UPDATEUPDATEUPDATE!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES! I also do not own any of the OCs introduced within this fan fiction, save for:
Tsukuyomi Clan
Akumu
Inori
Shiôrisha Usagi
Shiôrisha Idomu
Roku
Nero
Kaiga
(And I think that's it… o.o)
A/N: THIRD POV~
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Running Out of Time! To Kill or Not to Kill!
"Lady Mizukage," Akumu informed, standing in front of the auburn haired kunoichi, "We were visited this evening by a group of attacking shinobi, one of them calling themselves Uchiha Sasuke." He frowned. The Mizukage, Terumi Mei, smiled despite the news.
"Uchiha, huh? I heard they were an attractive bunch… It's a shame they turn themselves into complete fools… Did you see where they ran off to?" She asked, picking up a pile of files on her desk. Akumu averted his eyes.
"No, ma'am. There were too many obstacles in the way to get quite a spot at them, but they had retreated somewhere east. Whether they intend to come back or not is unknown." He explained. Mei sighed, giving her head a little tilt as she swept toward him casually.
"So troublesome… Well, I'm glad you could frighten off, Master Akumu." She smiled and bent down to give him a little kiss on the forehead before patting him and walking on. Akumu tried to stop his face from growing pink as he whipped around.
"Lady Mei, what will you have me do?" He demanded, clenching his fists. Mei paused, not turning around as she touched her fingertips to her lip thoughtfully before shrugging.
"Do what you think is right, Master Akumu. My experience isn't as, well, experienced as yours is. You tell me what you would do." She said. Akumu frowned.
"I would set up our strongest Jounin at the main gate." He stated. Mei nodded.
"Excellent choice. Then carry out your plans… I'll be watching!" She sang, waving a hand to say goodbye as she walked out of the study. Akumu folded his arms over his chest thoughtfully.
Strongest Jounin… Set up the strongest Jounin. No, I would send the strongest Jounin after them. It's best to catch them by surprise. He thought and walked from the office, heading down the hall, his bare feet making hardly a sound while the kunai that hung from the blue rope around his waist clinked together.
He walked out of the Mizukage's residence in time to find the pink-haired kunoichi from earlier. Akumu frowned.
"Didn't Usagi take you to a hotel?" He asked. Sakura shifted, smiling a little.
"Yea, but I just wanted to inform the Mizukage why we're here on a mission. I don't want to disrespect her village or the citizens inside, especially if it might cause a danger." She explained. Akumu sighed, averting his eyes.
"Just what we need. More danger." He muttered. Sakura blinked.
"What do you mean? What's happened?" She asked. Akumu paused, debating whether to tell her or not, then shrugged.
"We were attacked earlier this evening by a gang of criminals… The one leading them going by the name of Uchiha Sasuke." He stated. Sakura's eyes went wide, her face paling.
"U-Uchiha… Sasuke…" She managed. Akumu's eyes flickered, locking on her.
"You know him."
"He's… From our village…"
"… Was." Akumu filled in. Sakura clamped a hand over her mouth tightly, her eyes going wider in horror. Akumu frowned at her reaction.
"He made the mistake of attacking me head on, cocky of his actions… I poisoned him and he probably only has two days left. The group he was with defended him rather well to my surprise. He must be a good manipulator like his ancestors." He muttered in explanation.
"Why couldn't you just knock him unconscious?" Sakura cried.
"It's my job to attack criminals who come to do our village harm!"
"But not necessarily kill them! You must have had other motives…!" Sakura managed, her body tense and shaking. Akumu glared up at her.
"So what? Uchiha, Uchiha, Uchiha. They think they're a bunch of hot shot shinobi… What with their Kekkei Genkai and high status… They deserved to be knocked down several pegs. After I heard of their massacre, I was personally pleased… Although, disappointed it was of someone inside the clan… That one person impressed me. Even Uchiha get sick of their own selfish ways. They're all just like him one way or another." He seethed venomously. Sakura glared.
"You're wrong! So maybe some Uchiha are like that, but Sasuke wasn't! Sasuke has good in his heart, but he's hurt! He's in constant pain and he's trying to make others feel the same way! You don't understand him at all!" She argued. Akumu frowned.
"Maybe not. However, he is going about everything the wrong way… Was going about everything the wrong way. He had one last chance and blew it after he was cut by my blade. He'll die." He stated. Sakura's green eyes were sparkling with unshed tears as she clenched her fists.
"There has to be an antidote! It's your poison! You can't let him die! Naruto's been searching for Sasuke for three years!" She yelled. Akumu's eyes glowed.
"What a waste of years… I will hint to you that there may be an antidote, somewhere for the poison I gave him… But you'll have to find it as well as the boy yourself before two days because I am taking a team of Jounin to kill his friends." He said calmly and walked past a frozen in terror Sakura.
That is unfortunate… Akumu thought, closing his eyes as he walked, You have very good friends, Uchiha Sasuke, and yet you turned to the life of a criminal… Your choice was a fatal one from the beginning…
Somewhere Else…
"Shit, he's still freezing cold…" Ruriko muttered. Karin grimaced, grabbing the heating pad from beside the wall. Lying in the center of the tiny, cheap hotel room, Sasuke was covered with a thick blanket, coughing out loud.
"That poison is really strong," Karin observed worriedly as she placed the heating pad just under the blankets. Ruriko frowned, studying Sasuke's fingers in the palm of her hand. They had grown almost completely black and stiff. A purplish color was spreading down his hand toward his wrist. The gash across his face was still a deep blackish purple color.
"He needs to wake up," Ruriko muttered, "Then maybe if he bites you, something might happen." Karin sighed, looking down at Sasuke worriedly.
"What do we do then? He's going to keep dying from the inside out and he'll die." Suigetsu pointed out.
"You don't sound all that concerned." Ruriko replied dryly. Karin glared at Suigetsu, who huffed.
"Don't get me wrong," He started with a shrug, "I'm grateful for Sasuke letting me go and stuff, but what kind of hindrance would his death cause me? I'd be free to find Kisame myself without Sasuke wasting my time."
"Idiot," Ruriko spat, "Without Sasuke, you wouldn't be able to find Akatsuki, let alone Kisame." Suigetsu laughed out loud, getting to his feet.
"Because he's being led around by you. Don't think I don't already know what you're planning. You're leading Sasuke around in circles, buying yourself time for something, what, I dunno, but I just know that you're wasting our time. Mine included." He explained with a smirk. Karin and Juugo looked at Ruriko, who flinched.
"Shut up, Suigetsu…" Was all she could seethe out.
"Get… Out…" Everyone jumped and looked down at Sasuke, who's eyes were squeezed shut tightly in pain, his teeth clenched. Ruriko frowned. Karin squirmed.
"Sasuke, we can't leave you! If we leave, you could die!" She cried, grasping his icy cold, dark hand. Sasuke coughed a little, his body twitching slightly.
"I'm not… Get out…" He managed and made a sort of choking sound before he bit it back, hissing past his teeth. Ruriko scowled and smacked Karin's hand away.
"Don't just sit there and listen to him. Sasuke, bite Karin as best you can." She ordered. Sasuke gritted his teeth tightly as if he was refusing, but Karin pressed her wrist to Sasuke's mouth and he bit down, hard. Karin gasped and bit her lip, tensing up in pain as Sasuke sank his teeth into her arm. Sasuke finally let go, his body tensing up a little.
"Get out… Now…" He managed. Ruriko huffed.
"Stubborn jackass… Suigetsu, Juugo, go out. Karin and I will stay in here to make sure nothing happens. Stick around, though… I'm not the one who's going to help him bath." She added under her breath. Juugo and Suigetsu nodded and left, shutting the sliding wooden door.
"I said get out…" Sasuke muttered more clearly, tilting his head to the side exhaustedly.
"Shut up," Ruriko snorted, "We're going to try and help you… Try, by the way. Maybe not succeed."
"Don't tell him that!" Karin cried in horror. Sasuke just rolled his eyes, but they were cloudy now and he held a permanently sleepy expression as if frowning was becoming too much work. Ruriko frowned
"Karin, I think we need another heating pad… Sasuke, are you still cold?" She asked, pulling the thick blanket up over him. Sasuke huffed, but managed to give a very slight nod to which Ruriko nodded to Karin, who got up to fetch another heating pad.
"You're… stupid…" Sasuke managed before he coughed out loud, a droplet of blood leaking down the side of his mouth. Ruriko rolled her eyes, grabbing a towel and using it to wipe up the blood.
"And why is that, Mr. Poisoned?" She asked, although, she was really in not position to respond. Her legs were numb from being stabbed in the back by the poisoned kunai. Thankfully she had Karin rip her back. Of course, she was terribly sore and wanted to fall asleep herself, but she wasn't about to. The same motherly instincts that had hit her when she had Roku had come back again, allowing her to help Sasuke.
"This is your chance… To get rid of me…" Sasuke muttered, his cloudy Sharingan eyes shifting to lock on her. Ruriko blinked, then shook her head.
"I told you I'd help you, not kill you…" She mumbled, lifting up Sasuke's hand to study the blackness of them. Sasuke's eyes glowed despite their blind state.
"You can't… Be serious…."
"What do you mean?"
"After everything…" Sasuke stopped to cough out loud, more blood seeping down the sides of his mouth. Ruriko sighed and wiped the blood away, but blinked in surprise as she saw a droplet of blood leaking from Sasuke's ear.
"Shit, what the hell?" She cursed and brushed Sasuke's hair back to wipe the blood up. She avoided looking at it any longer, folding up the towel and looking at the door as Karin walked in.
"What's wrong?" Karin asked, rushing over with the heating pad.
"His ear was bleeding for some reason. I'm no medical student, so I don't know what to do. I just know that he's going to lose a lot of blood if he keeps bleeding like this." Ruriko explained, taking the heating pad and plugging it in.
"This might hurt." She added to Sasuke, who glared at her the best he could before Ruriko gently pushed him over on his side, Karin holding him by the front to keep him up. Sasuke gasped and screwed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. Ruriko frowned and stuck the heating pad underneath him before Karin let him lie back down.
"Karin, he's bleeding again," She said, noticing blood dribbling from Sasuke's mouth and ear, "Grab a couple more towels."
"Got it." Karin was on it without argument. Probably because she's scared of losing him… Ruriko thought with a sigh, then looked at Sasuke, who sucked in a shuddering, deep breath. Sasuke's eyes flickered lightly.
"You won't kill me… Even after I almost killed you… On several different… Occasions…?" He demanded, wincing every so often slightly. Ruriko blinked, pausing to think about it.
Why don't I kill him? He's right. He's almost killed me or gotten me almost killed by other people… Even so, I gave him my word that I'd help him. Not to mention, my entire goal is to make sure no one gets killed because of my decisions. It'd be pointless if I killed him. She thought, averting her eyes before huffing and looking at him.
"Shut up," She muttered, "Don't ask me to kick your ass yet. I'll do it when you're feeling better…: She studied Sasuke's annoyed expression before he coughed out loud, blood bubbling from his mouth. Ruriko winced and put an arm underneath his back to pull him into a sitting position. Blood splattered onto his lap as he tried to catch his breath.
"Sasuke! Sasuke, shit…" Ruriko cursed. Sasuke's expression was dazed now, almost blank and lost. Ruriko grimaced.
"Sasuke? Can you hear me?" She asked. Sasuke's head lulled back and his eyes flickered shut as he passed out. Karin had run back in with towels, eyes wide.
"What happened?" She cried in horror, dropping to her knees and putting a towel on Sasuke's lap. Ruriko frowned.
"He just started hacking up blood and passed out… I'm going to have to go back to that village and find a medical ninja. Maybe they'll know how to get rid of the poison." She murmured thoughtfully.
"And what about me?" Karin asked. Ruriko paused, then nodded to her.
"Keep him sitting up in case he starts coughing up more blood again. Be gentle with him… He feels lighter… And smaller… It's weird… Just be careful with him. Make sure Suigetsu and Juugo keep a good watch on the doors. I'll be back as fast as I can." She told her, then rose to her feet, letting Karin take Sasuke in her arms. Ruriko went to the window of the hotel and hopped out before shooting off toward Kirigakure.
Kirigakure
"All right," Naruto declared confidently, thumping his chest, "Let's get you famous!" Usagi rolled his eyes, folding his arms over his chest.
"Easy for you to say… This isn't going to be easy." He added under his breath. Naruto rolled his eyes and punched him in the shoulder, making him wince.
"Don't be like that! Get confident! You were pretty cockier earlier!"
"I don't have to flaunt how good I am because I know I'm good." Usagi responded dryly, shaking his head. Naruto smirked.
"But does your family know that?" He asked. Usagi twitched before he sighed, tilting his head slightly to the side.
"All right, fine." He replied reluctantly. Naruto nodded with a big grin, then glanced around the village before snapping his fingers.
"There are several ways that you can get more money than Idomu. You can keep doing big missions or you could do it the old fashioned way and get another job other than being a ninja." He explained. Usagi blinked and looked at him blankly.
"What do you mean other job?" He asked. Naruto smacked his forehead, then flailed comically.
"What kind of question is that? There are other jobs out there other than being a shinobi! There's working at shops, hotels…!"
"Those are boring!" Usagi cried in exasperation. Naruto thrust a finger in Usagi's face, his other hand clenched in a fist.
"Do you want to get more money than Idomu or not?" He yelled. Usagi glared.
"Of course!"
"Then get another job! No, get two other jobs! Get a lot of jobs and work them all at your hardest and when you get missions, try and take on the best paying ones!"
"Are you kidding me? That's way too much!" Usagi argued stubbornly, huffing and blowing a lock of hair out of his face. Naruto grinned, showing his teeth.
"So, I guess you don't wanna beat Idomu and become the leader of your clan?" He asked, tilting his head onto Usagi's arm. Usagi's face screwed up into an expression of annoyance and distaste.
"All right, fine, whatever," He muttered, "I'll try it… Besides, why are you even here in the first place? What's your top secret mission?" Naruto paused, then whipped around to make sure no one was listening before putting an arm around Usagi's shoulders and jerking him down a bit to whisper in his ear.
"We're looking for a girl, her name is Tsukuyomi Ruriko. She was apparently kidnapped while on a mission. She's kinda short, big boobs, and big mouth." Naruto explained in a quiet voice. Usagi frowned, snorting and averting his eyes before they flickered.
Wait a minute… Master Akumu and Inori mentioned someone like that with a guy named Uchiha Sasuke… Does this kid even know? He thought. Naruto blinked curiously at his expression.
"What's wrong, Usagi?" He questioned. Usagi looked at him.
"You say she was kidnapped? Do you know who kidnapped her?"
"Mmm, nope! Why?"
"… Do you know anyone by the name of Uchiha Sasuke?" Usagi asked. Naruto paled, his eyes widening as he stared at him.
"I… Do… Why? Have you seen him? Did he-"
"Calm down," Usagi ordered, folding his arms over his chest and huffing, "I was just wondering… According to Master Akumu, some guy by the name of Uchiha Sasuke tried to get into the village, but he ended up retreating. I don't know much else, except that the girl you're looking for was with him and ended up putting Inori in the hospital." Naruto looked the other way quickly, his expression confused and serious.
"You're seriously more worried about this guy than the reason why he even came here?" Usagi demanded. Naruto looked up at him, clenching his fists tightly.
"Sasuke's my friend… He's like a brother to me… And I promised I would save him… I'm not giving up!" He announced firmly. Usagi looked at him tiredly.
"You're a weird kid…"
"Hmph! Do you know where Sasuke went or anything about it?" Naruto asked hurriedly. Usagi frowned.
"No. I just heard that he retreated, but he was injured pretty badly in the process… Probably by Master Akumu and if that's the case, your friend doesn't have long to live." He explained. Naruto's eyes shot wide open.
"What do you mean by that?" He demanded angrily. Usagi's eyes glowed.
"Master Akumu is known as Akumu the Sage of Poison. His mastery and love of poisons is legendary. Particularly because they're super powerful, super fatal, and have no antidotes… The fact that he was an Uchiha doesn't help either."
"What does being an Uchiha have to do with anything?" Naruto asked. Usagi smirked and gestured at the Mizukage's residence.
"Akumu's actually met an Uchiha a long time ago by the name of Uchiha Madara. He was a powerful Uchiha and feared by a lot of people because of his strength and greed for power. He even swindled his way into becoming one of the past Mizukage… But he left after a while and was presumed dead… That's why Akumu hates the Uchiha Clan and would do anything to wipe them from the planet."
"But…! Sasuke's not like that!" Naruto cried.
"Tell that to Master Akumu."
"How much time do I have left to find Sasuke?"
"I'd give him another day or so… Maybe even a few hours and he'll probably be nothing, but an empty shell." Usagi replied calmly. Naruto glared at him, then whipped around and started running down the street. Usagi blinked and frowned.
"Where the hell are you going?" He yelled.
"To save my friend!" Naruto shouted back over his shoulder. Usagi went still, his expression completely confused.
Meanwhile, slinking through the village, Ruriko moved over rooftops and ducked behind buildings, muttering to herself.
"Stealth is definitely my weak point," She wiped her bloody mouth on the back of her hand, "At least I was hungry enough to eat those guys…" Of course, she didn't have enough appetite to eat both guards entirely, having left behind torn up limbs.
She continued to move through the village, easily moving by small groups in the streets as she moved toward the center of the village, her eyes landing on a very fancy hotel. The rainbow windows were particularly interesting as well as the heavy scent of curry that hovered around it. Ruriko groaned and clasped her stomach.
"For the love of gods…" She mumbled, then paused to slip inside. She walked by a room to head to the kitchen when she heard a familiar voice shouting, making her pause in front of the door.
"Sakura, it's him! It's Sasuke! That Usagi guy said his master attacked Sasuke and some people he was traveling with, one of them being Ruriko!" Naruto was yelling. Sakura stared at him, her fingers brushing her lips.
"A-Are you serious? Did he say where Sasuke was?"
"No, but we have to find them! And fast! He said Sasuke was-"
"Poisoned." Ruriko opened the door. Naruto and Sakura jumped, whipping around to face the door as Ruriko stepped in casually, shutting the door behind her.
"Ruriko!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Sasuke was poisoned?" Sakura gasped in horror. Ruriko frowned, leaning on the door, kicking her foot up to push on it.
"Whatever he was poisoned by, it's killing him and fast. I was with him about an hour or two ago and he was coughing up blood, his fingers and limbs were turning black and he keeps going in and out of consciousness. He's icy cold and we've had to use at least three heating pads and a quilt." She explained quickly.
"It sounds like frostbite or something…" Sakura murmured, her body visibly shaking at the very thought. Naruto clenched his fists, then thrust a finger at Ruriko, who glared at him.
"Take us to Sasuke now!" He commanded. Ruriko scowled.
"I was just going to do that, you dumbass! But on one condition…" She drawled.
"And what the hell is that?" Sakura demanded in annoyance, practically sneering. Ruriko held up one finger, standing up straight and putting a hand on her hip.
"The one condition is that you let Sasuke go free after you heal him."
"What?" Naruto and Sakura yelled in unison. Ruriko rolled her eyes, dropping her hand.
"Idiots. Sasuke has unfinished business and after he's healed, he's going to continue on his trek to finish that business. It'd be a whole lot easier if he didn't have people tailing him the entire way." She explained simply. Naruto gritted his teeth.
"But we've been looking for Sasuke for three years! We can't let him slip through our grip just yet…!" He managed.
"Forget it," Ruriko snapped, "Sasuke is pretty intent on doing this. If you take him back to Konohagakure now, especially now of all times, he'll gladly ruin the entire village once he's healed."
"He can't take down a whole village by himself." Sakura pointed out, but Ruriko laughed.
"By himself? Who said anything about doing things by himself? Sasuke has a loyal gang tagging along his side that'll gladly help him ruin the entire village…"
"And I take it you're one of them?" Sakura muttered. Ruriko blinked, then frowned at her.
"Trust me, if I had a choice, I would be back in Konohagakure right now, telling the Hokage that she was right and I was wrong… But I opened my big mouth and made a promise to Sasuke that I have to carry out." She informed.
"Why do you have to carry it out?" Sakura demanded in aggravation. Ruriko rolled her eyes and made a 'so-on-so-on' gesture with her hand toward them.
"It's just something I stick by. I really don't have any personal rules, except that one. Look, I just need whoever's a medical ninja to come with me and help me try and heal Sasuke." She ordered. Naruto looked at Sakura, who frowned before nodding.
"All right," Sakura said with a nod, "Naruto will gather the rest of our group… And you can lead us to Sasuke."
"Good, but hurry up. Sasuke could be entirely purple by now." Ruriko pointed out. Naruto bolted out the door to find Kai, Eiji, and Sora. Ruriko walked out with Sakura walking beside her, both heading to the front doors.
"So… What do you think of Sasuke?" Sakura asked casually as they walked. Ruriko glancing up at the ceiling as if to find the answer, then smiled, tilting her head to look at Sakura.
"Haha~ He's the worst guy I've ever met in my entire life and as soon as this entire ordeal is over, I am going to hope someone kicks some sense into his teeny tiny brain!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Sakura twitched and sweat dropped, a visible vein pounding her forehead as well.
"You just haven't gotten to know his good side…" She managed. Ruriko rolled her eyes, looking the other way now with a faint, almost nostalgic smile.
"Heh… Well, I'll admit he's helped me in a few predicaments…" Her voice trailed as she remembered the incident in the Land of Snow, where she'd almost been killed by Kotaro one a couple different occasions. He'd also given her permission to talk to her brother and teammate.
And then there are the times Sasuke almost killed me… Ruriko thought now with an eye twitch. Such as when Sasuke had discovered her meeting Itachi. She'd opened her big mouth again out of fear of dying at his hands. Ruriko smacked her forehead. Sakura frowned.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing, just wallowing in some unwanted nostalgia." Ruriko muttered, averting her eyes. They stopped outside the front doors as Naruto led Kai, Sora, and Eiji toward them.
"Wow, you changed." Kai commented openly, his eyes easily sliding down her figure before moving back up to give her a raised eyebrow. Ruriko huffed. Sora blinked.
"Why would you ever travel with Sasuke?" She asked, perplexed. Ruriko averted her eyes, almost ashamed. Eiji just sighed, as if any excuse would be worthless.
"Take us to Sasuke." Naruto ordered firmly, clenching his fists. Ruriko blinked, gave him a quick glare, then nodded.
"But we're taking my way. I'm not running into that Akumu guy again… My legs are still a little numb from our last encounter." She told them before running and sprint down the street with the gang tailing.
"Which areas are bleeding exactly?" Sakura asked as they ran. Ruriko frowned.
"First he was just coughing up blood, but I noticed some blood leaking out of his ear… He could be bleeding from other areas, but I don't quite know yet… Just don't get loud when we get there. He's probably trying to rest." She explained. The group nodded.
"Are you all right," Sakura questioned after a while, "You said he got you too."
"Yea, but I had Karin rip at my back… And I had a good meal of two Kirigakure Jounin, so hopefully it'll fight off some of the poison." Ruriko replied.
"You…?" Sora's voice trailed, her eyes widening a little. Eiji frowned curiously, tilting his head while Kai huffed.
"Cannibalism." Kai stated. Ruriko beamed.
"Oh yea. Sorry that I ate two of the good guys… But I needed the food."
"What does eating humans do? Just fuel you up?" Naruto asked, confused. Ruriko shrugged.
"I don't know that much about it… I just know I feel full and energetic after. It's like drinking coffee with medicine in it or something… I can't explain things well. You'd have better luck talking to my brother, Kazuya, about it." She explained as she led them down the path she used to enter. The remains of the Kirigakure Jounin were still there in chunky heaps, making Naruto yelp in disgust and Sakura gasp. Sora covered her nose and mouth, cringing.
"Talk about hungry…" Kai managed, covering his nose. Eiji flinched. Ruriko averted her eyes.
"I wouldn't have been as rough if they had just let me by." She answered calmly, walking at the head of the group with Naruto at her side.
"You killed two innocent Jounin!" Naruto protested, the very thought of it disgusting him. Ruriko frowned.
"A fox has to kill the rabbit to eat. So does a cannibal." She responded.
"But…!" Naruto couldn't come up with a response and just sighed, frustrated. Ruriko shrugged it off and picked up the speed, leading them back to the small hotel in a nearby outpost town. Ruriko leapt through the window, startling Karin, who was holding a dazed Sasuke.
"That was fast!" Karin exclaimed, but narrowed her eyes suspiciously, tightening her grip on Sasuke as the group of shinobi came through the window. Sakura's eyes shot wide open, her heart pounding in its cage of ribs, her hands clasped over her mouth. Naruto stumbled a little in shock, his back hitting the wall behind him.
"Oh my god." Sora managed in shock.
"So much for the great Uchiha." Kai was elbowed in the ribs by Sora. Sakura managed to move forward carefully with Ruriko, watching Sasuke panting for air and choking up another glob of blood. Sakura got on her knees steadily.
"All right… Lie him down, but keep his head propped up… He'll choke on the blood if we don't." She added. Karin nodded and gathered up some towel, tucking them under Sasuke's head. Sasuke was still breathing harshly, as if trying to get air in his lungs.
"He needs some air, so please back up," Sakura advised, her voice shaking slightly as she pulled open Sasuke's shirt, making a few hand signs before placing her hands just lightly over his skin. Immediately, Sasuke gasped, his body twitching. Ruriko watched, her eyes as wide as everyone else's. A thick black gunk was slowly oozing from Sasuke's skin into the blue aura around Sakura's hands.
"I need a bowl to put the poison in." Sakura managed past clenched teeth. Ruriko looked at Karin, who huffed a little, but obeyed, fetching a bowl and placing it beside Sakura before taking her seat again. Sakura moved one hand carefully over to the bowl, holding the thick black goo in the blue aura before she let it slosh into the bowl. She moved her hand back over his chest. She dragged one hand up over Sasuke's face, over the gash.
"This is difficult," Sakura murmured, sweat dripping down her face, "The poison has already spread through his system… I'll be here for another hour or two trying to rip it all out, even then, there may still be some left… It'll cause his movements to be a bit slow for a while until it's flushed completely from his system. I wouldn't know how to do it, but Lady Tsunade might have an idea."
"No…" Sasuke managed, coughing up blood at Sakura's hand. Sakura jumped and stared at him. Naruto clenched his fists, glaring.
"Shut up, bastard! Just let her heal you! If we have to take you to Grandma Tsunade, then we're going to do it!" He barked. Sasuke gritted his teeth, but couldn't speak anymore and flicked his eyes at Ruriko and Karin, who both twitched.
"You're not taking Sasuke anywhere." Karin stated confidently. Ruriko frowned, averting her eyes.
"At least not yet…"
"What are you saying?" Karin cried, but Ruriko turned her head the other way to ignore her completely, making the redhead fume silently. Sakura frowned, but continued working.
"He's bleeding." Eiji stated and pointed, making everyone look at Sasuke's right ear where blood had begun to drip. Sakura cursed.
"We need more towels." She ordered. Eiji got to his feet calmly and went to fetch some towels, Kai following close behind with a tired sigh. Sasuke coughed again, his expression becoming dizzy before his head flopped to the side.
"He's out again." Ruriko muttered, tipping his head back up so Sakura could run her fingers over the gash in his face.
"I thought you said you hated him." Sakura said. Sora and Naruto glanced at Ruriko, who twitched, giving a weak and annoyed smile.
"Oh, don't get me wrong. I do… But I don't want him to die. To be honest," Ruriko paused to peek at Sasuke to be sure he was really out before looking back up, "I'm trying to make sure no one dies. Not Sasuke, not Akatsuki, and not the villages."
"And how's that working for ya?" Naruto demanded, rolling his eyes. Ruriko huffed.
"No one's dead."
"Yet." Sora said softly. Ruriko frowned, folding her arms over her chest.
"I know it sounds hard, but I'm trying… It's especially hard when Sasuke keeps talking about killing and death. He's like the Grim Reaper." She added with an exhausted sigh.
"His brother killed his clan," Sakura said softly, "It's all he can think about. Getting revenge… It'll be good for everyone if he did just kill his brother…" Ruriko's eyes glowed as she tilted her head.
"Is that what you think? So you should signal a death punishment for murderers? Sounds a bit ironic to me. Let's kill the murderer, making ourselves murderers… What's it matter in the shinobi world? We're all murderers one way or another." She replied. Naruto gritted his teeth, slamming his fist down and making everyone in the room jump.
"Shut up! Itachi killed everyone for a stupid reason! For power! The rest of the us defend what we believe in!"
"Just what other people do," Ruriko retorted, "My uncle's a power hungry bastard, but it's what he believes in, which is why he kills… And what about you? Didn't you say you wanted to be Hokage? Don't you need to kill a few people to reach that status?" Naruto's eye twitched angrily as he gritted his teeth.
"I won't kill anyone like that! I'll just kill people like Orochimaru or Kotaro or-"
"Oh yea? What would Kotori-sensei say about that? If you killed her brother? Kotaro's just doing the same. He's fighting because he believes it's fun. That's a belief… You're just contradicting yourself. Pick your words right before you get into an argument, especially with me, little boy." Ruriko drawled. Naruto swung his fist up, grabbing the v-neck hood of Ruriko's shirt, jerking on it.
"Shut your damn mouth! Kotaro's an asshole! He's a ruthless killer and he tortures everyone around him! Kotori-sensei knows that! We'd be saving countless lives by getting rid of one cruel one! You don't understand anything about the ninja world!" He argued. Ruriko glared at him and swung her hand up, smacking his hand off her.
"So what? I go by what I see and hear. And touch me like that again and I'll tear your hand off with my teeth. Let's see you be Hokage with one hand, loser." She retorted. Naruto growled and went to attack her, but Sora caught Naruto's sleeve, jerking hard.
"Naruto, stop! We're just all antsy because of Sasuke," She soothed, "Just take a deep breath and calm down… Sit down and let's relax. Ruriko, I know you're just as worried about Sasuke as Naruto is… Please refrain from saying things like that." Ruriko relaxed immediately, sighing as she rested her head in her hands.
"Sorry… I don't know why I even got into that…" She mumbled. Naruto frowned and sat back down, folding his arms over his chest.
"You're pretty defensive about criminals, even though you're one that cracks down on them." He muttered. Sora opened her mouth to scold him, but Ruriko jumped in.
"Duh. My brother killed my parents. And I still love him. Akira's not evil." Ruriko put in calmly. Sakura blinked and looked up.
"Akira?" She asked. Ruriko nodded, then fell on her side on the floor, grabbing one of the pillows from across the room.
"I'm gonna take a nap if you don't mind… If anything happens with Sasuke, wake me up." She said, resting her head on the pillow. Sakura nodded, averting her eyes. Ruriko drifted to sleep as Naruto glanced up at Sakura. There was a silence as Ruriko slept and Sasuke breathed gently in his unconscious state.
"Are we really going to let them escape?" Naruto asked. Sakura frowned.
"… I don't know, Naruto…"
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A/N: FINISHED! And it's about 16 pages on word now… WOW. -gets carried away- Hahaa, well, I hope this was a good chapter! I was excited to write it since I had so many ideas! Sorry that it's so late. -_- My arm has been entirely numb. Now it's just my knuckles. O: Well, thanks for reading, hope your OCs are in character, and your reviews are greatly appreciated!