Chapter 28
*Recap*
"So sue me. I wish someone would change into her so I could get killing her off of my chest without actually doing it." I toss back at him as I close my eyes a moment while I speak.
"If she would have gotten it wrong you would have killed her anyway." He smirks at me causing me to show him one in return.
"True."
"Will you two stop talking about me as if I'm not here?!" She yells at us in her frustration.
...
"Hey! What's up? You guys okay?" Naruto comes running to us causing us to turn and face him. Sasuke automatically brings his kunai back up.
"Don't come any closer!" Sakura warns raising her hand as her eyes practically narrow on Naruto.
"Huh?" Naruto teeters momentarily on one foot as he abruptly stops with a dumbfounded expression and his eyes on Sakura. My brows furrow at this.
"What's the password." She asks. Wrongly if I might add. Why couldn't she have gotten the answer wrong too?
Naruto sets his foot down before smiling as he talks. "Ohh, sure no problem, okay.. A ninja waits until the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard." He pauses a second as I pull a kunai out. "When his weapons lie forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike!" He says happily. Sasuke just stares at him as I narrow my eyes. I throw my kunai at him in irritation. Not slowly either I might add. The kunai flew from my hand before they even realized what had happened. I watch as Naruto leaps to the left out of the way of my kunai landing on his side with a pitiful yelp.
"What was that? You could've killed me!" He yells at me with wide disbelieving eyes. Sasuke takes a stance ready to attack him.
"Gotta hand it to ya, you're quicker than the last one!" Sasuke speaks confidently not taking his eyes off of Naruto.
"What are you guys doing? What was wrong with that? He just got the password right word for word." Sakura protests in confusion nearly causing me to roll my eyes. You'd think by now she'd use those brains of hers and figure these things out.
"Exactly." I say not even glancing at her. "That's what's wrong." Naruto and her make sounds of question and Sasuke glances at me causing me to take my stance as well, pulling a new kunai out and holding it at the ready.
"Do you really think Naruto could memorize all that and get it word for word? Not the Naruto I know. Not in a million years. You'd have a better chance teaching it to a hamster." Sasuke mutters as his eyes narrow upon the Naruto in front of us. Nearly causing me to laugh from his blatant dis about our blond teammate. Only Sasuke can put Naruto down even in this type of scenario.
"Oh, right you got a point." Sakura admits almost skeptically but mostly calmed down now.
"Besides, you saw how this guy moved when he dodged my attack. The attack neither of you seen." I point out for her without taking my eyes away from the latest ninja.
"That was definitely not a Naruto move." Sasuke adds on. "Alright, show yourself whoever you are. Party's over." We watch as Naruto's face goes from surprise to a grin and his tongue snakes over his lips as he chuckles.
"Aren't we the clever ones?" The voice leaving Naruto's mouth seemed familiar but it definitely wasn't Naruto's. It was almost disturbing. Watching smoke erupt around him in a much larger expansion than a normal transformation. Sasuke and Sakura both raise their arms to protect their faces. I myself had a feeling I shouldn't look away. Not even for a second. Feeling my eyes become scratchy from the dust I blink them a few times to clear them.
As the smoke begins to disperse it reveals the grass ninja from earlier. "Tell me, if your teammate is really that dimwitted why did you come up with a password he'd never be able to remember?"
"You see it wasn't meant for Naruto." I smirk as Sasuke ducks back down into a stance again.
"So much as for anybody who happened to be nearby trying to eavesdrop on us." He finishes for me with a smirk.
"It was meant as a trap and you stumbled right into it." I finish for him nearly giggling as I watch the grass ninja remove her straw hat.
"I'm impressed. You certainly haven't dropped your guards, have you? This promises to be very entertaining." I watch as her wickedly long tongue slides out of her mouth almost as if she was hissing, and runs it along the end of her straw hat she still held near her face. She then tosses her hat aside before reaching into her pouch behind her pulling out an earth scroll. Sakura makes a surprised sound nearly causing me to lash out and backhand her for giving it away.
"Awe, you'd love to get your hands on our earth scroll wouldn't you?" She raises up the scroll as if to give us a better view. "It would go so nicely with your heaven scroll." She then sticks her long tongue out and holds the scroll over her mouth. Allowing us to watch as her tongue wraps around it as she slowly slides the entire length of the scroll into her mouth before swallowing it. "Well, when this is all over. One of us will have both scrolls." She says as she licks her lips causing Sasuke and Sakura to gasp in unison.
"I don't mind. I'll slowly gut you, and once I get you to answer my question I'll slice it out of your intestines." I couldn't help but smirk at the very thought of my words.
"You really do have a thirst for blood." They say smiling at me before I see her hand move from over her face to pulling the bottom of her eyelid down poking her eye. The solid dark eye is no longer there. It changed a bit to look more like a snake's eye. It feels as if something slams into me my eyes widen in surprise. Feeling the intense thirst. I could see a kunai being driven into my chest. Burying itself into my heart as it continues to try and pump blood against the metal. The burning coursing through my body from the sudden searing wound. The image that was supposed to mean the moment of my death causes me to cough in an attempt to get the building pressure off of my shoulders. I hear Sasuke trying to catch his breath before he falls to his knees and puking. Sakura seems to just be sitting there quivering as her eyes remain unblinking on the grass ninja. Who was just staring at us watching as Sasuke tries to stand but ends up falling onto his rear with his hands behind him trying to hold himself up.
" ?" He manages to look at her to see her shaking in fear. "K. K. Kira?" He asks looking up at me. Closing my eyes I feel a tear roll down my left cheek before I take in a deep steadying breath. Raising my kunai back up I fall back into stance pointing the kunai at the ninja. I narrow my eyes in an icy glare on her curling my lip in a silent snarl. Sasuke manages to stand as they speak again. "Very good. Now, what happens?" Sasuke makes a sound causing me to look at him as he seems to be frozen. Glaring back at the ninja a feral growl escapes from me as I take in the situation. Obviously, she has more power than any of us here. As she is causing us to freeze just from her intention alone. She is no Genin.
"Sasuke, grab Sakura and get out of here." I tell him through clenched teeth.
"Don't worry I'll make it quick, but I don't have to tell you that do I?" She says as she pulls three kunai from behind her walking towards us. "You've seen it with your own eyes."
"Go to hell bastard." I growl at her again.
"Well, well, why aren't you frozen in fear?" They smirk running their tongue along their lips again.
"Because... to achieve my ambitions. I will gladly die. Death isn't even something I fear."
"Big talk for such a small girl." They tease at me. Before throwing the kunai at us.
"Now Sasuke!" I yell. When I get no response from him I cuss under my breath. I reach into my pouch pulling a smoke bomb out and throw it at the ground. Shoving my chakra into my feet I run to them grabbing both of them under my arms. With one last glare in the lady's direction. I leap into the tree behind us trying to get them as far away from this ninja as possible. The kunai thudding into the tree behind me as I move.
Once I was sure we were far enough I set them down before looking back in the direction we had come from. Hearing the clattering of a kunai landing on the tree I turn to look towards the two. Sasuke was sitting down leaning back on his hands. His kunai on the bark at his side. "Are you alright?" I ask turning to face him further.
"Why.." He breathes heavily trying to get control of himself. The fear still coursing through him. Looking away again I bite my bottom lip.
"Why? I told you Sasuke, don't you remember?" I pause waiting to see if he had a reaction of realization. "During the fight with Haku and on the roof of Tazuna's house." I drop my voice speaking more quietly. Hearing him gasp I smile looking back to him. "I will protect you."
"You shouldn't have done that. You could have gotten yourself killed trying to bate her and buy me some time." He points out as his voice continues to quiver. More than a hint of pain mixing with his own fearful tone.
"Oh well." I smirk as he looks up at me with wide eyes. "What I said was true, Sasuke. I do have fear in me. Just not of me dying. Seeing the moment of my death. Would only mean I will finally be at peace. To no longer feel this pain every day. When my time comes. I will welcome death."
"But you have a reason to live! You shouldn't be so willing to accept death!" He snaps at me as he finally manages to stand. Walking past Sakura on this huge of a tree was no big obstacle for him even on unsteady legs. He stops right in front of me so he can look into my eyes. "You shouldn't die." He whispers causing me to raise a brow.
"Why not? There is no reason for revenge to strive for unlike with you. My dream, the one I didn't tell you guys about our first day as team 7. I want to overcome time. So that no one else I care about dies. What good would come of accomplishing that if I have to watch more die?!" I snap at him. A tear rolling down my cheek as Light's face flashes in my mind. "I wouldn't be able to handle seeing another one die." I admit quietly. "So yes, I will gladly give my life to prevent it from happening." His hand suddenly reaches up and brushing my hair from my eyes causes me to gasp and take a step back.
"I didn't know." He whispers before moving over to pick up his kunai again and setting down. It was then I realized his movements were still unsteady and his hands were shaking. He was still afraid. "Kira.." He whispers almost at a level I couldn't hear him.
"Yeah, Sasuke?" I ask getting myself back under control and setting down. Sliding my kunai back into my holster.
"Don't die for me... I need to become stronger and you protecting me all the time isn't helping." He shoots me a glare after his brief hesitation when he was speaking causing me to sigh. The hesitation told me enough, he was going to say something but ended up changing his mind. To what he was going to say, I have no idea this boy can be downright confusing at times.
"You'll get stronger, don't worry. But, I won't let you die in front of me. We are a team remember." Smirking I look away from him. Why I took joy in annoying him... I'm not really sure. This little comment seemed to calm him down some. Yet, as I glance to him from the corner of my eye I could still see the small trembling throughout his form. The scent of fear was thick right now. Though I myself am not exactly sure if I wasn't also one giving a nervous vibe. That ninja is strong. Stronger than I am. Yet a nagging feeling in the back of my mind kept telling me I should remember them.
Silence fell between us as Sakura just seems to look down. What could be going through her head? I wonder silently before seeing a shadow creep up and over us. My eyes widen looking up and seeing a huge snake. I stand suddenly catching their attention. Shoving my chakra into my feet I leap forward somehow in the same direction as Sasuke. Narrowly missing being chomped on by the snake as if I was dinner.
The snake then wound its way up a tree behind us before coming directly at us. Snakes, scaly, disgusting creatures. "Ahhh, No! Getaway!" I heard Sasuke yell desperately as he throws shuriken at the huge snake. Seriously? Something that huge shouldn't die from a couple of shuriken. But to my surprise, the snake fell back onto the branch unmoving… Huh? Wow, was I wrong.
Landing against the side of a tree, I keep myself in place with chakra as I crouch watching the snake. I can hear Sasuke's heavy breathing somewhere to my right. He wasn't exactly tired nor was he hurt. He was purely and one hundred percent. Afraid. "Sasuke." I speak calmly to him. "You need to calm down. Being consumed by fear will only allow irrational thinking which could get you killed in a fight." I remind him though I could feel my skin crawling with even the thought of that ninja. I may not be afraid to die. But, even I didn't walk away from that confrontation unscathed. His power… Am I afraid of it?
It was then the scales just below the snake's head began to crack. Slowly… Disgustingly... I found my eyes widening as I suck in a sharp breath. Snakes…. Could this ninja really be? If I wasn't about to be killed I would so smack myself for forgetting... "I sense your fear and desperation. It's only natural. The prey must never let down its guard. Not even for a moment." He says as he stands up out of the snake, covered in the inner slime and blood of the reptile. Blech… "In the presence of its predator." His voice became rather sadistic as his long tongue ran along his disgustingly snake residue-covered lips. If I had anything in my stomach, I think I would have just hurled. He then began to laugh mere moments before his body stretches like a snake as he winds himself up Sasuke's tree.
