Chapter 26: Enter the Castle
Senryu: Yo! I don't own Naruto.
Shiirya: This chapter will be introduced by… Tsunade!!
…
…
Senryu: …Tsunade?
-Shizune runs in-
Shizune: Sorry, Tsunade can't back it… she's um… busy…
Shiirya: Ok then… this chapter will be introduced by… Shizune!
Shizune: Oh… um… -blush- Thank you for reviewing… enjoy the chapter… Go Tonton!!
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Neji swam into the second cove, his chest feeling like lead. He resurfaced in a cave, attempting to breathe as quietly as he could.
"Akira?"
He looked around, his teammate nowhere to be seen. The Hyuuga activated his Byakugan, and submerged into the deep waters again. Akira was nowhere to be found within a hundred meters.
He went back to observe his surroundings. The cave was empty, so Neji climbed out of the cold waters and continued through the opening to his right, looking for any life forms. The cave continued into a hallway. After two more hallways, he came to a four way intersection. He sighed and inched into the shadows, waiting for some unlucky person to pass by.
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Sakura and Ryuku went into the first cove, which happened to be a pipe, not a cove. The pipe sucked them into a rapidly moving river, which eventually dumped them, from a seven foot drop, into an enclosed room. The only opening was a balcony about fifteen feet above them on the opposite side of the room. Sakura sighed.
"Where are we!?"
Ryuku stayed silent staring at the balcony.
"Ryuku?"
"I'm sorry Sakura…" He said, tears slowly rolling down his face.
The balcony door slowly opened. Out of it came a small girl about six, with long brown pigtails, and sharp green eyes like Ryuku's. She was crying and ran to the edge of the vast balcony. Following her was none other than the Uchiha, walking slowly up to the young girl and wrapped his hands around her tiny neck.
"Hello Sakura…"
Sakura stared at him, small tears rolling down her face. She then glared furiously at Ryuku.
"You… You... How could you!?"
She punched him across the face and he let the fist hit him.
Sasuke smirked a little, grabbing the young girl by the collar, and raising her over the balcony.
"Thank you Ryuku, you've been a real help."
He then released the girl, leaving her to a fifteen foot drop to the hard stone ground. Her piercing scream reached Ryuku who was on the floor because of Sakura's enraged punch. He ran to the girl like lightning, catching her in his hands.
She started crying uncontrollably into his chest.
"N-Nii-san…"
He held his sister and stood up, facing the floor.
"I'm sorry Sakura… I really am…"
She stared at Ryuku, tears straying down her face, and then turned her attention to Sasuke, who was standing on the balcony.
"Why did you do this!?"
Sasuke's form disappeared from the balcony, soon reappearing behind Sakura's shaking figure.
"No need to yell… Sakura-chan…"
She spun away from him, pulling out a kunai. His onyx eyes bored into her, as he slowly approached her, a smirk hovering on his lips.
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Naruto and Hinata went into the third cove, which led to the end of a dim hallway. Hinata's Byakugan scanned the area.
"Naruto-kun… There's a person exactly 42 meters down the left hallway, moving this way."
The two Shinobi climbed out of the murky waters, and climbed onto the walls, hiding in the shadows, waiting.
The figure turned the corner, walking into the dead end. He continued until he reached the pool. In a second, Naruto and Hinata were upon him, both holding a kunai to his throat.
"Akira-san?"
Akira grinned.
"Yeah?"
Naruto stared at him, confused.
"What happened to Neji!?"
"I dunno, he just disappeared…"
Naruto and Hinata removed the kunai and sighed.
"Sorry Akira."
Hinata scanned the area again.
"There's another guy about 60 meters north."
Naruto smiled.
"Thanks Hinata."
The three ran though the hallways, with Naruto in the frond, Hinata in the middle, and Akira in the back.