A/N: Ehee... Gomen *hangs head* My excuse for disappearing? EXAMINATIONS! COURSEWORK! REVISION! ESSAYS! And an almost loss of soul at workload. Which is also the source of my lovely rant. Might have gone a little bit overboard, ne? But the support I recieved *sparkles* T.T I was very, very touched at the support. Even if I did have to fork out money for retakes. My advice; STUDY HARD MY READERS. Unless you have photographic memory. In which case, please share it with me. I have to choose a university out of thousands and it's so hard D: I want to be a child again please. FF formatting eats my punctuation and messes up some of my words for some reason... Or is it just not showing up with me? I don't know.
To second anonymous reviewer; I AM immature as I am still young at heart. But point made, exams can turn anyone into a raging monster :) Would have replied to you directly to apologise but y'know you were anonymous and all. Also, don't resent Kyoto-chan, she's a very good friend :) To all others who think I went a bit overboard, I'm sorry! *frantic bows* Exam stress is the definition of evil. Was unlucky timing for a flamer as it was the final straw. Oopsie.
Soooo, depending on my free time (this is not free time this is time I'm meant to be revising but am too lazy to do so) if I reach the point where I have no time to write I may discontinue editing and write a reasonably quick ending to the first unedited part and start on the sequel. Opinions please? Sankyuu.
My BEAUTIFUL reviewers!; MyutsuChey3X, animerox023, Sayonara Yasashii Akuma, Naruto-Lover, Noctis, 7th Dwarf, cutiekyoto, Breanna, .It, Kaylatheninja, Bella, Kira Carmen, jenjenjojo1020, WhisperInTheRain, Cookie Krisp, Crimson Solitude of the Moon.
I love you all :') very much.
Disclaimer: Nein. The original works do not put money into my bank.
Claimer: All non-original works do not put money into my bank either.
Eienno Shasai
(The Edited Version)
Tawa Ni Totatsu
Reach the Tower!
A race against time,
The finish line is in sight!
"Oi, don't drink the whole river," Sasuke grunted as Kari refilled the canteen for the third time. She ignored him, irritated by the world in general. "We need to head back soon. Who knows what trouble those two may have landed themselves in."
Kari tensed suddenly as a sense of dread clutched her chest. Springing up like she was right as rain, she darted into the forest. Sasuke scooped up the dropped canteen and after a huff of annoyance he headed after her.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you..." the newcomer said, keeping a firm hold of Naruto's wrist. Kari didn't stop to plan or think and raced in with a swift kick to the intruder's jaw.
"K-Kari-chan! Matte, dattebatyo!" Naruto cried, leaping to his feet to steady her as a silver head popped out of the river coughing as he dragged himself onto the bank.
"What is this?" Sasuke demanded, having caught up to the scene.
"Naruto-kun here was going to take a peek at the contents of your Scroll of Earth, so I stepped in and stopped him." Kabuto explained.
"Is that so?" Sasuke asked his face darekening as he towered over his guilty team-mates.
"Kita-chan told them so!" Kita added, shaking her head with disappointment and switching to Kari's shoulder.
"Those who break the rules will be forced into a situation where they must retire. In the previous exam, the scrolls were made so that those who opened the scroll would see a sleep-inducing inscription. So they'll remain in this forest until the exam ends," Kabuto explained as Naruto and Sakura wilted under Sasuke's glare.
"By the way, you're Kabuto right? What are you doing here alone?" Sasuke demanded. Sakura and Naruto stood, Naruto supporting Kari when he noticed the tremble in her muscles.
"Hey, hey, I'm not after your scroll or anything," Kabuto said dismissively. He rummaged in his pack and pulled out two long objects. "I already have both scrolls, see? A lot happened, but I was headed for the tower to meet up with my team-mates."
"Fight me," Sasuke interrupted eyes fixed on the Tenno scroll. Kari's eyes shot towards the higher trees, her ears twitching at the sounds of rustling leaves.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried reproachfully.
"Baka! Do you know what you're saying?" Naruto cried defensively.
"A fight?" Kabuto questioned.
"Gomen, but we don't have time" Sasuke said seriously.
"Oi Sasuke! Kabuto helped us!" Naruto cried in the older nin's defence.
Sasuke-kun, I don't think that's appropriate either," Sakura agreed smiling sincerely.
"Urusai!" Sasuke snapped, interrupting them both. "We don't have much choice. I told you before; this is the only way we can survive in this forest!"
"Mm, that's a lie." Kabuto said with a confident smile. At their expressions of shock and surprise, Kabuto elaborated. "You're not as prepared as you say you are. If you wanted to be more serious about this exam, then why did you need to challenge me? You could have attacked me when I had my guard down instead of declaring a challenge. After all, that's what a ninja is supposed to do. I don't hate you for doing so though. That's why I shall tell you which path to take. But let's talk while we walk. The bonfire's smoke was carrying the smell of grilled fish. If we stick around, wild animals and enemies will come after us." Kabuto said, turning to leave. Kari watched as Kabuto's eyes glanced up to where she had heard a possible enemy. She frowned in mistrust, wondering if they were planning an ambush. "And if that doesn't attract attention, the scent of Kari-chan's blood will. You must have had a rough battle." Kari's suspicious gaze intensified into a heated glare.
"Kari-chan's fine!" Naruto cried confidently before the tension was noticed. "Nothing can bring her down for long!"
"Baka," Sasuke sighed. He hadn't missed that look she gave Kabuto, nor the weakened state she was in.
"With such injuries it's a miracle you haven't bled to death; it's amazing that you can even move, you shouldn't be conscious," Kabuto said, with a smile and a slight hint of mockery. "But I don't blame you for not trusting me, it's a ninja rule to never let your guard down. I just hope I can earn your respect Kari-chan."
"Good luck with that," Kari grumbled, turning her face away from him rudely.
"Ne, ne, I'll carry you Kari-chan! You need to save your strength dat-" Naruto was interrupted when Kari started coughing violently, grasping her wounded ribs in pain. Her vision swam and she seethed silently, just wanting the exam to be finished so she could rest. "Kari-chan..."
"I'm fine," she insisted, looking away from his worried gaze. She would be, because she had to be okay. She had to protect them.
"I'll take her," Sasuke said, hoisting her onto his back before Naruto could complain. "Are you sure there are enemies left?" Sasuke asked turning to Kabuto as they hurtled through the trees. He adjusted Kari into a more comfortable position, taking note of the tightness of her grip and the rate of her breathing to judge whether her health was worsening. She was holding rather tight, which reassured him, yet he could hear the pain in each breath she took.
"Yeah, I'm sure of it. You just need to think a little to understand." Kabuto replied. "In a jungle battle like this or in a forest, do you know the best way to fight?"
"No…" Sakura admitted as Naruto pulled a puzzled face. Kita was perched on his shoulder, having been limping since their run in with the Oto-nin and not really up to a load of running.
"The goal of the examinees is the tower at the centre of this forest." Kabuto continued. "That means that on the last day, the easiest place to get a scroll is around that tower."
"I get it! So we're going to lay and wait!" Sakura cried, understanding his logic. "That means were going after the teams that have both scrolls and are heading for the tower."
"That's one-third correct" Kabuto agreed. "You're not the only one thinking that. People who thought of the same idea should have set traps around the tower."
"I got it!" Naruto cried. "That means there are lots of enemies there waiting for us!" A competitive smirk spread across his face. "It's more exciting when there's a handicap. I look forward to it! All we need to do is beat those guys, get the Tenno scroll and we're out of here! Dattebayo!"
"Iie, that's still only two-thirds correct." Kabuto corrected. "We have to think of the 'collectors' who appear in exams like this. Even if the tower is really close, you're still not safe in this exam. This special situation gives birth to them. In other words, if they meet an unexpected enemy, they keep extra scrolls and give one to the enemy in exchange for going free, or by giving friends who are in the same village a scroll they need, they can gain information to get through the remaining exams quicker, or crush those strong ones who will get to the third exam. As you've probably figured out by now, they're pretty strong. They are the worst enemies you can meet since they are never satisfied."
"I see, I get the reason you came to us" Sasuke said with a smug smirk. "You're afraid of them too, right?"
Kari's sore eyes finally fluttered closed as she rested her head against the back of Sasuke's neck. He could feel the heat tingling against his skin from her fever and noticed her grip loosen so her hands were just lightly resting on his shoulders. He hoisted her up a bit further so she was more secure as a scowl set onto his face.
"Hai, but another disadvantage is Kari-chan's poor health. She's in no condition to fight and on top of that she's tiring you by having to be carried," Kabuto added.
"It's not her fault" Naruto immediately cut in. "She's just caught something, she'll be fine after a rest. Besides, it's not like she's Chouji's size eh Sasuke?"
"Still, it will be better if we switched her onto different people after a while, Sasuke you should give her to Naruto and give your back a rest," Kabuto advised.
"She's not heavy," Sasuke stated. "And Naruto-dobe will drop her."
"Oi!" Naruto cried offended.
"And she's asleep," Sasuke added, shooting Naruto a glare.
"Another half hour, then you'll switch," Kabuto said decidedly, a silence falling upon them as they hurtled through the trees, a pained grimace spreading across Kari's half-conscious face.
-x-
Night fell, the silhouette of the tower almost black against the bright full moon.
"Saa, there's the tower," Kabuto said, as they all paused for a break. Kari had been switched to Naruto, her shallow ragged breaths barely audible to his keen ears. Even he, as ignorant and dim-witted as he was considered to be, could see she was very ill and was becoming increasingly worried. "This is where things get crucial."
"Then let's go!" Naruto cried with a half-hearted cheer. Kari's eyes shot open as the others became aware of a noise in the clearing.
"An enemy already?" Sakura cried, spinning round to where she heard something. In a flash, Naruto sent a kunai shooting narrowly past her bubblegum pink locks and hit something with a disgusting, squelchy, thud. That something; turned out to be an enormous centipede that was nearing the side of the gigantic snakes Team Seven had come to loathe.
"Oh? It's just a centipede" Naruto said simply. Sakura shivered, goosebumps spreading across her skin.
"It's huge, those legs are just creepy," Sakura groaned, inching closer to an unphased Sasuke. Kari slid off Naruto's back and threw up her stomach juices, having not been able to successfully keep anything down.
"Naruto-kun" Kabuto said, turning to him. "I want to avoid careless actions and unnecessary noises from here on out. If we go through this forest making noises like an elephant it's the same as signalling to everyone that we're coming. We will receive a passionate welcome."
Naruto nodded unnerved, as Kari sat down (a fair amount of distance away from her vomit) with a rather ungraceful flop.
"As well as that, if Kari can get more rest and regain a little more strength, that's sure to come in handy. We will hide and move as slowly as time allows." There was a chorus of quiet okay's from Sakura and Naruto. Kita crawled onto her adopted mother's lap and Kari lifted her into her arms, irritated by her exhaustion and lack of strength. She frowned and closed her tired eyes.
"Something feels wrong…" Kari said in a hoarse croak, getting the others attention.
"It's because you're ill Kari-chan, don't worry, it'll be over soon," Sakura reassured.
"I'll take Kari-chan from here. I'm nowhere near as tired as you three and we've still got a fair way to go," Kabuto decoded and headed towards her. Kari's ears shot back, her eyes narrowed to a glare and a growl rumbled in her throat before he could touch her.
"Kari," Sasuke warned. She turned her eyes to him with a look of betrayal that surprisingly stung. "It's the only way we'll get through this exam. If there was any other way, we'd use that. Sakura can't carry you can she? Kita certainly can't—"
"Kita isn't small!" Kita cut in with a slight huff.
"Even so, Sasuke-kun's right. Kita-chan has a limp, I or Naruto can take her," Sakura said nervously. Kabuto went to touch her again but Kari immediately leaned away in distrust.
"Kari!" Sasuke snapped to which Kari retorted with a look of disgusted defiance. It shook him, even if he didn't outwardly show it, and the Uchiha fell silent.
"Oi, Kari-chan," Naruto said, crouching in front of her, a goofy grin on place, blissfully unaware of the tension between Kari and the others. "The sooner we finish the exam, the sooner we can go get ramen together, and the sooner you can get better." Naruto's eyes shone with genuine concern "I don't like seeing you hurt ne Kari-chan, when you're hurt I'm hurt." Kari's face softened with guilt eyes downcast. "Don't worry, Kabuto's a nice guy. And if he's not and he hurts you in any way, I'll beat him into the ground, promise you, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a grin as he placed a hand on her head, her ears shooting up at his touch. A weak smile spread across her face and Naruto returned the gesture tenfold.
"Up you go then," Sasuke said, breaking their tender moment and gripping Kari on the sides of her rib cage and hoisting her to her feet.
"Temee!" Naruto said with a childish scowl that made Kari smile wider. She wasn't able to stay steady on her feet due to light-headedness and fell back onto Sasuke, who had to hold her up by her upper arms as her weight was pressed onto his torso. Kabuto stood in front of her, bending down slightly, ready to take her onto his back. Sasuke felt her muscles tense and gave both her arms a light squeeze. She seemed reassured, and was grudgingly helped on.
Kabuto observed from the high points in the trees to where everyone was, uncomfortable with how tense the irritable kunoichi was. Sakura was walking as quickly and quietly as she could through the tall grass, Sasuke was swimming underwater through the river with a bamboo as a makeshift snorkel. Naruto however, was tangled up in vines, as Kita looked at him hopelessly. They travelled this way for a couple hours before meeting up again.
"Okay, we'll go this way," Kabuto said as he peered through a device that gave a rough measurement of the distance of an object. They kept moving, time difficult to guess without the sun in the sky. Naruto stopped and stared puzzled at a piece of string that was dangling in front of his face. Kabuto secured Kari with one hand, hoisting her weight more to the right and touched Naruto's shoulder with his left hand. He motioned for them to look up, and when they did, they saw bodies strewn across the branches, kunai and shuriken embedded in them, covered in dried blood.
"A trap?" Naruto wondered aloud as Kari struggled to keep her eyes open. Her eyelashes brushed her cheeks before her eyelids raised again, mental curses streaming through her mind.
"Yeah, it gets more intense from here on out," Kabuto agreed, beginning to walk again. Kari mentally groaned. His walk was smooth and steady and was slowly lulling her to sleep. She had to stay awake.
Naruto looked up at the trees, looking at the corpses as he slowly passed them. Not paying attention to where he was going, Naruto tripped over a hidden wire. Kari's eye's shot open before Naruto even began to fall and shot off Kabuto's back darting towards Naruto, whom kunai were flying at from all directions. He let out a startled cry just as he was about to hit the ground and momentarily closed his eyes. Kari grabbed him around the middle, shielding him with her body.
"Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm, as she dropped him and went to reach for one of the kunai embedded in her shoulders and back. She'd managed to avoid a large percentage of them, but in her current condition, she misjudged her speed and timing, unable to get completely out of harms way in time. Luckily, these wounds seemed rather shallow.
"Kari-chan!" Sakura cried, rushing to her side.
"Don't fuss, it's not that bad," Kari lightly scolded, flinching as she went to pull one out of her left shoulder.
"Okaasan's hurt?" Kita fretted and with a pained smile Kari placed a hand on the beloved cub's head.
"I'll be fine Kita-ko," Kari reassured as Sasuke yanked out a shuriken without warning making her tail bristle.
"I told you it was going to get more intense from now on" Kabuto said, pushing up his glasses. "Luckily, those wounds aren't too deep and didn't go near any of your main organs. There were one or two that may have scraped your kidneys, but seeing as your movement isn't too bad it looks like you don't have any damage to your spine," Kabuto assessed. Due to Kari's foul mood, fuelled by Sasuke yanking out the rest of the weapons none too gently, it took every ounce of her self control not to smack the living daylights out of the irritating bespectacled ninja. "If one of you can help her back onto—" Kabuto went to bend down so she could climb on his back but Sasuke cut him off.
"You've carried her for hours, you should take a break," Sasuke argued as he watched Kari's tail twitch, fur bristled. "Besides, her temper is looking thin." He hoisted her onto his back, Naruto pushing her steady. "Let's go."
-x-
For a couple more hours they padded onwards towards the tower. However, no matter how fast they walked, they didn't seem to be getting any closer. Perspiration clung to their skin, their breathing was heavy and every muscle ached. Finally Sakura was first to fall to her knees.
"I can't go any further!" she whined, rubbing her sore swelling ankles. "How long have we walked? The tower isn't getting any closer at all!"
"It looks like its right in front of us… it's weird." Naruto said.
"Oi baka" Sasuke said, shifting Kari. He tightened his hold for a second trying to get a response. "Daijoubu? Oi."
"It seems like we're already inside someone's 'passionate welcome'." Kabuto said, looking around warily. "See? Look over there" he said, pointing behind Naruto and Sakura.
"Is that…?" Naruto gasped as Sakura shrieked seeing the centipede he had killed hours ago. "What's going on? Dattebayo!"
"Genjutsu." Sasuke said, glancing around. His eyes narrowed as he remembered something Kari said earlier at this exact same spot; "Something feels wrong…" She felt it from the beginning, yet they were so quick to dismiss it as her poor health.
"So it seems," Kabuto agreed grimly. "I was totally fooled. It seems that we were tricked into walking in circles in a very careful manner."
"We're being watched," Sasuke said. He gave Kari another nudge hoping she would be able to pinpoint the enemy but she still didn't respond.
"They most likely want us to waste our strength and were planning a surprise attack when we tired, also when Kari-chan was unconscious so she couldn't alert us to them coming. She was so quick even in her ill health to notice the kunai from the trap, her senses and reflexes are amazing." He glanced at her. "I doubt she could even wake, let alone be able to assist us now."
"Then we're already playing to the enemies plan" Sasuke said, still nudging Kari in attempt to make her stir. Any movement at all would reassure him, she'd been silent for the last hour or two.
"Ja, they might attack us soon" Kabuto agreed. The trees began to creak as figures began to materialise out of the trunks and branches. They were all identical, black-clad Ame-nin with bandages over their eyes and a gas mask covering their mouths. They advanced from all sides, surrounding Kabuto and Team Seven. Kita's fur stood on end and she backed up against Sasuke's shin/
"They're here," Sasuke said with a smirk.
"This is a good handicap, dattebayo," Naruto said with a confident grin.
"N-nani?" Sakura asked nervously.
"There's a lot of them, and they're all replications" Kabuto said.
"Like a mouse in a trap," one of the replications chuckled.
"Urusai! Dattebayo!" Naruto cried, lunging at the nearest clone, but to everyone's surprise, Naruto's fist went through it like it was some sort of thick runny goo. Another clone rose out of the indent Naruto's punch had made, holding two double-ended kunai. "What's going on, dattebayo?"
"Sharingan!" Sasuke cried. "Naruto!" he cried, pulling out shuriken and slicing the clones arm off. The clone instead turned to him, throwing the other kunai directly at him. Sasuke found himself paralysed with a numb pain, from his neck. He felt Kari shudder behind him, her dull eyes opening a fraction.
"Sasuke! Kari-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm. Sasuke felt a downwards pull on his shoulders as Kari flipped over him, pushing him down, the kunai streaked passed her arm, leaving a nasty cut on her shoulder. She landed roughly on top of Sasuke as she glared at her bleeding shoulder. Kita rushed forwards and jumped up, grabbing the double-ended kunai in her mouth.
"Ne, Kiba-kun," Kari questioned as they headed through town, Akamaru on Kiba's head, Kita on Kari's shoulder. "Do you think I'll be able to teach Kita to be a nin-wolf? I mean teach her to use a kunai or something?" Kari asked. Kiba shrugged and grinned.
"Me and Akamaru are developing our own style, he trains and fights with me. Okaachan and Oneechan use nin-dogs on missions, so I don't see why you can't have Kita learn some cool moves." Kari reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai.
"Ne, ne, Kita-chan, hold this," Kari said, holding it up to the young cub. Kita tilted her head to the side and pawed at the weapons handle. "No, no, in your mouth like this!" Kari explained, putting it in her mouth. She then held it up to Kita who held it securely in her jaws. Her little tail wagged with glee. "You practice with that Kita-ko! You'll be a great nin-wolf in no time!" Kari cried, clapping her hands. Kiba laughed and placed his hand on Kari's head.
"There's no doubt, you're like her Okaachan," Kiba cried with a large grin, Akamaru barking in agreement.
Kita held the kunai tightly with her sharp teeth. This was her chance to protect her Okaasan and make her proud! And that's exactly what she's going to do! Kita sped into battle, cutting ame-bunshin ankles and shins as she went. Even if she wasn't the biggest, baddest ninja, she could still help!
Sasuke stared up at the sky, unable to move a muscle. Kari was laying still on top of him, her long, golden hair like a blanket covering them both. He wasn't sure if she was still awake. With a strong will he made a huge effort to try and move, only to be met with a burning pain in his neck. Kari let out a pained gasp and rolled off him, grabbing hold of her burning curse mark as her body shuddered violently with each wave of pain.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, helping Sasuke sit up.
"Seeing as Kari-chan got hurt, does that mean they're kage bunshin with real flesh?" Naruto cried in confusion. "Demo, demo, kage bunshin should disappear if they're hit cleanly. Since they don't disappear are they really illusions? Which is it? K'so!"
"It's useless! Stop!" Sasuke cried, one hand grasping Kari's shoulder as she writhed in pain. "They're just a Genjutsu created by the enemy!" Sasuke panted, squeezing Kari's shoulder to try and calm her down. Her ears were back, her eyes dark and wide, blood sliding from the corners of her mouth.
"Demo…! Kari-chan's wound is real!" Sakura cried, glancing at the blood stain blossoming beneath Sasuke's palm.
"Iie, Sasuke-kun is right," Kabuto cut in. The enemy is most likely hidden somewhere and they are attacking from someone else while matching the illusion ninja's movements. This makes it seem as though the illusions are attacking us."
"Then I'll find the idiots hiding in the forest throwing knives at us and go beat them up, dattebayo! No one hurts Kari-chan!" Naruto cried.
"Matte Naruto-kun!" Kabuto warned. "In this situation, the source of the real knife is hidden, so we can't figure out the enemy's exact location. Do you understand now? That's their tactics. According to my data, those who are weak at Taijutsu prefer to attack like this. The real enemy won't come out until we can't move at all. Listen up, minna. We can only dodge the enemy's attack right now."
"Yosh, if you're planning on doing that…" Naruto said, readying his kunai. Real kunai flew at them and they dodged and blocked, Sasuke lightly kicking Kari out of harms way, unable to do more due to his restricted movement.
"There's no end to this!" Sakura cried in exhaustion as they all panted. Kita was standing close to her mother with the kunai still in her mouth, her mouth was sore, but she refused to give up. She managed to deflect a kunai aimed at her Okaasan, cringing at the horrible vibrations that rang through her mouth giving her a headache. She turned and pawed at her mother's shoulder.
"Okaasan will get hurt if she stays here!" Kita warned, her voice muffled by the weapon in her mouth. She continuously nudged Kari as she slowly and unsteadily got to her feet.
"I'll just…" Naruto said, making a hand-sign.
"Stop, Naruto-kun" Kabuto warned. "Don't waste you're chakra, there's no point in attacking them."
"If we get rid of all the illusions at once, the enemy can't attack during the time they return back to normal, seeing as they're going to reveal their position. Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, an army of Naruto-clones appeared, attacking the Ame-bunshin's. But as quick as he pummelled them, they reformed.
"Sasuke-kun, what should we do?" Sakura asked.
"Bakayarou! This means we have to fight too!" Sasuke cried.
"Yeah, he can't handle this situation alone," Kabuto agreed.
"Kari," Sasuke instructed, his eyes glancing to her. "You stay—" he was cut off when she shot into battle, pulling out her twin katana. "I said stay there baka! Ugh, baka-onna! Come on Sakura!" Sasuke cried, following in Kari's footsteps and rushing in.
-x-
Dawn broke and Team 7 and Kabuto were driven to the ground, either on knees or backsides. All Naruto clones were destroyed; Naruto himself sent sliding on his back over to where the others were. The ame-nin finally showed themselves, walking out of the bushes.
"How lucky," one of them mused as the illusions melted away. "You," he said looking over at Sasuke. "You're the one that injured my left shoulder right? I finally found you. You wasted our time. How lucky, I can finally get revenge." H raised his kunai, but to his surprise Naruto smirked.
"Like a mouse in a trap..." Sasuke's voice said from the bushes.
"It went well, Naruto," Sakura's voice said gleefully.
"What did they do?" the Ame-nin cried looking round. His eyes widened when he saw Kabuto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kari, and finally Kita. "That can't be! When did they…?"
"You baka's finally showed yourselves damn-it." Naruto made a hand-sign and the Sakura, Sasuke, Kari and Kabuto around him, poofed into Naruto clones.
"What? Did this kid…? It can't be!" the Ame-nin cried.
"I used Kage bunshin to set up this little trick, dattebayo," Naruto explained. He rose to his feet. "So I could pretend to be everyone from this team… except Kita-chan, I wasn't too sure how to transform into her…"
"Once Naruto undid his replications the four of us hid, Kita had slid into the bushes when Kari ran to attack and found your location and chose a safe distance for us to hide without alerting you." Kari smirked with pride at her clever little wolf. "We then waited for you to reveal yourselves. Hn, a genjutsu master fooled." Naruto went to stand up but fell to one knee. "Naruto! You used up too much chakra, I'll do the rest," Sasuke said with a smirk. However, disobedient as Kari, Naruto delivered a punch to the Ame-nin, sending them flying like dominoes.
"I'm not going to let you take all the good parts like that!" Naruto puffed.
"What a kid, he can still move after all that..." the Ame-nin said in awe.
"We're not in an unlucky situation yet," another one of them said, as they all made identical hand signs. "Time is running out… We'll show you our jutsu now; Ninpou; Oboru bunshin no jutsu!" In a poof of smoke many copies of the three ame-nin appeared.
"Kage bunshin?" Naruto asked.
"No they're just normal replications." Kabuto replied. "But they must have some sort of tactic planned out. Be careful!"
"If they're just replications there's only one real one," Naruto said. "I'll beat up every one until I hit the real one!"
"Baka! That's just a waste of energy!" Sasuke cried.
"I told you not to interfere!" Naruto cried before rushing towards the army of Ame-nin. Kari shot past the others until she was beside Naruto. He glanced at her and smirked. "Let's do this!" She smirked back and nodded.
"Naruto it's impossible!" Sakura cried. Sasuke prepared to jump out but froze when he was hit with a wave of pain, at the same time Kari stumbled grasping her curse mark as she fell to her knees. Naruto sent punches at every Ame-nin he saw, but he just went straight through them.
"Naruto-kun, stop!" Kabuto cried as he too joined Naruto. Kita was slicing through the illusions legs with her kunai but so far had hit nothing solid.
"Is every single one of them a fake is it an illusionary technique again?" Sakura cried. Sasuke glanced at Kari, if he tried to use his Sharingan, they would both suffer pain, but if he didn't they would just be fighting blindly. Kari looked round at him as she panted. She managed a small smile that signalled 'Go for it Sasu!' as clear as if she had yelled it.
"Sharingan!" Sasuke cried. At once, all the replications turned to blazes of chakra. He looked around but saw no one solid. His vision blazed white as he cried out in pain holding tight to his shoulder. He fell to his knees as he panted through the pain.
"Sasuke-kun! Kari-chan! Sasuke-kun don't use your Sharingan anymore!" Sakura begged. She could see Sasuke's 'bruise' blazing a fiery orange colour, she looked over at Kari, but she had pulled her hitai-ate round her neck since Neji had left, saying her ears were too uncomfortable. It was to hide that mark! Sakura thought, finally realising. "Kari-chan!" Sakura cried, almost in tears as Kari shuddered in pain again curling up into an almost foetal position. Hearing Sakura's shout, Naruto looked round worriedly.
"Don't lower your guard!" the ame-nin cried with a kunai raised. Kabuto hurtled into Naruto pushing him out the way, the kunai grazing his knee.
"Kabuto-san!" Naruto cried, he glared at the Ame-nin "Chikusho!"
"Stop Naruto!" Sasuke cried. "No matter how hard you try, the real one isn't in those replications!"
"Then where's the enemy going to attack from?" Naruto shouted back. "If they are normal replications, the replications themselves can't attack us!"
"If we knew that, there's no need for us to work this hard! This is the enemy's plan!" Sasuke shouted back. He looked round at Kari, her eyes were half closed and she was laying horribly still apart from a violent twitch every minute or so. She had once again lost all colour in her face, the blood smudged across her lips sharply contrasting her snow white face. "Kuso…" Naruto fell to his knees exhausted as Kabuto struggled to sit up.
"It looks like they've reached their limit," an Ame-nin stated. "How lucky…" It jumped towards Naruto, kunai in hand.
"Tsuchi…" Kari whispered. Sasuke glanced at her before his eyes widened. Earth... ground? Sure enough, the three Ame-nin slowly rose out of the soil behind Naruto. Kabuto looked round, but his reactions were too slow and a kunai whipped straight across his face sending him flying and his glasses shooting elsewhere. They approached Kabuto but froze at the intensity of his glare. Kari shuddered at the sudden change in demeanour. The ame-nin were caught off guard by Naruto's foot painfully colliding with their skulls and once again they were sent like dominoes, falling to the ground.
"Don't let your guard down was it?" Naruto mocked.
"Arigatou Naruto-kun, you saved me!" Kabuto said smiling.
"That was great Naruto!" Sakura called as Naruto plopped down on his backside. Kari's pain seemed to have lessened and now she just seemed utterly exhausted. Sasuke glanced at her, or more specifically, where her curse mark was hidden. His brow furrowed and he slid his arm underneath her shoulders to pull her into a sitting position. She sloppily smacked his arm to show her displeasure and propped her upper body up by resting her chin on her knees to try and control the sudden wave of nausea. As well as her adrenaline served her in battle, she'd rather it stayed and kept her feeling better than something raised from the dead.
"Ne! Kari-chan, come here!" Naruto called happily, waving to catch her attention. Kari smiled lightly and slowly walked over to him, forgetting all about her pain and concentrating solely on his big grin, his smile making everything bad seem unimportant. Sasuke watched her unsteady movements, seeing straight through her ignorance. If she doesn't get medical attention soon… "I was great wasn't I?" Naruto cried as she hugged him tightly and he pulled her into his lap.
"Hai, hai," she agreed with a tired smile, his chin resting on the top of her head.
"Well I had to protect my Kari-chan, ne?" he said with a laugh. She smiled and closed her eyes. "Neee! No sleeping yet! We've got to go get celebratory ramen!" Naruto whined lightly hitting his head against hers. Kita jumped into Kari's lap. "And Kita-chan kicked butt! Dattebayo!" Kari smiled and rubbed Kita's ears.
"Okaasan's proud of you Kita-ko" Kari said gently, making Kita's tail sway, her eyes shining with pure adoration.
"Come on, let's get our scroll!" Naruto said with a grin. Kari nodded and he supported her as they walked over. Sakura smiled sadly, Naruto was always fooled by a brave face, Sakura wiped her left eye, ignoring the tears that were slowly building up. She must be in so much pain, yet she smiles through it so not to worry us…
"Were you injured?" Kabuto questioned, looking at Sasuke, his eyes fixed on the cursemark. "That looks like a big bruise."
"It's nothing." Sasuke stated, immediately covering the mark. "It's her we should be worrying about." He looked over at Kari who was smiling and laughing with Naruto and felt an unexplainable twinge of emotion. He makes her smile and laugh so easily…
"We found it!" Naruto cried in delight jumping up and holding the beige scroll high. "Look! It's a Tenno scroll!" He flipped open Kari's pouch and placed it inside, next to the navy Tsuchi scroll.
"Great!" Kabuto congratulated with a smile. He didn't notice Sasuke suspicious glare, but Kari did and felt relieved. With Sasuke aware that Kabuto didn't seem fully trustworthy, she didn't have to watch him so hard herself.
"Come on Kari-chan! I can smell the ramen!" Naruto cried excitedly. Sasuke hoisted her up and pulled her arm over his shoulder. "Hey! It's my turn to carry her!" Naruto whined. "Tell him Kari-chan!"
"Kari-chan is sleeping please leave a message," Kari mumbled, taking her arm from Sasuke and just using the whole of him as a leaning post.
"Ne?" Naruto questioned as Kita climbed up his back and settled herself on his head.
"Let's go guys!" Kabuto called. Kari grumbled something vulgar and put Sasuke's arm round her shoulders and began trudging along. Naruto cried something about ramen and marched ahead.
"Baka, you're the one who needs help walking," Sasuke said as they walked at the back. Sakura was telling Naruto off for being too loud, the two of them walking a couple of feet in front with Kabuto.
"Your shoulders are too high," Kari replied irritably. She'd been walking along with her eyes closed, limping on her left leg. "Sleep walk no jutsu… You can get Sakura to help you if you want?" Sasuke grunted something unintelligible but Kari wasn't really playing attention.
"You don't walk straight," Sasuke stated as they stumbled along. She sighed and put her arm around his waist. "And what do you think you're doing?"
"Using you not to walk wonky," Kari replied, her head falling onto his shoulder and her walking slowing.
"Baka," Sasuke said with a slight smirk, steering her straight as she started leaning to the left. He went to switch positions so he could support her better, but when his left hand went to her waist he was met with a wet substance. He pulled his hand away, putting his arm back over her shoulder and looking in alarm at his palm in confusion. Blood? His eyes narrowed and moved her arm over his shoulders. He didn't tell the others so not to cause a panic and pressed his hand tightly over the wound, trying to use pressure to stop the bleeding.
"Yatta!" Naruto shrieked and Sasuke looked up from his thoughts.
"Oi. We're here" Sasuke said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. She ignored him and started sliding towards the ground, content to continue sleeping. Unfortunately, Sasuke had other ideas and hoisted her up again to give her a light smack on the head.
"Ite-e!" Kari whined, holding her pounding head. She turned to glare at Sasuke.
"You look awful," he commented as he sized up her pale scowling face. She huffed indignantly at the insult and headed up the stairs, successfully tripping over half way up.
"Okaasan!" Kita cried, bounding down towards her. "You need to awake-walk now!"
Kari sighed and walked up the rest, stumbling twice. They reached the top and Naruto immediately went to support her, giving Sasuke a glare.
"Tch, have her," Sasuke said leaning against the wall next to the door.
"You're late."
"Gomen, I ran into some trouble" Kabuto replied, turning to two similarly dressed shinobi that seemed to be his team-mates.
"Demo sa, demo sa, thanks to you we got both the scrolls, dattebayo!" Naruto said cheerfully.
"Iie, it was because of your hard work." Kabuto said. "Especially that last move, it was incredible Naruto-kun!" Naruto chuckled in delight. "Well, we'll go through this door. Good luck to us all. I hope you heal quickly Kari-chan" Kabuto said as he and his comrade's turned to the door next to the one Naruto was standing in front of. Naruto opened the door, breaking the seal and led them inside. Kari suddenly froze, catching their attention.
"Daijobu, Kari-chan?" Naruto asked. She turned and looked towards the wall, her eyes an eerie blood red. The wind picked up in the room, whipping their faces.
"N-nani?" Sakura cried shielding her face. However as quick as the wind picked up, it settled as though it were never there.
"It's nothing…" Kari said turning and walking ahead.
"Kari-chan?" Naruto asked, "Oi! Matte yo!" he whined rushing after her with Kita close behind.
Sakura sighed and followed, stopping to look back to Sasuke who had his hand placed against the wall, staring at it intently.
"Sasuke-kun?"
"Aa," he said turning away to follow his team. He ignored the uncomfortable itch of the mark on his neck and stared ahead at the golden haired kunoichi.
Stay strong. For all our sakes.
-x-
Feedback please?
The good, the bad, the ugly?
Leave some love for an insomniac at this ungodly hour?
Thank you.
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