Chapter 38:

Sasuke knew he needed to play this carefully. He didn't have room for error, not any more.

He had run after the retreating form of Kan, the Lightning Ninja grinning madly as he led him down twists and turns. He had followed, of course, only to realise the trick as the door behind him swung shut. And now he was alone.

He didn't mind that, though. The Uchiha heir flexed his fingers as he eyed his opponent across the way. It was better he remained alone. Nobody had seen him go, he believed. This was something he needed to do by himself. He would end Kan's life by his own hand.

The Uchiha Heir was certain nobody had seen him go. He didn't really want to. He needed to face this enemy down by himself.

The man stood before him was, quite frankly, elegant. His long blonde hair ran down his back like a cascading wave, silver eyes shining with a royal glow. His face was lean and long, nose pointed, eyebrows perfectly trimmed.

Kan's chain flickered slightly with blue static, the man in question rubbing his chin. He watched Sasuke carefully, his eyes never leaving him for a moment, mouth slowly forming a smile.

"I'm surprised you followed me," Kan's elegant voice stated. Sasuke's jaw set.

"Hn."

A small smile played on the Lightning Ninja's lips. "Ah, of course, Uchiha aren't very talkative, are they?"

Sasuke's obsidian orbs spun dangerously, forming into the crimson dōjutsu known as the Sharingan. Sasuke took a deliberate step forward, hands balling into fists. "Shut. Up."

"Hm, how impotent." Kan dismissed him. "Then again, you are an Uchiha. Impotence is in your blood."

Sasuke paused as he reached for a kunai, ready to gut this bastard and spill his intestines all over the floor. No, that's what he wanted him to do... He'd need to think of something else. He needed a plan.

"You're going to die in this room." Sasuke stated blandly, eyes cold and unforgiving.

Kan let out a hearty, callous laugh that rang off the walls of the room they were in. "Yes yes, you Uchiha and your arrogance. Tut tut."

Sasuke's fist opened and closed.

"Getting under your skin, am I boy?" Kan sniffed the air in a proper fashion. "Like I got under your skin when all those peasants died?"

Sasuke stiffened.

"Oh, struck a nerve, have we? Yes, they did scream a lot. Writhed about too. Still, they were nothing but common filth-"

A sharp squelch filled the air, Kan opening and closing his mouth in shock and pain. The hilt of a kunai stuck out of his shoulder, the gaping hole in his shoulder dripping blood down his clothes and onto the concrete floor. "H-how-" He sputtered, only for Sasuke to disappear in front of his eyes.

"Hn, and you call me arrogant," Sasuke smirked, his Sharingan glaring a hole in the back of Kan's head. "You underestimated your own abilities, and got caught in my Genjutsu."

Kan grunted, using his chain to rip out the kunai, letting out a groan. "Heh, perhaps I underestimated you." He turned his moon-lit eyes onto the Uchiha. "That won't happen again."

"No, it won't!"

Sasuke leapt forward, twisting around in the air. He went for a roundhouse kick, looking to take Kan's head off his shoulders. The Lightning Ninja blocked with his forearm, twisting his upper body to send Sasuke sailing over him.

The Uchiha landed gracefully, withdrawing a kunai and throwing it at his opponent. Kan deflected it with his chain, sending it clattering to the ground.

Sasuke grimaced as he leapt backwards, Kan's chain smashing into the ground, kicking up dust. Taijutsu wasn't going to work, not with the advantage that chain gave him. It was too fast, and too powerful to engage head on. With fists, anyway.

Sasuke weaved through hand signs, Sharingan blazing as he yelled, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A ball of flame larger than any beast exploded out of Sasuke's mouth, enveloping the room in an orange glow as it sped towards Lightning Ninja wrapped his chain around his body, protecting himself as the scorching heat of the fire smashed into him. After a few moments, the flames died down. As the chain fell, Kan's smirk gave Sasuke all the signal he needed. That hadn't work either. Shit-

Having lost focus briefly, Sasuke could do nothing as the chain shot into the ground, crashing upward straight into Sasuke's jaw. A spray of blood covered the stone floor as The Uchiha fell backwards, landing with a thud. He grunted as he wiped the blood that covered his lips, licking them for good measure. The metallic taste was not pleasant.

Quickly rolling to the side, Sasuke avoided being impaled by the chain as it speared through the ground. Taking a chance, he leapt upward and charged, kunai palmed in his hand.

Kan grimaced, letting go of his chain to weave hand signs, "Lightning Style: Lightning Spear Jutsu!"

Holding both his palms together, he slowly pulled them apart as lightning crackled within his finger tips. Giving a cry of exertion, he pushed his palms forward, the spear rocketing outwards. Sasuke jumped up, flipping over the spear before he landed on his feet, the lightning spear scarring the stone wall. bounding forward, fist raised, The Uchiha snarled as he came closer to smashing in the face of his opponent.

A glob of blood exploded from Sasuke's mouth, the remnants dripping down his chin as the chain smashed into his back. He let out a deep cry of agony as lightning chakra coursed through his veins, the dull roar overpowering his senses. Through only instinct, he tucked himself into a fetal position, rolling under Kan's arm to avoid a blow.

Sasuke managed to get to his feet, only to receive a kick to the back, sending him flying forward. He smashed into the concrete wall, jolting his body and causing a multitude of bruises to form on his chest. He slumped to the ground, hands pressed against the floor as he panted heavily. His chest ached, heart thundering in his chest..

"Dammit!" He cursed, standing up quickly and whirling around. "His chain can move autonomously?"

His Sharingan assessed the situation, watching as the chain flickered around Kan. He withdrew a kunai. Kan merely laughed, blonde hair shaking with humour. "Fool! A kunai can do nothing against my chain!"

Sasuke didn't reply, the kunai flying out of his hands with precision. Kan sidestepped it, shaking his head in mock sadness. "Silly Uchiha-"

He paused in his beratement, as wire wrapped around his injured shoulder. Before he could react further, Sasuke yanked at the wire that was attached to his hand, pulling Kan forward.

Having jarred him, Sasuke let loose with an explosive tag, throwing it right by the Lightning Ninja's feet. Before it had even landed, Sasuke had made more hand-signs, the sound of chirping birds, an exuberant blue, brightening the dim grey stone.

"The Chidori!" Kan realized, panic beginning to set in. He roughly yanked on the wire, pulling Sasuke forward, causing the lightning jutsu to fizzle out prematurely.

The explosive tag landed, priming for an explosion. Kan barely made it out of the way in time, the blast uplifting shards of concrete and a large cloud of smoke.

The Lightning Ninja grimaced as he landed, his eyes dancing over the ninja wire cautiously. He needed to get it off, post haste. He withdrew a kunai from his pouch, swiftly cutting the wire.

His eyes widened in realisation as a ball of orange flame shot through the dark smoke. Kan rolled to the side, dodging being burnt asunder as the flame exploded, covering the stone floor in smoky patches and flickering embers.

Kan righted himself, calling his chain to come back towards him. "I'm tired of these games!" He growled, making hand-signs, "Lightning Style: Lightning Javelin Jutsu!"

Pulling his palms apart, a large crackling amount of lightning was bent to his will. He let it fly, a dozen javelin's made of lightning firing forward through the smoke and haze.

Kan strained his ears, but only heard the sound of lightning striking stone and fizzling out.

Feet pounded against the stone floor, and he ducked the punch that came from his left, raising his right knee up to meet the attacker. The air exploded out of Sasuke's lungs, and Kan let out a small laugh. Grasping at the Leaf Ninja by the throat, he kneed him once again in the stomach, repeating the motion numerous times. Sasuke grunted, blood pouring out of his mouth, his hands feebly trying to shield his weakened torso.

Kan merely grinned.

With one final knee strike, Sasuke collapsed to the ground. "A Taijutsu attack was foolish on me." The Lightning Ninja stated, his fist colliding with Sasuke's face. There was a loud thud as the Uchiha's head hit the stone floor, blood pooling on the ground. The Uchiha's eyes remained cold and red, and he began to struggle upwards.

Kan cocked his fist back, but all intentions to fight were cut short. Pain laced through his injured shoulder, the wound throbbing as he clutched at it.

Sasuke's ploy had worked.

The Uchiha leapt up, delivering a swift kick to Kan's side. Winding the Lightning Ninja, he weaved through some hand signs, thrusting his palm forward. It collided with Kan's shoulder as Sasuke called out, "Fire Style: Explosive Wave!"

A dome of fire exploded out of Sasuke's body, searing the ground and everything near it. Kan screamed in agony as he was thrown backwards, his flesh being charred by the flames that licked at his skin. He landed on his back, using the momentum to roll back to his feet. He ripped off his burning shirt, taking in the extent of his injuries. His chest was smouldering, charred and agonizing, the usually white skin black and smoky. The smell was retched, flesh red and raw, mixed in with the black.

Sasuke wiped the blood from his mouth, taking a quick breather. After a few tense moments, he shot forward.

Kan was still pre-occupied with his injuries, and another was added as Sasuke's kick connected with his jaw, sending him sprawling backwards. The Uchiha followed that up, delivering a huge knee to the eye.

Kan was knocked backwards, a tooth flying from his mouth. He growled in frustration as he landed on his hind quarters. Anger coursed through his veins. He would not be beaten by an impotent child! Especially one who relied on his eyes to do the fighting! Leaping up, he blazed through some hand signs, anger evident in his pale eyes, "Lightning Style: Voltage Jutsu!"

Sasuke grimaced, leaping into the air to avoid the shower of sparks that were sent his way. However, he realised his costly error, as Kan's chain wrapped around his leg. It yanked him downwards hard, and he smashed into the ground with a ferocious smack. Winded, he could do nothing as the chain flung him away. He connected with a nearby wall, cracking it with the sheer force of how he was thrown. He slumped to the ground, a throbbing pain in his back. Shakily, he stood up, Sharingan still resilient. He bit his lip, pain flowing throughout his back. He was lucky it wasn't broken, and he rubbed it gently.

He dodged to the side as a Lightning Spear pierced the wall, enveloping the area in a blue glow as it dissipated. He barely had time to react, instinct guiding his body as he ducked, narrowly avoiding the chakra enhanced chain as it smashed through the wall, sending pieces of stone falling downwards.

Sasuke leapt atop the length of the chain, bounding forward with chakra enhancing his leg muscles. He would kill this man by any means necessary. He leapt towards Kan, fist cocked back. Grunting, The Lightning Ninja caught his fist with his free hand, using the other to yank the chain towards Sasuke.

However, The Uchiha was prepared for this, thrusting both of his legs forward into a powerful kick. The resounding blow caused a howl of pain, the charred flesh being struck dead centre. Pushing off the burnt chest, Sasuke flipped backwards, jaw set in concentration. The chain missed him completely, it's master distracted, causing it to smash into another wall.

The Uchiha retrieved a kunai from his pouch with little abandon, throwing it at the chain itself. With a clunk, it had gone through one of the chain links and into the wall, pinning the weapon to the stone. It writhed ferociously, unable to get enough momentum to break free.

Kan's eyes widened in horror. At that angle, it would take a while for the chain to force it's way out-

He ducked underneath Sasuke's kick, the Uchiha smirking as an intense Taijutsu fight began between the two. They traded blow after blow, kick after kick, each trying to get the one-up over the other. However, Kan growled as his shoulder burned with pain. There was no way he could keep up with Sasuke, especially with his injuries. The boy moved with unpredictableness, striking the knees, chest and shoulders. Kan had to admit, the child's Taijutsu was far beyond average.

To illustrate this point, The Uchiha Heir deflected a strike that Kan sent his way, thrusting his fist downwards and towards the ribs. The blow connected, and Kan winced wildly, a gasp passing through his chapped lips.

Sasuke grasped at the arm of the injured shoulder, twisting under and around so he was behind the Lightning Ninja. Withdrawing another kunai from his pouch, he fiercely dug it into the bleeding wound. Kan's cry of raw pain echoed through the walls as Sasuke twisted the blade, scraping against bone, blood oozing from the wound.

There was a crackle of lightning, and Sasuke's eyes widened. "Lightning Style: Thunder Wave Jutsu!"

There was a bright light as lightning thundered in Sasuke's ears, his body locking up as he was thrown backward. Landing with a thud, he used the momentum to roll back onto his feet. His vision was spotty, the bright light clouding it. He tried to move his muscles, but realized, with a tint of horror, that they were far less responsive. He blinked wildly. Only more crackling alerted him to something, and he leant backwards rapidly. He could feel the close proximity of the chain as it whipped past his face, catching the end of his nose. Sasuke's vision soon cleared somewhat, and as he leant back forward, he was faced with Kan's fist colliding with his face. He careered backwards, rolling across the stone floor, head colliding with the heard surface multiple times.

After a few moments, he finally stopped, his head throbbing. Shakily, Sasuke stood up, his mouth curled into a snarl.

Kan once again had his chain, and it whipped around him viciously, sparks crackling from it every few seconds. "This... is getting...pathetic..." Kan weezed, every word he spoke causing more pain in his burnt chest. His other hand was propped against the flesh, and Kan's wincing grew more intense with each passing breath.

Sasuke grimaced, checking his own injuries. His back wasn't in too bad of a shape, and he was pretty sure his jaw would be badly bruised. But, he didn't have a concussion, and he was alive and fighting.

As he surveyed Kan, however, he realized he was easily better off. The wound he had inflicted at the start of the battle had been severe, and the kunai attack just now only exasperated it. He had felt bone clashing with metal. The wound was very deep, and if that was the case, the amount of blood that continued to flow from out his back would most likely kill him soon. It didn't take the Sharingan to notice that Kan's arm wasn't functioning as normal, as it lay rather emotionless beside his body. It could move, and he could still use it, Sasuke reasoned, but it was now a hindrance rather than an asset.

To back up his claim, Kan tried to raise his arm, managing to do so briefly, until his plucked eyebrows fell downwards into a pained scowl, eyes slamming shut as he tried to contain the pain. And the burns on his chest weren't doing him any favours either, severely weakening his breathing pattern. Sasuke was doing it. He was winning.

"Heh, you're right, this is getting pathetic."

Sasuke reached into his pouch, pulling out a Fūma shuriken. Twisting around, and with a sharp yell, he threw the projectile.

Kan growled, his chain shooting forward to knock it off course. And it did so. What it didn't do, however, was knock the one directly above it off course.

"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!?" Kan thought, instinct taking over as he raised both his arms over his face in an x shape motion. There was a squelch as blood splattered over the floor, Kan's breath hitching in his throat. The shuriken had embedded itself in his forearms, the blades coated in darkened red.

This was ridiculous!

With a roar of pure rage, Kan channelled an insane amount of chakra into the shuriken in his forearm. It soon shot forward, lightning wrapped around it as it spinned wildly. Sasuke flipped to the side, avoiding the surging shuriken as it charged past him. It then exploded into shards of electrified metal.

Sasuke smirked, but it was short lived as Kan's chain wrapped around his foot.

"You twit!"

The Uchiha was thrown off balance, before being rammed into the wall, the air leaving his lungs.

"You dare burn my skin!"

He was sent flying across the room, colliding with the opposite wall, leaving a gash on his forehead and a deep crack in the stone.

"You burn my clothes!"

Sasuke was dragged along the floor, before being slammed once again into a wall, his back aching with agony.

"And yet you still think you're better than me Uchiha!?"

The chain shot upwards, taking Sasuke with it. There was a resounding crash as the Uchiha was sent through the ceiling, shards of stone falling downwards/

"YOU WILL NEVER BE BETTER THAN ME!"

Sasuke was roughly yanked down, the ground inching closer and closer with every second.

Two exploding tags shot out from Sasuke's sleeves, the Uchiha grinning as he twisted his body in mid air.

Kan leapt back to avoid the explosion the tags produced, and the chain was pulled out of his hands.

Enraged, The Lightning Ninja made a hand-sign.

Sasuke's cry of pain reverberated through the room, as lighting passed through the chain and into his body. He collapsed on one knee, his breathing ragged and heavy.

Kan cursed. With only one good hand, the lightning wasn't strong enough to kill him, only weaken him, and he would be back up in a moment.

He recalled his chain, the feeling of it in his grasp comforting.

There was a low hiss.

An explosion rocked where Kan was standing, sending him skyrocketing to the side was he rolled and rolled, a trail of blood following in his wake.

Sasuke, from his knelt down position, smirked. Those explosive tags worked well as decoys, and allowed him to place an explosive tag on the hilt of the chain.

There was a tense moment, as Kan somehow shuffled to his feet. Sasuke's eyes went wide.

The entire left side of Kan's face was charred and burnt, red blotches prevalent where it wasn't coal black. The burns ran down his shoulder and his left arm, the skin now horribly deformed.

Kan and Sasuke both looked down at the same time, their eyes both widening simultaneously.

Kan's hand was gone, replaced by a bleeding and bloody stump.

There was a beat of silence.

And then a scream.

It wasn't a horrified scream, nor a scared scream, or even an agonized scream. It was simply a raw, emotional scream of such mixed emotions that Sasuke couldn't fathom them all.

This lasted for a few moments, Kan's voice giving out. He breathed in deeply, his eyes wide and maniacal, the clear silver in them lost, exchanged for cold and almost crazy orbs.

"You..." His mouth was curled into the most vicious snarl Sasuke had ever laid eyes on. "My hand..." His voice quivered, before it gained strength... "My hand... my hand... MY HAND!"

Sasuke panicked, the overwhelming killing intent Kan produced becoming too much. He flew through hand-signs, exclaiming, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A ball of fire exploded from Sasuke's mouth, as Kan let out a primal scream, his elegant tone lost under boiling rage. His chain wrapped around his body, forming a dome shape as the fire surged over him, engulfing the area in scorching orange. Finally, it subsided.

Sasuke's Sharingan couldn't keep up as a long thin blade shot out of the smoke, spearing through his thigh. He let out a cry of pain, his hands instinctively moving to cover up the bleeding wound.

With a forceful yank, the weapon was ripped out of Sasuke's leg, eliciting another bark of pain.

The smoke cleared, revealing a seething Kan, the crackling blade of lightning withdrawing back to his stump before it disappeared. "YOU THINK I NEED HAND SIGNS UCHIHA!? I'M BETTER THAN YOU!"

He slammed his good hand down to the floor, yelling, "Lightning Style: Impaling Thunder!"

There was a loud boom beneath Sasuke's feet. Despite the injury, he still managed to pump enough chakra into his legs to leap high into the air.

However, sharp crackling sparks of lightning exploded from the stone, one of them piercing Sasuke in the side. The Uchiha yowled out in pain as he fell to the floor, blood pooling from the wound. His body slammed onto the ground hard, the resounding thud bouncing off the walls.

After a few moments, he forced his weak muscles to move from his slumped position to his hands and knees. He could feel the willpower draining from him with every drop of blood that left his body, every drip signaling a step closer to unconsciousness. And death.

He hazarded a look upwards, his Sharingan eyes focusing as a large amount of chakra was formed.

Kan was spinning his chain rapidly above his head, the weapon moving so fast that even Sasuke's Sharingan could not keep track. Blue lightning was slowly coming to life, thundering and sparking slowly at first, before it exploded into action. The brightness of the technique caused Sasuke to partially block his eyesight, Kan's chain continually spinning around and around above his head.

The Lightning Ninja's eyes were now filled with madness. Raw emotional desire to kill and maim.

"This is my ultimate attack!" He exclaimed, blood pouring from his mouth and nose. "As you can see, it takes a lot out of me... BUT I WILL WIN! LIGHTNING STYLE: WHIRRING THUNDER!"

There was a loud uproar as Kan thrust the chain forward, the lightning exploding towards Sasuke. It had formed a shuriken, crackling with such devastating force that the surrounding area was blackened and electrified instantaneously.

"I am Kan of the Ikazuchi clan of the Mist Village, and I will not die!"

The Uchiha withdrew his kunai at a breathtaking speed, throwing it as hard as he could towards the lightning shuriken.

As soon as it reached it, Sasuke blurred through hand-signs. He would only get one shot.

"Substitution!" He cried, taking places with the kunai. He was now inside the enormous amount of lightning, and he could feel it prickle his skin. Having only been in there for a millisecond, it was already starting to burn. Having already made hand-signs as he was substituting, he yelled out, "Fire Style: Explosive Wave!"

The burst of fire chakra exploded out of Sasuke, pushing at the confining walls of the Whirring Thunder Jutsu. With such force being applied from the inside, the lightning was forced outwards, causing it to scatter everywhere. It tore up chunks of stone, charred the ground, left deep cracks in the floor and walls, but left the two combatants unharmed.

Sasuke landed on his feet, panting heavily.

"...No...NO!" Kan roared, his chain shooting forward, lightning coursing through it.

Sasuke leapt to the side, wincing as pain shot through his leg. Still, he was so close.

Pulling out his final explosive tag, he threw it towards Kan.

The Lightning Ninja's eyes widened in fear, as he called out, "NO! NOT AGAIN!"

He jumped backwards with such fervour that he stumbled slightly as he landed, leaning against the stone wall for support.

Kan tried regaining his breath, only for his chain to be roughly yanked out of his good hand. Sasuke stood on it with one foot, his eyes blazing.

Kan went to leap forward, but found that he couldn't. Something was wrong.

Sasuke's hands weaved in complex motions, and Kan could feel something tightening around his body. He struggled, but it was no use, whatever was binding him was strong. He yelled out, anger overtaking his voice, "You bastard!"

Sasuke smirked. "You underestimated me," he stated, making a single hand sign.

Kan's eyes widened, as he took in what he saw. Most of his body was wrapped in ninja wire, some of it pinned to the wall by kunai. What he saw placed along the wall scared him to the bone.

Explosive tags. To his left, to his right, below his feet, and above his head. His eyes were full of fear. They were everywhere, and all consuming.

"H-how-"

"This plan was formed as soon as I caught you in my Genjutsu at the beginning of the fight," Sasuke explained. "It was always my plan to lure you towards the wall without your precious chain. Then, I would make you explode!"

Kan's eyes widened.

"Of course, you threw my plan off when I realized you could control your chain without you directly touching it. But, I know it's weakness."

Sasuke's leg crackled with a light dose of Lightning chakra, causing the chain to remain in it's position on the floor. The Uchiha smirked. "I can overpower your chakra with my own, because I'm touching it, right? It conducts chakra, and the most powerful amount wins. While you may have been able to overpower mine at some point, all of your chakra is gone now. And, my chakra is amplified because I'm directly touching the chain. This fight is over."

Kan's mouth opened and closed. "How d-did you place the-"

"I've been placing them since I did the little trick with the explosive tag and ninja wire. While smoke was covering my position, I made a Lightning Clone, which I had learned over the course of the week thanks to my sensei. My clone went and placed as many explosive tags as he could everywhere. After that, he set to work designing the trap that holds you. When the smoke cleared Not only that, but every single time you slammed me into a wall, or we fought near it, I found a way to add even more explosive tags to the stone. And I covered all my movements, my clones, and all of the weapons with a Genjutsu. If all your limbs were still intact and working properly, you could probably escape those binds."

Sasuke's hands blurred through hand-signs. "And yet, you're also weak against Genjutsu. Now, you die."

Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan. He didn't need it anymore.

"No, please!"

Sasuke pictured the begging form of a man, long dark hair and obsidian eyes, pleading with him with a smooth voice. It made him smile. "You killed all those civilians. And you are just one step closer to achieving my goal!"

With a war cry, he yelled out, "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

An explosion of fire erupted from the Leaf Ninja's mouth, speeding towards the struggling Kan as he fought with all his might to escape.

"No-"

The fire engulfed his entire body, his voice giving out to screams of intense agony. The explosive tags lit up around him, and with a small hiss covered by the roaring sound of flame, they turned into balls of fire.

Gore exploded from the scene as the concrete wall shattered, shards and chunks of stone being thrown everywhere on the scarred battlefield. Intestines and blood now covered the landscape, mixing in with the dark colours of burnt stone.

Sasuke breathed in deeply, before he fell back on his hind quarters. It was over. He had won.

Or had he?

He winced, his leg throbbing deeply. He chanced a glance down at it, his eyes now back to their coal like state. It wasn't bleeding too badly.

He silently thanked Lady Tsunade for her sound advice. The idea of everybody carrying a basic medical kit around seemed pointless. After all, he would never need it. He was wrong.

Sasuke pulled out some anti-septic and a bandage, put his hand paused as he passed over a tub of cream. Hinata's, he recalled. Smirking slightly, and began to tend to his wounds. That was one hell of a fight. And it was far closer than he would've liked.

The Uchiha's nose twitched as the scent of flesh hurried into his nostrils. He blocked it out, focusing on the task at hand. His whole body ached.

If he was honest with himself, which he generally wasn't, he should've been dead right now. Kan was far superior to him in terms of power, he knew that. But, somehow, due to Kan underestimating him, his own intellect, or just pure luck, he survived. Perhaps it was all three.

As he finished patching up the thigh wound, wrapping a bandage tightly around it, he moved onto the gash in his side. Taking off his jacket, he began to tend to that wound.

He froze as he gingerly began to apply the bandage, the reality of the situation setting in.

He'd killed someone.

Coal eyes widened, he hazarded a glance over towards the debris and gore. Bits and pieces of intestines lay in pools of blood, dark and oozing. He looked away.

He'd never killed before.

He never killed the Demon Brothers, nor Zabuza & Haku. He hadn't killed anybody in the Chunnin Exams, and he hadn't killed Gaara. Kan was the very first person he had killed by his hand, the very first person that's blood had been spilled. The very same person now nothing more than guts splattered on the stone floor.

A dark, cold voice in the back of his head told him he wouldn't be the last. Itachi would be the last. Itachi would be nothing but a puddle of blood on the floor. Itachi would have no life left in his eyes. Itachi would beg for his life. And he would strike him down without question.

He clenched his fists.

Sasuke began to tend to the wound on his forehead, now that the wound on his side was taken care of. As he went through the motions of applying the healing cream, his eyes darkened, his jaw setting. He did not feel bad for Kan. That man had deserved to die. Not only did he kill all those civilians, but he was a stepping stone. A stepping stone that got him one step closer to Itachi. He packed up what was left of his medical kit, his thoughts lingering on his ultimate goal. Begrudgingly, he realized, he needed to push that back. Sakura was the main focus now.

He stood up, the confident glint in his eyes echoing his own thoughts. He was far from remorseful. He was more confident than ever before.

He turned briskly on his heels, stalking off towards the passageway he had come from. He paused mid way, a light crackling filling his ears.

Inclining his head backwards, he noticed the chain, sparking slightly as it lay on blackened stone. Sasuke stopped for a few moments, his eyes shifting from side to side. He slowly turned around and walked back.

He stopped just in front of the chain, his eyes filled with curiosity. After a few moments of contemplation, he reached down, and grasped it firmly in his hand. The metal was cool to touch, and he hesitantly wrapped it around his waist.

After waiting a moment, he began to channel Lightning Chakra into his hands, lightly touching the chain. It glowed blue, crackling slightly. Interesting.

Deciding he could examine it another time, Sasuke twisted around and dashed off, leaving the remnants of the battle far behind, in order to find new ones.

Shikamaru leapt through the hole that Bobo had created, eyes wide and alert as he took in the scene. This room was different than all the other rooms, he released. Instead of the grey, drab concrete, it was rocky and earthy, spikes jutting out of the ceiling as if they were in a cave system. Sharp jutting stones had broken through the ground below, creating an almost maze like array of earth.

Ino's sharp cry broke him from his thoughts, his head snapping in the general direction of the sound.

The blonde was pinned against one of the many sharp jutting rocks, Bobo's forearm pressed against her throat. He grinned wildly, his yellow teeth being almost proudly displayed. Ino's nose twitched at the foul stench of his breath.

Shikamaru's fists clenched.

"Bobo like girl!" He cooed, as if she were a new toy, or a puppy. He delicately moved his hand, brushing it against Ino's forehead. He giggled. "Girl is soft!"

Shikamaru went to charge forward, his hand wrapped around the hilt of a kunai. He paused. No, that would be bad. But she was pinned against the wall...

Logic beat down emotion, and the Nara Genius ducked behind one of the stones, maneuvering his way into position.

Bobo continued to coo loudly, his grip loosening slightly as he noticed Ino's shirt. He felt it between his fingers, causing the Blonde to stiffen as his meaty hand brushed against her bosom. "So soft!" He cried loudly, his face less fitting for a cannibal, and more fitting for a child in a sweet shop. His soppy brown eyes locked onto her fearful blue ones, and his mouth formed a grin.

"You're going to taste nice!"

Ino screamed again.

Bobo went to say something else, but paused, his mouth snapping shut. He took a step back, letting Ino slump to the floor. She looked at the man in front of her,confusion and relief etched onto her face.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu success," Shikamaru stated as he stepped out, his brow furrowed. He bit his lip, anger bubbling in his gut as noticed Ino slumped against the wall. "Ino, are you all right?"

She nodded wordlessly, not trusting her voice. Shakily, she stood up, keeping her gaze locked firmly onto Bobo, who remained motionless. His eyes were different now, though. Darker. She shivered.

"Come over here Ino," he gestured, as Bobo did the same. Slowly, she crept towards him. As she got closed, she quickly lunged, wrapping her arms around Shikamaru in a crushing hug.

"H-hey..." Shikamaru muttered sheepishly, his cheeks tingling slightly.

"That's mine!"

Bobo's loud voice made Ino jump out of her skin, taking her hands off Shikamaru as she turned. Bobo was shaking, his entire body vibrating rapidly.

"Ino..." Shikamaru began, sweat pouring down his brow. "Go... I can't hold him much longer..."

She looked back at Bobo, his eyes becoming less and less childlike, and more and more fearsome. Then she looked back at Shikamaru, blue eyes locking with brown. "Ino," he pleaded, "Please."

The Yamanaka didn't have time to reply, as with a roar Bobo broke free from his restraints. Shikamaru winced, collapsing to one knee as fatigue set in.

"Ino, go!" He exclaimed once more.

The blonde, instead, took a defensive position in front of Shikamaru, a kunai firmly within her grip. "I'm not going anywhere Shikamaru!"

The Nara cursed under his breath, his eyes pleading with the form in front of him, "Please! Don't be stubborn! This isn't about you not being able to-"

"Get your strength back Shikamaru," her tone was not one to be messed with, "I'll handle this."

Bobo cocked his head to the side, the child-like innocence having returned. "Girl not scared anymore?"

Ino roughly shook her head. "No," she stated. Her arm began to quiver, "I-I'm not scared of you. I'm going to make sure you don't hurt anybody else!"

"Hurt!?" Bobo looked horrified at the thought. "I don't want to hurt anybody!" He began to bounce up and down, his face awestruck at the sheer possibility. "Bobo no hurt! Bobo no hurt!"

"Then please, go away, and let us leave."

Bobo's grin sent a shiver down her spine, her eyes widening. "Bobo no let pet go."

He charged.

For his stature, he was fast, and Ino could only just about bring her kunai up in time to block as he came closer and closer.

There was an almighty crash.

Ino opened her eyes. She turned her head to the side, a trail of dust and rock having been upturned as someone collided with a nearby jutting stone.

Tenten stood atop one of the rocks, spinning a heavy ball and chain around in her hand. "Is everything all right Ino?" She asked, leaping down, the ball clunking onto the ground loudly.

The blonde let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"No - thanks to you," She smiled softly, despite herself.

Tenten grinned back, but it froze on her lips as Shikamaru stood up.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" He snarled at Ino, as the blonde whipped around to face the Nara. "I told you to run."

Ino's smile down turned into a thin line. "I wasn't going to abandon you."

"I gave you an order!" He exclaimed. "As your superior, you follow orders Ino!"

"You don't think I know that you arrogant asshole!?" She sneered, poking him in the chest. "I was trying to protect my 'superior' from being pulverized!"

"It's better than you being pul-"

"Move!" Tenten yelled, leaping to the side. Ino did the same, roughly shoving Shikamaru as she did so. The large rock smashed onto the ground, shattering into tiny pieces.

"That hurt panda girl!" Bobo cried. "Bobo don't like getting hurt!"

Shikamaru leapt to his feet, dusting himself off. They needed a plan, and fast.

He turned to Ino, who was dusting herself off. "We need to-"

Bobo broke through one of the jutting stones, his fist cocked back. Shikamaru barely had time to blink, let alone put up any sort of defense.

The punch sent the chunin flying to the side, smashing through a nearby rock before crashing into the floor. He skidded for a few moments, before coming to a halt with a resounding thud.

"Shikamaru!" Ino's voice was filled with emotion, her blue eyes shining with fear. Bobo unclenched his fist, a passive look present on his soft features.

"Now girl can come with-"

There was a definitive crack as the Tenten's ball on chain smashed into Bobo's side, most certainly breaking some ribs. The large man howled in pain, his eyes filling with tears. "That hurts!"

Tenten didn't reply, her chocolate eyes steely as she whipped her weapon around once again. It connected full-force against Bobo's head, blood gushing out of the deep gash it created as he sped off, crashing into a rock.

"C'mon," Tenten added after a few moments, "I cracked his skull. He's gotta be dead."

"Ow!"

Tenten gave an incredulous look as both kunoichi turned their heads towards Bobo. The large man's head had a deep dent in it, blood pouring out of the wound. However, after a few moments, the head went back to it's original shape, and the cut sealed up, leaving only dried blood.

"What... is he..." Tenten trailed off, taking a step back.

"You gave me an ow! Now I'm gonna give you an owe! Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!"

Bobo ran through the hand signs, a large fist made entirely of stone shooting out of the ground, heading straight towards the two girls.

They both rolled to the side, dodging the jutsu as it sailed past them, crashing into another piece of rock. "Don't try and hide!" Bobo called out in a sing-song voice, grinning ear to ear.

"We need to get to Shikamaru!" Ino hissed wildly from her crouched position. Tenten shook her head roughly.

"No! If we do that, we'll be exposed. We need to wait, bide our time-"

Bobo's mighty hand crashed through the rock they were hiding behind. Both girls, out of instinct alone, back-flipped out the way, narrowly avoiding shards of stone being embedded in their skin.

Tenten quickly withdrew a dozen shuriken, lobbing them at her target. They bounced off him, clattering to the ground. She grimaced.

Ino withdrew a kunai, trying the exact same tactic. However, Bobo caught the projectile in his fist, squeezing it. He wordlessly dropped it to the floor, misshapen and broken.

"I didn't mean to break your toys!" He looked between the two of them. "I'm sorry-"

Tenten's ball and chain cracked into his face, sending him stumbling to the side. He gingerly rubbed the side of his jaw, his eyes turning hard. "That hurt!"

Tenten's brow furrowed. That attack should've broken his jaw! And yet, it barely seemed to affect him.

"Bobo make girl pay for this!"

He was on her in a heartbeat, both his fists clasped together, raised high into the air. Tenten's eyes widened. Unthinking, she lashed out with her foot, catching Bobo's nether regions in a devastating kick. He paused in his attack, pupils shrinking, his mouth curled into a horrified shriek.

Ino leapt at his back, her hand fumbling with her pouch. She pulled out an explosive tag, slapping it on his back as she landed on his shoulders. She back-flipped away, making a hand-sign. The tag hissed, before it exploded in a shower of earth and fire.

Tenten had leapt a safe distance back, pausing to catch her breath. This ball and chain was proving tiring to lug around. She reached behind her, unraveling a small scroll before she made some hand-signs, sealing it up.

She'd need to use something more light-weight.

Making a different hand-sign, a bo-staff, made with bamboo, and shaped like only a master craftsman could, appeared in her hand. She gripped it tightly, getting into the fighting stance. She had a feeling, and if she was right...

Bobo barreled out of the smoke and dust, a dopey grin plastered on his face. "Pretty lights."

Tenten gritted her teeth together. What the hell was with this guy?

She decided to meet him head on, bounding forward. She raised her bo high in the air, twisting it a few times before bringing it roughly down on Bobo's head. The large man let out a cry of pain, followed with a spray of blood as the bo cracked against his face. Stunned, Tenten twisted her body around, pulling the bo back, before thrusting it forwards. It smashed into Bobo's windpipe, crushing it. The man scratched at his skin, desperate to get air into his lungs.

Tenten's pupils shrank, as somehow, Bobo managed to gulp in air, his windpipe healing at a miraculously fast rate. He launched his hefty foot forward, striking her square in the mid-section. She was sent sprawling back, rolling with the momentum so she could get back to her feet, bo still held firmly in her hand.

"What the hell are you!?"

Bobo grinned. "I'm Bobo!"

He lunged at her again, arms outstretched. Tenten swerved to the side, swinging her bo around. It collided with Bobo's knee, causing him to cry out in pain. Tenten used the momentum of the swing to kick him in the weakened area, causing his knee to buckle.

"Now Ino!" She called.

Ino burst out from behind a nearby rock, her hand forming a familiar sign, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

A blue ball of energy shot out from Ino's hands, as she slumped to the ground.

Bobo seemed unfazed, grinning. "Oooh, jump!" Tenten couldn't stop him, as he crouched down, leaping up into the air with indomitable force. He then came crashing down, his landing creating a massive shockwave, sending the two girls flying backwards.

Tenten smashed through a rock, growling in pain as a sharp piece pierced her shoulder. She landed on her back, rolling to get onto her feet. She wiped the dirt from her eyes, shoulder stinging.

Ino's consciousness had returned to her body, and as she skimmed across the floor she withdrew a kunai, slamming it into the dirt to stop her crashing into rocks. She shakily stood up, assessing her injuries. A few minor scrapes, but nothing serious.

The surrounding area was now a pretty deep crater, shards of rock and dirt covering the floor. Bobo, however, was missing.

But his chakra wasn't.

Ino, twisting around as her eyes widened, instinct taking over as she back-flipped out the way Bobo erupting from underneath her feet. "Come here girl!"

"Bastard!" She cried, withdrawing a kunai from her pouch as she landed. Charging forward, she made a stabbing motion, intent on striking him in the chest.

Bobo slapped her hand away, using his meaty fingers to clasp at her ponytail. Gasping in pain, globs of blood flew from Ino's mouth as she was thrown roughly against one of the rocks. Wincing, she tried to stand, only for Bobo's shoulder to smash into her ribcage. She was sent through the rock, and crashing down towards the floor, rolling before she stopped. Groaning, she tried to raise herself onto her hands and knees.

Bobo was upon her once again, his large tree like legs slamming into her back. She let out a cry of pain, biting her lip to avoid crying.

"Why you run?" Bobo's voice quivered, as if he was about to cry.

A shuriken whizzed past his ear, distracting him. "Look, it's coming back!" He cried. The projectile did so, curving around to fly back towards him.

The shuriken embedded itself in his eye.

The large man let out a horrific scream, pulling the weapon out, blood pouring from the wound, "Bobo's sight! Bobo's sight is gone."

He fell on his hind-quarters, rolling around on the floor in agony. Ino took the opportunity, leaping to her feet.

She nodded at Tenten from across the way, who nodded back at her, before darting off behind some cover.

Ino did the same.

Shikamaru's eyes blearily opened, dust and dirt clouding his vision. He winced, his eyes watering, and he rubbed them roughly. He blindly reached out with his hand, rising to his feet as he fumbled around. Finally, after a few moments, he found something he could lean on. He went to work, trying hard to get the dirt and dust out of his eyes, so he could see what was happening. What had happened to Ino.

Panic overpowered his senses, his heart going into overdrive. Finally, his vision cleared, revealing an upturned path of dirt where he had skidded through multiple rocks. As if to illustrate that point, a deep pounding resounded in his head. Wincing, he brought a hand to the back of his skull, letting out a sharp cry of pain as he touched the injured area. No blood, but very, very sore.

Distracted by this, he continued to walk forward, trying to discern the extent of his injuries.

Something cracked underneath his foot.

Thinking nothing of it, he took a look down. His blood ran cold.

A soulless, bleached white head stared back at him, nothing more than bone, and darkness where the eye sockets should be.

He then noticed more skulls, more pieces of bone, trampled and crushed underfoot.

Shikamaru swallowed.

This is where Bobo ate.

His hands clenched into fists, vision of Ino being devoured boiling within his very soul. That would not happen to her!

There was a tremendous sound as something crashed a few yards away, sending dirt and shards of stone upwards. The sounds of someone crashing through something followed suit, and, without wasting any time, Shikamaru raced off towards the sounds of battle.

Tenten leapt from her position atop a rock, just in time to avoid being crushed. She'd been doing this for a while now, jumping from jutting stone to jutting stone as Bobo crashed through them as if they were made of paper. From her position, she couldn't help but take in how massive this place was. It was at least a mile or two across, covered by all manner of sharp rock formations. The landscape seemed to have shifted the more she had moved, the jutting rocks become more and more deformed, and much, much larger. They seemed to band together, creating formations that towered over the lesser rocks.

This didn't stop Bobo from raining down destruction, his meaty fists making quick work of anything in his path.

Tenten landed atop one of the smaller juttings in the area, unravelling a scroll. Making a hand-sign, two large metal spheres, kunai welded into them, appeared in a puff of smoke.

As Bobo destroyed another rock, Tenten flicked her wrists, the balls sailing forward.

The brown-haired girl made another hand sign. The balls exploded viciously, kunai shooting in all directions. Most bounced off Bobo's burly chest, or pierced through nearby stone. But some glanced the large man's cheek, leaving sharp cuts.

Tenten's eyes narrowed. "So I was right. While his body seems to be immune to sharp objects, his head isn't. I wonder why?"

She didn't get time to ponder further. A large hand exploded out of the stone she stood on, grabbing painfully onto her leg. Tenten winced in pain, before her pupils shrank, as Bobo's lumbering form leapt into the air, hands clasped together. Twisting his upper body back, he brought it his weight down full force, his joint hands smashing into Tenten's chest. She flew backwards, blood escaping from her mouth.

A blur darted from the ground, grabbing Tenten mid-air. both forms landing with a thud before they skidded across the floor.

Ino stood up quicker than Tenten, who coughed lightly, before standing. "Thanks for the save," the Weapons Master nodded in Ino's direction.

The Yamanaka nodded in reply. "What are we going to do?"

Tenten grimaced. "I'm not sure. We don't know where Shikamaru is?"

Ino shook her head sadly. "No, I've not been trained in sensory ninjutsu yet."

The brown haired kunoichi cursed. "All right, there's Bobo, and clone of some kind. We need to take them out." Tenten's bo was was quickly summoned, and she held the weapon tightly in her hand. "Are you with me?"

"Of course! But..." Ino trailed off, her blue eyes filled with regret. "I don't think I'm strong enough to help you."

Tenten blinked. "What!? Of course you are! You-"

A loud crash caused both kunoichi to snap their heads to the source, as two Bobo's lumbered out of the dust.

"There's the pretty girl!" One of them exclaimed, bouncing up and down. The other clapped his hands in agreement.

"We do have that technique," Tenten stated, turning to look at the reaction of her blonde comrade.

"We haven't properly tested it-"

"Now's as good a time as any!" She hissed lightly.

"I'll need a lot of time to gather the chakra, though."

Tenten growled under her breath. "Fine. Let's try and take out these bastards. Agreed?"

Ino withdrew a kunai from her pouch, her blue eyes becoming steely and fierce. "Agreed."

Tenten slipped into her battle stance. "Why don't you let us go!" She called to the two gargantuan masses in front of them. Ino slipped into a stance of her own, as one of them replied,

"Because we want girl to play with.!"

The other then added, with even more enthusiasm,"We've had lots of pretty girls, but none as pretty as you!"

Ino's face grew darker with every word. "You're not taking anymore girls, you hear me!?"

The two Bobo's grinned in sync. "Yeah we are! And we've got two now!"

Both sides began to charge. "Ino!" Tenten hissed.

The blonde nodded, withdrawing some explosive tags, tying them to her kunai. She lobbed them at the two charging towards her. They exploded ineffectively, not even causing a flinch as the two Bobo's continued their advancement.

However, this bode time for Tenten to make a hand-sign, unravelling a scroll. Her bo staff was sealed, while a Kusarigama, kunai and ninja wire poofed into existence. Tenten snatched up the kusarigama, swinging it around for good measure. Ino made herself comfortable with her new weapons.

Tenten smiled at her. "Just like we practiced."

Ino nodded.

After this little exchange, they focused on the task at hand, continuing to move forward. The two Bobo's were picking up speed, their heavy feet creating small craters as they bounded forward.

Tenten and Ino both leapt to the side, their feet sticking to the jutting stones with chakra. They leapt over the gaps, but continued to move forward. Finally, as the two forces neared each other, Ino and Tenten leapt towards them at an angle. Throwing their respective weapons, and lodging them into a nearby stone, they kicked off with their legs, the momentum from their running propelling them as they swung.

Twisting around in mid-air as they passed by the beleaguered Bobo's, they threw one kunai each at their targets. Skidding across the ground, they saw as the projectiles embedded themselves in the Bobo's necks, blood splattering everywhere.

After a few moments, they collapsed into rocks.

Tenten cursed. "Damn it, I thought we had them." She turned and faced Ino, who was panting heavily by her side. "You all right?"

For the first time in a while, Ino grinned. "Yeah, I'm just not used to doing stuff like that."

"You're far better than you were when we started training a week ago, your kunai was only angled to the right by about three centimeters, instead of twenty. But, we need to find the real Bobo."

Ino nodded, standing upwards. "And Shikamaru, that bastard."

Both leapt atop the jutting stones and ran.

From his observations, Shikamaru could conclude one thing. This place was a maze.

Or, more specifically, a trap.

The placement of the jutting stones seemed random, but it created enough narrow passages and clear areas to make it very confusing. He theorized that, because of his ability to jump atop the stones and potentially escape, that civilians were thrown in there and...

Eaten.

Shikamaru shivered.

Sounds of battle echoed from random directions, which gave him pause. That wouldn't make sense, why would there be sounds of battle all around him? There was only Ino, Tenten, and Bobo in the room. And even if there wasn't, the sounds remained the same. Repeated on a loop, almost.

"A Genjutsu?" Shikamaru muttered out loud, trudging down the dirt path that was surrounded by jagged rocks.

It was possible, but why was a Genjutsu needed?

He stopped walking, eyes widening. Of course.

It was a scare tactic. With the sounds of battle, civilians would usually run away. And be led somewhere.

So, did that mean he was walking into a trap?

Shikamaru pressed on.

He arrived in a clearing, overshadowed by a large rock formation. A large cave, darker than the blackest night, stared back at him.B ones littered the floor, as if this was home to a carnivorous animal. But it belonged to a human.

Shikamaru took a slow step forward. The sounds of battle were fainter now, which didn't make much sense. Surely you'd keep it up until your prey was within the trap-

Bobo exploded from the dirt, fist drawn back as he grinned with childlike glee.

Shikamaru twisted his body around, bringing his arms over his face. He was launched backwards, skidding along the stone floor until he disappeared into the darkness.

There was a tense silence, Bobo's grin never faltering. "You dead? You dead!"

A kunai whizzed out of the darkness, slicing across Bobo's cheek. He gave a dramatic "Ow!", and rubbed the cut. His grin disappeared. "That hurt! Bobo squish stupid man!"

He bounded head long into the darkness.

"Shadow Possession is a success."

Shikamaru took multiple steps back, maintaining the same stance as he backed out of the darkness. Bobo was soon at the entrance of the cave, while the Nara stood near the narrow passageway that led out of the clearing.

He grinned.

He withdrew a couple of explosive kunai, lobbing them at the top of the cave. He made a hand-sign. A loud explosion sent small chunks of rock falling to the floor, soon followed by the entire top half of the cave. With a tremendous crash, Bobo was crushed underneath the sheer weight of the falling stone, dust billowing out across the clearing.

Shikamaru tentatively released his Shadow Possession Jutsu, taking a deep breath. That was close.

As the dust settled, blood pooled around the area where the stone's smashed, and Shikamaru couldn't help but grimace. A very sticky end. But, deserved.

A rock moved slightly, rolling down the pile of rubble and thumping against the floor. Then another, and another, and then another.

The Nara's eyes widened, as the rock debris began to shake wildly. With an almighty roar that turned Shikamaru white as a sheet, stones exploded outwards, smashing against nearby jutting rocks with shattering force.

Bobo looked worse for wear, his neck bent out of shape, his arms crushed, ribs poking out through his chest. But he was still alive.

"That hurt," he whined.

"Bastard!" Shikamaru hissed under his breath, a barrage of shuriken escaping from his hands. They glanced off Bobo harmlessly, as his ribs slowly retracted back into his body, his neck returned to it's normal shape, and his arms began to slowly grow.

"He can regenerate that fast? How!?"

Shikamaru racked his brain for thought, his brown eyes never leaving Bobo's form. He noticed, barely, a faint glow surrounding both of the large man's middle fingers.

Two rings, silver, and large, glowed faintly green.

The Nara narrowed his eyes, detecting the smallest sliver of chakra pulsing into Bobo from the rings. He frowned.

"Bobo ready to play!"

Shikamaru leapt backwards as Bobo's heaving form leapt high into the air, before coming crashing down where he once stood. The shockwave blew Shikamaru back, and he landed forcefully against another jutting stone, winding him.

Before he even had time to blink, Bobo's massive foot collided with his his ribs, the audible sound of one cracking ringing in his ears. He flew backwards, crashing through a number of rocks before he came to a halt, blood dripping out of his mouth.

Shikamaru groaned, rolling onto his stomach as he tried to force his body upwards.

He could hear the pounding footsteps of Bobo coming ever closer, followed by the shrieks of glee he gave off.

With all his willpower, he pushed off the ground, wincing as he gingerly touched his ribs. Yeah, one, or perhaps two, were broken.

He turned to face Bobo head on, the man grinning ear to ear. "Is man broken?" He inquired. "Man need to be broken! Man not nice!"

Bobo cocked his massive fist back, ramming it straight ahead.

Shikamaru ducked, rolling behind Bobo, hastily drawing a kunai. He slashed at Bobo's achilles tendon, causing the large man to cry out in pain.

Without waiting, The Nara charged off through the stones.

He hadn't manage to get far, the sheer toll of running with a broken rib wearing thin on him. He'd somehow stumbled across a small clearing, dotted with a number of jutting rocks. He darted behind one of them, leaning his back against it as he panted.

He was so out of his depth. This guy's rejuvenation capabilities were off the scale. Those rocks should've killed him twenty times over. And yet, he was bellowing loudly, asking, "Where's the naughty man!"

To think, a man so simple could be so frightening.

He ducked down, making a special sign with his hands as he closed his eyes, his mind retreating in on itself to think deeply.

He didn't notice the person standing before him.

Bobo calmy sauntered forward, his voice echoing along the walls as he called out for the 'naughty man'.

"Where are you!?" He was beginning to get frustrated now, punching a nearby rock and reducing it to dust.

It was then, he noticed a shoe. He giggled with glee, ready to bound off. He stopped himself, slapping his own face.

"Stupid Bobo. We need to be quiet!" He hissed to no-one in particular, before he began to 'silently' walk forward.

He came into the entranceway, his face filled with joy. He was going to teach that naughty man a lesson!

He didn't notice the thin line of ninja wire.

He tripped over it, letting out a cry of shock as he fell forward, landing face first on the ground.

A barrage of kunai and shuriken erupted from different areas, all thudding into Bobo. Alas, they did nothing, not even leaving a scratch as he stood up. His hand tripped another wire.

Two Fūma shuriken shot from opposite directions, narrowly passing Bobo's face and back of his head. They twisted in the air slightly, coiling back around.

The large man's eyes widened as something wrapped around his throat. Ninja wire. After the shuriken spun for a few more times around his neck, the wire slicing into his flesh, they embedded themselves in nearby jutting rocks, keeping Bobo suspended.

Tenten leapt from out of one of the rocks, a kunai palmed. There was a flicker of light, as crackling blue surrounded the blade. The brown haired kunoichi let it sail from her hand.

It cut through Bobo's skin like a hot knife to butter, billowing out of his back and into a nearby wall, still crackling.

The wound pooled with blood, dripping softly onto the floor. Bobo's mouth was a waterfall of the stuff, as it cascaded down his front.

Tenten grinned. It had hit him straight in the heart, and gone straight through it. There was no way he could-

The wound began healing at a rapid rate, Bobo's eyes shining, his mouth morphing into a blood-curdling grin.

The grin stopped instantly, as a blade lodged itself in the back of his head, straight through his brain. Ino stood atop his shoulders, panting slightly, as she twisted and turned the blade, turning the insides of the skull into mush.

That had to be it. It was finally over.

Ino yanked the sword out of Bobo's head, jumping slightly. She landed gracefully, and began to walk over to Tenten, smiling. They had done it.

Bobo's head turned upwards.

"Shit!" Tenten exclaimed, roughly pulling Ino out of the way as Bobo clawed furiously at the ninja wire, trying to release himself from his bonds.

Tenten whirred through hand signs, pausing only to bite down hard on her thumb, drawing blood as she slammed her palm into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a large puff of smoke, and a voice bellowed, "I'm here to serve!"

A large, dark green tortoise stood proudly, it's head raised upwards, revealing a deep scar running down it's left cheek. A slight tuft of a beard, grey and wisened, sat on his chin. He grinned crooked teeth.

"Well now, if it isn't Tenten! A pleasure to serve ye!"

Tenten nodded in reply. "You ready?"

The tortoise nodded his head, eyes snapping to the man, snarling viciously. "I'm always ready, ya see."

Tenten made some more hand-signs, slamming her palm atop the tortoises back. Etching on it's shell glowed brightly, before a large cloud of smoke filled the air, blanketing the clearing.

It eventually cleared, Bobo having just managed to rip the ninja wire to pieces. "I'll kill you!" He cried.

The explosive spheres from before shot out of the smoke, embedding themselves in Bobo. His eyes widening, he heard the crackling that came with lightning chakra.

Tenten had hold of ninja wire, attached to the spheres. Placing both hands on the wires that lead to Bobo, she bit her lip.

Lightning chakra surged down the wire, eventually reaching the spheres with a hiss. Bobo let out a horrendous cry, as the spheres exploded, fire consuming him, kunai lodging themselves deep within his body.

Tenten let out a cry of pain of her own, her hands charred and burned. Collapsing to one knee, she panted heavily.

"Tenten!" Ino exclaimed, trying to clamber atop the tortoise.

The brown-haired kunoichi shook her head roughly, giving a small, albeit painful smile. "I'm good. Just a little bit-" She winced sharply,"-burned, is all."

"No!"

Bobo's roar of rage snapped their gazes to the side, as Bobo tore mounds of his own burnt flesh, sending the kunai scattering over the floor, along with his insides and pools of dark blood.

"Oh Kami..." Ino took a step back. This was too much! He couldn't die! Those kunai lodged themselves in all the major internal organs. Kidneys, lungs, liver, the list went on. But he still stood, burnt and battered, but alive.

The tortoise snapped his beak roughly. "What the hell is this!? A wee man, able to survive such an onslaught. Oh dearie me! It looks like I will have to teach him a lesson in manners!"

Tenten leapt off the large tortoise as it bounded forward. It's large beak snapped dangerously, and Bobo returned with a growl of his own. Leaping towards the target, the tortoise sunk his beak deep into Bobo's shoulder, the man crying out in rage and sorrow.

What the tortoise didn't expect, however, was the same to happen to him, as Bobo's mighty jaws sunk into his green flesh. It was his turn to let out an old cry, Bobo tearing a chunk off his form, chewing on it like it was his favourite food. He threw the tortoise hard, and he skidded across the floor, landing at Tenten's feet.

"Gokana!" She screamed, leaning down to check on the wound.

The tortoise smiled softly. "Now now dearie, don't worry about little old me. I'm a powerful summon, after all. A wee little bastard ain't gonna stop me!"

And, with that, he closed his yellow eyes, and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Oh shit." Tenten intoned, her fists gripping at her shorts. This was bad.

Bobo let out a bellow, his shoulder reforming. "Girls will be mine!"

The large man ran full pelt towards the two kunoichi, his feet pounding against the ground. Without warning, he fell forward,slightly, the sound of something breaking filling the kunoichi's ears. There was a whizz of air, as two large spears, shiny and steel, shot from opposite direction. With a thick splatter, they went straight through Bobo's thighs, criss-crossing to form an X shape, piercing the ground.

Bobo couldn't move.

Out from behind one of the rocks, Shikamaru made his presence known. Charging forward, he palmed a kunai, slashing at Bobo's face. Globs of blood flew from the small cut the Nara had made, but his victory was short lived. Bobo backhanded the Leaf Ninja, sending him sprawling backwards as he slid across the floor.

"Tenten, aim for his middle finger! The rings allow him to regenerate!" He cried.

Tenten withdrew a kunai from her pouch, pain flooding through her hands. She threw it with pinpoint accuracy, and it soared through the air at a ridiculously fast pace. Bobo's middle finger was sliced right off, taking the ring with it.

Bobo screamed.

Shikamaru shakily got to his feet, holding his hand towards Tenten and Ino. They both gave him a confused look, but stood still. The Nara's eyes remained fixated on the small cut, as Bobo began to pull the two spears out of his legs.

Finally, after fifteen seconds, the cut healed.

Shikamaru smirked. Fifteen seconds. It had been thirty seconds last time. Just as he had thought.

"We need to take out his middle finger!" Shikamaru called to the two girls. "It's how he regenerates!"

Tenten nodded wordlessly. "Is the technique ready yet?" She asked Ino. The girl shook her head.

"No, not yet. I need a little more time. And your hands..."

She trailed off, diving her hand into her pocket as she pulled out a vat of cream. "Hinata's," She explained, as she began to apply it to Tenten's outstretched hands. "It's been specially made to heal burns. Shizune and Hinata made it."

"Ah," Tenten nodded, before a slick sound pierced the air.

Bobo roared, the spears that were covered in his own blood, clenched tightly in his hands. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THESE NAUGHTY GIRLS!" He screeched.

With one hand, he threw a tinted spear at Shikamaru, while he chucked the other at the two girls.

The Nara grimaced, rolling behind cover as the spear clanged against a nearby rock.

Tenten did the same, but Ino merely cart-wheeled to the side, unwavering.

"I'm done hiding from you!" She yelled, fists clenching. "I won't let you hurt anybody else!"

Bobo merely inclined his head to the side. "I don't want to hurt you!"

Ino's eyes narrowed. Was that... sorrow in his brown eyes. No, impossible. He'd cried before, but that was all an act of his childish personality. Surely?

Still, she didn't have time to think on it.

Something leapt out of the ground behind her, grasping at her arms and pinning them behind her back. The form then slammed her, roughly, into a nearby rock, knocking the wind out of her.

"Ino!" A pair of voices yelled, leaping out from behind cover.

Tenten withdrew a sword, charging straight towards what she could identify as a clone. However, from behind her, another clone reared it's ugly head. With a powerful clubbing blow to the back, Tenten plummeted to the ground. The Bobo clone didn't end it there, slamming his enormous feet down onto her spine. She cried out in pain, her arms yanked back as the clone grinned sadistically.

Shikamaru bounded forward, his hand curled into a fist. Another clone collided with his back, sending both of them skidding across the floor. The clone pushed Shikamaru down with all his weight, despite the other's struggling.

The original Bobo's eyes were no longer filled with the sorrow Ino had seen, replaced by unsuppressed happiness. "I caught them!" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down, the ground rumbling slightly. "Yay!"

His eyes lingered on Ino briefly, and he frowned. "No, not that hard other me! Let her go more!"

The clone that had a hold of Ino moved backwards slightly, allowing her more breathing room. Blue eyes locked with shapeless brown, and she frowned.

"I'm sorry." He said.

She blinked.

But whatever he said, was now gone, replaced by the gleeful words, "But pretty girl will be for later! You!"

His meaty hand pointed at Tenten, who was gritting her teeth in pain, eyes sharp and deadly.

"You've been naughty! You gave Bobo a boo-boo!"

"I'll give you more than a boo-boo you sick son of a bitch!"

Bobo's eyes widened. "No swearing!" He roared. "Other me, make her stop!"

A popping sound filled the room, followed by Tenten's horrific scream. Her arm lay limply at her side, her shoulder having been dislocated.

"Stop swearing now!"

"Fuck you!" She yelled through the pain.

Bobo's eyes turned hard, his jaw setting. "Make her stop!"

The clone grabbed her other arm with both of his hands, making a pulling motion.

"Stop!"

Ino's cry made both Bobo's pause, as they turned their gaze onto her. "Please, stop. Y-you don't need to hurt them," she pleaded. "Please!"

Bobo's eyes turned soft, and he deflated. "I... no more hurting, other me."

The clone nodded, but still held her arm tightly.

The real Bobo went to open his mouth, but he found he couldn't. A long, dark shadow, stretched from the clone that held Shikamaru to himself. They both could not move.

Shikamaru appeared from behind one of the jutting stones, smirking to himself. "A Kage Clone."

Before anybody could move, a large blast of white smoke filled the area, before a bellowing roar shook the ground. Out of the murk leapt a tortoise, blue in colour, large and foreboding. It used it's large head, smashing it against the Bobo clone holding Tenten, sending it flying as it disbanded into stones. He then jumped towards the real Bobo, beak open wide. He clamped down hard on Bobo's hand, moving his mouth from side to side as he tore it off. Bobo screamed in agony, unable to move his body at all. The tortoise spit out the flesh, beak tinted dark red. "That's what ya get for bitin' my father, you mother-"

Shikamaru's exclamation of pain cut off his sentence, as the Nara collapsed on one knee, hand clutching his chest. The shadow binding that held Bobo and his clone disappeared, allowing them freedom of movement.

With a roar, Bobo grabbed the head of the Tortoise, his bloody stump throwing blood all over the place as he twisted around, lobbing the reptile at a nearby rock. It crashed through it power, before it crumpled in a heap, unconscious.

As this went on, Ino, twisted her body, surprising the Bobo clone and allowing herself to escape from his grasp. Palming a kunai, she stuck it straight in the clone's eye, turning it to dirt.

Without waiting, she then charged towards the clone that held Shikamaru, two more kunai entering both her hands. She threw one at a clone, the projectile embedding itself in it's chest. As it turned to dirt, Ino slapped an explosive tag on the last kunai, before letting it fly out of her hand straight towards Bobo.

She miscalculated the trajectory in her rush, and it landed near his feet. With a hiss, and before he could react, he was blown backwards, tearing up the dirt as he rolled. He came to an abrupt halt, burn wounds covering the left side of his body.

He wouldn't be getting up for a while.

Turning around sharply, she ran over to Shikamaru, helping him up. "Are you okay Shika!?" She asked forcefully, shaking him slightly.

He gave her an evil eye, although his lips did curl into a smirk. "Troublesome woman."

She smiled back in reply. "I try."

"That was a good distraction back there," he admitted, "That gave us the advantage we needed."

"Yeah!" Tenten's voice was loud and hoarse, as she clutched at her shoulder. "Without that, I wouldn't have been able to deploy my delayed summoning scroll!"

Ino smiled, but it soon turned into a frown.

"Guys, listen, I don't think we should k-"

"No time for that now!" Shikamaru hissed, his brown eyes turning cold. "He's getting up. Tenten," he barked, as the Weapons Master rose to her feet shakily. "Are you and Ino ready to use that combination technique you've been working on?"

Tenten nodded. "I'm ready and willing. Ino?" She questioned.

The blonde nodded quickly, opening her mouth to add," My chakra is good enough. But, I don't think we sho-"

"Not now Ino!" Shikamaru yelled. "We need to do this now, get into position!"

Ino opened her mouth once more to argue, but closed it. No, she was wrong in her thinking. A flash of the boy, his blood covering Bobo's delighted mouth, filled with chunks of flesh, came into her mind. She shuddered, before she ran.

She passed Tenten, giving the girl a nod. The brunette nodded back.

She paused, her hand making the same hand sign it made when she was about to use the Mind Possession Jutsu.

Tenten, meanwhile, got out two large scrolls, readying them with only one arm

"Wait!"

Ino paused, as Bobo made eye contact with her. Her heart skipped a beat.

His eyes were filled with fear and sorrow, shapeless and brown. "P-please don't hurt Bobo!"

She bit her lip, her stance becoming rigid. She wouldn't fall for his tricks.

"Bobo doesn't mean to hurt people! Bobo never wanted to hurt! Bobo wanted to go back to his moma and pappa!" Tears filled the large man's eyes, soon cascading down his cheeks. "But they took Bobo away!"

Ino's bottom lip trembled slightly.

"Ino..." Shikamaru warned.

"...Who? W-who took you away?"

"The man with the snakes!" Bobo hissed loudly, a sob escaping his lips. "He put Bobo in prison, and didn't feed! Bobo wanted to eat, but they wouldn't! Bobo cried and cried and cried, but they wouldn't come! Nobody would feed Bobo!"

"Ino, what are you doing!? We need to-"

"Quiet Shikamaru!" She snapped, causing him to take a step back at the sheer ferocity of her tone.

"Ino, stop it!" Tenten called, eyes filled with worry. "We need to do this now!"

Bobo continued nonplussed, "But then, one day, glasses man came to cell! And brought Bobo a boy! Bobo thought it was a pet! Something to keep Bobo company. But..." He trailed off, more tears flowing from his eyes like a river. "They wanted Bobo to eat! They wanted boy to be hurt! Bobo said no, Bobo did! Bobo did! He asked and asked and asked for something else to eat! But they wouldn't. They poked Bobo, hurt him with fire and sharp things, made the red water come out, until he eat!"

Ino felt sick to her stomach, her hands slowly dropping to her side.

"Bobo never wanted to hurt boy! But they made him! And then there was more, and more, and more, and more, and more! And they kept poking and poking and poking! And he had to, eat and eat and eat! And now, Bobo can only eat them... BUT PLEASE DON'T KILL Bobo! Bobo go with you?" His eyes, shining with water, looked almost hopeful. "Bobo be a good boy! He no hurt no-one no more, he be nice to pretty girl and girl and boy! He be good!"

Ino's eyes shone with unshed tears. She turned to Shikamaru. "Shika... I can't."

"What!? Ino, stop being so ridiculous, he's lying to you!"

"He's not! Look at him Shikamaru! He's just scared!"

"He ate a boy in front of you! You remember that! He's beaten and battered us, dislocated Tenten's shoulder for fucks sake! Stop using your heart and start using your head for once in your life!"

She flinched, tears falling down to her cheeks. "Maybe, Shikamaru, you should start using your heart, more than your head."

She turned to face Bobo, smiling. "Okay. You can come."

"Ino-"

"ENOUGH SHIKAMARU!"

Bobo's eyes looked between the two, his eyes filling with anger. "You made pretty girl upset!?"

"Bobo, stop-"

The large man had leapt up, barrelling forward. "You won't hurt pretty girl no more!"

Ino let instinct take over, leaping between the two. Bobo's shoulder crashed hard into her chest, blood exploding from her mouth as she flew backwards.

"Ino!" Shikamaru snarled, his hand making a sign. His shadow snaked quickly towards the falling girl, catching at and standing her upright. Her eyes were half open, blood covering her lower lip and jaw.

Bobo looked horrified. "No! I didn't mean to hurt pretty girl!" Tears still streamed down his face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"

His pleas for forgiveness ended as the blue tortoise from before came out of nowhere, it's beak clamping down hard on Bobo's thigh. With a loud rip and a splash of blood, the tortoise ripped out Bobo's achilles tendon.

The man screamed in agony, collapsing on one knee.

"Tenten, get ready!"

Ino's eyes widened. "Shikamaru, stop! Don't kill him, he's just-"

"A monster Ino! A vicious serial killing monster, and despite what you think he always will be! He will kill others, and murder more innocent children! Use your fucking head! He tried to kill me!

And he would've killed you as well!"

"No! It was a mistake, you-"

"ENOUGH INO!" Shikamaru roared, face contorting in concentration. "I'm... sorry."

"No!" Ino cried, as her arms slowly moved into the position that used used for her Mind Possession Jutsu. "I refuse!"

"No! Please Ino! He can't hurt you again!"

Bobo tried desperately to stand, but could not do so, always collapsing on one knee. Finally, he turned his attention towards Ino, eyes remorseful.

"I didn't mean to hurt pretty girl."

And then he lunged.

"Ino!" Shikamaru cried out, panting heavily. "He's going to kill you!"

The blonde's eyes widened, as Bobo leapt at her, mouth wide open, teeth shining. But eyes filled with sadness.

Blue energy began to glow around Tenten's scrolls, and the brunette leapt up into the sky, her scrolls following her. A large amount of weapons, from kunai to Fūma shuriken to sword's to chains, appeared in a puff of smoke. The blue energy enveloped them, and before long they shot towards Bobo.

"Saikikku Buki Danmaku!" The three ninja yelled out.

The barrage of weapons slammed into Bobo, tearing through his skin and slicing through bone. Blood splattered and poured everywhere as he was thrown backwards, the weapons still piercing and attacking his body. He crashed with a loud thud, as the weapons thudded into his corpse.

There were a few tense moments, as the dust settled. Spears and Fūma shuriken were stuck into what could once be known as a body, mangled beyond comprehension. Strips of flesh and pools of blood surrounded the chopped up corpse, weapons scattered all around.

It was over.

Shikamaru released his Shadow Possession Jutsu, his eyes becoming blurry. He turned his head to face Ino.

His eyes widened.

Blood dripped from her nose, her normally vibrant blue eyes glassy. She fell forward, and landed with a thud.

He had killed her. It was him, not Bobo. He had done it. He had overworked her. Made her feel weak. Made her take up such strain. And now, she was dead.

Shikamaru crawled towards the collapsed body of his teammate, the ground hard and cold. Pain racked his body, but he pressed on. He'd killed her.

The jutsu was too much.

And now, she was dead.

He reached her, sweat stinging his eyes. Pushing upwards, he got to his hands and knees, panting heavily. He turned her over.

She was so beautiful.

He took a cloth, and wiped the blood from her nose and jaw. Her eyes were closed, the world no longer able to see those bright blue eyes. Her skin was so pale, so soft and usually filled with warmth. And now it was filled with the cold grasp of death.

Her hair was a mess, and if she could've seen it, she would've had a fit. But still, she looked beautiful. Dirt may have caked her body, sweat may have clung to her skin, and dried blood may have been present. But she was still the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.

He didn't feel anything emotionally. It was only the throbbing in his head, the pounding of his heart against his ribcage, the deep ache in his bones, the fatigue that had enveloped his body. But he blocked it all out.

Despite all of this, he couldn't help but crack a smile. She was wearing lip gloss. Light lip gloss that perfectly matched the colour of her lips, but still somewhat visible in the light. The stupid boy obsessed teenage girl was wearing lipgloss. On a mission of this caliber. That stupid, emotional, whiny, annoying, kunoichi was wearing make-up. It made him angry. She could never take anything seriously! Unless it had to do with dresses, or shoes, or makeup, or fucking Sasuke! Stupid, lipgloss wearing girl!

His body had reacted on it's own, as he found his lips pressed against hers. Strawberries. She tasted of strawberries. Sweet, sweet strawberries. And despite the battle, and the grime, he could still smell her scent, warm and inviting. Comforting. And now forever lost.

He kissed her more deeply, arms wrapping around his neck as she kissed back, their lips perfectly in synch. Nothing mattered. Just how she felt pressed against his body, and how they fit so well together. How right it felt.

He broke the kiss with a start, eyes wide.

Ino stared back at him, her eyes half-lidded. She smiled softly.

"Shikamaru..."

And then she was gone, slipping into unconsciousness.

Shikamaru stared at her for what felt like the longest time, the rhythmic breathing of her chest almost restarting his own.

She was alive.

And he would owe Kami for the rest of eternity.

Tenten coughed awkwardly into her fist, interrupting Shikamaru as he turned his attention to her. She grinned sheepishly. "While, if this was a romantic movie, it would be really sweet, you do realize she was breathing before you kissed her, right? You just didn't check her pulse."

Shikamaru frowned at her.

She chuckled, wincing as her arm moved. "Sorry about damaging your ego." She turned her gaze towards the corpse of Bobo, eyes turning hard. "Do you think..."

"Yes," Shikamaru stated blandly, slowly standing up, scooping Ino into his arms. "There was no other way."

Tenten nodded. "You're right. I wish there was, though."

"I wish so, to."

The two leaf ninja began to walk, Ino's sleeping form held tightly in Shikamaru's arms, as Tenten hobbled along with them, as they hoped to leave the memories of flesh and blood behind them.

They pushed the fact that they never, ever would, to the back of their minds.

Shikamaru paused, however, something crossing his mind. He placed Ino down on the ground turning around and walking back over to Bobo, despite Tenten's pleas to come back.

He looked around for a few moments, finally sighting what he was looking for. He knelt down, looking through the remnants of Bobo's hand. He scooped up the silver ring, scooping it into his pocket. He had a feeling Lady Tsunade would want to have a look at this.

After grabbing the other ring also, he finally began to march back over towards Tenten and Ino. He did pause, however, and gave one last look back at the corpse he had created. With a sad shake of his head, he caught up with the team, and pressed on.

So, there we go, that's all wrapped up nicely!

I do have a few things I want to mention to you, though.

First off, I've decided to change the way Uchiha's work a little bit. I was rather underwhelmed with the Sasuke vs Itachi fight in Naruto Shippuden, and I've been trying to figure out a way to make them more interesting without overpowering them. So, I've come up with this. Since Tobi stated that the Uchiha have powerful chakra, I decided that it takes less chakra for Uchiha's to do Ninjutsu. While they still have more or less average reserves, the amount of chakra a technique consumes is about half. As a downside to this (mainly for Itachi), any Mangekyo Sharingan techniques not only drain a lot of chakra, but also force the user to remain still for several seconds due to fatigue. I'm hoping it will make things more interesting!

A second thing to note, is that I can imagine some people might have a problem with the way Shikamaru and Ino acted. That's fine. That's great in fact. I think I've kept them pretty much in character, but I don't agree with the decisions they both tried to make. I am curious to see, if at all, whose side you chose. I just thought I would bring it up and say that, in my opinion, they're both wrong.

And that's all. So, tune in next time for some major reveals! And have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!