Chapter 23: Sasuke vs Gaara Round 2
Sasuke chased after Gaara and his siblings as they carried him off to do whatever they had planned. Soon he caught up to them and they spotted.
"Its Uchiha!" Temari said.
She and Kankuro stopped on a tree branch as they looked back and saw their pursuer stop at the one behind. Temari turned to Kankuro.
"Keep going, get Gaara out of here!" she said.
"But Temari…"
"Do it!" she ordered her brother.
He took their younger sibling on his shoulder and she turned to face their opponent.
Bad luck to have to go up against this Uchiha kid when I used up so much chakra, Temari thought.
Sasuke leapt, throwing kunai as he did so. She easily repelled them with her fan, he then resorted to his fire style jutsu which was strong against her wind, or should have been. She managed to blow the fireball back thanks to her chakra power being greater and boosted by her fan. He tried another set of kunai but she sent those back with her fan and they pierced him. But as he hit the ground and she approached, his body gave a sharp poof and turned into a log. Was just a substitution, a substitution with a paper bomb attached to it!
Temari's eyes widened and she leapt back just enough to avoid the worst of the explosion. But she was still knocked off her feet.
Sasuke looked down at her as she recovered. "I've wasted enough time with you."
He then leapt off to go after her brothers. Soon he caught up with Kankuro who still supported the unconscious Gaara. Kankuro looked over his shoulder and saw Sasuke coming, quickly followed by Temari. She leapt around him and tried to take Sasuke on again but seeing her pant, Kankuro stepped forward.
"Temari, you've used up too much of your chakra from your match. Let me deal with him," Kankuro said.
Temari knew he was right. "Be careful," she said to the elder of her two younger brothers.
She took Gaara and leapt off as Kankuro faced Sasuke.
"Doesn't matter to me who I fight," Sasuke said.
Kankuro got out his puppet set.
"Excuse me," a new voice said.
They looked at its source and saw-
"Shino!" Sasuke exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Aiding a comrade," the bug user said. "You are here to finish you match with Gaara correct? I have some business to settle with Kankuro."
He looked at the puppet user through his eyes, though it was impossible to read his emotions with the dark glasses covering the eyes and the jacket covering his mouth. Was he glaring at Kankuro?
"Will you be okay on your own?" Sasuke asked in concern.
Shino was one of the quiet ones from the academy, like Sasuke. Though they'd never really interacted, Sasuke held nothing against Shino, aside from finding the bugs he had a little gross. But he was still a comrade, and Sasuke appreciated the help he was being offered.
"We shall see," Shino said. "The life of a ninja is one filled with risks. But your mission is to stop Gaara. Go."
Sasuke nodded, silently hoping Shino would be alright. He then continued after Temari and Gaara once again.
By the time he caught up once again, Gaara had awoken.
"You're awake now lets get down to business!" Sasuke said as he spotted them on a tree branch.
"Gaara! Go, I'll hold him off!" Temari said.
"Noo!" Gaara roared as he struck his own sister.
She fell and landed on bush below. Gaara then began writhing in pain and suddenly transformed. His teeth sharpened and the sand coated half his body, causing him to take on a yellowish animal like appearance with black markings. He began to cackle maniacally and looked at Sasuke, the bloodlust in his eyes on a whole new level.
"Come, Sasuke Uchiha he called!"
Sasuke glared, fear inside him but he kept it under control.
"Fine then, I'm just dying to know what you really are!" he said.
Gaara laughed and leapt at him. Sasuke dodged the attack.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Sasuke sent a series of small flame bursts at Gaara who merely raised his transformed hand. The sand making up the transformation completely negated any damage.
Dammit, that's even going to be a decent distraction.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
He sent out his more signature jutsu out at his enemy, but the same result happened.
"Is that all you got?" Gaara taunted.
Suddenly another transformation occurred, the sand seeming to grow out of his back end to form a tail.
How many things are going to grow out of him? Sasuke wondered.
Then Gaara flung sand out from his arm at a faster rate then before and hit Sasuke, who was thrown back. The Uchiha looked up just in time to see Gaara leapt at him again. He barely managed to roll out of the way and land on another branch below.
"What's the matter, Sasuke Uchiha?" Gaara asked. "Are you afraid of me. Why don you use that technique you used last time?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth. He could only use Chidori twice a day and he'd already used it once during the round at the Chunin Exams. If he used it once more he'd be running close to empty. But it was his only chance. His fire styles weren't working. He had to use the Chidori a second time.
He quickly did the hand seals and took hold of his right arm with his left for stability. Chidori began crackling in his hand once again and he looked at Gaara. They flew at each other again, Sasuke's sharingan allowed him to see where his enemy would strike and react accordingly.
His attack cut through Gaara's transformed arm. Temari watched in disbelief.
Gaara has never been wounded before and he did it twice!
Sasuke smirked, sure he was victorious after cutting through Gaara's arm. He looked back to see his enemy fall, except Gaara was simply standing there with a grin on his face as he looked at his arm… which was reforming out of sand!
Gaara laughed. "Yes! Yes! Destroying you will truly prove my existence, no one has ever managed to wound me before and you did it twice! Again!"
He leapt at Sasuke and knocked him back. Gaara then stood before him.
"Get up! Come on! Get up!"
When Sasuke didn't, Gaara looked down at him with disappointment.
"What's the matter Uchiha? Don't have anything left?"
Sasuke panted hard, it was true, he had nothing left to fight with. If he tried to use Chidori one more time it wouldn't work, and it could kill him. Of course, it was obvious he was going to die anyway now unless some miracle happened. Or he… Sasuke gritted his teeth. He had only one option left that might at least enable him to survive.
Flee.
It was the only logical course of action he had left now. With his chakra nearly completely gone and none of his tools able to penetrate his enemy's defenses, that was all he had left.
He'd need a distraction though to get away.
He didn't have time to finish his thoughts as Gaara thrusted at him again, swinging his massive paw. Sasuke leapt back, barely managing to dodge in time. He leapt through the trees to hide. Then weaving some quick hand signs he created a clone to distract Gaara. It was his only chance, the clone would have to buy him time to get away. Whatever Gaara was was beyond even Sasuke's ability, but maybe Kakashi and the others could stop? That was probably their only chance.
His clone leapt at Gaara while Sasuke leapt among the trees back in the direction of the village. Gaara saw the clone and wiped at it. It flicked and died.
A clone. He thought.
Looking around he saw Sasuke fleeing and gave chase.
"Too bad, you were a good opponent, but the time has come for you to become my prey! I'll give you credit though, you did what no one else could."
He leapt among the trees, soon managing to catch up with Sasuke who gritted his teeth. Fleeing had been his only option and it looked like that wasn't going to work either.
"Sasuke!" a familiar voice called out.
Sasuke looked ahead and saw to his absolute relief that his teammates were approaching. Naruto and Sakura leapt at remarkable speed toward him. Suddenly Gaara lashed out behind him, hitting a branch that had been just above Sasuke's head a split second ago. Sasuke flinched, knowing another instant could be the end of him.
"Hang on Sasuke, we're coming!" Sakura said.
Sasuke leapt at the next tree just across from them. At the same Naruto leapt at that tree and thrusted out with his foot. Gaara was hit in the jaw as he had been too focused on trying to kill Sasuke that he hadn't noticed Naruto and Sakura's arrival.
Sasuke panted.
"You okay?" Sakura asked as she landed next to him.
"He's… too strong," Sasuke said. "I couldn't beat him."
"Maybe not alone," Sakura said. "But that's why we fight as a team. You're strong by yourself, but you're stronger when you have friends by your side."
"Yeah, Team 7 is back!" Naruto said. "And we got your back Sasuke."
Sasuke looked at his friends. He could still move at least, but he was completely out of chakra. He felt the urge to tell them it would be best to retreat. But knowing Naruto, he would not listen. Thinking back to the confrontation they'd had with Orochimaru, Sasuke steeled himself. This was no different. He had to face his brother one day, sooner or later. If he could not face Gaara, he could never hope to face Itachi either.
"Right," Sasuke said.
They turned and faced their monstrous enemy who glared at them with his two faced eyes that both held a mad look in them.
Well had to make a make a few changes here like Sasuke not trying to use Chidori another time since he didn't have the curse mark to give him a little boost this time. But now he's going to be able to fight with Naruto and Sakura against Gaara. Will Sakura be a damsel in distress this time around with her being stronger? Or will she be able to help a bit more? Will Naruto having a curse mark make him kill Gaara? Wait and see in a couple weeks.