A/N First of all, I'm so sorry for the late update. Life's hectic right now, but I should manage at least one chapter a week, hopefully more. To answer itachisasuke's question: I got it from the manga. All events up to chapter 627 are canon. The rest of the plot I made before other chapters were released.
They remained frozen for a minute, Nawaki staring at Sasuke's face, Sasuke staring down at the blood pouring from his body. Eventually, Sasuke looked up, his eyes calm, but no longer cold.
"It seems that this is it."
With that, he fell onto the ground, landing with a thump on his knees. Nawaki expected him to fall face first into the dirt, but he merely sat back. Although there wasn't a trace of pain on his face, the blood had covered half of his jacket and the top of his trousers. He stared expectantly at Nawaki.
Nawaki continued to stare blankly at him.
"I couldn't kill my son. I don't know whether to be proud or angry." Sasuke spoke in such a detached voice, as if none of it mattered anymore. "I suppose you're satisfied? I'm dying. You got what you wanted."
Nawaki just stared at him. He wondered if he should do something, maybe cut Sasuke's head off. This slow bleeding was a painful way to die. But somehow, Nawaki didn't feel up to that. The hatred that had been coursing through him had evaporated. Now he just felt lost and confused. His father was dying, and he still didn't know why.
"Why did you do it?" Nawaki asked, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen slightly.
"You mean Obito didn't tell you?" Sasuke snapped.
"He said it wasn't his place to tell me, that I would have to find out myself. So I'll ask you again, why did you kill my mother?"
Sasuke looked confused for a second, but then his eyes cleared, and he glared up angrily at Nawaki.
"Obito didn't tell you that either, I see. Nawaki, I-"
There was a crash from behind Nawaki, and the building at the end of the street collapsed, dust flying everywhere. Through the dust, Nawaki could see a figure moving towards them. As it got closer, Nawaki saw it was an old woman, one he vaguely recognised. It was only when she stood a few metres away did he notice the seal on her forehead, and suddenly it clicked. He knew who she was.
"You're Lady Tsunade aren't you?"
She ignored him, walking over to Sasuke and glaring down at him. Sasuke glared back. Tsunade raised her fist and whacked him over the head, leaving Nawaki stunned, and Sasuke angry.
"What the hell do you think you're doing Uchiha? There I was, trying to enjoy retirement like any other Kage, when suddenly I hear crashes and screams, and there are giant centipedes crawling around outside! You better not be betraying us again, because Naruto's not around right now, and I will beat the stuffing out of you."
"I'm trying to protect the village you crazy old bat!" Sasuke snapped back, his eyes narrowing.
Nawaki was shocked by his lack of respect and his angry demeanour, especially since it was Sasuke, but Tsunade didn't seem to care. Her eyes narrowed and she smirked down at him.
"Ha! Like I'd believe anything you say. If you're not attacking the village, then why were you fighting this boy here? Isn't he on the same team as Naruto's kid? You're not going to tell me that he's attacking the village, are you?"
Sasuke never broke eye contact with her.
"His name is Nawaki. He used to be on the same team as Hisa until he was injured and left for dead. Sakura is his mother and I'm his father. He saw me run her through the heart with my Chidori and came after me to avenge her. He teamed up with Obito Uchiha and attacked the village."
Tsunade stared down at him for ten long seconds. Then she gave another dismissive laugh. Despite her laugh, she sounded unsettled.
"I thought that you were a better liar than that, Uchiha. Do you honestly expect me to believe that my former-apprentice would have a child with you?"
"Um, excuse me ma'am, but he's actually telling the truth." Nawaki said sheepishly. "I'm his son, and I'm the one attacking the village. I'm trying to kill him."
"What?" Tsunade snapped, spinning around to face him. Nawaki wondered if admitting that had been the best idea, especially since he was almost completely paralyzed. "Since when did Sasuke have a son? Nobody tells me anything anymore! Why the hell are you trying to kill him?"
"Because he killed my mother." Nawaki replied, his voice growing colder.
Tsunade spun around again to face Sasuke.
"Alright, now I'm completely confused. What are you playing at Uchiha? Are you looking for an excuse to kill him?"
"Actually," Sasuke said, sarcasm clear in his voice "I tried to kill him, but found that I couldn't. That's the main reason that I'm kneeling in a puddle of my own blood."
Nawaki looked down and saw that he was right. The earth wasn't absorbing the blood anymore. It was slowly pooling around him. Absurdly, the main thought running through his head was why Sasuke was using sarcasm. It didn't seem natural. He almost laughed, but then he remembered the situation.
Tsunade ignored the last part of Sasuke's answer. She continued to glare down at him like he was muck on her shoe. Something had definitely happened between them in the past, but Nawaki found that he really didn't want to know.
"Then why the hell didn't you tell this boy that his mother is alive? Even I know that, and as I've already mentioned, no one tells me anything anymore."
Nawaki's mind had gone numb after the word 'alive'. He couldn't see Sasuke, couldn't hear him talk, couldn't feel Tsunade's hand on his shoulder. The same words echoed over and over in his head, and yet they never sunk in.
His mother is alive.
!
The three of them crouched down, backs pressed to the wooden wall. Tenten kept a firm grip on Yoshino, who in turn kept a firm grip on her puppet, who, Tenten learnt, was called Yukiko. Typical Suna parenting, Tenten thought, giving children weapons and letting them treat them like dolls.
While Lee kept an eye out for Neji, Tenten crouched down so that she was at Yoshino's eye level. She gripped the girl's shoulders and stared straight into her eyes.
"Yoshino, I have a special mission for you." she said. "I need you to go to the Konoha Intelligence Division and ask for Ino Yamanaka. Tell them that I sent you, and that it's a matter of life and death. Once you find Ino, I need you to tell her this: 'Tenten needs her fan.' Can you do that?"
Yoshino nodded determinedly.
"Good." Tenten patted her shoulders. "Now when I yell 'go' I need you to run as fast as possible, ok?"
Yoshino nodded again. Tenten looked at Lee. Lee nodded back.
Then he was gone, running at Neji as loud and distractingly as he could. Tenten waited ten seconds, before pushing Yoshino in the opposite direction.
"Go now! As fast as you can."
The girl took off running. Tenten watched her leave, full of doubt. Sending Yoshino alone was a risky move, but both she and Lee were needed to keep Neji occupied, and it was best to get the girl out of here, whatever Lee might think.
Speaking of Lee… Tenten turned around as a blast of fire shot by. For a second she wondered if Lee had been caught in the blast, but then she heard him.
"Yosh! Nice shot Neji, but that won't be enough! I have improved since we last fought, my eternal rival!"
Eternal's the word all right. Tenten thought, before leaping out from behind the building and flinging a barrage of kunai to distract Neji. Lee followed behind the kunai, throwing kicks and punches at any part of Neji that wasn't covered in spiky metal. While he was doing that, Tenten pulled out one of her bigger scrolls.
"Lee! Move!" she yelled.
He got out of the way just as she unfurled the scroll.
"Dragon Bomb!"
A giant dragon made of flames shot out of the scroll and towards Neji. Tenten had just enough time to see Neji's grin before the dragon exploded, drenching him in flames. She and Lee watched the fire grow, then fade, then die completely. When there was nothing left but smoke, Tenten gave the area a close look, but there was no sign of Neji.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of something moving past her. There was a shout from behind her, and she spun around just in time to watch Neji spear Lee's arm. She quickly flung three exploding tags at him, before grabbing Lee and flickering away to hide behind the counter of an abandoned dango stall.
Once there, she gently laid Lee against the wall and checked his arm. It wasn't as bad as she originally thought, but there was a deep gash that would weaken him slightly. He was awake though, and smiled gently up at her.
"I'm alright Tenten. Really." he said. Then louder: "Nothing will stop me from defeating my eternal rival for good!"
"If you defeat him for good than it's not eternal, is it?" she pointed out.
"Oh Tenten," Lee shook his head sadly. "The fight will continue in spirit of course. Every opponent I fight after this, I will do it for Neji!"
For once, Tenten decided not to be cynical. Besides, it was sort of sweet, what he was saying, in a way that only Lee could manage.
"Alright then." she stood up and briskly dusted her trousers. "Let's go out there and finish this! Ino should be along soon with the fan, and once she comes, Obito is toast, and Neji's corpse will rest in peace again."
Lee nodded, and accepted her hand to pull himself upwards. He peeked out from under the awning. Tenten fidgeted with some kunai while she waited.
"Let's go." said Lee.
They jumped out, and a second later, three missiles were flying towards them. After fighting them for hours, Tenten knew exactly where to hit so that they would explode harmlessly in mid-air. When the smoke cleared, Neji was standing, unnatural grin still plastered onto his face.
"Lee." Tenten said quietly.
Lee shot towards Neji, circling him so fast, Tenten could barely keep track. Neji held both his hands straight up into the air. Lee tried to punch his chest, but it opened, revealing row after row of sharp kunai. Lee dodged backwards, but the kunai had already started flying.
Tenten grabbed twin scrolls from her pocket and threw them up in the air. As they unfurled, she stuck out her hands, and weapons began shooting out. They met Neji's kunai in mid-air with a clash, and sometimes an explosion.
"Rising Twin Dragons!"
But for every kunai she hit, one was getting through. Lee had dodged all the ones so far, but Neji had plenty left, and one lucky hit could be fatal. Tenten wouldn't become the last living member of their team today. She swore it.
She spun the scrolls faster with one hand, and with the other she reached out towards the discarded weapons, feeling the almost invisible strings tug on her fingers. She tugged them into the air, using them to block more of Neji's kunai. Using twice the amount of weapons she originally had, she was able to deflect all of the kunai.
Eventually, Neji ran out. They barely had a second to breathe before a long blade burst through Neji's stomach, heading straight towards them. They jumped into the air, and dodged again as he sent a few more missiles. Tenten wondered if he would ever run out of missiles, or if that was part of the Asura Path's ability.
They wove from building to building, dodging Neji's attacks and attacking back whenever they could. Tenten could feel herself wearing out, and Lee's injuries meant that he too wasn't at 100%. The Asura Path, she knew, would be as fresh as it was at the beginning. Its stamina depended on Obito, and although she had noticed it slip once or twice, for the most part it had fought steadily.
After she had finished launching ten rounds of shuriken at Neji, Lee nudged her on the shoulder.
"I hear someone calling us!" he said "Come on! We need to get to the roof!"
Tenten nodded. They were crouched in a narrow alleyway, with Neji stalking the street to their left. Tenten jumped up and kicked off the wall. She hooked her feet into a small window, and flipped upwards, landing on the roof. Lee was beside her a second later, both of them searching for the voice that Lee had heard.
"Over there!" Tenten cried.
Jumping from roof to roof, a small figure was making their way towards them, carrying something big behind them. It reminded Tenten of a peacock. As it got closer, Tenten saw it was Yoshino. She frowned; the whole point of sending Yoshino to get the fan was so that she wouldn't come back to the fight. Why was she here?
Suddenly, the roof began to shake. A crack appeared, and then it exploded, Neji's body flying out of the dust. Catching Lee by surprise, it slashed downwards. Lee was quick enough to dodge most of the slash, and retaliated with a punch of his own. Tenten wanted to yell at him to move away. The Asura Path was lethal in close combat, considering how weapons could appear from any part of its body at any time.
She heard Yoshino call to her, and turned just as the girl tossed the fan. Tenten's hand snapped out and she caught it, relishing in the warm surge of power that ran through the fan. It had been a while since she had fought using the Bashōsen, but the intoxicating strength she felt with it in her hand made her feel completely secure with using it.
She swung it hard and fast, causing a wave of fire to spring out and hit Neji straight in the stomach. It was strong enough to send him crashing onto the ground below.
She grinned, not caring about the lack of chakra she could now feel inside her body. With the Sage of Six Paths' own weapon in her hand, the Asura Path didn't stand a chance.
A/N: Just wondering if anyone guessed that Sakura was still alive?
Thanks for all the reviews.