A/N: ...Was there something wrong with the last chapter? I didn't get even half the amount of reviews I usually do. It may seem picky but the sudden drop seemed odd and reviews do mean an awful lot to me. Does it need to be rewritten or changed? :/ Please let me know in a review.
Thank you to the lovelies who did review; MyutsuChey3X (congrats on the longest review so far xD I loved your long review and enjoyed your Fishy Week story :D), WhisperInTheRain (Thank you very much :) I'll keep your preference in mind!) and my anon's Bella (thank you for your dedication! I know it's a long story! :)) and Naruto-Lover (Oh dear Quizilla xD I really need to take that down! And thank you! I'll see what I can do! :D). This update is for you!
And of course to my dear friend cutiekyoto, your PM's always brighten my day. :)
Update: Gack! I missed out most of Sakura's scene . *Head-desk.* Gomen, gomen, I was ovetired. It's fixed now thanks to Kyoto-chan pointing it out :')
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, it wouldn't be anywhere near as successful as it is.
Claimer: OC's and all material not in the original anime and manga are mine.
Eien no Shasai
(The Edited Version)
Chapter 18;
Hebi ni Kamareta Kizu
Snake bite
It can take time for the venom to show its true effect.
-x-
"Nanidesu ka? Sasuke!" Kari cried in disbelief, trying to snatch the scroll back but it was held out of her reach. The Snake-like enemy smirked deviously, as though this had been planned all along.
"Sasuke! What are you doing teme? Why would you hand our scroll over to the enemy, dattebayou?" Naruto shouted.
"I see... very smart. The only hope a prey has to escape from a predator, is to offer a different meal," the Kusa-nin hissed in a mockingly sweet tone.
"Take it," Sasuke grunted, tossing it towards the enemy without a moments hesitation, ignoring the dropped jaw and the confused gaze of the girl next to him. But before the scroll covered even half the distance between the enemies, Naruto has grasped the scroll in his hand mid-leap and landed close to Sasuke.
"Teme! You don't understand the situation!" Sasuke roared in frustration. "Stay out of - !"
But before Sasuke could finish, Naruto's fist had slammed into the Uchiha's jaw hard enough to draw blood, the fury on the blonde shinobi's face almost feral.
"What's come over you all of a sudden?" Sasuke shouted once he had managed to flip himself over a branch and ready himself again.
"I forgot the password… So I can't make sure of this but, you're a fake Sasuke aren't you?" Naruto said darkly.
"What are you talking about, ahou? I've been with Kari the whole time. I am the real Sasuke!"
"Liar..." Naruto growled.
"Naruto, wha-what are you saying?" Sakura cried in alarm.
"The idiot and coward I see in front of me right now can't be the Sasuke!" Naruto declared. "I don't know how strong he is, but there is no guarantee that he'll let us go even if we do hand over our scroll! You're the one who is scared, who doesn't understand the situation!"
"Sasuke… Naruto…" Kari said sadly, looking between them. She felt exhausted and drained. They needed teamwork right now, not to be arguing amongst themselves. They couldn't fight the enemy unless they worked together, didn't they learn anything from fighting Zabuza. Her knees quaked slightly and she resisted the urge to slide into a sitting position.
She knew she couldn't fight this enemy alone.
"Naruto-kun," the Kusa-nin chuckled and pulled itself lethargically to its feet. "You're correct" it agreed, its eyes widening as its tongue lolled out of its smirking mouth to wet its smirking lips. It pulled up its sleeve to reveal an odd black tattoo twisting around its wrist. Peering closely, Kari thought it looked a bit like a snake. "Maa... I'll just have to kill you all to take the scroll." All of them immediately went on high alert as the enemy bit its thumb, piercing the skin and drawing up a bead of blood. Then the Kusa-nin ran the blood along the tattoo, giving the impression of a sliced vein.
Expecting an attack,Naruto shot forward kunai in hand. Kari immediately followed, flanking his right.
"Naruto! Kari! Iie, run!" Sasuke ordered desperately, legs bending as though preparing to chase after them, but feet glued firmly to the branch.
"Don't underestimate us! Damnit I've lost faith in you Sasuke!" Naruto cried as he jumped up and prepared to attack from above.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
The wind kicked up from the force of the attack sent the two flying through branches and trunks in opposite directions, the cries from their team-mates lost in the howling wind. Kari was slightly distracted by large splinters of bark becoming embedded in her skin and was a second too late in avoiding the large snake summon's scaled tail.
"What a tasty little meal you'll make for him. Careful he likes to play with his food" the Kusa-nin teased gleefully as it watched Kari thrown winded into another tree, the tail changing course and aiming for Naruto now instead. Kari didn't have enough reaction time to think of assisting Naruto, before the boy himself was sent hurtling towards her at high speed and sending her through branches and branches until her back collided with a thick trunk, Naruto's weight trapping her against it.
"Itai..." Kari grumbled as she felt the burning pain spread across her torso and bitterly wondered if it had already began to turn purple and green. She grabbed hold of Naruto as they began to slide, but the pain of trying to hold Naruto's weight while sticking to the trunk with Chakra was agonising and her Chakra was disrupted, causing her to unstick from the wood and for them both to hurtle down towards the snakes waiting jaws. For a moment she saw Sasuke step forward and felt hopeful he was finally coming to their aid. But the disappointment when he turned his head away from the scene made her physically want to vomit in disgust at his behaviour.
"Kari-chan!" Naruto shouted. "There's no way we can let this snake eat us!"
She felt the odd yet strangely familiar sensation of burning through her veins as her survival instinct kicked into overdrive and her Chakra surged, numbing the pain from her previous injuries and filling her with adrenaline. She felt her teeth sharpen against her tongue and her fur stand on end as they got closer.
"Let go!" Naruto exclaimed and seeing his plan perfectly, with all the strength she could muster, she somersaulted in mid-air and flung Naruto down towards the giant snake. The whiskered boy roared a battle-cry as his foot smashed into the snake's nose, forcing the jaws shut on it's tongue. She landed a moment after him and felt satisfied to see the shock on the Kusa-nin's face.
But she thought it was their skill that had surprised the enemy. Not the feral changes in their faces and the flares in Chakra. Not the blazing red that had bled into their irises and given them the eyes of the devil.
Naruto's fist followed his foot, claws digging into his hands as he bared his teeth like a beast. The snake seethed and hissed in pain, slitted eyes glaring manically at the ants on it's nose.
Kari caught sight of a familiar fire seal and grabbing Naruto around the middle, leapt of the snakes nose as the flames followed them, engulfing them at the extent of their reach. Naruto growled at the burns, but Kari was still too adrenaline-filled to feel them, ruby eyes staying focused on her enemy.
"Sasuke-kun! Now it's your turn!" the Kusa-nin cried in delight as the snake turned its great head and shot towards Sasuke like a bullet. "What will you do?"
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed as Sasuke yelled in fright. Kita trembled beneath the bush she was hiding under, eyes closing tight as she waited for the fight to finish.
Inches before the snake reached Sasuke, Naruto and Kari had managed to intercept, bark splintering beneath their feet from the force. Kari's claws were embedded in the snakes nose as she held onto the scales and held them still, biceps and calves trembling from strain. Chakra hummed beneath her feet as it stuck to the branch to keep extra leverage.
"Hey..." Naruto mumbled, kunai and claws also holding the snake back, he lifted his head to stare Sasuke in the eye. "You alright... Scaredy cat?" Oh how the tables have turned. The Uchiha looked to Kari and caught her looking at him out the corner of her eye, her aura oozing disappointment. "There's no way you're the Sasuke I know..."
Kari flinched when she noticed a long slimy tongue wrap around Naruto's middle before it lurched him upwards. Without hesitation, she rushed up the snakes nose, racing to his aid, ignoring Sasuke's cry not to.
"So the Kyuubi brat is alive and the Chakra overflows when your emotions are heightened? Interesting."
She was too late.
As she reached the snake's forehead, the Kusa-nin had already finished his final handseal and thrust his hand into the strange pattern on Naruto's stomach. She barely heard Sakura's screech over Naruto's agonised scream. All rational thinking flew out the window as in a rage, Kari lurched forward into attack.
Sakura manage to stop Naruto's fall with a nicely timed kunai and pinned his jacket to the nearest tree trunk. But now Kari had lost all reason and Sasuke was still in that frozen sense of fear. She had to break Sasuke out of his daze, Kari couldn't fight that monster alone!
"Sasuke-kun!" she bellowed and his anxious eyes turned to her. "Naruto may be clumsy and can get in the way... but he and Kari-chan... at least they're not cowards!"
Foolish otouto,
If you wish to kill me, then hate, spite!
Survive pathetically.
Run, run and cling desperately to life...
"Iie!" Sasuke shouted, twin-tomoe Sharingan blazing in both eyes. The Kusa-nin smirked at the sight and ducked under another of Kari's vicious swipes, black hairs sliced halfway from the narrow miss. In a single seal, the snake summon disappeared in an explosion of smoke. "Kari!" at the sharp command and the lack of fear she jumped back, blazing eyes assessing the Uchiha and smirking when she noticed the return of his normal fighting spirit. She charged in again, swiftly darting out the way of the projectile weapons he threw as he flung himself towards the battle. "Drive the enemy back!"
The Kusa-nin was surprised as she managed to keep up his movements and intercept drastic changed in direction. She was frighteningly fast for a child, her inhuman Chakra supporting her body as she drove him back further and further.
"Duck!" the Uchiha cried and she shot down and back as projectiles shot past the Kusa-nin's head. By chance, he caught sight of glinting light.
"String? This... This is the Sharingan Sofuushasan no Tachi!" the Kusa-nin gasped. But before the third windmill could take off it's head, the Kusa-nin caught the projectile in it's mouth. "Hehe... too bad..." But Sasuke's smirk was far from worried.
"Katon! Ryuuka no jutsu!" Sasuke said with the end of a wire between his teeth. Sending a jet of fire along the wire, directly towards the enemy's face. Kari landed beside Sasuke on the branch, just as the enemy's head was set alight, the piercing shriek as it clawed at skin and put out the flames. It finally managed to, the skin on it's face burnt and sore, practically melting from it's skull.
"To be able to use the Sharingan so well at this age..." the Kusa-nin wheezed with absolute glee. The melted skin revealed another layer underneath, smooth and marble white, a yellow eye lined in purple. "You truly are a man that carries the Uchiha clan's blood. Just as I thought... I want you."
Kari's lips curled back as she let out a feral snarl, ruby eyes gleaming brightly as she stepped in front of him, muscles twitching in anticipation of attack. She was wheezing from the earlier damage as her Chakra began to falter, but she was prepared to fight to the death to protect her comrades.
They flinched as they felt their bodies freeze again as Kari's growl continued to vibrate through her chest.
"Sasuke-kun! I had fun testing your powers. You really are brothers. I sense power in your eyes that surpasses Itachi."
"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke demanded, the desperation creeping back into his voice.
"Ore wa Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then survive through this exam," Orochimaru said as their scroll burst into flames in his palm. "Half of the Oto participants will come to test you on the way."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Sakura cried. "We never want to see your face again!"
"Hehe..." Orochimaru made a handseal. "It won't go that way." The next thing they knew Orochimaru's head shot forward on a snake-like neck, fangs bared as he shot for Sasuke.
Time seemed to slow and speed up all at once. Their bodies were frozen and helpless the same as before and Sasuke's eyes shut tightly in preparation for the hit, his courage once again threatening to flee in his moment of helplessness.
But as the moment passed he felt no contact.
Opening his eyes hesitantly he felt his breath all leave his body as his eyes widened in horror. Kari had intercepted at the last moment, the kunai still embedded in her thigh from where she had struck herself to free her body of paralysis.
Orochimaru's lips were closed on the point neck meets shoulder, beads of blood sliding from beneath the bite.
"Can't... have him..." Kari croaked as the forest swam before her eyes, distorting and beginning to bend as the venom started to sink into her system. As the pain from the bite began to numb, all at once the most indescribable burning pain shot through her system like millions of microscopic white-hot needles piercing her skin and shooting into her nerves.
"K-Kari!" Sasuke and Sakura cried in alarm as she began to scream, Orochimaru retracting his fangs as she collapsed to her knees, a black mark beginning to form where she had been bitten.
"Hmm, nice try."
Before Sasuke could rush to her aid, he felt the rush and sting as he was bitten too. His body went rigid as he first felt the numbing sensation and sank to his knees, Kari screams seeming distant to his ears as though they were miles away. He only managed to focus on her for a moment, where it seemed she was bleeding everywhere as she writhed in pain, before the burning sensation shot through his system overloading his senses. He clutched his neck where the pain seemed to be at its core and felt the screams rip themselves from his throat too.
"Sasuke-kun will seek me," Orochimaru stated as his neck retracted. "To seek power." He glanced at Kari and smirked. "I suppose there's no harm in having a little wolf-pet at my disposal. You are such an interesting little creature after all."
"What did you do to them?" Sakura screamed as she tried to help both her team-mates at once. "Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan! Sasuke-kun, hang in there please! Kari-chan... Kari-chan!" Kari's screams died as she lost conciousness and Sasuke followed soon after, still gripping Sakura's hand in agony. "N-Naruto! Sasuke-kun and Kari... they... they..." Sakura said as her eyes filled with tears.
"Sakura-chan!" Kita cried, managing to get up onto the branch. "We have to gets them somewhere safe!" She pawed at Sakura's dress demanding her attention. "What's wrong with Okaasan, Sakura-chan? Who was that nasty person? I... I'm scared..."
The pinkette hadn't heard so much of the cubs speech before, but realising she wasn't completely alone gave her a little strength. She stood, preparing to fetch Naruto and wiped her eyes.
"I... I'm scared too Kita-chan. But if we stick together, we'll be okay..." Sakura said, trying to sound reassuring. She sniffed and felt her eyes water in helplessness as Kita tried in vain to wake Kari.
-x-
"Daijoubu?" Kita questioned as Sakura laid a fresh flannel against Sasuke's forehead.
"Hai, Sasuke-kun still has a strong fever but his breathing has returned to normal," Sakura explained. She glanced at Kari but thought better of mentioning her fellow kunoichi's condition. Kari had progressively worsened since the fight and though Sakura had patched her up as best she could, it seemed Kari's breathing only became more strained as the hours passed. There was barely any colour left in her face. Sakura silently prayed that she would pull through for the remainder of the exams so she could get to hospital and receive professional care.
It wasn't long before Kita fell asleep tucked into Kari's side and Sakura felt herself desperate to follow suit as her eyelids drooped repeatedly. She struggled to keep herself awake. The hollowed tree root she found may give shelter, but it wasn't safe.
She was jumpy and couldn't get rid of the feeling of being watched. She flung a kunai at a squirrel and jumped at the slightest breeze. Miserably, she urged even one of her team to wake so she wasn't alone anymore.
"Hehe... up all night?"
Turning, Sakura's eyes widened in horror at the three Oto-nin that had attacked Kabuto before the first test. They hadn't a scratch on them while she was dirty and bruised and clearly on the verge of keeling over from exhaustion.
"We want to fight Sasuke-kun and the other girl from your team. Wake them for us," one of the boys ordered and Sakura gripped her kunai tightly.
"Wh-what are you talking about? I know someone called Orochimaru is pulling the strings from the shadows! What is he planning?" Sakura demanded shrilly. "What are those weird marks on Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan's necks? You did this to them... and now you want to fight?"
"Hmm, I wonder what he's planning..." the one with the bandaged face and fur on his back mused.
"But hearing that we can't let you go. I'll kill this girl, then the other one, then that Sasuke guy," the other boy said smirking darkly.
"Wait Zaku," the bandaged boy orders. "You're not very good. A recently overturned stone, different coloured dirt, grass doesn't grow here... A booby trap. It's pointless unless it goes unnoticed."
"Pft, so that kunai was to stop the squirrel setting off the trap."
"Maa, since we have no use for the girl... kill her."
As all three jumped forward, Sakura released her second trap, cutting a wire and releasing a giant log to swing towards them. But just as Sakura thought the log would squash them flat, the bandaged one placed his hand on the log and it exploded into splinters.
"Frankly speaking, you have no talent," he stated as Sakura gasped in shock at her last trap being so easily defeated. "People like you have to work harder. Weaklings like you shouldn't mess with people like us."
As Sakura's eyes filled with tears as she began to lose all hope, a great gust of wind twisted between her and the Oto-nin blowing the enemies away.
"Konoha Senpuu!" Lee landed in front of Sakura, stance ready and the previously abused squirrel resting on his shoulder. "Then you guys should also work harder! Ore wa the beautiful green beast of Konohagakure; Rock Lee!"
"W... Why are you here?" Sakura asked.
"I will always appear when you or my darling apprentice Kari-chan are in trouble," Lee replied valiantly.
"Well, arigato..." Sakura said, wiping away her tears. "You saved me."
"I said it before... That I will protect you until I die," Lee reminded gently. (Internally cheering on behalf of himself and Gai-sensei of course.)
"Oh well... Zaku, you can have Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan. I'll take care of them," the one with the bandaged face stated. Sakura tried to throw a kunai to stop the incoming attack but it was easily dodged. Lee thrust his arm into the ground and dragged up a tree root to block the attack.
"There's some trick to your attacks right?" Lee said, seeing the oto-nin's surprise. "I'm not going to simply dodge it since I've seen your attacks before." He began to undo the bandages on his arms and his usually light-hearted expression turned grave. As the Oto-nin approached he appeared beneath him and kicked up, striking underneath the bandaged jaw. "It's not over," Lee said as his bandages unravelled to trap the enemy in a cocoon.
"Dosu! He can't protect himself like that, he's in trouble!" Zaku cried in alarm, hands working into frantic seals.
"Take this!" Lee cried as they began to rapidly spin. "Omote Renge!" But as the enemy was ploughed into the ground, Lee couldn't help but feel something was awfully wrong.
"Phew, looks like I made it in time," Zaku sighed in relief, hands buried into the ground in front of him.
"What a terrifying technique..." Dosu groaned as Lee gasped in shock. "Such damage even when landing on sponge dirt... but now, it's my turn." Lee struggled to dodge Dosu's swipe but flinched when his vision distorted. "If your moves are at high speed, then ours are at the speed of sound. I'll show you a wall that no amount of hardness can surpass."
Lee fell to his knees and threw up as blood started to trickle out of his right ear.
"Lee-san!" Sakura cried desperately.
"There's a little trick here, you can't just dodge against my attacks. It's sound. Even if you dodge my fists, sound will attack you. Do you know what sound actually is? Vibration. Hearing sound means that your ear drum is catching the shaking of air. The human ear drum will break by sounds exceeding 150mhz. Deeper in the ear lies the inner ear membrane. When this is damaged you lose your balance. Hehe... you won't be able to move your body properly for a while."
"Lame old Taijutsu won't work against us," Zaku added smugly. "Well, you were doing well and forced me to use my jutsu. But of course you failed. I can freely control supersonic sound-waves and air pressure. I can turn a rock to dust. Blasting air into the earth and creating a cushion is nothing. Ours are different from your stupid techniques."
"Alright," Dosu said turning his attention to Sakura. "Now you!" he cried charging towards her.
"Konoha Senp - aaagh!" Lee cried, cringing in pain as the world twisted around him.
"This arm multiplies small sounds produced to their ultimate level!" Dosu cried as Lee blocked his arm. But he couldn't protect himself from the ringing sound-waves. "You could say it's like a speaker. But the sound-waves don't follow the direction of the arm, I use my Chakra to always make sure I hit my target!"
"Lee-san!" Sakura gasped as Lee cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
"Now, let's finish this."
"I won't let you!" Sakura cried flinging projectiles to try and stop Dosu performing the finishing blow, but they simply bounced off his metal arm without leaving a scratch. She threw more but Zaku just blasted them back at her and as she raised her arms to protect herself, Sakura felt her hair tugged back roughly.
"Much more silky than mine, pft, trying to be a pretty ninja? If you have time to work on your hair then train you female swine," the Oto kunoichi sneered. "Hey Zaku, why don't you kill that Sasuke boy in front of this boy-chaser's eyes and teach her a lesson?"
"Heh, good idea!" Zaku said strolling forward and pulling out a kunai in preparation. Sakura grabbed at the dirt, unable to stop the tears from flowing. She craved Naruto's courage, Kari's inner strength, Sasuke's intelligence, Lee's self belief... But she would lose every last one of them if she didn't do something!
Grabbing her last chance, Sakura caught hold of the kunai just within her reach.
"That won't work on me," the Oto kunoichi scoffed. But Sakura just smirked, her tears drying.
"It's not for you."
Without hesitation, Sakura sliced straight through her prized cherry locks. The hair she had grown out of love these last years so Sasuke would notice her. With nothing to hold her hitai-ate in place, it slid and clattered to the ground. Kin stumbled with the loss of leverage, the pink stands still clutched in her fist.
I've always considered myself, to be a true ninja… I claim that I'm madly in love with Sasuke-kun… I'm always lecturing Naruto acting like I know so much more… I see Kari-chan as a friend, an equal, thinking that because I know more, that I was more experienced, that I'm stronger… But it's all empty words; because they're always in the lead. Sure, Kari rushes back now and then and encourages me to keep up, but I'm always watching them from the background.
Why is that?
No matter what, those three were always there, protecting me. And Lee-san… you did more than just say you liked me, you proved it. We're not even team-mates and you put your life on the line for me. All this time, you've all been teaching me something…
"Hey Sakura-chan!"
Naruto…
"Sakura-chan!"
Lee-san…
"Ne, cheer up Sakura-chan!"
Kari-chan…
"Hn."
Sasuke-kun…
It's about time I learned the lesson.
Sakura stood, fists clenched and proud. This time, she would do the protecting. This time, everyone else could look at her back while she risked her life. It was time her debt was repaid.
"Kin! Kill her!" Zaku shrieked but Sakura used Kawarimi to escape, bursting into smoke as Kin rammed into her, piercing her with senbon. She flung projectiles at Zaku, racing in from the right.
"Pathetic! Thanks for the present, hope you don't mind if I return it! Zankuuha!" As expected, Sakura disappeared and a log appeared in her place. She came from above this time, hands already forming signs. "You really wanna keep playing this, because I got news for you I'm not falling for it! But if you insist!" He flung three kunai towards her, than began looking around. "Ok, so where are you gonna go next?"
Zaku was startled by a drop of blood falling onto his face. "Nani? No way!"
Sakura flew into him, knees smashing into his chest while stabbing the kunai into his arm as he blocked his face. with her hands tied pressing him down, Sakura used her teeth to try and hold his other arms down. "Let go of me!" he roared hitting her over the head again and again, but she wouldn't budge. She knew if she let go it would be the end. If she just held on, maybe one of the others would wake up. Maybe Kita would have been able to find help. She held on even when blood trickled into her eyes and from her nose.
Just a bit longer... A little longer...
But finally, Zaku managed to throw her off.
"You brat!" he growled, hands outstretched but he faltered when three new figures appeared in front of Sakura, blocking her from him.
"Pft, more weirdo's have appeared," Zaku sneered.
"Ino?" Sakura murmured, taking in the familiar platinum blonde ponytail of her rival. "You... what are you doing here?"
"Sakura I won't lose to you, I've already told you that," Ino said, holding tight to Chouji's scarf as he tried to crawl away.
"How touching," Dosu mused. "But aren't you forgetting something?"
Sakura spun around in horror, mint green eyes scouring the hollowed tree roots. Only two bodies lay in place of the previous three.
"Iie!" Sakura screamed trying to barge through team eight but she was held back, stopped from rushing back into battle.
The oto-nin smirked as the advantage was once again literally in their hands.
"Kari-chan!"
Thoughts and feelings?
Good, bad, improvements?
And also, opinion on whether last chapter should be re-written?
Review please :) thank you.