Chapter 30: The Sound Strikes
The oppressive atmosphere of the Forest of Death remained unbroken as Team 7 made their way through the dense foliage, Sasuke leaning heavily on Naruto and Sakura. The cursed mark on Sasuke's neck still burned, the black tendrils of its influence crawling ominously under his skin. The once proud and composed Uchiha was reduced to silence, his mind hazy from pain and the searing sensation radiating through his body.
Naruto, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, Sasuke. We'll get you some help soon! This is nothing for the future Hokage and his team, believe it!"
Sakura, though outwardly focused on Sasuke, felt a creeping dread. She had been helpless in the face of Orochimaru's attack, barely able to do anything to protect her teammates. It gnawed at her, the feeling of inadequacy, the weight of being the weakest link. Yet, there was something else… a strange sense of calm beneath the panic, a strange certainty she didn't fully understand.
Just when they thought they were safe, the air shifted. A rustle in the trees made Naruto stop in his tracks, his instincts flaring.
"Sakura, Sasuke… did you feel that?" Naruto whispered, his usual carefree tone absent.
Before they could respond, three figures dropped from the branches above, landing gracefully before them. They wore gray uniforms and headbands with a strange musical note etched on the metal—shinobi from the Hidden Sound Village. Their malicious intent was palpable, filling the clearing with an aura of danger.
"You three don't look so tough," sneered one of the Sound ninja, a tall boy with sickly pale skin and piercing eyes. His voice was sharp, as if it was designed to cut through their resolve. "Especially you, Uchiha. We've been sent to bring you in."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but his body betrayed him, trembling from the pain of Orochimaru's curse mark. Naruto stepped forward, fists clenched. "You'll have to get through us first!"
"That's the plan," the pale shinobi replied with a smirk, cracking his knuckles.
Before Naruto could charge in, the Sound ninja moved faster than expected. One of them, a girl with dark hair and sharp eyes, moved her fingers in an intricate pattern, sending a powerful soundwave toward Naruto. The vibrations hit him with full force, and his knees buckled.
"Naruto!" Sakura cried out as Naruto fell to the ground, clutching his ears in pain.
Naruto's world spun, his vision blurring. He tried to stand, to defend his team, but his body was uncooperative. He groaned and finally collapsed, his chakra depleted and his senses overwhelmed by the powerful soundwave. His breathing became shallow, and his consciousness began to fade.
Sakura's eyes widened in panic. "No! Naruto! Wake up!" She turned toward Sasuke, whose body was still crippled by the curse mark's influence. "Sasuke, we have to—"
But Sasuke wasn't moving. His breaths were shallow, his eyes unfocused as the curse mark spread further across his skin. Sakura's heart raced as she stood between her unconscious teammates and the advancing Sound ninja.
"I guess it's just you left now," the lead shinobi said, his smile widening. "I'll make this quick."
Fear surged through Sakura, but something deeper, something raw, began to boil beneath it. She couldn't let them take Sasuke. She couldn't let them kill Naruto. Not like this. She wouldn't be useless—not again.
The Sound ninja lunged forward, aiming a chakra-infused punch straight at Sakura's head. Her reflexes kicked in, her body moving faster than she expected as she narrowly dodged the attack. The sudden surge of adrenaline heightened her senses, but it wasn't enough. The ninja was too fast. She wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.
Sakura's back hit the trunk of a tree, and she gasped for air. The Sound ninja loomed over her, his hand glowing with malevolent chakra.
"Time to finish this," he said.
Sakura closed her eyes, bracing for the blow. But in that moment, something inside her snapped—not out of fear, but out of pure instinct. She felt the cool rush of chakra flooding through her body, surging to her hands.
Without thinking, she raised her arms, and a torrent of water shot from her palms, crashing into the Sound ninja and sending him flying back. The water swirled and twisted around her like a protective shield, shimmering in the dappled light of the forest.
The other two Sound ninja stared in shock. "Water Release? From her?" one of them muttered.
Sakura's eyes snapped open, and she looked down at her hands, momentarily stunned by what had just happened. But there was no time to process it. Her enemies were still there, and her teammates were still down.
"I… I have to protect them," she whispered to herself, her resolve hardening.
The Sound ninja recovered quickly, though drenched and bruised, and charged again. Sakura's heart pounded in her chest, but the water responded to her emotions, swirling around her in waves. She didn't know how she was doing it, but it didn't matter. She just had to keep them safe.
Not far from the battle, hidden in the trees, several of the Konoha 12 watched in silent horror. Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Hinata, and Rock Lee had stumbled upon the scene but had hesitated to interfere. The oppressive chakra and the sight of Sakura battling the Sound shinobi alone had frozen them in place.
"Shouldn't we help them?" Choji asked, his voice shaking.
Ino's face was pale as she watched the fight. "Sakura… she's using water jutsu? Since when…?"
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation. "It's dangerous. If we jump in now, we might just get in the way."
"But they need help!" Lee's voice was strained with desperation. His fists were clenched tightly as he watched Sakura struggle against the Sound ninja. He wanted to leap into action, to protect her—especially after what she had done for Sasuke. But something held him back. Fear, hesitation… it gnawed at him.
Kiba growled low in his throat. "This doesn't feel right…"
Hinata stood silently, her Byakugan active as she monitored Naruto and Sasuke's vitals. Her heart ached for Naruto, seeing him unconscious, defenseless. But even she hesitated, unsure of how to step in without making things worse.
Lee's body trembled as he took a step forward, wanting to help Sakura, but something held him back. In that moment, he cursed his own weakness, his own indecision.
Back at the forest entrance, Kakashi and Anko moved swiftly through the dense foliage, their senses on high alert. They had been tracking Orochimaru, but the presence of his chakra was overwhelming, making it difficult to pinpoint his exact location.
As they moved, Kakashi's thoughts kept drifting back to his team. He could feel the growing tension in the air—the danger surrounding his students. Every fiber of his being screamed to turn back, to find them and protect them.
But he had orders. He couldn't let Orochimaru escape, not again.
"We need to hurry," Anko muttered, her voice tight with urgency. "If he's targeting one of the genin, we don't have much time."
Kakashi's jaw tightened beneath his mask. He knew that, but every second they spent chasing Orochimaru was a second his team was vulnerable.
"Stay focused," he told himself, but the fear gnawed at him. His students—Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura—were still so young, still so fragile in the grand scheme of things. He had done his best to prepare them, but against an enemy like Orochimaru, even the best preparation might not be enough.
He thought of Sasuke, the burden the boy carried as the last of his clan. He thought of Naruto, the vessel of the Nine-Tails, filled with untapped potential and reckless courage. And Sakura… his heart ached for Sakura, who tried so hard to keep up, to prove herself. She was so much stronger than she knew, but did she realize it?
Kakashi shook his head. "Focus, Kakashi. You can't help them if you're dead."
But even as they pressed on, tracking Orochimaru's trail, Kakashi's mind kept returning to his team, the gnawing fear for their safety never quite leaving him.
Back in the forest, Sakura was struggling to maintain control of her newfound abilities. The water flowed around her, but it wasn't enough. She was tiring quickly, and the Sound ninja were relentless.
One of them charged again, throwing a barrage of kunai at her. Sakura managed to deflect most of them with her water shield, but one slipped through, grazing her arm. She winced in pain but didn't let it slow her down.
"I won't let you take them!" she shouted, her voice trembling but resolute.
The lead Sound ninja, now soaked and irritated, smirked. "You've got some guts, I'll give you that. But guts alone won't save you."
He lunged at her again, but this time, Sakura didn't flinch. She focused her chakra, the water responding to her will, forming a sharp, slicing wave that collided with her attacker. The force of the impact knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.
Sakura panted, her vision blurring from exhaustion. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out. But she didn't need to. Reinforcements were coming—she could feel it.
As the battle raged on, Kakashi's mind was torn. He had to trust his students, trust that they could hold their own. But the fear for their safety, the paternal instinct to protect them, gnawed at him with every passing second.
And somewhere in the distance, Orochimaru watched, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"Soon," he whispered, his voice like a serpent's hiss. "Very soon."
The stage was set, and the true test for Team 7 had only just begun.
