Chapter 45: Against the Alliance
The four walked out of the trees, Blue behind them. "Give me your bags," Strag said holding his hand out to the other three. They handed him their backpacks and Strag placed them beside a tree at the edge of the cleared path.
"Who gets who?" Zigg asked as he drew his giant sword.
"However we do it, one of us gets two," Blue said.
"I'll take the legend then, let you two fight over who gets the extra kill," Zigg said.
"You don't always have to play so unfairly, I'm sure we can even this out," Red said as he jumped down beside the other members of the Alliance.
"You have horrible timing you know that Red?" Blue asked taking out two short swords.
"I do what I can," Red said shrugging.
"I got the katana kid," Lerah said pulling out a kunai.
"I'll take the girl," Blue said.
"I'm good with the weak one," Red said with a slight grin.
"Don't hold back, eventually we have to kill them, we do it now, and it saves us more trouble later," Strag said quietly so the Alliance wouldn't hear him, the other three nodded and the four jumped at the Alliance.
Naruto had a kunai out and Red blocked it with his own. Naruto threw it at Red as he pulled out another. Red caught it and threw it back, striking Naruto in the arm. Naruto took a step back from the kunai and looked down as he pulled it out; when he looked back up he was kicked in the face by Red.
Naruto flew backwards and landed hard on the ground. By the time he got to his feet Red had already reached him, and had a ball of fire in his hand.
"I stopped it from killing the old man last time, I won't stop it now," Red said before thrusting the ball at Naruto.
Naruto dodged to the right and then droved his kunai into Red's open stomach. The ball of fire vanished once the kunai pierced the skin. Red jumped back as he pulled the kunai out, "better than I expected kid, congrats," Red said as he landed.
Then Red started flying through hand seals, hand seals that looked vaguely familiar. Red raised his left arm and aimed it at Naruto, "Hellfire Catastrophe!" he yelled.
Naruto's eye's shot wide open as the giant fireball shot from Red's hand towards Naruto. Naruto dodged as best he could to the left as the fireball reached, and passed him. Several trees were taken down by the attack, but there was no remaining fire once the attack dissipated.
Naruto was on the ground, his left leg badly burned, standing and fighting were impossible now. Red walked over to Naruto, one of his fire fists in his hand ready for the kill. Red was a few feet away from Naruto when he suddenly spun around and grabbed something in the air. A kunai had come flying from behind him, straight for the back of his neck.
Naruto took his chance and threw a kunai at Red, striking him in the left ankle. Red screamed as he fell to the ground, his fire attack dissipating. Naruto pulled out another Kunai and started inching his way towards Red who was trying to get back on his left leg and stand.
Neither was first and neither was second. Naruto never reached Red and Red never stood back up. A second kunai came through the air and dug itself into Red's neck, killing him.
x-X-x
Strag landed in front of where Zigg had just been with the other Alliance members. But Zigg was now further back, putting more space between the two as the other six spread out and began their fights.
"I'll let you draw your dagger, otherwise, it'll be over too soon," Zigg said.
"You know what I find highly amusing? The village we stay at tested the twelve of us to see what rank we were at. But they only tested us normally, not with our abilities," Strag said with his left hand raised to be even with his face.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Zigg asked.
"I was ranked a Kage, but all the results are very skewed, and I'm well above that," Strag said as his left hand and forearm turned into a blade.
"What the hell?" Zigg said taking a step back.
"Meet my bloodline," Strag said jumping at Zigg.
Zigg didn't dodge this time, rather he blocked it with his sword. Strag turned his right hand and arm into a blade as well and he dug it into Zigg's thigh. Zigg screamed and the two broke apart.
Zigg kept his left hand over his wound as he swung his sword at Strag. Strag didn't move, the distance between them was greater than the sword length. But somehow, the sword still managed to cut across his shoulder.
Zigg grinned and swung again. This time Strag ducked below the blade and charged while still ducked below the blade. Zigg saw the change and had to put both hands on the sword to stop it and change its direction down at Strag.
"Big swords are good in one direction, but horrible in two," Strag said as he came up in front of Zigg, knocking the sword aside.
"You talk too much," Zigg said.
In response Strag dug his bladed left hand into Zigg's chest.
x-X-x
Sasuke swung his katana across to cut Lerah across her waist. But Lerah jumped over the blade and Sasuke as well, landing behind him as the others began their fights.
Sasuke spun around swinging his blade but Lerah blocked it with a kunai. "Come on, let's see it, let's see what makes you so great," Lerah said pushing Sasuke back.
Sasuke stopped himself and gripped his katana in both hands, lowering it to his left side. Blue bolts started to jump across and surround the blade. Sasuke changed Lerah and cut her across the waist, but all that happened was the image of her faded away.
'A clone? When? I didn't see her move,' Sasuke thought as the image vanished. Then the ground shifted and Lerah came out of the earth under Sasuke's feet, 'below? Damn she's fast,' he thought as Lerah left the ground, knocking him back and depositing a kunai in his side.
"Come on, I thought you were going to show me what makes you so big and powerful," Lerah said with a grin as she took out another kunai.
Sasuke pulled the kunai from his side and flung it into the ground. He looked up at Lerah and his eyes turned red.
"Ah, there it is, let's see how I stack up to it," Lerah said grinning again and putting her kunai away.
Sasuke jumped at Lerah who dodged and started flying through hand seals. She finished the seals and ice started to gather in her right hand.
'Ice attack, I can stop that,' Sasuke thought at he sheathed his katana and started going through hand seals.
The ice in Lerah's hand started to take shape as Sasuke fired his great fireball at her. The fireball moved faster than Lerah could read and it engulfed her. Sasuke stopped running once he fired the attack, he took his katana out again and started closing in on the dying flames.
Suddenly he spun around and held his katana in front of his chest as it blocked another blade. Lerah stood before him, the ice she had gathered now in the form of an ice sword, and was the blade Sasuke had blocked.
"An ice sword?" Sasuke asked looking at the blade wide-eyed.
"Yeah, I like it to," Lerah said pushing Sasuke backwards.
Sasuke jumped at Lerah swinging his katana at her head, but Lerah blocked the attack. Sasuke swung again, this time at her legs, but Lerah blocked it as well.
"Is that all the last Uchiha has? Maybe we shouldn'tve killed your brother," Lerah said before forcing Sasuke backwards away from her again.
But instead of waiting for Sasuke to attack her, Lerah lunged at Sasuke and swung upwards. Sasuke took a step back and leaned back as far as he could without falling over. The tip of the sword sliced into his chin leaving a small cut.
"Come on sharingan, couldn't you see it coming? Why couldn't you dodge?" Lerah asked with a laugh as Sasuke righted himself.
Sasuke just looked at her, 'what is she? No matter what I do, I'm bested…this could be a fight I have no way of winning…' he thought as his hand absently went to his kunai wound.
With little warning Lerah charged Sasuke again, and Sasuke was trapped in a state of constant defense with no breaks or chance of attack.
x-X-x
Sakura's fist cratered the ground Blue had just been standing on. The others scattered for their fights and Blue bounded into the trees, Sakura behind her. Suddenly and without warning Blue changed directions and shot straight back at Sakura.
Sakura was in midair and had nowhere to dodge to. She was cut deep into her left shoulder and side. Blue stopped on a branch behind her and watched as Sakura healed her wounds.
"I can see why Green loved it so much," Blue said.
Sakura's head snapped up to look at Blue, "I forgot Green was one of you," Sakura said.
"Oh, you met him?" Blue aside as she twirled her sword.
"You could say that, he tried to kill me and died," Sakura said standing up.
Blue froze and her sword fell to the ground, "you… you took Green away from us…from me…" Blue said her grip on her other sword tightening.
Sakura wasn't give time to answer; Blue dove at her, consumed by rage. Sakura dodged away and started back to the others, Blue hot on her tail and with both her swords again.
Sakura kept looking back at Blue, 'she's way to strong for me, I just hope I can wear her down or…' Sakura's thoughts were cut off by a brightness coming form where the others were, and it seemed to be closing in on her.
Just in time Sakura realized what it was and moved out of the way as Red's Hellfire Catastrophe shot past her. Blue, however, wasn't fast enough and was hit by the blast head on, though she managed a water shield it didn't look as though it was in time.
Once the fire ball had dissipated Sakura went to the end of its trail to see what condition Blue was in. what she found were a few scarce charred bones. Sakura turned around and headed back to the others.
Sakura reached the edge of the trees to see Naruto slowly getting to his feet in front of Red's dead body. Strag was walking towards him from Zigg's dead body and Sasuke had just gotten the tip of his chin cut by Lerah.
Sakura started towards Naruto when she heard footsteps behind her. She looked back to see Blue charging at her full speed. 'Must've been animal bones,' Sakura thought as blue neared her, her coat slightly singed. Blue dove at Sakura who managed to dodge the attack. As Blue turned to attack again Sakura hit her in the stomach with a reinforced punch and sent her into a tree.
Almost the instant Blue hit the tree a line of fire erupted along the center of the clearing they were fighting in. Sakura, Naruto, and Strag were on the side that led to the trees, while Sasuke, Lerah, and the slowly rising Blue were on the side leading to the Alliance's hideout.
Strag turned to Sakura, "Sakura, get the Kid back to where I said, I'll get Sasuke," he said.
"But, what's going on?" Sakura asked taking a step towards Strag.
"Sakura now!" Strag yelled before jumping through the flames.
Sakura flinched at the yelling but ran over to Naruto and healed his leg as best she could before they ran back to the safe place Strag had indicated. Stag watched them go from the other side of the fire. He then looked over at Blue, she could barely stand, if time wasn't so vital, he'd end her mortal struggle now.
Strag turned to the two still fighting and with both hands as blades again, stopped the swords, "Sasuke, we're leaving, when I say, jump through the flames," Strag said.
"But we're not done here," Sasuke said.
"We were told to retreat when we could, our mission objective is completed, now I am ordering you to go," Strag said.
Sasuke just looked at him, Lerah watched the two, a grin on her face. Strag's eyes were on the flames, then he looked at Sasuke, "Now!" he yelled.
Sasuke didn't move for a moment, but then dove through the flames. he stood on the other side, waiting for Strag.
"Saving him are we? How noble, especially for a terror," Lerah said, her grin not vanishing.
"Remember this, I'd kill you now if time didn't matter," Strag said before he jumped through the flames.
Strag started walking into the trees, but Sasuke was still watching the flames, there was something odd about them, something deeply odd…
"Sasuke!" Strag said grabbing Sasuke by the upper arm, "we have to move, now," he said as he started to pull Sasuke away.
"Yeah sharingan, you have to go home now," Lerah said as she stood at the edge of the flames, her sword gone.
Sasuke's eye's snapped to her, and as he looked at her something happened, her eyes changed. The instant they did Sasuke had the nearly overpowering urge to jump back through the flames, but Strag adjusted his grip, this time around Sasuke's waist, and pulled him away, carrying him back to where the others were.
Sasuke was silent with shock the journey back, and he stopped struggling once they had entered the trees. They reached Naruto and Sakura and stopped. Strag let go of Sasuke who turned back to face the Alliance's base, but made no motion towards returning.
"Strag what's going on? What was that fire?" Naruto asked.
"The signal, we're in the clear unless we hear any loud noises form that direction," Strag said.
"What signal? What happened?" Sakura asked.
"We got you're asses out of there," a voice called from the trees and a moment later Nomad and Sage appeared, Nomad holding their packs.
"You, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.
"What Strag asked us to, keeping an eye on everything," Nomad said.
"You were why he kept disappearing after dinner," Sakura said.
"Right, but we're not supposed to be here, so don't tell the Hokage," Sage said.
"Hey, Sasuke what's wrong?" Naruto asked walking up to him.
"I'm going back," Sasuke said.
"What? Why? What the hell happened?" Naruto asked.
"She's and Uchiha, she has the sharingan," Sasuke said.
"No way, that's not possible," Naruto said taking a step back.
"Sasuke think, she had red hair and yellow eyes, no Uchiha ever had red hair or yellow eyes," Sakura said.
"It doesn't matter, I'm going back, I'll see you back in Konoha," Sasuke said taking a step back towards the Alliance.
Almost immediately Sasuke had his back against a tree, his feet off the ground and Nomad's hand holding him up by the neck. "You go back, you leave this mission, and you're a deserter. You did it once and were forgiven, I doubt it'll happen again," Nomad said.
"Let go, I don't care," Sasuke said.
"Fine, but I'll let you think something over," Nomad said letting go of Sasuke.
"What the hell would that be?" Sasuke asked.
Nomad looked Sasuke dead in the eye and whatever he did, it made Sasuke's eyes widen.
"We're going," Nomad said walking away, Strag, Sage, Naruto, and Sakura following behind.
"Nomad, what did you show him?" Strag asked once they were clear of the Alliance's area.
"I showed him my sharingan," Nomad said.