Chapter 14: The Second Exam! The Sound of Silence...
Sakura, snapping to action mode: "Ha-What are you talking about!? I know some freak named Orochimaru is pulling strings from the shadows! You're with him aren't you! Whats his purpose!? What's he want!?"
Sound Trio: !?
Sakura: "What is the mark on Sasuke's neck!? You did this to him and now want to fight him!? What did you do!?"
Dosu: ….. "Hmm... I wonder what that man is planning, what was he thinking..?"
Sakura, just as confused, trying to keep a stern, strait face: …...
Zaku: "Heh, you've got a big mouth you know that? You know more than you should, we can't let you go... I'll-" Kin: "I'll kill her, you worry about the other two. Her attitude, her tone of voice, that look she's giving us, it's really starting to piss me off! I'll wipe that look off her pretty little face, the only thing left will be her huge forehead when I'm done!" Zaku: "Damn okay, calm down. Whatever, like I care, she doesn't look fun anyway, plus who am I to turn down a cat fight- OW! Why'd you hit me!?" Kin: "Oh calm down, it was a tap, and because your a ninja, act like one!" Zaku: "Fine, you kill her, I'll kill this Sasuke guy heh."
Sakura, raising her kunai: "What makes either of you think that would happen!? Come at me then! I'm ready for you..."
Dosu: "Wait you too." Zaku: "Huh? Why?" Dosu: "Girl, I do give you credit, you almost had us... It's okay for a rush job, but your booby trapping skills still need some work. A trap like this is pointless unless it goes unnoticed, but looking closer, I see the real reason for shooing away that squirrel. Alright, she is of no further use. Kill her"
The Sound Trio jumped over the trapped area and strait for Sakura, who just nipped a wire, causing a huge log to swing right for the airborne Oto-nin. Dosu: "Another trap from above!? Oh whatever will we do!? Hah, yeah right!" Dosu then placed his right palm onto the oncoming log before a huge whole was suddenly blown through it, clearing his teams path. Kin: "You have a lot of work to do before you're a real Konoichi!"
Suddenly, just as Sakura was preparing hand signs, the enemies were kicked out of the air down to the earth! Lee: * Leaf Whirlwind! * "Then your team should also work harder."
Sakura, taking a moment to analyze the situation: …. "Lee?"
Dosu, picking himself up off of the ground: "Who are you supposed to be?" Lee: "The beautiful green beast of the Hidden leaf, Rock Lee!"
Sakura: "Why are you here Lee!? And why did you help me!?" Lee, letting his new Squirrel get off his shoulder and go on it way : "I will always appear when you are in danger." Sakura, wiping a small tear away, smirking: "Ha, who said I was in danger, huh?" Lee, waving his hands: "Ah! Well, it's just, I, um-" Sakura laughing it off: "It's okay, I'm playing with you, but play times over. Thank you for helping me, but we're not safe yet!" Lee, trying to straiten out: "Right then, you guard your team, I won't let them get past me!" 'So I have not won her heart over yet, even with my awesome entry, so I will have to win her over in an awesome finish!'
Dosu, passing an earth scroll too Zaku: "Oh well, Zaku, you can take on the Uchiha, I'll take care of this fool in the green pajamas. Kin, sneak in there and take her out when you have an opening" Kin nods. 'That Thick-Brow has some advanced Taijutsu. This might be pretty fun.'
With that, Dosu dashed, he jumped over a kunai thrown by Sakura only for it to hit a booby trap placed near the one Dosu's team had previously found, causing an explosion behind Dosu, sending him propelling forward at even faster speed, but not in a stable fashion. Lee then rammed his arm into the ground and pulled up, a huge tree root..? Dosu rammed into the branch, back first, cracking it. Dosu caught himself as he landed, quit upset to fall for such a combination, and dashed under the roots arc to Lee, going for a right hook, but lee kicked the cracked root in on itself, slightly pinning Dosu within the arc.
Lee: "There is some trick to your attacks, correct? I am not going to simply dodge. Thanks to your exhibition just before the written exam, and what you did to the log from before, I know to steer clear from that gauntlet of yours." Sakura: 'DID HE JUST PULL A ROOT UP FROM THE GROUND...' Kin: '...AND KICK IT IN ON ITSELF!?' Zaku: 'Heh, he's stronger than I thought, but whatever, he's in for a world of pain now!' Dosu, quite frustrated: "That's it, it was fullish of me to underestimate you, however..."
Dosu placed his palm on the root and his gauntlet began to feverishly vibrate before a whole blew through, launching dozens of wooden shards at Lee, who managed to dodge most minus a few cuts here and there plus one minor gash on his left arm.
Lee: 'He is strong, and there are two more, I'm sorry Gai-sensei, I have to use that move and end it here quickly, but it will be under your one condition, it will be to protect someone precious!'
Lee partially unraveled his bandages and disappeared right before Dosu's eyes, only to re-appear right under his nose. However, before Dosu could react, he was kicked straight up into the air by Lee's mighty kick! Lee followed suit, appearing right behind the air-born Oto-nin, the bandages unraveled from Lee's arms then wrapped around Dosu's figure, rendering him immobile and next thing he knew he was going into a rapid spin down head first to the ground! Lucky for him, his nakama Zaku had a few tricks up his sleeves.
Lee: * Hidden Lotus! * Zaku: * Tunneling Airwaves! Tenderize! * A green blur flew from a cloud of dirt. When said cloud dispersed, the top half of Dosu's body was seen buried in the dirt. Lee, landing a few feet off: 'Wait, something feels wrong...' Zaku: "Phew, looks like I made it in time!"
Dosu, pulling himself from the softened dirt: "Haaahaha..." Lee: ! "No way! How!?" Dosu, wiping off the excess dirt from his garb: "I will commend you boy on such a frightening technique. Even though Zaku softened the dirt below me, and you still did quite a number on me..."
Kin saw this as her chance, she ran right past Lee, he quickly turned to stop her, but fell to his knee in pain. Lee: 'Damn, I can barely move after that technique!' Dosu, raising his gauntlet adorning arm, charging for Lee: "You have your own opponent to worry about, and it's my turn now so get ready!"
Sakura saw the oncoming threat and threw a barrage of Kunai in a circle, quite clumsily, she decided she needed more work on her kunai related skills later, but they would serve their purpose. Kin simply jumped and spun around the poorly thrown projectiles, lamenting in how lame her opponent was promising to be. When she re-assured her gaze onto the Pinkette, she saw her end a hand-sign or too, slightly worried at first, but that quickly faded as she closed in and slashed at Sakura, at first believing to have landed her strike, only to be surprised by a smirk on the enemies face as she kicked her back by a few feet.
Kin: "That was just a lucky shot! You can't even throw kunai properly, how do you expect to beat me, you lame excuse for a Konoichi!?" Sakura, arming up, empty handed, with an confused look upon her face: " Maybe your right, why not find out...?" Kin: "Don't tempt me girl!"
They engaged in a fierce hand to hand, it the naked eye it may have seemed even, but, Kin was getting quite frustrated, for even with her speed and skill, it's like she couldn't possibly land a hit on Sakura, or rather, She COULDN'T hit her, but oh yes, Kin was most certainly getting hit.
Kin, jumping back to wipe the blood from her cheek: 'Somethings wrong here, none of my attacks are fazing her, and I could have sworn I cut her earlier...' She looked back to her team an saw Dosu still fighting Lee, but then took a closer look, they seemed to just be on repeat, throwing and landing or dodging the same hits every few moments, then it clicked with a grin, making Sakura grimace. "Heh, quite shrew of you Pinky... But not that impressive, It was only my own foolishness that prevented me from figuring it out sooner." Kin pulled out a little bell that otherwise did not look very special. "However, I must unfortunately break it to you, that I am just a better Konoichi, and I am better at Genjutsu..." She flicked the bell, and the world shattered like glass only to reveal the real world once more. Sakura, as good with chakra control as she was, had not much of it left after that trick, and breathed heavily, quite exhausted for holding it as long as she already was. The fact that it was overpowered like that did not help.
Kin: "You threw the Kunai in a seemingly random and sloppy circle, but their real purpose was a distraction for you to initiate your jutsu, and to help hold it within an area that would trap whoever was to walk into it." Sakura, letting s hint of sweat escape her pours: 'Damn! She figured it out so quickly, and I hoped I would be able to hold it a little longer at least...'
The next thing Sakura saw was rock lee landing to the ground with his right ear bleeding profusely, Dosu's weapon had sent amplified sound directly into his ears, causing him to be extremely disorientated, and finally, immobile. Dosu, wiping blood from his cheek: "But I am quite surprised at how you managed to bruise me up so much when one would normally be down after only 1 or 2 doses."
Sakura threw a horde of Shuriken at Dosu, only for it to be intercepted by Zaku's airwaves and launched strait back at her, cutting her up. Kin, appearing behind Sakura, gripping her hair tightly: "Hey! I told you I'm your challenger, got it!"
Kin: "Such nice hair, much better than mine... Pfft, trying to be a sexy Konoichi huh..? IF YOU HAVE TIME TO TREAT YOUR HAIR, THEN YOU HAVE TIME TO TRAIN YOU FEMALE SWINE! Zaku, you go get that Sasuke guy and make this boy chaser watch! That might teach her a lesson!" Zaku: "Ah, good idea." Dosu: "Do it as you please as long as it gets done."
Sakura, as Zaku walked past: "Heh, heheh, Yeah right! You have no idea how poorly I have had to treat my hair since I became a serious Konoichi! Heh, it's actually become a bother if anything..." Kin, seeing Sakura pull out a Kunai: "What nonsense is that all about? And I hope you realize that you won't be able to touch me with that!" Sakura: "Oh nothing, just that you have no idea what your talking about..."
With a swift motion, she sliced off her hair to which it became just shoulder length and kicked Kin over to her team. Sakura, assertively: "I already decided to be the best Konoichi I can be, to protect myself, and others for once rather than just being the damsel in distress. You talk about being serious, and your just playing with us, well, that's your own mistake..."
Zaku: "Shut up and die already!" * 10% sound waves, 90% blast!- * Sakura, seeing Zaku slam his hands to the floor: * Substitution jutsu! * Zaku: * -Tunneling Airwaves! Explode! * The area where Sakura stood prior, a fierce airwaves shot up, at first seeming to obliterate her, but Zaku saw it was instead a log being torn to shreds.
Zaku: 'Heh, don't think I didn't see your hands, like your gonna get me with that basic jutsu, she's coming from the right!"
He turned quick just as Sakura as she threw a wave of Kunai. Zaku: * Air Pressure 100% sound waves, 0% blast... Decapitation Airwaves! * He blasted the Kunai right back at her, but he saw she used Substitution Jutsu, again. This time she came from above.
Zaku, reaching for Kunai of his own: "Your not Fulling anyone! Just give up, it's useless! Time to get serious!" He threw his projectiles strait for her, but again saw her hand signs! He looked to his left, to his right, all around, but he couldn't see her, except for when he looked up.
Zaku, saw that Sakura had actually let herself get hit and fooled him into looking around when she really was still falling down upon him, with kunai she pulled from her self! Next hing he knew, his arms were stabbed into the ground and she was smashing her huge forehead into is own repeatedly!
Zaku: "Gah! Goh-! Hey-! Ah-! Get OFF-! ME You! Psycho-! This is just so-! UNORTHIDOX! How do I know that word? OW! What word was that again..? OW! I'm the one with the Headband!"
But he saw that she was practically unconscious, going off of pure adrenaline and will. He turned his wrists to face the ground and blasted him and his assailant off the ground and forward, slamming her into a tree. Then, Sakura's world went black. And another world faded in for someone else...
|In Sasuke's Mindscape|
All around, the world was empty and white with only two recognizable forms. That of a emo looking crybaby with black Raven hair that could be compared to a butt of a chicken in shape, and he was looking at the other occupant of the empty space. He was looking at the form of himself as a child 3-4 years ago, who could barely hold back the tears that were seeping from his eyes.
Sasuke, in a confused disbelief: 'Is that, me..?' Child Sasuke, rubbing the tears from his eyes: "Mom and dad... They didn't have to die..." Sasuke: ! Child Sasuke: "In the end, if you don't have strength you can't do anything... Because I didn't have the strength! The clan,,, The clan was wiped out! Everyone, was killed..." His voice started to deform into an all to familiar voice that has haunted his mind since he first heard it. Sasuke: "No... You!" Child Sasuke, growing a smirk and pulling the flesh uncovering his left eye, revealing that of a serpent: "You let them die... All you did was watch! If only you had strength..."
Sasuke, marching up to his childish doppelganger and lifting him up by his collar: " WHAT DO YOU KNOW!? WHY ARE YOU IN MY HEAD!? GET OUT! THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO! EVERYONE WAS ALREADY DEAD BY THE TIME I GOT THERE!" But he was silenced when he was suddenly pulling on the collar of his mother, Mikoto Uchiha...
Mikoto: "No Sasuke, I wasn't, your Father wasn't, you just sat there and watched us be killed! Why Sochi?" Visions were flowing through his head, visions of memories he longed to leave him. His father and mother just sitting there as his elder Brother Itachi killed, no, slaughtered them right before his eyes.
Sasuke: "Kaa-san... There was nothing I could do! Why did you just sit there and let him kill you like that! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" But he was stunned yet again when his father, Fugaku Uchiha, was tightly gripping his wrists with one of his massive man hands and gave him his signature look of disappointment/ disapproval.
Fugaku: "No Sasuke, you and your weakness alone is to blame. Look at yourself, passing your blame onto us just because you cannot own up to your own faults! Disgusting, your brother again has shown to be far better than you could ever hope to be. Where you hadn't managed to save a single soul in the village, he managed to take them all!."
Sasuke, as visions of his greatest accomplishments just being looked down upon by his father as failures compared to his brother, the only one of which he felt brought a little pride to his fathers face was his first successful grand fireball technique: "Dammit O-san! It never mattered what I did! You never would give me the praise I ever earned! But I still miss you ! And Kaa-san! And, even-!"
His brother, Itachi, now was resting his grip on Sasuke's wrist, whom instinctively went to attack only for him to quickly be pinned up to a wall that wasn't there in the world of white emptiness.
Itachi: "Hello brother, your still as weak as I remember. Is this all the hatred you have built up after 3 years? Pitiful..." Sasuke: "Shut, UP!" Sasuke kicked Itachi off of him and stared him down. "Don't get me wrong, I do hate you, but I don't want to! More than hatred, I feel filled curiosity! Why did you do it! And don't you dare say to test your strength! That wasn't who you were! And there were a thousand different ways you could have chosen to do that, but wipe out your entire clan!? And it was night time, most people were asleep! What kind of test of strength would that me!?
Itachi: "No, you are wrong little brother...
Sasuke, his weapon from seemingly no where, and ripping strait through his brother: "BULLSHIT!" "Brother, I will get the truth someday, but for now, I shall remain content with my new family, and I will protect them with my new weapon! Oni Kinshasa"
But then, he heard that slithery voice again and turned to see the bloody shreds group back to form Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, reforming: "Kukuku, you have exceptional control of your mind scape Sasuke, I am sure you are quite the lucid dreamer... but come now, stop resisting, give into your hatred, let my power fill you! You felt it then didn't you..? tearing your brother too pieces felt good, didn't it, Sa-su-ke-kun~? And right now, your team is under attack, they are being slaughtered while your just laying there, resisting to awaken!~ Stop resisting!"
Sasuke, holding his head in pain, trying to stabilize the wavering world around him: "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
|Back in the outside world|
We find Sakura beaten up quite badly aswell as three late arrivals that had interfered sometime ago, team InoShikaCho who look worse for wear. There are also two more recent arrivals in the tree nearby, Neji and Ten Ten, whom were just about to jump in, until...
Dosu, mockingly: "Hehe, if your so upset, then stop acting cool and come down already..."
Neji, noticing a Chakra spike just before his rebuttal: …! "No,. It seems that will no longer be necessary..."
All heads turned to Sasuke's form rising from the ground, some happier then others, but all shocked once his full image sunk in. He was visibly emanating a dark aura around his body, and what appeared to be black tattoos were steadily spreading from the mark on his neck across his body.
Sasuke, examining the situation: "Sakura... Who did that to you..?" Sakura, wide eyed: "Sasuke!? What's happening to you!?" Sasuke, sharingan blazing: "Who did it?" Dosu: 'The curse seal is wrapped around his whole body...' Zaku, in a very smug and cocky manner: "We did it!"
Shikimaru's team retreated to a safer distance, and Dosu was practically stunned speechless at the massive amount of dark chakra emanating from Sasuke's body. Zaku however clearly did not understand the danger he was in.
Sasuke: "So it was you punks then huh...?" Zaku, flowing through hand signs and taking aim at Sasuke: "Dosu! There is no reason to piss your pants over this half dead freak!" Dosu: "No Zaku! Don't you realize that-!?"
Zaku: * Extreme Decapitating Airwaves! * Zaku released a massive blast wave, the shear force of which knocked all on their ass as it destroyed the earth and trees in it's wake. "Heh, I blew him to pieces! I knew it was all just a puffed chest..!?"
Sasuke from behind Zaku: "And who would you be talking about, might I ask..?" Before Zaku could react, Sasuke back handed him off into a tree, slamming on impact followed by * Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu! *
Zaku, standing back too his feet: "Shit! So what! I'll just blast them away! * Air Pressure 50% sound waves, 50% blast... Decapitation Airwaves! *" he was caught off guard for yes, he did blow the flames out, however... 'Shit!Shuriken hidden in the flames!?' "AHH! Dam you!"
Zaku froze with fear as Sasuke's face was mere inches from his own, wearing a wicked smirk. Sasuke, glaring deep into Zaku's eyes: "This power has awakened the real me that has been building up for all these years, for you see, I am an avenger- No, that would insinuate that I am always to late to save those important to me and can only get back at bastards that hurt them..-" Zaku, throwing his arms out and aimed point blank at Sasuke's unyielding face: "**** YOU! DIE ALREADY!"
Sasuke, gripped Zaku's fists shut quicker than Zaku could have done anything about it with a loud crunching of Zaku's fingers, and dripping of his blood from his hands, shocking Sakura still aswell has all other spectators: "You see, I find my self being more of a creature of curiosity. What is the point in just punishing one for something when I can force answers from their mouths as to why they had done so in the first place and thereby prevent similar issues happening in the future!? Heheh! Isn't that genius!?"
Zaku, screaming in pain as his hands were being crushed: "AAHHH! YOU PIECE OF SHIT! WHAT ARE YOU BLABBERING ABOUT!? STOP ****ING AROUND ALREADY!" He tried kneeing Sasuke in the gut, only for his leg to be kicked down and arms twisted behind his back, Sasuke's foot upon his spine, pulling his arms back in a very uncomfortable way.
Sakura, shouting from fear of Sasuke's pure sadism, only to go unheard: "SASUKE! STOP!"
Sasuke, wearing a sadistic smirk as large as the nail moon: " Heheh, well, my first question is more of an analysis, why are you so proud of these arms..?" Zaku: "**** you! Let me go damn it!" Sasuke, pulling his arms almost out of their sockets: "That's not nice at all! Well at any rate, I think that, I will just take them from you, so there will be nothing worth questioning..."And with that, Zaku's shoulders were dislocated with a loud crack and Zaku passing out on the ground from pain. "Damn it, you passed out, how boring, now I can't get my answer from you, oh well, I'll just kill you and get what I want too know from your Nakama, hows that sound HAHAHAHA!" Turning to look at said remainder of the sound trio: " What a shame, only one of you look like your still in any condition to fight, I hope you let me have more fun..."
Sakura had enough, she dashed up but before she could take two steps, something red and orange blurred right past her. Next thing Sasuke knew, he was sent to the ground bouncing by a burning fist.
Naruto, eyes red, a faint red glow hugging his body: "Sasuke you moron... Snap out of it!" Sasuke, getting eye to eye with Naruto, challenging his will: "What do you think you are doing loser! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?"
No one could move, the tension in the air was so thick, you would have to use a legendary blade to cut it.
Naruto's vile aura suddenly disappeared with a foxy grin: "I told you I'd always pelt ya one whenever you started to doubt or lose yourself didn't I Teme?"
Sasuke, his own marks receding and aura decimating: "Yeah yea, but was it necessary to hit me that hard?"
Naruto: "Who knows heehee. =^_^=" Sakura's entire body and mind finally relaxed with relief.
Dosu was no where near to relaxing, and he would be relieved, if he didn't just realize that in front of him stood not one, but two foes who had chakra as vile and dark as Orochimaru himself, each. Dosu, offering his scroll: "You are terrifyingly powerful, Sasuke, we cannot defeat you, or your team, at this time. Here is an offering to you, and in return we ask for you to let us just leave in peace. This may seem convenient, but there is something we must find out now. But I will promise you this... If there is another situation where we will meet in this exam, we will neither run nor hid, we will be more than ready for you.."
Sakura, as the Oto-Trio were limping away: "Wait! Who is Orochimaru and why did he, what did he do to Sasuke and Naruto!?"
Dosu: "I have no idea, we were merely ordered to kill Sasuke, but we plan on finding out..." 'Why did you tell us to kill him if you were just going to go ahead of us and give him the curse seal... You better explain yourself...'
|Moments Later|
Shikimaru and Neji gathered their teams and worked on fixing up any injuries that required immediate attention.
Team 7 were a little ways away, working out their own, after Ino evened out Sakura's hair a bit and they had their own conditions examined.
Sasuke, holding his arm: "What happened to me... Honestly, I only remember Fighting that snake in the grass, then him somehow slithering his way into my head after biting me... other then that, I'm only getting blanks..."
Sakura: "Please, Sasuke, try keeping it under control until we get to the tower, I, I don't think I could bare to see you like that again..." Naruto: "Yeah, and punching you so much is wearing on my knuckles, so yeah, get that evil upgrade of yours under control!"
Sakura, hitting Naruto on the head: "YOUR ONE TO TALK BAKA!" Naruto, rubbing his head: "OW! Whats that mean!?"
Sasuke and Naruto gave him solemn faces, letting him know it was time to be serious.
Naruto, sighing and getting serious himself: "Oh, right... That... alright, we did promise no more secrets... I think it's about time I told you both something you should know..."
. But I will let you know, things are gonna get good from here! And now that I have a job, I can pay for commissions for story thumbnails ^^