Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Naruto cause if I did…heh believe me things would change! coughSasuSakucough Unfortunately it belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, blah, blah, blah, insert random legal document , etc.
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Chapter 12: Recap!
He darted at Naruto who dropped the scroll as Toshikai tackled him. Sasuke waited until Naruto and Sakura distracted Toshikai before running after the scroll. It rolled into the omnipresent fog and waited. Just as Sasuke reached it, he felt a windmill shurikan bite into his leg and tear a gash up his calf. He winced momentarily, but grabbed the scroll in hand standing painfully.
"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled as Toshikai flew at Sasuke. She jumped slamming into the side of Sasuke forcing the scroll the fly out of his hands, but Toshikai wasn't watching. He slammed into Sakura and Sasuke as the two of the faded with him into the fog.
"Sakura! Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as Kakashi grabbed the scroll. "Where did he take them?"
"I don't know, but we have to find them. He let us win, but why?" Kakashi replied with a sigh. "We have to get help before we can go after them."
Naruto nodded but said nothing. Turning he sprinted back towards the wall.
"Sasuke, Sakura, just hold on," Kakashi muttered before following Naruto.
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Chapter 13: Fighting Chance
Sasuke's eyes suddenly flickered open. Propping himself up on his elbow, he glanced around trying to figure out what this place was. Clouds swirled about forming abstract pictures in the violet colored sky. Sasuke took that to mean they were still in the Land Hidden in the Clouds. Then it hit him why they were here in the first place. With a brief wince of pain, he sat straight up, his eyes darting left and right looking for the Raikage's son. His hand strayed not far from the pouch that held all of his kunai.
"Don't worry Sasuke," Sakura's voice said from behind him. "He's not here. That is, not yet anyway."
"Sakura, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that," Sasuke said although he really didn't mind her company. It was much better then being alone in this creepy place, wherever this place was. He began to pull himself toward a nearby tree so he could lean against it.
"I know," she said with a grin helping him to the tree and then sitting down beside him. "Well where do you think we are?"
"We can't be far from the Hidden Cloud Village," He answered. "He thinks we still have the scroll with us, so as soon as he took it from us he would want to hurry to the village."
"Probably, but if he thinks we have the scroll then why hasn't he shown up yet?" Sakura replied. "For all we know he could've realized his mistake and gone back for Kakashi and Naruto."
"Maybe," Sasuke said thinking about their dilemma.
He had assumed that Toshikai would've already come after them if that had been his goal. Then again maybe Sakura was right. Maybe he had realized they didn't have the scroll and had gone back after Kakashi and Naruto. Either option wasn't that great. He didn't even know if he and Sakura could hold Toshikai for very long. Toshikai had even been a tough match for Kakashi with or without the sharingan.
"Sasuke," Sakura said her voice ringing with concern, "you're bleeding."
Sasuke glanced down at the gash on his leg that he had received from Toshikai's shurikan. The cut ran down the top of his calf to about midway down.
"It's just a scratch," he said though the cut was still bleeding pretty badly.
Sakura rolled her eyes and ignoring Sasuke's protests, healed the gash shut. Finally Sasuke gave up trying to stop her and with a sigh resigned himself to watching her.
"There that should help," she said with a grin. "Better?"
Sasuke moved his leg around and then nodded at Sakura, "Much."
"Aw, what a touching moment," a voice mocked from somewhere in the clouds.
Sasuke and Sakura both, despite all their scrapes and bruises, sprang agilely to their feet with kunai ready in hand. Then out of the clouds walked an all too familiar shape. The white blonde son of Raikage, Toshikai.
"Is this the welcome I get?" Toshikai asked feigning hurt in his voice.
"What else did you expect?" Sakura said. "Some kind of welcome party?"
"Not from you," Toshikai smirked. "Let's get this over with. Hand over the scroll, so I can finally become the Raikage!"
"Too bad we don't have it." Sasuke replied watching the over-confident smirk fall from Toshikai's face. "Apparently you picked the wrong people."
"So you're smarter then you look," Toshikai said. "No matter. I'll just kill you since you're of no use to me and go take the scroll. Heh, look at you. Both of you are about beaten senseless and since neither of you are at your full strength, this should be an easy fight."
"We'll show you easy," Sasuke muttered raising his kunai.
Toshikai smiled and drew from the sheath on his back a remarkable katana. The handle was a deep blue over an off-white color and the metal was a dark silvery color. Running up the blade were designs that had been etched into the blade itself. Lighting strikes and ancient runes, much like the ones from the scroll, made up most of the intricate designs.
"Like it?" Toshikai asked holding the sword so the light glinted off the blade. "It also has interesting little technique. If It's connected to my chakra and went I want it too it…"
Then on cue lightning wound up and down the blade. It reminded Sasuke in a way of the chidori. The chakra was physically manifesting itself through the sword.
"Ready?" Toshikai asked.
Without waiting for an answer he dove at the two. Damn, he's fast, Sasuke thought. Almost like lightning.
"Sharingan!" He yelled activating it.
His sharingan made it easier to see Toshikai. Glancing over to Sakura he realized his bright red eyes might be able to track Toshikai, but it didn't help Sakura in any way. As if sensing his dismay, Toshikai appeared behind Sakura, but before he could warn her, she had already evaded the attack. She had gotten better, a lot better. Sakura's eyes darted around watching for Toshikai. Suddenly Toshikai appeared out of the dense fog that surrounded the area and hit Sakura hard in the back, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her to her knees.
"Sasuke…he's using the…clouds as cover," Sakura said breathing hard as she got back to her feet.
Sasuke nodded grimly. That coupled with his speed was a dangerous combo. At least his sharingan allowed him to see Toshikai somewhat. He knew that to Sakura he must be a blur.
"Get behind me," Sasuke said.
"No, I won't make you protect me," Sakura replied.
At first Sasuke was a bit confused, but he didn't have time to be. Toshikai zipped forward katana raised. Sasuke managed to parry the blow with two-crisscrossed kunai holding the blade up. Suddenly Sasuke felt a tingling sensation course through his body. Slowly the sensation got worse and stung through his entire body forcing him to his knees.
"Metal is an excellent conductor of electricity," Toshikai chuckled. "Much like the human body."
"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled running towards Toshikai, kunai drawn.
"Sakura don't!" Sasuke tried to call, but all that came out was a gurgled mumble.
It took him a moment to realize that his tongue was numb. In fact so were his legs and arms. The only thing holding them up was the kunai his fingers were wrapped around. Toshikai raised one hand, making sure not to stop flowing electricity through the katana, and grabbed Sakura around the throat and not only began to channel electricity through her, but began to slowly tighten his grip.
"Now it ends for you," Toshikai laughed.
Sasuke watched Sakura clawing at Toshikai's fingers desperately willing his fingers to drop the kunai and stop the flow of the electricity, but none would budge. He focused all his strength into his fingers, telling them to let go. Finally one by one they dropped off the kunai, which clattered to the ground. Toshikai's surprise broke his focus and he dropped Sakura to the ground. As soon as Sasuke let go, feeling returned to his limbs. He jumped back which Sakura followed rubbing her neck. Toshikai shook his head as if to clear it and once again disappeared into the clouds.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked Sasuke in a hoarse whisper.
"Yeah, how about you?" he replied.
"Fine," Sakura replied. "How are we supposed to beat him? I mean our own bodies are conductors."
"I know, but then again he did say it was connected to his chakra, right?" Sasuke said. "It doesn't last forever. We just have to wait until he uses up enough chakra that we can beat him."
"Got it," Sakura said with a nod.
"I went easy on you before, but now your going to get a full taste of my power!" Toshikai said coming out of the clouds. "How will you defend yourselves if you can't see?"
What's he up to now? Sasuke wondered. He didn't have to wait long to find out. A bright flash filled the area causing Sasuke to shield his eyes. He heard Sakura yell and tried to look around. Slowly the light began to fade just in time for Sasuke to see Toshikai to vault into Sakura sending her into the tree. With a loud crack she slammed into it and with a whimper slumped to the ground. For a moment Sasuke thought that sickening crack had been her back and had thus killed her until he saw the slow rise and fall of her chest. He made to move to her, but Toshikai stepped in between them.
"It's no use, Sasuke. She's unconscious and might have broken something it sounded like," Toshikai said. "Now it's just me and you. Once I kill you I'll slit her throat or break her neck. Then again maybe I'll let her live so that she can mourn you."
With that Toshikai disappeared once more into the fog. Why isn't he getting to the end of his chakra? Sasuke wondered. Where is he going to come from next? He glanced over at Sakura, who was still unconscious, and knew if he made a move toward her Toshikai would kill him.
"Lucky for you that flash and the sword maneuver absorbed most of my chakra along with the fight from before," Toshikai's voice said from somewhere in the fog.
Sasuke spun in circles trying to figure out where the voice was coming from, but it seemed to be all around him. It began to seem as though the fog was closing in around him and his heart began to beat.
"But I don't need chakra to kill you!" Toshikai yelled coming from his right.
He spun to his right drawing his kunai once more. He prepared to block the sword knowing that this time Toshikai didn't have to chakra required for his sword technique, not enough to do the same kind of thing as before. Hopefully though Sasuke could hit him first. Hit him hard. Suddenly just as Toshikai drew close he faded out like smoke and Sasuke heard something behind him.
"Heh, I'm back here," Toshikai said.
At that moment Sasuke realized what Toshikai had done. He had sent a shadow clone in from the front so the real him could stab Sasuke in the back. Sasuke silently cursed himself wondering how he could have fallen for such a simple move. He spun around and saw Toshikai hurtling towards him. It was too late to try and block the full blow with his kunai since Toshikai was coming to fast. All he could do was try to divert the sword in a different direction. He braced himself and waiting for the burning pain that was sure to come.
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A/N: Well here's the next chapter! It's not my favorite, but it'll do so if you have anything to add just tell me! Anyway, don't ya just love cliffhangers? Now we're getting somewhere so keep reviewing cause I still love all the ones I get, and I'll keep updating!
Miharu Uchiha