Chapter 17: A Rumble in the Rain!
Sasuke was quiet and it was beginning to get on my nerves. I felt like overall we had a lot to talk about and yet he walked at the head of our small group, his hands stuffed casually into the pockets of his shorts, as if there was nothing to talk about.
I gripped the straps of my backpack, replaying the morning over and over in my head. The look he had given me when we left our rooms at the exact same time, my stomach tightening as he seemed ready to speak, ready to say something until the Cloud ninja emerged in a cloud of arguments. Karui and Omoi going at each other like a pack of rabid dogs while Samui walked behind them, seeming beyond their attentions and too good for Sasuke and my own.
He had cut her a look as well, a look that Samui ignored and that seemed to burn him even more inside. I had watched him bite back his rage as he headed after them, leaving me alone in the hall. I knew our conversation after our hard landing the day before was far from over. there was still so much to ask about and yet I was still reeling from Samui's revelation.
It explained why the woman, Karin had frozen. If Itachi was in fact the leader of the Akatsuki, she had stared into his eyes numerous times, felt the spine-tingling electric shock that went through one's body at the mere sight of it. Which meant that she had probably told him about his brother, which meant that Sasuke could have a lot more coming for him rather than Orochimaru.
"Remember the mission, Miyuki. Don't get too attached to them. If we have to kill one of them, we have to be able to cut our ties and put the mission before ourselves."
Hideki's words echoed in my head and I almost groaned, feeling my lips pull down at the edges. The fact was, Itachi was none of my concern. He was the least of my worries. What I should have been worrying about was Orochimaru and in the overall view I couldn't see him finding any interest in the sibling squabble. Just trying to build a connection between it all would be too tedious and though Orochimaru was patient, even he had a limit.
"Hey. Wake up."
I jumped at the sound of his voice, but more so from how close it sounded. I looked up, feeling my cheeks fire up instantly when I realized I was walking right beside him. I tried to remember picking up my pace but couldn't remember and now it was too late to slink away.
He looked down at me with his onyx eyes, his expression holding its usual unreadability, thus making me feel stupid for staring at him. I turned away.
"What's wrong with you?" He asked and I tried to tell myself that the edge in his voice wasn't disgust but some form of concern. A quick glance up at him revealed I would never know either way. I glanced back at the cloud shinobi. Samui seemed lost in her thoughts and Karui and Omoi were listing off their favorite protein powder flavors which I knew would lead to an argument about which was the best one. I looked back ahead and let out a sigh. There was only one way to crack whatever awkwardness had grown between us and that was to attempt to break through it.
"I feel like we need to talk about a lot of things." I said.
"About what?"
"Everything that happened since we left Konoha."
"Seems like you have your own agenda." Sasuke muttered, looking away, his gaze drifting to the trees.
I turned to shoot him a look. "Like you don't? I know you have questions for me."
"Maybe you're just paranoid." Sasuke said.
That fired up something inside of me. I could taste something sour on my tongue and felt the blood rush to my face as I glared up at him.
"I'm not paranoid. I just know you." I muttered.
Sasuke turned to shoot me a dark look, one that made my glare melt away from my face as it was replaced with shock. I stared at him with wide eyes, my heart stilling in my chest.
"I'm tired of everyone saying that to me." Sasuke growled.
I could only stare at him, my words stuck in my throat, my hands feeling useless at my sides. I wanted to ward it off, mutter an apology, anything to make it go away. His look was harsh, even for what I had said but I knew, I could sense it underneath his words that it was aimed at more than just me. I had just been the lucky soul to receive it.
He realized this after giving me a good dose of the stare and turned his head away, hiding his face with his hair. I looked away, feeling dazed and confused. Such anger, such rage and for what? What did he get out of it? What did he get out of pushing everyone around him away? I was shivering, remembering the last time such a hateful look had been shot in my direction, I had been pulled shortly after from the rubble of Orochimaru's hideout into Megumi-sensei's arms.
"I'm sorry." He said after a few moments, stunning me even further.
But, I pulled myself together, telling myself that I at least owed him a comeback especially after what he had told me even if he hadn't meant it.
"Hmph." I managed, keeping my head low so that my face couldn't break the seriousness in my words. "I wonder if you even know what that means."
I didn't bother looking up to catch his expression because something in the air shifted and I was barely able to jump out of the way as a whole array of kunai flew out from the trees, all of them aimed in our direction. We scattered then, all of us flying in different directions, concealing ourselves in the greenery.
"Good they learned something in ninja school." A familiar voice called out arrogantly.
My hands balled into tight fists under me as I looked up and caught sight of Karin and the purple-haired shinobi standing in the middle of the clearing. Karin had her arms crossed over her chest, an amused smirk on her lips as she looked around. The purple-haired kunoichi stood with her arms at her sides, her hat positioned so low that again all I could see was the hard line her lips were pressed into.
"But I came to have some fun." Karin grinned.
"Don't you have anything better to do than to stalk people?" I called as Karin shot a dark look in my direction.
"I managed to squeeze you and your pathetic excuse for friends in." She flicked her wrist and down came one of her silver pipes, which she gripped in her hand as she raised it high above her head. "You should be…GRATEFUL!" She slammed the pole into the ground and instantly it rumbled, the ground cracking and falling into itself as the power from her pipe travelled underground. The moment it reached the trees, the ground shifted, falling into itself. I gasped and quickly jumped to higher ground but found that the trees weren't much safer.
"That the best you got!?" Karui darted out from the trees, her sword drawn. Karin caught sight of her and seemed about ready to turn and attack when the purple-haired shinobi extended a hand which immediately broke apart into those slips of paper. The paper shot toward Karui who tried to dispel them all with her sword. I squinted my eyes as she sliced through the sheets. I could make out the explosive tags just at the back of the papers and before I could utter a warning, they exploded, sending Karui flying back, her body slamming into the rubble.
"KARUI!" Omoi shouted, jumping out of his hiding spot, his sword in his fist.
"Don't be stupid!" Samui called, her voice echoing from all around.
But it was too late. He had revealed himself and I could see it our enemies eyes that they knew this too. Karin charged, her pole extended and Omoi brought up his sword to defend himself.
"No!" I shouted and jumped out of my hiding spot just as the purple-haired kunoichi turned to face me.
Karin and Omoi went at it, their weapons clanging loudly as the purple-haired shinobi lifted her arms and more of that paper shot out from the darkness of her sleeves. I began making hand signs and inhaled a mouthful of air.
"Fire Style! Fireball Jutsu!" I exhaled a fiery ball of flame at her attack which incinerated the paper and as it rolled toward her, the purple haired ninja jumped out of the way, her back sprouting those paper wings again.
"Miyuki!" Samui's voice echoed again and I swung around only to find the paper ninja standing behind me. She delivered a sickening kick to my stomach that sent me flying back and knocked the air clean out of my chest. I gagged when I landed and heard Omoi grunting as Karin threw him off balance before aiming her pipe at his feet. He went flying back into the forest and I knew as I heard his body slam into branches before landing, that he was out for the count. A moment later the purple-haired kunoichi stepped in front of me and just as I was about to pull out a kunai, a quick wave of her hand sent that paper of hers around my hands, covering them.
"Stop!" I breathed.
"Oh kid." Karin's voice was close and I looked over at her only to find her coming toward me, a sinister smile on her lips. "It's too late for that."
I heard something cutting through the air and when I turned to look at it I saw a massive curved shuriken shooting toward Karin. She scoffed and blocked it easily with her pole but it disappeared, nothing more than a substitution and suddenly there was another shooting through the air, heading toward the paper shinobi.
She swung around and blocked it but it gave me just enough time to draw my leg back and kick her, throwing her off balance and sending her toward the shuriken which was another substitution. I quickly jumped to my feet just as Karin jumped into the air, her weapon raised high above her head. Sasuke appeared in front of me, his own kunai drawn and their weapons met with a sharp CLANG.
"Impressive." Karin said through gritted teeth.
"I'm just getting started." Sasuke growled and I could see his Sharingan in his eyes as he shot her a confident, cruel smirk.
"Hiyaaa!" Samui appeared behind Karin who swung around just in time to block her swift kick that would have hit her square in the back.
"You Genin sure are annoying." Karin grumbled.
"Are they too much for you to handle?" The purple-haired shinobi called from above and I looked to where her body would have been only to find a pile of loose sticks in her place. Another substitution.
"Please." Karin breathed before pushing back Samui who drew her tantō. She turned back to face Sasuke before trying to kick him. Her caught her leg with his free hand and she smirked before flipping her body. She kneed him right in the cheek and that sent him stumbling back as she readied her pole. Samui was there a second later, bringing down her tantō, as Karin pierced her pole into the ground, making it shake and break apart again. The sheer force of it sent Samui back and as Sasuke brought his arms to block the powerful winds, she was charging for him.
"Remember the mission, Miyuki. Don't get too attached to them."
Hideki's words echoed in my head as Karin charged, as Sasuke stood looking like a walking target. She was going to hit him, hurt him, or worse…kill him.
"Make sure they don't die unless they have it coming or it's inevitable."
Megumi-sensei's parting words echoed through my head right after. He had it coming and regardless he was going to get hit. But her pole was raised at just the right angle to pierce his skin. She was going to do more than just blow him away.
I moved, shaking my team's words from my head as I pushed myself forward and felt a familiar tingle shoot through my body as the image of Sasuke's Sharingan filled my head and my Kekkei Genkai took over.
I made it just in time to change the attacks' trajectory and as the pipe sliced the top of my shoulder, it didn't touch Sasuke. I was breathing heavily, sweat dotting my forehead as I looked up at Karin who wore a mystified expression on her face. She stared between Sasuke and me, as if she was trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't.
"It's an illusion." The paper kunoichi called from above just as Karin pushed away from me. It was then that Sasuke stepped forward and caught sight of my face, or better yet, my eyes.
"They look pretty real to me." Karin growled.
"Deep within the Land of Water, hidden behind endless fog, there lies a village whose most elite family of ninja carried a powerful Kekkei Genkai." The kunoichi continued above. "The ability to copy jutsu by just looking at it. The technique is captured instantly, from the moment it is first used and the more their victim uses the jutsu, the stronger the illusion becomes, making it hard to decipher what is real and what is not."
Karin grunted and pushed herself into a defensive position.
"But there is a downfall. The more it is used, the more at risk the user puts themselves. Eye techniques aside can lead to more than just eternal darkness. The more the Kekkei Genkai is used the more the user throws their mind into darkness as well." The kunoichi above shifted. "Using a powerful eye technique such as the Sharingan only pushes along the process."
"Tch." Karin said, amusement lighting her features again. "Two Sharingans? Well, one wannabe and the other a true one. I've been through worse."
"It shouldn't be taken lightly." Samui called. "Illusion or not it still has the same effect."
"What do you expect to accomplish with that trick, kid?" Karin called out to me.
I fought the urge to shoot her a glare and instead focused on the reason I had chosen to use the Sharingan in the first place. The ability to see the unseen, the ability to see where her jutsu began. I could see the chakra flowing through her veins, a bright electric blue. The pipe was empty.
"How did you…" Sasuke's voice drifted over to me and I looked at him, fully faced him as he took my eyes in, shock written all over his face.
"I can explain." I said before nodding toward Karin. "Right after we finish her off."
Sasuke looked like he wanted to say much more but he bit it down choosing instead to turn and face Karin with a determined look on his face.
"Fine." He grumbled.
Another pipe shot down Karin's other sleeve and she pointed both ends at Sasuke and I. I could see it then, the chakra building in the palm of her hand. But, it was more than that. The pipe helped focus the chakra as it built to take over the entire length of space. I watched as it balanced out the unnecessary, shooting it right back up Karin's palm and into her body.
"Those pipes help her balance her chakra." I said.
"I know." Sasuke said.
"We have to get her to let go of them."
"Hmph." Sasuke muttered before running forward. I ran right after him just as Karin fired a wave of wind at us. We both jumped up, narrowly missing the stream. Karin was shifting them up when Sasuke landed on a pole and caught it in his fist. Her wind jutsu ended as I landed back on the ground and thought back to Lee's stance when he fought. Primary Lotus, he had shouted as he bent his arm beneath him and swung his foot straight up, catching the enemy straight under their chin. I did the same and caught Karin directly under her chin, sending her body up into the air as she grunted, her hands only able to hold onto one pole and barely that.
Sasuke kicked the pole away before firing off shuriken at Karin's body. She wiped at her chin and deflected each shuriken sending them all back at Sasuke who used a substitution and appeared behind Karin. He kicked her right at the small of her back, sending her shooting back toward the ground.
She rolled when she landed and barely had time to stand before I shot forward and delivered kick after kick, punch after kick. She barely blocked my hits and seemed a little disoriented, a little overwhelmed with my speed. It was a nice change compared to her arrogant mouth just a few moments ago. I kicked her hard and even though she managed to block it, her body slid back and the purple-haired shinobi landed beside her, a hand pressed to the side of her face.
"We've run out of time." She said.
"Running away so soon?" I panted. "Just when we were starting to have fun?"
Karin glared at me, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. Samui jumped to my side and raised an accusatory finger. Karui coughed and sat up, rubbing her head as she blinked around our small clearing, taking us in. Omoi finally emerged from the forest, looking tired and in pain.
"You're not going anywhere." Samui called. "We're going to capture you and bring you back to our Raikage in the Cloud Village."
"Look at these brats, all demanding for Genin." Karin smirked.
"What about your lesson, huh?" I called out to her. She stiffened at my words before amusement worked back into her features.
"Maybe next time." Karin said before her body as well as the paper kunoichi's burst into a flock of crows, the birds shooting up into the trees, heading for the cloudless blue sky above. We stood frozen at first before I felt the sharp pain behind my eyes and groaned, dropping to my knees as my hands shot up to cover my eyes.
"Miyuki!" Karui called.
"What's wrong?" It was Sasuke's voice, an inkling of concern buried somewhere deep inside but I recognized Samui's hand on my back.
"The aftermath of her Kekkei Genkai when she reaches her limit." Samui said, her voice poised and firm.
I pulled my hands away, my vision blurry. I might not have been able to discern shapes but I could still see colors and the splash of crimson on my hands along with the warm trickle running down my cheeks confirmed I was bleeding.
"She's bleeding…" Karui gasped. I could see a glimmer of her red hair standing just off to the side and what I assumed to be her hands frantically patting down her pockets.
"After using such a powerful Dojutsu, it puts an immense strain on her." Samui said dabbing something soft against my cheeks. I could see the splash of red appearing even brighter against a stark white background and coughed. My head was pounding, my eyes still tingling.
"It's best to use it in one eye but she overexerted herself and used it in both." Samui continued. I could hear the disappointment in her voice but knew that even though she seemed to know I had reached my limit, she didn't know the half of it.
Yes, my Kekkei Genkai gave me the ability to almost cheat in battle by instantly recording hand signs and movements. It had been that way for as long as I could remember and was one of the reasons, according to Megumi-sensei, Orochimaru had taken me. Either way, I hardly used my special ability only during extremely grave situations partly because of the strain it put on my eyes, but mostly because of what happened after, minus the bleeding from my eyes. The purple-haired kunoichi had spoken of eternal darkness and how it would lead to an even darker one found in the depths of the mind. Using the Kekkei Genkai without having a full idea of its power and capabilities, forced the user to lose a part of themselves, which in my bloodline had always led to their downfall.
But, in my case the only difference was that I had never learned control. Focusing the power into one of my eyes took up just as much time and chakra as summoning it and when you were surrounded by people who had always been on the outside looking in, all I had was myself. Which was what using the ability always reminded me of, that no matter what, I would never be able to control it and even if I found a way to, it wouldn't matter because my mind would become consumed by the darkness and control would be the furthest idea from my mind.
