Author's notes:
As always, before starting this chapter, I would like to thank all those wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter of this story of mine. Domo arigato gozaimasu, thank you very much!
I am glad that you liked this story of mine, Tenshi-san (angelic.missy)! Yes, there will definitely be romance and consequently parings later in the story (although Action/Adventure is this story's primary genre), but as I said, I won't reveal them just yet.
Amber-san (also known as Kiba-and-Sakura-4ever), extra thanks to you for leaving such a lengthy and fun review! I enjoyed every bit of it! I must say that this story's pairings won't include the one you seem to like the most (myself, I believe Kiba has his eyes set on someone closer, if you know who I am talking about), but I promise that Kiba will have his moment later on (as will most other characters, though).
And finally, I also thank everyone else who reviewed the last chapter of this story of mine, namely: NA, Sillymail, Mezumi Azuma, kai'sgirl510, Suicidal Butterfly and Natsuhiboshi! Mezumi Azuma, the answer to your question will come in this chapter. And, Suicidal Butterfly, extra thanks to you too for adding my story to your C2!
Oh, and before I start this chapter, I want to warn everyone that my knowledge of Naruto is based solely on anime (which I have watched up to Episode 107 so far), so if certain characters who didn't appear in anime by that time (like Chiyo-baasama) will be out-of-character, gomen nasai, please forgive me! I am trying my best with the information I have! Anyway, without further ado…
Chapter FourThe Wind That Blows Across the Great Distance
"…And so, in the name of the Hidden Leaf Village, I ask for Sunagakure's assistance in aiding Team Kakashi against the sound-nin."
Temari couldn't help being impressed at how official and forcefully calm Sakura sounded as she explained situation to Chiyo-baasama, one Sunagakure's elders, especially considering that she was on the point of tears just a few minutes ago. During the time Sakura spent in Sunagakure, she and Temari became close friends, almost like sisters, and Temari understood what she felt like now; the Sand Siblings were known for being merciless, sometimes even cruel towards their enemies, but they knew what it was to look after their own.
"With some of their best ninja gone, Konoha would become a shadow of its former glory." Chiyo said and paused to think, then glancing at Baki and asking, "What do you think, Baki?"
Sakura could barely hide her nervousness as she waited for Baki's answer, for she was smart enough to realize what was being decided: whether Suna would benefit more from alliance with Konoha, or from its demise. And if it would be the later, Sakura doubted she would live to report their decision to Hokage-sama.
"In the past year we faced no hostility on the part of Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village." Baki said finally, after some thinking, "Yet with Yondaime Kazekage murdered by Orochimaru, there can be no doubt that we are enemies. And since we have little information on how much strength Otogakure truly possesses, I believe we cannot afford to lose an ally like Konohagakure. Or Sharingan no Kakashi."
Chiyo nodded in agreement; it was a common knowledge that she had little love for Konoha's famous Copy Ninja, but she couldn't help agreeing with Baki's reasoning. He wasn't known as one of Sunagakure's finest military minds for nothing.
"So be it. I am leaving this matter in Team Baki's hands. You are authorized to use Windgliders."
Understanding that they are dismissed, Baki and his team bowed deeply and made their exit.
Sakura was both worried and excited as she went along with her team out of Kazekage's tower, where Sunagakure's elders resided until the new Kazekage would be chosen. Back in Konoha Sakura read everything she could get about Ninja Wars, and knew that Sunagakure's ninja were famous for their mobility: wherever one of their teams was in trouble, the reinforces were usually quick to arrive. And despite ever-growing worry about her former teammates, Sakura couldn't help being excited about becoming a part of one of Sunagakure's famous fast response teams.
"I want you to stay in Suna."
"What?"
"You are no longer the inexperienced girl you came into Suna, but with your lack of experience with Windgliders, you will only hold us back this time."
"Not to mention that it will be nothing like C-rank missions you are used to doing." Kankuro added his voice to that of his teacher.
Hearing this made Sakura stop in her tracks. She spent nearly a year as a temporary member of Team Baki, and none of them tried to talk her into staying out of harm's way ever before, and Sakura couldn't help realizing that they wouldn't try to do it now without a good reason. But still…
"These are my former teammates we are talking about!" Sakura was almost shouting as she spoke, "I am going too!"
"No." Unlike Sakura, Baki didn't see fit to raise his voice, "As your teacher, I forbid it."
Baki's calm reply cut through all Sakura's arguments: although she was from Konoha, and he – from Suna, by accepting Baki as her teacher, even if temporary, Sakura bound herself to obeying his commands. Although…
"No." Sakura's voice was now forcedly calm too, "As Konoha's ambassador, I demand to see that the agreement between Konoha and Suna is being carried out."
Baki barely suppressed a sigh as he looked at his temporary student. Sakura couldn't find a worse time and situation to stop being obedient student she was until then, but the he had no arguments against her last remark.
"Very well, so be it," Baki said, looking at Sakura with silent disapproval in his eyes "But when it comes to battle, I want you to keep close to Gaara. We are going to face an unknown number of ninja of unknown strength, and should the need arise, Gaara is capable of protecting you better then any of us."
Sakura was already mentally celebrating her victory, but the last comment made her frown.
"I am going to fight too!"
"I am not saying that you won't. I expect that all of us will have to do our share of fighting. But as you pointed out, you are still Konoha's ambassador, and it is still our duty to ensure your safety. Now let's proceed."
And Baki resumed walking, with Sakura and her temporary teammates following him.
"By the way," Sakura spoke again after a few minutes of silence, "I was wondering how are we going to…"
The fivesome stood atop the cliff just outside Suna, where five hang-gliders were already prepared for them; each consisting of a large wing made of cloth, with a handle beneath it.
"We are going to fly there on them?" Sakura couldn't keep the shock from her voice as she spoke, "But, but… That's impossible! Sure, wind is strong here, but it still isn't strong enough to keep the hang-gliders flying for that long. Not to mention that wind can change any minute."
"Oh, really?" It was Temari who spoke, grinning at her younger teammate, "But you are forgetting something, Sakura-chan. You are in team with Sunagakure's best Windcaster!"
"She is right," Kankuro confirmed Temari's boasting, "Temari's skills as a Windcaster are unmatched, and these hang-gliders are specifically designed to be lighter and more receptive to Chakra-infused wind then any normal hang-glider would be. And since Sunagakure's Windcasters are able to conjure the wind from any direction, our Windgliders are capable of flying as long as necessary and as fast as…"
"How fast are we able to fly on them?" Sakura asked.
Her heart was racing as the unasked question sounded in her mind, "Will we be able to get there in time on them?"
"I suppose the question is: how fast are you able to fly on them?" There was still slight disapproval in Baki's eyes as he looked at Sakura, "The primary limit of Windglider's speed is its user's ability to keep Windglider stable; and while the four of us are skilled with Windgliders, you are not. Temari will be able to make Windgliders fly faster then anyone could handle them, so your ability, or as the case may turn out to be, inability to handle Windglider will be the only thing that will hold us back."
As she listened to Baki's explanation, Sakura couldn't help feeling a little ashamed of her earlier behaviour; she could see now that Baki's earlier words about her holding them back would likely be true, at least to some degree.
"What am I to do?" Sakura asked finally, resisting the urge to lower her eyes.
"Actually, not much." This time, it was Temari who replied Sakura's question, "I will be the one who will be doing most of the job: conjuring and directing the wind that will get us to the right place. All you have to do is to keep your Windglider steady; if it loses its balance, it will spin out of control, and then even my wind won't be able to keep it from falling, no matter how strong it will be. And needless to say, if you fall it will be death of yours; none of us will be able to save you."
When Sakura gave her a small nod of understanding, Temari spoke again, far too cheerfully for Sakura's liking, "Alright, let's get going! Baki, you first!"
Sakura watched as Baki picked one of hang-glider and stepped towards cliff's edge, keeping the wing of his hang-glider horizontally, while Temari performed a series of complicated non-standard hand-seals: a sign of a Secret technique. And in a few seconds, a powerful gust of wind literary tore the older ninja off his spot, throwing him off the cliff's edge. Yet Baki managed to keep the wing of his hang-glider horizontally and the wind simply carried him on; unlike it would have been with a normal hang-glider, the Windglider didn't lose its height as it flew on.
"Gaara!"
Now it was the turn for the anti-social Shukaku's container to step towards the cliff's edge, which he did as wordlessly as his teacher did. And in a few more seconds, a second Windglider joined the first in the sky.
"Sakura-chan!"
Sakura barely suppressed a gulp as she stepped towards the edge.
"I can do it, I HAVE to do it! I won't give up now, not after going to such lengths to persuade Baki-sensei to include me into this mission! Not when Sasuke-kun and others need my help!"
Sakura thoughts trailed off as a powerful gust of wind tore her off his spot and threw her off the cliff's edge, like it happened with Baki and Gaara. But with some effort Sakura managed to keep the wing of her hang-glider horizontally, and the wind carried her on after Baki and Gaara.
"It is not that difficult," Sakura thought after the initial fear passed, "The skills of controlling my every move during the combat can also be applied to keeping the Windglider steady. And with my Chakra control, I don't have to worry about losing my grip on the Windglider's handle."
It was then Sakura noticed Temari's Windglider that took place beside hers; by manipulating the wind that carried each Windglider, Temari could keep them in close group despite the intervals between launches.
"So, how is it, Sakura-chan?" Temari asked, grinning at her younger teammate.
"It's not that difficult," Sakura replied, braving a smile to her older teammate; although she definitely didn't enjoy the flight like Temari seemed to.
"How fast are we going?" Sakura asked then.
"About three times and a half faster then we would have on foot," Was Temari's reply, "At this rate, we would be on spot in about three days."
Temari didn't have to tell her that it would be too late; according to their calculations, Team Kakashi was already nearing the trap, they would reach it the day after tomorrow at the most. And watching Temari's grin, Sakura gave her a reply the blond kunoichi was expecting to hear:
"Double the speed."
It was already dark when Temari lowed their Windgliders atop one of the small mountains that could be encountered in Land of Wind every now and then. She could easily make Windgliders gain attitude when they were already in the air, but raising them into the air from the ground would be difficult even for her.
Once on the solid ground, the small group took a while discuss their plans before going to rest.
"Unless they got delayed in the way, Team Kakashi should be on spot in about ten hours." Baki explained, "It is more then enough for us to cover the remaining distance, but unfortunately, there is one problem. With most of Hi no Kuni coveredwith thick woods, it will be impossible for us to spot them from above. Therefore, the only thing we can do is to try to met with them on spot… And here comes another problem: considering that enemies are strong enough to be sure they would defeat Sharingan no Kakashi, there is no guarantee we would be able to handle them on our own. The best would be to arrive on spot at the same time Team Kakashi would and face the enemies together."
"So where is the problem with that?" Temari asked, "We know the time of their arrival… More or less, at least."
"More or less," Baki accented, "And there is another thing. They would be there in about ten hours, while a day's standard march is eight hours. Most likely, they would march for a day, then stay for night's rest and arrive the next day, but they can also make a forced march and arrive on spot tomorrow."
Baki turned to Sakura as he asked his next question, "Sakura, Team Kakashi is your former team, and you know them better then anyone. Which choice would they make?"
And despite the tiredness and the gravity of situation, Sakura couldn't help smiling; the answer was so obvious!
"Of course, any sane person would take a rest before facing the enemy, rather then making a forced march and coming to battle tired…"
The next morning, far away…
"So, our choices are following," The famous Sharingan no Kakashi said to his students, "We can either march for eight hours, then stay for night's rest and arrive the next day, or we can make a forced march and arrive there this evening. According to our information, the enemies aren't going to move for a few more days, so we are not in hurry… And so, I am leaving choice to you."
Unbeknown to the two, their sensei already knew what their answer will be.
"Yay, finally we get to face the enemies!" Naruto exclaimed, just as his teacher predicted, "And extra two hours are nothing for me! Finally I'll get to show what I can do!"
"No matter how much time passes, Naruto will always remain the same, from the look of things." Kakashi thought, smiling slightly behind his mask before turning to his other student.
"For once, I agree with him." Sasuke said calmly, catching his sensei's gaze, "If enemies move off earlier then we expect, it would be difficult to locate them again, so we must fall upon them as quickly as possible."
Kakashi smiled again, though he made sure his smile would remain hidden from his students.
"Sasuke would have never admitted it aloud, but he is actually as anxious to test his skill against that of sound-nin as Naruto is."
"Alright then, let's get a move on."
This may not be Sasuke's main reason for hurrying, but Kakashi knew that his student's words shouldn't be disregarded; they could be sure that their information was 100 correct, and the sooner they confront the sound-nin and free Jiraiya – the better.
And ten hours later…
"Who goes there?" One of the two men asked, as they heard approaching footsteps.
They both wore studded leather armor over the black clothes, complete with boots, and were armed with longswords and light crossbows.
"Simple travelers from Yuki no Kuni," Was the reply, as two more similarly dressed and armed men came within the first two's view, "We were wondering if you could direct us to Kirigakure no Sato."
"It is to the north, just beyond the canyons." The first man replied, and the two who arrived nodded: the seemingly inconspicuous phrases were actually the password.
"Ano… I am not that good with geography, but isn't Kirigakure supposed to be on the island? Somewhere to the east, from what I heard…"
"Huh?"
"Rasengan!"
The four men never realized what was going on, let alone drew their weapons, as four more figures jumped on them, each with spiraling sphere made of pure Chakra in his hands. And the next moment all four were on the ground unconscious.
"Thanks, guys!" The blonde ninja in orange jumpsuit said, stepping out of bushes and grinning to his Shadow Clones before making them disappear. His two teammates were next to step out of bushes, and neither of them looked happy about what Naruto did, though for different reasons.
"These guys weren't even ninja," Sasuke commented, looking at the unconscious bodies in contempt, "They were just some common mercenary rubbish, and we could take them on in a moment's notice with Taijutsu alone, without wasting Chakra on any techniques."
"Ha, you are just jealous that I…"
"And if they would have been ninja disguised as common mercenaries," Kakashi added, cutting Naruto's reply short, "They would have sounded alarm the moment they heard you."
"Hm, either way, they would pose no threat, no matter whether it is four or forty of them."
Kakashi turned to his other student with noticeable disapproval in his only visible eye. Both his students were powerful, especially for someone of their age and rank, but Kakashi found himself wishing they faced defeat more often. More often then not, these two found themselves victorious over superior opponents, which made them both overconfident. But powerful though they certainly were, there were many other powerful ninja in the world, and Kakashi could only hope that when someone proves to his students that they are not undefeatable, they would live to get experience from it.
"Don't get careless," Kakashi finally spoke aloud, "According to our information, there will be at least one ninja among the enemies, almost certainly of Jonin rank. And a large number of weaker opponents may be too much even for a ninja…"
"Rasengan!"
As much as he hated to admit it, Kakashi was forced to eat his earlier words as he watched an army of Naruto's Shadow Clones charging the mercenaries, taking down all except for the few who separated themselves from the main force.
Almost lazily, Kakashi drew a kunai and threw it at one such mercenary who was aiming at him from the crossbow; the projectile flew with lightning speed and deadly precision, catching the mercenary in throat before he could fire his weapon. Then he glanced sidewards, where Sasuke faced a half-dozen more mercenaries.
Like his teacher, Sasuke didn't see fit to use even the simplest of techniques, fighting with his bare hands and feet. But although the mercenaries were armed and outnumbered the young ninja six to one, their skill was nowhere near Sasuke's, and one by one they fall unconscious to the ground.
It didn't escape Kakashi's attention that for all their bravado, Naruto and Sasuke couldn't bring themselves to finish the enemies off for good. It was one thing about his students Kakashi wouldn't like to see changed, but he knew too well that someday they will have to kill or be killed.
Pushing the sad thoughts aside, Kakashi looked around for more enemies, but found none. Those who escaped the army of Naruto's Shadow Clones were already dealt with by Sasuke and himself. The battle was won, and easily at that, but something was definitely missing from the picture, and this became apparent even to his students.
"Hey, Sensei!" Naruto shouted, running up to Kakashi, who was quickly checking the tents, "You said there would be a ninja here!"
"He is not here." Kakashi replied, hoping his students would notice a hint of worrying under his forced calmness.
"Ah, but…" Naruto paused, and then asked, "But where is Perverted Hermit?"
"He is not here either." Kakashi replied, swiftly turning from the last tent, "It is quite possible that the enemy ninja choose to escape with the prisoner at the first sounds of battle, but…"
"Perhaps he wasn't here to begin with." Kakashi added, glancing over the woods that surrounded the camp.
Sasuke took the cue and moved to stand back-to-back with his teacher, glancing over the other part of the woods. Naruto, on the other hand, remained clueless.
"Huh, what do mean by…"
"Baka! He means it's a trap, and you readily stepped into it!"
"What?"
The three turned to the sound of the voice to see a young girl, of about Naruto and Sasuke's age, if not younger, sitting on a tree's branch with her sandaled feet dangling in the air. She was dressed in black miniskirt and white sleeveless vest, and had her black hair done in a short pigtail. Naruto immediately realized that she was pretty cute. Kakashi and Sasuke, however, devoted their attention to hitai-ate that was tied around the girl's left thigh, which proudly displayed the symbol of the Hidden Sound Village.
"The Hidden Leaf is a peace-loving village, we shouldn't expect much from them." A boy of girl's age said, stepping on the nearby branch from behind the tree's trunk.
He had somewhat unruly light brown hair, and was dressed in silvery-gray short-sleeved vest and shorts. His hitai-ate was tied around his right shoulder.
"Hm, if you say so, I'll leave them to you three." A noticeably older voice came.
Turning to the new voice, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke saw two more people standing on another tree: a man of about Kakashi's age, and a boy of about the same age as the other boy and girl; both well-built and with black hair, they could almost pass for father and son. The man was dressed in dark gray pants and jacket and also wore sturdy leather bracers and leggings as well as standard-issue ninja sandals. He wore his hitai-ate at its intended place on his forehead protector. The boy was similarly dressed, but lacking bracers and leggings, and his pants and jacket were light gray, almost white in color. The strangest thing about him was his hitai-ate: it was pulled down from his forehead to completely cover the boy's eyes.
"But taking everything into account, it is not that strange after all." Kakashi thought as he studied the pair, "I guess I know who of them is my intended opponent."
"Okay!" The girl exclaimed cheerfully meanwhile, "I will take the black-haired one! I wanna see if the rumors are true!"
The girl turned to Sasuke, winked to him and added slyly, "You know? They say that the only surviving Uchiha was the weakest of their clan. Is that so?"
The older sound-nin nodded to his female student in agreement, before turning to blindfolded boy beside him.
It was of no surprise to Kakashi when the older sound-nin said, "Taboshi, Sharingan no Kakashi is yours."
"And I get what's left, eh?" The other boy said, and then looked at Naruto with mock annoyance, "Hey, try not to disappoint me… Too much."
"Ha, I am going to…"
Kakashi blinked in surprise as Naruto's shout was cut short, and stared at the boy in silvery-gray clothes, who now stood next to the spot Naruto occupied a moment ago. As Kakashi's lone eye wandered in search for his student, he immediately spotted him unsteadily rising from the fallen tent he crushed into. Then Kakashi once again shifted his gaze to Naruto's opponent.
"This boy is fast."
"You were saying?" The before-mentioned boy teased, flashing a cruel smile at Naruto.
"Talk all you want! I am not even…"
Naruto's reply ended in a cough, and he coughed up some blood before raising surprised gaze at his opponent. The blow was stuck so fast that Naruto didn't even realize how strong it was at first, but now pain and injuries were letting themselves felt.
But Naruto would not himself be beaten easily. Ignoring the pain in his stomach, he quickly performed a series of hand-seals and…
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
…Made a dozen Shadow Clones of himself appear out of the thin air, earning attention of his opponent's teacher.
"Shadow Clones? Not illusions, but actually physical replicas of the user? This boy is more powerful then he looks. Dashi is best in one-on-one combat, and Shadow Clones could present a problem even for him…" The older sound-nin let his thoughts trail off for a moment as he looked at the large puff of smoke appearing on the battlefield, "…But only if their user can control them well enough."
The boy merely waited as all Naruto's Shadow Clones charged at him at once and disappeared the moment before they were upon him, making all Naruto's Shadow Clones clash together and disappear.
"Pathetic." The boy said, half-turning to his teacher and teammates, "You can go ahead and get the other two, I can finish this one anytime."
For a moment, Naruto was speechless from anger, but then he quickly repeated the hand-seals, this time creating over thirty Shadow Clones of himself.
"What would you say now?" Despite the beating he took earlier, Naruto grinned at his opponent, imagining his confidence replaced with fear in the face of such odds.
Yet before Naruto could command his clones to attack, he struck a tree hard, and with his control slipping, the Shadow Clones disappeared into the thin air.
"I'd say the number of clones wouldn't matter." The boy said, and this time Naruto couldn't think of a reply…
"That's bad," Kakashi thought, as he watched Naruto's short combat with the boy in silvery-gray clothes, "Despite his power and endurance, there is nothing Naruto can do against an opponent that fast. It will only be a matter of time before Naruto won't be able to take any more blows. Sasuke and I are the only ones who stand a chance against this kind of opponent, but even we will be hard pressed to match his speed; our eyes would be able to follow his movements, but would our bodies be able to react quickly enough?"
Yet Kakashi knew that such thoughts were be pointless at the moment; if either of them were to come to Naruto's aid, they would have to fight for such opportunity to begin with. And so, Kakashi was not surprised when the boy in light gray clothes jumped off to the ground in front of him. He remained blindfolded, but Kakashi had no doubt that it would prove little hindrance to him in combat; it was obviously him sound-nin intended to lure into this trap, and if this boy was chosen as his opponent, the sound-nin must have had no doubt in his ability to defeat him. That was bad.
"Sasuke, go help Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, before beginning to slowly approach his opponent; he knew nothing about his opponent while the boy certainly had all information about him the sound-nin could gather, and Kakashi knew that if he wanted to have any hopes of prevailing against this opponent, he will have to approach this combat with extreme caution.
Sasuke didn't wait to be asked twice, and he immediately rushed off to where Naruto was, but only to find his way blocked by the girl, the same one who insulted him earlier. And Sasuke could help gritting his teeth, for even though he tried his best not to show it, her jab did wound him; he didn't train to become Konoha's best Genin to get insulted by his juniors, and a girl to boot.
"Running away already?" The girl spoke, not even bothering to assume combat stance; Sasuke wasn't sure if she was stupid enough to misunderstand his rush or if she was simply mocking him, "Like the day of massacre in your estate, I suppose?"
Very obviously disregarding Sasuke, the girl half-turned to where Naruto was taking heavy beating from his opponent and continued, "Even your friend tries his best, not that his best is anywhere near being enough, but still. Not that I should have expected the same from the Uchiha runner."
After such a speech, even Sasuke's usual coldness couldn't handle the anger boiling within him; knowingly or unknowingly, this girl hit one too many weak spots of his. And to receive such insults from a girl younger then him, whose behaviour made Naruto look almost serious, was doubly insulting to Sasuke.
"Is she underestimating me, or just stupid?" Sasuke asked himself mentally, "Doesn't matter, I'll shut her up for good with one blow! And to think there was a time I seriously considered taking that Orochimaru's offer and leaving for Otogakure… Any village that would allow somebody like this girl became even a Genin obviously cannot offer anything in regard of training and power."
Meanwhile Kakashi, who had yet to engage his opponent, cast a glance in direction of Sasuke and his female opponent and frowned. Like his student, he found the girl's careless behaviour strange and illogical.
"She is either very power, or very stupid, or…" It was then Kakashi saw Sasuke concentrating and realized what technique he was going to use, "Sasuke, wa…"
"Chidori!"
Too late!
Moving with blinding speed, Sasuke covered the short distance between himself and the girl, forming a ball of pure Chakra in his hand along the way. And the girl never even realized what has happened before Sasuke rammed his deadly technique through her chest, killing her on spot.
Though this was his intention all along, as the girl's warm blood ran down his hand, Sasuke found himself shocked at result of his own actions; for all his anger and bravado, he half-expected the girl dodge his blow or come up with some kind of defense technique, but she turned out to be exactly who she appeared to be: a stupid and incompetent ninja-wannabe. And now she became his first kill.
Sasuke was still trying to sort his feelings, when the girl's body disappeared along with all traces of blood he spilt, causing Sasuke to experience another shock.
"A clone? But when did she… She was a clone to begin with!" Realization stuck Sasuke at the same time with three bites at his back, "She wasn't underestimating me! She was making me underestimate her!"
With legs failing beneath him, Sasuke fall to his knees, angry at both the girl for tricking him, and himself for falling for it. But he knew it was too late for regrets as he felt poison cruising through his veins, immobilizing him; one blow was all it took her to bring him down…
"One down, two to go," The older sound-nin thought, as the watched what looked like three long snakes shooting from the woods and biting at Sasuke's back, "Behind Saye's appearance of carelessness is hiding one of the most shrewd and cunning minds Otogakure has to offer, the one that is always ready for a trap, and ready with a trap. Saye may not be particularly good in open combat, but use of stealth and illusions often allows her to defeat opponents stronger then herself. She is truly a worthy addition to Team Hiroshi…"
(Flashback)
"I'll take these two."
"An excellent choice, Hiroshi-kun, they are the very best of the first generation of sound-nin. Though they are but eight years old, these boys have already suppressed most Genin and even some Chunin in skill and power, all they need is experience. But who would you choose as your third student, Hiroshi-kun?"
He frowned.
"Must I take the third student?"
The question seemed to amuse the man he was talking to.
"Such is tradition, Hiroshi-kun."
His frown deepened.
"If these two are to work in team with anybody, it will have to be somebody strong, somebody who would be able to complement them, not to hold them back."
"Ah, I see your dilemma, Hiroshi-kun."
(/Flashback)
Kakashi didn't have much time to contemplate Sasuke's speedy defeat, for the next moment the blindfolded was upon him with a flurry of blows, making Kakashi immediately regret getting distracted and leaving initiative to his opponent. Though Kakashi was a full-ranked Jonin, skilled in all three ninja disciplines, he specialty was always Ninjutsu, and had to admit that he couldn't compete in pure Taijutsu with a true master of this discipline. And the brief few seconds of exchanging blows and dodges with the blindfolded boy made Kakashi realize that he easily fall into this category.
"He probably wouldn't be a match against more experienced Taijutsu master, like Maito Gai," Kakashi thought, as he narrowly dodged blow after blow, "But I will be…"
Kakashi's lone eye fall on something at the same time the blindfolded boy hit him square in chest… Striking a piece of wood instead. But the blindfolded boy never hesitated, immediately jumping towards Kakashi's new position, evoking no small surprise from him.
"How is it possible? Body Switch Technique involves moving so fast that no eye can follow the user's movement, yet this boy seem to be able to follow mine, and while being blindfolded at that! Yet despite being blindfolded, he fights as well as some of Konoha's best Taijutsu masters… What kind of technique this boy uses?"
Kakashi had little time to think of possible ways to defeat his opponent, but one thing he realized immediately was that his best technique, Lightning Blade would do him no good here; with reaction the blindfolded boy displayed, Kakashi had no doubt he would easily dodge any straightforward attack, even the one as fast as Chidori or Lightning Blade.
But Kakashi didn't have time to think more of it, for the blindfolded boy was upon him the very next moment, unleashing a flurry of lightning-fast blows upon Kakashi. Kakashi narrowly dodged the first half-dozen of them, blocked the seventh… And suddenly felt a shockwave going through his left arm, which Kakashi used to block the blindfolded boy's blow. Before Kakashi recovered from momentary shock, the blindfolded boy scored another hit, this time his blow struck the famous Copy Ninja square in the chest. Like the previous blow, this one wasn't particularly strong, yet it sent another shockwave through Kakashi's body, and the famous Copy Ninja felt another surge of pain as something cracked in his chest; Kakashi gloomily realized that it were his ribs.
Kakashi stumbled away from the opponent, who turned out to be far more dangerous then he first realized, but a few broken ribs were making themselves felt, and his movements were nowhere near as fast as before he took the blows, making it relatively easy for his opponent to catch up with him, unleashing more blows upon the Copy Ninja. No longer capable of dodging the blindfolded boy's lightning-fast blows, Kakashi was still able to block most of them, but each blow, whether blocked or no sent another shockwave through his body. And in but a few seconds, Konoha's famous Copy Ninja fall to his knees, no longer capable of standing, let alone fighting.
"Two down, one to go." The older sound-nin proclaimed loudly, not able to hide pride from his voice; his students performed fully up to his expectations, "Dashi, finish him off."
"Okay, Sensei!" The boy in silvery-gray clothes, who name was Dashi, answered.
"Looks like fun ends here," Dashi said to Naruto then, unclenching his fist, which Naruto felt upon his skin quite a few times in the last minute.
"Do you know what happens if I strike you with my hand instead of a fist while moving at such speed?" Catching Naruto's confused expression, Dashi smiled cruelly and continued, "I guess not. Well, to make it short, my hand will cut through your body like a hot knife through butter. You will be dead in a single blow."
Still smiling, Dashi took his time aiming his hand at Naruto, and it was only then when realization finally struck him:
"I will not be able to dodge this blow! That is… IT! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"
The next moment Dashi disappeared into the thin air, and Naruto knew what would come next: a blow he had no hope of dodging. Almost against his will, Naruto's eyes closed as he prepared for inevitable... But instead of Dashi's supposedly all-cutting hand, the only things that struck Naruto were bits of earth.
"Huh?"
Naruto opened his eyes and quickly saw his opponent lying on the ground a few meters away from him. Before Naruto could fully comprehend what was going on, Dashi half-rose and disappeared again, leaving Naruto starring at the large gash that appeared in the ground on the spot Dashi lay at a moment ago.
"What the?.."
"Sorry, we're late!"
"Huh?"
Naruto turned to the sound of vaguely familiar voice and saw a familiar blond kunoichi landing softly to the ground, using her fan as a makeshift parachute.
"You!" Naruto "But…"
"Abunai!"
Naruto was about to say "Huh?" for the third time when he was pushed to the ground hard, and heard a whistle of wind immediately afterwards, as Temari apparently launched another of her attacks.
As Naruto looked at Temari, he saw her in her combat stance, with blood running down her right side from the blow Naruto realized must how been intended for him. But…
"How did you?.."
"It was the most logical thing for him to do: to finish you off before turning his attention to me. So when he disappeared, I immediately knew who his target will be." Temari explained, before Naruto fully worded his question, "He is quick on his feet, though."
With both Temari and Dashi pausing, studying each other, Naruto got a chance to get up and sneak a glance at how his teammates were doing. Both Sasuke and Kakashi were still on the ground, Sasuke paralyzed with poison and Kakashi severely beaten, but their opponents had other things to worry about right now. The blindfolded boy and faced the larger figure of Sand Siblings' teacher, and of Sasuke's opponent Naruto saw only three long snakes swiftly withdrawing into the forest as the black-clad figure Naruto recognized as Temari's brother rushed off into the forest in pursuit of the girl from Sound.
"That's bad."
The older sound-nin, Hiroshi didn't waste time on trying to figure out how the Hidden Leaf's reinforcements managed to catch up with Sharingan no Kakashi and his team, but this answer to this question became obvious as soon as he recognized the attacking ninja as sand-nin.
"Windgliders! And to think that we expected Sunagakure to be in too much of a disarray without Kazekage to be of any threat!"
The next moment Hiroshi jumped off to the ground to join the battle; he had great faith in his students, but now situation was beginning to get dangerous, and the sooner they'll finish the new enemies off – the better.
But before Hiroshi could help any of his students, two more figures, a girl and a boy, landed to the ground before him, blocking his path. The boy was the first to act, making some non-standard hand-seal, causing the stopper of his gourd to uncork by itself and making the sand spill out of it.
"Sabaku no Gaara," Was all Hiroshi had time to think before the sand rushed at him with incredible speed.
Focusing Chakra in his feet, Hiroshi pushed himself into air, narrowly avoiding Gaara's deadly sand, only to notice three kunai flying his way.
"Oto no Tate!" (Shield of Sound) Hiroshi shouted, emitting the powerful sonic barrier that deflected kunai sidewards.
But everything was only beginning, and the moment Hiroshi landed he hand to jump away again in order to narrowly dodge the flying kick the girl threw at him. Finally allowed to catch his breath a several meters away from the pair, Hiroshi looked at Gaara and his female companion darkly.
"That's very bad. I would be able to best either of them, but against both of them at once, even I would be hard-pressed to win."
The girl was about to step towards him, and Hiroshi was beginning to think of a way to regroup his team, when Gaara suddenly raised his arm to block the girl's movement, surprising both her and Hiroshi.
"This one is mine."
"Soka. So, that's how he wants it."
Hiroshi cast a quick glance around to see the sand forming from the ground all around him…
"You won't be able to dodge this one."
"Sabaku no Gaara," Hiroshi thought, turning to face his opponent again, "Whom many believe to be invincible. Of course, they merely do not know where to strike."
As the sand prison was about to close on him, Hiroshi began making hand-seals of his own jutsu, but his words were muffled in ever increasing sound of shifting sand, as the sand prison finally closed over Hiroshi…
"NOOOOO! MAKE IT STOP!"
Taken by surprise, Sakura turned her head to the scream only to see her companion, Gaara, one of the strongest ninja she has ever met on the ground, holding his head with both his hands and screaming in pain. Painfully slowly, Sakura raised her eyes to look at the sound-nin they were facing; Gaara's sand prison around him crumbled before Gaara could squeeze it, leaving Hiroshi completely unscathed…
Author's notes:
Before ending this chapter, I would like to say sorry to all those people who are reading and enjoying this story of mine, because it would likely take me more then usual to write the next chapter of this story of mine. The thing is that I am going to be away from my home city for about a month (I am leaving in a few days after posting this chapter, and I had to work pretty hard to complete and post it before I leave), and I won't have access to Internet where I am going (nor much time or desire to type, truth be told, I am leaving to have some much-deserved rest after all). Therefore, I will not likely be able to complete and post the next chapter of this story of mine until around the beginning or even middle of September, but I sincerely hope that you will understand and forgive me (and most importantly, that you will be there to read the next chapter of this story of mine when I will finally post it).
Oh, and I do understand that it was a pretty evil place to end this chapter, with battle between Sand Siblings (plus Baki, Naruto and Sakura) and sound-nin only beginning, but… What can I say? I just LOVE cliffhangers!
Ja ne, I hope that when I will finally post the next chapter of this story of mine, you will be there to read it! And speaking of the next chapter…
Preview of the next chapter:
I can hardly believe how powerful these sound-nin are. We outnumber them six to four, but still they hold on… And they even seem to win? I… I think I got pretty good lately, but our enemies are truly the best of the best. Coming next, "The Best of the Best! Time to Fight With All You've Got!" Was all my training for nothing?