Author's Note: I had trouble writing this chapter. Sorry it took so long. Enjoy!
Kenshi sighed in annoyance for perhaps the millionth time that hour. He had been waiting at the meeting point where Sasuke was supposed to arrive at an uncertain time. The swordsman had been pacing on top of the small rise in the cave for the last few minutes, attempting to occupy his boredom. He groaned loudly and plopped down on the damp rock, crossing his legs and putting a hand under his chin. Kenshi had never been a very patient person. He especially hated waiting on Kurushimi to reveal his plans. The man narrowed his eyes at the thought of his friend. "I need to find out what he's hiding, soon... I'm not really sure how though." He saw movement in the corner of his eye, causing him to push his last thoughts to the back of his mind. Kenshi looked up to see a very stoic male walking towards him at a leisurely pace. "Took you long enough Uchiha."
Sasuke had a slight frown as he glared menacingly at the swordsman in front of him. He had left all of his weapons and even his cloak with Sakura, deciding that he probably had no need for them anymore. The Uchiha managed to make it look as if he did not care about giving up on the outside, but on the inside, he was hurting. Rage surged through him the moment he laid eyes on Kenshi and heard his remark. "There was no need to be in a rush," Sasuke replied indifferently.
"Really?" Kenshi asked sarcastically. "I thought you would hurry, knowing that your friends' lives were on the line."
The two men ominously stared each other down for the next minute. The regret and sorrow Sasuke felt for leaving was nothing compared to the hatred he directed towards Kenshi and Kurushimi. What he mainly saw in the other man's orbs was how much Kenshi despised him. But, there was something hidden behind Kenshi's eyes, something that Sasuke couldn't easily decipher. It almost seemed to be like guilt, sadness... regret...
The swordsman noticed the microscopic change in Sasuke's features and twisted his body around so the Uchiha couldn't tell what was going on inside his head. "Let's go. Kurushimi will be waiting. You're gonna be in front of me so I can make sure you don't try something funny."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but obeyed soon after. The pair set off with him a couple steps ahead of the scarred male. "Tell me, what motive would I have to 'try something funny'?" No answer. Sasuke envisioned Kenshi clenching his jaw behind him. He kept quiet for quite a while after that, the only talk between them being Kenshi ordering Sasuke to turn every now and then. The last of his clan wanted the silence to end, and what better way to do it than giving his captor an "interrogation"? He looked over his shoulder and asked, "Why are you and Kurushimi so obsessed with killing me? I'd like to know if I did something wrong that I wasn't aware of."
"Tch," Kenshi scoffed, "first of all, I wouldn't be surprised if you 'forgot' about committing a crime since you've already got a long list of those. Second, to answer your question, we're trying to eliminate you so the Uchihas will cease to exist. All your CLAN has ever done is caused trouble and ruined lives."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the man's last comment. The clan? "So it was my clan and not just me?" He faintly heard the sound of teeth grinding behind him. "I don't see why you're getting so angry. I just asked a simple question is all."
Kenshi tilted his head to look at the ground as they walked on. "You, your clan, whatever. Every Uchiha is a disgrace and a criminal."
Sasuke was able to keep calm, genuinely curious as to why Kenshi hated the Uchiha name so much. He could understand any hatred directed towards him, but why the entire clan? "I don't agree with you."
"Of course you wouldn't. You're one of them," Kenshi scoffed.
"I still would like to know why exactly you despise my clan so much," Sasuke said in a tone of indifference with a slight hint of curiosity. The noise of the other man's footsteps ceased and the Uchiha also came to a halt, turning to look at Kenshi. To his surprise, the swordsman gazed at him with great sorrow in his eyes.
"You of all people should know what it's like to have everything taken from you," Kenshi said.
All Sasuke could do was stare at the other male. Silence filled the caves for an unknown amount of time until Kenshi finally snapped out of his trance and commanded the Uchiha to continue walking forward. Sasuke slowly turned his back on the swordsman. He took a step forward, contemplating on how he should respond or if he should at all. They made it another hundred or so feet before the conflicted male decided to speak his mind. "You're right, I do know what it's like to lose everything, but I dealt with it the wrong way. I assume Kurushimi might have mentioned some of what I'm about to say since he's seen my memories, but there's a point to this. After the massacre, I tried to stay away from everything I thought would distract me from my goal, to avenge my clan, my mother and father. I attempted to do the same when I became a genin. However, I never expected my team to," he struggled to find the right words, "be as big of an, influence, I guess you could say. I realized later on that they became something to me that I lost long ago, a family. Nonetheless, I still had my ultimate goal in mind. Then, I had an offer to gain power. The night I left was probably the biggest mistake of my life. My life began to fall apart again that night and now I'm just trying to heal the wounds I've inflicted. It was all because I chose revenge. It didn't even matter anyway because-"
"Itachi wanted to protect you all along. You were never supposed to know the truth about him, but then another one of your clan members showed up," Kenshi finished with a scowl. "Yeah, Kurushimi already told me everything like you said. Not all of us can have a fitting end like there was for you Uchiha. We don't have friends trying to 'save' us like you did. All we have left now is revenge."
"What has the path of revenge gotten you so far?" Sasuke questioned dryly.
Kenshi was silent.
"In the end, all it leaves you with is more regret and sorrow," he continued. "I know it feels right, but you're really being deceived. My advice to you is let it go."
"What do you know about me?!" Kenshi growled. "I know all about you and your story Uchiha! It's not the same as mine!"
"Just because you've heard a tale about someone doesn't mean you know them personally," Sasuke responded with an icy tone.
"Ha!" Kenshi snorted. "I know that you were such a coward that you couldn't even tell HER how you felt. The mighty Sasuke Uchiha fails at-" The man grunted and stumbled back while rubbing his head. At first, he thought he'd carelessly run into one of the cave walls. When he looked up, he saw that what he'd actually hit was Sasuke himself, standing as still and unmoving as a brick wall.
Sasuke peered over his shoulder, red and purple eyes blazing.
Kenshi frowned. "You don't scare me."
"Don't you ever-"
"What? Talk about her? Hmph!" he huffed as the Uchiha fully turned to face him. Kenshi walked forward so that they stood about a foot away from each other, sending deadly glares back and forth. "It doesn't matter anyway since you won't see her again in this life. You're going to suffer like I did back then. After what happened to me, I made a promise to myself and to someone else that I'd never let it happen again, but you're an exception."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "An exception?"
"Yes, an exception," Kenshi sneered. "You've committed many crimes, so I figured why not make you suffer the same way I did?"
"Where does that leave you?! What about your crimes?!" Sasuke shouted, his voice rising in anger. "Just because something tragic happened to you doesn't mean you have the right to take it out on other people!"
"I'm not releasing my anger on other people! I'm trying to make the world a better place by killing you! Kurushimi and I, that's what we've wanted ever since we lost everything!"
"How many people have you killed or hurt in the process?! How many families have you torn apart?!"
Kenshi looked taken aback. "W-!"
"Everyone saw what Kurushimi displayed at the festival! You and his 'army' were attacking villages!"
The swordsman was anchored to his spot, failing to prevent an expression of horror from appearing.
"Why are you acting shocked?!" Sasuke growled in fury.
"K-Keep moving," Kenshi was able to croak out. "Go!" he said when Sasuke did not budge.
Reluctantly, the Uchiha twisted around and began to walk once more. He'd hit a nerve in the man, that was for sure. There was still a lot to learn about Kenshi and Kurushimi though, but at this point, it might not matter.
Kurushimi racked his brains trying to think of what to do next. He desperately needed something, and soon. The man gripped his hair with shaking hands, getting more frustrated by the second. He closed his strange eyes and slowly took deep breaths. "Calm down," he whispered to himself urgently. After another exhale, he continued. "This has never happened before and it's probably because I've never used them so much all at once. I'm overreacting." Kurushimi regained his composure and removed his hands from his head. The moment Kenshi left to retrieve Sasuke, the male went to work. The painful throbbing in his eyes that happened recently had begun to make him worry. He gazed into the large fountain-like rock he'd made in the cave not too long ago. The substance he poured into the rock glowed a light blue. Kurushimi rolled up a sleeve and gently traced a line through the substance, watching it ripple like water. When he pulled his hand out, it was not wet.
Kurushimi's hands tightly gripped the rock in fury and realization. That was it, the same substance he recognized from so long ago. It was the one that had changed everything, from the day that had altered the course of his entire life. He remembered another substance on that day, a different one Kenshi knew very well. The difference between the two men was that Kurushimi considered his more of a curse than a gift. Kenshi could hide his easier, fit in well. He was an entirely different story. "Solitude," Kurushimi muttered under his breath, "that's all we've had since then." A wide frown settled on his lips. Looking down into the pool of light blue, it made his thoughts drift back to that dreadful time.
All he could do was scream and writhe around on the floor in agonizing pain. He covered his eyes and felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he continued to howl. "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!"
Kurushimi shuddered at the memory and broke out into a cold sweat, his entire body beginning to tremble. The shaken male pressed his forehead to the rock and bit his lip. "I still have to try even if it means remembering what happened back then," he said to himself. The man inhaled sharply. His eyes shifted to the separated black portion of the light blue substance. "There's no way I'll be able to know for sure if it'll work on Sasuke until I actually get the chance to use it on him. I'll only have one shot and there will be lots of casualties, but they won't be in vain. I can finally put an end to the Uchiha clan, once and for all." A devilish smirk appeared on his lips. "I'll use your clan's worst nightmare against you Sasuke. It's all in the plan..."
"Don't..."
"I'm sorry..."
Sakura hit his chest and fell into a state of being half conscious. She fought hard against the genjutsu he had placed on her, but there was no hope of fully breaking it. Even she, resistant to most genjutsu, could not get out of one this caliber. Nonetheless, the kunoichi kept trying and refused to completely fall under the influence of the illusion. As a result, she was somewhat aware of the things that happened after that. The Haruno felt him gently grab her arms and wrap them around his neck prior to positioning her head to where it rested upon his shoulder. Sasuke then placed his hands under her thighs and hoisted her up. Sakura couldn't tell what went on for a while after that, but she knew they were moving. Finally, the pink-haired woman felt her back on hard ground and heard Sasuke sigh. She faintly caught the sound of shuffling and small clinking noises beside her before something soft was laid on top of her.
"Hn... Sakura Uchiha... That has a nice ring to it, don't you think...?"
Footsteps followed. Sakura tried to continue fighting the genjutsu, but she finally gave out.
The woman reached up and pressed her hand against her forehead. Sakura opened her eyes after remembering the events of the previous night.
"Sasuke."
She immediately sat up and looked in every direction. The Uchiha was no where to be seen. The kunoichi tightly grasped the soft item that had been laid on top of her. She looked down at it and gasped. It was the cloak she had gotten for him. Sakura lightly ran her fingertips over the Uchiha crest, a frown settling on her lips.
"Sakura Uchiha..."
She blushed, remembering Sasuke's comment. "Why?" the medic whispered to herself. "You didn't have to do this..." Sakura reached out to plant her palm on the ground behind her so that she could get a boost up, but instead of the ground, her hand hit an object. She twisted her head around to see that it was his sword along with whatever other weapons and items the Uchiha deemed unnecessary, including his headband. Grabbing the hilt, Sakura carefully placed the weapon in her lap and studied the item. She saw markings indicating the way he liked to grip the weapon and pressed the tips of her fingers to them. Staring at the spots, she remembered how his calloused hand had felt against her cheek right before he kissed her. Sakura's eyes widened.
Sasuke Uchiha had kissed her.
Her head fell to stare at the ground.
"Before I go, there is something that I need you to know."
"Sasuke, you really feel that way?" she whispered to herself. The thought seemed so unbelievable, yet so obvious at the same time. "You idiot," Sakura whispered to herself, tears slipping out of the corners of her eyes. "You're so stupid." She smiled sorrowfully. "You need to stop breaking your promises Sasuke." Her grip on his sword increased. "I think I'm about to break one I made to you though. What I'm going to do will seem very stupid to you, but I'm not letting you do this." With this, the kunoichi threw his cloak around her shoulders, attached his sword to her side, and put the other weapons and belongings he had left into a bag on her hip. Sakura put a hand on the necklace he'd given her, gently grasping it. "You're usually the one saving me Sasuke. Now it's time I save you."
Naruto faintly heard the sound of birds chirping. He hesitantly opened his eyes a crack, head throbbing. "What the...? I thought I was guarding and it was dark," the whiskered male thought to himself. Pain continued to shoot through his head and the Uzumaki gritted his teeth while raising a hand to touch the spot. "Ow!" he yelped in surprise. "How did I...?" Naruto's eyes slowly began to widen. Everything was coming back to him.
"SASUKE!"
Birds and small animals flew or ran away from the loud disturbing noise. The Uzumaki's comrades began to stir from their sleep.
"WAKE UP GUYS! I HAVE TO GO AND BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THAT IDIOT!"
"Shut up Naruto!" Kiba yelled in annoyance. "What are you-?"
"I'M GONNA KILL SASUKE!"
The rest of the group glanced at each other in confusion and began to look around. Gaara and Kakashi's gazes met, panic visible in their eyes when they noticed the Uchiha was no where in sight. All attention then shifted to Naruto, whose fists were clinched so tight that his knuckles were white.
"Naruto, when your consciousness returns get out of here and take everyone else with you. The enemy won't be a problem after tonight."
Naruto finished recalling his teammate's words from the night before, his teeth brutally grinding together. "Like heck I will," he muttered to himself, "I didn't spend all that time trying to save you for you to just throw everything away Sasuke." He felt the stares hitting his back and slowly turned around with a grave yet furious expression.
Silence filled the area for a minute before Naruto finally spoke. "Sasuke... He's gone... He gave himself up to Kurushimi... to save everyone..."
People around the clearing tried to stifle their surprised gasps. Naruto started to shout many curses out of frustration. Further away from the main group, Sai was showing a slightly shocked expression at Naruto's statement. The pale shinobi studied the environment until he found Sasuke's sleeping bag. He narrowed his eyes and noticed another object close to the bag. Sai made his way to the peculiar item and stepped over the Uchiha's sleeping bag, only to find another sleeping bag. The male's jaw dropped an inch at the realization. A hand gently landed on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?" Ino asked softly.
"It appears Sasuke is not our only missing comrade."
The Yamanaka stared at her boyfriend in confusion. He pointed at the other empty sleeping bag and she put a hand over her mouth. "No, she didn't," Ino breathed. She looked in all directions, trying to spot her pink-haired friend. "Sakura went after him," the woman said loudly, causing all heads to turn to her. Once again, everyone saw that another one of their comrades was no where to be found.
Naruto twisted his head to the side so he could peer over his shoulder. A small smile crept its way onto his lips. "I've never really understood how you can love him so much Sakura." The Uzumaki started to chuckle, which quickly morphed into a booming laugh that filled the entire area. When he finally stopped, Naruto jumped onto a high rock with a gigantic smirk. The shinobi below knew exactly what was going to happen next. The son of the Fourth Hokage made a fist with one hand and slapped the other against it. "It's funny ya know. Sasuke actually thinks I'll listen to him about something like this. It's even crazier how he thinks I'll let him get himself killed!" Naruto lowered his voice. "Sakura is somewhere in there. She won't let that jerk do this and neither will I." He averted his eyes away from the sky and towards the two Kages. "When do we move out?"
Kakashi put a hand under his masked chin. "There are a few problems. We don't know where another entrance-"
"That's easy! We'll just make one!" Naruto shouted.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the ground. "Sasuke obviously used a powerful genjutsu on everyone, but he must've released it when he entered the caves. Sakura was already asleep by the time I laid down though. Either she broke out of the genjutsu or he failed to capture her in it. Either way, both of them are inside the enemy's hideout."
"Would it be wise to make an abrupt entrance?" Gaara inquired. "We do not know where Sasuke and Sakura are located and there are more of the enemy than there are of us. Not to mention, the next time we face the enemy, they will supposedly be more of a challenge."
"Oh please! We can take em! You know I've never backed down from a challenge and I'm not gonna start now!" Naruto declared. "They're the ones who don't stand a chance against us!" He turned around to face the massive structure. "Get ready, because we're about to join the fight again!"
Kurushimi fell to his knees and gripped his eyes, hissing at the stinging sensation. It gave him a flash of the past, but it hurt a lot less than back then. He guessed it was because there was no change for his eyes to undergo now, or at least he hoped not. "This has to work. I need them to work perfectly for what's going to happen. I also need to see if this 'evil liquid' I've been experimenting with works on Sasuke."
There was a knock on the door of his room.
Kurushimi wiped the sweat off his brow and climbed to his feet. The man gripped the edge of the fountain-like object in an attempt to regain his balance. He removed the other hand from his strange orbs and slowly opened them. Kurushimi smirked. "I already feel the power coming back." A couple of seconds later, the man left the small room with the fountain and made sure to close the door behind him. He hurried to the other door closing his room off from the hallway and quickly opened it so the person on the other side wouldn't knock again. "What is it?"
A member of his army stood in the doorway with his mouth set into a straight line. His eyes were trained on Kurushimi's as he straightened his back. "Lord Kurushimi, Lord Kenshi told me to find you. He didn't say why."
"I have a pretty good idea. Thank you," he finished and set off.
Sasuke stood in silence beside Kenshi. He noticed during the entire trip into the hideout that something seemed weird about the master swordsman. Kenshi appeared to be on edge. It was obvious there was something bothering him by how tense his features were and the ominous look in his eyes. "Maybe our argument earlier set him off. No, it's not just that. There's a lot more to it," Sasuke thought. Before he could ponder further, a sound on the opposite side of the room caught his attention. The two men twisted around and their eyes landed on Kurushimi, who was slowly clapping, a smirk plastered to his features. The man with strange eyes walked through a large sort of archway leading to the vast room in which the two males had been standing.
"Sasuke Uchiha," Kurushimi said in acknowledgment, followed by a series of slow claps.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, giving a deadly glare to the man that had caused every bit of trouble since his return.
Kurushimi chuckled and shook his head while lowering his hands. "Bravo, you made the correct decision and saved your friends."
"Ah," he responded icily with a one syllable answer.
"I hope you gave our guest a warm welcome Kenshi."
The swordsman rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, giving a "tch" as he did so. "Sure, we'll go with that."
"Hate to ruin the mood," Sasuke began sarcastically, "but if you don't mind I'd like some answers." He gave a pointed stare to Kurushimi.
The man adjusted the robe he wore and ruffled his dark hair with one hand. "Hm, depends on the question."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, the corners of his lips tugging downward to form a deep frown. This little "mystery" as to why they hated his clan so much was about to be solved. He was determined to make them reveal something. "Okay then. Why are you so focused on killing me?"
Kurushimi sighed heavily out of sheer annoyance. "I'm positive we've been over this countless times... Nonetheless, I guess I'll have to remind you once more. We despise the Uchiha name because every single one of you is a foolish, evil, thieving murderer."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "All of us, huh? Care to elaborate?"
A chuckle left the man's lips. "I have an endless list of examples. Just to name a few though, you, your brother, Madara, and-"
Sasuke easily detected the loud hitch in the male's breathing. Peering to the side, he caught a glimpse of Kenshi's fists clenching and unclenching. He recalled the scarred man's words from earlier.
"You of all people should know what it's like to have everything taken from you."
Sasuke wanted to question further, but the comment about Itachi could not be taken lightly. "My brother-"
"Gave everything up so you could live, we know," Kurushimi interrupted. He shifted his troubled gaze to the cold rock below his feet. "But how many crimes did he commit in the process? How many lives did he take or ruin?"
Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, fire back a shot of his own to defend his deceased older brother, but no words left his lips. Instead, he was silent. The Uchiha finally shook his head and decided to return to the previous topic. "Who did it? Who... stole something from you?"
Kurushimi shifted his multicolored gaze from the ground to Sasuke. He attempted to hide his aggravated expression with no luck. "That doesn't matter. He's dead."
"We got our revenge," Kenshi muttered unconsciously. He immediately glanced at Kurushimi. To his satisfaction, his friend had not caught the slip. What he didn't know was that the enemy beside him heard the line clearly. The master swordsman huffed and sneered, spitting on the ground a moment later.
"So you killed the Uchiha who took something from you?"
In the quiet air around him, Sasuke swore he could feel the tension rising. The moment Kurushimi snapped was probably the loudest silent sound the Uchiha had ever heard. One second, Sasuke was standing upright, unharmed and puzzled. The next, he was stumbling backwards, dazed and bleeding. The sharp dagger had appeared faster than he could blink, piercing through the skin of his right shoulder in an instant. Sasuke grunted in pain as he attempted to remove the weapon with no luck. Kurushimi pushed his hand out further, making the object agonizingly sink deeper into his body. The furious man lifted his other arm and a second dagger was created out of thin air. The weapon was sent sailing and it plunged into a stunned Uchiha's left thigh. Sasuke collapsed and fell to his knees, trying to hold back a cry of pain. His vision returned to normal, no longer seeing double. "Y-You copied m-my memories again?!" he was able to get out. Everything that happened with Sakura the last time he saw her came back all at once and when it went away, he had seen double. Kurushimi had taken that moment to attack. Sasuke was about to retaliate when two objects ensnared themselves around both of his wrists, tugging them away from his body until they could not reach any further. He looked left and right to discover that his wrists were tied and connected to chains linked to stakes in the ground, all of the materials the same light shade of blue Sasuke recognized as Kurushimi's chakra. He struggled violently against his confinements as Kurushimi stalked forward, the look of a wild animal about to devour its prey in his eyes.
Kenshi watched with his jaw hanging open as the scene unfolded. He stared on as Kurushimi grabbed a handful of Sasuke's dark hair, forcing the male to look up at him.
"You think that hurts?! This is just the beginning!"
A swirling red eye appeared to match the purple one as Sasuke's blood started to boil. There was no way he was going to be beaten like this. Kurushimi retracted his hand just as a wall of black fire separated him from the Uchiha. He hurriedly jumped back to gain some distance. The man's features relaxed and he smirked knowingly. "Would you like to take a moment to remember why you're here Sasuke? I wouldn't fight back if I were you. She's still in the cave system isn't she?"
Rage overcame the last of his clan as he once again struggled wildly against the chakra chains holding him down.
"Your last moments with her were quite touching. Hm, a goodbye kiss? How bitter sweet and heartbreaking."
"Shut up!" Sasuke shouted, unable to restrain himself anymore.
Kenshi continued to study each male, his eyes moving back and forth between them rapidly. He averted his gaze downward after Kurushimi's last mocking comment. "Goodbye kiss..." He bit down hard on his lower lip. "That brings back too much..." Thoughts from the argument with the Uchiha returned to his mind. "I did make a promise not to let that happen to anyone ever again... but I also said he was an exception..." His hand automatically slapped against his forehead. A painful throbbing sensation took over, fueled by his frustration. "Why?! Why does everything have to be so difficult?!"
Kurushimi laughed harder. "Don't think I won't be able to find your beloved Sakura!"
Sasuke was now pulling so viciously at the chakra chains that droplets of blood dripped across his raw wrists, but he couldn't care less at the moment. "Don't you dare! I'll kill you if you touch her!"
The man heaved and panted, cackling. He bent over and grabbed his knees while still laughing. "What makes you think I'll listen to you?!"
"Fight me!" Sasuke growled. "Fight me right now in a fair match!"
Kurushimi fell silent and Kenshi gave a look of disbelief to the wounded Uchiha.
"Let's end this!"
The two friends glanced at each other multiple times.
"You think you can defeat me in your current state?" Kurushimi questioned, genuinely curious. "I easily put you in the situation you're in now, not to mention your injuries."
"I don't care! You're just a coward hiding behind your eyes. That's the only thing you have. They're the only reason you have any power at all. Without them, you're nothing Kurushimi," Sasuke spoke darkly. He saw anger flash through the multicolored orbs of the enemy. However, the older male was free of hostility a moment later.
"Sorry to disappoint you Sasuke," he began, "but I'll have to pass on your offer. I have other, things, that need to be taken care of."
Sasuke gritted his teeth in fury and opened his mouth to start shouting profanities at the man when Kenshi put a hand in front of his friend.
"I'll fight him," the male stated boldly.
Kurushimi gazed in wonder and awe at the scarred male. "Kenshi-"
"It won't take too long. He's injured anyway. Also, I finally have a chance to reveal my true ability to him."
Sasuke's interest peaked and he stilled.
An indifferent line was set on the swordsman's lips. "Your Sharingan couldn't keep up with me in our previous matches. However, in our last encounter you caught a glimpse of something with a light blue shade of color."
Sasuke narrowed his mismatched eyes.
Kenshi lazily removed the robe he was wearing and tossed it aside, exposing his regular battle attire. "You see, Kurushimi and I, we received our gifts or curses at the same time. His is more extraordinary than mine, but my ability can be much more useful. My enhanced speed has helped me win countless fights. Do you know what it's original use was for?" He paused to crack his knuckles. "To 'confuse' the Sharingan."
A baffled look landed on Sasuke's features. "Confuse the Sharingan?"
A nod. "That's correct. The man who made the 'drug' my speed came from loved to study the Uchiha clan. He always believed they were the strongest ninjas in the world. He wondered if there was a way to make someone as strong as an Uchiha and began to experiment, test things. That man is no longer alive thanks to-"
"Kenshi!" Kurushimi snapped, grasping the speaker's shoulder tightly.
He shrugged the hand off and stepped away. "Back to the main point. Yes, the drug was made specifically to counter your dojutsu, but it works just fine in regular battles. Not only did I receive great speed, but my TRUE ability is the one that allows me to confuse the Sharingan. You are currently the only person who possesses the Sharingan. If I did not have this ability, I'd have to rely on only my speed to outrun your dojutsu. That makes it a lot more complicated. But, I have this." A cloak of light blue color illuminated off of the man's body when he finished, much more visible than their last encounter. "My true ability. I didn't want to make it too obvious that I had more than just high speed. That's why I've hardly used it against you. When I have, I made sure it was barely detectable, but that only permitted me to counter the Sharingan so much. Heh, now we get to the serious part. I'm willing to make a little bet."
Sasuke narrowed his purple and crimson orbs. "A bet?"
"If I win the fight, no catch, just the satisfaction of beating you again. If you win," he smirked devilishly, "you can walk out of here with no one to stop you. In fact, I'll let you go for good. You never have to worry about us ever again. Just get out of here and be happy with Sakura and your friends."
Kurushimi gasped in bewilderment. "Kenshi, what are you doing?!"
"Trust me."
Sasuke had no clue who was more shocked, Kurushimi or himself? "No catch if you win?"
He shook his head. "The only stipulation I have is that our fight will be hand-to-hand combat only. I won't use my sword and you won't use Susano'o, but most other things your eyes can do are allowed."
"That's odd. I just noticed that I've been able to use my eyes. In fact, I was able to when I placed the genjutsu on Sakura, but not when I entered the caves. Kenshi is completely confident that he's going to win. I just have to be extra careful. If I accept I won't be able to use Susano'o. He's told me about his ability though. I guess that's sort of an advantage for me. I just need to figure out how to counter it. Maybe if I can catch him I'll get a chance to steal some of his chakra or I can copy some of his moves. If I win, I can leave and they won't be a problem... There's no way Kurushimi will let me go... I can try to take both of them out..."
Kenshi watched with bored eyes as the Uchiha weighed his options. There was no possible way he could lose this fight, no chance whatsoever of it happening. Guaranteed victories, he loved those.
"I accept your offer and the stipulation."
A wicked smirk grew on Kenshi's lips.
Kurushimi's eyes flicked back and forth between the two men. He pursed his lips and studied his friend's confident expression. The abilities Kenshi possessed had been witnessed by Kurushimi countless times, each opponent he faced being defeated at the conclusion of each battle. He did not doubt his long time comrade's potential to win, but the contradicting thought invading his mind was that Sasuke was an Uchiha. Sure, he knew the purpose of the man's power was to be "even" in a fight against an Uchiha but it had only truly served that purpose once before, and the man with strange eyes had been a big help in that encounter. Although, Sasuke had only just been told the secret of Kenshi's true ability. He couldn't have possibly deciphered how to make a counterattack for it in a matter of minutes. That was information only known to the swordsman and himself. In the Uchiha and swordsman's previous battles, Kurushimi made Kenshi tone it down and not use his ability too much, but now Kenshi could use it freely to its full extent? The man sighed and lowered his hands, Sasuke's confinements fading along with the daggers piercing his body.
Sasuke grunted and studied his injuries. They would definitely affect his movements and he silently cursed himself for letting Kurushimi easily subdue him.
Kenshi chuckled. "I'll go easy on you since you're wounded."
Sasuke immediately discarded the painful expression that rested on his face and stood up, stifling the grunt he released so it sounded like a throaty growl. "Don't insult me."
He bit back a sharp reply, rolling his eyes instead. The light blue coating his body flashed brightly.
Kurushimi jumped to the side, anticipating what was about to happen.
"You can make the first move," Kenshi said with a bored tone.
Sasuke studied the environment and thought of a strategy. He started out with a fast walk that quickly became a run.
Kenshi watched his opponent closely. "I still need to be on guard. Just because he's hurt doesn't mean I can slack off." His eyes were steadily trained on the Uchiha as he continued to rush forward. "He's going to attack me head on?" Just as Kenshi prepared to block, Sasuke vanished. He gasped and looked in every direction, turning around to be met by a sandal to the nose, making him fly back. He skidded to a halt, a hand on his bloody face.
The tension in Kurushimi's shoulders rose. "If you lose Kenshi..." The man began to drum his fingers against his thighs.
Sasuke smirked. "Nice ability."
Kenshi cursed under his breath, wiping away a fresh stream of blood trickling down his lips. "You shouldn't be so cocky Uchiha. I haven't gotten started yet." He removed his hand. "I always underestimate that Rinnegan. My ability can't do anything to counter that. Relax. All I have to do is let my true ability take over when I use my speed. He won't know how to fight it. Heck, this can't even be called a fight. This might be the only chance I get to completely destroy him though... If there is a next time, Sasuke will probably have figured out how it works by then. It'll be all over after this though so this may very well be our last battle. Kurushimi has won." He stood straight up. "It's my turn." With this, he pushed off and rocketed forward, reaching Sasuke in an instant. The man rapidly punched and kicked at his opponent.
Sasuke was already struggling to keep up. The man's movements were blurs to him. If he were without his Sharingan though, it was likely he'd be beaten to a pulp in a matter of seconds. What was the point of using his clan's dojutsu if it hardly assisted him in this battle though? "Better than nothing. Normal opponents would have lost by now," Sasuke thought. He caught Kenshi's foot in one hand and his fist in the other. His opponent planted his free foot on the ground and swung towards Sasuke's face with his fist. All of this happened in a flash.
Sasuke desperately watched the blur that was Kenshi's fist. He had been blocking the other moves his opponent tried by blocking closer to his body where it would hit. This time, the Uchiha decided to aim straight for Kenshi's fist and catch it instead of shielding his chin. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Sasuke reached out, beginning to close his hand around his opponent's fist. His eyes nearly popped out of his skulll when the hand he'd used to grab Kenshi's went right through it. "Ack!" He landed ten feet away from where he originally stood, still rolling across the ground. He finally found his footing and hurriedly pushed himself up, only to discover that Kenshi was already there. Sasuke received another blow to the chin, this time by a sandal. He was sent sailing high in the air. "Is that what he meant by confusing the Sharingan?!"
Kenshi laughed behind his opponent's head, drawing back his leg for another blow.
"H-How can he be behind me a-already?! This is w-why he didn't want m-me to use S-Susano'o," Sasuke realized. His body bent at an unnatural angle as the man's kick hit him squarely in the spine. The last of his clan flew towards the ground, urgently thinking of a way to fight back. "It's no use... There's nothing I can do..." He opened his eyes and saw Kenshi waiting for him on the ground. Sasuke did the best he could to brace for what was about to happen. It was the finishing blow.
Kenshi's knee met Sasuke's gut with a powerful impact. All the air left his lungs in an instant. It felt like every bone in his body had just been rearranged. The environment surrounding him appeared to be shaking as if an earthquake bore down on the place. The only thing supporting Sasuke was Kenshi's knee. His fingers lightly grazed the cold ground and his head was slumped, feet lazily settling on the ground. He breathed heavily, willing the air to return to his lungs.
"Watch your feet Uchiha," Kenshi said, his knee still in place.
A hand harshly gripped Sasuke's hair when Kenshi finally removed his leg.
Kurushimi smiled darkly. "What a pleasure, being here to witness the downfall of the mighty Sasuke Uchiha." He let go of the male's hair, letting him collapse onto the hard rock, utterly defeated.
Sasuke felt the impending darkness rapidly approaching him. His eyes tried to close of their own accord. How could he have been beaten that easily, that quickly?! There was just no way. He thought of how many times his teammates and comrades declared that they could win if they fought together. Even if there was a chance of it, he couldn't bear it if they suffered because of him, especially Sakura. That's when it hit him that she was still in the cave system and Kurushimi's threats invaded his mind once more. "Please be safe... Sakura..."
Everything went black and Sasuke fell unconscious.
Sakura cautiously peeked around the corner. On the other side of the large area, there were two men casually chatting. She sighed and turned around, sliding down the cold wall. "I assume that's the entrance to the main part of the hideout. How do I get past them though? Maybe there's another way in. I don't want to be detected." She tightly gripped the collar of Sasuke's cloak along with the hilt of his sword.
"Sasuke, just hang on a little longer," Sakura whispered to herself.
Author's Note: Yeah, I guess I'm sort of making the villains out to be godlike at the moment, but everything will be explained soon. Answers will be revealed. As I mentioned in the first author's note, I had trouble writing this chapter so sorry if it seemed rushed. Anyway, happy holidays to everyone! Thanks for the support! Please review!