Of Battle Formations, Arrivals, and Awakenings
-Of Battle Formations, Arrivals, and Awakenings-
"I suggest you get off of my friend there." Shikamaru advised, giving Dosu a hard look as he stared him down.
In response, Dosu tilted his head slightly and glanced down at Amaya's relieved face before looking back up. "These Leaf Village worms will be sorry they squirmed their way into something that doesn't concern them." He said, leering at the three as he put as much pressure onto the brunette's shoulder as possible.
The trio, plus Sakura's, eyes widen as Amaya let out a loud cry of pain. Chōji looked away from the Minamoto and to his teammates as a fearful shiver wracked his body. "Are you two crazy?! What are we doing here?! These guys are bad news man!"
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he took in the brunette's tearful and pained expression before looking back to Chōji. "Don't look at me, it was Ino's idea! But what are we supposed to do? Just sit back and let a girl do all of the fighting?"
Ino let out a small, slightly nervous laugh. "Sorry of dragging you guys into this. But we are a three-man squad, right? All for one and one for all."
Shikamaru smirked at that and looked ahead. "Yeah, what's meant to happen, will."
Chōji looked at the two bewildered. "This ain't teamwork! I call this suicide!" He exclaimed before turning to run away, though Shikamaru and Ino's hold on his scarf kept him in place.
"Stop wiggling! You're getting on my nerves!" Shikamaru snapped, tightening his grip on the fabric.
Zaku laughed. "Better alive sheep than a dead lion, right fatso?" He asked with a sneer.
Chōji felt his ear twitch at the word, his frantic movements coming to a halt. "Did I just hear that right? What did that guy just say?"
Zaku rose a brow. "Hah?" He asked, staring at Chōji's back.
Dosu noticed Amaya lack of movement and looked down at her. Noting her tense and almost fearful look. "Saa~ He should not have said that... He should not have said that..." He heard her mumble through her pain, a nervous sweat coating her forehead.
'Uh oh, he just pushed Chōji's button big time.' Shikamaru thought to himself, watching his friend from the corner of his eye.
"You wanna try saying that again?" Chōji asked, his tone sounding way too calm and collected to his friends.
Zaku smirked. "I said you're smart to get out while you still can. Fatty."
That's when Chōji spun around with a dark look in his face. His eyes were squinted, and his teeth bared, making his once friendly face look menacing. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT?! I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OKAY?!" He yelled out before giving a war cry. "CHUBBIES FOREVER!"
Sakura, who had never seen the foodie like his before, deadpanned. "Eh?"
Chōji then turns and points at Ino and Shikamaru. "That does it! Now this is personal! It's a fight to the death between Leaf and Sound!" He exclaimed, looking ahead at the two Sound nins with fiery eyes.
Ino smirked. 'Hmph, excellent. He's totally lost it.'
Shikamaru looked at Zaku with an unimpressed and accusing look. "Good job, thanks a lot. Now we gotta live with him."
Zaku, however, remained unbothered. "Don't worry, it won't be for long." He replied, his eyes narrowing at all of the disturbances. 'Ugh... We've gotta get rid of these clowns. Sasuke's the target!'
Sakura looks away from the trio before her and towards a still unconscious Sasuke. "Oh, Sasuke..."
"Sakura." Ino voiced, not turning her head to look back at the pinkette as she looked up at her. "Your teammates are down. Look after them." She orders, earning a nod the Haruno.
Ino then puts her attention on the nin in front of her. "Okay, Team Ino, lets show 'em who's boss."
"Got it!"
Ino smirked. "Formation: Ino!"
"Shika!"
"Cho!"
"Okay, take it away, Chōji!" Ino exclaimed, prompting Chōji to bring his hands together.
"With pleasure! Baika no Jutsu!" Chōji yelled, his body expanding to where it resembled a large boulder. "Followed by Konoha-Ryū Taijutsu...!" He continued, his legs and arms disappearing from sight as they tuck into his clothing. "...Nikudan Sensha!"
"You've gotta be kidding! Maybe I'm supposed to laugh myself to death!" Zaku cackled, watching Chōji's boulder like frame come barreling towards him as he brought up his hands. "Zankūha!"
Once again, Zaku sent out a large burst of pressurized air. Chōji met the blast full-force yet didn't relent as his form continued to press forward. Seeing as it wasn't enough, Zaku applied more force, causing Chōji to shoot up into the air.
***
Amaya looked away from the fight and glanced up at Dosu. Seeing as he was watching his teammates battle intently, she made her move. 'I can't stay here! As long as he's got me pinned, they'll have leverage against the others...' She thought, taking a deep breath as she reached for her kunai holster. 'I will not be a burden! Not anymore!' She thought again, quickly grasping the weapon with her fingers.
The kunai glistened in the sun, catching Dosu's attention. Looking down, his eye went wide as Amaya smirked up at him. "You dropped your guard." She growled informatively before she made a jab at his leg with the kunai.
Dosu yelped as the weapon made a deep gash into his calf. Seeing as the brunette was going to do it a second time, Dosu jumped out of the way, inevitably freeing her from his hold.
Amaya rolled over and got onto her knees, scrambling about as she tried to put distance between her and the enraged nin. With adrenaline pumping though her veins, she got to her feet quickly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain emitting from her shoulder.
Looking up, she made eye contact with Dosu as he brought down a kunai of his own, which she parried with slight ease. Dosu growled and made an attempt to hit her in the face with his amplifier. Ducking low, she caused him to miss, though that didn't stop him from sending a kick to her abdomen.
"Amaya!" Sakura yelled, watching along with Shikamaru and Ino as the brunette's back slammed into the tree beside her. Amaya slid down to the ground, coughing up a small amount of blood from the blow.
"You sure are a tenacious one, aren't you?" Dosu hissed as he walked forward, twirling the kunai between his fingers. "I'll admit, you caught me off guard. I won't be letting that happen again."
Amaya spat some blood at the nins shoe as he neared, looking up at him with a near infuriating smirk. "Keep telling yourself that."
Dosu felt heat climb up his neck under his bandages as unbridled rage built up inside. However, before he could say or do anything, Zaku let out a cry of disbelief, gaining everyone's attention.
***
"Eh?! He jumped the airstream!" Zaku exclaimed, watching as Chōji's body began to make its descent, spinning faster than before. 'This thing's spinning way too fast! My airwave can't control it! And if I try to go supersonic on it, it's liable to rip my arms off!'
"Huh?! Zaku!" Dosu exclaimed, wide eyed. He then looked back at Amaya with a glower. "I'll deal with you in a moment." He growled out before charging froward to help his teammate.
Shikamaru saw this as an opportunity. 'Idiot, don't get impatient... Even if your plan worked...' He mused, sending a glance to Amaya as she crawled over to Sakura's side before looking back at Dosu. 'Oh no you don't, mummy man! Time to put you under wraps.' He thought with a smirk. "Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shikamaru exclaimed, watching as his shadow morphed and stretched across the ground until making contact with Dosu's.
Dosu's sprint came to an abrupt stop. "What's happening?!" He asked, looking down at his feet, a surprisingly difficult task in itself. It's then that he notices his shadow is connected to Shikamaru's. "Huh?!"
"Just me and my shadow..." Shikamaru mutters, letting out a chuckle.
By this point, as Chōji made contact with the ground, Zaku jumped away with an exasperated expression on his face.
Kin, also watching it all unfold, took a step forward and looked in Dosu's direction. "What is it?! Why are you just standing there like that?!" She asked before noticing Shikamaru making the same pose.
"Some kind of paralysis jutsu..." Dosu mumbled.
Shikamaru smirked. "Ino... I'll leave the girl to you." He informed, causing the blonde to smile and the three nins eyes to widen.
"Okay, you got it! Just take care of my body while I'm gone." Ino replied while making a hand sign.
"Sure."
"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino exclaims, and after a moment her body falls limp, prompting Shikamaru to catch her.
Meanwhile, Chōji continuously barrels after Zaku, who is barely able to dodge. "Enough of this!... Kin!" He called out, looking over to his female teammate, only to find her head hanging low with closed eyes.
Dosu also looks over at the female. "What's wrong with you?!"
A silence fell over the group for a moment, the only sounds coming from Chōji as he rolled around the clearing. Eventually, after a moment, Kin looks up at the two and pulls out a kunai. She gave the two a smile as she brought it up to her neck threateningly. "Party's over, fellas!"
Realization struck the two males, causing them to look at her wide eyed. "Take it easy... One false move from either of you and your teammate gets it in the neck. You don't want that to happen, so here's what you do. Just drop the scroll and walk away." Kin, or rather Ino, said. Only becoming confused when the two sneered in response.
"Heh..."
Nonetheless, Ino decided to continue. "When you're far enough away that I can't sense your chakras, I'll let her go." She informs, making the two chuckle. 'I don't get these guys.' She thought to herself, her eyes narrowing. 'Somethings wrong!' She added, looking up at Chōji as he makes another descent to the ground. "Hey, Chōji!"
Sakura looks away from Amaya and back to their three classmates. "What is it?! What are they up to?!" She asked fearfully, and her question was quickly answered as Zaku raised a hand to send a burst of air at Chōji as he passed by "Kin".
The pressure sent Chōji spinning towards "Kin". Her back to slammed into the tree behind her, causing the female to cough up some blood and fall to the ground.
Shikamaru's eyes widen as he watched a dribble of blood trail out of the two females' mouths, more concerned for the blonde he was holding than the nin. "This is bad!"
Chōji finally comes to a complete stop. The Akimichi staggers for a moment and then falls onto his butt, cupping his mouth. "Guh... I don't feel so good..."
Ino, still controlling Kin's body, raises up weakly and looks at the two males. "I-I don't understand you guys... What kind of monster would attack their own teammate?"
Zaku smirked and let out a chuckle. "I guess... monsters like us."
"You see, we don't play this game by your rules. It's not the scrolls we're after, or even passing this test." Dosu added, earning surprised looks from everyone in the clearing. "Huh?!"
Ino narrowed her eyes. "What then?!" She spat, sending the two a weak glare.
Dosu looked ahead to the members of Squad 7, his eye focusing on the unconscious ravenet as it gave a small twitch. "Sasuke." He hissed.
It was then that Shikamaru's jutsu weakened and broke, allowing Dosu to move around freely once more. "Oh-ho...?" The nin questioned, clenching and unclenching his fist.
'I hate it when it does that!' Shikamaru thought to himself, grimacing at Dosu's pleased expression, well what wasn't obscured by the nins bandages.
"So, your paralysis jutsu has a pretty limited duration, I see." Dosu hummed, locking his eye on Shikamaru once more.
The Nara sighed and rolled his eyes slightly. "Shadow Imitation Technique. Get your jutsu right."
"Whatever." Dosu replied gruffly before glancing down at Ino's "lifeless" form as he continued. "And I see that your teammate is able to slip her soul into her opponent... very clever, but dangerous. Anything that happens to Kin, happens to her, too. So, say if Kin were to die..."
Shikamaru scowled as the nin trailed off. "What are you gonna do? Kill your teammate?"
Zaku huffs and grins darkly. "Well if push comes to shove? Yeah." He replies as he raised his hand, his palm facing Kin.
A tense silence falls over the group. Gritting his teeth, Shikamaru sighs and throws his head back in exasperation. "Oh man, what a drag."
Chōji sends him a look, his face paling slightly. "Yeah, no kidding!"
Zaku's grin widens slightly as he stands. "Did you really think you could beat us? Face it, you ninja are just a bunch of hacks."
Dosu chuckled at that. "From a second-rate village." He added.
"Huh, that's pretty tough talk."
"Meh, these guys don't look so scary."
The sudden sound of voices made the group look up. There in a tree, was Neji and Tenten along with Hikari and what Amaya could only guess was her own team.
"I guess that makes your village third-rate. I wonder if any of you amateurs are ready to take on the real thing." Neji said, his face remaining as expressionless as ever as he stared down at them from his perch.
"What?!" Dosu growled, his eye focusing intently on the two groups in the tree.
Sakura looks over at Amaya. "It's Lee's team... I wondered when they'd get here..."
Amaya nodded, wincing when the movement agitated her already throbbing shoulder, the adrenaline was already wearing off. "Saa~... Better late than never, I suppose..." She replied before turning to look at Hikari. "I just don't get why they're here, too..."
Tenten looked around the clearing, her eyes took in the state of Sakura and Amaya before locking on Lee's unconscious form not to far away. "Lee!"
Neji followed her line of sight and scowled. "You blew it."
Dosu huffed. "Hah! These Genin keep popping out of the woods like cockroaches." He said, earning Neji's attention once more.
"It looks like to me, that somebody used our teammate as a punching bag." He states before activating his Byakugan. "No one does that and gets away with it!" He spat as he glowered down at the all.
Dosu's own eye went wide. 'His eyes... He's not just looking at us... He's seeing through us!'
"No more playing around, Tenten. Full power!" Neji states, making the girl reach for a kunai. Suddenly, Neji freezes and his eyes widen slightly. 'That chakra...'
"What's the matter? Neji?" Tenten asked, staring up at the male confused and concerned.
Neji didn't move or make a sound, making Dosu impatient. "Well? Are you just gonna stay up there all day? Or are you gonna come down here and do something about it?" He asked gruffly, and Neji smirked in response, throwing them all completely off.
"Actually... It looks like it might've been taken out of my hands."
Dosu hummed in confusion before he, and everyone else in the clearing followed his gaze. There, at the base of the tree, they see a purple like chakra swirling around Sasuke.
"Holy shit..." Hikari muttered as the chakra became thicker, so thick that it obscured the ravenet from view.
Amaya felt her blood run cold and the hairs on the back of her neck stand as Sasuke began to sit up slowly. "Sasuke?..." She called out softly, albeit hesitantly.
"Sasuke! You're awake--!" Sakura began but stopped as she let out a gasp.
Sasuke doesn't say anything in return, but the duo's voices make him more alert than before. As he stands up, the purple chakra surrounding him cracks the ground slightly, causing everyone to go wide eyed.
"Sasuke?... That's Sasuke?" Ino asked rhetorically, fear coating her voice as bright red - almost fiery looking - marks cover his skin. They begin to expand outwards before turning inky black in color.
Sasuke takes a step forward, his ruby red eyes immediately lock on Sakura and Amaya's beaten and disheveled forms. "Sakura... Amaya... Who did this to you? Who was it?"
"Sasuke... Wh-what's happened to you?" Sakura asked, her heart pounding.
Sasuke glanced down at his hand briefly, a somewhat thoughtful expression crossing his face as he looks back up at the two. "Don't worry. I'm alright, it's only the power flowing through me." He informed before clenching his fist. "In fact... I've never felt better. He gave me this gift and he made me understand what I am. I'm an avenger! To follow my path I must have power, at any price, even if it means being consumed by evil."
Realization washed over Dosu in an instant. 'Now I see... Those marks on the neck that the girl spoke of... They were a curse mark! But who would've thought that he'd survive...? More than survive!'
As Sasuke took in the duo's appearances once more, his eyes hardened. The sight of Sakura's quickly bruising face and chopped hair along with Amaya holding her profusely bleeding shoulder was almost too much to take as rage bubbled his stomach. "Sakura. Tell me, which one of these people did this to you?" He asked again, and when the pinkette didn't answer, he turned to the other. "Amaya."
The Minamoto felt her breath hitch as her blue orbs clashed with his Sharingan. Trembling, she opened her mouth to answer but was cut off as Zaku chuckled.
"That'd be me!" The nin informed proudly with a grin. "And Dosu had plenty of fun with that pretty little brunette over there. I'm almost jealous." He added, and Sasuke's glare grew tenfold as he moved his gaze from Amaya to Zaku, who smirked in response.
***
"Ino!" Shikamaru called out, prompting the blonde to look in his direction. There, she spotted him taking cover behind the bush they hid in earlier, along with her body. "Hurry up and get back in your body! You don't want to get involved in this!" He advised before turning to look at Chōji, who was still sitting on the ground. "You too, Chōji! Come on, get out of there!"
Chōji jumps to his feet and runs over to the bush. "I'm coming!"
Ino looked back to Squad 7 and the Sound nins for a moment before making a hand sign. "Mind Transfer: Release!"
Kin's body then falls to the ground unconscious as Ino awakens in hers. "Atta girl. Good to have you back." Shikamaru greets with a smile as he helps Ino sit up.
By this point, Chōji reaches their side. "Shikamaru! What's this all about? What's going on?"
"How should I know?" Shikamaru replied harshly before turning back to the confrontation at hand.
***
Sasuke began to walk forward, glowering at the two nins as the markings on his skin turned red and began to spread out more on his body.
"Huh?! Wh-what is this?!" Dosu asked, his body tensing as he begins to sense Orochimaru's chakra emitting from the Uchiha. 'This changes everything! His chakra is too big! Too powerful! We can't fight that!'
Zaku grins and makes a hand sign, his eyes never leaving Sasuke. "Dosu! What's wrong, you're not getting cold feet, are ya?"
Dosu's eye went wide and his head snapped in his teammate's direction. "No! Zaku! You don't understand!" He cried out, trying to stop the male but all was in vain.
"Watch this! I'll take the whole bunch of them in one fell swoop!" Zaku exclaimed, pointing his palms in Sasuke's direction. "Zankūkyokuha!"
A massive burst of pressurized air emits from his palms, causing everyone, even those in the trees, to cover their eyes from the dust and debris that was kicked up by the jutsu.
Once it was over, Zaku brought his hands down and waited for the dust to clear. A short silence fell over the clearing until he broke it with a laugh. "Heh, what d'ya know? Blew 'em all away!"
"Not quite." Sasuke growls suddenly from behind him, making Zaku and Dosu's eyes widen in surprise. Sasuke then swings his arm out and hits Zaku in the face, sending the male flying backwards, tumbling across the ground.
"Zaku!" Dosu yells, looking from his teammate on the ground to Sasuke, who stood protectively in front of the three behind him. "Such speed! He got all three of his teammates out of harms way in the blink of an eye!"
At that, Sasuke turns to them, causing the two to tense as they waited for his next move. The Uchiha then quickly began to make hand signs. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" He yells, sending out small pellets of fire towards the duo.
Zaku finally stood to his full height and raised his hands again. "I don't think so! Try this!" He exclaimed, sending a short burst of air that blew the flames away, revealing shuriken underneath. "In the flames! Shuriken!"
Dosu's eyes widen as Zaku is barraged by shuriken, his cries of pain resonating throughout the clearing. "Zaku, get down!" He yelled right as Sasuke, quite literally, appeared out of nowhere and landed a blow to Zaku's stomach.
While the nin was momentarily stunned, Sasuke maneuvered around and put him into a hold. He placed his foot in the center of Zaku's back for leverage and held his arms tightly.
Sasuke then stared down at the scared nin, a dark smile crossing his features as he did so. "You seem to be very proud of these arms of yours. You must be very attached to them." He mused ominously, pressing his foot into Zaku's back as he slowly began to pull back on the nins arms.
Zaku craned his head to look back at the Uchiha, his eyes wide with terror at the male's implication. "No... What are you doing?!" He asked fearfully, and his question was quickly answered.
Sasuke pressed his foot down with everything he had and pulled on the nins arms quickly, inevitably and forcibly pulling them out of socket, causing the nin to scream in agony. Once he was done, Sasuke throws Zaku to the ground and tilts his head back to look at Dosu. "It looks like you're the only one left." He murmurs darkly as he turns completely around, walking towards a frightened Dosu. "I hope you make things more interesting than your friend did."
"S-Sasuke..." Amaya calls out weakly making the Uchiha stop momentarily as he looked back at her. "T-they're not worth it... Please stop..." She pleads, unable to hold back her trembling.
For a moment, Sasuke's eyes softened, at least that was until he caught sight of the blood running down the brunette's arm. "He's their "leader" right? The one who started the attack?" He asked, and when she nodded, he continued. "Then he deserves more than what his teammate got."
Amaya and Sakura's eyes widened when they heard this. Sakura, looked to Amaya and back to Sasuke, her eyes filling up with tears. 'No-- Its not.. it can't be! Whoever that is, it's not Sasuke!' She thought before jumping her her feet to run after him. "NO! STOP!" She yells as she crashed into his back lightly, wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Sasuke turns and peers at her over his shoulder, his eyes harsh and uncaring. "Don't do it! Stop... Please..."
A tense silence fell over the group once more as Sasuke weighed his options. After a moment of looking at his teammate's teary expressions, he decided to stop.
'The markings have receded... Were safe. For now.' Dosu thought to himself with a small sigh of relief, watching as the black marks returned to the curse mark. Thankful for the boy's soft-spot for the two females.
"Sasuke..." He called out as the Uchiha and pinkette fell to the ground, making the two look up. "You're strong, Sasuke Uchiha." He said, pulling out his team's earth scroll as he continues. "Too strong. We can't hope to defeat you with the way you are now."
He sets the scroll on the ground and stands. "We'll strike a deal. I'll give you this scroll, and you let us go." He says as he lifts Zaku onto his back. "It would seem we underestimated you. But at least we found out what we needed to know. For the moment, we're even. But if it should happen that we meet again in combat, I will promise you, we won't run or hide." He adds, picking up Kin before turning to leave.
Sakura watches as he gets farther away and sits up straighter. "Wait!"
Dosu turns. "Hm?"
"Who is Orochimaru, anyway? What's he done to Sasuke? And why Sasuke?" She asked, making his eyes narrow as he stared back at them.
"I don't know. All I know is that we were told to target Sasuke, and we did. I don't know why he sent us to assassinate someone of whom he bestowed such powers... I don't know why Sasuke even survived the curse mark, there are many things I don't know." He replies before turning to leave the clearing.
***
"Hey, you guys okay?" Chōji called out as they jumped out from behind the bush.
"Ino, you look after Lee, we'll check on the kid!" Shikamaru ordered as he and Chōji ran towards Amaya and Naruto.
"Right!"
'That was no normal chakra. I had no idea the Uchiha clan was so strong.' Neji thought to himself as he stared at Sasuke from above.
Hikari and her team jump down from the tree and went to Amaya, who was staring at Sasuke with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Hey, you ok?" The blonde asked as she kneeled next to the brunette, who flinched at the sudden hand on her uninjured shoulder.
The Minamoto looked at her wide eyed before nodding slowly. "Yeah... Heh, that guy really took advantage of my injury, huh?" She murmured, earning a grimace from the blonde and her teammates.
"What happened anyway? Why were those two knocked out?" Hikari asked, looking over at Naruto who was sleep talking and back to Amaya.
Amaya sighed and began to peel off her blood-soaked midriff, leaving her in a mesh undershirt. "Saa~ I don't think you'd believe me if I told you..." She replied.
Although Hikari wasn't satisfied with the answer, she accepted it and focused on the brunette's shoulder. "Oooh that looks bad... What do you think, Tetsu?" She asked, looking at the bespectacled boy behind her.
The boy adjusted his glasses and leaned in, observing Amaya shoulder as he brushed his finger over the skin lightly. "He really did a number on you... Look at the bruising..."
Amaya flinched at the touch and gave a wry smile. "Wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't gotten stabbed before all of this."
"Toshiaki is gonna flip... Your mom is gonna flip... MY mom is going to, along with Shiori!" Hikari muttered, earning a weak laugh from Amaya in return.
Before the conversation could continue any further, Naruto's voice interrupted. "Sakura's in danger. I'll protect her! Don't worry, Sakura, it's okay, I'll save you!" He said, a dopey smile forming on his lips as his cheeks flushed.
Shikamaru and Chōji leaned over the blond with blank expressions. "Woah... Somebody ought to kick him and wake him up. This is embarrassing." The Nara said looking up at the sky in exasperation.
Chōji looked over at him thoughtfully and then back to Naruto.
...
"Can I kick him first?"