A/N: So, exam week is coming so next week there will be no new chapter, so sorry that this probably ended up in a cliffhanger but there was no other place to break it of so...
Chapter 65: Disastrous divergences
The words that were just said didn't really make sense.
No, it was more like Naruto didn't want them to make any sort of sense.
Glancing at the other people within the room made it clear that everyone's mood had drastically changed. As much as he'd love to be wrong, the blond had heard what the kunoichi who'd barged in the office while they argued for a better mission was correct.
"...right. Team Kakashi, I will tell you your new assignment." Even Tsunade-baachan was serious as she spoke now. "You are to go immediately to Suna, find out what the situation is, and relay it to Konoha...after that, follow their orders and back them up."
"Hurry and repack; prepare for dry and unforgiving weather." Kakashi-sensei adapted his orders in a heartbeat.
With a nod, Naruto dashed out of the room.
Picking out what he needed to add to his backpack was probably done without as much thought or consideration as it should. But honestly, right now, worry was eating his rationality. Other than adding the bare minimum, there wasn't much he could do anyway since most of the clothes still within his apartment were either outfits he'd bought during his training with Ero-sennin or his old clothing that was now too small to wear. Still, he just couldn't bring himself to throw it away. Kakashi-sensei was probably taking all that into account anyway; his old teacher knew him well enough to pack for what the whole team would end up needing.
The sight of the busty blonde and Iruka-sensei accompanied by the perverted sage waiting for them at the gates wasn't something he expected to find as he landed, though.
"Yo! Going on a mission, eh Naruto?" Jiraiya greeted him with a grin. "More importantly, Tsunade, something terrible has happened. Suna's Kazekage..."
"I know...I'm about to send three guys off to there now." The old hag nodded his way.
And like that, Ero-sennin rushed to whisper something to the Godaime's ear before gesturing for him to move closer. Secrets...again.
"Be careful when it comes to Akatsuki," he said, throwing an arm around him.
"They've got something against me, so...this time, I'm coming after them." Determination gave his words a firm quality.
"Yeah, you've gotten stronger and all, but...when you feel as though you're about to lose control get a grip on yourself, or you'll mess up." White hair covered his face for a moment while the man shook his head. "Becoming too hot-headed too fast is your bad habit."
Fingers trembled as he closed his hands in a fist.
He knew that already.
And he knew the consequences of losing control all too well...
Even if he hadn't been aware, the number of times he woke up still feeling the warm crimson dripping from his hand would've been enough for him to remember...because as much anger and hurt as he went through about those two lying to him, Naruto didn't want them dead. Finding the truth behind their actions was what he wanted to confront them about. Later, he could probably try and see if their bond could be healed or not, but that wasn't what would happen if the Kyuubi wrestled control over him once more. His fight at the Valley of the End was proof of the kind of ending he would get because she could've died...had Kagome been a part of any other family, she would have died and had the girl not intervened when she did, and Sasuke had been the one taking the hit...
"Naruto, look, I know you know it, but..." Ero-sennin shook his head before changing the topic. "Anyway, be careful; you shouldn't use that jutsu either."
"I know, I know," Naruto scoffed.
As if he didn't have enough things to be frustrated about, the jutsu he'd spent so much time trying to modify and improve ended up being too dangerous for him to actually use.
"Kakashi! Make sure Naruto doesn't do anything stupid!" With a loud laugh, the old man let go of him and pushed him to where his teacher and Sakura-chan had been waiting at. "He's all yours."
"Yeah."
"Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, let's get a move on!"
Forcing a grin to his face, the blond began to run, ignoring his new teammate's shout for him to hold on.
Keep on moving. Naruto had to keep on moving and stop thinking about things that would only make it harder for him to be useful and help Gaara out. His training had made it painfully evident that whenever either of his childhood friends came into the conversation his own emotions became harder to control. And while he hadn't interacted much with the pinkette outside of direct training since his return, Naruto clearly remembered the sort of opinions she had about them both. Better not to test how much his meditation held when he was about to set off.
The faster he was moving, the faster he could actually do something to let out his repressed tension.
Spiraling thoughts continued to consume him, even as they stumbled into Temari on their way, barely paying any attention at all when Kakashi-sensei explained the situation to the Suna kunoichi and readily agreed on traveling together. His messed-up feelings towards the missing heirs simply morphed into ire at the memory of black cloaks and crimson clouds.
Somehow, it almost felt like all of his problems could be traced back to Akatsuki.
Itachi's reappearance as a member of that group was the thing that caused the most visible change in the survivors of the Uchiha massacre. For whatever unknown reason, it was Akatsuki who was hunting the jinchuurikis. And now, Gaara who had to have done his damnest to make amends, who'd have to have fought tooth and nail to be recognized and finally managed to become Kazekage, had been attacked.
"Naruto...just because I said to hurry, you shouldn't split up the team," Kakashi scolded him, speeding up to reach him. "Don't get so heated...didn't Jiraiya-sama just tell you that?"
"...I can't stand it!" Anger bleed through his voice. "You still don't know, do you, Sakura-chan?"
It was technically against his orders.
There was a reason why Iruka-sensei had made sure to explain to him why his situation had to be kept secret. The only reason why all of team 7 had been in the know was that he'd lost control of the demon back in Wave, and neither of his former teammates was the sort to just nod and let the issue go. Ideally, this should remain a secret.
Secrets...
Again, things were always fucking secrets.
Naruto was done with all these secrets, at the very least, with the people who were supposed to be part of his team, he would not hide the truth. Those who were meant to have his back needed to know because as much as he hated to admit it, they could be in danger if the fox managed to steal control away from him. Before Kakashi-sensei managed to try and stop him, it wasn't like Temari wasn't aware of it; she'd been there for his fight against her brother.
"Inside me...is sealed the demon fox, the Kyuubi." He didn't look back; he didn't want to see her reaction. "Me and Gaara, because we have monsters contained in our bodies...that's what they are after! That's what I can't stand! Just seeing us as beasts, I can't stand them looking at us whatever way they feel like!" He should probably shut up; this was not helping anyone. "He and I are the exact same...and he was fighting...he was lonelier than I was!"
Less than a couple of weeks after coming back had been more than enough for him to understand just how empty the village felt. If this was what it felt when his former classmates were being a little bit more open to him, and Hinata-chan would sometimes bring food for him after it became evident his feet kept bringing him to the Uchiha compound...Naruto didn't even want to imagine how his childhood would've been had he been entirely alone. No, maybe Gaara's situation had been even worse since his own family had been terrified of who he was. Isolated despite having people right by his side.
"He was targeted by Akatsuki, just like I was before! Why is it always him alone that has such a harsh role?! Always him alone?!" Naruto was outright yelling at this point, and he didn't really know to whom. "That's why?! That's why I won't just sit around asking why! This time, for sure, I want to save him!"
Silence followed his statements.
He didn't bother to slow down.
Village secret or not, right now, he couldn't give less of a crap. He'd agreed and kept silent about his own situation, but he just couldn't keep quiet now that it felt like this unfairness was spreading all over.
"Naruto..." Pity stained Sakura-chan's voice. "...you've gone through a lot, haven't you?... Uchiha Itachi, you're his target."
That was not a question.
"I wasn't just training these three years. I was looking through Tsunade's notes; I researched outside as much as I could." She sounded confident. "The enemy Sasuke-kun wants to kill...it's really his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, isn't it? A member of Akatsuki."
...she didn't know him.
Haruno Sakura didn't know Uchiha Sasuke.
And yet, here she was, spouting all of this as if she'd been one of the Uchiha's closest friends. But the sullen genius scoffed and groaned each and every time the pinkette attempted to get close to him. There were a lot of memories that Naruto could pick out as prime examples. She didn't have a clue, not about Sasuke and not about Kagome either, but he could hear her judgment in her voice all the same.
Right now, he didn't feel confident in just how much the blond knew them himself anymore, but at the very least, he knew them better than the fangirl who'd been constantly ignored. That was the one certainty he had.
"I am soo sick of this fucking sand." Suigetsu's complaint sounded almost like a whine.
"Oh, did you get the water?"Juugo, on the other hand, sounded entirely unconcerned.
Learning how to disregard anything that wasn't useful was one of the first lessons she'd been taught as a child. Knowing how to discern what needed to be paid attention to and ignore any and all distractions was essential when a single mistake could be lethal. And there was no way the Uchihas would allow their pretty little piece to die because of a rookie mistake. Higurashi Kagome had learned how to keep focused on her tasks pretty early on in her life.
"Here." Still, she needed to be somewhat aware of her environment. "Why the fuck did it have to be me?"
"Well, we are taking turns, and I was the last to go out, so..."
"I know that! But's it's dry as hell out there!"
Shikigamis were probably one of the most helpful jutsus Kagome could've picked to learn. Able to move in a similar way to the typical clones but not requiring the constant chakra output, they allowed her to spread a wide network around her. More importantly, it gave her an immediate connection and control over the paper dolls she deployed at any time she wanted to. The more shikigamis she tried to control, the more focus she needed to be able to gather the information the girl needed, and this was the first time she attempted to consciously use this many at the same time. Honestly, the amount of information she was receiving was enough to give her a headache.
"Tch, how much longer is this going to take?"
"We can't really rush this, though."
Not the east area either; she was closing in on them.
If the shinobi from Suna planned on being involved, then it would be time to send them a preemptive message, so they could begin prepping. Or potentially rush the antidote to Sasori's poison. Momentarily abandoning the scouts, the Higurashi moved to the ones she'd stationed around the Hidden village. She wasn't sure who'd taken command in the Kazekage's absence, and the more politically involved shinobis would probably waste too much time if they were to receive her message. The brother would have to do. Looking for the puppeteer's chakra signature, she froze, the connection almost breaking. Because there, rushing to the center of the village, were three auras that were awfully familiar; in fact, one of them had been a constant in her life for years on end.
"Kagome?" Sasuke's voice brought her back to her body.
Curses ran through her head as their two tag-alongs fell quiet.
Of course the Uchiha was still paying attention to her while ignoring the other two. He'd watched over her often enough to be able to notice the slight differences in her posture, there was no chance she could fool him, and Kagome could feel herself begin to panic.
For the last three years, the girl had made sure to keep away from the topic of their childhood friend. Forgive and forget wasn't something that was taught in the Uchiha household. The teen wasn't one to let go of his anger that easily, least of all when he took offense on her part. Rage simmered within Sasuke. For her part, Kagome couldn't begin to decide what she wanted or even could do about Naruto right now... telling the blond the truth remained out of the question, and there was no way Sasuke would keep his cool and let the prankster vent out his hurt and frustration.
"Did you find them?" Suigetsu asked.
"Not yet...it shouldn't take too long, though."
"You found something else." Dark onyx stared at her.
It wasn't a question.
"It would seem Konoha's reinforcements have already arrived in Suna. They're probably on their way to get debriefed."
"That's who they asked for help?" The former Kiri nin scoffed. "Bit shameless; I mean, didn't they attack them just a while ago?"
"Who?" Sasuke didn't let himself be distracted.
"Haruno Sakura..." With a sigh, Kagome gave up the two remaining names. This would not be pretty. "Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto."
She could see the moment anger began to swirl inside him.
Other than the night of the Uchiha massacre, the girl couldn't think of any other moment of their lives that Sasuke hated more than the time when she fell in the Valley of the End. Had his nightmares changed to include the sight of her bleeding and growing cold as she fell into the water? She couldn't blame him, not really, but it didn't mean the Higurashi would be happy to sit back and watch him attack their childhood friend.
"Sasuke," Her toe was soft, wary. "You know it wasn't his fault."
"Is that supposed to make it better?" His dripped poison.
"That wasn't what I meant, and you know it."
"He's dangerous!" Kagome closed her eyes at the volume increase.
"I know how to handle him now!" Raising her voice wasn't something she liked, but she had to. "It won't happen again!"
Vaguely, a part of her noticed the concern filling the former Oto experiments' stance on the background. It wasn't that she and Sasuke never disagreed with each other, but they'd learned long ago how far they could push one another and what kind of issues the other wouldn't budge. The pain that came with screaming and yelling wasn't worth the relief of letting anger take charge. And Kagome could tell Sasuke would not back down...but neither would she.
She couldn't.
Allowing those two fight back when they left had been a mistake. Kagome should've never let the fight start, no matter what, let alone get that far. This frayed mess of a bond that still tied them together was her responsibility. And the young Higurashi refused to fail again.
"What do you even plan to do?!" Preaching forgiveness would do her no good, but she could still push his own conflicted feelings. "Stop our hunt so you can go and get a hit in?!"
"If that's what I have to do!"
"Look me in the eye and tell me you actually want to kill him!"
"I want the beast away from you." Rough fingers traced her cheek; his voice was obviously strained.
"You are not attacking him." And he could not change her mind.
"Or what..." Old fears were driving this; she would bet on that. "You'll turn against me?"
"Oh, don't be stupid," she scoffed, her hand coming to hold his. "but I will stop you."
"He's...!"
"He's not the Kyuubi!" She stepped back, frustration fueling her actions. "He's Naruto, just Naruto."
Back when they were adrift and drowning in their loneliness, it had been the village's outcast who helped them survive. It hurt to know Kagome herself had damaged what they'd once had. Naruto was once such a warm little light during their darkest days; the last thing she'd ever wanted was to cause him pain. But even then...that light paled when compared to how much Itachi's presence drove away the dark...and Kagome wanted it back. She couldn't give that up. No matter what, the girl had to sacrifice in the process. It wasn't right, but the craving to get back what had been lost just wouldn't stop.
And yet...there was a difference between necessary sacrifices and stupidity-fueled masochism.
"I will deal with him."
She would not back down. Not from this.
"You think he'll...!"
"Let me handle him," Kagome cut him off. "Let me handle me or tell me you really wish him dead."
"That's..." At last, Sasuke trailed off, his anger clashing against his own attachment.
"Can you even use his name when you talk about killing Naruto?"
A grunt was his only as he moved forward; a bruising grip on her chin had her looking up as his lips fell on hers with a wave that almost felt like violence. Frustration and anger bled through the kiss as he pulled her closer despite her own fingers closed in a painful hold on his hair. He would relent. She knew it even as he demanded entrance to her mouth. Desperation flowed between their twisted bond, laced in fear, and Kagome could only respond to it with her own undeniable need. Pain and pleasure intertwined as his hands traveled down her body, leaving marks that wouldn't last in his wake as he searched for reassurance. A promise that she'd come back alive to him. And she swore the oath with silent desperation. Because if letting the jagged edges of their bond cut into her until blood filled the gaps would make it so falling apart became impossible, the girl would happily see the pool of intermixed crimson as she made sure to cut just as deeply into him.
If his wish was to consume her, Kagome would return the favor.
Ragged breaths overlapped as the need for air forced them to pull apart.
"Please..." she gasped. "Please, just let me deal with him."
"...if there is one scratch on you..." Sasuke finally relented with a sigh.
"There won't be."
Or the consequences would be too much for her to try and control.
As much as she'd insisted on forgiving their childhood friend, Kagome knew deep inside her that had their positions been reversed, had it been her who'd been forced to watch him come so close to death... the girl wasn't sure she would've been capable of ever seeing the blond the same way again. Just the thought of it forced a freezing chill into her bones. Could she have brought herself to stop had she believed Sasuke would not stand up again?
Tracing the Uchiha's face for a second before pulling him into her once more and forcing those thoughts away. This was not the time for her to become anxious.
With a soft push, the girl cut their contact short. Right now, time was of the essence, already she'd lost too much with their argument. Her head had to be clear if the Higurashi wanted to have a chance to navigate the political and personal mess they had in front of them, lust would not help her the right decisions.
"Juugo," At last, she acknowledged the presence of the others inside the cave. "Can you be a dear and pass me some ink and paper?"
Awkward coughs came along the sounds of the gentle shinobi hurrying to obey her request. Despite herself, a soft laugh escaped her. It was painfully evident those two hadn't been sure of whether they should go ahead and leave or if there would be a need for them to intervene if things got out of hand. And while it wasn't the first time they'd witnessed some of Sasuke's usual jealousy-fueled displays of affection but there was a massive difference between those and what had just transpired.
The Uchiha let go of her to allow her to write down the note but refused to move too far from her in what she knew was a way to try and calm down his own fears.
Unnecessary, Kagome thought, as she re-read the words because no matter what happened, there was no way for her to walk away from him. For so long, the two of them had been tied together that to part was just impossible, that the path they were walking now descended into an abyss made no difference. She'd been drowning in him from the very beginning...just like Sasuke drowned in her.
When it came to the types of worries as a jounin sensei experienced, team compatibility was always high on the list. Sure, any half-decent shinobi would eventually need to learn how to adapt and work well with anyone, not letting emotions sweep them into making a blunder for something as flimsy as whatever feelings they had towards their teammates. Kakashi, however, had never been concerned about it. After all, there wasn't a single person within the village who didn't know the three orphans who'd been unceremoniously dumped in his lap were thick as thieves. The next common worry, training basic skills, also ended up being inconsequential to him; since the brats were almost obsessed with training. No, instead, his worries came from not knowing how to handle two different blood limits and figure out a way to help control a caged demon. Back then, the Copy ninja had thought his fellow teachers somewhat lucky, just throw a bunch of D-ranks to uncooperative genins, and eventually, the meaning of teamwork would stick. Far easier compared to his own load.
Listening to the civilian-born kunoichi latch on to the mention of Sasuke's name and all but completely disregard the heavy emotional secret Naruto had confessed to was making him change his mind. Team compatibility was far more troublesome than she'd thought.
At least, he supposed, the presence of the aged Suna kunoichi that attempted to kill him after he took one step into the greenhouses helped to divert back the conversation to what was supposed to be confidential information. Somehow, it felt like his past was out to get him all over the place. The whole assassination attempt was far easier to deal with, however, considering that it didn't have the added risk of having the blond jinchuuriki losing his temper.
Ignoring said pain in the ass' insistence on discussing highly protected village secrets, Kakashi tried to focus on the more imminent crisis.
He needed to find a way to find out what his former student's next movements would be.
No, not both of them.
There was no chance in hell the idea of sending the Higurashi heiress as the only vanguard would ever be something Sasuke came up with. Especially not when doing so wasted the very evident opportunity of quietly following the Akatsuki members all the way to their hideout and forcing them to hole up. The decision to try and help the Kazekage was all Kagome's and Kagome's alone. It would likely be her strategy they would be following, so if he could only figure out what her next moves would be, then there was a chance he could stop this from becoming a worse disaster.
Once upon a time, the idea of having those three kids be the ones facing this next fight would've been something he'd sought; as of now, however, having those three being in the same space was the last thing he wanted. Already, he'd had to stop Naruto from all but jumping on Kankuro after recognizing that the brown mouse that brought the information on Gaara's location was not a summon but a shikigami.
Kagome should know, though, she should know that placing Sasuke and Naruto near each other would undoubtedly end up in a fight. If her actions were motivated by just her wish to help Naruto, then there would be no more intervention on their part...which was nothing more than wishful thinking. At the end of the day, the Higurashi girl still agreed to leave the village so they could look for Itachi; she wouldn't let go of such a rare opportunity to get some valuable up-to-date info. It would only be her then. The blond jinchuuriki was sure to still harbor some guilt; hopefully, that would be enough to keep Naruto from going overboard. Knowing her, Kagome was counting on it...it would likely work too.
Would she try to interfere with the fight or just show up at the end?
Depending on the answer to it, he'd need to make sure he could intervene too. Because Kakashi refused to fool himself into thinking Haruno would happily agree to call a truce and fight side by side with the same person who all but publicly humiliated her during her first chance to make a strong impression.
"No one can control such power beyond the ability of men." Chiyo-sama's voice finally broke his messy train of thoughts. "I've yet to know why Akatsuki attempts to acquire such power...it is too dangerous...well, even through times of peace, the ages shift on. I've heard that all tailed beasts are scattered across the world."
Ahh, he was currently ignoring the fact that Haruno most definitely did not have clearance to access the kind of information the old Suna kunoichi was freely spewing. And yet, he could already feel the headache this mission's paperwork would bring with it. With or without his former students' reappearance...
"Everyone, halt!"
No...forget the headache...this all promised to leave him with his head splitting up.
Because right in front of his little ragtag group stood the one person who held the key to most of his current problems, there was no mistaking the crimson eyes that once left him in a coma.
"Who?"
"This guy...those eyes..." Right, Chiyo-sama was old enough to have encountered the sharingan before.
"Uchiha...Itachi."
Fuck...
Not one of his current team members had even once trained to fight a regular sharingan, let alone one wielded by the best prodigy the clan had ever produced. After that pathetic encounter, he'd made sure to up his own training in an attempt to avoid a repeat performance Kakashi should be able to be something more than a practice target this time around...as long as his hand wasn't forced to protect anyone else.
"Itachi..." the old lady trailed off. "Ho, this is the child who killed his entire family?"
"It has been a while." Calm and uncaring, the Uchiha spoke as if they were no threat. "Kakashi-san...Naruto-kun."
"You bastard." The blond's irritation was already rising. "Not just me, but even Gaara? I'll beat you all down!"
Were all his missions doomed to go to hell whenever it involved his students?
"Everyone, don't look directly at his eyes!" Kakashi barked his orders. "It's dangerous!"
"Well..." Sakura-chan glanced at him. "What should we do?"
"Judge his movements from the movement of his body and feet." Gai's tactics were effective, but they were not easy to use. "Itachi's genjutsu is an eye jutsu; in other words, it's a vision type. You'll be fine if you avoid eye contact."
From what he knew, not one of the Sannins ever specialized in genjutsu, and neither had all that much appearance when it came to fighting illusion experts, not of Itachi's level. Neither of the younger nins would be all that dependable since their teachers wouldn't bother to get into as specialized as anti-sharingan tactics. Chiyo-sama's experience could prove helpful, but he had no idea how much the old lady had left.
"That...sounds difficult."
"Hm, the Uchiha clan." The Suna kunoichi was wary but not scared. "It's been a long time since I've fought a sharingan...well, there's no need to be overwhelmed; there are many tactics for fighting the eye jutsu."
"What should we do?" Naruto asked.
"If it's one on one, surely flee." This was clearly the voice of experience talking. "If it's two on one, take the rear."
"What do you mean?"
"If it's two on one...even if one is caught in the genjutsu, there's one more to go behind the opponent if they hit the real body, then the genjutsu is unraveled. Even if that's impossible, they can help their partner by canceling the illusion themselves. That is, if there are multiple opponents, one person can divert...and the other can move behind the sharingan's blind spot and attack." And that was why for all of their disadvantages, Suna nins were thought of as insanely efficient.
"I see."
"Yeah, the old hag is useful!"
"Well...that's alright for a normal genjutsu level, but in this case, it will be a little more troublesome," Kakashi said, stopping the others' impromptu planning.
"What do you mean?"
"He uses an eye jutsu that surpasses the original sharingan, the mangekyou sharingan." Diving through the Uchiha library and archives had helped more than he'd expected in figuring that one out. "If you are struck by it, his genjutsu can affect you in an instant. There is no canceling the effects of it."
"A troublesome person..." Chiyo trailed off. "What in the world is he?"
The crux of all of his problems, right about now.
Because regardless of whether the teen had killed his clan on the village's orders or not, this man was definitely willing to sacrifice his own former compatriots for the sake of whatever goal he was pursuing.
"That's Kakashi-san for you." Itachi nodded at his explanation. "That after having been affected by my Tsukuyomi just once."
"That's not all; after you used that eye jutsu, you became weary and immediately left the fight." Not that he'd seen that for himself. "Besides the fact that it requires a considerable amount of chakra, it also presents a great risk to your eyes as well, doesn't it, Itachi?"
"Well analyzed," if the teen could sound just a little more surprised, it would be nice. "Given that you only fought me once..."
"Itachi, how far has your eyesight deteriorated?" Kakashi cut him off.
For once, the boy's posture betrayed shock. He'd love to say arrogance was evident in how the Uchiha thought his secrets wouldn't be unveiled, but even with his own borrowed eye, Kakashi had had a hard time figuring it out. Infuriating as it was, all of Itachi's titles had been well earned.
"Kakashi-san, impossible, you..."
"Well, last time, I was unprepared, but I'm not like that this time." Or so he hoped. "This won't go the same as it did before."
"If you think it'll be the same as well, you're making a huge mistake!" Naruto yelled from behind him.
"Naruto, I'll handle him."
"If I don't get to fight again, where's the teamwork?!"
"No, this time, I want you to cover me." Arrogance would not be of any use to him now. "I really want to say hurry ahead brashly, but even with me as his opponent, I can't handle him by myself."
Familiar motions placed a blade in his hand as he lowered himself, pooling chakra on his feet to prepare to rush forward. The first would not land. But if he could keep the attention on himself, then the others would be less likely to be caught in a genjutsu. If he could only...!
Chakra exploded on their side.
A water dragon rushed at them all. Crashing onto the ground with enough force to make a small crater on the rock surface. And as his eyes caught sight of the form standing on top of one of the many rock formations around them, the Copy ninja wasn't sure whether to curse or try to knock himself out.
"It really seems like all my plans just keep falling apart...then again, this might turn out to be somewhat useful," Higurashi Kagome said. Her azure eyes were locked on the black-cloaked figure. "Does finding a silver lining during a storm count as good or bad luck, I wonder?"
A/N: And here we are, Kagome is somehow managing to keep kinda calm, but things are definitely not going to get any less tense or dramatic. Honestly, no one is going to have a good time here at all, plans just keep getting derailed for pretty much everyone here, but hey, that's what makes a story fun, right? In any case, this is definitely gonna have some consequences later on, and I'd say I'm excited to get to the next chapter but...yeah, exams leave me with little time. Too much reading material and projects at the same time are not a fun combination.
As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.