A/N: Sorry about the late update, Maths exams and a technical glitch in and parties and picnics and other random stuff. Thank you very much to the reviewers, especially the anonymous ones!
Disclaimer: Masashi-sama didn't go through with it (manga), therefore clings to ownership.
Claimer: Kari and all to do with the ookami-kunoichi are property of me.
Suna-Otoko
The Sandman
She could tell something was wrong, could feel it in her gut
But what? What was the source of this sense of foreboding?
"Hey" Shikmaru said to Naruto, breaking the silence. "Do you remember what he said yesterday?" Naruto's face expressed shock. "Back then… he said 'I will definitely kill you guys. You just wait.' Remember? But he didn't. He had a very good opportunity too. We weren't even in his sight, helped by the fact Kari kept us so still and quiet."
"We aren't good enough for him right now" Naruto said "He wouldn't have spared us just because of Kari-chan."
"The only guy that can excite him right now is…"
"Sasuke dattebayou." Naruto shuddered, remembering the incident in the hospital and gripped his knees, trying to ease his shaking. 'I'll always protect you silly' But could she stand a chance against that guy?
"Let's start" Sasuke said grabbing two shuriken and throwing it expertly at Gaara. The shuriken were caught when the sand formed a Suna Bunshin. Sasuke went to charge, but then quickly jumped out of the way when sand flew at him. The clone threw his shuriken back at him and he pulled out two more to counter them. He then span and went to deliver a kick to the sand clone while still in mid air, his memory burning with images of Kari's Taijutsu style. He landed and spun backhanding the clone in the throat. The sand began to close around his wrist so he struck the clone in the face with the palm of his other hand, destroying it.
'When sparring, you should pay special attention to Kari's Taijutsu. Though you aren't quite as flexible, if you can copy a few of her moves it should come in handy.'
He was glad he had taken Kakashi's advice, though knew that he wasn't much good at Meiken. He just carefully analysed her techniques, and tried to use them when he sparred. It was nowhere near as easy as it appeared.
Sasuke charged and went to punch Gaara in the face, but his fist was stopped by a shield of sand. He smirked and twisted slightly and in a flash he was gone.
"Ha! I'm a good sensei!" Kari grinned as Sasuke appeared behind Gaara at high speed.
'He's fast. He moves the same way as…' Gaara remembered his fight from the preliminaries with the speedy Rock Lee, and then thought to the matches with Kari. 'Them…' He didn't have time to defend himself before Sasuke's fist slammed into his cheek, causing cracks to spread along it.
"He's fast… He's as fast as Lee's normal speed" Gai gasped.
"His moves overlap with my Taijutsu style and Kari-hime's Meiken attacks" Lee said in surprise.
"That must be the armour of sand" Sasuke said in a relaxed stance. He gestured with his hand for Gaara to attack. "Koi."
"That stance is alike to Kari-hime's!" Gai cried in surprise. True, Sasuke was standing with his feet in an 'L' shape, side on to his opponent, but his legs were straight instead of bent in preparation for movement. One hand was in front of him, but his palm faced towards himself, instead of towards his opponent like Kari's did. His other arm lay still at his side.
"Don't get cocky!" Kari hissed, resisting the urge to take of her ninja sandal and fling it at his head.
"Arigatou, Anbu-san" Kiba said, walking back towards the ANBU that had helped Hinata earlier. "They told me Hinata will be fine as long as she rests."
"Aa. Sou ka."
Akamaru growled and barked at the ANBU.
"Oro? You know him?" Kiba asked. "What are you talking about? He's an ANBU person." Akamaru barked again. "'Not that, we met him during the exam…'" Kiba repeated. "What do you mean?"
"This is what he means…" the ANBU replied his hand glowing green. Kiba's eyes widened, but he was then struck in the chest and knocked out cold. Akamaru knocked out by a tap to the back of the neck.
"If you're not coming to me, I'll go to you!" Sasuke cried having grown impatient. He charged at high speed, but seeing Gaara's sand rush in front of the redhead Sasuke quickly darted behind him.
"He's fast… Like Kari-hime" Lee said, watching as Sasuke dodged the sand thrown at him. He charged through the sand and then spun to slow himself down, before lifting his foot and slamming it into Gaara's chin. The sand rushed to cushion his fall as Sasuke smirked his leg still in the air.
"Doushita?" the Uchiha mocked, causing Kari to more seriously consider throwing her shoe at him. She blinked noticing his right arm wasn't bandaged anymore. She touched her stomach and then smiled slightly. "Is that all you got?" 'Ugh. But he's still a stupid temee.'
Gaara stood up, his sand swirling around him. He had skidded a fair way back, leaving a furrow in the ground. Sasuke got back into stance, smirking wider.
"I'll tear down that armour of yours." He charged and then copied Kita's earlier move of rapidly circling the enemy.
"AA! That's cheating!" Kari cried, realising he was copying yet another of her movements. Uchiha are so frustrating!
"He's moving at the same speed as Lee when he took off his weights." Gai murmured. Sasuke broke out of his circling and charged, flipping twice to slow himself down and then punching Gaara before grabbing his shirt and kneeing the Suna-nin in the chest.
"'I'll probably never use those gymnastics you taught me'" Kari mimicked folding her arms in annoyance. "You are so buying me pocky after this." She sighed and looked back, noticing Naruto and Shikamaru still hadn't returned. "Kita-chan, go stay with him for me" Kari asked looking down at her cub. At once Kita nodded, running off to see Naruto.
'Sasuke-kun… You are indeed an incredible genius. It took me many years to obtain that speed… And… And with Kari-hime's assistance you obtained it in one month..' Lee thought.
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. 'Kari trained you well.'
Sasuke panted slightly out of breath and could almost feel Kari glaring a hole in the back of his head. Perhaps he did use her techniques more than he thought. But after sparring with her for a month, he became used to it. 'Maybe I will get her some pocky after all…' He watched Gaara who was on his hands and knees breathing heavily. There was a visible crack across his arm, and wider cracks across his face but Sasuke couldn't tell the extent of the other damage.
'But it looks like you consume a lot of stamina to maintain that speed. Kari-hime has a natural incredible speed with natural high stamina, which you lack.' Lee thought.
'What are you planning on doing Gaara?' Kankurou thought as he watched the redhead. 'The armour of sand consumes too much chakra. It won't last long.'
"What kind of training did you make him go through?" Gai asked. Kakashi looked around at his rival. "How could he become like that in only one month?"
"Sasuke has copied Lee-kun's Taijutsu with his Sharingan before. As well as that, part of Kari-chan's Taijutsu style is influenced by Lee-kun's. That why, during Taijutsu training, I made Sasuke picture Lee-kun's movements. He also copied quite a few of Kari-chan's movements, as you probably saw. Sasuke knew Lee-kun. That's why he was able to obtain that movement." Kakashi replied. "Needless to say, he went through a lot of trouble." Kakashi chuckled lightly. "He gets mad because Kari-chan is faster than him."
'Demo… That alone… Taijutsu alone is not enough to defeat that Suna shinobi.' Lee thought to himself.
'Kakashi was watching the match between the abominable Gaara and the adorable Lee. Someone even Lee could not defeat, cannot be defeated with hastily acquired Taijutsu alone.' Gai thought. 'He should be aware of that… Then… Why did he only make him master Taijutsu moves?'
Gaara stood and made a hand sign. At once his sand swirled around him into a hollow sphere.
"Shikamaru" Naruto said standing up suddenly. "Let's go see Kakashi-sensei."
"What are you planning on doing?" Shikamaru asked, but Naruto simply ran off without answering. "Oi!"
"Make them… stop this match…"
"Naruto-kun!" Kita cried running at his side. Knowing Kari must have been worried he nodded, accepting Kita was told to stay with him and kept running.
Sasuke charged as the sphere of sand began to close.
'Gaara! Is he planning on using that technique!?' Kankurou thought. Sasuke went to punch the sphere. A shudder ran through Kari as she sensed the sphere flow with chakra.
'SASUKE! YAMETE!'
Sasuke froze, sharp spikes grazing him, and causing drops of blood to slide out of the light wounds. He jumped back a few feet then clenched and unclenched his hand, trying to ease the pain. 'That sand is like steel…' He watched with his Sharingan activated as the spikes sunk back into the sphere.
Kari sighed in relief, brushing away the blood from her cheek. 'That would've hurt if he'd stopped a second later…' Kari grimaced at the blood running down her thigh, probably the deepest out of the cuts. 'I almost lost the chance to see pink-haired Sasuke's! Didn't I tell him to be careful?'
"He's using all of his sand to guard. I didn't think the difference in sand density could make it this hard…" Sasuke muttered. Kari sighed and rubbed her sore hand. She could feel her knuckles bleeding, her hand throbbing with pain. It was a shame her knuckle guards couldn't protect her from Sasuke's injuries. 'Un. He's going to get gloves with really thick knuckle guards…' "This must be what people call an absolute defence…"
'No shit Sherlock!'
'Shut it baka! I'm trying to concentrate!'
"All of the sand has enveloped his body" Lee said.
'This will be tricky to defeat… What will Sasuke do?' Gai thought.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
"Naruto-kun!" Lee greeted with a smile. "Kita-chan!"
"I expected you to take are of Kari" Kakashi said as Naruto and Shikamaru struggled to get their breath back.
"Okaasan is with Shino-kun!" Kita said. This seemed to somewhat reassure Kakashi and he turned to Naruto.
"What is it?"
"Sensei! Please stop this match right now dattebayou!" Naruto cried. He ignored their confused faces and continued. "He's… totally different from us dattebayou. He's not normal dattebayou!"
"Naruto! What are you talking about?" Ino asked.
"He lives to kill people! At this rate Sasuke is going to die!" Naruto cried frantically.
Having grown accustomed to Naruto's voice, Kari's hearing naturally honed in on it. She frowned, understanding that he was worried but then winced holding her side. "Oww… shimatta…" She was distracted by soft whispers coming from inside the sand sphere. Sand appeared above the sphere, swirling into a much smaller sphere which then turned into a large eye.
'No doubt about it' Temari thought fearfully 'It's that technique… this isn't good! Gaara no longer remembers the plan!'
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried with more desperation. Kakashi looked back at the match down at the Uchiha and sighed softly.
"Don't worry. We were late for a reason, though Kari still decided to scold me" he chuckled weakly and touched the top of his head that was still a little tender.
Sasuke smirked and wiped the blood from his cheek. He charged and flung three kunai at the sphere but they just bounced off without even making a dent. Sasuke quickly appeared on the opposite side of the sphere and ran to strike it again. Kari squeaked when he didn't stop because of the spikes, but luckily they just grazed his clothes and he jumped away after an unsuccessful backhand. The spikes sprang at him and he quickly did multiple cartwheels to avoid them and then jumped in the air. He landed on the top of the sphere before jumping off before he was impaled.
'It's not working… he's completely shut himself in… I don't what you're up to, but this is good timing for me… This move takes time… I wanted to show it before Kari did after all.'
'I heard that!'
"Sensei" Sakura asked, Kakashi grunting to show he was listening "What do you mean you three were late for a reason?"
"Do you want to know?" Kakashi asked simply.
"We don't have time for that!" Naruto cried, running on the spot frustratedly.
"Shut up and watch him. He was trained harshly by Kari. Watch… You'll wet your pants" Kakashi said.
"Kita-chan doesn't wear pants…" Kita said, feeling slightly left out.
Sasuke flipped backwards and then darted up the stadium wall. Kari watched as he performed the familiar hand signs. He then grasped his left wrist in his right hand and crouching down, held it towards the wall.
"Yeah… I'm going to tear him apart… and then drag it out… what you ask? His insides of course… A lot comes out right? I'll give them all to you… I'm always a good boy… Yes, let's do it… Okaasan I'll watch…" Gaara murmured excitedly within his shell of sand. Kari's heart skipped a beat, her throat becoming dry.
'Pocky fish! Pocky fish! Don't think about it!'
"Shimatta, nothing can be done now he's like that" Kankurou cursed.
"Is he trying to ruin the plan and everything else here? Damn Gaara…" Temari asked. Kankurou debated whether to run away. Kari felt Shino meet her gaze beneath his dark glasses and slightly nodded.
Chakra sprayed out of his palm like blue lightning. Kari felt a bit like a deflated balloon that she hadn't the chance to show it first.
"C-could that be…?" Gai gasped looking round to Kakashi.
"I supervised Sasuke's training… Because he is similar to me" Kakashi said as Sasuke smirked widely. "And Kari… Well, as well as her strength, I also adore her company. Surprisingly, she is an amazing teacher. After all, she taught Kita."
Sasuke brought his sparking arm behind him, grabbing it with his other hand and charged.
"I hope we don't have to pay for damages to the wall" Kari mumbled, seeing it crumble underneath the chakra.
"Sou ka, so that's why you made him master Taijutsu to dramatically increase his speed. Does Kari-hime…" Gai said.
"Of course" Kakashi said smiling. "But due to her high chakra she can lose control and leave a rather large ruin. Also, she suffers burns, which is why she's still wearing her gloves in this heat. It's good she's quite ambidextrous."
"That's amazing, I can clearly see his chakra with my eyes" Sakura cried in amazement. "How is he doing it?"
'This must be the power of the Uchiha clan' Gai thought to himself.
"What is that? Dattebayou!" Naruto cried.
"It's making a lot of noise, what is that move?" Sakura asked.
"Just a straight thrust" Gai said. "But its Konoha's number one technique specialist; the Copy-nin Kakashi's only original move. It's a secret move only for assassin purposes. Its secret lies in the speed of the thrust and the activation of the body to create large amount of chakra. Then he concentrates that large amount of chakra into the thrusting arm. And because of the incredible speed he moves at, it emits a distinctive chirping sound similar to a thousand birds chirping." Sasuke rapidly approached Gaara kicking up huge amounts of dust behind him. He dodged the spikes and thrust his arm into the shell of sand. "And that's why the move is called; Chidori."
"You've got to be kidding…" Kankurou whispered in shock. "Gaara's absolute defence was…"
"This can't be true" Temari said with a similar expression.
Sure enough, Sasuke's Chidori had gone straight through the sand.
"Chidori, also called Raikiri." Gai said.
"Raikiri?" Sakura repeated.
"That's the alias it took because Kakashi once cut through lightning with that move. Its true name is Chidori and its secret lies in the body's fastest attainable speed, the speed of the thrust and the chakra accumulated in ones arm. The arm turns into a sword that can cut through anything. But you've taught them a reckless move." Gai said looking back at Kakashi.
"That's ironic coming from you" Kakashi snorted, remembering how Gai taught Lee to open five of the eight inner gates. "Right Lee-kun?"
"I still don't understand the logic, but it's an incredible move!" Sakura cried.
'I can understand…' Lee thought 'If I were him, I wouldn't just dive into the enemy after putting on some speed. To be precise I can't… Straight movement is easily countered by the opponent, and I do not have the eyes to detect and dodge the counter. I envy you Sasuke-kun. When I fought you once before, I told you this: 'there is no point in your eyes seeing if your body can't keep up' while feeling superior about myself. But you have obtained high speed body like mine and Kari-hime's, and you… have your Sharingan.'
"I've got you…" Sasuke said, his Sharingan gleaming.
'Heh…' Shikamaru thought looking at Naruto. 'The guy who was worried about Sasuke a minute ago… Is now jealous of him. It's ironic that he doesn't become angry that Kari's improved so much…'
"Sasuke…" Naruto murmured. 'I become stronger… to become Hokage, and so I wouldn't lose to anyone… And so I wouldn't lose to you… but you…' He grit his teeth in frustration.
"What… is this warm thing?" Gaara murmured confused. "Okaasan… nani?" Then the most horrifying, bloodcurdling scream sounded from within the sand. Kari gasped and grasped her ears, trying to block the sound out. Her knees hit the floor, Shino kneeling down beside her. "BLOOD! MY BLOOD!!" Kari's breaths came out in sharp pants as she whimpered. Kumouri chuckled darkly, running her tongue along her sharp jagged teeth.
'Hai, hai! Lots and lots of blood!!'
"Go away…" Kari whispered, her body shaking.
Sasuke's eyes widened and he struggled to break free. He charged his hand with Chidori again and dragged it out. A long thing struggling to hold onto him. He jumped back the strange thing following him.
"What is that?" Gai thought.
'It's his arm' Kankurou thought in terror. Sasuke fell to one knee, holding his arm, his bandages unravelled near his wrist. He watched as the thing was pulled back into the hole his Chidori made.
"Did he change into the complete possessed form?" Kankurou cried.
"I don't know! He seems wounded, this has never happened before" Temari cried anxiously.
Sasuke looked at the hole, hearing strange noises from inside. Kari's eyes changed viewpoint and suddenly she could see from Sasuke's position. It was a new and odd skill she'd found two weeks ago. She could see something moving in there. Then suddenly, saw an evil golden eye. Kumouri cackled with glee.
'Shukaku reeks of blood!'
Her eyesight returned to normal, from her own position, as the shell of sand began to crack; it turned soft and slipped over Gaara and onto the floor. Kari flinched suddenly and grasped her left shoulder.
'I'm not even close to Gaara, why am I affected by his wound?' she thought in shock.
'Because he's a jinchuuriki like you, and you've got a very faint bond, but it's more that Kumouri-chan punished you for showing how affected you were by his conversation with himself' Kitai explained gently, despite Kari's unexplainable rising panic.
"He is wounded!" Temari cried. "His shell was broken prematurely."
In the stands, feathers began to float down from the ceiling.
"Nan de…? My eyes are…" Naruto mumbled drowsily.
"Naruto-kun! You can't go for a nap now!" Kita cried.
"Kakashi this is…!" Gai cried as he and his rival stood back to back. "Genjutsu!" Simultaneously, both clasped their hands together and dispelled the technique. "Kai!" most people slumped, but some realised it and also dispelled it.
"Ara?" Kari's eye widened as smoke surrounded where the Hokage and Kazekage sat. She saw those in the stand suddenly fall asleep and was filled with confusion and suspicion. She immediately jumped over the railings and appeared at Sasuke's side. Her ears were twitching slightly, her eyes darting left and right.
"Kari?" Sasuke asked, eying her curiously.
"I can hear and sense a huge amount of people charging to the borders of Konoha" she said anxiously. "There must be a hundred of them! There's no other way I could hear from this distance, we must be under attack!" She noticed Kitome and Kaizo as well as other ANBU hurtle into action. She fell to one knee, panting heavily. "I should head to the borders and help."
"Are you suicidal?!" Sasuke hissed, grabbing her arm. "You can't take on multiple high level ninjas, not even at full strength!"
"I have to do something!" she cried.
"You'll just be in the way" Sasuke said harshly, but she knew he was trying to protect her.
"Kazekage-dono, nani?" The Hokage gasped softly when the man sitting beside him turned to look at him. Kari watched as a dozen or so cloaked ANBU rushed towards the smoke, but was distracted by Temari and Kankurou appearing beside Gaara. Kari turned back and struggled to see through the smoke, hearing a cry.
The Kazekage and Hokage jumped up, four strange looking nin surrounding them. Kari's eyes widened as a huge purple box surrounded the Hokage and Kazekage, one of the ninja at each of the four points.
"A field jutsu of some kind" Gai said as he and Kakashi began running down the steps, but an ANBU blocked their way. "What are you doing?! You're meant to be assisting Hokage-sama!" Gai cried. At once, four Oto shinobi appeared at the impostor ANBU's side.
"What a bummer" Kakashi said to himself.
"I didn't expect an enemy to be disguised as an ANBU member. Was he the one that used the Genjutsu?" Gai asked.
"Yeah, there's no doubt about it" Kakashi confirmed.
"What's going on?" Sasuke asked as Kari's eyes darted about, her senses on overdrive. She backed up slightly, so she could feel Sasuke at her back.
"Yamero Gaara!" Temari cried. Kari's eyes immediately snapped back to the three Suna-nin.
"I'll kill you…!" Gaara growled, taking a step towards Sasuke. A kunai was in Kari's hand in the blink of an eye, her body tense for movement but throbbing, spreading waves of dull pain.
"There's no point in fighting him any longer!" Kankurou agreed, stepping in front of the redhead.
"Don't forget the plan!" Temari cried.
"Get out of the way!" Gaara hissed, shoving Kankurou aside. The three's sensei jumped down in front of them.
"What are you three doing?!" he bellowed. "The mission has commenced already!" Gaara groaned in pain, his hands grabbing hold of his red locks. Kari winced, closing an eye against the pain of the headache. She was going to stand up, but Genma appeared in front of her and Sasuke.
"What the hell is going on?!" Sasuke demanded as Gaara fell to his knees, his moaning increasing.
"The wound is more serious than we thought, and he has used up most of his Chakra!" Temari cried anxiously, kneeling beside him.
"Then he can't use it?" Kankurou asked.
"He can't use it now." Temari agreed.
"Baka" the Suna sensei spat. "That's what happens from trying to turn into the complete possessed form without waiting for the signal."
"What do we do now?" Kankurou shouted. "You want us to do this without Gaara?"
"Gaara is Suna's trump card." The sensei said. "We must have Gaara fight no matter what."
"Temee! He's not your tool!" Kari growled.
"You three temporarily get away from here and treat Gaara's wounds. Once Gaara's Chakra recovers, we will continue the mission." The sensei continued.
"Wokatta!" Kankurou cried, pulling Gaara's arm over his shoulder and lifting him up.
"Sensei, what about you?" Temari asked.
"I will stop these guys." The sensei said, turning back to face Genma.
"You think you will have it your way?" Genma asked, sounding rather bored.
"I will make it happen!" the Suna-sensei cried in determination. "GO!" Gaara, Temari and Kankurou immediately fled over the stadium wall. Kari got shakily to her feet, bringing her kunai in front of her.
"Is Orochimaru the promoter of this party?" Genma asked. Kumouri's rage and hatred burned through Kari's ruby irises. She closed her eyes and shook her head, clearing her thoughts and changing her eye colour back to normal. 'That was some intense bloodlust for a moment there…' Genma thought, glancing at her quickly.
"I don't know, let's enjoy it for now" the Suna-sensei said with a smirk.
"Sasuke, Kari, I'm sorry, but the Chuunin exam ends here." Genma said. "You are both Chuunin level already, if you're a shinobi of Konoha, be useful to Konoha."
"So you want me to resume the fight and beat up that Gaara right?" Sasuke asked.
"Sasuke! Don't be so blunt and rude towards Genma-sempai" Kari scolded.
"Don't chase him too far though, from here on it's not an exam, it's the real thing. Take Kari with you, despite her wounds she should be able to help" Genma said, eyes still firmly glued to the Suna-sensei.
"It's the same thing! Kari, get on so you can save your strength!" Sasuke cried, bending down slightly.
"I'm fine—"
"Don't argue!" she swiftly jumped on his back and he took off, ignoring her grumbles about the irony of him talking about her menstrual cycle when he was having an obvious 'man/boy-period'.
"You're not leaving!" the sensei cried, throwing two kunai towards Sasuke and Kari. Pulling out her katana, she deflected them and then quickly re-sheathed her blade.
"Kick ass, Genma-sempai!" Kari called back as she and Sasuke jumped over the stadium wall, Kakashi watching on with worry.
"They have many ninja, we were careless" Gai said with a slight growl. He suddenly gasped. "Kakashi! Look inside the field!"
"Orochimaru!" Kakashi cried. 'Why didn't I pay more attention to Kari's behaviour? She's been on edge for the last week and I dismissed it so easily, this must have been that sense of foreboding she'd said about.'
"Kashi?" Kari asked, sitting down for a moment and wiping the sweat from her forehead, Sasuke charged his hand with chakra and sped towards a medium sized boulder.
"Hai?" Kakashi asked, crouching beside her.
"Nothing bad is going to happen in the finals right?" she asked looking at him worriedly. He chuckled softly and placed his hand on her head.
"There'll be Chuunin, Jounin and ANBU present, as well as the Hokage" Kakashi said, trying to soothe her. "It won't be like the Second Exam where it was only you, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto and Kita."
"Hai, I guess you're right. I just have a bad feeling about it." She said with a soft sigh.
"It's just nerves, you suffered a lot of damage with Akio, and Akira's his brother, so it's only natural to worry. That, or it might be your time of the month" Kakashi swiftly ducked as she tried to smack him upside the head. "I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Yeah… You're right… thanks Kashi-kun."
He was truly a fool.
"Sakura" Kakashi said, pausing in his battle against the multiple Oto-nin that seemed to be multiplying. "I'm glad I taught you about Genjutsu in survival training, you have talent in that area, unlike Kari" he paused for a moment. "Dispel the Genjutsu and go wake up Naruto and Shikamaru, Kita's having difficulty getting them up. Naruto will rejoice, it's his first mission in a long time." Sure enough, Kita was nudging Naruto with her paws, only to have drool come out of his mouth.
"Mission?" Sakura repeated.
"Proceed with caution. It's an A rank mission, just like the mission back in Nami." He dodged an Oto-nin's attack and killed him easily, throwing him to the side.
"Sensei! What do you mean an A-rank mission in this situation? What are we supposed to do?" Sakura cried.
"Sasuke took Kari with him and went after Subaku no Gaara and the others." Kakashi pressed his thumb against his kunai. "Sakura, go dispel the Genjutsu over Naruto and Shikamaru and go after Kari and Sasuke." A drop of blood ran down from the cut. 'That strange Chakra has been bothering me…'
"But if that's the case, I should wake up Ino and Chouji and go in a bigger group." Sakura cried.
"There are already many Oto and Suna Shinobi inside the village. Movement with more than four people, a basic platoon, will result in a decrease in swiftness, and though quite talented, Kita is a part of Kari and has only trained in basic handling of weapons, speed and teamwork with Kari. She hasn't the experience to count as a fourth member." Kakashi explained. "As well as that, it will become more difficult to conceal yourselves from the enemy. You learned that in patrol exercise in the Academy correct?"
"Sou ka. Since we're going to be moving as four people, not counting Kita, you are going to come with us Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.
"Iie, I can't leave this place" he did some swift hand signs. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" and in a puff of smoke, a small, brown, fat, pug sat facing them.
"Ee!" Kita cried in delight, noticing the small dog.
"Pakkun here will chase after Sasuke through his scent, and will teach Kita the basics of tracking as he goes." Kakashi said.
"The other team-mate… is that inu-chan?" Sakura said in disbelief.
"Oi ko musume. Don't call me kawaii inu-chan" the pug said grumpily.
"His name's Pakkun-kun!" Kita added.
"Yosh Sakura, dispel the Genjutsu from Naruto and Shikamaru" Kakashi commanded. 'Sheesh, how many times do I have to say it?' Finally getting the message she quickly crawled over to Naruto and Kita, Pakkun following behind. Sakura dispelled the Genjutsu and Naruto sat up sleepily.
"Doushita Sakura-chan?" Naruto mumbled. "Kita-chan? Do you need to pee?"
"Get down!" Sakura cried, dragging their heads down as a kunai skimmed his scalp. "I'll explain later, just stay down for now." She quickly crawled over to Shikamaru, and noticed his eyebrow twitch. "Shikamaru… you've been awake" Sakura grumbled. Pakkun walked over and sunk his teeth into the back of Shikamaru's lower leg. Shikamaru was still for a moment and then sat up, waving his leg about.
"ITE-E!!"
"You were able to repel Genjutsu too!" Sakura accused while Shikamaru struggled to shake Pakkun off his leg. "Why were you pretending to be asleep?!" Shikamaru dragged Pakkun off and pinched the dog's podgy cheeks.
"I don't want to be involved in this. I'm not doing this. Kari will be fine and I don't care about Sasuke" Shikamaru scoffed. Pakkun chose to bite into Shikamaru's hand this time, causing the boy to yelp in pain again. "ITE-E!!"
"N-nani dattebayou?"
"Naruto-kun was under Genjutsu" Kita said, watching as Naruto looked about in confusion.
"Naruto! Behind you!" Sakura cried in alarm as an Oto-nin prepared to strike the future Hokage. Luckily Gai speedily rammed him into a wall.
"H-haya!" the enemy cried, expressing his shock at Gai's speed.
"I'm not just fast…" and with that, Gai punched him through the wall.
"Gai-sensei…" Sakura said.
"I will tell you your mission now, once it is explained to you, go out through the hole Gai just punched through" Kakashi said, alert should another Oto-nin try his luck. "Go after Sasuke and Kari and when you meet up with them, stop them. Despite what Kari may believe she is in no condition to fight. Await further orders in a safe area."
"What happened to Sasuke and Kari-chan?!" Naruto demanded.
"I'll tell you on the way!" Sakura hissed. "Kita-chan! Let's go!" with that she grabbed hold of Naruto's arm, dragging him out the hole.
"Geez… Why me?" Shikamaru grumbled.
"Hey kid!" Pakkun said, leaning on Shikamaru's knee. "If you succeed in this mission I'll let you touch my pads as a reward, so don't be so selfish!" he lifted up a small paw. "Look, it's soft and bouncy!"
"…soft and… bouncy?" Shikamaru repeated giving the pug an odd look.
"Actually… it's really soft and bouncy!!" Pakkun paused, recollecting himself. "… let's just go…" and with that he bit Shikamaru's hand and dragged him after Sakura.
"Will they be ok?" Gai asked.
"Pakkun is with them, they'll be fine if they don't pursue the enemy too far."
"And Kari-hime?" Gai asked.
"She's never one to back down from a fight, no matter what the odds. It's the Tasukaru blood I suppose." Kakashi said grimly. "If they can get to them before Sasuke reaches Gaara, they should be okay. If Sasuke attacks… Kari will fly in without thought of the consequences." His hand tightened into a fist. "She'll defend him with everything, even if every bone of hers is broken…"
"Do you think everyone will be ok?" Kari asked after a light sneeze as they darted through the forest.
"Stop worrying so much about other people, you're going to be hospitalised as soon as the medic-nins can get their hands on you" Sasuke grumbled as he ran.
"I hate hospitals…" Kari grumbled. Sasuke slowed and skidded to a stop. "Mm? Are you letting me run now?"
"No," Sasuke said, bending down and picking up a lump of sand. He smirked knowing he was going in the right direction and hoisted her into a more comfortable position before continuing the chase, going into the trees.
"So that's what happened!" Naruto cried as they sped along, Pakkun and Kita running up front. "Damn Sasuke, he got too hasty and dragged Kari-chan along with him!"
"So why did I get sent out here?" Shikamaru asked grumpily. "How troublesome!"
"We couldn't help it!" Sakura retorted. "Those were Kakashi-sensei's orders!"
"This way!" Pakkun cried, changing direction. "You see Kita-chan, how the scent was stronger in this direction, if it weakens you're moving away from the target." Kita nodded, soaking up his words.
"Hai Pakkun-sempai!"
"How long will it take us to catch up to them?" Naruto cried.
"I don't know, he is moving pretty fast" Pakkun said, leaping from one branch to another surprisingly well with his short legs. "Kita-chan, through experience you are able to determine the strength of the smell and the distance it covers. Of course it's easier with a stationary target, but after you've done a fair amount of tracking, your nose will become sensitive to such things."
"K'so…!" Naruto growled.
"Che" Shikamaru grunted in annoyance.
"Hey you guys! Increase your speed!" Pakkun cried.
"What is it? Did you find Sasuke and Kari-chan?" Naruto cried eagerly.
"No."
"It's those other smells ne Pakkun-sempai?" Kita asked.
"Hai. There are two platoons, a total of eight people behind us, no—I sense another one, so nine people are coming after us. After a lot of practice Kita-chan, you'll be able to distinguish one smell from another from a further distance" Pakkun added as they sped up.
"Already? You've got to be kidding" Shikamaru complained.
"They haven't found our exact location yet, but we'll have to lose them." Pakkun said jumping down from the trees and onto the dirt path. He slowed and then came to a stop, Kita immediately stopping beside him.
"Hey?! Why did you stop?!" Naruto cried impatiently.
"Be quiet and follow me!" Pakkun said. "Step backwards into your footprints. Then it will look like our footsteps have suddenly disappeared." The pug explained, walking backwards. Kita followed suit, stepping into her paw prints. He flipped with surprising agility, and landed on a high branch behind him. The three genin followed his example, Kita rather enjoying herself.
"But even if we do this, they'll still figure out what we did" Naruto complained.
"It'll buy us some time, that's enough." Pakkun said simply. "Also, the pursuers will become impatient, and that will create a weakness in their pursuit. If they don't see the clues that lead to us, even better."
"Hurry up!" Sakura cried impatiently as Naruto moved backwards at a snails pace.
"We don't have time" Shikamaru agreed.
"I know dattebayou!" and with that, they all jumped off the brunch to continue after Sasuke and Kari.
"This is bad" Pakkun said after a little while. "They're gaining on us even though their being careful and looking out for ambushes."
"K'so. They must all be above Chuunin level" Shikamaru grumbled. "If they catch up to us we'll be annihilated."
"Then… Then we should stop to hide and ambush them dattebayou!" Naruto cried.
"Ambush…? Hai, if we ambush them we'll have an advantage!" Sakura agreed. "Even if they do have twice the number of people as us, it might work if we catch them off guard!"
"We can't do that" Pakkun interrupted. "They're the men of the former Konoha shinobi Orochimaru. Worst case is that there is a Jounin among them."
"I thought that would've worked but it won't" Shikamaru sighed in defeat.
"Chotto matte, nande yo?" Sakura asked. "The enemy's level doesn't matter when you're ambushing them."
"Aa, nande dattebayou?" Naruto agreed.
"You guys sure don't understand do you?" Shikamaru said looking over at his former classmates. "It's true that ambushing is a basic advantageous tactic, but to pull it off there are two conditions you must meet. First, the runner must move noiselessly, and must discover the enemy first. Second, we must secure a location to catch the pursuers off guard and inflict critically damage to them, and quickly conceal ourselves in that location. Once we're able to fulfil those conditions, an ambush becomes a valid tactic. If we have Kita and the inu-nin's nose we should be able to find their location pretty easily. As for the second condition, it would seem that we're at an advantage because this is our village and we know the terrain better, but Orochimaru has been in Konoha before. If we're dealing with his men, the method won't work."
"Shika really is smart" Kita said happily.
"So what are you trying to get at dattebayou?" Naruto asked.
"The pursuers have been taught about the terrain and have most likely gone through training for this battle. On top of that, they are probably shinobi that have mastered the art of pursuing" Shikamaru explained.
"So they'll know how we'll act" Sakura said in understanding.
"Ambushing is still advantageous, but there are too many uncertain factors. Furthermore the enemy is a squadron organised specifically for this plan. For us, we have a baka, a kunoichi that has no special traits, a inu, a young ookami-ko that Kari will skin me alive if she as much as scratched, and the number one coward; me. A strategy is devised by understanding the situation, and creating the best plan for the situation. So, there's only one thing we can do right now, and that's a feint operation that looks like an ambush." Shikamaru stated.
"Feint ambush?" Naruto asked with a puzzled expression.
"One person will stay behind, set things up to look like an ambush, and stop them." Shikamaru said.
"So… play the decoy?" Sakura whispered.
"Yes, if the person can stop them, they won't be able to get the location of the other four. Then we can lose the pursuers, but the decoy will most likely… die." They paused as Shikamaru uttered the last word, looking in opposite directions, unable to look at each other.
The birds sang and chirped oblivious to the thick tension between the Konoha genin.
"So, who wants to take the job?" Shikamaru asked, still not looking at anyone.
"If Kita-chan was bigger she would" Kita said sadly, her ears drooping slightly. "But she wouldn't be much help being little."
"We need the dog to look for Sasuke, and instinct will drive Kita towards Kari, so that means…" Shikamaru trailed off, Naruto's fist tightening.
"Okay, I'll—"
"The only choice left is me." Shikamaru stated, cutting Naruto off.
"Shikamaru?!"
"Why you, dattebayou?!"
"Shika-kun…" Kita whined, looking up at him with her large baby blue eyes.
"It's better than being annihilated. Also, the only guy who can pull off this decoy perfectly and have a high chance of surviving within this group… is me. The Kage Mane no jutsu was originally created to stop the enemy anyway. I'll catch up with you later." Shikamaru said airily, giving them a small smile.
"Okaasan is proud of you" Kita said, still with the same sad look. "She wishes she were here so she could help, but she's unable to leave Sasuke-kun."
"Aa, you should go help her then. I'll catch up with you later, hurry up and go."
"We're counting on you, Shikamaru!" Naruto cried with a nod. "Sakura-chan, Kita-chan… let's go help Kari-chan."
"Oi, the enemy is getting closer and closer" Pakkun said, as they raced along, the absence of Shikamaru making them feel slightly hollow, that something was missing. "Is he really stopping the enemy?" the pug asked suspiciously.
"Don't doubt Shika!" Kita cried in his defence. "He may be a lazy bum, but he's not that low!"
"Kita-chan's right, Shikamaru will be fine" Naruto agreed.
"He didn't run away did he?" Sakura asked doubtfully.
"I told you, he'll be fine dattebayou!"
"How so?!"
"He's foul-mouthed and he's lazy, but he'll never betray another person" Naruto said confidently. "He rarely does things on his own, but when he does, he'll do it all the way, I can guarantee that, dattebayou!"
"We're going to raise our speed!" Pakkun announced, and they picked up their pace. After a couple of minutes, Pakkun grunted in surprise. "Hm? It seems the pursuers have stopped."
"Yatta! He succeeded in stopping them dattebayou!" Naruto cried in delight.
"We're gaining on them, but they're picking up their pace" Kari said, senses on full alert. Sasuke nodded and pressed himself faster, tightening his grip on her slightly. She was panting heavily, feeling the full force of her injuries.
"Hang in there, I need you to hold on if I attack, I can't leave you in case they try and use you as a hostage" Sasuke said, anxiety coiling in his stomach. She chuckled lightly.
"Stoic Sasuke's back? What happened to kinky Sasu-chan hm?" she sighed and rested her head on his.
"Don't go to sleep Kari" Sasuke urged, forcing himself even faster. "Stay awake."
"I'm tired…" Kari mumbled, her eyelids drooping, the trees becoming fuzzy. Sasuke stopped jerkily, almost making her fall off. "Alright I'm awake, I'm awake!" she grumbled, holding tight to his shoulders as he sped off again.
"Stay that way. This is what happens when you're careless baka" Sasuke scolded.
"Oi! Who almost lost his Sasuke junior to a sand spike?!" Kari retorted. "You owe me pocky, or ice cream, or maybe cake? Kashi-nii never did bring us that cake…"
"If you stay awake, I'll consider it" Sasuke grumbled. Kari immediately perked up.
"Hai! We're getting closer Sasuke!" she cried, suddenly having the urge to run, but her legs felt very weak and heavy. Her mind flashed back to Akira's kodachi and she felt nauseous with worry at the thought she might end up paralysed. But she'd miraculously survived much worse thanks to the Torai-Kenshi, so perhaps they'd help her out here?
'It's not your spine Kari-chan, it's the muscles along your back.' Kitai piped up. 'You're in pretty bad shape and have some damaged nerves which is why your lower body is quite weak right now. You're not really up to a fight dear, I don't suggest it.'
Kari grimaced and sighed softly. 'At least I'm not paralysed' she thought half-heartedly. Sasuke leaped as the trees became further and further apart, Kari squeaking every time he flipped. She managed to wrap her legs loosely round his waist, making it easier for him to jump.
"I'm gonna fall!!" Kari squeaked as he jumped again.
"I won't let you fall, stop worrying" Sasuke mumbled. Kari's ears and nose twitched.
"That's odd… What's—AIYEE! Sasuke! We're gonna get blown to bits!!" Kari shrieked as he tripped a wire, setting off the first of many exploding tags. Wings shot out of her back and she propelled upwards as hot smoke enveloped them, avoiding the pieces of bark being blown around. They landed on a higher up branch, Kari promptly falling straight off. "Ite-e…"
"Daijobu?" he asked as she hugged herself and rolled onto her uninjured side.
"Just peachy" Kari spat sarcastically. Her wings folded and disappeared and she curled up into a foetal position.
"Then get back on," Sasuke said, ignoring her sarcasm and trying to loosen her arms that were tightly around her midriff. She whimpered slightly, and he realised that he had been touching the edge of her wound. He murmured an apology and pulled an arm over his shoulder before picking up her legs and hoisting her up. She sighed gently, resting her head on his, her arms loosely around his shoulders.
"Now can I go to sleep?"
"No." he stated firmly, before setting off again. "Stay on the lookout for more traps, but leave it to me to avoid them alright?"
"Yeah, but you seriously have to buy me pocky…" she mumbled.
"You're so one minded" Sasuke sighed.
"I want comfort food, my comfort food is sweet stuff" she retorted.
"Girls…" Sasuke scoffed, speeding up again.
"What were those sounds?" Sakura asked, jumping down onto a lower branch. Naruto followed, Kita landing lightly beside him and Pakkun plopping down onto his head.
"Explosions, they were most likely traps set up for Sasuke and Kari" Pakkun answered.
"Are Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan ok?" Sakura asked worriedly.
"Don't worry about them, they won't die so easily" Naruto reassured. "Besides, Kari-chan's been through worse" he added softly.
Temari stopped abruptly when a kunai embedded itself in the tree next to her face. Kankurou slowed behind her, still carrying the unconscious Gaara.
"We've finally caught up" Sasuke stated. "This is it for you all."
"K'so!" Kankurou cursed.
"Uchiha Sasuke… And Kari" Temari said and Kari offered a wave. She ignored the irritated glance Sasuke shot her.
"You're not going anywhere now" Sasuke said pulling out another kunai, a confident smirk spreading across his face.