A/N: Guest, I respect your opinion. However, you don't offer any specific suggestions for improvement. Thus, I can't respond to your review with anything but a shrug. What makes this story horrible? How can I fix what makes it horrible? I do my best to write well, but sometimes we all need help making our work good.

For those of you who have continued to read, I am truly thankful, and I hope that you will continue to read my work in future.

The darkness of the trees grew heavier. Leaves descended from the trees, water dripping against the old and mossy rocks. A strange, cold sensation filled the air, reminiscent of crimson eyes and the sword of Totsuka.

Mist rose across the ground.

"You asked too nervously." Kabuto tilted his head to one side.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. What the hell is up with this guy?

Kabuto's fingers laced together. "Indeed, those eyes of yours are quite terrifying… Uchiha Sasuke. If I underestimated them I'd be in trouble."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Still…" Kabuto frowned. Still, there's a chance of capturing her here. Even counting Orochimaru-sama's orders into the equation, I should attempt to take her here.

The mist rose in the air.

"Haku." Sasuke glanced sideways, her hand reaching into her pouch and drawing out the scroll.

"Yes?"

"Can you use your Demonic Ice Mirrors technique?"

"The Hidden Mist Technique prevents that." Haku sighed quietly.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "How so?"

"The whole technique relies on the transmission of an image. I can't do that if the mirrors are frosted over." Haku shuddered quietly. "In the worst case, the image's distortion could result in my death as the mirror reflects me improperly."

"So in other words, this is my fight alone." Sasuke looked upward, her hand rising above the scroll.

"In short."

"…I see."

"Should you really be so unconcerned? You are in the middle of a battlefield." Kabuto pushed his glasses up on his nose, studying the pair. His brown eyes narrowed slightly.

"You can't see."

Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "But I can hear you."

Sasuke smirked. "That won't be a problem…"

Kabuto frowned.

"For a second, think about it from my perspective. You can't see… that's more than enough of a handicap for your type of character. Even assuming you're not really a genin or whatever, there's no way you'd have trained for a situation like this." Sasuke reached downward. She unclipped the scroll, grasping the scroll's center.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed. "Even if I can hear?"

"Even then."

Kabuto lifted his fingers. He closed his hand, forming a final seal. In terms of normal thinking, she's not incorrect. Snakes descended through the white robes.

Sasuke's lips curled upward. She clenched her fists, preparing for the battle.

Even I can't change my fighting style that much at once—it's a completely illogical kind of conclusion that I would have trained for a situation where I couldn't see. It'd be ineffective under ordinary circumstances, and therefore useless to train for in the one-in-a-million scenario. There are more efficient ways to train. On top of that, I'm not really suited to battle. Kabuto's eyes narrowed. However. The same is not true of my snakes. They won't be hindered by this type of mist. You shouldn't overlook them so easily… The possibility of a summon will automatically render your mist useless, something you should have thought about before now. Kabuto pressed his fingers to the ground.

A seal formed beneath Kabuto's hand, blood dripping onto the black lines.

Sasuke's eyes widened. He's summoning?

A puff of smoke sounded across the grass. A creature moved in hushed silence through the grass.

The best counter to this mist is a summon… But if we remove it, we can't get him. What should I do? Sasuke frowned, her hands pressing together as she studied the dark form.

Haku frowned. I could remove the mist…

Sasuke gestured, forming several symbols in Leaf secret communications.

Haku read the fingers quickly. Hrm…

Don't remove it. I've got a plan.

Haku's eyes narrowed.

Here we go…

Sasuke's fingers laced together. Her arm drew backward. Lightning danced around the fingers. I think I can get him like this. Haku… can you concentrate the water for a little bit? She gestured with her free hand.

Haku's fingers laced together.

A web of water spread outward.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed.

"Here we go. Can you hear me… Kabuto-san? I'm going to take you down for sure." Sasuke drew back her arm, lightning crackling up and down from the closed palm.

Crackling lightning gathered around the hand.

Kabuto tensed. I recognize this technique. It's...

Sasuke's hand slammed into the water.

The lightning sparks danced around the hand.

Sasuke gasped. "What?!"

It's not that easy…

The lightning faded. Sasuke's hand descended, the bandages smoking and burning with the energy released.

It's truly not that easy. To pass that limit… Well, pure water can't be so easily contained. Lightning won't pass through pure water.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

Even then, it's risky… It's risky to let you realize your mistake. You certainly can't do things quite so easily.

The snake snapped outward toward Sasuke.

Sasuke's body tensed.

The fangs dug into the shoulder.

Poison passed into the veins.

Sasuke reached upward with her left hand. Blood seeped through the shoulder pad and into the tunic. Shit. I'm really in some major trouble. Sasuke's hand drew backward. Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"You're probably out of shots. Even if not, you can't take that kind of risk…" Kabuto smirked.

Sasuke's beaten face grew heavy with sadness. "…Shut up."

The lightning-clad arm drew back.

The image of the curse seal crossed the face, a twisting black tattoo.

Kabuto's eyes widened.

The body rushed forward.

Sasuke screamed. Sasuke's arm swung around. "Chidori!"

The kind of risk…

Sasuke's arm swung around.

I can't imagine any ordinary person going to these lengths! She's really quite unique, in this world! Kabuto lunged forward. His foot, clad in the shoe, sent the strike flying downward.

The blue lightning dashed downward.

The blood poured downward.

Sasuke collapsed.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed. His hand pierced through Sasuke's shoulder. A small portion of crushed leaf powder drove into the open wound. Though I'd like to kill her now, I was given specific instructions. In addition, there's the fact of her brother. Kabuto removed his hand from Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke fell motionless, her body shaking.

The mist faded.

"Sorry, but… I simply must be going."

The body dissipated.

Flames consumed the body.

Haku scowled. She knelt, reaching into her pocket. I still have some of my needles left. For now, I can stop your wounds from bleeding further. She pierced through Sasuke's forehead, driving the needles in.

Sasuke lay motionless, the poison taking its toll.