Raiton chakra shot into my feet and I suddenly ran towards him. A kunai firmly in my hand. Halfway there, I let it fly towards him, suddenly changed direction and attacked from the opposite direction. A letter bomb in my hand. Invisibly, it fluttered towards the ground and I pushed him in that direction before jumping back.

There was a bang. Twice, instead of once. And I realised that it must have been a simple clone. I quickly created one too and ducked to the edge of the clearing, watching what was happening intently. All my senses were sharpened to the utmost. Nothing could escape me now. For this really was a fight to the death. No one was around to help me in any way. And I didn't want that at all. Because this was MY fight, no matter how it would end.

In fact, I should have seen it coming, that a confrontation of this kind would come at some point.

Something damp touched my skin and I looked around. Father was nowhere to be seen. But in general, the visibility in the forest had visibly deteriorated. Swathes of mist drifted through it. The birds had stopped singing and somewhere nearby an eagle owl was screaming. My hands tightened around the kunai as the mist thickened. A jutsu from my father. He used the river nearby to be able to work with Suiton.

Thought he could beat me with it when I was completely blind. But there was something he didn't know. Actually, no one except Genma, because he had taught me how to stand up to an invisible opponent.

Through all the training with him, I had learned to fight blindly. And that was what I would do now.

„I will not die here", I whispered, whereupon I heard my father's laughter echoing in the trees. He seemed to be everywhere.

Suppressing the rising feeling of fear, I unknotted the headband and tied it over my eyes instead. I knew he could see my every move. At least that's what he thought. And that, to a certain extent, was my advantage. I could see almost nothing in the fog anyway, but if I concentrated on my other senses instead, they were all the sharper.

Even under the band, I closed my eyes, took in my surroundings completely. Breathed in the cool air, heard my own heart beating, shut down my breathing, concentrated entirely on my father's chakra, which suddenly appeared next to me. The air hissed. Something was coming towards me. Big, long and heavy. A sword!

With a small roll, I threw myself to the side, made a lightning-fast leg movement and hit the back of one of his knees. He staggered but caught himself and disappeared for a short time.

„I'll get you yet little monster. Don't worry," the deep, ominous voice echoed in my ears and I successfully resisted the urge to hold it to myself, though those words still hurt me terribly.

„I know you're angry. Sad and hating me more than anything," I said softly into the silence. But he did not answer.

„I would have liked to have met my mother. Maybe then everything would have been different," I added. A sudden sadness spread through me. Yes, perhaps it would have. Maybe then he wouldn't have seen me as a monster. But ... even from the beginning he had been against a child, he had increasingly resisted my birth, wanted mother to abort me.

„You were a monster from the beginning, like every shinobi with a Kekkei Genkai. You're all the same, bragging about it and killing people at random. In case you hadn't noticed, monster. ..my parents were killed by just such monsters, and all the rest of my family with them. Unprovoked."

I shook my head. No one killed for no reason. At least most of them didn't.

„Then you would have to hate Mother too, Father. She too possessed the same Kekkei Genkai as I do now," I replied coolly, dodging another sword thrust from him. But something was wrong. I hadn't felt any wind at all, nor the body heat... That wasn't him, but a shadow double.

Then I noticed the figure rising up behind me and threw my body to the side. Sharp pain shot through my thigh, but at the same time as the sword, the kunai, which I had pulled out of my pocket unnoticed by him, also found its target and bored into my father's stomach.

Groaning, we both staggered back. The wound in my thigh was anything but on the surface. Blood oozed from the wound. Quickly, hotly, it flowed down my leg and dripped onto the wet ground. Still, I couldn't let it stop me, even though the cut seemed deep.

A rush reached my ears and I realised that we must have reached the bank of the river. The cold around me eased. It almost seemed as if he was releasing the jutsu. I quickly lifted the headband and squinted into the light.

The sun was shining as if it were a wonderful carefree day and directly opposite me was Father. The spot on his hip was bathed in a deep dark red. Anger and hatred stood equally in the dark eyes as he seemed to focus me equally with them. Firmly I returned the gaze, not daring to look away.

And then they were there.

Quickly and silently. A crowd of shadow clones, surrounded me, here at the edge of the river. I had known that he had mastered this jutsu, but not to this extent. What a superiority. I could now summon my own clones, but that would consume too much chakra. A plan was needed.

In the background I recognised the silhouette of my father, who seemed to be watching what was happening. Coward. Preferring to stay in the background rather than fight me head on. I snorted. For better or worse, I had to fight my way through here before my father became the main opponent. Quickly I formed the invisible shield around me. So close that I could feel it on my skin. Now I could begin.

Frenziedly, Raiton chakra coursed through my veins, all the way to my fingertips. Now this was going to hurt. Not to me. Someone else entirely. He should see that I had learned too, and this environment was perfect for it.

„Raiton Strike," I shouted and pressed my electrified hand into the wet sand. Then everything happened furiously. All opponents standing on either sand or water were caught by the electric shock and fizzled out within a second. I also felt the power of the electricity. Although it did not penetrate the shield, it still shook it. The jutsu had been a big risk, because I didn't know how far the shield would hold.

But it had worked and that was all that mattered. Cool metal came down on my body and was blocked by my kunai at the last moment. My breathing was irregular as I braced myself, refusing to give in.

I had loosened the shield long ago, as it consumed too much chakra to be maintained any longer. The wound on his stomach was covered by a makeshift bandage, but blood gleamed through it too. The kunai seemed to have really hit him. Hurray for my accurate marksmanship. But his had also been very effective. For still, slowly but nevertheless, the blood flowed out of the wound on my thigh, as did my strength.

My opponent seemed to be in a similar situation. His arms were trembling and his eyes were glazed with pain. I had to finish this fight before my strength dwindled even more, because then it would look pretty bad.

Raiton chakra flowed into my feet, propelling the body forward, ever towards father. Then I had reached him, kicked his belly. He hadn't seen me coming, was thrown into the river. But before his body could sink, chakra gathered in his feet and he stood on the water. I gritted my teeth as he sneered at me. My hands balled into fists as the sword was raised against me again.

He wanted me to attack him. For sure. Each wanted to end it. We both knew time was running out. I exhaled deeply and placed one foot on the wild water, then the other. Unnoticed by my father, I had taken a hari out of my pocket and hidden it in my sleeve. A gift from Genma, with the promise to teach me how to handle them after my hospital stay.

But he could probably forget that. Because shortly before we had left, Tsunade had informed me that he and Shizune were also in hospital. Injured by the sudden appearance of the Oto-Nins. Another reason why I had accepted the mission so resolutely.

At the last moment, I noticed my father running towards me and attacking head-on. With the help of Raiton chakra, I was able to dodge the blows effortlessly before he made an unforeseen move and struck my injured thigh with full force. I hissed in pain as the thin burr that had formed over it burst open again and new blood flowed down my leg.

The vision blurred and gave way to the rising tears that had made their way out. A sharp pain spread across his thigh. It almost seemed as if it was burning. Against my will I sank to my knees, but was prevented from doing so by a strong hand that clamped around my throat and lifted me up mercilessly. Like a fish out of water, I gasped for air. My hands wandered disoriented in the air.

Desperately I tried to reach the hari that was stuck in my sleeve. The air was getting thinner and thinner. My father had started to laugh.

„And here it ended little monster," he whispered in my ear.

I gasped.

„No, it won't."

My hand whizzed down. I didn't know directly what I was aiming at, my vision too blurred from lack of air to see properly. Something warm came to my fingertips and a moment later the cry of pain echoed in my father's ears. I felt a rush of air before my exhausted body landed on the water.

With difficulty I managed to gather the chakra in my feet to remain halfway upright. In a blur, I saw the tall figure standing staggering in front of me. Something long and pointed was sticking out of her forearm.

„Genma. That damned man. I'll kill him. And you..."

I winced as he pulled the hari from his arm with a jerk and came at me menacingly. Despite the pain, I tried to pull myself together. But the thigh protested. Sent one glistening stab after another through my body. My head was spinning and everything began to blur.

Only in passing did I notice how he began to raise his uninjured arm, felt the draft, but didn't dare squint. Then something flung him backwards and built up directly in front of me. As if for protection.

With difficulty I blinked the tears from my eyes and straightened my weak body a little. A presence, very clearly, I could hear it behind me and instantly I felt fear that my father could have got behind me.

With trembling fingers, I grabbed my last kunai, angled the injured leg and jumped around to the opponent. But my hand was stopped. Rough and hard was the grip, but not that of a human. Surprised, I stared at the light brown element that had wrapped itself around my hand to stop the blow. The gaze wandered further and faltered at cold turquoise eyes.

Blood red hair framed the familiar face. There was a hint of surprise in his gaze, but still the voice was as cold as ever as he spoke to me.

„Let go Tora. I'm here to help."

There was a soft splash as the knife fell into the water and with immediate effect I felt the sandy grip around my hand loosen. Somewhat confused, I looked at the joint and then back at him. Still I couldn't really believe I had him in front of me. So much had happened. On top of that... he had saved my neck. The Gaara of a few months ago would never have done that.

„Why?", I asked quietly.

His cool gaze turned to me again. Firmly, I returned it, not daring to look away.

„Helping Konoha. I owe you one."

Surprise replaced disbelief as I looked at him in confusion. Good in what way? We hadn't helped him in any way. Or had we? Had the conversation between him, Naruto and me done something after all? Could that be?

„But first, I'll take care of him here."

Instantly, I came back to reality. My father had been completely eclipsed by the appearance of the red-haired Suna-nin. But now that he was becoming more present, the pain came back too and I began to tremble. My head shook as if of its own accord and I stepped one-legged into his path.

„This is my fight. You have NOTHING to do with it," I said and promptly his eyes narrowed.

„And you think you can still fight in your condition?" was his almost challenging retort. I growled softly and took a rather bouncing step towards my father before my legs snapped away too and only a long sandy arm kept my body from slapping the hard water.

„Stop interfering," I snapped at the Ninja angrily. "You have no idea what you've walked into here."

I winced slightly, however, when I heard my father's voice behind me.

„Yes, listen to the little monster who calls herself my daughter and killed her own mother," he sneered and I growled angrily, but as my gaze moved to Gaara's face I realised something had changed in it.

„Your father, then," he stated in an unreassuringly calm voice.

„This situation does seem strangely familiar to me."