For he who fights and runs away
May live to fight another day;
But he who is in battle slain
Can never rise and fight again.
-Oliver Goldsmith
Chapter 44: Rise and Fight Again
Asuma knew that he was in trouble. It was as if his opponents had been perfectly picked to cause him trouble. Asuma took a tentative step back and eyed Temari warily. The girl had opened up her fan to two and a half moons, and the gusts were downright perilous to face. Asuma had faced stronger winds during his time as a jounin, but that didn't make her blows any less dangerous. The fan severely hampered his ability to use his chakra knives as long distance weapons. Asuma preferred close-range combat anyways, but it irritated him to know that he had been forced into a particular style.
From the corner of his eye, Asuma watched as Sasuke fell to the ground. Asuma groaned under his breath. He had nothing against the Uchiha brat getting beaten up, but it was all about timing. Now was exactly the wrong time for Asuma to lose an ally. Asuma twirled his chakra knives around his fingers and took a tentative step back. Five minutes had passed since Shino had left the battle. At the rate this battle was going, Asuma wasn't sure that he would be able to afford Shino the other five minutes.
His mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do. He could try to face the three Suna ninja head on, but that would be suicide. There was a limit to what one jounin could do on his own after all. Asuma took in a deep breath and looked past the three Suna ninja to the Academy building. The Forbidden Scroll was just inside that building. It was imperative that he grab the scroll and bring it to Danzo as soon as he could. Asuma clicked his tongue. He had wanted to defeat the Suna ninja, but it seemed like that would no longer be an option.
Across the field, Temari stood warily with her fan. She glanced over to her sensei. Baki had a deep frown set into his face. They had entered into a stand-off two minutes ago when Asuma used a fuuton to create a wind barrier between him and his attackers. The barrier had long since gone, but the waiting game had begun. Each side kept an eagle-eye on their opponent, waiting for the other to make the first move. Baki was in no hurry for the fight to end, and so, he was perfectly content waiting for Asuma to launch the first move. However, he could tell that Asuma was not the same.
Asuma kept on nervously glancing towards the Academy, and Baki couldn't help but wonder what it was that he wanted. Baki knew of the Hokage's office on the upper level of the Academy, but he couldn't help but wonder what it was that the rebels were seeking. Suna had only been assigned to protect the Academy and the courtyard. They weren't properly authorized to enter the top level unless an emergency arose. Baki thought it was stupid that Konoha hadn't properly informed them of what they were protecting, but he could also understand the country's reasoning. It just irritated him that he didn't know whether or not he was protecting a potential weapon of mass destruction or if it was just some dirty blackmail on the Hokage.
While Baki was lost in thought, Asuma made the first move. "Katon: Haisekishou!" Asuma blew out a cloud of ash, filling the courtyard. Temari and Baki leapt out of the way, and Temari sent a gust of wind towards the ash. The ash flew towards Asuma, and Temari smirked. She had got him. Asuma shunshined ahead, and, much to Temari's surprise, he ran right through the cloud of ash. He spurted through the ash and punched the Academy doors, forcing them to swing open.
"Temari-san, head into the building and force him back out!" Baki commanded, his hands already signing away at a barrier ninjutsu. Temari gave a quick salute before shunshining into the building after Asuma. She heard his footsteps pounding down the halls as she dashed after him. She gave a sigh of relief as she saw him disappearing up the stairs. Even if he was a rebel, he at least has the dignity to not attack the Academy students in order to stall her.
Temari pulled herself up the stairs, and quickly thought about the layout of the upper floors. The quickest way to reach the Hokage's office was through the jounin dormitories and the secretary hall. Temari gave a short sigh of relief as she slammed open the doors to the jounin hall. The secretaries had met with her, Baki, and Kankuro when they were first stationed at the Academy. She knew that there were a few loyalist ninja mixed in with the normal crop of secretaries, so she could probably count on some backup.
Temari swung her fan at the door leading to the hall, sending the door flying off of its hinges. When she entered the room, she saw the last thing she expected. Chairs and desks were scattered across the room, and justu were flying through the air. Temari dropped down to the ground as a stray kunai went spiraling above her. She looked wildly around the room, looking for any sign of Asuma. Obviously, she could expect little help from the ninja here.
A swinging door caught her eye as she noticed the door on the other side of the hall closing. "Oh no, you freaking don't!" Temari yelled angrily as she charged into the fray. She grabbed one of the wooden chairs scattered along the ground and ran across the hall. When a ninja moved to block her path, she flung the chair at him, whacking him in the chaos. As he fell to the ground, Temari jumped over him and continued weaving in and out of the weapons. "And why is Konoha supposed to be the peaceful village anyways? They're all flipping crazy here!" Temari complained under her breath as she yanked the door open.
She immediately shut the door behind her as a senbon went flying towards her back. The sharpened tip of the metal needle stuck through the wood, and Temari gulped before tearing off down the long windowed hall. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" Temari's eyes lit up. Asuma had to be just reaching the Hokage's office! She still had time! She put on a burst of speed as she hurried down the hallway. She rounded the corner and frowned at the empty door frame.
By the time she entered the room, Asuma was already perched on the windowsill, a large scroll strapped along his back. "Oi! Get back here, you!" Asuma briefly glanced back towards her before jumping out of the window. Temari stuck her head out of the window and watched as Asuma leaped down to the ground. "You jerk!" She yelled angrily at him. Her face betrayed her emotions as a wry smile spread across her face. "Why did he have to give me the advantage? This won't be as fun now."
Temari jumped out onto the red-shingled roof and spread out her fan. She channeled her chakra into the metal fan before flinging it over the side of the rooftop. She hopped down onto the fan, wobbling a bit as the fan stabilized in the air. After a few moments, the fan zoomed after Asuma. The black-haired man was a dot from where she stood, and Temari grinned. Baki wouldn't let him get away now.
From the ground, Asuma kept an eye to the sky as he leapt over the walls of the Academy. He felt a bit guilty that he was abandoning Sasuke and Shino, but he hoped that they would understand. If the rebels won the war, then they would be freed. If the rebels lost, they would all be imprisoned for even trying to overthrow the Hokage. If going back to rescue them meant jeopardizing the overall mission, Asuma couldn't do it.
Asuma sped up as he left the Academy grounds. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he skidded to a stop. Something was wrong. The Suna ninja would never let him escape so easily. Asuma snatched a rock from the ground and hurled it in front of him. A few seconds later, Asuma immediately dropped to the ground as the wrong went hurtling back over his head. It was a rebounding barrier ninjutsu. "Shoot," Asuma cursed under his breath.
There were only two known ways of destroying a rebounding barrier ninjutsu. One, you could break the caster's concentration and disrupt the flow of chakra into the shield. Two, you could overwhelm the shield with an array of attacks against the shield at a single time. Asuma instinctively preferred the first option over the second, but he didn't have any time. Asuma's eyes glanced back to the scroll on his back. Maybe there was something in there...
-TSUME-
Danzo glared at Anko with his lone visible eye. "You are a symbol of why Konoha is a shadow of its former self. A ninja that knows exactly what sort of odds she is facing, yet decides to continue to her demise. You claim to fight in the name of honor and even in the name of Konoha, but you don't even know what it means to fight for your country. You haven't stood in a field of blood and watched your friends and family die only for you to return home and watch your leaders give away their hard fought position. Konoha has desecrated the names of its fallen, and you see to protect it for that very purpose? It makes me despair that there are ninja like you plaguing Konoha. Konoha has such promise as a country, but its inhabitants always chose to lead it into ruin. Do you enjoy watching Konoha fall apart? Do you enjoy seeing lives wasted?" Danzo lamented. He took in a deep breath and sighed. His back was straight, and his stance was firm, but his mind was secretly racing.
He needed a battle strategy that would defeat Anko in the least amount of time possible, but he also had to factor in what techniques he could realistically use in this situation. He could always use the Sharingans on his arm if it really came down to it, but they would have to be a last resort. If word ever got out about how he had implanted the Sharingan into his right eye and into his arm, then no one would ever trust him again. He didn't doubt that it would be enough to rally all of Konoha against him, even those on the rebel side. That meant that he would have to stick to simple jutsu in order to defeat Anko. He looked Anko over with an analyzing glance before giving a quiet scoff. It wouldn't take him too long.
"You're such a hypocrite," Anko snarled. "You're talking about how awful it is to waste lives when you're the one that started a civil war! Did you not think that people were going to die from this? A leader's duty is to win the war with the least amount of suffering on both sides, not just his own! The Hokage never gave away Konoha's position! He only tried to keep the enemies from suffering too much after their defeat. Would you let them suffer needlessly? If any lives are wasted after a battle, they are the people that die after the war is over!" Anko pulled a fistful of senbon out from her side pouch and held them before her, waiting for Danzo to take the first action. She was in no hurry for the fight to begin. The longer she stalled him, the more time Koharu had to defeat Homura, and the more time Teru had to work with Ino.
Out of the corner of his eye, Danzo watched as the blonde boy crept along the edges of the room over to where Ino knelt by Orochimaru. Danzo growled from the back of his throat and flicked his eye back over to Anko. "People will die in this war, but they will die making Konoha a better place. They die now for the sake for their children and their children's children. I will not let Konoha become a place that worries for its enemies people while its own are still in poverty. The Hokage is making Konoha weak, and it is my duty as a ninja to protect Konoha. You may disagree with my methods, but I am protecting Konoha from being ruined by the fools that run it!" As the last word left his mouth, Danzo suddenly took off towards Teru.
"Oi!" He heard Anko call out behind him as he slipped a kunai out to stab Teru. The boy's eyes were round with fear as he covered his head and dashed towards Ino. Danzo swung the kunai down, but a flash of green caught his eye and his hand snapped backwards. The blade caught the snake in the crook of the mouth, splitting it apart. Danzo ducked away as six more snakes dove towards him.
Anko landed in front of Teru and held her left arm out in front of her. Snakes writhed from underneath her sleeves, hissing at Danzo as he took a step closer. "I won't let you get the brat while I'm still alive," Anko growled.
Danzo snorted and said, "Then I'll just have to dispose of you first." Danzo held up the dripping red kunai up to his mouth and whispered, "Fuuton: Shinkuujin." Warm chakra bubbled up in his throat, and he spat out a glob of green energy. The chakra reformed around the blade, eventually lengthening out into a scimitar. Anko's eyes narrowed as she stared at the sword, and she made a mental note to not let it touch her. She clicked her tongue and flung the senbon in her right hand at Danzo.
Danzo deflected most of the senbon with his kunai, but one of the senbon barely managed to clip the bandages around his eyes. The white cloth fluttered down to the ground, and Anko smirked. "You know. I've always wanted to see what's under those bandages of yours. When I beat you, I think I'm going to look." Danzo frowned at Anko and opened his mouth to say something, but that was when he noticed two pairs of eyes peeking out from Anko's collar. Two brown heads poked their way out from the tan overcoat. The snake on the left opened its mouth and spat a spray of venom into the air. The venom landed on the ground, hissing as it made contact with the stone.
Danzo mentally flipped through a file of venomous snakes in his head, but he hadn't seen this species before. "I bet you're wondering what these two beauties are, aren't you?" Anko said mischievously as she stroked one of the two snakes on the head. "It took me a long time to hunt these two down to contract with me. They've been incorrectly classified as being extinct three times over the past few centuries. I doubt that even you have immunized yourself against their venom."
Danzo bit the inside of his lip as he watched the snake venom gnaw away at the stone, leaving small holes dotted along the ground. This was an unexpected nuisance. He'd have to rely on long distance attacks for now. He flung the kunai at Anko who swerved out of the way and ran towards Danzo. "Fuuton: Shinkuugyoku." Danzo inhaled before releasing six torrents of air.
Anko tucked herself low to the ground as the first two bolts fired over her. She clicked her tongue as she tried to dodge the jutsu. The snakes on her shoulder spat venom at Danzo, but one of the bolts struck the venom, scattering it through the air. Anko grunted as she backed up, trying to avoid the sprays. Danzo took the opportunity and directed the last blast of air at Anko. Anko winced as the air sliced her left side, tearing open a wound.
She jumped backwards into the air and yelled, "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" Fire gurgled up in the back of her throat, and she blew out. The fiery dragon dove at Danzo, its maw wide open as if to swallow him. Danzo felt the heat touch his skin as he shunshined backwards, farther away from Orochimaru. Anko landed on the ground in front of her former sensei and the two genin, clutching at her side. A snake crawled out from inside of her coat and wrapped around the wound, giving it a messy seal.
She breathed heavily as she met eyes with Danzo. Danzo was the first to break away as he looked down at Teru who had just reached Ino's side. As he was about to touch her shoulder, Danzo yelled, "Get away from her, boy! If you so much as touch her, you won't live past tonight." Teru jumped at Danzo's words and retracted his hands away from the girl's shoulder.
Anko growled and snapped, "Guess who summons the snakes here, brat! I didn't join Torture and Interrogation for nothing! If you don't drag Ino out of that guy's head, I'll inject you with so much poison you won't know right from left!" Teru felt a shiver run down his back as Anko gave him the evil eye. "Am I understood?" Teru nodded hurriedly and looked back to Ino.
He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. He knew a little bit about the Yamanaka clan jutsu, but his knowledge was only superficial. Clan jutsu were secret after all. But if Anko's previous words about his grandfather were any clue, then the jutsu probably involved chakra insertion to manipulate the victim's brain. Teru's face softened as he remembered his grandfather.
Kimura Isamu had been the one to pioneer medical chakra manipulation in a third party. During the Second Shinobi World War, Sunagakure, knowing that Tsunade would counter any new poisons they created, delved into the realm of chakra insertion and manipulation techniques. When the jutsu first appeared on the battlefield, no one knew how to stop it. Sunagakure ninja merely had to touch Konoha ninja, and the Konoha ninja could be dead within fifteen minutes from organ failure. Since the ninja died so quickly and the enemy chakra dissipated upon the person's death, no one knew how to prevent it. That was where his grandfather had come in.
Isamu had been a field medic nin in the right place at the right time. He was the first to notice the small green flash around Suna ninja's hands before they touched a Konoha ninja. It took him a few tries, a few tries that Isamu regretted dearly, but he was finally able to figure out how to withdraw alien chakra from another ninja. It was different from withdrawing poison because the chakra was alive and being actively manipulated during the jutsu. The enemy chakra raced up and down the chakra circuit, and it often took a lot of work to corner the chakra before withdrawing it. Isamu had been declared a hero for discovering the way to stop the jutsu.
Teru still remembered the day he went up to his grandfather and asked him how he was brave enough to run into a battlefield and still be smart enough to discover what was going on.
Isamu's smile fell off of his face as he looked down at the five year old boy. The lines on his face seemed deeper than usual as he reached out to pat his grandson on the head. "Brave, huh? Is that what they call me now?" Isamu gave a weak chuckle as he shook his head. "I was not brave, Teru-kun. I was anything but brave. Bravery is described as 'ready to face danger' or 'having courage'. I had neither of those two traits."
Isamu leaned back into his padded chair with a forlorn look on his face. "I wasn't brave because I ran into the middle of a bloody battlefield to save is not what makes a man truly brave. I was a coward, Teru-kun. I was a miserable coward because I wasn't brave enough to be out there when the fighting happened. The only reason I discovered the pattern in the jutsu was because someone attacked the medical corps camp. I was a field medic, but I had refused to leave the field base and go into the battlefield. I couldn't face all of the death. I was afraid, and I let all of those people die."
A tear slipped down Isamu's face, but he still continued on. "I'm lauded as a hero for finding a way to save all of the men that followed, but all I can think about is how I didn't act before that. I knew everything that I needed to know, but I didn't do anything even when I could have." Isamu looked down at his grandson and said softly, "Teru-kun, if you ever have to decide whether or not to act, heaven forbid the time arises, but if you do, err on the side of action. Live a life without the regret of wishing you did something more. Do everything you can while you still have the chance, and you will never regret your life."
Teru blinked as he heard the sound of kunai clashing off to the side. He glanced over and saw Danzo and Anko whipping weapons at each other. As he watched them battle, he realized how cowardly he was being. He clapped himself twice on the cheeks and took in a deep breath. "Geez. What am I doing anyways? Grandfather will kill me when I see him again if I sit by and do nothing." Teru knelt beside Ino and pressed his hands against Orochimaru's chest and began fishing for any hints of Ino's chakra.
-TSUME-
"It's been a long time since I've seen you looking like that, Homura-kun. You look almost twenty years younger," Koharu said kindly as she twirled her hair pin between her fingers. Her wispy, gray hair trailed down to her back, and it gave Koharu a nostalgic feeling. She was back ten years ago when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. It was the last time she had taken out her hairpin for something other than for washing or sleeping. Whenever she took our her hairpin, someone died. Someone would die today too. She just hoped that it wouldn't be her.
"I'm afraid I don't have time for these trivialities, Koharu-san," replied Homura dully. He pushed up the green-rimmed glasses on his face and looked at Koharu sadly. He and Koharu had spent many years together from their time as a genin team to advisors to the Hokage. If only the Hokage listened to his advice, then perhaps things wouldn't have had to turn out this way. "If we are going to fight, then we had better do it. We will do no one any good by waiting around." He wanted to stall for as long as possible, but the logical side of him told him it would be pointless. He couldn't care about his feelings right now. He just had to be effective.
"I suppose you're right, Homura-kun." Koharu ran a hand through her hair, pulling it over to the side. She kept an eye on Homura as she flicked her hairpin with her left hand. While Homura had been talking, she had placed a small genjutsu over her hairpin to make it temporarily invisible. Homura felt a small prick around his collarbone and a small frown crossed his face. The feeling was similar to being stung by a bee or being pricked by a thorn. Homura grasped at the air around his chest when his fingers ran into the small pin. He yanked out the pin and sent out a small pulse of chakra, forcing the genjutsu to disappear.
His eyes widened behind his glasses, and he turned to stare at Koharu. The old woman had a mischievous look on her face as she said, "You were the one who told me to get started." Homura cursed and slammed his hand back against the wall, planting a small black seal. He rolled over to the side as a bolt of white lightning shot out of the seal. Koharu leaped out of the way as the bolt crashed into the ground behind her.
"Kai!" She yelled, clapping her hands together. Homura hunched over as a jolt of pain made its way up his back. All the years of no training came back to bite him as he forced himself up from the ground. He shunshined farther along the wall and planted one seal after another until there were four seals actively firing lightning bolts. Koharu shunshined after Homura and swiped his legs out from under him. She snatched her pin from his fingers and was about to move out of the way when Homura rolled out of the way to reveal a seal.
Koharu's eyes widened as lightning shot up towards her head. She grunted as the lightning scorched against her cheek, searing her skin. She could smell burnt flesh as she backed away. The old woman clapped a hand against her cheek and mumbled, "Blast these old bones of mine." She shot away again as another bolt came diving towards her. Koharu eyed the seals on the wall before looking back to Homura. She dug out a few of the senbon Anko had given her on their way to the room and flung them at Homura. Homura dodged out of the way and let the four seals on the wall fire simultaneously. Two of the seals on the wall faded away as they ran out of chakra, and Homura knew he had to act quickly. He ran alongside the lightning and as Koharu dodged, Homura was there to kick her in the stomach.
Koharu flew across the room and slammed into a wall. In a moment, Homura was there and pressing a kunai against her throat. "It's over, Koharu-san." Homura felt a moment's hesitation overtake him as he raised up his kunai. He knew that either he would end up killing her or she would be killed over the rebellion was over, but they had spent so many years together. Was it really possible for him to end it all just like that?
Koharu stared back at him blankly before a small smile spread across her face. "It's never over until the last ninja has lost hope." A puff of smoke filled the air, and Homura started as Koharu's skin suddenly vanished from beneath his fingers. That was when it suddenly struck him. He hadn't smelt the burn on Koharu's cheek. He whirled around just as Koharu stabbed down with her hairpin. The tip punctured through Homura's left shoulder, and Koharu gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Homura-kun. Kai."
Homura's mouth was wide open in a silent scream as he fell down to the ground, clutching at his chest. His eyes were clenched shut, and he reached a feeble hand to try and jerk the pin out only to have Koharu kick his hand away. He looked up at Koharu one last time and watched as his former teammate shook her head before falling to the ground unconscious.
Koharu glanced to the side to see the remaining black seals disappearing off the wall. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "You're a sorry old fool, Homura-kun. Why won't you ever share your worries with those around you? Then maybe this never would have had to happen..."
Author's Note: As you probably noticed, this chapter was uploaded on Sunday, not Saturday. After the feedback I got last week, I've decided that the update time for Team Tsume will be between Saturday and Sunday. I'm sorry that I can't give you an exact time for when each chapter will be up, but I'm going to try and get them done on either one of those two days. Thanks for your support!
(If you find any spelling or grammar mistakes in this chapter, let me know!)