A/N: Hello and merry Christmas holidays to you all! I hope yours is wonderful so far and you weren't an idiot like me who spent it in A&E after falling over on the stairs. -.- Be careful and practise safety! My exams are too soon T-T it may be that this is the last update before Christmas, but if you're really nice and leave me lots of reviews I might pull away at staring frustratedly at my textbooks to write up a chapter for you. Thank you to those that reviewed :) I might put up a 5 review minimum for an update.
The beautiful reviewees; CookieKrisp, narutonarutolove (seriously? I worry the fight scenes are awful xD), Naruto-Lover, MyutsuChey3X (Of course I will update when i have lovely reviewers like you :) I've heard good reviews about that anime/manga, I'll check it out when I have time :) I hope your sister gets better soon!), Rez Ball Kicks Grass, Bella, Koori Shirayuki and GuitarGirl1418 (THANK YOU :'D I think thats the most lovely review I've had in a while :)!)
And of course the wonderful cutiekyoto, who reminded me to put Sakura's scene in the last chapter :)
Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine there would be some lovin' by now.
Claimer: Masashi Kishimoto-san does not own this story.
Eien no Shasai
(The Edited Version)
Chapter 19;
Shishi o Mesame
Waking the Beast
Its dangerous to creep past a sleeping dragon,
But it's not until you poke it in the eye that you're in real danger.
-x-
"This is getting tiring," Kari grumbled, annoyed at having been wandering around lost in the seemingly endless darkness. Her hands had yet to brush across an object and her feet were cold from the shallow water that sloshed against her toes. She had come to the conclusion she was in a dream, seeing as she felt funny in a way she couldn't describe and after walking for hours one would expect to have reached either light or a wall by now.
When the water splashed behind her she immediately turned, but trapped in the darkness, she couldn't see what had caused the noise. Carefully, she went to investigate. But as she reached where the noise had sounded there was another splash behind her in the place she had started.
"...Konnichiwa?" she asked feeling a mixture of nervousness and exasperation. She wasn't in the mood for mind-games. The splash sounded from her right this time and a childish giggle immediately followed before silence pressed on her ears again.
Frustrated, Kari sat down, grimacing as the cold water sank into her clothes.
"I'm not playing," she stated, in hopes of her tormentor revealing itself. The giggle sounded close to her left and tiredly she stood, wandering left. As the splash sounded slightly diagonal to her she raced towards it, but again met air.
"Argh, I don't like this dream," she said reaching up and pushing her bangs out of her eyes. Then she saw a pinprick of light in the direction she was walking. "Progress?" she dared to wonder, ears pricking hopefully. She set off at a jog, just in case the phantoms of her dream were planning another trick on her. But to her surprise, the light rapidly grew until it swallowed her whole.
-x-
"Sasuke?" Kari asked uncertainly. She didn't trust this dream either, the air was all gold and hazy like poison gas. She walked closer to Sasuke's back and gave it a sharp prod. She felt relieved at the glare she received as he turned his head. At least dream-Sasuke was like normal Sasuke.
"What are you doing? Where are we?"
"You're the one in my dream, aren't you supposed to know?" Kari asked nonplussed. He raised an eyebrow at her and she frowned, confused at everything.
"We can't be having the same dream and have awareness of it being a dream," he stated and she huffed. "It's not Genjutsu either."
"It feels like a dream, I just came out of a black void. Genjutsu feels sort of real, but this... doesn't," she said, looking at him hopefully praying he understood her logic.
"Hn," he grunted and she scowled at the the lack of confirmation. Peering round him, she squinted at a black blob.
"Who's that?" she asked, pointing ahead of them.
"Okaasan and Otousan... Didn't have to die..." the boy sobbed.
"That... That's me..." Sasuke said stepping closer for a better look.
"You were cuter then," Kari stated. Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. "You're upset?"
"In the end, if you don't have strength, you can't do anything.."
Both of them flinched as gory images flashed of butchered corpses.
"The clan was wiped out... everyone was killed..."
In his numb shock, Sasuke was faintly aware of Kari gripping his arm so tightly that it hurt.
"You let them die... All you did was watch..."
"What the hell is this? Sasuke!" Kari hissed, tugging on his shirt sleeve anxiously. "What is he talking about?"
"My fault..." Sasuke murmured. "All my fault..."
He was distracted by a sharp pinch.
"You know full well it was your brothers fault!" Kari snapped in a harsh whisper. Sasuke stared at her confused and she grabbed hold of his shoulders, forcing him to face her. "You were a kid! You couldn't fight a murderer when you were just a child!"
"If only you had strength..." the child version of Sasuke smirked and reached for the skin over his eye, pulling it down to reveal a yellow eye lined in purple.
"Urusai!" Kari shouted and the child-Sasuke smirked wider. She felt a tickle around her ankles and then suddenly some odd goo like substance was swarming up her body like black fire.
"Kari!" Sasuke cried in alarm grabbing hold of her wrist as she began to sink. It latched hold of her like black tentacles trying to drag her arms under, her waist already under the goo. "Kari!"
He seemed surprisingly vulnerable to her then. He had that childlike fear in his eyes again as her hand began to slip through his fingers.
"Don't! Don't let go!" he urged, she was chest deep now, her other arm weighed down by the thick black muck.
"Don't worry Sasuke!" she said, trying to keep the tremors out of her voice. "I'll be okay, this is just a nightmare! I'll be right beside you when we wake up and I'll be just fine you'll see!" He only had hold of the tips of her fingers now and it was fast travelling up her neck.
"Kari! Don't leave me here!" he shouted, the word 'alone' choked on as his pride got in the way. His usually strong and calm façade was destroyed by his moment of weakness, just like before when facing that snake-man Orochimaru but to a lesser degree. This fear was not of death but of a frightening life.
"I'm your team-mate baka tori-atama," she said feeling tears sting her eyes as the goo crept over her cheeks. "I'll never leave you!"
"You won't?" he murmured weakly.
"Promise! You... you promise too!" she said as it went to cover her eyes and mouth.
"Promise..." he said and cried out as she was ripped from his grasp and dragged back into darkness.
"Kari!"
-x-
"Good job Dosu," Zaku said smirking, lifting the limp girl out of his comrade's arms. He then turned and slammed her back into a tree. Her head lolled forward on her limp neck. "Come on ko musume, time to wake up!" Despite Sakura's scream, Kari didn't react.
"Tch, sleeping beauty looks too perfect. Mess her up Zaku," Kin said scathingly, shooting a dark look at Sakura.
"You almost sound jealous Kin. Her screams should wake Sasuke up don't you think?" Zaku said smirking. "Wake-y wake-y," he pulled out a kunai and held it to her cheek, causing a sliver of blood to run from the broken skin. Zaku's smirk faded into a scowl when she didn't stir. Deciding on a more violent approach as he instead slowly plunged the kunai between two of Kari's ribs.
"Yamete!" Sakura screamed. "She's unconscious! She can't defend herself!"
Irritated at the lack of reaction, Zaku moved down a rib and stabbed her again. "Wake up shimatta!" he cried, becoming angry. He pulled out the blade and stabbed her again, then came to her wound. A devilish smirk came to his face. "This should get your attention," he said maniacally as he placed his kunai in the gash and twisted it sharply. Kari's brow furrowed as she frowned slightly in her sleep. "What's wrong with this kid?" he snarled. Why won't she wake up and scream?
"This is sick..." Shikamaru muttered, but the distance was too big for them to act. If they attacked, Zaku would slit her throat before they could get to her.
He moved his bloody kunai to her shoulder and slid it down her arm, tearing her skin and leaving a trail of blood in his wake until he reached her palm. He then repeated the gesture with her other arm, leaving her mangled and bloodstained. "Don't look so perfect now do you?" he seethed. "Are you dead or somethin' eh? Wake the hell up!"
"What the hell has she ever done to you?" Ino raged. "She's a defenceless little girl!"
"Ino!" Choujo hissed as he tried to scramble away, Shikamaru holding him fast by his scarf. "I don't want to die! I mean, what are you thinking? These guys are too dangerous we'll be eaten! Shikamaru! Shikamaru let go of my scarf!"
"I know, it sucks. But we men can't just leave now Ino is out here," Shikamaru stated.
"Sorry to get you guys involved, but we're a team, we share the same destiny," Ino said with a small smirk.
"We'll get through this somehow," Shikamaru agreed with a lazy grin of his own..
"Tch, you can run if you want to fatty," Zaku sneered. Chouji froze and straightened up.
"What… did that person just say? I couldn't hear him too well…"
"Those words are taboo for Chouji…" Shikamaru mumbled with a worried look in his friend's direction.
"If you want to you can run away, you fat ass!" Zaku repeated.
From where she sat Sakura couldn't help but feel that Chouji was like an exploding tag and Zaku had just lit his fuse.
"I'M NOT A FATASS! I'M BIG-BONED!" Chouji bellowed veins bulging out of his skin with rage. With a blast of Chakra he prepared himself for a fight. "HOORAY FOR BIG-BONED PEOPLE!"
"Yoooosh! You understand that this is a war between Konoha and Oto, ne?" Chouji cried, fire burning in his eyes.
"Man, this is going to be troublesome…" Shikamaru sighed, not sharing in Ino's delight in Chouji being extremely pissed off. Sasuke let out a long painful groan, attracting Sakura's tear filled eyes back to him.
"Sasuke-kun" she whispered, worried about his pain. His right hand had shifted slightly to wear Kari's side had been moments before. Sakura bit her lip and looked back to Kari desperately.
"Sakura." Ino said sternly, catching the anxious kunoichi's attention. "You look after those two and we'll get Kari-chan back." Sakura nodded reluctantly, putting trust in her old friend. "The Ino team is going to go with everything they have!" Ino cried confidently. Chouji shouted his approval while Shikamaru discreetly rolled his eyes. "Formation! Ino!"
"Shika."
"Cho!"
"Go for it Chouji!" Ino cheered.
"Yosha! Baika no jutsu!" Chouji cried, his torso expanding into a large ball. "Konoha style Taijutsu!" Chouji's arms, legs and head disappeared into his body, creating a perfect sphere. "Nikudan Sensha!" With a jump, Chouji started spinning rapidly, hurtling towards Zaku.
"What is this jutsu? It's just a fat ass rolling," he sniggered. He glanced back at Kari, who had a slither of blood running from the corners of her mouth. "I'll get back to you later…" he whispered, grabbing the front of her shirt and tossing her to the side. "Zankūha!" Air shot out of the holes in his palms with the force of a tornado, trying to push Chouji back. He increased the air pressure but instead of shooting back Chouji shot upwards. Realising his attack was useless, Zaku watched helplessly as Chouji shot down towards him. Dosu ran forward to aid him as Zaku managed to dodge at the last second.
"Ninpou; Kagemane no jutsu!" Shikamaru cried, managing to catch his enemy's shadow and stopping him in his tracks.
"My body!" Dosu cried, realising his paralysis. Dosu was shocked as his arms moved over his head into a monkey like pose.
"Dosu? What are you doing at a time like this?" Kin asked, she gasped noticing Shikamaru in the same pose.
"Ino, now it's just the girl," Shikamaru said, twisting his hands and watching Dosu's do the same.
"Yosh! Shikamaru take care of my body" Ino said confidently. Shikamaru made a bored grunt of acknowledgement. "Ninpou; Shintenshin no jutsu!" Ino cried only to slump into a dead faint a moment later. Shikamaru caught her as she fell sideways, her conscious mind having invaded Kin's. Meanwhile, Zaku focused on dodging another of Chouji's attempts to squash him flat into a human pancake.
"Kin!" Zaku cried, looking for assistance as Chouji stood up wobbling mumbling about dizziness.
"Doushita?" Dosu cried when she didn't reply. Kin looked up and placed a kunai to her throat, smirking widely.
"This is it!" she cried. "If you move, this Kin girl is dead! If you don't want to retire, leave your scroll and get out of here! Once you two back off far enough so that we can't feel your Chakra, I'll let this girl go." To Ino's surprise though, Dosu and Zaku just laughed.
"No!" Sakura cried in warning. "They're trying to—" but she was cut off when Zaku turned his Zankuuha on his own team-mate, sending her flying into a nearby tree not far from Kari's body. To Shikamaru's horror, blood started running from Ino's mouth.
"What's wrong with them? They hurt their own team-mate," Ino growled through Kin's lips.
"Heh, you took us too lightly," Zaku sneered.
"Our purpose is not a dumb scroll or to get safely through this exam." Dosu added. "It's Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan... Oh?" Shikamaru glared as his technique reached it's time limit and Dosu was released. "I see your Kage Shibari no Jutsu can only be used for a maximum of five minutes."
"It's not 'Kage Shibari no Jutsu' it's Kagemane no jutsu," Shikamaru corrected.
"And that girl's technique, it seems that she can slip her spirit inside her opponents body and take control. Yet, seeing the internal bleeding, if we kill Kin that girl will die…"
"You'd kill your own team-mate?" Shikamaru asked with disgust.
"If we have to, yes," Zaku replied, opening his hand and directing it toward Kin.
"This is over…" Shikamaru sighed.
"Shimatta…" Chouji complained.
"I can't take anymore of this..."
At the sound of a new voice, Sakura immediately looked up to see Lee's team-mates and Kari's sempai standing on a nearby branch, a proud Kita sitting by Neji's foot. Sakura felt her heart jump. She had thought Kita had abandoned her to hide like Kari always told her to, but the smart little wolf had darted into the forest and sought out help. She couldn't help but feel guilty at her assumption, Kari had taught Kita well.
"I'm back Sakura-chan!" Kita called down, her little tail set in a wag.
"Some minor Oto Shinobi bullying these second-rate ninjas and declaring victory," Neji sneered in distaste.
"They keep coming out like cockroaches," Dosu grumbled.
"Lee!" Tenten cried in alarm, noticing the beat-up state he was in.
"You made a mistake Lee," Neji scolded and Kita pawed at his leg reproachfully. "That knocked out freak right there is from our team."
"Neji-sempai!" Kita scolded. "Be nice!"
"And the team you chose a fight with is our apprentices team." Lavender-white eyes soon found the wolf-eared girl face-down and out-cold. She was very difficult to completely reduce to unconsciousness as he himself knew. He was worried when she hadn't acknowledge his and Tenten's arrival like she usually would have. He couldn't see any injuries from her position, but he would check her later.
"You'll pay for what you did to them," Neji snarled, eyes immediately surrounded by veins as his eyes brightened to a piercing white. "If you go any further you'll fight me." He paused a moment, feeling a familiar Chakra flare.
"Heh... if you don't like it so much then come down here," Dosu sneered.
"No," Neji said simply, startling the others. "It seems that wont be necessary."
She fought her own fights, no doubt she would be upset if he interfered.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried in relief seeing Sasuke get to his knees. Spinning around in desperate hope she smiled as she saw Kari start to push herself up as though awoken by Sasuke's Chakra. "Kari-chan!"
But as they finally stood, Neji's small smirk faded to be replaced by a look of apprehension. He had never felt Kari's Chakra stir like that, it wasn't natural. She stood unsteady on her feet, swaying slightly as a violet haze seeped through her pores. But... normal Chakra was blue. It was as though hers had been poisoned.
"Okaasan..." Kita whined worriedly, pressing close to Neji.
"Sakura..." Sasuke murmured, his Chakra in the same state. Neji could see dark marks across half his skin like wisps of flame, a quick glance at Kari showed she had the same. "Who did that to you...?"
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, nervous at the intensity of his Sharingan.
"Who was it?" Kari murmured, her eyes hidden beneath her bangs, her hair lightened almost to white.
"We did!" Zaku cried seeming proud of himself.
"Hontou ni?" Kari said, a smirk spreading across her face. She looked up, eyes glowing red beneath her bangs, making the blood on her face look dull in comparison.
"Y-your bodies!" Sakura cried at the sight of the marks. Was it because of the marks on their necks? She has inspected them more closely when she had addressed their fevers and had seen three tomoe set with the points facing out, their marks identical. It reminded her of the Sharingan.
"Don't worry, it's just the power flowing through me," Sasuke murmured looking to his hand as the violet Chakra continued to seep through his skin. "I feel great... He gave it to me and now I understand. I am an avenger. Even if I must eat the devil's fruit, I am on a path in which I must gain power." He followed Kari's gaze to the Oto-nin. "So it was you guys right? I suppose it was you who hurt Kari too then?"
"Ino! This is bad you'll get caught up in this, return to your body!" Come on Chouji, we're going to hide!" Shikamaru cried, rushing into the foliage with Ino's limp body under his arm.
"Hai!" both his team-mate's cried, following his orders perfectly.
"Ughh..." Kin groaned as she regained consciousness.
"Their Chakra... it's too large..." Dosu murmured in horror.
"But it's just the beginning," Kari said, eyes alight with excitement and fangs bared in her spine-chilling smile. The violet Chakra around her began to tint red following the marks travelling across all her body as an ominous presence filled the air.
"Dosu! No need to be afraid of these half-dead freaks!" Zaku cried. "You saw yourself, that girl's only one hit away from being finished and that Sasuke guy can't be too far behind!"
"No! Zaku!" Dosu cried, but his warning fell on deaf ears.
"Zankūkyokuha!" Zaku roared, his attack tearing apart trees and dragging the dirt and dust from the ground. As the dust began to settle he smirked, seeing no Konoha Genin in front of him. "Ha, I blew them all away."
"Blew who away?"
Zaku barely had time to turn his head before Kari's fist smashed into his jaw in a ruthless backhand. As he rolled to a stop he gaped at the two's speed, even when carrying a team-mate each.
"Katon: Hōsenka no jutsu!" Sasuke cried, hands ending in the seal of the tiger as his chest expanded before he spat balls of fire at Zaku.
"So what? I'll blast them away!" Zaku cried and opened his hands to use his air-pressure technique. He smirked, but then his face fell when he saw the shuriken hiding in the fire and relaised he hadn't used a strong enough attack to blow the projectiles away.
"Zaku! Below!" Dosu cried in warning as his team-mate tried to protect himself from the sharp metal. But before Zaku could so much as think of moving, Sasuke had hold of his arms and had his foot on his back.
"So you're proud of these arms?"
Kin gasped and looked away, afraid to see what she thought would happen, but her head was yanked up by her hair as Kari stood daintily on the bottom of her spine. The girl paled dramatically, sweat dripping into her wide eyes.
"Weak stomach?" Kari taunted. "You didn't seem to have a problem with hurting my team-mate did you?" She gave a tug on the dark hair and Kin cried out in pain. "Jealousy makes you ugly. Seeing as you're the reason Sakura had to cut her hair, I think you should be paid back..." Kari's smirk widened, manic and insane. "But I'll throw in some interest... Your neck should be too long after I've stretched it... so I'll cut that for you." Kin started to sniffle, eyes filled with tears of terror. She tried to look to the ground, but her head was yanked back up, forcing her to watch Zaku.
Kin screamed as Sasuke dislocated Zaku;s arms at the shoulder with a sickening snapping noise.
"Oh?" Kari said pouting in disappointment. "She fainted."
"You're the only one left," Sasuke said, looking over his shoulder at Dosu.
Kari's ears perked and she irritably walked over Kin to near the Uchiha.
"You had the last one," she growled. "I get this one." Blood red eyes gleamed as she started walking towards the last one. Oh how she'd make this sweet.
"I hope this one will be more fun," Sasuke said with a smirk as he followed suit walking beside her.
"Oh it will," Kari promised, Chakra flaring in excitement.
"This..." Sakura murmured eyes filling with tears. Sasuke's bored expression and Kari's flushed laughing face flashed behind her eyes. This isn't Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan! "YAMETE!"
Sakura flung herself into Sasuke's back, arms clumsily wrapping around his arms and middle to hold him back. Out the corner of her eye she saw Kari had also been stopped by her senpai Neji, strong arms enclosing her. Kari growled in frustration, snarling at the interference.
"Onegai... yamete..." Sakura begged through her tears, crying out to them both. She wanted the aloof, irritable Sasuke and the cheeky, affectionate Kari. She wanted her friends back.
"Kari..." Neji murmured against her furred ear. "That's enough..."
At once the tension in her body dispersed and he struggled to hold her as she went limp, hands gripping his arms desperately. Her eyes and hair deepened to their original colour, her face stark white and set into a silent horror no scream could ever sound. He sank with her to his knees and made no protest when she spun and flung herself into his chest, arms holding him uncomfortably tight.
He had been... surprisingly scared.
That hadn't been the Kari he had come to know. If anything it was the polar opposite and seeing her acting in such a matter deeply unsettled him. Then there was the fact she seemed to have little awareness of her actions if her current state was anything to go by.
Sasuke too fell to his backside, marks and Chakra gone, Sakura resolutely at his side.
Neji couldn't help but feel slightly bitter. Kari was clearly more upset than the Uchiha boy yet Sakura chose him without a second thought. His team may have their differences but they had an equal relationship. This stupid crush Sakura held meant she would always see to Sasuke first, even if Kari's injuries were more grievous.
"N...Neji..." she mumbled against his chest as her body jerked with a sob. He hushed her, holding her to him tightly.
"It's over... it's okay now, I've got you..." he reassured, unsure of how comforting he could be. Lee would be better at his. But he was all she had right now. He glared at the Oto-nin over the top of her head, daring them to come near. Assuring them that if they even thought about coming near her again it would be the last thing they would ever do.
"Sasuke-kun, we can't defeat you at this time," Dosu said, picking up his defeated team-mates and laying down his earth scroll. "Have our scroll as a gift and please let us leave. This may seem convenient but there is something that we must find out. But I promise you this, if there is another situation where we will meet in this exam, we will neither run nor hide."
Veins twitched at Neji's temples as he struggled to control his temper.
"Matte!" Sakura cried. "Who is Orochimaru and what did he do to Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan? Why them?"
"I don't know, we were merely ordered to kill them."
Neji's Byakugan flared as he grit his teeth. He didn't know all of the details but it appeared Kari was in danger. He glared at Dosu's back as he fled, watching him until he disappeared out the range of his Byakugan.
-x-
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