"Stop!"
Sasuke and Kabuto pulled up next to Orochimaru as the sannin collapsed to his knees on a tree branch. The wound in his side from a kunai spilled blood; Kakashi had fought back viciously. Kabuto hesitantly slid his arm underneath Orochimaru's and focused healing chakra to his other hand. Orochimaru felt a wave of relief wash over his senses as Kabuto healed the wound.
"I think you need a tetanus vaccination," Kabuto mused as he worked. "I don't remember when I last gave you one, and this is a deadly disease. You know it lives mainly in metal and dirt?" When Orochimaru nodded, Kabuto continued. "Well, this wound is deep, and from metal, so guess what happens now?"
"I hate needles, and you damn well know it," Orochimaru grumbled, but he extended his left arm. Kabuto slid the needle into his flesh, and Orochimaru felt blood rising to the surface. Kabuto healed the puncture wound as well immediately and carefully lifted Orochimaru's body.
"Sasuke, get his other side."
The teen nodded and put his arm underneath Kabuto's and together, they lifted Orochimaru and kept running for Otoga.
OOOOOOOOO
Tsunade lay out across a metal table, Shizune and a team of medics trying desperately to cleanse her body of the poison. Kakashi had passed out from trauma and the stress put on his body, and Shizune had instructed several medics to take him back to his room and let him sleep. The medics left in a hurry, and Shizune returned to healing Tsunade.
"Help me!" she called. "Get an I.V. and oxygen, I can't hold her for much longer!"
Shizune moaned with pain; she was scraping the bottom of her chakra pit, and the poison was barely out of Tsunade's body. She sighed and redoubled her efforts.
"If we can get her conscious, she can try the Genesis Resurrection!" Shizune gasped, and almost collapsed from using so much chakra, but she kept trying to heal Tsunade. The rest of the medics moved in next to her, healing chakra spilling from their hands.
"Will that work?" one of them asked.
"That's why I said 'try'," Shizune panted. "I'm not sure!"
OOOOOOOOO
Hidan was sure he had gotten the poison into Tsunade's system. It was a large part of the reason for going after Kakashi a third time. Yasu thought she could kill two birds with one stone. However, she had to pay dearly-and gamble-for that stone.
Yasu had warned her subordinates about the dangers, but all had agreed to go. Part one of her plan was now complete; all that was left was for Part two to go smoothly. And that was up to Deidara.
OOOOOOOOO
Deidara crawled along the corridors. He couldn't stand anymore; damn that women! She had poisoned them all! Except for Yasu and Itachi…Deidara didn't know why, but it didn't matter. As long as Yasu and Itachi were safe and Deidara could work his clay, they had hope.
Of course, it would have been so much easier if Sasori had survived. He could have used his puppets to aid Deidara. But Deidara would have to make do; he wasn't in the Akatsuki for laughing people to death! No, he was a genius ninja-and he was about to prove it!
Deidara pushed some clay into the lock on Yasu's door. He used his clay molding skills to form it into the shape of the lock, making the key to it, and turned it and opened the door.
Yasu looked stunned to see Deidara in the doorway.
"You made it!" she gasped. Deidara nodded.
"Had…Tsunade…been in here…?" he panted. He knew he had to hurry; every second took the poison closer to his heart.
"No," Yasu answered, a bit confused now. "Why?"
"No…time…" Deidara whispered. He quickly formed the keys for Yasu's and Itachi's chains and severed the ropes that held them down.
"Get…out…of here…" he said. The poison had reached his heart; nothing could save him now. "Hidan…did it…" Yasu could feel his heartbeat slowing, and grasped Deidara's hand.
"And…the others?"
Deidara shook his head. "Go," he moaned. "Now…! Keep us…alive…"
Yasu knew that this was it for Deidara. Itachi turned away, the closest thing to emotion on his face.
"Don't
look away."
Itachi looked back at Yasu, puzzled.
"Respect."
Itachi nodded. "He was…the closest thing I had to a friend besides Shisui…Sasori was just creepy, Kisame was kind of stupid, and Zetsu and Hidan and I didn't see much of each other. Deidara always seem to get stuck with me…and we learned to get along. Kakuza was our leader an scared to pieces of me, like Orochimaru, so naturally there was no talking to them. Deidara…he was funny. The things he did with his hands…and that clay bird of his was fun to ride on…I remember one time he put me on as a joke and sent me flying over water…then he clung to it with his clay skills and barrel rolled. No warning; I fell right off."
Yasu smiled, tears brimming in her eyes. "Yeah, he was cool…he painted a smilie face on my door one night. No reason; he just wanted to see my reaction. He had a tendency to tag stuff…random stuff, for no reason…"
And, as Yasu and Itachi watched, Deidara, former shinobi of Iwaga, died with a smile on his face.
OOOOOOOOO
Yasu glanced at Itachi.
"We have to get out of here."
Itachi bolted for the door, Yasu hot on his heels. They pounded through the hallways, hearts beating furiously, breathing accelerated. Yasu grabbed Itachi's hand as they broke into daylight and yanked him into the dense foliage behind the Hokage's Tower.
"Stop for a minute."
Itachi pulled up short to avoid slamming into Yasu's back.
"Hold still for a second."
Itachi eyed the senbon in Yasu's hand. "One: where did you get that? Two: what are you going to use it for?"
"In order, my cloak has a rip in the lining from-surprise!-a senbon. It slipped down between the lining and the cloak and I've kept it there ever since. I'm using it to re-open your chakra passageways."
Itachi
nodded and opened his own cloak. "Do what you have to do."
Yasu
nodded. "Once you get your chakra back, open mine."
"Sure."
Yasu lifted Itachi's fishnet shirt and released her bloodline.
"How can you do that without chakra?" Itachi asked.
"My
bloodline, sort of like yours, is always present, but you can only
see it when it's active."
Itachi nodded and let Yasu run her
hands over his stomach. He fought to keep from leaning into her
touches; it felt so good, to be caressed like that…
Then the senbon pierced his stomach, and Itachi gasped with pain. Chakra flooded his senses and stars danced before his eyes. When he regained his sight, he shook his head and looked down at the wound. A thin line of blood dribbled from where the senbon had been shoved in, but otherwise he seemed fine.
"Focus chakra to your hand and hit me…here," Yasu said, pointing to a spot right above her…navel ring?! Itachi's jaw dropped.
"Wh-When did you do this?!"
"'Bout a week ago," Yasu mumbled. "Cute, huh?"
Itachi snorted. "Sexy, that's what."
Yasu sighed. "Just open the passageway."
Itachi's hand glowed with chakra and he pressed his hand to the spot Yasu had pointed out. Yasu's breathing didn't even hitch as Itachi set her chakra back in motion.
"Oh, sure, I get the painful way," Itachi said sarcastically. Yasu sighed.
"Thank you, you're welcome. Now let's go."
Itachi sighed, but nodded and began running with Yasu again. He realized that it was much easier with his chakra back; before, he hadn't known how much he depended on his chakra.
"Come on," Yasu said quietly. "We need to find the Otonin, fast."
Itachi nodded and followed Yasu into the forest."
A/N: Sorry that was so short and so late. No excuse…again. But that's because the next chapter is going to be even better!! I promise!! Okay, going to watch Naruto…bye, peeps!! .