Threads of Fate
Chapter 6 - Kill-Switch Engage
The streets near the docks were rowdy and loud during the night. Six new ships had come in and there was a large influx of sailors prowling the bars and bordellos in search of drinks and company. The smell of saltwater blew in from the sea and mingled with the smell of smoke and liquor. Sasuke surveyed the people in the streets and grunted. He hated the atmosphere intensely and was getting more and more impatient being among the crowd.
He and Kabuto were on the latest stop on their journey, the Hidden Village of Rain, looking for information. For months they had traveled from village to village following leads and fighting for their lives to look for an item that Orochimaru ordered them to find. It was known as the Soul Gourd, and while they had no clue as to why Orochimaru wanted it, they had spent a considerable amount of time trying to find it. Most of their leads turned out to be worthless, but somewhere along the line the lies usually led to some part of the truth. They had visited every backwater village, lone alley, tomb and mine between Hidden Rain and Sound, and their travels had brought them to the doorstep of a bar in the heart of the shipping district of the Village.
"Remember; once we meet them let me do all the talking." Kabuto told the younger boy. Sasuke didn't say a word as he walked a few steps behind him. It seemed to help things go smoother when he let Kabuto think he was in charge. The medic-nin was always trying to tell Sasuke what to do and how to do it. It didn't bother him most of the time, but even his patience could only take so much. 'I will be glad to get this over with,' the young Uchiha boy thought as he observed the people in the streets. 'The sooner I am done working this idiot the better.' Overall, Sasuke did not have a high opinion of Orochimaru's second in command. Because of the part he played in the attack against his former village, Sasuke realized right away that someone like Kabuto could not be trusted. He was too good a liar and too convincing a con man to turn your back on him, his ninja techniques only made him an even more formidable opponent. In Sasuke's eyes, Kabuto was only loyal to himself.
Not that Kabuto was offering an olive branch to Sasuke either. He did not want Sasuke with him, but he had no choice in the matter sense Orochimaru ordered it. It was that reason alone that kept him from slitting Sasuke's throat. Kabuto viewed Sasuke as a threat and a very serious one. He had seen Sasuke's power first when Orochimaru trained him. It worried him that the Uchiha boy was becoming so powerful so fast. A person with too much too fast was a dangerous tool. If they receive something before they are able to handle it, then they could end up turning it against the person who gave it to him. Not to mention Orochimaru praised the young boy too much. Praise led to arrogance; and if the boy became too arrogant, Kabuto felt it would be his duty to take him down a bit . . . or take him out completely. So the two coexisted in an uneasy alliance they soon hoped would be over.
Kabuto opened the door of the establishment near the end of the street and walked in. The pungent smell of tobacco smoke invaded the two ninja's nostrils the instant they stepped into the room. Kabuto scanned the room for who he was looking for, then grinned when he saw a man with a pipe in his hand sitting between to rather large men at a booth in a corner. He nudged Sasuke and nodded in the direction of the booth and the two of them made their way through the crowd. The man in the middle of the group looked at them as they made their way across the room. He was a thin, straggly man with a mangy beard. His clothing was that of a merchant, well-tailored in an attempt to copy the look of a noblemen or a clan boss. His two companions did not look very intelligent, but Sasuke doubted either of them was hired to think.
"Welcome, my friends. You're prompt in you're arrival." The merchant's voice was squeaky and sniveling, more akin to a rodent than a human being. Sasuke thought it matched his appearance perfectly; his too long nose and thin, crooked lips underneath a set of probing, beady eyes.
"Do you have the information we're looking for?" Kabuto asked the man.
"I might have seen it. Do you have my fee?" the squeaky man replied to him. Kabuto pulled out a small pouch and tossed it across the table. The pouch jingled as it landed in front of the merchant.
"There you go, 200 as promised."
"My fee is 600." Kabuto raised his eyebrow.
"We were told 200."
"Then you were misinformed, my friend. 600 or I walk."
"You have to be reasonable, we are not a bank."
"If that is the case, then you'll have to excuse me. Good evening, gentlemen." The two bodyguards made a motion to rise from their sets, but Sasuke raised his hand to stop them.
"Enough games. Your man in the city told us 200. Now you'll take the fee or you won't be able to walk at all." Sasuke told him simply. The merchant narrowed his eyes at the young man and his bodyguards eyed him while clenching their fists.
"You listen to me, you little snot-nosed punk! I won't be intimidated by a couple of useless ninjas! Now get out of the way or I my men will handle you." One of the men made a motion to Sasuke, but the dark-haired boy was ready for him. He grabbed the bodyguard's hand and yanked him forward. The strength of the youth surprised the man as he stumbled forward. Sasuke then landed a quick blow to his throat. The man's eyes bugled as he fell to his knees and reached up to his throat, gasping for breath. With the other man down on the ground, Sasuke turned his attention to the second bodyguard. He gave this one no time to react; a quick jump kick to his head caused the burly man to slam his head against the nearby wall. Kabuto and the merchant could see the man's face as head was disfigured by the impact. The dumbstruck merchant cowered in his seat as the young man approached him. "Keep away from me!" He nearly screamed. Sasuke said nothing as he reached for his arm and yanked him up from his seat. He pulled the thin man in front of him and then kicked the joint below his knee causing the rodent-like merchant to fall to the ground. Sasuke then placed his knee into the back of the man's spine and applied pressure to his arms by pushing them above the man's head. The rat-man hollered in pain as the crackling sound of bones filled the room. By now, most of the patrons had realized what was going on and cleared out of the bar.
"Now I will ask you this only once. If you don't tell me the truth, I will break something . . . starting with your spine." He pushed down on the man's back and forced his arms at a higher angle, causing the man to whimper and his bones to creak as they were further stretched to their limit. "Now tell us where the item is."
"Alright! Alright! It's in the Yazuma Clan's estate on the north side of the village! They keep it hidden within their vault!! Now let me go!" The rat-man shrieked. Kabuto stood off to the side, a little shaken at the sudden ruthlessness in Sasuke. 'I didn't think he had such tough nature. Perhaps I've underestimated him.' Sasuke did not let go of the man, instead, he increased the pressure on his back a bit more.
"You've told me what I want to know, but you also had the guts to cheat and threaten us. I think retribution is in order." Sasuke said silently and without emotion.
"But you said you would let me go if I told you!"
"I never said I would let you go. You must have heard me wrong." With those last words, the Sasuke forced all his power onto the man's back. There was a loud creaking, then finally a horrid crack that signaled the breaking of bones. The man hollered in pain before finally passing out. The dark-haired ninja released he man and watched as he crumpled helplessly to the floor. He turned to his companion before heading towards the door. "We have what we came here for. We should go."
"I didn't say we should go." Kabuto told him. Sasuke quickly looked back at him.
"I'm not staying. Stick around with the cripple if you like." He said emotionlessly as he walked out the door. Kabuto gritted his teeth and headed towards the door. 'He's gotten too big for his own good.' The medic-nin thought angrily. 'Steps have to be taken.'
The two ninjas had no trouble getting onto the grounds of the Yazuma estate. The problem itself was finding the vault. They spent over an hour searching the various buildings of the estate without any luck. Finally, Kabuto found a door inside the library. Sasuke was able to pick the lock without any major trouble. Now they were inside the large vault of the Yazuma clan.
"This is too easy," Sasuke said to Kabuto. "There is no way anyone should be able to break into this place so easily."
"We should be thankful. This inane hunt will be over once we find the gourd."
"So that's why you're here." A deep voice echoed off the walls of the vault. Both ninja's turned around to see where the noise was coming from.
"Get down!" Sasuke said as he pushed Kabuto out of the way. A chain shot passed his shoulder to the spot where Kabuto was originally standing. They immediately recovered and placed their backs to each other, eyes scanning the room. The chain that was meant for Kabuto was attached to a metal arrow was sticking into one of the nearby walls. However, the end of the chain seemed to be coming from the darkness in the corner of the room.
"You forfeited your lives the moment you entered my master's house uninvited." The voice spoke again. Sasuke and Kubuto's eyes looked at the dark corner of the room. Something was happening, but they couldn't see exactly. Then Kubuto's eyes grew as he noticed what was going on. 'Someone's actually RISING out of the shadow!' Indeed, a head slowly rose from the shadow on the floor; not a person stepping out of the shadow, but actually COMING out the shadow. The head was followed by a torso until finally the lean body of a man dressed in black and red rags and a mask that totally covered his face appeared. "I am Hanzaki of the Shadows and you have invaded the vault of my master. Tell me your names so I will know whom I've killed tonight." The man spoke once he was completely free from the shadow. While Kabuto looked on with a little reservation, Sasuke appeared unimpressed.
"You don't need to know our names. Now stand aside and let us pass." The young boy said. Kabuto glanced over at the Uchiha survivor with a bewildered expression. Obviously the boy had lost his mind. Hanzaki found Sasuke humorous, for he began to chuckle with a deep, rolling laugh.
"You are funny. You must want to die first then."
"I have no intention of dying," Sasuke told him. "I only wish so get that gourd so I can stop this innate go home. You are the only thing standing in the way."
"Sasuke, what are you doing!" Kabuto whispered harshly. "Don't provoke him!"
Sasuke was barely listening to his traveling companion. Instead, he continued to look towards the shadow ninja.
"You should be more observant," he whispered back to Kabuto. "Look what's behind him." Kubuto's eyes followed Sasuke's field of vision until he saw what he was looking for. On a shelf behind the behind their opponent was the Demon Gourd! "I'm going to keep him busy," Sasuke explained to him. "You go after the gourd when the time is right." Kabuto nodded to him and as he looked on to the object of their quest.
"You've impressed me, Sasuke. I shouldn't have underestimated you." The medic-nin told him as he smiled. He adjusted his glasses on nose before pulling out a kunai from his pouch.
"Now!" Sasuke said as he rushed towards the darkness-dweller.
"You're foolish if you think a front attack would work." Hanzaki said.
"That's why I'm not attacking you from the front."
Hanzaki's eyes wore the expression of shock when he heard the voice of the young man coming from behind him. He never got a chance to see him because Sasuke rocked him with a punch to the side of the head. He followed it with another punch to the midsection before unleashing a flurry of kicks towards him. Kabuto needed no extra to hint that this was the time to make his move.
"I've got it!" he shouted at Sasuke. The Uchiha boy glanced over at him briefly just before landing a punch that knocked his opponent back a few steps. He was smart enough to stay on him by grabbing him by the shirt and punching him once again.
"Give up, you've lost." Sasuke told the shadow ninja as held his fist over his opponent's face. Hanzaki only looked at Sasuke before laughing.
"You've impressed me, kid." He said between laughs. "I won't feel bad about killing you now." Suddenly, Sasuke felt the man begin to sink. He glanced down at the floor to see the ninja's feet were sinking into a shadow he was standing over. He looked back into the eyes of the shadow walker to see a smug look of superiority. "You're about to see the true power of my abilities." He said as his torso began to sink into the darkness. Sasuke tried to hold him up, but whatever force that allowed the ninja to sink into the black abyss was stronger than his grip. He finally had to let go, and he helplessly watched as Hanzaki's face was enveloped by the shadow. The shadow-walker's bellowing laugh echoed throughout the large room. Kabuto and Sasuke began looking around franticly as they tried to place where the wicked-sounding laugh was coming from. "My jutsu allows me to move through the darkness as I please." Hanzaki's voice echoed. "As long as there is a shadow within these walls, I can move anywhere in this estate. But it also means that I can attack from anywhere as well."
Suddenly it was quiet. The two sound ninja's exchanged confused glances until they heard the sound of metal being unsheathed. Sasuke's bloodline ability activated and he turned towards a shadow behind him, but his reaction was not fast enough. Chains flew out at him from every direction. Kabuto looked on in through wide eyes as he saw the metal ropes surround Sasuke as fast as a group of snakes striking their prey. 'He's using the chains to attack from the shadows' Kabuto realized as he watched Sasuke helplessly tried to fend off the attack. However, the number of chains proved too numerous and in mere moments, both his arms and legs were tightly bound by the metal links. Once they had him, they began to pull his limbs in different directions. Sasuke groaned in agony as he felt his joints being pulled to their limit. The chains started to lift him upwards until he was suspended a few feet from the ground. As his body rose, Hanzaki emerged from a shadow from the ceiling. He did not stop until he was eye level with Sasuke. In his hands were the ends of the chains that held Sasuke in his prison. His eyes bore into the young ninja's pupils and the shadow-ninja began his deep, bellowing laugh once more.
"You've been caught in my metal web attack," he said wickedly to the dark haired boy. "All I have to do is pull and every one of your joints will tear of their sockets. You'll die slowly as the blood from you body drains out of you, but you'll mostly go into shock before that happens." Sasuke could tell that the shadow ninja was smiling underneath his mask. He glanced over at Kabuto who was still unharmed.
"Kabuto, help me get free from here!" he shouted. However, Kabuto simply smiled up at Sasuke. He placed the gourd in his pouch before giving his traveling companion a small salute, then placed his hands together and began several hand seals.
"Sorry Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said happily. "I have to get this back to Orochimaru. I'll make sure to tell him how bravely you fought to make sure he got what he wanted!" He grinned as he disappeared behind a cloud of smoke and Sasuke could do nothing but watch in anger. 'That bastard! He left me here!' Hanzaki started laughing once again as he turned his attention to Sasuke.
"It looks like your buddy left you behind." He told him. "Don't worry; you won't go to hell alone. I'll track him down once I'm done playing with you."
"I'll give you one more chance to surrender yourself, no more." Sasuke said calmly. Hanzaki simply laughed again.
"You're giving ME one more chance?"
"I suggest you take it, because once I am free, I will kill you." The shadow ninja laughed once again.
"That is something I would like to see."
"As you wish."
A blast of chakra began to surround the young Uchiha boy. The chakra building up was so powerful that it knocked Hanzaki into a wall with enough force to nearly send him through it. The build-up around Sasuke glowed a demonic purple and violently engulfed him. Sasuke tilted his head back as he felt the power flowed through his body. A slight smile crept across his lips as he welcomed the feeling of the cursed seal. 'Yes!' A voice inside him began to chant. 'Embrace it! Welcome it! Become power personified!' By now, Hanzaki had pulled himself free of the rubble from the wall. He glanced up at the young boy and noticed the dark symbols creeping across his skin like black flames spreading across a dry forest. Fear was evident in his eyes as he tried to back away from Sasuke. 'What is this chakra that's coming from him?' he thought as he tried to move away. 'It is nothing but pure evil. I feel no life from it at all!' Sasuke flexed his muscles and yanked at his restraints. The chains broke as if he was held by tiny threads and he was free. Hanzaki panicked when he saw Sasuke easily rip himself apart from his binds.
"Stay away from me, devil!" He shouted at Sasuke. The shadow ninja tried to turn and run for the door of the vault, but Sasuke was already on him. Sasuke yanked him back and turned him around so that they were face to face and only centimeters apart.
"Yes, I am a devil and I'm about to send you to hell." Sasuke grabbed his arm and clamped down on it with all his might. Hanzaki screamed in pain as he felt the boy's fingers digging into his arm flesh. Blood started to seep out as the fingers sunk in below the skin and penetrated to the muscle. The Shadow ninja hollered at the sensation of pain that filled him.
"You said you would tear my joints from their sockets, so I thought it would be only fair for you to experience it first hand!" Sasuke's voice said in a sadistic tone. He pulled the arm away from the man's body and the murderous screams drowned out the tearing sound of muscle and flesh. With one mighty tug, Sasuke separated man from limb and blood spouted everywhere around the room. The floor and walls were splattered with the spray of the crimson fluid, some of it getting on Sasuke's face. Hanzaki flailed around wildly on the ground as he howled in pain.
Sasuke looked at the arm in his hand. Never in his life had he done something so brutal, so heartless . . . and he never expected to enjoy it. His heart began race at the sight of the blood dripping from the end of the limb. His eyes grew big and he looked back at the shadow ninja flailing on the floor. Suddenly he heard the voice again. . . this time louder.
' DO IT! BECOME A GOD AND TAKE HIS FATE IN YOUR HANDS!'
Sasuke reached down and grabbed the hysterical ninja by the head and yanked him up. The now stunned Hanzaki tried to pull away from the young boy's touch, but Sasuke firmly took his head in his hands. He began to apply pressure to the sides of his head and push his hands together. Hanzaki's eyes went wild as he began go scream and groan in agony.
"NOOOOO! DOOONN'T!"
The man's jaw was crushed between Sasuke's hands and blood flew out of every hole of his head. Sasuke never flinched when blood hit him in the face and soaked his clothing. He let the head slide from his grip and the body fell to the ground. He wiped his eye and glanced down at the person who had been Hanzaki of the Shadow. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands. He was in shock, but his face did no show it. 'I've committed the final act of a shinobi.' He pondered. 'There is no limit to hold me back.' The room was silent save for the sound of Sasuke's heavy breathing. The realization of his actions was sank into his mind, and he threw back his head and laughed hysterically.
Sasuke Uchiha had taken a human life.
Kabuto raced through the trees towards the boarder. He was rather pleased with himself. He had the Demon Gourd that Orochimaru desired and he had done very little to get it. He knew his master would be pleased with him. To make thing even more satisfying, he had gotten rid of that arrogant little annoyance Sasuke. There was now nothing to threaten his position as Orochimaru's second in command. 'I have to admit, Sasuke-kun' The Sound ninja thought as he zipped from branch to branch. 'You had your uses, but you were becoming a hassle to deal with. If you had just listened to me, none of this would have happened.' Kabuto chuckled slightly. The situation presented itself wonderfully to him and he had to take his chance. The other ninja was too entangled with Sasuke to attack him and there was no way Sasuke could survive. He would have been a fool not to take it; it took care of all his problems. After all, the important thing is that Orochimaru received the gourd. Orochimaru would understand that. Sasuke gave his life as a loyal servant for the village of Sound and Kabuto would make sure he was remembered properly.
Kabuto was so busy thinking about his story to Orochimaru that he did not realize someone was following him. So it was a total shock to him when he felt something hit his chin and whipped him out of the air. He was sent flying into the ground and bounced a few times before coming to a stop in a bush.
"Whoever you are, you are a dead man!" he shouted angrily once he untangled himself and rose to his feet.
"Oh, but wouldn't that make you so happy if it were true?"
The blood in Kubuto's veins ran ice cold at the recognition of the voice. He slowly turned around, hoping that he was imagining things.
"S-Sasuke-kun?" he said hesitantly. He gulped as he came face to face the black-haired boy, noticing that his cursed seal was active. "I'm so glad that you made it back alive-"
Kubuto's words were interrupted by Sasuke's swift kick to his chin. Kabuto fell to the ground dazed from the attack, but Sasuke snatched him up by his shirt. His steely expression frightened Kabuto to the point that he was actually shaking.
"You left me back there to die, you sniveling, treacherous bastard." He said in a murderous low tone. "I should do to you want I did to that ninja back there. However, Orochimaru might have some use for you and I don't feel like killing again right now." He took Kubuto's hand into his own and began to squeeze it. "Understand this. . . .if you every betray me again, death will be that fate that you will beg for." A few crackles and Sasuke crushed the ninja's fingers in his hand and Kabuto yelled in pain. Sasuke released him and looked down at him. "Let's see you use your disappearing jutsu now." Sasuke turned his back to him and started to race towards the boarder. Kabuto picked himself up and started along after Sasuke, his glare burning into the back of the young ninja. 'You've proven to be a bigger annoyance than I thought.' He thought as he held his injured hand.
Sasuke however, wasn't paying attention to the medic-nin; he was reflecting on what had happened in the Yazuma vault. 'There are only one other person I have to kill.' He thought. 'Brother, I'll be coming for you soon then we will see who the strongest Uchiha is.'