger and we're gonna get Lee back on his feet in no time. Trust me."
Mimi was true to her word, as always. She trained her as hard as Guy did, perhaps even a little harder. She pushed her relentlessly to overcome her weaknesses, refusing to let her concede to defeat as they grew stronger together. She even found a way to heal Lee; a technique that changed Lady Tsunade's mind completely on performing Lee's surgery.
A technique that helped give Lee his dream back.
So it didn't make sense to believe Mimi doubted her. No, that was just a stupid, childish voice of doubt she couldn't get rid of.
Why then? What reason would Mimi send her here for?
Shikamaru already had a theory.
"I bet whatever other Intel all of you gained on Tayuya and Sakon influenced her decision. Why else would she send a larger squad to fight a single shinobi, when you all assumed Naruto and Sasuke would be here with me? She must've known about these three ogres. 'Risu also mentioned you all knew about Tayuya's skills. Wouldn't it have also then made sense for her to take Sakura instead of Hinata with her? They're teammates, after all.
"But they didn't. That tells us three important details."
Shikamaru went silent. Tenten hazarded a glance over the battlefield; Sakura had been silent this entire time, which was a good sign, she supposed. Cries of pain or anything other than the tree branches breaking would be bad. The tiny glance almost cost the kunoichi her life.
The small lapse of diverted attention left her startled when the shadow of the club-wielding ogre fell over her. It cut off her dash.
So fast! She gasped.
The club, heavy and studded, came down from an overhead swing directly on her position. Splinters rained through the forest. When the giant lifted his club, Tayuya examined the crater and hissed—only a crushed log lay broken instead of a body.
Tenten landed on a lower branch below the giant, recovering from the close call; the Substitution Jutsu saved her life. But she didn't breathe easily.
The broken neck ogre flew down from the canopy above. Its giant feet almost crushed her. Tenten threw herself into a handspring, retreating out of the way, then hastily dashed along the underside of the branch with chakra glowing at her feet.
Jumping and corkscrewing to another lower branch, splintered bark shot past her, tearing open tiny wounds on her arms and cheeks as the giant club broke rather than cut, fractured more than severed, her previous position. Tenten skidded backwards along the bark, eyes shooting up in search for the two ogres.
"I guess it was only a matter of time before she tried double teaming one of us," she muttered.
The ogres didn't move. No music played. Did they hit a rest period? Or had Tayuya run out of breath? Regardless, it wouldn't last long. And it didn't.
The melody renewed. The snapped neck ogre leapt after her, while the giant club wielding ogre charged upwards, after someone else.
"Here I was appreciating the silence," Shikamaru drawled.
He was back. Finally.
"What were the three important details?" Tenten asked through a tense voice, performing evasive maneuvers against the broken neck ogre.
"First off, 'Risu likely brought Hinata with her because the Gentle Fist wouldn't be effective against these guys. From that we can extrapolate the second detail: These guys aren't alive, or at least not in the sense we're used to, otherwise Gentle Fist would be able to immobilize them. You know what Gentle Fist is like; 'Risu wouldn't make a miscalculation like that if she believed Gentle Fist could be effective against these guys.
"Unfortunately that means they likely have an unlimited supply of stamina and strength; I've been dodging these guys for a while before you all showed up. To put it simply: We'll die tired before they stop attacking us."
She figured that much on her own, but the confirmation from her genius leader at least settled the matter entirely.
"This leaves the final, most important detail: If Mimi and 'Risu sent you here, it means they believe you're in possession of a weapon, or weapons, that can defeat these ogres or Tayuya herself. Think of all the tools in your arsenal and figure out which weapons could do that. Then, once you've got that figured out, let me know. I can back you up so you can attack using the first tactic you used against Temari."
As Tenten evaded another attack, feet carrying her backwards in a quick skip, a sense of clarity came over her. The cloud of doubt finally cleared. Shikamaru's plan, the reason Mimi and Amaririsu—the top two shinobi of their generation—placed her on this specific battlefield, it all finally clicked together.
Shikamaru's reference to her battle against Temari was a subtle way to tell her what range to attack from, that way Tayuya wouldn't have a single clue what to expect. She wouldn't be able to counter their movements if she didn't know where their movements led them. Cluing in an enemy that could give Shikamaru trouble, who remained one of their best tacticians, would only lead to their demise, so he used a past battle to deliver his message.
Attack at long range.
But to do so, first he had to bolster her confidence. For all his laziness, Shikamaru was a perceptive boy; he read the situation and the shinobi under his command perfectly, reinforcing their chances of success. Tenten felt bad he had to spell it all out for her. But Mimi's and Amaririsu's reasons were clear: They placed her on this battlefield because they, too, understood their enemies' potential better than she had.
That's why they were Chūnin.
Shikamaru was right; they had learned of Sakon and his brother's special abilities and Tayuya's summons, as well as her potential to execute a sound-based genjutsu.
In Amaririsu's own words, "Sound-based genjutsu is the most dangerous kind of genjutsu. Greater in threat than a Sharingan genjutsu or even a genjutsu master like my mom can perform. The reason for this is because it can be casted over longer ranges, onto anyone who happens to hear it. Essentially, Tayuya would be able to hide anywhere within a certain range she wanted, and then cast her genjutsu on an entire squad without them ever realizing where she was or who was attacking them. Even my eyes wouldn't protect me from it."
While she could've been an asset to Mimi against Sakon and his brother, Ino's Clan jutsus wielded the potential to turn their own jutsu against them. It'd turn the battle around in an instant. Hinata's Gentle Fist wouldn't have been effective against these ogres, and Tayuya wouldn't let her get into range to strike, which made her more useful against the unknown fifth member, who could be affected by Gentle Fist strikes.
Sakura and her, Tenten realized, were placed here specifically because they had the physical power Shikamaru lacked, the foreknowledge of her genjutsu and the weapons to disable these ogres so they could cut straight through to Tayuya.
Tenten clenched her teeth. Sorry, Shikamaru. I wasted all this time doubting myself, acting like a self-conscious teenager instead of a kunoichi of the Leaf. One of us, or all of us, could have been severely hurt because of me. Because I failed to trust in my squad leader's decision. Because I failed to trust myself.
Evading another attack, she dashed up the trunk of a tree, but this time with backbone. This time with real direction.
I'm sorry you had to spell it out for me, but I'm grateful you did. Now I know exactly what I need to do.
From her higher position, in the brief second available as the broken neck ogre leapt after her, Tenten examined the layout of the trees. Eyes darting around, she measured the distance between herself and a series of branches, tree trunks, making adjustments for her next evasion and room for error on the ogre's eventual position. She'd made hundreds of calculations like this before, and she planned to make hundreds more in the future.
And like those previous hundreds of calculations, she measured it perfectly.
Tenten jumped back, hand retrieving two of her smaller scrolls from back pouch. The ogre landed on her previous position.
Based on her examination of Tayuya's melody, which her ears had attuned to, she had a total of three seconds between this latest movement and the next. The melody followed a distinct, repeating pattern. When she trilled, all three ogres attacked at the same time, responding to the flurry of notes. Otherwise, it took a series of short, abrupt dances of eighth, sixteenth and thirty-second notes and longer whole and half notes to order them around.
That latest attack was a whole note, the longest of them all, which meant this was the perfect moment to strike this ogre down.
This time I won't lose.
Tenten unrolled the first scroll in front of herself, the Seal marked with the kanji "fire" aimed directly at the ogre.
Here and now, I'll show you the mistake you made…
Chakra flowed to her palm as she pressed her hand against the paper. From the Seal, an inferno erupted, taking shape as a dragon head. The heat licked against her skin, made her squint as it brushed over her eyes.
By underestimating shinobi of the Leaf!
Dragon Bomb!
The inferno streamed directly into the ogre, exploding in an intense flame that scorched the branch it stood upon. Flickering flames danced over the bark, bright embers twinkled in the blackened wood.
However, Tenten hadn't stopped moving; that attack hadn't killed the ogre, and she hadn't planned it to. If these things weren't even alive to begin with, normal attacks wouldn't render them incapable of further assault even if their wounds were third-degree burns.
As she released the Dragon Bomb, she simultaneously unrolled the second scroll around her body. The paper crinkled as it bent and flowed in the air. Tenten's hands rapidly danced along the paper, unsealing the kunai within and throwing them with experienced sleight of hand, almost impossible to track.
The kunais hit all her desired targets, and as the three seconds reached their conclusion, Tenten caught her scrolls, rolled them up and stuffed them into her pouch, right hand remaining behind her back. Phase one of her attack was complete. Phase two was a breath away.
"Ha!" Tayuya paused her melody to bark a laugh. "After that ridiculous speech your idiot squad leader gave, you didn't even hit a single target with your kunai!"
Kunais didn't protrude out of any of the ogres. They were punctured into tree branches and trunks, scattered over varying levels of the forest. The broken neck ogre loomed in its spot, the bandages wrapping its body burnt and dangling off its grotesque form, or fused to its skin.
"You're wrong," Tenten smiled confidently. "I hit my targets perfectly."
Tayuya smirked, vindictive in nature. "I can't tell if you're blind, stupid or both. Whatever. You're not worth toying with. I'll finish you off with my melody of death."
"Go ahead and try," Tenten pushed.
Tayuya chuckled and brought her flute to her lips. The first bar of notes signaled the broken neck ogre to attack. It didn't budge. Neither did Tenten. Brow furrowed, Tayuya continued her melody, signaling the other two ogres to attack Shikamaru and Sakura, who continued their evasion techniques. She tried again to make the broken neck ogre move. Again it refused her commands.
Tayuya appeared on the verge of rupturing several blood vessels. Tenten maintained her confidence, never losing sight of the other two ogres as she listened to the melody.
When the enemy kunoichi repeated the melody, Tenten decided to clue her in.
"It doesn't matter how many times you string together those notes, he's not going anywhere. I've ensured that."
The distressed look on Tayuya's face was almost too sweet. No one had ever pieced together her melody before. Today that reality was about to change.
"When I was a little girl, I was fascinated by wind instruments; I studied how they were played, learned the finger placements, studied note values, but I never had the knack for playing it. That knowledge, though, is still up here," she tapped her left pointer finger against her temple.
"That's how I knew, when this guy jumped after me," she lifted her chin to the ogre, "that by the time I landed I would have three beats of a whole note left to attack. And when you do those trills, you're signaling all three to attack us.
"So I used your melody to my advantage. My Dragon Bomb wasn't meant to hurt this one; I operated under the same conclusion Shikamaru came to, that these monsters are closer to puppets than living things. I needed you to keep him in that exact location, which is why I chose this position to launch my attack from. If you moved this one, the Dragon Bomb would've struck you instead, and you knew that. You knew you couldn't risk being hit by it."
"Heh, you played her right into your hands," Shikamaru chuckled.
Tayuya snarled nastily. "That still doesn't explain why it refuses my commands."
"Look closer and you'll see it."
The examination bought Tenten the extra second she needed to tie a knot to the hilt of a kunai. She threw the blade into the branch she stood on then slammed her heel against the hilt, pushing it farther into the bark.
The wires tying up the ogre vibrated, some glimmered as sunlight pouring in through gaps of the canopy hit them at just the right angle.
"Ninja wire!" Tayuya gasped.
"Reinforced razor wire," Tenten corrected. "I told you: I hit every target I aimed for perfectly."
Now it's time to finish the job.
At the end of the day, these creatures were summons. Tayuya could send them back at any given moment, then summon them again a moment later out of the trap she ensnared this ogre in. It'd put them back at square one. She had to definitively eliminate it from this battle.
Tenten snatched a scroll out of her hip holster and unrolled it in front of her. Pressing her hand down onto two Seals, she grabbed the two new weapons with one hand and holstered the scroll with the other. At first glance, the weapons appeared as two metal clubs the length of her forearm. Then, with a flick of her wrists, the weapons unfolded into two Tessens—war fans with razor sharp ends, capable of severing limbs, each painted with a red sun in the center.
With graceful flourish, Tenten moved her arms through the air, making the fans dance in wide circles in front of her as she silently planted her feet in an attacking stance. She leapt at the trapped ogre without warning. Tayuya quickly lifted her flute to her lips.
The ogre with wrist blades launched another attack at Sakura. The club wielding ogre turned and prepared to launch after the kunoichi. It didn't jump.
"Shadow Possession complete. I've got you covered, Tenten! Finish that ogre off fast!"
She was way ahead of him. The first strike of her fan opened an impressive gouge into the side of the ogre. The weapon's specialist spun on her toes, striking, cutting her way through the thick, meaty flesh as it struggled, and failed, to break free of her ninja wire. The wires tightened around its body, around its broken neck and restrained legs, drawing blood over charred flesh.
It took only five strikes to sever the ogre in half. Black liquid, what she assumed to be blood, painted her metal fans, splattered onto her determined features.
Now to finish you off for good!
The torso fell towards her, broken neck coming closer, closer, closer.
Tenten brought her arms in, almost to hug herself, eyes calculating the distance between her and her target to the smallest of measurements. Swinging both arms outwards, she severed the head from the body. The three separate pieces fell down to the forest floor below, inert and most assuredly dead.
This was no time to celebrate, though. She heard the change of melody, the new orders. Tenten spun on her toe, mirroring Neji's rotation, and threw the bladed fan across the battlefield. Tayuya narrowly ducked it, strands of her red hair being severed. The blade impaled into a tree behind her.
Tenten folded the other fan and stuffed it into her back pouch, so the base could be grabbed at a moment's notice, and unrolled her scroll again.
Bark splintered above her, where Shikamaru's position had been.
"Damn it. Tenten, incoming!"
Both ogres, she knew. She could hear the orders plainly and had just the weapon prepared for this moment. The kunoichi hardly had to think about her movements; she knew the placement of the fūinjutsu seals, knew the location of the weapon she needed as the giant scroll's paper crinkled around her.
The giant club-wielding ogre reached her first with a heavy handed downward strike. The resounding thud contrasted the splintering of bark a moment before. As the second ogre leapt down, the unraveling of a large chain rattled through the forest like an angry rattlesnake.
The chain captured both hands of the ogre and tied them together. Between the two ogres, Tenten knelt in a crouch, the hourglass shaped Gunbai—a non-folding fan—gripped in her left hand while the weighted metal chain attached to the hilt rested in her right. With the hilt, the Gunbai easily dwarfed her, which made it extremely valuable to hide under in this situation.
"Tenten, you okay?" Shikamaru called worriedly.
"Just…peachy!" Tenten grunted.
Even with the special materials her Gunbai was made from, the shock of the blow made her arm feel numb.
"Sheesh, troublesome girl about gave me a heart attack," she heard Shikamaru mutter. "How would I explain that to Mimi? She'll kill me if anything bad happens to Tenten."
Tenten ignored him. She was still in a sticky situation, and it'd get worse if she didn't get herself out of it immediately.
Gritting her teeth, she channeled her chakra into the Gunbai. The club of the ogre recoiled away suddenly, the monster knocked off balance by an invisible strike. She redirected her chakra to the chain and tugged it, throwing the second ogre into the first while unraveling the chain. As they collided, she jumped away, back to Shikamaru.
Her arm still felt numb.
Sakura had a fresh cut on her cheek, but little else in terms of damage. Considering the location and size of that ogre's blade, they were all fortunate it was only a small cut. Shikamaru appeared slightly winded.
"Nice work," he complimented. "Stole one of her pieces from her; now the numbers are even." Tenten nodded and tried to open and close her hand around the handle of her Gunbai. The fingers struggled to move, and even when they did she couldn't feel it. Shikamaru noticed. "How's the arm?"
"Numb. My Gunbai is carved from a spirit tree used to make ritualistic instruments; it's reinforced to withstand and absorb the shock of any physical blow. Strange as it might sound, it has a memory, so any shock it absorbs…"
"Can then be reflected back onto the attacker. That's some weapon," Shikamaru noted.
"It cost a fortune."
And was totally worth it.
"I bet. But it didn't absorb enough to protect your arm from that big guy, and unless you get feeling back in it, you won't be able to do that again. At least not with that arm."
"I'd rather not have two numb arms, but if it comes to it, yeah. I can use my left arm to do that again."
"Don't worry about it. I've got a plan."
Sakura stood at the ready for the next round of their battle to begin.
Shikamaru hadn't exaggerated; Tayuya's summons were nearly as fast as Amari, backed up by incredible physical strength. Their unlimited supply of stamina only exacerbated the difficulty. But they weren't immortal or infallible; Tenten proved that by chopping one of them into three separate pieces.
The numbers evened out. Tayuya would only be able to attack two of them with her summons, which left her open to an attack from one of the three Leaf shinobi. But their enemy knew that, too; it heightened the threat of a trap, ensured they couldn't just leap at her without thought when one of her summons could easily return to protect her at any given second.
How did she proceed, then? Against these ogres she couldn't deal the kind of damage Tenten could with only kunai and shuriken. Punching them would be useless. She also lacked a paralysis-type jutsu to hold the ogres down to a single point like Shikamaru.
I just have to be patient, Sakura clutched her hands into fists, and strike when she leaves herself completely open.
"Sakura," Shikamaru spoke up, "in your preliminary fight against Ino, you used a specific jutsu. Can you remember what it was?"
"In my preliminary fight with Ino…"
As she recalled, they fought in hand to hand combat mostly. Ino tricked her by cutting off her hair and using the severed strands to make a chakra rope that bound her to a single place for her Mind Transfer Jutsu. Otherwise she really only used chakra to enhance her strikes and speed.
"I'm…not really sure," she muttered, unsure of herself.
"Back then you didn't have a large arsenal of attacks to choose from," Shikamaru pressed. "But the jutsu you used left her wide open when paired with your chakra enhanced speed. You're going to use that same technique here to seal our victory."
"Don't be so sure of yourselves!" Tayuya spat. "Even though it pisses me off to use this power on scum like you, I still have to capture that stupid girl, so I can't waste any more time on you."
The jagged black zigzag marks began to change, turning her skin a dark shade of brown; the white of her eyes turned black, the irises a golden yellow and her hair elongated down to her thighs. Two black vertical markings formed beneath her eyes. The hat she wore broke off as several white horns grew from the top of her head.
Sakura, Shikamaru and Tenten looked on in awe. She really is a monster, just like the Jōnin said.
Tayuya grinned monstrously. "It's time for the finale, scum. Demon Flute: Chains of Fantasia!"
She lifted the flute to her lips to play a new melody. The instant Sakura heard the noise, she felt herself be brought to her knees against her will, and her arms spread out as if crucified, bound by chains. The forest vanished, replaced by a sky painted by blood. Tenten and Shikamaru joined her within, immobilized and horrified at the sudden turn of events.
It's her genjutsu!
This was bad. Alone the genjutsu immobilized them, and soon the agony Genma described to them would begin. But those two ogres were still out there!
They'll kill us all if we don't break free!
She could feel the pain beginning. Burning. Scalding. The flesh on her arms, and the arms of Shikamaru and Tenten, slowly, agonizingly began to melt. It took every ounce of willpower not to panic. Panic was the enemy. Panic would get them killed.
This was only a genjutsu. Nothing here was real. Telling herself that wouldn't be enough to escape or make the pain that was on the verge of tearing screams out of her any less real. But it reminded her of her training. Of the genjutsu's Amari casted on her with her Sharingan to increase her proficiency in dispelling them and to break the instinct of panic.
There were two key ways to break any genjutsu: disruption of the chakra flow in the victim's body, or pain not related to the genjutsu. Sakura shut her eyes, even as her flesh melted off her bones, and focused internally. She'd done this before without handseals; Amari forced her to do it. She just had to…
Release!
The pain vanished. Emerald eyes opened back to the forest, where Tayuya stood playing her flute, and the giant club ogre was darting directly for Tenten and Shikamaru. The other ogre launched at her.
Her eyes took in the entire battlefield. She could evade the wrist blades of the ogre with ease and try to attack Tayuya, but the club-wielding ogre would reach Shikamaru and Tenten before she could stop the melody. They'd be crushed. Killed.
There wasn't time to think beyond that. Her body reacted on its own. Chakra channeling to her feet, Sakura shot through the air like an arrow released from a bow, zipping beneath the arms of the blade ogre and directly towards Shikamaru and Tenten. She sensed Tayuya's shocked expression; she was so sure of herself and her abilities, defeat was inconceivable.
Air whistled in her ears. She watched the club-wielding ogre and her teammate's position with steady, determined eyes, resolved to save them even at the risk of her own life.
A few seconds were all that passed from the moment she woke up to the moment she landed in front of her teammates. The massive monstrosity was already on its down swing; no time to break them out of the genjutsu and move them to safety. Again only time to react.
Better that way. If she thought about what she was doing, she may have hesitated. May have doubted. Too much thought would've dulled the battle instinct.
Chakra from her feet launched her directly at the ogre, beneath the range of his club. Sakura cocked her right fist back.
A normal punch won't do anything, that's why…
Chakra engulfed her fist.
I'll strike with one hundred percent concentrated power!
She buried her chakra covered fist into the ogre's massive, muscular belly and unleashed all of her strength with a mighty roar.
"CHAAAA!"
Like a cannonball, the ogre rocketed away from Sakura, shooting past Tayuya, through branches and down to the forest floor—out of sight. The Sound kunoichi's breath caught in her throat, golden-yellow eyes widening and mouth slightly open as the rush of air whipped her hair around.
Simultaneously, as the chakra released, Sakura felt tears rip through the length of her arm, like the tendons, ligaments and muscles were rapidly unzipped beneath her flesh. Agony contorted her features while her forward momentum carried her towards another branch. She tried to open her hand, but stopped immediately. The movement only aggravated the injury.
It's not broken, she analyzed her injury. But my right arm is almost useless now. That's fine. I can work around this. Sakura landed on a branch and sent chakra throughout her whole body. She locked eyes with Tayuya, whose lips had contorted into a snarl. It's curtain call for you!
The Leaf kunoichi vanished in a Body Flicker. Before Tayuya could play a single note, Sakura appeared on her side with her left fist prepared to strike. Tayuya pivoted on her toes, lowering her flute to parry away the punch. Sakura ducked beneath her counter-strike, targeted at her weak side, and aggressively pushed back, striking faster with left armed punches and relying heavily on footwork and kicks to keep her enemy on defense.
Tayuya backed herself into the trunk of the tree then ducked a hard left punch. Fist and bark met—Sakura's fist splintered the wood. Tayuya retaliated by slamming her horned head into her gut. With a gasp of pain, she stumbled back a step, puncture holes in her clothes and belly; she could feel trickles of warm blood beginning to flow. Her enemy's foot crashed into her stomach and sent her flying through the air into another tree trunk.
Her back connected against the trunk with a sickening crack.
The Curse Mark, Sakura winced. It enhances her strength and her speed, almost like how Gaara's Tailed-Beast transformation enhanced his. Before she activated the second stage I could have easily overwhelmed her, but she's different from before.
"Like I'd let myself lose to any of you," Tayuya spat, lifting her flute back to her lips. Sakura's ears perked up, not at the sound of the flute, but the unraveling of a chain. Her enemy heard it, too, and narrowly jumped out of range.
Bark exploded as the weighted chain struck the branch. Tenten landed on the branch, Gunbai in her right hand and chain retracted. The pointer finger on her right hand was twisted at an awkward angle.
"Hope you didn't forget about me."
Glancing over to Shikamaru, it appeared he was still held by the genjutsu. His arms were still held out, his body forced into a kneeling position. Sakura examined his fingers.
"I had you all under my genjutsu. You shouldn't even be moving," Tayuya seethed.
Standing up, Sakura jumped to regroup with Tenten. They met eyes and shared a knowing nod. They were down one arm each—one too tense to move and the other completely numb—but together they could cover their weak spots.
Sakura looked back to Tayuya.
"You've underestimated us for the last time." She clutched her left hand into a fist. "Tenten, let's go!"
The Leaf kunoichi bolted ahead. Sakura attacked first, striking fiercely. Tayuya deflected and blocked her punches and kicks, twirling her flute around in her hands between strikes to place it safely within her ninja pouch. She caught Sakura's left arm by her wrist and clutched it. Sakura smiled, spun her hand around and snatched Tayuya by her wrist in return.
Without a word, she ducked down to the surprise of her enemy.
Over her head, the weighted chain snaked right for Tayuya's face. The Sound kunoichi cursed and narrowly ducked beneath it—the wrong evasion. As she ducked, Sakura rose, crashing a rising knee right into her enemy's chin.
Immediately, a streak of blood streamed down Tayuya's chin. Her lips formed a nasty snarl. She clutched the Leaf kunoichi's arm tightly and tugged her closer against her will, opposite arm swinging wildly for her unprotected face.
At that moment, the Gunbai slammed down between them, blocking the full force of the blow with the flat surface. Tenten floated upside down above the two kunoichi, hand gripped around the hilt as she arced back towards the branch.
She landed feet first on Tayuya's shoulders and corkscrewed away, spinning smoothly to face the Sound kunoichi again as she unlatched the chain. Tenten spun the Gunbai once, twice then launched the flat end of the fan directly for their enemy's exposed back.
"Tch!"
With superior strength and an iron grip clutched around Sakura's wrist, Tayuya tugged the kunoichi into the line of fire, twisting her hand at an awkward angle to keep control over her.
Tenten twisted the chain. The edge of the fan stopped mere inches from Sakura's face then snapped back, retracting towards her comrade. What control…
Sakura slammed her head backwards and cracked Tayuya in the nose. Tayuya released her with a string of curses, to her own detriment. The Leaf kunoichi pivoted one-hundred and eighty degrees swiftly and swung a kick for her head. Her enemy lifted her arms up at the last moment to block, successfully. But she didn't stop there; she grabbed Sakura's leg and threw her through the air, an effort to gain space between the two Leaf shinobi.
Spinning out of it, Sakura landed on her toes on a branch. The glimmer of light off metal snapped her attention to the tree trunk beside her—the Tessen Tenten had thrown earlier was in reaching distance. She pulled the bladed fan free and jumped back into the fight.
Tenten wielded her Gunbai as well in close-range as she did at mid-range. Even down to one arm, she danced on her toes, blocked and struck with the non-folding fan, showing a high level of skill Sakura had come to expect from her. Tayuya evaded the strikes, tried to advance and strike Tenten in perceived openings. But the weapons expert rolled her body around strikes, blocked with the flat face of the Gunbai or allowed herself to retreat a step or two back before renewing her assault.
The spitfire dodged back then launched forward with a kick. Tenten blocked with her Gunbai, but the strength of the blow sent her skidding back along the bark, towards Sakura.
As her fellow kunoichi neared, Sakura vaulted over her, spinning once and throwing the Tessen. The bladed fan spiraled through the air and shaved a piece of Tayuya's horn clean off. It impaled into another tree trunk.
"You scum! I'll make you pay for that!"
Her enemy surged at her like a vengeful demon as she fell towards the tree branch. Sakura moved her left leg in position to strike; Tayuya lifted her right arm to block the incoming attack while preparing a counter-strike of her own.
You idiot. You think because I haven't tried to punch you with my right hand that I can't.
Sakura gritted her teeth as she lifted up her right fist. She noticed her enemy's golden-yellow eyes widen as they neared one another.
It won't be my strongest punch, but you should've known better than to underestimate a fellow kunoichi! CHA!
Shooting pains tore through her arm as she swung for the fences. The surprise punch caught Tayuya in the cheek. It hurt them both; Sakura collapsed to a knee to grip her right hand as Tayuya stumbled back. The rattling chain and air whistling over her head signaled Tenten's follow-up attack. The flat edge of her Gunbai caught their enemy in the stomach, right at the severed and blood-stained fabric Anko Mitarashi left as a parting gift.
The first impact made her begin to bend over, but the invisible second attack sent her careening over the branch. Digging down deep, growling through the pain, Sakura pushed herself back onto her feet after the Gunbai retreated over her head. Something broke. Something that intensified the pain in her arm.
She couldn't think about it, couldn't acknowledge it. Just keep pushing forward. Just keep attacking.
I don't know if you really wanted Amari to free you, or if it was some sort of manipulative game to get her to be branded by one of Orochimaru's Curse Marks. But I wish she never tried to reach out to you. Because regardless of what your intentions were, Amari feels guilty because she can't save you. You've purposefully or accidentally given her another burden to bear.
She reached out to you, Sakura growled, beginning to lumber forward. Despite everything you've ever done, despite knowing you took part in the Invasion and separated Lord Third from help that could have saved his life, she still reached out to you. She would've done everything in her power to help you find the freedom you want so badly. Because Amari is a kind person, willing to give even someone as evil as you a second chance.
But I'm not Amari. I can't give you a second chance. And I won't ever forgive you for what you and your allies have done!
She dashed directly at her enemy. Tayuya prepared a block for the frontal attack.
This next combination will settle this battle once and for all!
As Sakura neared, she vanished. She heard the sharp intake of breath from Tayuya. The startled sound evolved into a cry of pain as the fierce pink-haired kunoichi reappeared next to her, left fist smashing into her face to send her flying away, towards what started as their side of the battlefield.
The force of the strike vibrated through her body, through her aching arm. Sakura bit her lip and fell into a crouch, grabbing at the injured limb.
The chain unraveled again, and as Tayuya rolled to recover, it constricted around her body, immobilizing her.
The Sound kunoichi struggled against the chains, grunting and growling like a caged animal.
"You think these chains will be enough to hold me?"
"Oh, they'll be more than enough," Tenten replied, panting lightly. "I can reinforce the strength of this chain with my chakra; that's how I threw your two ogres into each other. And besides," the weapon specialist smirked, "this is the end of the line for you. Right, Shikamaru?"
"Took the words right from my mouth, Tenten."
Shikamaru materialized beside Tayuya, left hand in his pocket. Paralysis took hold of their enemy's body instantly.
"Yo- You?!"
The laziest boy in the Leaf Village smirked cockily at their captured enemy.
"Yep. Me. Been awake since Sakura punched that ogre." He lifted his right hand up to reveal his twisted pointer finger. "I'm the one who broke Tenten's finger to break your genjutsu. Though we owe Sakura big time for saving our skin after breaking free on her own.
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been much help to Tenten and Sakura in a close-quarters fight. That's probably the area where I'm weakest. I would've been too slow against your second stage Curse Mark. Dead weight, as you put it. So I pretended to still be under the influence of your genjutsu, that way your focus would stay on Tenten and Sakura while I waited to strike from the shadows."
"I'm going to kill you. All of you!" snarled Tayuya.
Shikamaru shook his head and took on a serious demeanor.
"No, you're not. You made two vital mistakes in your recent attacks." Sakura noticed a Shadow shaped like a hand beginning to stretch up Tayuya's body. "The last mistake is common for boys and men to make: You underestimated the strength, skill and fierce spirits of two kunoichi of the Leaf."
Tenten and Sakura smiled at that. Tayuya would've been thrashing about wildly if she weren't paralyzed.
Shikamaru's eyes suddenly sharpened. "The first mistake you made sealed your fate. I'm not usually the type of guy who gets worked up easily or to swear revenge—it's troublesome. But when you hurt my family, well…" The Shadow Hand climbed up to her neck and wrapped around it. "That's something even a lazy shadow user like me can't ignore. You should've taken 'Risu's offer when you had the chance.
"This is checkmate."
"No! Damn it! You scum! I'll—"
Tayuya's neck snapped.
Review Response to Guest: Yep. Sakon and Ukon are truly dead. We'll have to wait and see what role the Sand gets to play. They do have a role, and it will be seen soon.
Sasuke is still in the barrel/coffin. Currently the person in possession of the barrel is Kimimaro; Kabuto sent him out a few chapters back, and he made it to the battlefield before the Leaf reinforcements showed up. More on what will happen to Sasuke is coming up. Obito's role in this arc/story will become more apparent in the upcoming chapters. He, too, has a role to play.
I don't think anyone besides Itachi, Nagato and Konan knew about Obito's role in the Akatsuki until Kisame learned later on. So he definitely knows about the Massacre in this story, but not about Obito in the Akatsuki. Granted, I could be wrong. He may have known about Obito; if he did in canon, then he'd know in this story, too.
I can't say how Amari will interact or feel about Obito and Nagato without spoiling some important stuff. But they will have interactions and she will be faced with a clash of ideals and plans when she does.
Well, Indra started the Uchiha Clan, and since Amari is an Uchiha the Curse of Hatred would be traced back to him.
Aimi and Itachi are currently Curse of Hatred free.
There's more on how Aimi was spared during the massacre coming up, so stay tuned for that. The Third Hokage knew, but not the Elders. Her "body" was found during the collection of the dead.
Thank you for the review!
Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Amari's interaction with Tayuya wasn't on the level of the debates she will have with those you mentioned, but I hope their little interaction was satisfying. It's one of those times where she wasn't able to change the person's path and, with the mission at hand and the threat of losing Sasuke and Naruto, there was no time to waste.
I considered sparing her, but it didn't feel true to Tayuya's character for Amari to break through to her. And it made slightly more tragic, to me, that Tayuya's only idea of freedom was serving someone else. But because of the influence of the Curse Mark and her degraded willpower, and Amari's refusal to go with her to Orochimaru, she wasn't able to be freed, which, as Sakura pointed out, is another burden Amari will bear.
The Kurenai/Yakumo arc is definitely something Amari will struggle with and be stressed out by. The Kakashi's Love Song arc was enjoyable and I do intend to do something with it.
Thank you for the review!