A/N: Okay guys, great news! We're caught up to ao3 now! So, from this point on, the chapters will be published weekly every Sunday, with interludes/extra stuff being published every Wednesday. Well, it's probably not good news for u guys since you have to wait a week for new content instead of a day. Oh well, it's still an update that you all definitely need to know. Anyway, enjoy the chp, Lytn out o7

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Twenty — Your Chakra ~ ?￢ﾜ ?ￂﾠ

It'd been over an hour and nobody else woke up. I hit her too hard… murmured Kusari, cursing herself. For that same amount of time, she never dared to deactivate her Byakugan. She could feel her reserves starting to wane.

No, she couldn't allow herself to rest. Keeping guard was all she could do, as well as making sure her allies didn't die. Naruto's wounds seemed to heal on their own; he needed minimal attention. Sasuke and Gosei weren't all that physically hurt; it seemed that their attacker wanted to keep them intact.

It was a miracle that she wasn't in as terrible a state as Naruto was. All she had to do was pull the wooden needles and splinters from her face—even still, some were too small for her to deal with. Kusari's lungs ached as she sighed. From behind her, her Byakugan detected motion. Sakura shifted. Finally.

Sakura's eyes opened slowly, and Kusari found it wise to turn and face her. "Sorry I had to knock you unconscious… you were panicking and I didn't know what else to do."

"Ah…" she muttered, rubbing the spot on her neck where Kusari struck her. Sakura shook her head slowly to gain her bearings. "It's fine…" Suddenly, she gasped. "Is everyone okay?!"

"They're all alive," answered Kusari, before a dark expression crossed her face. "Shinrai hasn't come back."

Sakura looked toward the rest of Team 7 and Gosei. Her head tilted with concern. "Did you heal them?"

"No, I'm not a medic. I had basic first aid on hand." Kusari turned her back to Sakura and kept her main attention on the battlefield outside.

"Who's the medic on Team 5? You guys should have one by now," asked Sakura.

Kusari winced. "Shinrai…"

"Ah." She forced a smile. "Well, I'm the medic on Team 7!"

"Good, now heal them," ordered Kusari quickly. "Sasuke looks to be the most injured from what I can see with my Byakugan."

"Okay." Sakura wasted no time with hovering her hands over Sasuke's wounds. In his troubled sleep, he calmed under the influence of the medical green. "Gosei has the same weird mark on his neck that Sasuke does… any idea what it is?"

"Nothing," muttered Kusari.

Sakura nodded stiffly and continued to heal. Kusari sighed and continued to keep watch.

—⊱✿⊰—

Just then, nothing mattered more than her.

Coal-black eyes drifted to her smiling lips and his heart skipped a beat, nervousness creeping at him again. Senses heightened, the details of her thin, pale pink lips sent an exciting shiver down his spine.

His grip loosened, and he fell back first into one of the massive blades of grass. Yora stood, continuing to twirl with her hair swirling around her like a gown. Shinrai looked up with a smile. "I could kiss you right now."

Yora's face flushed a potent shade of red as she looked down at him. "Uh…"

"My bad… intrusive thought—" he attempted to excuse himself.

"No, no…" she began, pursing her lips. "The feeling… is…"

Shinrai looked up intently. No way…

"...mutual…" she admitted, barely above a peep.

He shook his head incredulously. "You're fucking with me."

"I'm not!" she exclaimed, somehow turning even redder.

"Really?!" questioned Shinrai in disbelief.

Yora sputtered. "Just come here and find out for yourself!"

Shinrai's eyes widened with nervous excitement. He got to his feet, and looked down at the heavily flushed Yora, her scarlet eyes alit with anticipation. He stared into her anticipation for a blissful eternity.

Both of their eyelids shut, and they moved forward. Yora's lips met with his… It was only for a second, she pulled back and used her hands to cover her blush. Shinrai paused. "Uhh did I do something wrong—?"

"Did I?!" she questioned in return. "Sorry—I've never done anything like this before!"

"I haven't either, but I've thought about it at least a hundred times a day so I think I have something in mind…?"

Yora giggled, dropping her hands. Her face was almost redder than her eyes, her midnight hair disheveled in front with stray strands of silk. Shinrai just… looked. He could barely fathom how someone like her could exist…

Why was she so perfect?

How was she so beautiful?

And what made her like a guy like him?

Not that he was complaining… not in the slightest. He stepped forward, she stepped forward. Both of them closed their eyes. Their lips met again… they were cold, hard, sharp—Shinrai opened his eyes to see a midnight Grass Cutter in his hands.

He was alone in the forest of grass.

"Yora…" he muttered. The chakra in the blade danced and the wind whirled around him.

Everything was cold.

Fuck… muttered Shinrai, expecting everything to ache as he awoke. But no, everything was perfectly fine. Well, not everything—not even close. Just his body was fine. A weird occurrence considering that Orochimaru took him. He had no idea where he was. All these fucking memories rushing into his head made it ache. But—

"Your chakra…" said a voice—a girl's voice. It made him calm by the tone… but no—he had to stay on guard.

"I like the way it feels. It's hot and warm like a fire, yet there are spots where it feels cold. It reaches out to others while hiding itself at the same time. So shrouded, yet shown. It's the perfect mix of dark and light… I can't help but be drawn to it."

Her words gave Shinrai pause, but he didn't twitch or move a muscle. That made her chuckle. "I know you're awake."

He sighed in defeat before opening his eyes. The girl didn't look at him; all he could see was her back and the rose-red hair that covered it. Her eyes were fixated on the river they were next to. The running water was silent—with the stars hidden by the ever present overcast sky. "How?"

"I'm a sensor, that's how I got a read on your chakra."

Shinrai sat up, not showing that he heard her answer. Instead, he pulled the makeshift seal from his pocket. It still glowed… which meant that Naruto was alive. A sigh of relief escaped his breath.

He looked toward the girl and noticed her clothes. She showed a lot of skin, a short top that covered her upper back, presumably her chest as well. A triangular flow drifted down the center of her back, coming to a point right above her butt. The incredibly short shorts she wore showed the top of it… from the way she sat, he could see her thighs, her calves, all the way down until where her sandals wrapped around her ankles.

Shinrai bit his tongue to focus. With a deep breath, he asked, "What happened to the man that took me?"

"I don't know," she answered quickly. "I just found you on the forest floor, alone. I decided to save you because I could sense that you're an Uzumaki, just like I am."

"You are?!" asked Shinrai; a small smile managed to cross his face.

She looked back at him and Shinrai paused. Now that he could see her face, he could tell that she was older than him… not by a lot, maybe a year or two. Glasses framed her floral firework eyes, rose-red like her hair. The skin of her face had not a single imperfection or blemish. Her lips were full and the features of her face were sharp. She's hot.

Her eyes narrowed, almost disappointedly. Then she went silent with contemplation… lastly, she sighed. "I'm Karin."

"Shinrai," he said in kind with a tilt of his head.

Her eyes narrowed further and she looked down. "What's your story?"

"Oh." He shook his head. "I don't know where to start…" Shinrai cleared his throat. "I have a brother—"Baiko… Shinrai shook his head again as cold showered him. "I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she assured, scooting herself next to him. It was just close enough to where their shoulders touched. "My story's hard to tell, too."

"Makes sense." He let out a sigh. "Where's your team?"

She seemed to wince. "They got left behind; it's just me now."

Shinrai frowned. "Need help passing?"

"No, I'll be fine." A moment passed. "Where did you get those Grass Cutters from?"

Cold gripped Shinrai again. Karin's body blocked him from grabbing Yora's hilt. "Somebody I used to know… Are you from Grass?"

"I used to be." From a puff of smoke on her wrist, a Grass Cutter curved like a vine with thorns spiking from the metal of the blade appeared. "This is my Grass Cutter."

"That's cool as fuck."

She chuckled again. "Thank you."

"How strong are you? Since you think you can pass the exams by yourself and all."

"I don't think I'm weak." She looked away from him and toward her feet. Her toenails were painted a darker red.

Shinrai scoffed, shaking his head away from her nails. "Neither do I."

"Do you have the special chakra?" Karin asked, deeper into her thoughts than the conversation.

Shinrai shrugged, shaking his head. "I hope so… I really want the Adamantine Chains."

"Ah… sometimes the ability is subtle, so you'll have to pay attention to discover it."

"Do you have it?"

She outstretched her hand and a single Adamantine gold chain fell from her palm. It had an unusually green glow outlining it.

"Of fucking course." A smile crossed his face as he shook his head. "So, you must've been through extreme emotional trauma, eh?"

Her brows furrowed as she looked back at him. "Huh—?"

"That's how Ms. Miya said you get them. I guess I just haven't been traumatized enough."

"Miya… Miya Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, you've heard of her?"

She retracted her chain. "Of course I have…" She sighed. "Well, I guess trauma isn't incorrect, but it's not how my mother told me about it."

With curiosity, he leaned forward to listen. Karin responded by placing her hand on top of Shinrai's hand. Her nails were the same dark red as her toes. It was just as flawless as the rest of her skin. It didn't even feel like a Shinobi's hand.

"She described it as an immense desire to protect someone or something you care about. For me… it was myself—my dignity… if you have the special chakra, then you'll awaken the chains when you need them."

"I hope so…" Shinrai muttered with a sigh. "What ability does your chakra give you?"

Before she answered, she gripped his hand tighter before taking it off to grab a kunai. "My chakra has powerful healing properties." She used the kunai and cut her arm. Not a deep one at all. Shinrai watched curiously as the wound glowed green and healed itself within seconds. Not even a scar remained.

Shinrai gaped with awe. "You're so cool…"

"Thank you," she responded quickly before licking her lips.

"We should spar! Since you can regenerate like that—and since I don't care about getting hit—neither of us need to hold back!" proposed Shinrai with a grin.

"No…" she declined. "I still feel pain, y'know."

"But if you can cut yourself like that, then you're used to it, right?"

"That doesn't mean I enjoy it."

Shinrai slumped back a bit. "Ah, makes sense. I always enjoyed pain… I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all."

"What about this feeling?"

Shinrai looked toward her with a raised brow—before he knew it, her hand grabbed the back of his head, and she pulled his head close until their lips connected. All Shinrai could do was freeze as Karin pressed her lips into his. Her hands kept his head still, making sure he didn't move even an inch… not that he'd want to.

After a bit, she let go, and Shinrai was left with the dampness of her lips left on his. His whole body was cold with shock, confusion, and something akin to elation. He simply trembled as he stared into her firework eyes. "You should go. You have a team to return to, right?"

"Yeah… but you don't. You're not going to come with?" he managed to ask.

She shook her head. "No, I said I'll be fine—just go," she pushed.

Confused, he stood up and stretched. "I'm going to find you after I'm out this damned forest."

Karin hung her head low. "Just don't mention me."

"Why…?"

"Just don't."

Shinrai shrugged. Despite his confusion, he smiled at her. "See ya, Karin!"

"Goodbye… Shinrai."

With that, he flickered into the trees. He sat… gathering the bearings that Karin's kiss knocked all over the floor. That… that was his first kiss. It was not what he expected at all. But Karin was hot, and it felt nice, so he considered it a success! But also, she just forced him to leave afterward and refused to come with. Odd. I need to find everyone, anyway.

They should still be with Naruto, so, If I find Naruto, I'll find them. Shinrai veiled himself in a Genjutsu before his Sharingan whirled to life. His chakra flared into the seal that connected him with Naruto, and from there he knew exactly where to go. He blurred toward them in a scarlet flicker.

—⊱✿⊰—

Kusari's Byakugan caught something. In Naruto's body his chakra flickered, with chakra that wasn't even his own. It was… "Shinrai!"

Blinking, Sakura shook her head as she ceased healing. "What? What about him?"

"He's communicating through Naruto," she explained, putting all of her attention on Naruto's unconscious body. Sakura only seemed more confused. Kusari quickly placed her hand on the core of Naruto's chakra and sent her own through.

A beat of nothing passed and he responded back. It was code… spelling out her name in a questioning manner. Kusari sent one back, describing the situation to him. After a bit, he responded with an, 'I'm on my way.'

"Shinrai's coming," informed Kusari with a breath of relief. She looked down at Naruto, he was still unconscious with no sign of waking up soon.

Sakura seemed similarly relieved. "That's good to hear. Are you going to leave when he comes?"

"Probably," she answered honestly. "I can't let you all hold us back."

Sakura responded with a resigned nod. "What scroll do you have?"

"I have no reason to tell you," Kusari said quickly.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "You have the Byakugan, I know you know that we have the Heaven Scroll. Since you haven't tried to make any moves… I assume that you have the same."

"Or I'm extending my kindness to you," suggested Kusari.

Sakura went silent for a bit, clenching her fists over her legs. "If you are… then thank you—so much. I truly appreciate it."

"You're welcome."

Sakura's eyes widened, then she looked away. A sigh escaped her breath. Silence fell as time passed, Kusari was deep in focus. A team of Oto Genin entered her range. Of course, teams would pass by, come and go… but this one lingered. They even seemed to approach them.

"Sakura, a team is approaching," Kusari informed.

She cursed. "Who are they?"

"Otogakure Genin, two male, one female, their strength is average… I should be able to take them on," she informed.

Sakura's brow rose. "What do you mean 'I?' I'm right here."

"I'm not confident in your strength," said Kusari dismissively as she stood, preparing for battle.

With a glare, Sakura clenched her fists. "Y'know, I'm really tired of everyone writing me off!" Sakura stood. "I'm going to fight with you. No argument."

Kusari looked back to face Sakura. Both girls' expressions were hard, but Kusari had the stone of critique while Sakura had the ire of determination. "Alright," was all Kusari said.

It was enough for Sakura; she prepared herself for battle. Together they got their weapons in order, warmed up their chakra and their bodies, even taking anything the three unconscious boys had to use for themselves.

"How long until they get here?" asked Sakura as they finished up.

Kusari cracked her knuckles. "Five minutes."

"Okay, I'll veil the area in a Genjutsu. To them, nobody will be in here," explained Sakura.

A thoughtful tilt hit Kusari's head. "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

"To save chakra for my medical ninjutsu," she reasoned. "I don't have the most chakra to work with."

Kusari used her Byakugan to peer into Sakura's reserves. "I can see."

"Literally…" she murmured before walking out of the trunk and weaving hand seals. "Veil of Invisibility." Sakura's chakra spread throughout the area, and the Genjutsu was active. A prideful smirk crossed her face. "Now we're invisible!"

"To anyone without a Dojutsu," corrected Kusari.

Sakura let out an annoyed sigh as she walked back in. "Now, we wait."

Five minutes passed and the Oto Genin arrived. One was wrapped in bandages like a mummy—he led the other two into the small clearing. Other one was a brunette girl, the last one was a brash-looking boy.

"Didn't you say they were here, Dosu?" asked the girl.

The leader grunted. "I heard the conversation here."

"Did'jya hear wrong?" questioned the other boy.

Dosu's gaze turned sharp on him. "Do you dare suggest that my hearing is wrong, Zaku?"

"Yes, I do—" He screamed out as sixty-four of his chakra were sealed shut. The girl's eyes widened, but she didn't have the opportunity to react before a fist of rock pummeled her skull into the ground. Immediately, Dosu boomed the area with sound waves. Sakura was hit and the Genjutsu was released.

"Nice trick…" he murmured. "It won't happen a second time."

"Because we won't need to use it," spat Kusari before rushing Dosu. Sakura did the same from the opposite direction; both of his flanks were covered. Kusari saw the chakra in the contraptions on his arms vibrate—like sound waves. That's it.

The waves boomed once again. Sakura erected a mud wall to protect herself—surprisingly enough it was shattered. The bones in Kusari's body rattled, but she managed to keep herself standing. From above, a crater fist rained down toward Dosu. He dodged, but Kusari kept pace with him. Her Juken struck his sound chamber at the same time his fist hit her jaw. The moment it did, sound rattled her jaw and her eardrums burst.

Kusari sucked her teeth and leapt back. The pain… the nausea… it was nothing compared to the clawing of the caged bird. She leapt forward and struck him in the chest with the Juken. From behind, another crater fist hit his spine. When Dosu counter-attacked, it was toward air, an area of nothing. The sound waves still blew Kusari back, but she kept her footing and charged.

Dosu was unrelenting on his assault of nothingness. Kusari spared a glance toward Sakura and she winked back at her. With a short set of hand seals, lightning enveloped Kusari's palm as she struck out. "Electric Bolt!"

Concentrated voltage struck out toward Dosu in a bolt—a gigantic gust of wind cut it short. Kusari's Byakugan pulsed to find the source, but nothing came to her eyes. Sakura yelled at her to "WATCH OUT!"

A kick sent her flying to the ground head first. Kusari got back up immediately, but another surge of wind blew her backward. Sakura was struck by a bolt of lightning which knocked her unconscious immediately.

Kusari made a gamble and allowed her Byakugan to recede. An unspeakable fury rose within her once she saw her assailants. Shivua didn't do a damned thing either.

"Kumo…" growled Kusari. In front of her stood three Kumogakure Genin. A tall boy with a bald head and tanned skin. A girl with amber hair and eyes. In front of them all, was a girl with pale skin and bloodshot, Ketsuryugan eyes.

"Your eyes are useless here," said the pale girl—member of the Chinoike. "Are you a Branch Member or Main?"

Kusari didn't respond. She only connected her rage to the foreign rage inside. Fury and utter murderous intent spewed out toward the Kumo nin. "Come one step closer and nobody will be able to recognize your corpses."

The amber girl stepped back. "Clowui… I don't like this."

"She is not a target… she is from Konoha… so we must kill her," said the Chinoike girl.

The bald boy smirked. "There's no way this girl can beat us on her own."

"This is your final warning to leave," spat Kusari as it rose up within her. The rage of Shivua… marginally under her control. Ancient chakra and pure malice radiated from her, blowing dust in the wind.

The bald boy's smirk only grew—but Kusari didn't need her Byakugan to see the breaking of his expression. She looked him in the eyes and glared. His smirk broke into a shocked expression of terror.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Dosu charge. Kusari blitzed him with the Ingoken. A simple strike to his torso erased it into a slush of gore. His disembodied head and arms collapsed to the floor along his lower body.

Kusari—covered in his blood—trembled with fury and looked toward the Kumo ninja. All of which besides Clowui were enveloped with terror. "I've never seen that technique before…" She tilted her head. "Our ally will be interested in you."

"Five…" began Kusari. "Four…"

Clowui's Ketsuryugan glowed. The blood covering Kusari glowed into confines. In a moment, Clowui was in front of her with a blood-soaked kunai. "I'll present you to him."

Chakra burst from Kusari, destroying the bloody restraints as she kneed Clowui in the gut. The Ingoken shrouded Kusari's palm—Clowui stabbed Kusari's palm. The Ingoken shattered the kunai effortlessly, the shards dug into Kusari's palm while the excess chakra from the attack peeled the skin from Clowui's hand.

Her Ketsuryugan glowed as she jumped back. Clowui weaved hand seals even as Kusari stayed upon her. "Blood Style: Bleeding Edge Jet!" A jet of consecrated blood shot from Clowui's mouth. It impaled Kusari through the side.

The Blood Dragon Eyes bled as Kusari felt the foreign blood combine itself with her own. Clowui commanded Kusari to kneel. "I am in control of your blood; you can do nothing now."

"You Kumo bastard!" roared Kusari as she forced her hand to clench into a fist. Clowui glared and Kusari glared back tenfold. Her breath accelerated and her heart raced. Shivua…

The fury within her spiked. Help me kill her.

With a scream Kusari leapt to her feet, much to Clowui's shock and finally horror. The Ingoken inches away from her face was grabbed by a hand. The amber girl's hand grabbed Kusari's wrist with a maw of pitch violet. Kusari's chakra was absorbed and nothing but a regular palm struck Clowui's nose. The strength of the blow was enough to knock her to the floor. Kusari rounded on the amber girl with a kick to the side. She prepared another Ingoken with her free hand.

The amber girl struck out with her own palm, and another maw of darkness absorbed the chakra. Frustration rose and Kusari retrieved a kunai. She prepared to slash out the girl's neck, but a gust of wind from above held her down.

A cut to the back of her knee brought her to her knees. "ROTATION!" screamed Kusari as she spun. All three Kumo Genin were knocked back. Kusari ignored the failing of her severed leg and pounced on the nearest one—the bald one. Ingoken shrouded her hand and the boy frantically spat out a gust of wind. It stalled her for long enough to where he weaved a lengthy series of hand seals.

"Typhoon Style: Category Three Winds!"

The trees in the forest of death cracked as the unrelenting wind and rain pelted Kusari. Her cut leg gave out and she was flung far into a tree. The bark shattered and splinters embedded itself in her skin. That didn't stop her from getting up. With a limp leg, teared skin, and many wounds she stood against the three ahead of her.

"I… will… kill you all," she promised.

The bald boy managed a smirk. "It's not looking like that."

"She may not kill you… but I will."

From behind the Kumo Genin, a violent violet aura whipped in a double helix. Shrouded in the darkness, twin crimson eyes glowed with two tomoe each. The figure vanished and so did the aura. A kick to the bald boy's spine snapped it in half. His visceral screams rang throughout the forest.

"CIRRU!" yelled the amber girl—a fist to her skull broke her nose and left her unconscious. Clowui cursed and narrowly dodged a strike from Sasuke's fist. It was marked with the Cursed Seals of Heaven. Kusari barely saw it with her eyes, but a similar mark grew on Clowui's neck as she dashed toward the amber girl.

Sasuke's Sharingan whirled as he tracked her. His eyes narrowed, marks grew on Clowui's face, and down her arm. Cursed Marks of Blood. "Be grateful that I needed to leave, Hyuuga." In a flicker, she picked up her other teammate—then she left, leaving nothing but lightning behind.

Heavy breaths ravaged Kusari as she forced her rage to subside. "Sasuke…" With her Byakugan, she looked into his system and saw vile chakra taking a hold of his own. Along with something else… something that made Shivua rage.

"Kusari…" he greeted in kind. Sick chuckles rattled his breath. "Y'know… we never finished that rematch."

She barely had time to process the threat before she was kicked through the massive tree. It collapsed and allowed for something of a barrier between Kusari and Sasuke. As expected, none of her bones broke. However, splinters embedded her peeling skin more than ever.

It was… infuriating. Kusari ignored the bleeding as she clenched her fists. She didn't want to use Shivua's power against an ally, but if Sasuke's gone mad, then she might need to in order to keep her life. Shivua hated something about him as well… the same way it hated something in Naruto and the Heiress.

Using its power would be risky because she might lose control. But, if it came down to her or Sasuke… there would not be a time where she chose Sasuke. She allowed Shivua's fury to flow through her and empower her.

Just in time, it seemed as Sasuke burned through the tree with a supercharged fireball. He fought against himself, trembling with laughter—he was maniacal. "YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME KUSARI!"

She sucked her teeth and slid into the stance of the Juken. Her injured leg gave out and her vision blurred from the pouring blood—streaming from her side and wherever splinters embedded itself into her. A gut punch from Sasuke would've sent her flying had she not held on. The Impact rattled her bones and pushed blood out of her open wounds.

The Juken supercharged a kick that she drove into Sasuke's side. He paused, even if it was for a moment. She drove a palm to the base of this neck, to close off his airway. His fist bashed her skull and she flew off like a rag doll. Even months later, her head was still a weak spot.

A writhing agony overtook her. She had no time to console it—another strike needed to be dodged. Kusari leapt up to the tree and bolted. Sasuke leapt up to follow, but she leapt to the next tree and over the burning one. A gigantic fireball—double her size—followed behind her. Her Byakugan pulsed and she saw a dozen weak points, but no time to exploit them.

She collapsed into the clearing in where the rest of everyone was, bracing for impact. Instead of fire, she was enveloped by steam and drops of water. Kusari faced Sasuke but her vision was focused on the boy right behind her.

A violent violet chakra ravaged his chakra system—just like it did to Sasuke. But the fury, the malice it was contained. Cursed Marks of Earth shackled him with darkness over his skin. "Kusari… are you alright?"

"I'm not an enemy, Gosei!" she strained, her heart pounded in her ears—she could barely take on one—two was entirely out of the question.

"I know… This power, it's Senjutsu. It's been Corrupted—BASTARDIZED!" yelled Gosei. His tone made even Kusari flinch. He wasn't in his right mind exactly either… "As a Senju, I'll have better control over this power than he could dream of having."

Sasuke cackled as he watched Gosei approach him. "So… you're game, Senju?"

"I will defeat you, Uchiha."

Sasuke was the first to charge but he rammed into a sudden wall of earth. A fist from Gosei shattered the wall—the supercharged impact sent Sasuke flying. Gosei didn't need hand seals to spit a massive volume of water toward Sasuke. He screamed as his Sharingan whirled—a burst of chakra from the curse freed him.

"FIRE STYLE! GREAT PHOENIX FIREBALLS!"

Six human sized fireballs burst out from Sasuke's mouth. Gosei formed a dome of water from the soaked ground. The fireballs boomed on the surface but a dozen shuriken from each fireball cut through and sliced Gosei to ribbons.

He screamed and used two hand seals to form the water into a blade. "WATER STYLE! AQUATIC CUTTER!"

Sasuke leapt over the attack and dashed toward Gosei. The Senju's eyes widened once he saw Sasuke right in front of him. A fist drove itself into Gosei's gut. He dug his feet and stood his ground, but a kick from Sasuke smashed the back of his head.

A roar and a massive eruption of chakra from Gosei knocked Sasuke back. With a single hand seal the ground of the clearing shattered and erupted. Another hand seal and it split in seven different directions. Gosei leapt into the air and weaved a series of hand seals. "WATER STYLE! WATER DRAGON JUTSU!"

From both Gosei's own chakra and the soaked ground, a golden-eyed dragon of churning water locked in on Sasuke. It bellowed and shot toward the Uchiha at breakneck speeds—shattered earth broken even more as volumes of water soaked the area for dozens of feet.

When Sasuke emerged, his body was cut severely from the jagged rocks. His arm was visibly broken, and malicious fury contorted his face. Sasuke forced his misplaced bone back into place and glared at Gosei—who was still pouring with blood from Sasuke's previous attack.

A furious roar accompanied Sasuke's charge. He dodged and weaved the earthen attacks Gosei spouted. In a flash, he weaved hand seals for a great fireball and spewed it toward the attacks. Naturally, Gosei countered with water, but from the steam, Sasuke cut his chest open with a kunai. Gosei screamed out and shattered Sasuke's nose and teeth with a ferocious fist.

Kusari's fists clenched as she watched the fight go on, bleeding out and bruised. "I can't let this go on for much longer… they'll kill each other." She shook her head. But HOW?! Kusari focused her Byakugan on the soothing feeling she felt on her cut leg.

"Sakura?!" The girl was panting, on her knees as she healed Kusari's wound.

"I'm sorry for getting knocked unconscious…" she managed through her breath. "What's going on?"

Kusari gave a quick rundown, and Sakura cursed. "How are we going to stop them?!"

"I… I don't know—" Kusari cursed as well. "I can't wait for Shinrai, he'll take too long…"

"The Hyuuga, you guys can seal off chakra, right?"

Kusari caught onto Sakura's idea immediately. "You want me to try to seal off the curses?"

"Yeah… hopefully, that'll work."

Kusari stood, still nursing her aches. "There's only one way to find out."

They went into action and trailed the battling boys. Sasuke had Gosei locked in a Taijutsu battle—each time Gosei attempted to counter, his movements were read by the Sharingan and countered even harder.

"Sasuke first, he's the one out of control," said Kusari while her Byakugan focused in on him.

Sakura nodded and weaved hand seals for a Genjutsu. Sasuke's next strike seemed to miss. Gosei choke slammed him into the jagged rock.

"HOLD HIM DOWN GOSEI!" yelled Kusari as she rushed in.

Gosei glared at her. "Don't you dare interrupt this battle!"

Dammit—of course! Kusari glared back. "Your squabble means nothing, you fool!"

"What did you just call me—?!" A kick from Sasuke knocked Gosei off his feet. Frustration fueled Kusari as she hurled a kunai at Sasuke's face. He dodged—he also dodged the crater fist from Sakura. When he struck, he struck at nothing—he even looked confused.

He made the Ram Seal to release the Genjutsu—Gosei grabbed his hands and kicked him in the chest. Sasuke tumbled into a tree. "BOTH OF YOU! LEAVE!" bellowed Gosei.

"Genjutsu him!" yelled Kusari to Sakura. She nodded and weaved additional hand seals. However, she collapsed to her knees—both Genjutsu were released.

"I-I'm out of chakra!" Sakura shouted as she gasped in horror.

Kusari's fists clenched—nonoonononoNOO! "DAMMIT!" She threw all sense and logic out the window and charged into the Eight Trigrams stance—she was going to hit somebody. "TWO PALMS!" she shouted, aiming for Sasuke's Curse Mark.

A kick from Gosei and a punch from Sasuke sent her torrenting into the jagged rocks. Agony ached from her Byakugan—her own chakra was almost zero. A hopeless fury enveloped her as her eyes were forced to return to normal.

Gosei and Sasuke would kill each other. Then she would be next—it would all end right here. In that forest, her mother's sacrifice would all come to a pathetic end. Nonono—Sasuke screamed out. Kusari looked back up to see Sasuke wailing as he gripped his cursed mark. It took every ounce of his will for him to hold himself back—He's gaining control of himself! This is my opportunity.

Wordlessly, she forced her Byakugan to life with a cry of pain. Kusari dashed toward the immobilized Sasuke and struck every chakra point around his Curse Mark. As expected, the mark was forced to recede. Sasuke slumped into unconsciousness.

Gosei watched on with shock and anger. She barely dodged a strike from him. Sakura pounced onto Gosei's arm and held him down with—barely embers of chakra flickered within her. "Kusari!"

She grit her teeth and hard. With the last of her chakra and energy, she dashed toward Gosei in the Eight Trigrams stance. "Eight Trigrams: Sixteen Palms!"

All sixteen of Gosei's chakra points were sealed shut around his mark. He collapsed to the floor as his mark receded. With blurred vision and a full body ache, she nearly did the same, had someone not caught her.

"Don't die on me—please…" was the last thing she heard.

That voice… Shinrai?

Wait did he say die—?

Die… Me?

Am I going to die?

Kusari didn't even get to panic before it all went black.

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?