Enchantress
Chapter 4 – The Mission – Encounter
A/N: I've received a bunch of private messages and few replies concerning their awkwardness regarding Naruto and Sasuke's OOC personalities. Long story short, I refuse to make Naruto the hyperactive idiot and Sasuke the brooding loner as many stories and the anime/manga have made them out to be. I mean come on, is it really so hard to accept that they can have more than one emotion? They do age after all. Also…IT'S FICTION PEOPLE! I can't stress that enough…
It has also come to my attention that I've been very vague about the pairings to this story. I'M SO SORRY! Basically, the pairings will be MANYxMINA and slight SASUxMINA but all in all SASUxNARU. I hope that gives you guys a good idea of what to expect!
I also wanted to wait until I had an even 60 reviews to post chapter 4. JUST ONE MORE REVIEW! But then I remembered that I promised to have the new chapter up in two days. I hate to break promises.
——†——
Minako was standing in the middle of complete darkness with nothing more than a full-body mirror in front of her. What was strange about that? Instead of presenting a reflection, it presented a small timeline of her life as Naruto. Everything from the taunting and the ostracizing from when he was only 3, to the battle with Sasuke that caused him to lose not only his closest friend but also a little bit of his heart. It kept replaying over and over, never once stopping.
Minako fell to her knees and screamed into the mirror, slamming her fist against it to destroy the terrible memories.
"STOP! GET AWAY!" No matter how hard she tried the glass stayed intact, not even denting as if it were made of diamond. She clutched on to the frame with her head down. Voices began looming all around her.
MONSTER!...DEMON!...FILTH!...FAILURE!...DISCRACE!...We were never friends…
"NO!" That was the final straw. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" With as much might as she could, she gave the mirror one final punch as it smashed into a million pieces. In that brief moment of pure despair, she became Naruto once again – slouched on the ground, completely nude, blood-stained arms, and surrounded by sharp fragments of a broken childhood. He continued to tremble. The silence went on for what seemed like an eternity with only the echo of his muttered cries to keep him company.
But then, gentle voices and familiar faces began to appear all around him…each one mending his heart just a little more.
Kakashi: My my, you sure are the stubborn one aren't you?
Iruka: How about another bowl? Just to make sure you're full tonight.
Sakura: You're back…both of you…Sasuke-kun…Naruto…thank Heaven…
Ino: Why don't I spice up your apartment with a few blooms? It needed something fresh anyway.
Shikamaru: Stop getting excited…can't you stay put for a few moments?...
Chouji: Want to come over for dinner? We always make lots!
Neji: I'm no longer bound to the chains of fate or destiny…and it's all thanks to you…
Lee: MAY OUR NEXT BATTLE BE AS GLORIOUS AS THE PREVIOUS ONE!
TenTen: AHH! Are you ok? You shouldn't sneak up on me like that!
Kiba: YAHOO! WAY TO GO NARUTO!
Hinata: I-I…believe in you Naruto-kun…
Shino: Be careful…even a tiny insect can hold a very lethal poison
Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon: OSSU! OYABU!
Inari: One day…I hope you'll become the greatest Hokage that ever lived!
Tsunami: You've given our family and our village new hope for the future…we are forever in your debt
Temari: I can't thank you enough for helping to save the both of them…they mean the world to me…
Kankuro: He's changed…somehow I get the feeling that it was your doing…
Gaara: No longer…do I feel…the need…to harm others…for pleasure…
Shizune: I know this great place where you can get very tasty drinks!
Tsunade: Become a great man…
Jiraiya: No-No-no! A woman's hot spring is strictly research!
Yamato: Concentrate! Harder!
Sai: I promised to protect that bond you shared with him…it's…far too precious…
Sasuke: I can't guarantee that I'll stay here forever…but…I will promise…to never leave those I care about behind…never again…
His body glowed faint white as each bloody wound healed and was replaced with a warm and gentle feeling. The shards of glass disappeared and the darkness swept away.
Minako opened her eyes and saw the light tan canopy of her tent. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She grabbed her pocket watch from a small flap in her backpack.
"6:34…I still have time…" She got up from her sleeping bag, grabbed a few of her utilities and walked out of her tent. She noticed that Sasuke's tent was gone – probably packed – and his backpack had taken its place. Probably off somewhere training… She headed for the nearby river to wash up a bit.
After brushing her teeth and giving her face a cool rinse, she decided to comb her hair. How do girls stand this? OW! She was having some difficulty getting a few strands untangled. Frustrated, she headed back towards her tent to change. After getting into her outfit, she stood outside her tent still trying to comb through her troublesome locks.
"ARGH!"
"Here…" Minako stood frozen as the comb was gently taken out of her hands. Sasuke poured some water from his water bottle onto the comb and gently brushed Minako's hair. Within a matter of minutes, her hair was finally free of the tangles…for now. Sasuke placed the comb back into her hands. Minako turned around to look at a slightly wet and shirtless Sasuke.
"T-thanks…" Her cheeks went pink.
"Now get your stuff packed up and disassemble your tent. If we plan to make it there by the afternoon, we have to leave in fifteen minutes."
"Alright."
——†——
After both teens finished packing up their stuff, Sasuke offered both himself and Minako a few rice balls for their breakfast. Once the severe hunger pain had died down, they continued their journey.
Like last time, the trip occurred in complete silence. They got pretty far without having the need to stop…that is until about 12:25. Sasuke suddenly halted his movement and scanned his surroundings.
"What is it Sasuke?"
"Something's not right here…" Minako stood back-to-back with Sasuke and scanned west while he scanned east.
"Yeah…I feel it too…"
"Follow me…" As if she could read Sasuke's thoughts, she placed her hands in the tiger seal along with him. "KAI!" The both of them dispelled their surroundings as the clear pathway in front of them revealed a heavy forest of bamboo trees.
Sasuke picked up a nearby rock and tossed it forward. When it landed, the sound of hundreds of kunai daggers were flung into their direction. Sasuke pulled out his katana and channelled as much chakra as he could into the blade. Minako noticed tiny particles swirling around the blade that looked a lot like snow.
"KENJUTSU: HYOUSOU-HOJIN – HANA!" (1)
Sasuke stabbed the katana into the ground and caused massive spikes of ice to appear all around them in a tall rosette-shaped fortress. The clanging sound of the daggers against the ice structure rang in their ears. When they were sure that the last of the kunai had been directed at them, Sasuke unearthed his sword as the ice vanished into a whirl of snow.
"Careful…I don't think we're free yet."
The both of them dropped down their backpacks and Sasuke pulled out his wakizashi while Minako pulled out her chakrams.
"Show yourself!" A sinister laugh was heard through the air. All was silent for a bit until…
"Minako!"
Sasuke sheathed his wakizashi – while still carrying his katana – grabbed Minako by the waist and darted upwards. From the ground they were just standing on, shot out a circular area of jagged rocks that reached up, almost touching Sasuke's foot.
"Thanks Sasuke…hang on tight" Minako held both chakrams with one hand and whipped out her chain to her left, latching on to the branch of a tall tree. Sasuke held on to the girl as the both of them swung safely to the ground.
In front of them appeared two men who were staring at them in interest.
"Renegades…?" Minako tightened her grip on her chakrams.
"I must say, for brats, you're actually not all that bad. Although it comes to know surprise considering one of you is an Uchiha. You were impressive enough to block our arbalest unit and sense our underground attack. Very impressive indeed."
"Who are you two?"
"We are on a little…greeting mission…so to speak."
"Word has it that two brats from Konoha are on their way to the Earth Country to 'retrieve something of theirs'?"
"More like taking back what was stolen!"
"Easy Minako…"
"As the old saying goes 'those that fight together, die together'. And here is where you little lovebirds are going to have a tragic conclusion to your story."
"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!"
Both men snapped their fingers and out of no where came a fast blowing wind of dust and sand invading their sight and reducing their visibility.
Sasuke and Minako could hardly see in front of them because of the disturbance but they still held their ground with their backs to each other. Out of the corner of Minako's eyes shot out a kama (2) attached to a chain. Minako pushed Sasuke slightly aside and rose up one chakram while kneeling down. The kama wrapped itself around the chakram.
"Not bad…for a girl…" Minako gasped as the chain gave a violent tug upwards, pulling her towards the direction of its user who took to the air.
"Minako!"
"Your fight is with me!" The other man came slashing down from the sky with a large sword in his hands. Sasuke crossed his swords together and blocked the incoming attack. His opponent's sword was pressing down on his own blades with a lot of pressure.
——†——
As Minako rose up into the air, she used her free arm and cut the chain with her chakram. She back flipped in mid-air and landed on the ground. She saw a figure in the distance and began to charge at it with her chakrams assuming it was her attacker. When she slashed at the shadowy figure, it disappeared as if it was never there to begin with.
"Hahahaha…where are you aiming?"
Minako growled as she saw the same figure to her left. She shot out her golden chain towards it. She smirked as she hit something but only to be yanked again heavily in that direction. She tried to dispel her chain but she wasn't quick enough as she was greeted with a heavy kick to her stomach. She dropped her chakrams as she fell to the ground, skidding across it for a few feet.
"Come on!...at LEAST provide me with some entertainment!"
Minako growled again as she chucked six shuriken at the sound of the voice. The projectiles disappeared into the dusty wind and she was greeted back with her own chakrams flying towards her.
DAMN! She used her chain to whip her chakrams out of the air and down to the ground. From behind her came out eight shuriken that were aimed at her head. She sensed them a split second before they hit her and ducked to the side. What she didn't notice was that there was a thin line of string attached to each one of them. The shuriken followed her movements and pinned her down on the ground by her trailing ribbons. Frustrated, she yanked up as hard as she could from the ground, tearing the ribbons while she was at it.
She stood up only to encounter three more shuriken aimed at her chest. She easily jumped to the side and took her battle stance again. Consequently she didn't notice that she landed on a large puddle of mud that began to pull her downwards.
"HAHAHAHA!"
Minako could hardly see but a few shuriken were thrown in her direction. She moved her upper body to the side only to immediately have three more come from behind her, imbedding into her right shoulder. "AH!"
"What's wrong? Find yourself a little useless?"
——†——
Sasuke, annoyed with having a standoff with his opponent, slipped down to the ground and through his legs, rising up behind him. Sasuke gave a slash with his katana but was easily blocked by the bigger sword. The man forced down his sword and pushed Sasuke away. He stabbed his sword into the ground and used it as a stand to send a sweeping kick to Sasuke's face. Sasuke blocked with his arm and almost didn't notice the group of senbon that darted out from small panels in the guy's sword. Sasuke used the wakizashi to block the needles and jumped back away from the guy.
The man unearthed his sword and battled Sasuke in a little fist fight. Sasuke sheathed his swords and challenged the man at his own game. Punches and kicks were thrown in all directions and attacks were guarded on all levels. The guy aimed a heavy punch to Sasuke's stomach and connected. Sasuke grunted but only to turn into a log with an exploding tag on it. The man smirked.
He easily jumped away. "HHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Sasuke flew towards the man with a jump kick aimed towards his head. The man blocked it with the flat end of his sword and pushed Sasuke away. Sasuke flipped through the air and threw a barrage of shuriken and kunai at the man that was easily blocked by his wide sword. When Sasuke landed he darted towards the man with his sword out in front of him. The man easily vanished and appeared behind Sasuke, grabbing him in a head lock.
"Is this the true extent of an Uchiha? I'm not even trying!"
Sasuke tried to stab the man behind him with his katana only to have him disappear again. "HHHHHAAAAAA!" The man's shout came from above as he slashed down towards Sasuke. He knew he couldn't block it this time so he jumped out of the way, causing the man to hit the ground and form a crater with his sword. Sasuke rushed towards the man again with his katana and found himself in another weapon deadlock. Their swords kept clashing against one another ringing through the air along with the roaring wind. The man slashed down and Sasuke blocked it but only to have him get pushed down on one knee. In the blink of an eye, Sasuke unsheathed his wakizashi and stabbed the guy right through one of his wrists.
The guy made an agonizing scream as the pain caused him to loosen his grip on his sword. Sasuke quickly pulled it out and back flipped away.
"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE SHIT! YOU'LL PAY DEARLY FOR THAT!" He raised his large sword high above him as it shone through the dusty wind.
"DOTON: BAKURETSUHA!" (3)
He brought his sword down with a heavy slash as it cracked the earth, causing large, jagged rocks to erupt from his position and fan out in front of him at an alarming rate.
Sasuke's eyes widened as the sharp chunks of earth headed towards him. He leaped backwards a bit to try and out run it but it proved to be futile. He leaped up into the air only to have the jagged rocks trail after him, each one climbing higher than the next to impale its target. He slashed and kicked from side to side, propelling himself from each rock while trying to avoid getting skewered.
"HAHAHAH! KEEP RUNNING UCHIHA! HOW LONG CAN YOU MANAGE TO AVOID MOTHER EARTH? SHE IS ETERNAL!"
Sasuke then decided to use the rocks to his advantage instead of as an obstacle. He sheathed both of his swords and leaped from rock to rock in an upwards direction. When Sasuke reached near the tip of one of the taller rocks, he channelled his chakra to his feet and jetted himself up towards the sky. The rocks still kept chasing after him but they weren't able to keep up with his speed. Sasuke flipped a few times in the air and performed a few hand seals. He positioned himself to face the earth below him as he raised a slightly closed hand to his mouth.
"KATON: GOUENKA!" (4)
From his mouth shot out 3 huge balls of fire. When they reached the ground, they exploded upon impact erupting into pillars of fire and creating craters in their wake. The man on the ground was overpowered by the explosions that he was flung backwards with a lot of force. The dust around them cleared for a bit and Sasuke was finally able to see his perpetrator. Sasuke channelled his chakra through his katana making it glow silvery-white.
"KENJUTSU: HASUGINYA!" (5)
Sasuke chucked his Katana towards the man's sword that was left on the ground. It flew threw the air like a comet in the blink of an eye. The katana stabbed right through the large sword and shattered it to pieces in a flash of light.
——†——
The dusty wind was still irritating her senses and her lower body had completely submerged into the mud. She painfully pulled out the shuriken that were lodged into her shoulder and threw them to the mud beneath her. She felt her body grow painful and a little cold as the dusty gale-force winds attacked her exposed flesh.
"This is fun! Watching a helpless girl struggle in vain! Priceless!"
"I'M GONNA MAKE YOU EAT YOUR WORDS YOU BASTARD!"
If I can't see or hear all that well…then Sasuke must be having the same problem right? As much as I hate to go against my word Tsunade-no-baachan it's the only other option I've got. I should be fine as long as he doesn't notice me right?
Minako gripped her right arm on her left wrist as she channelled a large amount of chakra in to her left palm. She controlled and compressed it together into a spiralling ball shape. As a consequence of the chakra it created a small whirl of wind all around her, freeing her vision of the annoying dust particles. In the distance she could make the outline of the creep who trapped her this way.
"THE HARDER YOU STRUGGLE THE FASTER IT'LL TAKE YOU IN UNTIL IT COMPLETELY SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE! YOU'VE LOST!"
"I think it's about time you shut that annoying mouth of yours up! You are going to wish you never pissed me off! RASENGAN!"
Minako shoved her hand into the ground as the area of mud all around her began to swirl around at a fast pace, flying up in all directions, creating a dry crater where she was sinking. An area of the dusty wind cleared around her as the chakra ball was still spinning in her hand. She leaped out of the crater and landed on solid earth dispelling her jutsu while she was at it.
"I-IMPOSSIBLE! HOW DID YOU ESCAPE?" Although she couldn't physically see him, his outline was still visible.
"It's a little thing I like to use called my brain…something you should have considered using when you decided to trap me in that jutsu of yours. My lower body may have been helpless but my arms weren't…you've just made your biggest mistake!"
Minako performed a few hand seals. "MAGEN: JUBAKU SATSU!" (6) Minako's body began to disappear into a hypnotic swirl.
"Where…where did she go?"
The man was assaulted with growing tree roots from around his feet and a rapidly sprouting tree from behind. More roots appeared as they entwined against him slamming him against the trunk of the tree and constricting all movement, slightly knocking the breath out of his lungs.
——†——
Sasuke landed on the ground as he saw that the dusty wind began to completely clear away returning back to a cool breeze and leaving the air completely clean once again. His attacker was on the ground trembling in fear as he saw the shattered remains of his precious sword.
Sasuke looked at the man with a glint in his eyes until he saw a beautiful red maple tree some distance away to his right with the other man trapped against it. The man on the ground looked in Sasuke's direction as well.
"Please! Please! Let me go! Let me go! I'll do anything! Spare my life!"
Minako paid no attention to his cries for help as she emerged out from the trunk slightly above him. She loomed down at the helpless man with a smirk and a sharp kunai in her hand. She replied at the man with a hateful gleam in her eyes.
"What's the matter? Find yourself a little useless?"
The man looked up at the girl in pure fear as she slightly raised the dagger up and quickly plunged it down deep into his body, right through his heart.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The man's scream echoed everywhere as the red maple leaves disappeared, leaving behind the dead version of a once beautiful and healthy tree.
The illusion vanished as the man's dead body fell to the ground and Minako landed quietly beside him. She saw Sasuke and the other man in the distance.
——†——
"P-please…spare me! I promise I won't hurt you! Just please don't kill me!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Spare you? After it was you and your lackey that wanted to kill us?"
"I beg of you! We-we were just following orders!" Minako walked up right next to Sasuke and looked at the hapless man on the ground.
"From who?"
"Ta-takatori...R-eiji…" Sasuke and Minako looked at each other.
"So he knows we're coming?"
"Y-yes…I'm not sure about you two in particular…b-but he knew that Konoha would send two of their ninjas to retrieve the m-me-medical sc-r-rolls."
"Enough of your pathetic stammering…" Sasuke pulled out his katana again and touched the tip of the blade against the man's neck. Minako gently placed one of her hands on Sasuke's arm and whispered to him.
"He might know something…let's take him with us for questioning. Maybe he could verify the rumors regarding Takatori and the scrolls. It's just as you said, they are only rumors and maybe he can give us the evidence we need to verify or falsify them."
Sasuke eased down and whispered back. "Fine…we'll take him…but I won't be questioning him like a civilian. He attempted to kill us so he doesn't deserve any special treatment."
Minako sighed. "Come on…you're going to follow us to Iwagakure, inform us of all you know and answer any questions that we might have."
"Y-yes…yes…I promise."
"And if you don't..." Sasuke made a swipe at the man's neck, making a very small wound but still one that would bleed. "I will make sure you die a very painful death…"
The man began to cry a little bit as he nodded at Sasuke's hate-filled words.
"Do you have to be so dramatic Sasuke? What's with the attitude?"
Sasuke ignored Minako's comment. Minako went to go retrieve her fallen chakrams and their backpacks. When Minako came back, Sasuke was still staring hard at the man.
"YOU will carry our stuff for us AND her weapons."
"B-but…"
"You are going to make yourself useful to us in more ways than one. If you don't try anything funny between now and the time we've finished interrogating you in Iwagakure…then maybe I could let you off easy and send you to prison."
The man made a distinct gulping noise and decided not to aggravate the Uchiha or his team-mate any further. He obediently took their backpacks and Minako's chakrams.
"You ready?"
Before Minako could respond, a sharp pain got the best of her. The shuriken wounds from earlier began to sting.
"You ok?"
"Yeah…just got a little careless…" Sasuke walked behind Minako and noticed her wounds."
"Sit down and take off your top…" Minako blushed.
"You pervert!"
"Would you rather have me rip a hole in it?" Minako didn't argue as she obediently took off her half-top.
"YOU get over here!" The man carrying their stuff quickly made his way over to the two teens. "Inside the middle zipper pocket of the backpack on your left are bottles of ointment and disinfectant, some gauze, and medical tape. Take all of them out and prepare some gauze so that I can patch up her wound…NOW!"
The man retrieved the said items with no hesitation. He gave the bottles of disinfectant and ointment to Sasuke first and began to prepare the gauze bandage. Sasuke gently lowered down the right shoulder strap of Minako's leotard so he could be given better access to her wounds. He applied the disinfectant to a patch of gauze and wiped the three wounds. Minako hissed in pain but it was all for the sake of healing – besides it's not like she really needed it anyway. After Sasuke cleaned it up, he gently applied a menthol scented ointment to the wounds, gently massaging them as they began to heat up and cool down. She shivered at the sensation.
Minako blushed the entire time. Her heart couldn't stop beating and all rational thinking flew out of her head. She didn't once make a sound.
After Sasuke applied the gauze and the medical tape, he stood up and placed the first aid items back into his backpack.
"Feeling better?" Minako put her top back on and stood up with Sasuke. "Yes very much. Thank you." Minako smiled at Sasuke and in turn received a nod from him.
"Let's go…we shouldn't be too far from Iwagakure."
The man spoke up "H-he's right…you're only another hour away from its gates…"
"Do you think you can run with that shoulder of yours?"
"Yeah…that ointment of yours is really doing the trick. I think I should be ok. After all, we're only using our legs. And that guy has our stuff." She pointed her thumb towards the man. "Wait…what is your name?"
"T-akeo…miss…" Minako gave a smile and bowed to him.
"Minako…and that block of ice is Sasuke"
"I-it's nice to meet you…M-minako-san…Uchiha…san…"
"You are going to go ahead of us so we can keep an eye on you from behind. Remember…NO funny business."
Takeo made a nervous nod. "F-follow me…"
The three ninjas continued to towards the direction of Iwagakure, not noticing the lone figure that spied on them the whole time.
TBC
——†——
A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Even longer than the last chapter! Hope you liked it! Don't really know when chapter 5 will be up but I will make sure that it's definitely up by Saturday August 26. Stay tuned you wonderful fans of mine! LOTS OF LOVE!
(1) Kenjutsu: Hyousou Hojin – Hana (Sword Technique: Frigid Lattice – Flower). Idea borrowed from the Playstation 1 RPG, Valkyrie Profile, from the Tri-Ace (now Square-Enix) video game franchise. The technique is both named and modeled after the Purify Weird Soul technique: Hyoso-Hojin, used by the character Suo. The original japanese name of the technique is still retained in the american version of the game. I added the 'Hana' part for extra effect. The 'Hana' was inspired from Masashi Kishimoto's original Naruto jutsu for the character Kimimaro: Tessenka no Mai – Hana.
(2) A 'kama' the Japanese name for your average farmer's sickle.
(3) Doton: Bakuretsuha (Earth Release: Explosive Wave). Idea both modeled and named after a technique from the Playstation 1 RPG, Star Ocean: the Second Story, from the Tri-Ace (now Square-Enix) video game franchise. Claude Kenni, the male lead character of the RPG uses the Bakuretsuha technique in the Japanese version. In the American version, it is renamed as "Ripper Blast".
(4) Katon: Gouenka (Fire Release: Great Blooming Flame). One of Sasuke's Ougis from the Narutimate Hero video game series (Naruto Ultimate Ninja in the American version) – specifically from Narutimate Hero 2 and up.
(5) Kenjutsu: Hasuginya (Sword Techinque: Silver Lotus Arrow). My own made up jutsu.
(6) Magen: Jubaku Satsu (Demonic Illusion: Death Tree Bind). Masashi Kishimoto's original Naruto jutsu for the character, Yuuhi Kurenai.
One more thing…I apologize if the summary is leading all of you into a different direction than what you thought. Frankly I didn't know that I would end up making this more of an Action and Adventure fic than the original happy-go-lucky everyone is horny for Naruto fic. I will change the summary to fit the story better. I will add some gentler stuff in later chapters as originally planned, but this fic is going to have a little bit of Action, Adventure, Romance, and Drama…ALL ROLLED INTO ONE!