The Curse
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hell (Part II)
Naruto couldn't breathe.
Or rather – he wasn't focusing on the act of breathing, even when his lungs were screaming for air against the pressure of water beginning to flood into his body.
Naruto could only hear his heart thunder in his chest, adrenaline shooting through his veins from the whirlwind of thoughts and amounting fears that bombarded him once he was dragged into the freezing depths of the water he had once been walking on.
Naruto couldn't breathe. His body was shutting down – shutting down into a behavior that was entirely primitive instinct.
His royal blue eyes were wide with utter panic as he stared into the blood-thirsty gaze of the Corpse tightly gripping his arms. Her black hair haloed around her pale face. Her skin was cut and broken, her left cheekbone visible and her red-stained lips curled in a feral sneer. Her mouth opened, abnormally wide, looming over him in an attempt to bite his neck.
Naruto let self-preservation take the forefront of his mind. Skill wasn't necessary. Strategy wasn't available in the little time he had. Composure was thrown out of his mindset. All that mattered was survival. Naruto let out a scream of bubbles, flailing his body to remove the grip on him, and blindly grabbing a kunai from his pouch and stabbing at every which direction he could.
Fear drove him to stab at the Corpse in front of him with no reservations, watching as dark blood spurted from the wounds and rose up in plumes in the water. So much so that all he could see were bubbles from his movements and dark red liquid. But the Corpse didn't stop – the injuries he was producing did nothing to falter her as she moved forward intently and latched her mouth onto his right bicep, biting down with force that caused Naruto to scream in pain and for his bright red blood to mix into the liquid mess.
Naruto was normally an honorable opponent – he never fought in a way that humiliated his adversary or was deemed unfair or insulting. But with air slowly leaving his lungs and the pain of his arm shooting throughout his body, Naruto could only grab hold of the black hair in front of him and pull. His fingers tangled with the rough strands but it helped him gain leverage, lessening the force of her bite and allowing him the chance to plunge his kunai knife into her chest.
Just when he thought he had the opportunity to get away – to swim back up to the surface and to the safety of his comrades – a searing agony shot up his left ankle and he looked down to see another Corpse viciously biting into his skin. He tried to kick, tried even more to flail, but his heart rate intensified when he realized just how many Corpses were surrounding him.
'I'll be eaten alive…' Naruto thought fearfully, wildly removing another kunai and swinging his arm in the heavy density of water, hoping to make contact.
"Fight it, brat!" Kurama shouted urgently in his head.
'…Can't…' Naruto responded weakly as his consciousness began to darken the further he was dragged into the lowest depths of the lake.
"NARUTO!"
Naruto blinked sleepily as he watched the Corpse in front of him open her mouth in a final attempt to feed off his neck. He had no more energy to fight. He had no more energy to stay awake. He waited as the sharpened teeth moved closer and closer while Kurama's desperate growls began to fade further and further away from his awareness.
Roar!
Naruto blinked curiously as the Corpse attached to him was suddenly ripped forcefully away from him. He looked around sluggishly as all the other Corpses around him were also propelled a few yards away before noticing that a strengthening current was circling around his body in a growing cyclone. A brief flash of white light drew Naruto's attention and he stared into a tiny diamond of ice that acted as an eye to a water-dragon jutsu. It roared a final time before the currents increased in speed, pushing up against his body and quickly bringing him back to the lake's surface.
'What the…?'
SPLASH!
"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!"
Naruto coughed and coughed as water left his mouth, his vision blurry and wet as the cyclone of water flew into the air before veering off to the side. Disoriented, Naruto couldn't tell where he was being carried until the water around him dissipated and left him to fall roughly to the ground.
"Uzumaki-san!"
Gentle hands touched his left shoulder and Naruto involuntarily flinched upon the contact – his mindset still in the horrors of the lake.
"What's wrong with him?" Takeru asked a few feet away, "Get him up! We need to get out of here!"
"Uzumaki-san?" Kasumi questioned gently, though her tone was understandably laced with urgency, "Are you alright? Can you walk?"
Naruto flinched, coughing a few more times before sitting upright, blue eyes instantly drawn to his right bicep wound and the blood staining his left ankle. It seemed he was also bitten along his left thigh since deep crimson soaked heavily in that particular area of his pants.
"What happened in there, kid?" Takeru asked gruffly, flinty eyes trailed on the quiet waters of the lake.
"…Corpses," Naruto answered softly, wincing when Kasumi placed a healing hand on his ankle, "…There are Corpses in the lake."
"You've got to be shitting me," Takeru cursed brusquely, already removing a hand-axe from his belt.
"We need to leave," Kasumi instructed calmly, "We must meet back with the others and inform them of what we've found."
"How much time do we have left?" Naruto asked as he slowly got back to his feet, testing his weight on his now-healed ankle.
It was then that the orange-red glow that illuminated the Valley darkened. Naruto looked up, realizing that the darkness was not one caused by passing clouds.
The sun had set.
"Time's up," Takeru muttered cynically.
Splash…Splash…Splash
Naruto, Kasumi, and Takeru shifted their attentions towards the lake, watching with hitched breaths as numerous bodies began to disjointedly emerge from the water, slowly walking towards them, while others disturbingly crawled forward. One, Naruto recognized, as the cadaver that had pulled him under, his kunai still imbedded deeply in her chest. They came slowly, and surprisingly quiet, walking towards them with their decayed, wet skin yet with strong, blood-thirsty purpose.
"We can outrun them," Takeru suggested softly, stepping backwards.
"If the sun has set, then we're late getting back to everyone else," Kasumi shared logically.
"So, what's the plan?" Takeru hissed, his tone filled with urgency.
CRASH!
All three heads snapped behind them, towards the castle, shifting their gazes upward to follow the origination of the sound of snapping wood and tearing paper. They watched with stupor as a burning body moaned in agony as it fell from a third floor room, its orange-lit body slightly illuminating the palace walls at it descended before disappearing in the underbrush with a sickening crack.
"We go up there," Naruto decided, "Fire – someone set that Corpse on fire. Our comrades are there."
"How do we know they're our comrades?" Takeru growled suspiciously.
"Who else would set that thing on fire and throw it out the window?" Naruto retorted impatiently, "It's better than taking our chances alone with them!"
Kasumi was already nodding her head in agreement, "Alright, let's go."
Pouring chakra into their legs, the three took off towards the palace wall, distributing their reserves into the soles of their feet and the pads of their hands before jumping as high as they could and attaching themselves to the aged wood. Quickly, they began to scale the north side of the castle, climbing as fast as they could as the Corpses groaned with rage, crowding at the base of the structure and reaching up towards them in vain.
When they reached the third floor – and the exact hole that the burning cadaver had come from – the three shinobi cautiously peered inside before quickly snapping their heads back into hiding.
"The floor is overrun," Takeru whispered harshly, "They're either dead or they headed for another level."
Naruto bit his bottom lip before sliding his gaze upward, "We'll go up to the top floor."
"Why?" Takeru barked, exasperated, "We were supposed to meet everyone back at the south-side entrance. What's the point of going there?"
"Because the sun's already set," Naruto argued logically, "They're not going to wait up front for us. They would have taken shelter somewhere. And considering the fact that we saw that burning Corpse get thrown out this window just a few minutes ago, we can safely assume that not all of our comrades made it to the south-side entrance on time either," He frowned, "Remember, the sun's light is different here with that roof of branches above us – we were never certain when the sun was going to set!"
"…So why the top level, Naruto-san?" Kasumi asked when Takeru didn't have a rebuttal.
"Second Floor was overrun too when we climbed past it," Naruto explained, "Which means whichever team that was on the third floor didn't go running down to more Corpse-filled floors."
"And if the Fourth Level is filled with those damned things too?" Takeru growled.
"Then we'll head to the roof," Naruto responded, "Try and get radio contact. Or maybe just cross the roof to get to the south side."
"Agreed," Kasumi consented; though Takeru grumbled half-heartedly to himself.
Naruto took the initiative and led the team of three back to the veranda, scaling one more floor up and carefully pressing himself against a narrow wall between two shoji doors. Kasumi stayed closer to the edge of the balcony, crouched down, while Takeru took the opposite wall, hand-axe already firmly held in his grasp. With a short nod, Naruto edged closer to the shoji door and slowly slid it open, centimeter by centimeter.
Due to the darkness of the Valley, it was difficult to see beyond the crack of the opened shoji, but Naruto's keen sights allowed him to quickly ascertain shapes as his vision quickly adjusted to the poor lighting.
He opened the sliding door a little wider, "…Looks clear."
Quickly, he moved into the darkness of the room, stepping over tattered tatami mats and making his way to the door that led to the hallway. Cautiously he pulled it open, poking his head out to see that the corridors were eerily quiet, but empty.
"They haven't reached this floor yet," Naruto affirmed as he stepped back into the room and closed the door, "For now, we'll make this place a base of operations." He watched Kasumi removed an oil lantern and light it, illuminating the room in an orange glow. He looked around with the better lighting and noticed that their room was connected to three others – the shoji doors that separated them torn down and useless. One room was now turned into large narrow room that spanned half of the north hall, with four doors that led to the hall. He'd estimate about forty-five yards long, maybe eight or ten yards wide. A few shoji doors were still standing, closed enough to allow some privacy if someone needed it, but not shut all the way that they couldn't see into the area.
"Takeru, try and get in contact with the others on the radio," Naruto suggested, already scouting out the other attached rooms for safety, "Kasumi, we'll set up an ofuda-barrier from here," He pointed at one closed-off shoji behind him, "To all the way over there," And he pointed at the other end where the attached three rooms ended at another fully-closed shoji.
"Of course," Kasumi acquiesced, pulling the wards from her belt and quickly setting them around the four rooms.
Click. Skrzzzzzt. Click. Skrzzzzt.
"Damn it," Takeru cursed, "Radio frequency is shot to hell."
Naruto frowned. How were they going to get into contact with the others?
"Fuuinjutsu: Yonjuu Kekkai."
When the seals burned light blue around him, Naruto felt a sense of relief flood his body. However, the underlying concern and fear for his comrades was still present. Looking at the closed shoji doors that led to the veranda, Naruto noticed through the thin, paper partition that the light outside had dimmed into a dark blue.
Frowning, Naruto sat down and began to slowly gather natural energy. He concentrated, sifting through the different chakra signatures, scowling with difficulty since the ominous natural chakra covered the entire Valley. Carefully probing, he was drawn to a point at the opposite end of the castle – a signature he recognized as Sasuke's.
He opened his eyes, allowing the natural chakra to fade away. Takeru silently watched him from across the room, witnessing the strange orange marks around the blonde's eyes begin to disappear.
"So?" The oldest man asked expectantly.
"I sense Sasuke," Naruto murmured thoughtfully, "But it's not easy to maintain and search chakra signatures with the amount of natural energy contained in this area. And without a radio working we won't be able to tell them where we are."
"Where are they?" Takeru asked.
"They're at the southwest side of the palace," Naruto answered, "Directly opposite of us." He flinched, remembering the pain of his right bicep and left thigh.
"Perhaps I can retrieve them," Kasumi offered as she gracefully sat beside Naruto and began to heal his right arm, "I can utilize the technique Haruno-san and Uchiha-san created. The chakra armor."
"It's a last resort technique," Takeru pointed out.
"I am certain we can all agree that getting into contact with our companions without radio devices constitutes this option as a last resort," Kasumi answered calmly.
The platinum-blonde kunoichi finished with Naruto's arm and moved on to his thigh, lightly pressing against the wound and beginning to distribute healing chakra. Takeru ran a hand through his slicked-back black hair, his facial scar looking even more vicious as he muttered to himself about other available options.
"…What's this?" Kasumi had finished healing the wound but her ice-blue eyes were still drawn to Naruto's thigh, her index finger lightly tracing along a thin protrusion from his pants.
"Huh?" Naruto patted his hand along the spot, brows furrowing as he crept his hand into the pocket before his fingers felt something small and cool touch his skin. Curiously, he pulled it out and brought it up to his face for closer viewing.
Kasumi's eyes widened with surprise, "That's…"
Naruto thoughtfully twisted the thin, silver whistle held between his index and thumb, "I forgot I had this thing…"
"…That's Shin's whistle," Kasumi finally finished, blinking at the item.
"Yeah," Naruto shrugged, connecting his gaze with hers, "He gave it to me a few nights ago when I went for a walk near the Patrolling Facility. I guess I forgot to give it back to him." Naruto couldn't help his sheepish grin as he ran his free right hand against the back of his neck, "I hope it's not too important."
"You realize what that is, kid?" Takeru asked incredulously.
Naruto's grin faltered, "…A…whistle…?"
Kasumi smirked, tapping her index finger against the instrument's tip, "It's Shin's whistle. Blowing this will let him know where we are. He can hear this. Only him. He can pinpoint our location once you blow it."
Naruto stared at the tiny object with widened blue eyes, "Really?"
"He must have told you when he gave it to you," Takeru replied with a long-suffering sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, "What an idiot…"
"Oh," Naruto thought back to that point of time, rifling through his mental index. "Just in case you run into trouble out there. Don't hesitate to use it." His eyes immediately brightened with realization, "Oh yeah!"
"Well, don't just sit there," Takeru growled, "Use it!"
And with a determined nod and a furrow in his brow, Naruto brought the whistle to his lips and blew.
Isamu sat against the wall, the entrance to the palace at his direct left, which was left open from Team Shin's and Team Raiden's entering to explore and scout out the interior. Souta was sitting on the steps that led up to the front door, fiddling with a kunai as he sighed for the umpteenth time. Dai was pacing – an action the Rain ninja expected out of the Bird Chuunin – running a hand through his brown hair before darting navy eyes in the different directions their comrades were supposed to emerge from.
"Something's wrong…" Daisuke muttered as he paced five feet to the left and then five feet to the right, "They're late. Something's wrong…"
"…Stop pacing, Daisuke-nii-san," Souta grumbled with irritation.
Dai absently obeyed, but only to stand still and begin to fiddle with the radio attached to his collar.
Click. Click. "Hello? Does anyone copy?" Click. Click.
"I still can't hear you," Souta sighed.
Daisuke's navy eyes drifted to Isamu, who only gave an agreeing shrug to the youngest ninja's exasperated statement.
"Something's wrong," Dai repeated, "Raiden, Kasumi, and Shin being late? Something's wrong."
"You're not helping," Souta groused.
"Well, we have a back-up plan, right?" Isamu spoke up, "We take shelter inside the palace – separated or together; as long as we're all safe."
"It doesn't erase the fact that they're late," Dai pointed out.
Rustle. Rustle.
Instantly, the three shinobi were on high alert. Isamu and Souta were sitting up straight and Daisuke's navy blue eyes had darted to the forest line a few yards away from them.
"Hey," Dai and Souta turned to Isamu, who was waving them over towards a large bush beside the stone steps, "Hide!"
"But–" Souta was interrupted as Dai grabbed his sleeve and pulled him along, guiding him into the dry, green-brown leaves of the large bush Isamu had indicated.
Together, the three ninja crouched in absolute and tense silence, peeking through the natural gaps that the bush's branches and leaves provided. They held their breath, listening as the distinct shuffling of foliage and the snapping of twigs and branches became more apparent and nearer to their location.
Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged somewhere from the east side trail. It towered at about eight feet tall, moving in eerie silence as it paused just at the foot of the steps, beady red eyes that counted at around ten or more panning its sights across the expanse of the area. Under it, three more forms in similar shapes emerged, though they only stood at about five feet.
"…Gross…" Isamu whispered before an involuntary shiver wracked his body, "…I hate spiders."
"They're huge," Souta commented softly, brown eyes wide with astonishment.
"I guess that explains the cobwebs," Daisuke indicated pensively, "But could they be the cause of The Curse?"
"Hey, look," Souta directed, tugging on Isamu's sleeve while discreetly pointing his finger ahead, "On the second – or is it seventh – leg? See it?"
The large creature shifted, turning around and making odd clicking noises that signaled the smaller spiders to disappear into the forest. Then, it began to languidly crawl away to the western trail that led to the lake, its leg flashing briefly with a red cloth, before it disappeared from the ninjas' views.
"A bandana?" Isamu inquired with confusion, before his grey-blue eyes widened with realization, "Could it be a Summons?"
"Looked too smart to be a normal spider," Souta remarked.
"Alright, the sun is setting and no one has come back to the rendezvous point," Dai sighed as he carefully extracted himself from the large bush, "We'll head inside; especially if we have those creatures wandering the forests."
"So how do we go about finding everyone?" Souta asked as he was pulled out of the undergrowth by Isamu.
Daisuke shook his head as he led the team towards the palace doors. Cautiously, he peered inside before signaling the others to follow him into the dark vestibule, "I don't know."
The Rain ninja helpfully pulled out a chakra-lantern, effortlessly lighting the item with a burst of his reserves before holding it up to better view the room.
"So…which way?" Souta asked as he inspected their options: up the stairs to the higher levels, left, or right.
"I say…left," Isamu finally announced.
Souta turned towards him, one brow raised, "Why?"
Isamu shrugged his broad shoulders, "Gut feeling? And the blood trails leading up the stairs and down the right hall seem a little ominous. Don't you think?"
"Shouldn't we follow those trails then?" Souta asked curiously, "Maybe the others followed them; or maybe it's our comrades' blood."
"Well, that's a morbid thing to think…" Isamu murmured, "And for argument's sake – it can't be our comrades' blood. It's too dark – which means it's old," Souta raised his brow higher; Isamu shrugged once again, "My sister's training to be a medic, so she taught me a couple of things. And if the others followed those trails, when they first came through, then what are the chances of finding them? They'll have probably moved on to other sections by now."
"Alright," Dai sighed, "We'll go left then. It's better than staying here."
Dai led the way towards the West Hall, pushing open the door slowly before giving the 'all clear' signal with a jerk of his wrist. Isamu and Souta quietly followed, one holding the lantern for light while the other gripped a kunai tightly in his hand. They looked around the dark, aged walls with wonder, amazed by the high ceilings and unsettled by the spooky atmosphere.
"…I didn't know you had a sister, Isamu-san," Souta spoke softly.
"Yeah, she's about Sakura-san's age," The Rain Jounin shared, a soft smile gracing his lips, "I've got an older brother too."
"Do they know you're out here?" Souta asked hesitantly.
Isamu bit his lower lip, "My older brother does. But my sister doesn't. If I had told her about it she would have forbidden me from taking the mission. And I can't say no to her, so I decided not to tell her. Besides, she's been busy studying for her medical exams – I didn't want to worry her unnecessarily."
"…You have a family waiting for you," Souta whispered, "You stayed to help us. You took this mission with its high death-rate. Why?"
Isamu smirked, "It's all a part of being a ninja, Souta. My brother and sister understand the risks. Besides," He reached out to ruffle Souta's brown hair, "I have family here that needs my help too."
Souta flushed under the low light of the lantern, a small smile creeping on his lips as he looked up at Isamu with gratitude.
"Ah, there's the smile," The Rain Ninja grinned triumphantly.
"You're so weird, Isamu-nii-san," Souta muttered, but his smile remained.
"Charming," Isamu corrected as he wagged his index finger, "I prefer, charming. Charismatic works too. Captivating, alluring," He bat his eyelashes, "Enthralling!"
"Weird," Souta decided with an amused grin.
"Oh, fine then," Isamu sighed.
"Guys," Daisuke had stopped walking, left hand lifted up for quiet, "Do you hear that?"
Isamu and Souta paused. Both reached for their weapons, craning their heads to better listen.
Step-Step-Step-Step-Step
Running.
The group of three had already reached the end of the southwest hall and the southwest stairwell was visible just a few yards away. They slowly crept towards it, listening as the footsteps gained volume with proximity. They stopped inching forward once they noticed a white-blue light start to extend and brighten along the floor, just around the corner into the West Hall.
Huff-Huff-Huff-Huff-Huff
Dai removed three kunai, positioning them in the gaps between his right-hand fingers, crouching down with readiness before a dark form darted into their vision, sliding to a halt in front of the southwest staircase.
Dai immediately straightened, "Raiden?"
The Bird Jounin whirled around, dark eyes instantly drawn to the three ninja in front of him before he stalked forward and grabbed Dai's sleeve, dragging him along towards the stairwell.
"We need to hurry," Raiden stated lowly, his white hair in slight disarray and his coal eyes spasmodic as they darted down the southwest hall, then the west hall, and then to the closed door leading to the stairs.
"What's going on?" Souta asked softly, "Are you okay?" He looked around worriedly, "Hey; weren't you teamed with Akemi-nee-chan and Sakura-nee-chan?"
"No time," Raiden growled as he pulled on the door, his muscles straining as he used all his strength before the entry splintered open with an echoing crack.
Raiden quickly entered the stairwell, his curse resonating in the narrowed space as he observed a caved-in set of steps. Before Daisuke could continue Souta's inquiries, a resounding moan bounced off the corridors and the white-haired Jounin was already pulling Dai, Souta, and Isamu into the stairway before closing the door behind them.
"We'll have to go upstairs," Raiden began to mumble, running a hand through his unkempt white locks as he glared at the broken steps that seemed to lead to an underground level, "Go upstairs and head back to the northwest staircase. When I checked the northwest steps it was locked and I wasn't able to use chakra to open it. But, if I can get into that staircase at a higher level, then I can probably backtrack to the underground."
"…What are you talking about, Raiden?" Daisuke pressed urgently, "Where are Akemi and Sakura-san?"
"No time," Raiden repeated before running up the stairs towards the higher levels, leaving Daisuke and his team no other choice but to follow. Souta and Isamu shared a short look while Dai frowned, never having witnessed Raiden in a panicked state of mind. And the fact that Akemi and Sakura weren't present was enough reason for the Bird Chuunin to be immensely worried.
Once they reached the Second Floor, Raiden quickly pressed himself beside the door, signaling the others to stay back and remain quiet. They did as they were told, baffled and uncertain.
Slowly, Raiden gripped the rusted handle, inwardly relieved when it opened without difficulty. Cracking the door open a fraction, he peered carefully beyond and held a breath when a Corpse staggeringly walked by. Sighing, he shut the door and caught the curious gazes of his comrades.
"What?" Souta whispered questioningly.
"Corpses," Raiden answered; he turned and began to ascend the steps again, "We need to go up another level."
As swiftly and silently as they could, they ran up the wooden steps, lit only by the low-beam bursts of Isamu's chakra-lantern. The closer they reached the Third Floor, the more alert Raiden felt, his eyesight catching movement at the already-opened entryway as well as low voices. It was when there were only a few steps left to climb that Watanabe Shin's head cautiously peered inside and Raiden collided into him, hands instinctually grasping the dark-haired man's shoulders for steady.
Several things happened at once. Souta yelped in surprise; Isamu and Daisuke called out his name; Shin's kunai was pressed threateningly against his left ribs; Akio called out Shin's name; and Sasuke's Kusanagi was held dangerously against his neck.
"Easy! Easy!" Isamu called out, lifting his lantern up higher so all faces could be seen.
"Raiden?" Shin whispered in surprise, his kunai immediately withdrawn from his comrade's side.
For the next few seconds, everyone began to gain back their bearings, taking in the situation as quickly as they could.
"…Sasuke-san," Isamu coughed uncomfortably, "You can, uh, remove your katana from Raiden-san's neck now."
Everyone turned to the Uchiha; Raiden's coal eyes slowly slid towards him too. Sasuke remained quiet, Sharingan spinning as the frown on his lips tugged lower.
"Sasuke-san?" Isamu tried again.
"You were teamed with Sakura," Sasuke stated lowly, "Where is she?"
"Yeah," Akio realized, looking around, "Where's Akemi?"
The questions caused a light of awareness to return to Raiden's dark irises. He immediately moved away and looked around, particularly down the West Hall, and noticed the approaching Corpses.
"Damn it," Raiden muttered, before turning on his heel and running back into the darkness of the stairwell, "We need to go another floor up."
Shin shared a look with Sasuke and Akio, noticing the angry scowls on their faces, "I am certain he will explain once we've found safer quarters. Come."
"I don't know what's wrong with him, Shin," Daisuke commented to the dark-haired Bird Jounin, "We found him that way too. We asked questions but he's not answering."
"I'm sure they're fine…" Isamu offered Akio and Sasuke; though his reassuring smile was a little weak.
When they reached the Third Floor, everyone was relieved to find that it was empty of any Corpses. They closed the door to the stairwell and blocked it off with whatever spare debris or furniture that was lying around. Easily enough, the ceiling had caved in just before the West Hall started, which provided debris – unfortunately, their path was blocked off to the northwest staircase, which meant they had to go around the entire palace to reach it.
"Wait," Shin whispered, "I hear…my whistle." He looked around, brows furrowed, "It's coming from the other side of the castle."
"On this floor?" Dai asked; Shin nodded, "Who has it?"
Shin blinked his dark grey eyes, "I believe I gave one of them to Naruto-san."
"Well, if they're on this floor, let's head after them," Souta suggested.
"Northwestern staircase," Raiden muttered as he began jogging down the South Hall, "Need to go there!"
"Why?" Daisuke questioned harshly, gripping a hand on Raiden's shoulder, "Why is it so important? And where are Akemi and Sakura-san?"
"They're…" Raiden grunted, brows furrowed, "They're underground and Akemi's hurt."
"Underground?" Souta yelped.
"How the hell is Akemi hurt?" Akio shouted angrily.
"Sakura-san went down there to help her," Raiden continued, "She was the only one who was capable to properly help her. But the ofudas sapped chakra so they weren't able to come back up to the ground floor. That's why I need a staircase that leads to the underground level – all the other ones are caved in and the northwest stair is the only chance I've got."
"Ofudas that sap chakra?" Isamu questioned.
"We saw Summons outside too," Souta piped in.
"What the hell is going on?" Akio cursed.
"Quiet," Shin ordered just as the team turned the corner into the East Hall, "We need to regroup and re-strategize. Kasumi and her team are probably protected in a room down the North Hall. When we get there, we're going to sort everything out. Understood?"
"Uh, agreed," Isamu stated awkwardly, when only silence prevailed.
Sasuke remained quiet. His red eyes trained intently on Raiden's back. He respected the older shinobi and a part of him had no doubt that the Bird Jounin did all he could for Sakura and Akemi considering the situation. However, the fact remained that his teammate was missing. Beside him, Akio was scowling deeply, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.
Knowing that the Third Floor of the palace was overrun with Corpses probably meant that it wouldn't be long before the entire castle was filled with reanimated cadavers.
And knowing that Sakura and an injured Akemi were stuck in the middle of it – alone and in the darkness of the lower levels – Sasuke couldn't help but let his anger spike.
Once he reached Naruto, he had no reservations taking the blonde by the collar and dragging him off to the northwestern stairwell. Once the blue-eyed boy knew what was going on, he would definitely make no protest in helping him find Sakura.
They were Team Kakashi – and they would never leave a teammate behind.
A/N: I'm sorry, I know, a short chapter and a late chapter, I apologize. Life caught up with me again and I got a little overwhelmed. Plus, I was working on a new project which includes a Surprise for you readers. Just go to the link below and I really hope wherever it leads will help you understand and follow the story a lot better! And since it leads to a Blog, feel free to follow, I'll be posting a lot of stories and other interests on there that range from anime, writing, and books to movies, music, make-up, food, and other personal adventures.
If you have any questions, feel free to review or PM me. AND I PROMISE - SAKURA AND AKEMI WILL BE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! You guys should get a pillow or blanket ready, muahahahahaha!
Type in your URL: sincerelylen . wordpress . com (without the spaces) and click on The Curse Tab on top, where you will be directed to another page. On that page you will click on Original Character Profiles (The Curse). ENJOY!
OH YEAH I did change my name from Len83 to sincerelyLen,just in case you're confused, haha.
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Next Chapter: Chapter Twenty-Eight: Hell (Part III)
Next Update: 7-10 Days
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