Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto, but neither do you, so ha. However, any views or opinions expressed in this fan fiction are strictly those of the author, me. The latter statement is probably just a formality, unless I somehow work my love of all things Canadian (GO CANADA) into this fan fiction.

Note: I can’t translate English to Japanese, so the techniques I pull out of my own mind will be in English, while standard ones will remain in its superior (in my opinion) Japanese form. They sound cooler like that, anyway. Also, I’d like to know the name of the painting technique Sai uses if anyone knows it in its original Japanese.

Chapter 15: Burst

Without saying a word, Naruto and Hinata had come to the understanding just as the fight began that they would have to split up if they were every going to emerge from their situation victorious. Though it was a difficult decision for the both of them to come to, in the end, neither could deny that it was ultimately the best one. Naruto recognized instantly that their two Akatsuki opponents were obviously partners, and they most likely had experience with working together. Unfortunately, that was a department that Naruto and Hinata were lacking in. Because they had belonged to different Genin teams after graduating from the academy, they never were allowed to work together that much if at any time at all. In a two on two battle, Naruto and Hinata would ultimately just end up and getting in the other’s way, giving their opponents the advantage. That was something that they could not afford to do considering who their opponents were.

Just as Hinata had taken her first tentative steps towards Celius, however, Naruto surprised her by erupting with a burst of speed towards the same target. She was somewhat relieved that Naruto had taken it upon himself to fight the brother of the person whom had tried to kidnap her so long ago, but a part of her was curious as to why. In truth, the spiky haired blonde could not let go of the hatred for the green haired Akatsuki member that had swelled within his heart. The more time that passed after Celius’s confession of blood relation to the person who had tried to take Hinata away, the more he found that he needed to be the one to defeat this man. He was not about to let Hinata get anywhere near him when his family had wronged the Hyuugas so much. Through his rage, Naruto vowed to make sure that Celius would never have a chance to bring harm to any Hyuuga, especially Hinata.

As Naruto ran towards Celius’s unmoving figure, he scowled at the look of confidence on his opponent’s face. He was underestimating him already, and the fight had not even started. So many others had made the same mistake before, and each of them had learned first hand just how far determination will allow someone to go. They knew better than to underestimate him now and this new opponent would be no different. That was something that Naruto could not stand. As soon as Naruto was close enough to Celius, he lunged towards his prey with a clenched fist held high.

Celius smirked as he watched the blonde leap towards him, noticing quite clearly every tiny flaw in the boy’s form. It seemed like his well placed threat to the Hyuuga girl was more than enough to spark the Jinchuuriki’s rage. Naruto obviously cared for the girl far more than he even cared to admit to himself, and that provided a clear path to victory for Celius. As long as he continued to keep Naruto in his enraged state, the boy would continue to be careless in his attacks. This fight was practically as good as his. With a wide grin on his face, Celius swiftly sidestepped Naruto’s fist as it came plowing towards his face.

Naruto’s eyes widened in shock and he growled in frustration when he realized just how easily his attack had been avoided, but his thoughts were interrupted as he fell awkwardly onto the cold, hard ground just past the bridge now behind them. Rolling to a stop on a patch of grass just off the pathway, the orange clad ninja seemed to lie lifelessly on his stomach. Unfortunately for him, dodging the loud mouthed ninja’s attack was merely the first step in Celius’s counterattack. Taking advantage of his temporarily defenseless opponent, the green haired Akatsuki member swiftly pulled out a single Kunai from his cloak and rushed to the spot Naruto now laid. Without hesitation, Celius plunged his kunai painfully into the small of Naruto’s back, and gave it a hard twist for good measure.

Celius had killed enough people in his lifetime to know that a wound where he had stabbed Naruto was hardly fatal, though it would effectively take any opponent out of a fight if done correctly and Celius had his target dead on. By puncturing the boy’s lower spine, Celius was certain that Naruto was now paralyzed from the waist down. His master had merely ordered him to bring Naruto back alive, and had conveniently left out any stipulations as to what condition or how close to death he was allowed to bring in the Jinchuuriki in. Though his actions were taking him dangerously close to disregarding the boy’s mortality, Celius enjoyed the pain he brought his victims immensely. There was no better sound in the world than to hear them scream.

Just as Celius was about to give his kunai another rough twist inside Naruto’s back, however, the orange body at his mercy below him was suddenly replaced with a small puff of smoke. In confusion, he stared at his kunai, only to find the parts he expected to be doused with blood to actually be perfectly clean. Arching an eyebrow, the missing mist nin leaped to his feet and frantically began searching the area around him. To say the least, Celius was furious, but he was able to keep his calm demeanor on the outside.

He had been fooled by the very thing Zetsu had spent countless hours warning every member of Akatsuki about, Naruto’s fondness for Kage Bunshins. The thing that enraged Celius, however, was the fact that he had not even seen him use his favorite technique. Before Naruto charged at him, he had been eyeing Hinata carefully, expecting her to be his opponent. He could only guess that his own foolishness allowed Naruto to use Kage Bunshin no Jutsu when he was not paying attention. It was a mistake that he did not plan on making a second time, but first he had to locate the little brat. Without warning, a familiar voice shattered the silence around him.

“U!” A Bunshin yelled out loudly as it kicked Celius from below. “Zu!” Another called out attacking similarly. “Ma! Ki!” The final two completed the chant as the force of their four combined strikes sent the greened haired Akatsuki member high into the air. The real and final Naruto was not left out for long. With a gigantic leap upward, the blonde haired ninja quickly caught up to his enemy’s position and began to thrust the back of his foot down upon his face. “Naruto Renda-“

Quickly recovering from the shock of the first half of Naruto’s attack, Celius roughly caught the boy’s foot mere inches away from its destination. He had to give Naruto some credit for lasting long enough to come that close to landing a hit on him. It was not something that many of his victims got the privilege of doing, but Naruto was not like the people Celius had fought before. The spiky haired blonde had an aura of unpredictability about him which made him more difficult to deal with. However, no matter where they fought, Celius knew that he would always have the upper hand. This fight was already over. Naruto just did not know it yet.

Spinning around in mid air, Celius pulled Naruto safely underneath him. It was over. “Judgment of the Wind!” The missing mist nin yelled as he let go of Naruto’s leg and brought a hand to the boy’s chest. Instantly, a downward current of air formed around Naruto, violently pulling him towards the ground at a rate ten times that of gravity. In less than a second, Naruto’s helpless body hit the ground with a deep thud. Groaning in agony, Naruto tried desperately to move, but his body fought his every attempt. For the moment at least, he was paralyzed, and all he could do was watch in horror as the back of Celius’s foot crashed into his face as the Akatsuki member joined him on the ground.

“Hmph,” Celius scoffed as he staggered to his feet. A fall from that height had ended up harming him as well, but nowhere near as much as his attack hurt Naruto. Just to add insult to obvious injury, he had opted to finish off his move with the very attack the boy had been attempting up in the air. He smiled mockingly down at the limp and bloody form of Naruto. “Naruto Rendan, indeed.”

Naruto just gazed up above him with almost distant eyes. He could feel the blood dripping from his nose, which had been broken by the last attack, but he was helpless to do anything about it. The pain his body was in at the moment was far too much for any normal human to bear, and even he was surprised by the fact he was still conscious. His determination, however, would not allow him to give up. No matter how much pain he was in, Naruto knew that he could not stop. After all, in this battle, it was not only his own life that was on the line, but Hinata’s as well. For her sake, he could not be beaten.

With every ounce of strength Naruto possessed, he managed to roll his throbbing body to its side, ignoring the outcries of protest it shouted at him for doing so. From there, he attempted to use his arms as leverage to punch himself to his feet, but with every attempt, he found himself collapsing back onto the ground. Fortunately for him, Celius was mere feet away from his position, and the Akatsuki member was more than happy to lend a helping hand. It was common courtesy, after all.

Bending down, Celius clutched the collar of Naruto’s jacket roughly and jerked the boy to his feet like he were nothing more than a rag doll. He did not leg him go, though. Instead, the green haired ninja practically flaunted his own strength by lifting Naruto fully off of the ground. All the while, he stood smiling in triumph.

“No clone could ever survive those attacks,” Celius spoke victoriously as he tightened his grip on his prisoner. “Looks like I’ve found the real you, or I should say you were foolish enough to be the one to find me. Is Konoha such a worthless village that they don’t even teach their ninjas how to remain hidden in the shadows? I wonder why Orochimaru even bothers with holding a grudge against this place. It’s nothing but a pathetic waste of space, but that doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll leave you conscious just long enough for your last living sight to be Susilo gut ting your girlfriend over there. Who knows,” Celius laughed sinisterly, “he may even be nice this time and let me do the gutting. In any case, I think I’ll keep her eyes for myself. They’ll make a good trophy.”

Naruto’s eyes focused immediately at Celius’s words, and all the pain in his body seemed to wash away. He no longer had time to be selfishly concerned with his own well being anymore. Celius had done the two things that no man should ever do around Naruto. One, he had insulted Konoha. It may have been a town full of people that despised him for no good reason, but it was still his home. He was going to be Hokage one day, and he was not about to allow anyone to insult the village he was going to lead. Secondly, Celius had threatened one of his precious people. No one threatened his precious people!

Naruto lifted his hands to the arm that held him and clutched onto it tightly. Pulling himself up to where he now hung in the air by his own strength, Naruto glared at Celius dead in the eyes. “I won’t let you,” he said simply before bending his legs up and kicking them into his captor’s chest. Naruto felt the missing mist nin’s grip on his coat loosen, and he quickly shoved his arm away. Landing safely on the ground, Naruto wasted no time in lunging at his opponent once again. However, his attack had not had the affect the spiky haired blonde had expected, and he soon saw that Celius was waiting for him with a palm out stretched.

“Judgment of the Wind!” Celius yelled for a second time, creating another air current out of the tip of his palm. This one, however, sent Naruto flying backwards over the bridge they had started on and headed towards the stream below.

Seeing where Celius’s attack was taking him, Naruto gathered all of the chakra he could spare onto his flesh and prepared for the inevitable fate that awaited him. Naruto landed less than graciously, his body skidding roughly across the surface of the water which now felt like sandpaper against his skin. Eventually, Naruto slowed to a halt several feet downstream of the bridge, but he had otherwise recovered nicely. All but forgetting the pain that still plagued his body, Naruto leapt to his feet and searched the area for his opponent. He did not have to look for long, however. His eyes fell on Celius, who now stood, like him, on the water just beneath the bridge.

Over Celius’s shoulder, Naruto could see Hinata facing off with Susilo on the bridge. It pained him to see that her fight was going just about as well as his was. Every fiber in his being wanted to rush to her side and keep her from harm’s way, but he knew that to be impossible now. Either Celius would stop him halfway there, or his actions would only allow the partnered Akatsuki to combine forces which would undoubtedly spell disaster for the both of them. Still, he couldn’t help but think that it would be worth it if he was able to take the focus off of Hinata even for a second.

“Hey!” Celius called out mockingly as he snapped his fingers above his head. “Aren’t you forgetting about someone here? I know she’s your girlfriend and everything, but if I would have known you were going to be this distracted, I would have just ignored you in the beginning and gone straight for her. It looks like Susilo is at least having some fun with this. You’re not making this a challenge at all.”

“Kuso,” Naruto growled as his temper flared up again. Celius had insulted Konoha, threatened Hinata, and now he had also insulted him. There was no forgiving him now. Without thinking, he pulled out a kunai from his pouch and charged across the water towards his opponent. As he had been warned about, he was being blinded by rage, and Celius both realized it and knew how to take full advantage of his mistakes.

Celius quickly ran through a group of hand symbols before kneeling down and calmly placing his palm on the water’s surface. “Hidden Geyser!” He yelled out suddenly before leaping from the water back to the grassy shores.

At first, nothing happened, and Naruto merely changed directions to compensate for Celius’s change in position. However, as the orange clad ninja neared the missing mist nin, a loud rumbling surfaced from beneath him, but Naruto took no heed. Suddenly, a thick jet of water erupted from beneath the boy, carrying him high into the air.

Celius ran through yet another set of symbols as he watched Naruto flail around hopelessly. It was a humorous sight, but it was time to end things. Placing his palm onto the grass, he smirked up at his target. Few ever survived his next move, but with the Kyuubi sealed within him, Celius was sure that Naruto would be one of those few. However, the fight would still be over for Naruto.

“Cursed Binds of Nature!” The Akatsuki member yelled clearly. Instantly, the grass around his hand began to grow quickly until it shot out towards the falling Naruto. Each blade of grass now more closely resembled a vine strong enough to withstand most attacks. Naruto could not possibly evade them, and he quickly found himself entangled in dozens of vines that threatened to squeeze the life out of him. What made his position worse however was that the fines came equipped with razor sharp thorns that tore deeper into his flesh with each passing second.

Even as Naruto struggled against his bindings, the thorns dug deeper. The only thing ha could do now was scream.

“Naruto-kun!” Hinata yelled out in terror as the sounds of Naruto’s screams reached her ears. To her left, she could clearly see why. The other enemy ninja had trapped Naruto in what looked to be some form of plants. However, the pale eyed girl’s blood ran cold as she saw the blood dripping freely down into the stream below. Without thinking, Hinata began to run towards the edge of the bridge, thinking only of coming to her Naruto’s aid. However, in a blur of speed, the large form of Susilo appeared before her.

“I apologize,” the dark haired man said calmly, “but I cannot allow you to interfere. Master desires that boy, and we intend to deliver him personally. Besides,” Susilo prepared himself in a taijutsu fighting stance, “I am your opponent. You should be more concerned about your own safety than his. I can see in your heart that you have faith in that boy. Test it now by giving me your full attention.”

Hinata noticed Susilo’s emphasis on the word “full” in his plea, and she knew exactly what he was talking about. Throughout her encounter with the seemingly nice man, she had constantly found herself taking quick glances at Naruto, worrying about how he was faring. As a result, she had allowed herself to be attacked on multiple occasions, ending in her now bearing multiple cuts and bruises as well as a busted lip. However, as she now gazed at her opponent, she realized something. The way he had pleaded with her to give him everything she had assured with beyond a shadow of a doubt that she had yet to see this ninja’s true power. If she was ever going to save Naruto, she had to survive, and if she was ever going to survive, she had to focus solely on Susilo.

Falling back into her family’s traditional fighting stance, Hinata prepared herself for what was assured to be the most difficult fight of her life, but she had to succeed no matter what. Naruto was counting on her now. “Byakugan!” She shouted with renewed determination as she activated the Hyuuga family blood limit. She would not lose.

Seeing the blue haired girl ready herself, Susilo shot forward without warning steadying his fist to strike. Susilo was the Akatsuki’s resident taijutsu master, possessing no equal either in or out of the group. He preferred to face his opponents head on in honorable combat, only resorting to the jutsus he knew if his opponent fell back on theirs, and any of the Akatsuki members would willingly admit, whether they liked Susilo or not, that his jutsus were just as powerful if not even more so than his physical attacks. His speed and strength were something that his master utilized well, and Susilo served without question.

As the dark haired Akatsuki member neared his female target, he thrust a clenched fist foreword, aiming directly at her pale eyed face. However, Hinata was quick to block, bringing up both hands in an attempt to stop his attack.. Her body still felt the full force of the punch, though, and she felt her feet slide backwards a short ways. Susilo did not retract his fist and ready himself for another attack. Instead, he continued applying pressure on Hinata, testing just how strong his opponent was. What he found surprised him.

Despite her frail appearances, Susilo could easily tell that Hinata was actually quite strong for her age and gender. Of course, her strength nowhere near rivaled his own, but it would result in making their bout far more interesting than it had been until now. He could not help but smirk as he felt the girl push back on her arm with all the force she could muster, and he could feel her determined eyes locked on him. Clearly, she could tell that she was outmatched, but the girl refused to give up. Things were going to get interesting indeed.

Far too quickly for her liking, Hinata saw Susilo suddenly disappear from sight, and she suddenly found herself falling backwards as her feet were kicked out from underneath her. Confused, she realized that Susilo must have dropped to the ground before performing a leg sweep to send her falling backwards. Hinata had not even seen him move, though. Susilo was fast. Suddenly, the Hyuuga heiress’s eyes widened as a foot quickly came into view as it fell towards her. As swiftly as she could, Hinata rolled across the bridge out of harms way and leapt to her feet.

However, as Hinata watched Susilo’s missed attack come into contact with the bridge, her eyes widened in horror as his foot plowed straight through like the bridge were merely made of butter. The fact that he had missed did not even seem to faze Susilo, though. As quickly as his attack had landed, he pulled his foot out of the bridge and stared directly at Hinata. She realized then and there that keeping the fight close range was far too risky for her. Though she had been trained from birth in the Hyuuga fighting style, she was not proficient in it enough to rely solely on it. She did not think she could survive an attack of that caliber if she was hit dead on, so she had to think of another plan to keep her body in tact.

Without saying a word, Hinata pulled out eight kunai, holding four in each hand, and threw them all at Susilo as she leaped backwards and landed on the railing of the bridge behind her. Though she could see that her aim was dead on, she did not expect her attack to actually hit her target, but it would provide enough of a distraction for her to put some distance between her and Susilo. Hopefully, it would buy her enough time to think of something.

Susilo merely smirked as he felt the attack coming. He could easily sense each of the kunai as it displaced the air around them as they headed towards his location. The dark haired Akatsuki member could have easily dodged them, but he sensed that the girl seemed to be retreating, which did not seem to fit her precious attitude at all. Her determination was still there, so he was fairly certain that she was merely backing away temporarily. Whatever the case, however, Susilo would not allow her to get far. Gathering chakra to the length of his arms, Susilo braced himself for the oncoming attack.

Hinata’s found herself wide eyed yet again. Susilo had caught them, all eight of them. Each of her kunai seemed to be stuck to the man’s arm, but none of them had even scratched the surface of his skin. Her father had trained both her and her sister to catch a single kunai in a similar manner, but she had never heard of anyone able to catch more than four, let alone eight. Susilo’s chakra control was beyond even her own family’s limits.

With a jerk of his arms, Susilo released his chakra hold and sent the kunai he had captured into the air before catching each of them by the hilt with his hands. He smiled at Hinata, holding her own kunai up for her to see. “It seems that it is my turn now,” he said calmly before throwing the kunai right back at Hinata with twice the speed she had used on him.

The kunai were upon her before Hinata even had a chance to blink. She acted out of instinct, not thinking about exactly what she was going to do. She just did it. “Kaiten!” She yelled forcefully, and burst of chakra suddenly erupted from body as she spun herself on the railing of the bridge. Hinata would have to thank her father later for drilling that maneuver into her head. It had taken her almost an entire year to learn, but it had been worth it. Each of the eight kunai was immediately deflected safely away from her before she slowed to a stop.

However, though her world was still spinning around her, Hinata could clearly see her mistake. While using her Kaiten, she lost sight of Susilo. Though it was only temporary, it was enough to give him the advantage. Before she could regain her composure and gain control of her dizziness, Susilo appeared below her and thrust his foot upward connecting with her jaw in a move that resembled the one Rock Lee used to set up his Lotus techniques. As Hinata flew through the air, Susilo leaped upward and caught the girl by the throat.

Hinata gasped for breath as Susilo’s grip on her tightened, and with each passing second, it became increasingly harder to breathe. She tried fighting back, aiming for the chakra points on the man’s arm, but every time she focused her own chakra to attack, Susilo seemed to notice and give her neck a painful squeeze to break her concentration. She was trapped, and completely at his mercy as they fell slowly towards the ground.

“You have put up a worthy fight, little girl,” Susilo spoke sincerely as he forced Hinata to look him straight in the eyes. He spoke the truth, and he was genuinely impressed with Hinata. Not many of his opponents were able to think quickly enough to doge his first attack, or even survive one of his attacks at all. This girl was a quick thinker, and had enough determination to force herself to endure whatever form of torture she was up against. Even now, her eyes held that same determination. She would not relent. A part of Susilo wondered what it was that gave Hinata the strength to go one despite the pain she was obviously in, but he would not dwell on that for too long. His master’s orders outweighed his own curiosity.

“However,” Susilo voice turned cold as he lifted Hinata higher into the air, “I am afraid that I must end this now. Prepare yourself for the afterlife. But do not worry.” Gathering up every ounce of strength he had, Susilo roughly threw Hinata downward, sending the girl hurtling towards the ground.

Hinata landed with a loud eerie crack as the wooden bridge beneath her splintered and nearly gave way. It felt as if her entire body had broken in two. None of her limbs responded to her commands, and a throbbing pain flooded all of her senses. She could not move, she could not speak, and it still hurt to even breathe. She was helpless, and as her vision grew darker, she could barely make out the form of Susilo swiftly falling towards her.

“We will send the boy you cherish to meet you there soon enough.”

He was talking about Naruto. Hinata could still hear his cries of pain, but they sounded more distant now than ever before. He was in pain. They were hurting Naruto, her Naruto. For whatever reason, these people wanted to capture him, but they planned on killing him as well. A world without Naruto, it was Hinata’s worst fear, and she could not bear the thought of his death. “I won’t let you take Naruto-kun away.” Hinata did not know if she had actually said that or not or if she had just imagined it. She doubted the pain in her throat would have allowed her to say anything at all, but in either case, she would treat them as said. After all, she did not take back her words. That was her way of the ninja.

Hinata’s eyes shot open, and her Byakugan locked onto Susilo’s plummeting form. In one fluid motion, the Hyuuga heiress rolled backwards and pushed off the bridge with her arms allowing her to flip back onto the railing once again. There, she was able to witness the full force of Susilo’s attack from a safe distance away. The pain running through each inch of her body was still there, but her orange light of inspiration allowed her to ignore it for the time being.

Though it surprised Susilo to notice that the girl still possessed the ability to move, he was unable to right himself in time to cancel out his attack. He had planned on ramming the force of his entire body into the limp form of Hinata, but now that his target had unwillingly changed, it was the bridge itself that would feel his might. It now had the fate Hinata had escaped from just moments before.

Hinata gasped as she watched Susilo’s body plow through the bridge and into the stream below, sending a backlash of water up and into the hole he had created. The pale eyed girl could only stare in awe as she felt what remained of the now battle worn bridge creak under her weight. If things continued as they were, there might not be anything that survived out of their surroundings. However, Hinata had little time to worry about anything else but herself. Just because she had evaded his attack did not mean that Susilo was defeated.

With her Byakugan eyes, Hinata began searching the water below desperately trying to locate her opponent. She was determined not to let Susilo out of her sight again after what happened mere minutes before. In her frantic state, Hinata barely noticed at faint chakra system, but there was something things strange about it, things that she had not cared to notice before. His eyes, Susilo was clearly staring right at her, but the chakra flow around his eyes seemed to be… nonexistent.. It was as if there had never been any chakra there at all, but that could not have been possible.

What confused Hinata, though, was how Susilo seemed to be just staring at her from underneath the water. To her, it seemed that he should not have been able to see anything but the bridge between them from where he was, but he was looking right at her. Somehow, some way, he could see her, just as she could see him. It was unnerving, to say the least.

Suddenly, Hinata notice Susilo’s chakra system move ever so slightly, but it was enough of a tell to reveal what he planned to do next. Out of desperation, the Hyuuga heiress leapt from her position to the railing on the opposite end of the bridge. Moments later, the part of the bridge she had stood on seemed to explode as Susilo tore through it effortlessly, landing on a nearby railing that survived his onslaught shortly after.

“How?” Hinata managed to force out as she tried to maintain her balance. The bridge had deteriorated to a point where it now swayed and teetered from side to side as it balanced out the added weight Hinata and Susilo provided on opposite ends. “How are you able to see me no matter where I am. You should not have known my exact location that time. How could you see through the bridge like that? As far as I know, only my family has the ability to do something like that, and yet you can see me just as well as I can see you. Why?”

The dark haired Akatsuki member laughed slightly as he seemed to lock his gaze onto Hinata. “Ah,” he spoke in realization smiling. “I was wondering why you were able to dodge that last attack. You have a blood line limit, correct? And from what you said, it is one that provides a heightened sense of vision. That is why I sensed so much chakra in your eyes. That certainly makes things more interesting, though I cannot help but envy you for being so truly blessed.”

Hinata glared at the cloaked man before her. She did not know why, but he seemed to be mocking her. Anyone could plainly see her Byakugan and tell the difference between her normal eyes and when it was active. Why was he acting like he had not noticed? “You haven’t answered my question. How is it that you can see me?”

“See you? Little girl, that’s simply impossible, so there is no need to be afraid. Your family’s ability is still unmatched in this world.” He slowly lifted his hand to his face and removed his dark sunglasses. Beneath them, were a pair of dark green eyes, but they were pale and unfocused as if he was not looking at her at all. Susilo’s smile faded as he allowed his glasses to slip from his fingers. “You see, I am unable to see anything at all, because I am quite blind.”

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Captain Yamato was not ignorant when it came to the fighting styles of the people they now faced. As an ANBU officer, her had read countless reports concerning the recent activities of some of them, and had first hand experience with Sai as his leader for a short period. Though he knew Sai, it felt like he knew the others personally from everything he had learned about them. There was an utter mountain of details concerning each of them. One just had to know where to look. In this battle, he was no fool.

He also understood what each of his subordinates were capable of, but that did not soothe his nerves. As things stood now, they were clearly outmatched in terms of strength as well as intelligence. Sakura was far too headstrong. Ino lacked true battle experience. He was nowhere near strong enough to be able to match almost any of their opponents in any form of conflict. The only person out of their group that seemed to stand any kind of chance of surviving this was the person who was often overlooked and thought to be weak, Chouji.

At the moment, Chouji was facing Sai whom Yamato believed to be their weakest opponent, but that was not what gave him the advantage. The years he had spent with Shikamaru served him well, and part of Shikamaru’s innate genus rubbed off on him. It was not enough to make him any smarter naturally, but it was enough to teach the boy how to think quickly on his feet and always take the best course of action. However, they were a team now, and their strengths and weaknesses had to be based on the group as a whole. As things were, things did not look good for any of them. Just one casualty would tilt the numbers game in their opponents’ favors. Still, they had to try.

“So,” Kabuto spoke calmly, with a slight smirk on his face, “I see you are my opponent this time. I’ll admit that this should prove interesting, but I can’t say that I am not disappointed. You are, after all, one of Orochimaru-sama’s failed experiments. If he had known you would have turned out this badly, I am sure Orochimaru-sama would not have wasted so much time and effort on you. Just think of all the productiveness that was lost because of you. Can you imagine the things he could have achieved if given the choice to do it all over again?” Kabuto chucked evilly. “You would have just remained a stray though in his mind, never to be blessed with the gifts of the First like the failure you are.”

“I only wish it had turned out like that,” Yamato glared sternly at his white haired foe. “Being the sole survivor of fifty-nine other test subjects is troubling in itself, but knowing fifty-eight other children were murdered my that madman reminds me why I continue living. No matter what it takes, I will make sure, by my own force if necessary, that something as terrible as what Orochimaru had done can never be repeated. I may be just a copy, a failed one at that, but I don’t plan on turning a blind eye to the things Orochimaru has done, or what you have helped him do for that matter.”

Kabuto merely smiled. “Is that what motivates you, Yamato-san? The blood of a mere fifty-eight children on Orochimaru-sama’s hands? You are so simple minded, Yamato-san. From what I have read about him, the First Hokage would have seen the larger picture, whereas you choose to focus solely on the part that affected you. Did you ever stop to think,” his eyes turned deadly serious as his gaze locked on his opponent, “about the countless other experiments Orochimaru-sama performed over the years. The blood of fifty-eight people is nothing compared to what that man has accumulated in his failures alone. His successes, however, have proven to be far more deadly.”

Kabuto felt Yamato’s glare harden, resulting in another rise of laughter out of the medical ninja. “Is that upsetting to you, Yamato-san. You said it yourself, you plan on stopping such horrifying actions from being repeated. Does that include trying to stop us as well? Surely, if you want to right the things that are going wrong even now, you would have to bring us to justice. Do you think a mere failed copy can stand a chance against its creator, or even someone as strong as I have become? No, you stand little chance against either of us, and the mere fact that you have come to me proves how much of a failure that foolish body of yours truly is.”

Captain Yamato could only smile despite being insulted like that. “I may be foolish and I may be a failure, but I am still a copy. Do you really think you can stand up to the might of the First? If so, then you are just as foolish as I am.”

“Well then, I may just have to take things seriously from here on in,” Kabuto pushed up his glasses and smirked, “…possibly. I study under Orochimaru-sama quite carefully. There is nothing you can possibly do that can possibly surprise me.”

“that’s just the thing about a failed copy,” Yamato said as he cracked his knuckles loudly. “Just because you know everything about how Orochimaru wanted me to turn out doesn’t mean you know how I did. I’ve been saving a few tricks of my own design for just such an occasion.”

“I see,” Kabuto said calmly. “Then please, come at me. I wish to learn more.” He would have been lying if he had said that he was not the least bit intrigued by Yamato’s boast. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he almost wished to be on the receiving end of whatever it was his opponent was planning. The temptation of knowing what a child could come up with on his own after being blessed with the potential to be as great if not better than the First Hokage was far too great for him to allow this opportunity to pass him by.

Glaring at Kabuto, Captain Yamato swiftly brought his hands together and began focusing his chakra. “Moku Bunshin no Jutsu!” He yelled loudly, and just as soon as he had, one side of his body began to, what seemed like, melt away from him. A clear, liquid like substance had begun to emit from the ANBU Captain’s body. However, instead of allowing gravity to take its course and falling to the ground, the liquid-like substance began to gather to Yamato’s side, hardening into the shape of a human being. Mere seconds later, an almost exact replica of Captain Yamato stood at his side, taking on the same position as he had. The only difference between them was a large wooden abnormality that shot out from the back of its shoulder.

Kabuto laughed upon seeing this. “Is that it, Yamato-sama? It seems that I have overestimated your own creativity. Your better used that technique in his glory days, so you have nothing to be proud of. You could have learned that by merely reading the history books. It certainly would have saved you much trouble.”

Yamato merely smirked. “I never said this was it. This,” both he and his clone fell into a battle stance, “is only the beginning.”

“Then show me,” Kabuto stood motionlessly, not even bothering to brace himself for whatever Yamato was planning. “Show me what a failure can accomplish.”

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Sai sat cross legged on the soft ground as he watched the fights break out around him. Everyone certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves with their barbaric bouts. He had been ordered by Orochimaru to concentrate his efforts on the ninjas from Konoha that had shown up, though he hardly considered what he saw ninjas. Sakura had her raw power, but that was pretty much it. It hadn’t been enough to impress the emotionless artist, though, and he doubted the others could offer any better. One of them seemed to be far more concerned with her own looks to be of any use at all. Captain Yamato was someone he had to keep an eye on, but he was currently preoccupied. He did not much about Kabuto’s fighting ability, but Sai was confident his new comrade could hold his own. All that left him… was the fat one.

Chouji stood several feet away from the seated Sai, clearly in plain view of the missing nin. He could easily tell that Sai was knew that he was there because the seemingly disconcerted boy made frequent glances at him before returning his attention to something else around them. It was altogether frustrating to be ignored like that, especially when the person ignoring Chouji was his opponent. It was obvious that Said did not want to take him seriously, and he had a decent idea as to why that was. It was for the same reason he had been made fun of so often growing up, and he hated being made fun of.

“So,” Chouji spoke up with frustration clearly evident in his voice, “you’re the one who tried to attack Naruto the other day. I don’t appreciate it when people try and ambush my friends.”

Sai finally locked eyes with the thick boy and smiled his hollow, unnatural smile. “I see. If that’s the case, then I apologize. I did not mean to offend you.”

Chouji’s eyes widened in shock. An apology was the last thing he had been expecting. Usually, his opponents spouted off various boasts of strength and ability when confronted. The fact that Sai had not followed suit bothered him a little bit. There was something definitely wrong with that kid, and although Chouji had no idea exactly what it was, he knew enough to be wary and cautious in his actions.

Sai’s smile remained almost painted upon his face. “I’ll just have to make it a point to attack head on when I’m encountering one of your… friends.” That started to sound more like a normal enemy, but Chouji still sensed something different about him. He was almost too calm about all of this. “But what about you?” Sai asked stolidly. “I suppose I can still ambush you, but I think that would be overkill for someone of your… stature.”

The thick ninja’s eye twitched at Sai’s words. “Just what are you trying to say about me? Are you implying that I’m too weak to take your attacks? Is that it? If I remember correctly, I was the one who knocked out two of your painted tiger… things. If anything, I would say you’re the one who wouldn’t be able to survive my attacks. I am not weak.”

“No, no,” Sai waved held up his hands defensively. “That’s not it at all.” Chouji visibly relaxed, but soon enough, he tensed again as Sai continued. “I just think you are far too fat to put up any real challenge.”

Chouji’s eye seemed to be twitching even harder than before now. However, he had long ago learned to control his temper. It was the one thing that had been holding him back, and once it was gone, he was able to surpass even his father’s abilities at his age. “I may be fat,” Chouji explained, having to struggle to hold back his fury. Even though he could manage it, the feat never seemed to get any easier. “However, that is where my family’s strength comes from. You stand no chance against my family’s power.”

“Well then,” Sai said as he retrieved a sketch pad, a small brush, and a vial of ink from his pouch. “Shall I put that power to the test, or are you less of a man than your friend, Naruto?”

Aside from that time when he and Kiba had been dared to attempt to cut Hyuuga Neji’s hair, Chouji was not one to back down from any challenge, and he definitely was not about to back down from Sai’s. Using all of the strength in his legs, Chouji flung his body toward the still seated boy intending to end things with one punch. Following Shikamaru in and out of battle all the time had taught him how to keep an eye on his surroundings at all times, and the thick ninja would have to thank his lazy friend for it when he got back to the village.

The thick ninja could tell that Sakura was holding her own against Kisame, but she had nowhere near the stamina needed to keep it up for long. If Sai was just going to sit there and practically paint a bull’s eye on himself, then Chouji would end things quickly and move on to aid his teammates. Besides, if Ino was ever going to utilize her abilities properly, then she needed someone to guard her body. Usually, that was Shikamaru’s job whenever they teamed together, but since he was not here with them at the moment, that privilege was all his.

“Bubun Baika no Jutsu!” Chouji yelled as he thrust his fist towards Sai. Though he was too far away to attack normally, this particular jutsu would more than make up the distance. Instantly, his arm stretched itself past its usual reach as its size more than tripled along the way.

Without hesitation, Sai dipped his brush into the vial of ink and began making quick, blurred motions across the sketch pad he held on his lap. Though he was certainly able to hold his own in close range combat, Sai preferred to defeat his enemies without getting his hands dirty if at all possible. As Chouji’s gigantic fist neared its destination, Sai glanced over his work, quickly putting in one final touch to perfect his creation before swiftly waving his hand over it muttering a few choice words.

Instantly, a giant black and white tortoise appeared in the way of Chouji’s attack. However, the thick ninja remembered this kind of technique from before, and knew that it was just another target for his fist. Though, this particular painting of Sai’s was not meant for offense, but defense. His attack hit dead on with a deep, hollow thud, but the tortoise remained standing, despite the large dent now in its shell. Chouji growled in anger as his fist retracted to normal size. He was not going to be bested by a mere painting. With increased determination, the thick ninja pulled his fist back once again.

“Bubun Baika no Jutsu!” He yelled for a second time ass he sent his growing fist crashing into the shelled creature before him. This time, the results were different, and far more visible. With a loud crack, Chouji’s fist tore through the creature’s shell, causing it to burst into several separate stray strands of ink. It took only seconds before all traces of the tortoise had been erased from existence. The ground around him and his fist were both soaked in black ink, leaving nothing blocking Chouji’s glare from the smiling Sai.

llllllllllllllllllll

Sakura dodged another swing of Kisame’s sword as she rolled across the ground. So far, the fight had been a bit one-sided. After that first initial hit on the shark faced ninja, Sakura had not even been able to get close to him and every time she tried, Kisame would come extremely close to taking her head off with that wrapped sword of his. Needless to say, the pink haired kuniochi was beginning to get a bit frustrated by her lack of success, and the fact that she was already beginning to be short of breath was not helping matters for her any. She could easily see, however, that Kisame was neither short of breath nor the least bit winded. If the fight continued on like it had been, Sakura was going to lose out to him in terms of stamina, and that practically assured the worst. She needed a plan, and the cogs in her mind had already begun to turn.

With a great leap, Sakura flung herself into the air high above Kisame’s head pulling out a kunai along the way. The missing mist ninja saw this, but only raised an eyebrow at the girl’s straightforwardness. The pink haired girl had guts, he had to admit that, but Kisame had been expecting someone who relied on taijutsu and chakra induced strength to fight a little more intelligently. In the air, Sakura was nothing more than a sitting duck. He smiled sinisterly, imagining the horror on her face when she realized her mistake, but smiled wider when he realized that he was about to make his fantasies a reality.

As Sakura fell back to the Earth below, she could only watch as Kisame’s great sword, Samehada, was swung upwards the meet her. It was coming far too fast, and Sakura could do little to dodge. Before she could even blink, Samehada collided roughly with her stomach, effectively knocking the wind out of her and leaving her bent helplessly over the length of the blade. There was no pain in the strike, however. It merely felt like being hit with a long, dull surface, though that was unpleasant in itself. Asuma made a point to inform nearly every ninja in the village of the secrets of Kisame’s sword after he had fallen prey to it once. Though his wound had been minor, it could have easily been deadly. Unfortunately, Sakura was now in a position to learn first hand just how deadly Samehada could be; if everything was not going according to plan that it.

Kisame smirked as he gazed up at the helpless girl at his mercy. It was a shame that he no longer knew the definition of the word “mercy.” In one fluid motion, the missing mist ninja jerked his sword across Sakura’s helpless body, tearing away the wrappings around his sword and allowing what lied beneath it to cleave her in two. With the sword now partially revealed, its secret was again exposed. Where a blade should have been, there was several purple, razor-sharp, scale-like blades that jutted out from the center and pointed towards the hilt. As he explained to Asuma long ago, Samehada was not for slicing, but for shaving his opponent to bits.

However, Kisame’s brow furrowed when he noticed that where the two halves of Sakura had been, there now was merely two halves of a wooden log. The pink haired kuniochi had used the replacement technique, which meant that he no longer knew her position. She was somewhere in the trees right now, he knew that much, but where exactly he could not tell. Shouldering his sword once again, Kisame searched the tree line for his target. He could still sense her chakra, but it was too faint for him to get an exact location from it. Though he could no longer track her by traditional means, Kisame was far from helpless.

“I see you at least know a few basic jutsus,” Kisame called out loudly, knowing that wherever Sakura was, she could hear him. “That’s good. I was beginning to think you were nothing more than a pretty face. It’s obvious you have no skill in emulating your Hokage’s abilities at all.” He laughed to cover up the fact that he was searching for any spikes in emotions or chakra. If he could get a rise out of the girl, he would know exactly where she was and could get back to things far more entertaining. “Then again, I should not have expected anything more from… a girl.” Still, there was nothing, not even an ounce of killing intent. Obviously, the girl could take an insult, which left Kisame with only one other option, and he hated that option.”

“You do know why Itachi and I are here, right?” Kisame asked, sounding… nicer than before. If there was one thing he despised, it was sounding nice, even if he was faking it. “We didn’t come to deal with you brats, and frankly, we don’t have the time. We came to deal with Orochimaru, which is the same as you, correct? We’re not being productive by just fighting each other. Why don’t we just forget about this little fight and go slice up Orochimaru like he deserves. I’m sure your precious Sasuke would appreciate that. You have been trying to save him, right?” Kisame’s eyes almost widened at the emotions he picked up just then, but it was coming from behind him. Swiftly spinning around, his eyes landed on the apprentice medical ninja, but her eyes… her eyes were almost frightening.

“Three things,” Sakura spoke with a venomous voice dripping with hate. “One,” she clenched her fist tightly, “you’re lying. You are the one who attacked me first, but you must be too stupid to remember.”

Kisame glared at the girl and gripped his sword tightly.

“Two,” Sakura continued as she slowly lifted her hand to the air, “there is nothing you could say that would make me want to team up with the filth that threatens me and my friends. THREE!” the pink haired kuniochi yelled angrily as her fist descended to the ground faster than Kisame had ever seen anything move. Sakura’s fist slammed into the ground, causing a massive shockwave that shook the very earth around them. “Don’t you ever mention Sasuke’s name! People like you don’t deserve to even utter it.”

The ground beneath Kisame’s feet shook violently in an unnaturally created earthquake, and he struggled to remain standing. In desperation, he thrust his sword deep into the ground, hoping to provide himself with some leverage. However, leverage would do nothing to protect him from what was to come. Inches from Sakura’s fist, a small crack in the earth appeared that quickly grew into a large fissure stretching out towards Kisame’s position. Unable to maintain his footing long enough to leap out of the way, the fissure quickly overtook Kisame’s position, sending the shark faced ninja falling to his doom, leaving Samehada sheathed in the earth above.

Sakura smirked as she lifted her first from the ground, causing the tremors to die down. Glancing into the fissure, she could see nothing but darkness within, and any traces of Kisame were long gone. Now more than ever, the pink haired kuniochi was happy to be Tsunade’s apprentice. The brute strength did come in handy, and now, there was one less Akatsuki member for Naruto to worry about. With Kisame out of the way, Sakura was free to divert her full attention on her real target, the one who was responsible for Sasuke leaving them. She was no longer going to rely solely on Naruto to follow through on his promise. As long as she was alive, Orochimaru would never get the chance to transfer himself into Sasuke’s body.

Suddenly, a gentle noise reached Sakura’s ears, and to her surprise, it sounded as if it were coming from the fissure she had made. Yet, Sakura could not quite place what the sound most resembled. It was not the violent yells of Kisame echoing through the darkness, nor did it sound like he had finally hit the bottom. No, the sound was continuous, as if it stemmed from a constant source, and it was getting louder fast.

Moments later, a giant pillar of water exploded out of the fissure with the grinning Kisame standing proudly at the top. “Miss me?”

llllllllllllllllllll

“So, you’ve finally come,” Orochimaru licked his lips pleasantly, “Itachi-kun. I just knew that you just could not stay away. I am, after all, the one in possession of the only remaining link you have to this world. Does it upset you, Itachi-kun, that I am molding him in my image and not your own? Oh, I think it does. Every day it eats away at you that Sasuke-kun turned away from you and came to me, and it will continue to eat away at you until you finally realize the truth. Then again, I think you realize the truth already, and the truth is,” he laughed evilly, “Sasuke-kun was never yours to mold. He was mine from the very beginning.”

Itachi merely stared back in silence, completely calm and unmoving. Orochimaru’s tactics had not changed over the years, and Itachi knew them well. First, Orochimaru would attempt to get under the skin of his enemies by taunting them until they foolishly made the first move. Then, he would take advantage of their lowered guard and deliver a painful, yet non-lethal blow. Orochimaru was the kind of foul serpent that preferred to play with his food rather than just kill it. The process would be repeated as long as his opponent had the power to fight back, or until Orochimaru got bored. His tactics had worked on nearly every opponent he had ever faced, but if there was one person immune to such feeble attempts to enrage him, it was Itachi.

“Orochimaru,” Itachi said emotionlessly as he locked eyes with the serpent Sannin, “it is useless to continue wasting your breath. I simply do not care what you think of me, and Sasuke’s fate is of no concern to me.” It was a blatant lie, but Itachi was the perfect actor. He had plans for his little brother, plans that would bring him to his ultimate goal. He could not let anyone suspect anything, though, not even his fellow members of Akatsuki. His plan was his alone, and only he could carry it out.

Orochimaru’s smile faded after hearing Itachi’s words. The eldest Sharingan user had always been able to keep a cool head and remain calm no matter the situation, and Orochimaru despised it. There was no enraging a man who could no longer show emotions. There was no haunting a man who could kill his entire clan without a second thought. There was no way to catch a man off guard if he could not be distracted.

“Well,” Orochimaru’s smile returned, “I suppose I will have to forgo my fun, at least for now. You never one were for entertainment, Itachi. That truly is a shame.” With that, Orochimaru’s snake-like eyes narrowed for an instant before he struck. Stretching out his neck rapidly, the serpent Sannin aim his head at Itachi’s unguarded neck, intending to do to him what he had done to so many others. Itachi did not even bother to evade his attack as Orochimaru neared, and he did not even flinch as his fangs sunk deep into his neck.

The serpent Sannin went wide eyed at the results of his attack. Instead of tasting the delicious blood of the elder Sharingan uses, all Orochimaru received was a mouthful of smoke as Itachi’s Kage Bunshin disappeared from existence. However, what surprised him the most was the feeling of a sharp kunai pressed against his neck where the majority of his body still stood. Orochimaru’s head whipped around quickly only to see that the real Itachi now held his body prisoner.