"Oh? Then… Let me amuse you until you scream!"

Odd. Because of her words, it felt as though his heart had skipped a beat. It was strange. He knew the implication of her words, yet his body shivered with unexplained exhilaration. Her next action brought him back to reality. Though he had provoked her, it came as a bit of a shock when the Leaf kunoichi brought up her left knee. He reacted quickly, bringing up his right arm to block her kick, which had been aiming for his neck. His fingers had wrapped around her boot covered leg. Apparently, though, that was all the leverage she needed. The kunoichi lifted her other leg to kick the other side of his neck. It was predictable, though. With his other hand, he grabbed onto her right ankle. Because of his actions, she only moved her upper body towards him. She grabbed onto his hair and head butted him.

Seriously.

Mildly disoriented, Sasuke released the kunoichi. She crossed her legs behind his head, and then jerked her body back. Her movement pulled the Uchiha forward. While she landed on her hands, his head came crashing down. The collective gasps from Naruto and Sakura caused him to feel all the more embarrassed. The dark kunoichi unwrapped her legs, and then, whilst in her handstand, she kicked him hard in the back. Sasuke managed to recover easily enough, but not before rolling on the ground a few times.

He slid back, using his right hand to stop himself. His left hand gripped the hilt of his sword. Though she was a Leaf kunoichi, she was beginning to become annoying. In case unfortunate eyes were watching, he was going to fight with the Leaf ninja, almost completely overpowering them. Then, of course, Naruto would discover his second wind, as always, and pull off an incredible jutsu. He would endure it, and then pretend to be unconscious. That was the plan he had in mind whenever he met up with Naruto again. But this kunoichi… She was making a fool out of him.

Even now, she was giving such a smug expression. She stood to her full height and pointed a finger at him. Then she turned her hand, moving that finger back and forth, beckoning him to come to her. Sasuke frowned and slowly stood up. Leaf ninja or not, he would not feel too bad if he roughed her up a bit. Even if she was ignorant of the situation, he could not allow her to get away with treating him like an average ninja. Then again, he had underestimated her. Still…

The frown left his face, leaving an apathetic expression. He removed his hand from the hilt of his sword. That was the only warning she received. He tackled her, slamming her back against a destroyed wall. The impact of her body caused rubble and debris to fall around them, gathering a large dust cloud. Sasuke frowned again. What a weird person this was. Before her back hit the wall, she had wrapped her arms and legs around his body. Moreover, her head moved next to his. Because of that, her body received minimum damage. "Oi…" The Uchiha took this time to warn her. The smokescreen he had caused was good cover. "Stand down or you'll get hurt, replacement." She lifted her chin from his shoulder, tilting her mouth towards his ear. Sasuke could practically feel her small grin.

"Mmm... Sorry, Uchiha Sasuke…" she whispered. "You've managed to wound my pride. Can't have that. You understand?" He supposed that he had to agree with that. The kunoichi's legs slipped from his body. "Should we continue now?"

"What can you do in your position?" Sasuke questioned. "I literally have you against the wall."

"True, I am in a tight spot," she agreed. "But there's something that I'd like to call… Distraction, bitch!" She bit down on his earlobe. Sasuke's eyes widened as a weird sensation traveled throughout his body. He stumbled back as the Leaf kunoichi released him. He then jumped away, putting distance in between them. Sasuke tried hard not to cover his ear. He could not stop the shudder, though.

"S-Sasuke!" Naruto tried to get his attention. The Uchiha merely glanced at him. Well, actually it was more like a glare. The blonde's shoulders slumped, averting his gaze to the ground. "But… I have… something to..." Sasuke turned back to where he had left the kunoichi. The smoke had finally cleared, but he could not see her.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Great. Sakura was running towards him. He did not feel like messing around with her. However, when the pink-haired girl suddenly stopped, she had his full attention. She slid back her sleeve, revealing a senbon launcher. Almost glaring, Sakura pulled back the wires of her hidden weapon. Sasuke's lip twitched as his eyes shifted to red. His former teammate released her hold on the wires, causing the sharp projectiles to speed in his direction. However, he could clearly see the senbon with the use of his Sharingan. He could easily block or dodge them. However, when he reached down to pull out his sword, Sasuke was quite surprised to find it gone.

"Shit." Narrowing his eyes, the Uchiha jumped up, out of the crater, to avoid the long-ranged attack from his former teammate. Annoyed, he stared down into the large hole he had created. They were all accounted for. Sakura, Naruto, the pale one, and the older one. His tongue glided over his front teeth. That girl was missing, though. Where was she? More importantly, where was his goddamn sword? He had it before… confronting that girl—the replacement. "Damn it…!"

"Surprised by my ability?" Once again, Sasuke was in for a shock. Her voice was so close. She was right behind him. However, he could not sense her. Knowing she was there, and yet he was unable to sense her. Admittedly, that was quite an incredible feat. This was her ability. As if reading his mind, the kunoichi continued. "To be completely undetectable is something only my clan can do. I could be a professional thief, ne? It's too bad I like fighting, though. Have you realized I've taken something of yours?"

"Ah…" Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment. Despite the circumstance, he could not help but think the girl had a useful ability. Clan, huh…? He had not heard her name yet. The Uchiha opened his eyes, glancing back at the girl. To his chagrin, his own weapon pointed at his back. "Well… I suppose I have mistakenly wounded your pride."

"Indeed. Now, are you going to come quietly, Uchiha Sasuke, or will I have to make you scream for reals?" He did not answer. Instead, he used his speed to get behind her. A sharp gasp came from her lips. Before she could move, though, he had already grabbed a hold of her. His right hand gripped the top of her right hand, which held his sword. His left hand had grabbed her left wrist. She struggled a bit, but eventually stopped. He was stronger, and she realized that. "So… it's true what I found…? This isn't your capabilities—not truly. You're using drugs to achieve this giant boost. I'm a bit disappointed."

"Shut up," he told her. "The only reason I haven't killed you is because you remind me of someone… among other things." It was true. He would not—could not kill her because she was a ninja of the Leaf village. The Fifth would not take it too lightly if she found out about the death of one of her subordinates by her spy's hand. But also, her dark skin and blue eyes reminded him greatly of her. Ishikari Mayu. He wondered where she was right now. Out on her own mission with Hinata? He briefly wondered how Hinata's—and therefore, Mayu's—appearance had changed in three years. Mentally shaking his head, he shifted back to the present. The kunoichi in front of him remained still, waiting. "You're good," Sasuke complimented. "But I'm not going to let you slide either."

"Ooh, I scared," came the sarcastic response.

"You should be." It was then that he released his electrical current from his body. Because she was in such proximity, the kunoichi was overwhelmed with his defense. It was not as strong as it could be, but it still got the job done. Her body wildly convulsed before going limp. She fell over, body still twitching from the effects of his Chidori Stream. Sasuke dropped down, removing the sword from her hand. He looked around for a moment before discovering the sheath.

"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted at him. Mentally, the Uchiha scowled. He would apologize later… Maybe. Not likely, though. "This… is really… bad…" Naruto thought, restraining himself from biting his nails. His blue eyes darted around. Honestly, this whole time, he could not tell whether his best friend was acting or not. Of course, he believed in Sasuke, but… his actions and words were a bit… iffy. On top of that, he was treating Mayu as though he didn't realize who she was. Then again… Fighting had been their way of flirting with each other. Naruto wasn't that stupid. He had realized what the two were doing all those years ago. It seemed they both had gotten worse.

The Uchiha suddenly jumped down into the crater again. This time, he was in front of Naruto. He rested his forearm against the blonde's shoulder. His gaze focused elsewhere, though. He stared beyond, frowning. "You're still chasing me, huh? Don't you have other things to worry about?"

"Actually… Those other things to worry about involve you, too," Naruto replied. "Things aren't so good on this side." Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He did not like the sound of that. "After you left… a lot changed."

"You-"

"AH! Son of a bitch!" All heads turned in the direction of the annoyed shout. The kunoichi was on her hands and knees, glaring down at Sasuke. The Uchiha almost scowled. She should have been out for, at least, two minutes. Perhaps he used too little chakra. "Who do you think you are—Pikachu? Shocking me like that!" At her irritated and accusing words, Sasuke sharply turned to face her. The kunoichi stood up, rubbing her head.

"Pika… chu…?" Sasuke repeated. His lips parted as he continued to stare. He had heard this word only once before. It did not exist outside of one person. "What…?"

So, you know the Chidori now, huh? That means I can call you Pikachu, right?

I do not know what this Pikachu is, but call me that again and I will hurt you.

Fine, I'll stick with bird brain…

"Mayu…?" Sasuke thought. "Is this you? Really you?"

A punch to the face was his answer. The Uchiha recovered before he could completely fall over and shot his leg out, kicking the kunoichi away from him. Even though his foot caught her jaw, she smirked. This was definitely Ishikari Mayu. But her body… How did she-? Sasuke did not have much time to ponder that because the kunoichi rushed at him again. He dodged her right hook, and then the follow up left uppercut. She twirled on the ball of her right foot and kicked him with her right. The top of her boot smashed against his cheek, sending the Uchiha soaring. Mayu followed him, stomping down on his airborne body. The ground crumbled upon the impact of their bodies.

The others watched the two fighters roll around on the ground, only to stand and exchange punches and kicks. Most of their mouths were open. Sai blinked, noticing the grin on his comrade's face. The intrigued, impressed smirk on Sasuke's face was also noticed. His dark eyes turned to Naruto, perplexed by the situation. "Should… Should we help her?" he questioned. The blond winced, glanced at Sai, and then turned his attention back to the two.

"No… They'll stop flir—I mean, fighting eventually," Naruto murmured. However, Sakura heard his slip up. An incredulous expression crossed her face as she refocused her attention back to the two ninja.

"They're flirting…?!" she thought, barely holding in the irritated snarl.

Finally, Sasuke and Mayu jumped away from each other. The kunoichi never took her eyes off him as she panted. Her opponent didn't even appear tired. That almost pissed her off. However, she knew the reason for it. Still, his smirk pissed her off a bit, even if he was bleeding. Mayu inhaled deeply. She wasn't in too good condition either. "Not yet," she thought. She would only use that as a last resort. "Should I level the playing field then?" The kunoichi stared into his red eyes. But Sasuke was looking elsewhere. Naruto. He was looking at Naruto. Why? "Let's see what's got you so distracted."

0-0

"Okay, Naruto, tell me what's going on."

The blond stared, mouth open. The new arrival had surprised him. Stunned him, really. Then his eyes slid over to the large cage, which kept his demon at bay most of the time. The distance between himself and the cage had been previously occupied by the malevolent chakra, belonging to his inner beast. However, Sasuke had appeared out of nowhere and banished the chakra back into the cage, interrupting whatever his beast's words. A blond eyebrow twitched. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Naruto asked, turning his attention back to Sasuke. "How did you get into my head? How did you get so much stronger? And how the hell could you have done that to a demon?"

"That's not important," Sasuke stated, causing his friend to scowl. He begged to differ. "Answer me, Naruto. What did you mean when you said things aren't good on your end? Did something happen? Make it quick." He smirked. "I want to get back to sparring with Mayu. She's… gotten stronger."

"Could you not?" Naruto asked, flatly. "You look like you're about to lick your lips."

"Just tell me what's going on, Naruto," Sasuke said, losing his smirk. "What you said is distracting me."

"Er…" Naruto appeared hesitant on answer. "Something…" He rubbed the back of his head, looking elsewhere. Sasuke glared. "Well, there's good news. Mayu discovered her connection to the Ishikari clan. She even found the link between the Uchiha and the Ishikari clan like you wanted. That's why she has her body now."

Sasuke furrowed his brow. "That's really her then? And she landed herself on our team," he said. "I'm glad she managed to get her own body." He frowned then. "And the bad news?"

"Which one…?"

"What?"

The blond pressed his lips into a thin line. It was a relief to know that Sasuke still had the plan in mind. But the news that Naruto dreaded to give—that was another story entirely. More than likely, his best friend was going to explode. In his own little way. It would be awful. That was why Naruto felt reluctant in telling Sasuke about the little amnesia problem. He, himself, hadn't liked the thought of Mayu losing her memories. Sasuke was definitely going to hate it. Naruto had a feeling he would be blamed somehow. Perhaps it would be a good idea to beat around the bush and take this as slow as possible.

"Ah, so this is where you were?" A familiar voice caused both shinobi to sharply turn their heads towards the opposite side of the cage. Blue eyes narrowed. The kunoichi of Team 7 walked forward. She stopped a few meters away. Her arms were crossed over her chest. "Naruto." The blond flinched when her eyes cut to him. "Uchiha Sasuke." The red-eyed shinobi remained stoic, though he was surprised to see her here. "Something isn't right with this situation. Wouldn't you agree?" Mayu asked. "When I came here, I wasn't expecting you two to be having a calm conversation."

"Don't lump me in with him," Sasuke said. "Naruto gets angry all by himself."

"HEY!"

"Nevertheless, your Sharingan has developed to the point of coming here," Mayu remarked. "How have you come so far?"

"I could ask the same question," Sasuke replied.

"Oh, my clan has all sorts of tricks," she stated, lifting her eyebrows once. Then she narrowed her eyes, almost playful. The corner of her lips tugged upward. "Wanna see…?"

"Yes," he said, a slight drawl in his tone.

Naruto made a face and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. All of you are annoying." The sudden booming voice caught the trio's attention. Eyes darting towards the cage, they tensed in their wait for the voice to come again. "I don't like any of you—especially the Uchiha. Get out." The big red eyes of the demon came from the darkness of the cage, followed by the giant sharp-gleaming teeth.

"Kyu-Kyuubi-sama…" Mayu murmured, taking a step back. The snout moved. It was more like a twitch. For a moment, the glowing red eyes disappeared as if the demon had closed his eyes.

"I know this scent… You are Ishikari, aren't you? That would explain how you're here. Uchiha and Ishikari… Together again. What an unfortunate circumstance."

The kunoichi swallowed hard. The presence of the Kyuubi was, indeed, frightening. However, she didn't feel anything other than irritation. She couldn't even feel much of his chakra now. She closed her eyes, frowning. Really, she shouldn't feel this way. After all, the demon was trapped, unable to get out. Also, there was the added insurance of being able to alter things. With a nod, Mayu opened her eyes again. "Kyuubi-sama… I apologize for intruding in this domain. But my fight was interrupted because my opponent became distracted." A deep chuckle came from the cage. Then the eyes and teeth completely disappeared. His voice, though, echoed throughout the area.

"Intruding? I have been locked in this place for nearly sixteen years with absolutely nothing to do. Intrude my furry, red, ass!"

A surprised chuckle escaped Mayu's mouth. Hurriedly, she covered her lips with both hands. Still, the mirth still shined in her eyes. Suddenly, Sasuke became annoyed. His eyes narrowed at the cage, though he could not see the powerful demon. "Oi… Didn't I just get rid of you? How are you back?" he questioned. "I specifically trained to suppress you."

"And you must be so proud."

"Damn, Kyuubi-sama's not pulling any punches," Mayu commented, causing the Uchiha to glare at her. She didn't take her eyes off the cage. "Kyuubi-sama-"

"Do not brand me with that pathetic human name! I am not a pet!" A large gust of wind, along with a roar, came from the cage, causing Naruto and Mayu to shield their faces. Sasuke merely turned away, watching the cage from the corner of his eye. The kunoichi coughed out after the wind subsided. Her lip twitched in annoyance. "Hm… You're becoming angry. Tell me, are you upset, Ishikari?"

"You don't scare me right now, you overgrown ball of fur!" Mayu bit out. "This might be your domain, but as a Master Ishikari, this is my world now!" Sasuke turned his eyes towards the kunoichi. He could not figure out what she meant when she said that. "Don't test me!"

"Teh… This why I hate mind modifiers." A rumbling shook the room. "You're like that woman… Perhaps you would even surpass her."

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"You will." Another chuckle erupted. "It will be interesting to see your reaction."

"You-" The kunoichi suddenly winced. Damn. Four was too much. Sharply, her stare focused on the Uchiha. His eyebrows furrowed. "We're not done yet." Mayu extended her hand in his direction, palm towards him. "Get out. Now!" As if struck by an invisible force, Sasuke's body lifted from the floor and slammed against the adjacent wall.

0-0

The Uchiha's eyes expanded. He barely managed to suppress the gasp. He could not stop himself from quivering, though. "I was forced out," he thought. There was a dull ache in his head now. Sasuke watched as Mayu's gaze slowly returned to him from Naruto. Her hands separated from the ram seal and fell to her sides. "How far did you go with the mission, Mayu?" Finally, the shaking of his body stopped, allowing the shinobi to breathe normally. The ache in his mind had faded as well. "Change of plans… Orochimaru may be weak now, but it might not be enough if she keeps putting on a show. I'll have to end it now and take him on… Damn, I shouldn't have suppressed the Kyuubi's chakra." But he had been anxious to get back to sparring. Sasuke clutched the hilt of his sword, and then removed it from the sheath.

Using his speed, he appeared in front of the kunoichi. She would need to be unconscious for a moment. He had intended to knock her out with the hilt. However, that abnormally pale ninja appeared behind Mayu. Sasuke did not show his surprise, but he was. His Body Flicker Jutsu was good. Also, his guard against his sword was impeccable. Not many ninja knew how to successfully guard against his kenjutsu, especially at this angle. Instead of blocking against the sword, the pale ninja had stopped his wrist from moving. Impressive.

Mayu frowned, and then sharply swung her left elbow at Sasuke. He narrowly dodged the strike to his chin by pulling himself away from the shinobi behind her and leaping backwards, out of the crater. He stared down at the group of five. He could not say that he liked the way that pale ninja had stopped Mayu from following him. He had placed a firm hand on her shoulder. It made Sasuke's eyebrow twitch. "Sasuke-kun…" His eyes shifted to the one who had spoken. Haruno Sakura. Come to think of it, didn't Mayu announce that she was her replacement? If so, then why was she here with the rest of them? "Why don't you understand?!" The pink-haired girl shouted to him. "Your body—soon it will be time for Orochimaru to take it! Don't you get it? It means you won't exist anymore!"

Sasuke mentally sighed. As annoying as what her words implied, it meant that Naruto had not ran his mouth. But then what did he mean? Did he not tell the Hokage about it? The Uchiha doubted that. He had explained and repeated how important this mission was. There was no way Naruto screwed it up. So then where lied the problem? "Still thinking like a child, Sakura?" She did not take her eyes off him. "If it's for my revenge, I'd do anything. My brother must die. If it's my hand that deals the finishing blow, it does not matter who wields it."

"Enough talk." The older ninja of the group had spoken. "Naruto, Sakura, I had hoped not to injure him in front of you, but as it turns out, this situation is becoming too-"

"Captain Yamato!" Mayu exclaimed, interrupting him. "You don't have to get involved. Uchiha Sasuke… He is mine." Above, the young Uchiha's eyes expanded in surprise. He had to tell himself repeatedly that there was a different, violent, meaning behind her words. He hoped that the flushing of his cheeks was not visible to anyone. "I'm so annoyed. Now, I'll get serious." Serious…? She was holding back the entire time. Good.

"Che…" Sasuke scoffed. He should have known that there was something else up her sleeve. Fascinating. His body was trembling again as if excited about there being more to come. Before he could engage in another bout with the kunoichi, because honestly, he wanted to despite the situation, Sasuke sensed him near. Mentally, the shinobi shook his head. This was no time to divulge his desires. The more important thing was for everyone to return safely. Seconds later, Orochimaru appeared by his side. Perfect. Sasuke did not have to turn his head to know that he was there.

"Orochimaru!" Naruto shouted.

"Haven't you had enough fun playing with these things?" he asked. Like many times before, Sasuke had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Orochimaru's attempts to appear playful were about as effective as Kabuto whenever a bee appeared in front of his face. "I do hope you weren't planning on killing them." Of course not. The snake ninja had seriously believed that the more Leaf ninja kept alive, the more chances Akatsuki's numbers diminished. What a cowardly way of thinking. He had had enough of Orochimaru anyway. "Let's go now." Sasuke blinked, shifting his line of sight to the snake Sannin. The man had been useful for three years now, but his comrades had come to collect him. It would be rude to deny them.

"No, I don't think I will," he said.

Confused, Mayu narrowed her eyes. His response to his snake-like teacher didn't make sense. No? What had he meant by that? Her confusion increased when the traitor turned towards Orochimaru. She sharply inhaled when the Uchiha abruptly used his sword against his own master. Not the sword, per se, but the chakra manipulation of lightning condensed into a blade-like form, extending and plunging deep into Orochimaru's arms. Had he not defended, the older ninja would have taken the attack to his chest area. "Sasuke-kun just…!" Sakura couldn't believe it either.

"Just what the hell is going on?!" Mayu thought. Because the blade had extended, it had pushed Orochimaru a few hundred meters away. Not only that, but the kunoichi had seen the curse mark spread. A part of Sasuke's face had dark markings on it.

"Yosh…!" Naruto exclaimed. "I guess now's the time!" Not just Mayu turned to regard the blond with perplexity. Fortunately, he noticed the attention. "I guess I can tell you guys now." He grinned like a mischievous schoolchild. "Really, this whole time, Sasuke has been spying on Orochimaru for the Leaf! Their looks of perplexity turned into expressions of stunned surprise. Clearly, the news had shaken every single one of them. Slowly their focus returned to the top of the crater. "Yeah, this mission is for his extraction. Sasuke has always been loyal to the Leaf."

"No… way…" Sakura murmured.

"That's… kinda cool," Mayu thought, returning her gaze to the apparent spy. "Somehow, he did not become a traitor…" She narrowed her eyes, and then began to move towards the opening in the crater, where she had left her partner… and her long-ranged weapon. Once she reached her partner, she, without a word, removed her bow and a single arrow from her quiver. She would only need one, along with an explosive. Oh, yes. She would definitely use it this time. Peering around the corner, she spotted her target. Good thing he was still standing, having a conversation with the Uchiha. She wrapped the note around her arrow, near the sharp point. Mayu prepared her arrow and pulled the string back. "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."

"Sasuke-kun, y-you…!"

"I've wanted to tell you this for a long time, Orochimaru. Do not call me that. It sounds creepy," Sasuke retorted. The Sannin groaned as blood ran down his arm and dripped from his elbow. The young Uchiha glanced out of the corner of his eye. Expectedly, she was gone again. He hoped she would not do something as stupid as appearing behind Orochimaru. He was weaker than he was before, but that did not mean she could take him on. Especially since she had already fought against him. Then again, she did admit she had been holding back the entire time. Was it weird that he wanted to see what else she had to show? Sasuke returned his full attention back to Orochimaru. "I never had any intention of sacrificing my body to you. Like hell I'm going to give my body away to someone weaker than me."

"Big words… coming from the last of the Uchiha."

Sasuke smirked. Had it been four years ago, he would have reacted negatively to that statement. However, he was older—wiser—and things like that did not get to him anymore. After all, the world would be replenished with Uchiha sometime in the future. Like nineteen more. Whether Mayu knew it or not. "You know something… What I learned before I came to you is that the last, in anything, is actually so much stronger, so much better, than what the world thinks. To the world, perhaps you are legendary, but... we, the last, are from a new generation. And we're going to rise above the previous generation." Then Sasuke saw it. The projectile heading towards Orochimaru appeared to be going slower in his eyes. The others most likely couldn't see it because it was moved so fast. Damn, Mayu. His girl had gotten so good.

An arrow lodged itself into Orochimaru's side. He seemed just as surprised as everyone else. His eyes sharply turned towards where the arrow had come from. The snake Sanin wasn't the only one to spot Mayu slowly returning her arms to her sides. In her left hand was a black bow, blatantly showing that she had fired off the arrow. She grinned, showing her teeth. "Duck soup...!" Duck what...? Without warning, the left side of Orochimaru's body was blown to pieces, including his arms. Sasuke jerked his Chidori infused sword back.

"Nice, Mayu. Still as brutal as ever," he thought. Still, even an explosion wasn't enough. Orochimaru seemed paralyzed by the attack for only a moment. Then, out of his mouth came a slimy snake Sanin. Admittedly the Body Shedding technique was useful—as it allowed the user to regain any lost appendages—but it was somehow… revolting. Like a snake, Orochimaru slid completely out of his skin. Sasuke pointed his sword at him again. "Give it up. This is the end for you. I already know that jutsu of yours drains your chakra considerably."

"Y-You Uchiha br-brat!" Orochimaru's voice rasped.

"I won't show you mercy even if you beg," Sasuke stated.

"Now what is this?" A voice questioned. He knew it well. It was Kabuto. A second later, the glasses-wearing ninja appeared in front of his master. "I knew that one day you would betray Orochimaru-sama, but I didn't think that was your intention all along."

"Don't think of it that way. Rather, you should think that I was never loyal to him or his whims in the first place." Kabuto narrowed his eyes, causing Sasuke to smirk. He never really did like when anyone insulted his master, especially an arrogant Uchiha. Many times Sasuke sensed that Kabuto had wanted to strike him whenever he had disrespected Orochimaru. He hadn't, though. After all, Orochimaru's prized possession couldn't be hurt. "So… You want to die alongside him, is that it?"

Kabuto glanced back at the haggard Sanin. He was in no position to do battle. Surely, he could keep the others at bay with some help from Orochimaru, but Sasuke was dangerous. By his hands alone, both he and his master could die here. Not to mention that girl—the one that could attack from a distance. It was twice now that he could not see or prevent her arrows from getting to his master. It would be better to retreat and plan later. However, judging from Orochimaru's expression, the great ninja wanted to keep his next vessel. That wasn't good. When he awoke from his unconscious state and escaped from the clone of Orochimaru's experiment, this was not the situation he had expected to find. Honestly, this was most unexpected. He had not once had any suspicion of Sasuke doing something like this.

"Seems like you're in a tight spot," a voice commented. Kabuto's eyes grew wide in surprise. He sharply turned his head to the right. Standing near the edge of the cliff was the girl who had shot Orochimaru. He hadn't sensed her presence at all. When had she appeared in that spot? She was a safe distance away from both he and Orochimaru, and Sasuke. "Do you think it'd be best to retreat?" For a split second, her blue irises seemed to have a glow. "You should leave." Kabuto froze.

"What was that?" he thought. A cold sweat formed above his brow. "For an instant, my body…" Behind his lenses, Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "Just who are you?" he questioned out loud.

"I'm sure a scientist of your caliber would love to know. But I'm not in the habit of revealing details to those who like to experiment," Mayu said. She tilted her head to the side. "Now, retreat with your master before you die here." Again, her eyes seemed to glow for a fraction of a second.

"Orochimaru-sama, we must retreat," Kabuto stated. He turned and placed a hand on the Sannin's shoulder. "What?! I can't control myself!" he thought. Before Orochimaru could protest, Kabuto used a teleportation jutsu, which caused himself and his master to disappear. "What was that…? Mind control jutsu…? But I didn't see a seal. Nor did she exert any chakra. Who is she?"

Meanwhile back with Mayu, she had dropped to her knees as soon as the two enemies disappeared. "Damn… That was only a few seconds and I feel like this?" she thought. The kunoichi squeezed her eyes shut. "Looks like I need to train more with that ability. The next time I see Mitsuo, I'll ask more questions."

"Mayu, are you okay?" The concern in his voice made the kunoichi furrow her brow. Slowly, her eyes met his dark ones. Uchiha Sasuke slid his sword back into his sheath. The mark receded from his face. He frowned. "You're bleeding." Mayu dragged a finger under her nose, smearing the blood on her fingers. However, her gaze did not drift from the young Uchiha. He walked over and knelt in front of her. To her surprise, his fingers lightly touched her cheek. Something inside jerked at his touch. "This is your face, isn't it?"

"Eh? Ah, yeah…" Admittedly, Mayu felt uncomfortable. The familiarity she felt freaked her out a bit. Hinata had told her that Sasuke and she had been friends. So then… If this whole 'Sasuke is still loyal' thing was true, did that mean she had affected him? How? To what extent? She stood up, and Sasuke followed her actions. Still, he remained in front of her.

"I…" he began. He moved closer. "It's about time you two came for me. I was seriously thinking about leaving on my own to come back." The corner of his lips tugged upward in a slight smile. "Aren't you going to welcome me back, Mayu? You promised."

"Promised…?" Mayu repeated.

"Yeah," Sasuke said.

Again, his face moved closer and closer until his lips pressed her against hers. The kunoichi was so stunned that she couldn't even make a squeak of surprise. Kiss. He was kissing her. Uchiha Sasuke was kissing her. This feeling he brought about was new—entirely foreign. Well, she had been kissed before, but he had considered her a sibling and vice versa. However, this was different. Too different. Uchiha Sasuke pressed harder against her, even softly grabbing the back of her neck with his hand. She couldn't understand his sudden display of affection. So, what would Ishikari Mayu of sixteen do in this type of situation?

Sucker punch the mofo.

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