War is hell.
-William Tecumseh Sherman
Chapter 37: War is Hell
His shoes thundered down the halls as he made his way to the checkpoint. Things had not gone as planned, but this turn out wasn't entirely unexpected either. He was just glad that things did not turn much worse, like he knew they could have. Orochimaru had left the Kage box soon after summoning Katsuo. He knew that if things turned cold, as they did, he would have been the first one they suspected.
Konoha was such a predictable country. They believed that all of their rules and regulations would keep them safe. What a joke. Orochimaru snorted. After they managed to get an agent inside of the Hokage's personal forces, it had been simple to plan for how the Hokage would respond to such a crisis. The Hokage guard had told them everything from which men would stand where to the procedures taken when guards swapped duties.
Using that information, Orochimaru had planned everything out. He knew which guards would grab him and directed the snakes accordingly to only bite the ninja that were against them. If he hadn't received the information, he would have gone with the simpler elemental bunshin, but this was a chance he just couldn't miss. Katsuo's failure could actually turn out into a net positive if the other summons bit enough of the other high ranking ninja.
Orochimaru turned around the corner and headed deeper into the dimly lit tunnels. He was generally pleased with the ways things were turning out. Originally, he had not been sure whether or not to pursue the venture, but he was glad he did. He had laid his seal into two of the Konohagakure genin. And, in a surprising twist of good fortune, both genin survived the sealing process. Not even he, Orochimaru, predicted such an outcome to occur. All he had to do was wait for his seed to bloom among the two ninja. Even over the short month that he had been here, he had seen growth in how both genin were reacting to the seals. It was just a waiting game now.
Orochimaru slowed his pace to a slow walk as he neared the end of the hallway. He walked around the corner to see a dark figure leaning against the wall. The man's arms were crossed tightly against his chest. A single eye stared at him, and Orochimaru could sense the man's irritation in the air. "Have I kept you waiting? I am so sorry," Orochimaru hissed unapologetically. "Now what do you want? I have business of my own to attend to, Shimura-san. Otogakure is here only to abide by the terms set forth in our deal. If you ask for any unexpected favors," Orochimaru tilted his head to the side and smiled cruelly, "you'll need to increase your payment."
Danzo growled and pushed off of the wall. His black ninja garb made him blend in with the darkness. Orochimaru's slitted eyes followed Danzo carefully as the man approached him, a mere spectre among the shadows. Something about the man's countenance unnerved Orochimaru. And Orochimaru was not one to feel afraid, no, something was off with Danzo. Orochimaru drew his right hand farther back into his robes. Until he knew what the man wanted, he had to be careful.
"Your presence is necessary elsewhere. You will come with me." Danzo said simply. He strode past Orochimaru, knocking him away with a brush of his shoulder.
"I do not take orders from anyone, Shimura-san. Do not forget your place," Orochimaru snarled. His nails dug into the palm of his hand as he glowered from underneath his hat. He could not believe the insolence of Danzo. The man could offer him nothing but fodder to use for his experiments. "To me, you are easily replaceable. Do not overestimate your own value."
Danzo stared down the hallway, his face frozen. "I assure you, Orochimaru-san. I am not in the habit of overestimating anyone's value. To me, you are valuable." The corners of Danzo's mouth twitched upwards. "Unfortunately, you're worth just as much to me on my side or not." Danzo snapped his fingers and a loud bang was heard in the hallway. Invisible gas seeped out of the small capsule on Orochimaru's shoulder and swept into the man's lungs.
Orochimaru clawed for the capsule, trying to get rid of it, but it was too late. Orochimaru hit the ground only seconds later.
-TSUME
"Move it, brats!" Asuma shouted back to the two genin. Sasuke clicked his tongue and sped after the jounin. He hated being given orders. He didn't care that Asuma was the leader of their small "mission." Sasuke was an Uchiha, and Uchihas only took suggestions, never orders.
"Shut up!" Sasuke shouted back as he sped after Asuma. It had been their mission to eliminate the reserve ninja in the corners of the village. Sasuke, Shino, and Asuma had been assigned to the third base. It didn't take them very long. None of them even expected that an attack would come from their supposed "comrades," and so they were crushed. Asuma had made sure that none of them would be able to help the loyalists any time soon.
The three didn't even notice that they were being watched from the rooftops. Black hair fluttered in the wind as Kurenai's eyes followed the three rebels. "Lee-kun, Hanagaki-kun," Kurenai looked back over her shoulder to the two genin, "Will you come with me? I can't force you into doing anything, but I would feel better if you had my back."
Lee grinned and said, "Of course, Kurenai-sensei! It would be unyouthful of me to stay behind!" He gave a proud salute and jumped up and down. "Shall I go intercept them, Kurenai-sensei?" Kurenai smiled warmly at the genin and nodded.
"There's a plaza just up ahead. Try to intercept them there if you can. Hanagaki-kun and I will be right after you." Ryuu was nodding as the other two spoke. Secretly, he was deathly afraid of fighting and didn't really want to enter the conflict, but he knew he couldn't just stay behind either.
"Yes, ma'am!" Lee cheered before speeding away. He leaped across the rooftops as he made his way towards the plaza. He glanced down into the pathway just beneath him and noticed the figures of the three ninja just ahead of him. "I have to hurry!" He put on a burst of speed and catapulted ahead of them. He then dove down from the rooftop and landed on the other side of the plaza. Lee whirled around as the other ninja approached and called out, "Stop right there, my unyouthful opponents!"
Shino skidded to a sudden stop as the green blur swerved in front of them. He took a step back before saying, "Lee-san, it is a surprise to see you here, but we are not your opponents. Why would you think such a thing?"
"I saw you as you were leaving the border office! You were doing a very unyouthful thing back there, Aburame-san! I must turn you, Uchiha-san, and Sarutobi-san over to the Hokage!" Lee settled back on his feet and waved his hands threateningly at the three. "Either you can surrender now or I will take you by force!"
Shino pushed his sunglasses farther up his face. The situation was less than optimal. From the corner of his vision, he could see the blue hair of Ryuu sticking out like a beacon. Even worse, the kikaichu he had placed on Kurenai was sending out frequent warning signals. This would become a three on three fight. Shino was not a strategist, but he knew that the battle would not be easy. "Unfortunately, Lee-san, we cannot lose." Shino let his hand drop limply down to his side. He released rapid-fire spurts of chakra, and hundreds of kikaichu streamed out from his sleeves.
-TSUME-
He might have joked about it so many times before, but when he was faced with death, Ryuu was afraid. So often, he had said that people were out to get him or he was about to die, but now, he knew he really was about to die. His vision was already getting hazy before him, and he knew he was running out of chakra. It wasn't as if he was a chakra powerhouse anyways. Ryuu rolled out of the way as the cloud of kikaichu swarmed the spot where he once stood. "Suiton: Mizurappa!" A wave of water swept out from his mouth and doused the bugs, rendering some of them unable to fly. It still wasn't enough.
Ryuu glanced over to see Rock Lee busy battling Asuma while Kurenai was trying to contain Sasuke. It wasn't an optimal situation by any means. Lee was battling another close-ranged fighter, a fighter more experienced than him at that. And Kurenai was stuck fighting off Sasuke, who had the Sharigan. She was known as the master of genjutsu, but the sharigan was infamous for being able to see through any genjutsu. And he, Ryuu, was just plain weak.
He had no false pretenses about his ability as a ninja. There had been a reason that he never made it to the finals of the chuunin exams. He wasn't nearly up to the level of his teammates. He really just wanted to become a medic nin to reach the ninja that his parents weren't able to heal in the hospital. But now, Ryuu was sure he would never be able to do that.
The blue-haired boy crushed one of the kikaichu on his hair as it scurried up the side of his neck. He didn't have much time left, but he couldn't abandon his comrades. Ryuu gave himself a quick chakra scan and took in a deep breath. He had enough energy left for one last jutsu. He'd have to give it all he had. "Suiton: Mizurappa!" The torrent that flowed out was stronger than anything he had ever created before.
Water swept down the street, blowing Shino back into a brick wall. The boy slid down the wall and grunted as pain shot up his back. He shakily forced himself up from the ground and stared through his sunglasses towards his opponent. Ryuu was wobbling back and forth on his feet before his eyes rolled back up in his head. Shino gave a sigh. He had done his part. He lifted his head up from the ground when he noticed the water turning red by his feet.
"HANAGAKI!" Sasuke dropped Ryuu's limp form to the ground, causing crimson water to splash up onto his legs. Her voice cracked as she dove at Sasuke, forcing him away from the genin. Sasuke dodged the kunai and flipped backwards into the water. He watched unsympathetically as Kurenai held Ryuu in her arms. "You..." Kurenai punched at the ground and shook with fury as she stood up. "You'll pay for that!"
"Oh will I? I'd like to see you try," Sasuke sneered. Kurenai dove at him, and Sasuke got down into a battle crouch. Suddenly, Sasuke was dragged across the street. He unwrapped the arm around him and snapped, "What do you think you're doing?"
Asuma growled, "I should be asking you that! Our mission isn't kill people! Hanagaki-san had already been incapacited! What were you thinking?"
"Doing my job, like you aren't doing yours," Sasuke said shortly. His sharingan flashed dangerously at Asuma before a small frown crossed his face. His arm reached back, and he snatched a kunai from his pouch. "She's coming."
"Genjutsu: Kahen Tonsou!" Kurenai's red eyes flared as her body burst apart, sakura petals filling the air. Asuma pulled out his chakra blades and grunted. Kurenai was the last person he wanted to fight. The petals swarmed the air before diving at the two ninja. Asuma dived out of the way and slashed at the air, only to have the petals part away from him.
He attempted to disperse the genjutsu, but his chakra pulse wasn't enough to disrupt her control. "Behind you," Asuma looked over towards Sasuke who was running towards him. The boy's hands were out to the side and he quietly murmured, "Chidori." The sound of a thousand birds filled the air as the lightning sword crackled to life. Asuma ducked out of the way as Sasuke stabbed the air where he once stood.
"What are you do-" Asuma's voice fell. The sakura petals drifted through the air before dispersing on the ground. Sasuke slid the chidori out of Kurenai's chest, leaving the woman to stumble backwards, clutching at her chest. Her eyes were wide with shock as she fell to the ground. Kurenai looked over to the side and met eyes with Shino, who was frozen in his place. Realizing that even Shino would not help her, Kurenai coughed out, "It's just my luck that I had to face an Uchiha."
Kurenai could feel her last breaths leaving her. She looked up at Sasuke and bit out, "I hope that you will suffer, Uchiha. The weight of death is now on your shoulders, and it will never leave you. You are not a ninja, you are a murderer." Kurenai wheezed in a final breath before her chest fell still.
Rock Lee stared at the fallen forms of his two comrades. It had happened again. They had... died. Lee let out a gutteral scream and smashed his fists into the ground. A fire boiled up inside of his chest. He wanted to make Sasuke pay, to make each of them pay, but he knew that he would only get himself killed. What he had to do was go get help and let everyone know what had happened. Tears streamed down his face as he forced himself up from the ground. "Uchiha-san, Sarutobi-san, Aburame-san, I will never forgive you all for killing Kurenai-sensei and Hanagaki-san! Today may or may not be that day, but know that you will all definitely pay for this!" He turned and sprinted away from the blood bath. He needed to find Gai and Tenten.
"That was disappointing," Sasuke drawled as he nudged Kurenai's limp form with his foot. "I had rather expected jounin to be stronger, but I guess she only had her genjutsu. How weak. She couldn't do anything else? No wonder she died." His red eyes glanced down to his crimson dyed arm, and he sighed. "And now she's made me all messy." Sasuke gave his arm a hard shake, sending splatters of blood across the ground.
He glanced over his shoulder and called out, "Oi, let's go. They're expecting us to report in soon." Sasuke groaned when he saw Asuma standing stock still, staring at the lifeless figure at Sasuke's feet. "Don't tell me you're going to cry over her now? Good grief. If you didn't want to fight her, you should have locked her up somewhere until the rebellion was over. Seriously, it's your own fault that she's dead. If you had taken the precautions to make sure she wouldn't be loose, then this never would have happened."
Asuma took a step backward and lowered his head. He clenched his fist tightly and growled out, "You wouldn't understand, Uchiha-san. You've never loved anyone enough to regret losing them! Why did you have to kill Kurenai?" Asuma dropped to his knees and covered his damp eyes with his hand. "We were supposed to prevent anyone from interfering, not kill everyone!"
Sasuke stamped his foot on the ground and spat out, "Don't assume anything about me, Sarutobi-san! You're not the only one who has suffered in this world, and don't you forget it!" He turned his head away and glared menacingly at the dead bodies of Kurenai and Ryuu. "We completed our mission, didn't we? They won't interfere now. Death is the only way to permanently stop anyone in this world anyways," Sasuke said lowly.
Sasuke turned to Shino and said, "Leave him behind, Aburame-san. If he's going to waste time and cry over spilt milk, he's not going to be of any use to us. Let's go back." Shino didn't move. All he could do was stare at the lifeless form of his jounin sensei and the last desperate look she had sent him, begging for someone to save her.
Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm sorry that I wasn't able to update last week. I was planning on trying to make this chapter longer to make up for it, but it just isn't going to happen. I'm sorry about that. ): I ended up going toxic on some of my medication, so I spent most of the past two weeks throwing up, getting migraines, and sleeping. We've switched some stuff around, so hopefully I won't be as sick in the future. I apologize for the delays though!
And on a slightly more story related note... I'm expecting at least six angry reviews for this chapter if not more. But before any of you start to worry, please don't. I'm not going to kill off everyone and anyone, but let's be realistic. This is practically an all-out war. Causalities will happen, just like in real life. And before any of you think it, I am not killing off characters I hate. I loved Neji and Kurenai, but they had to die for a reason. The reason may not be clear right now, but it will be revealed eventually. So while you might not be happy with the turn of events, I hope you understand. :) Thanks so much, and I hope you still enjoyed the chapter!