Chapter VII – Continued Rivalry I

"They're already making their move?" Kurogane thought as they jumped from building to building towards their destination. His black cape billowing behind him, making the effect that he had wings as he flew through the air. He noted that the blond, though had seemingly average skills when they first met, had become more proficient in speed and agility these past few weeks. After filing that piece of information into the back of his mind, he resumed his assessment of the situation.

Yatagarasu Cixi, the Zhen, is back in Izanami. And she had displayed the Zhen's power in Hanabishi territory.

"Is she after Garuda-sama (Huang's father) then? Or Matchi? Or Huang?

He became worried as he thought of the Phoenix Avatar. "She'll be fine. She has Fenghuang with her."

There must be another reason why she's here, aside from her grudge against the Hanabishi family.

"Isn't it obvious? A voice in him rang out. "It's them…"

He glanced at Naruto ahead of him.

"Of course, Naruto. Has Asura become really, really desperate for Kyuubi's power now? If so, why send only Cixi?"

Regardless of the reason, that doesn't change the fact that Cixi is in Western Izanami, Hanabishi's turf, and had used the Zhen. He had to make sure that everyone's safe.

Including Naruto, who had become the target of the traitor Asura.

Traitor…

The word echoed through his mind and it offended him greatly.

The image of a silver-haired man being killed flashed through his mind.

"Gin…" His grip on Tasogare tightened. "Is Otohime here as well?"

They arrived at their destination, the place where they sensed the Zhen's chakra came from, the roof of the building still reeked with that poisonous energy. They noticed a figure in pink cloths, leaning against a nearby wall.

"Sakura-chan!" He heard Naurto say, Kurogane turned his head just in time to see the blond rush towards her. Kurogane followed suit after surveying the scene. They appeared tom have been a struggle here. He also noted the six embedded 'Spellbinding kunais' and the ruined and torn cloths.

Ahh, now he understood why Cixi had to use Zhen.

He walked over to where Naruto is. The blond had grabbed akura by the shoulders, shaking her gently, trying to wake her up. Kurogane noticed the bandaged right hand.

Has someone arrived before us?

"She seemed to be poisoned." Kurogane muttered, as Naruto looked at him and back at Sakura. He continued. "Don't worry; it seems to be nothing serious. I've seen this kind of effect before. The poison Cixi used on her is weak and it only paralyzes and can put people to sleep." He bent down and examined Sakura's bandaged hand.

But who could've bandaged her? Cixi certainly wouldn't, she wouldn't need bandages.

Anyway, Sakura is lucky if Cixi had used this weak of a poison. His mind trailed back to the many victims of the renegade shinobi, their decomposed and melted corpses made them difficult to identify.

It looked like they were bathed with some kind of acid that melted away their flesh, exposing- and eroding- the insides. Definitely not a pretty sight.

Good thing Sakura didn't suffer the same fate.

But why Sakura? A trap perhaps to lure them in? If that's true, then where's Cixi?

His question was answered when he felt a looming presence behind them. Kurogane didn't hesitate, he let go of Sakura's bandaged hand, turned around and lashed out with Tasogare. He was greeted by a dark-clothed figure before him but it disappeared in a puff of smoke and a volley of snakes rushed at him. He had to slash a second time to get rid of them.

A clone made of snakes? Is this Otohime's doing? No way could Cixi pull this off.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, Kurogane glanced at him and he saw that the blond was looking at the direction where the snake-clone was.

"Sasuke?" he asked, taking a look around. "Isn't he the guy you told me about? The one who defected to the Sound?" He scanned their surroundings for any sign of movement, his right hand grasping Tasogare, the other clutching the scabbard.

He felt another presence behind him; he lashed out again with Tasogare only to be blocked by another katana. He marveled at the sight of the blad,; snake engraving at its sides, it gleamed sinisterly in contrast to Tasogare's dark color. His gaze traveled from the blade to its owner, who had his other hand drawn back, ready to launch a punch.

Kurogane dropped the scabbard in order to use his left to catch the incoming attack. He caught it alright, but he wasn't able to lessen the force given by the attack. This caused him to spin to his left but it gave him an opportunity to attack again with Tasogare. This time, with both hands grasping it. He was again blocked by the other katana.

He saw his opponent in full view, "So… you are Uchiha Sasuke…"

The dark-haired figure didn't reply and, instead, raised his right leg to stomach level and kicked him away. The power of that kick was enough to send him flying across the roof. As he was nearing the edge, a silhouette of Sasuke appeared above him and kicked him again, this time it forced him downward diagonally.

He hit the roof where the impact lessened the force enough for gravity to pull him down. He was falling headfirst along with the debris.

Damn, he's strong.

Kurogane regained his composure in as he fell and positioned his body so that he's falling feet first. He took Tasogare and stabbed it deep into the nearby wall. This slowed down his descent for a bit and he had to use his left foot to scrape along the wall in order to create friction to finally stop. Once he halted, he dangled from his place to look at the ground and back at the roof.

Fro once, he's grateful for Garuda-sama's taste in tall buildings.

Using only his right hand, he swung as few times before he somersaulted to land on top of Tasogare. He looked up at the top again.

He smirked, "So, another player has entered the fray."

"That takes care of that one."