It was just before noon. The long awaited arrival of their target and the true start to their mission was fast approaching. Anything could happen from here on out; that mere thought was enough to keep them on their toes.
A heavy breeze passed through the vast valley before them, its sigh engulfing them and whirring in their ears. Visibility was obscured by the green summer leaves riding along the current, a further blockade to their senses. The chime of a bell in the distance was the only other sound distinct enough to cut its way through the conditions.
A cloak of black embellished with ominous red clouds tossed in the wind around a disguised captain Yamato. It was spot on - so convincing that the sight of him sent a shudder down Sakura's spine. Even the rough, gravelly voice of the now deceased Sasori of the Red Sand had been perfectly mimicked by their superior. Attached to the signature hat of the Akatsuki that shielded his face from view was the source of the chiming. A little bell on a thin, red string danced in the wind, just as the leaves did. They could only hope that this ruse would be enough to lure the spy into a sense of false security and make him drop his guard. One false move could prove detrimental to their goal and put them a step in the wrong direction.
The hem of Yamato's cloak ghosted across the downtrodden road, clouds of dust rising with every step. While he began his slow and steady approach to the bridge, the four remaining shinobi crept silently through the trees. The meeting could all be a trap, although they believed that scenario to be highly unlikely. They wouldn't risk the life of one of their own, however, on a gut feeling alone. They were cautious, their eyes constantly scanning the area around them. They were ready to go on the offensive if need be.
They edged closer and closer to the bridge, and once it was clearly in view and they were satisfied with their proximity, they took refuge behind a large rock. They would wait for their captain's signal there, ever alert.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, a figure appeared on the other side of the clearing. They seemed to slink out of the security of the deep forest and into the sunlight. Although they were exposing themselves to those awaiting them, they were concealed by a heavy blue cloak. It was impossible to make out who hid beneath the hood.
After casting a few more cautious glances around them, they made their way across the sturdy wooden planks of the Tenchi Bridge and only stopped once they had reached its center. They took up position along the railing that separated them from the roaring waters of the river below, and gazing over the side, they patiently waited.
Another chime alerted both the group and the spy of Yamato's approach. He too stepped out of the foliage and made his was across the bridge to meet the spy where they stood. The four remaining members of Team Kakashi could not make out a word that passed between the two of them. Despite how close they were, they were still too far away. Their words were lost among the rushing winds.
Pure adrenaline coursed through Yukari's veins. The sound of her racing heart consumed her completely, causing anxiety to rush through her at an alarming rate. She couldn't take her eyes away from the scene unfolding before her. No matter how well things appeared to be transpiring between the pair on the bridge, she could not stop the familiar feeling of sickening unease from surfacing, nor could she quell her fear that something was about to go very, very wrong.
It was then when the spy finally allowed their identity to come to light and pulled their hood back that a collective gasp resounded.
Kabuto Yakushi stood before them, his glasses glinting in the sunlight.
It was certainly an unexpected turn of events. His devotion to Orochimaru seemed unwavering. To think that his right hand man and loyal servant was working against him was almost unbelievable. Yet here he was, prepared to betray his master. If Yukari weren't witnessing it herself, she would have scoffed at the ridiculous statement.
She knew of him, of course. He along with his comrades had infiltrated the Leaf in order to spy on the Chunin exams. They aided in the attack on the village, and ultimately, the murder of the Third Hokage. She had helped fend off the Sand and Sound invaders until they were forced to retreat. She assisted in countless interrogations and had tortured many people. What he had done to the Leaf Village was unforgiveable. He was a despicable human being; a traitor of the Leaf. There was nothing he deserved other than a merciless death in her eyes. The sight of him was enough to make her sick, but that wasn't the only thing that it did to her. There was something else about him that made another emotion stir alongside the hatred she felt towards him: fear.
A sharp, familiar pain pressed relentlessly at the base of her neck, digging into her skull until it felt as if it were going to split in two. Grabbing her head, she did her best to suppress the aching throb that was beginning to blur her vision.
"Are you alright, Yukari?" Sakura questioned. She was genuinely concerned for the kunoichi crouched beside her. Yukari didn't speak, keeping her eyes forward.
"No way. He's back?" Naruto's eyes were fixed ahead, locked on the spectacled medical ninja who had aided him and his friends all those years ago. The disbelief he felt was mutual.
"It's crazy," Sakura agreed. "So the Akatsuki spy was actually Kabuto?"
"It's hard to believe," Yukari murmured, all the while willing for an end to the pain. She strained her ears and tried in vain to hear their conversation. "He's definitely the last person I would have suspected."
"The wind is so loud I can't hear a word they're saying." Sakura scoffed at her blond teammate's complaint.
"You're such an idiot. That's why we were able to sneak this close in the first place. The wind blows away our scent and hides our sound. Why do you think he hasn't noticed us?"
"Shh," the pale Jonin hushed with a finger pressed to her lips. "It's true that our sound and scent are masked, but don't lose focus. You never know when things will go awry." How right she was.
Despite how flawlessly things appeared to be going, it didn't seem like that would be the case for much longer.
As if materializing out of thin air, the snake himself appeared behind Kabuto, seeming to take them both by surprise.
"Orochimaru!" Naruto's declaration of his arrival had Yukari's heart leaping into her throat. The throbbing in her skull only seemed to intensify at the sight of him. Even so, she fought through the pain with just as much persistence.
Both Kabuto and Captain Yamato jumped back to avoid his attack. It was a narrow escape, but they managed to come out unscathed and put some distance between themselves and the Sanin. Although Yukari wanted to rush forward to assist him, she knew better than to disobey orders.
Don't compromise the mission, she scolded herself. Get a grip. Reel in your emotions.
"What are we going to do?" Naruto pressed in an urgent voice. It was obvious that he didn't want to sit still either.
"I know how you're feeling right now, but we have to wait for the signal." Naruto wanted to protest, but he wasn't about to argue with the female Jonin on their team. He had seen her when she was angry. She gave Sakura a run for her money when it came to fury, and it was something that he wanted to avoid bringing upon himself at all costs.
Hand engulfed in the blue aura of his chakra, Kabuto went on the offensive, but not in the way that they expected. He swung back at Yamato, breaking his disguise in one quick blow. Droplets of blood soared through the air as he jumped back to avoid the attack.
"Multiple striking shadow snakes!" A multitude of green, fanged serpents emerged from Orochimaru's sleeve, wound their way around the airborne Jonin, and attacked. Instead of flesh, they sank their fangs into the rough surface of a wooden replacement. Yamato landed some distance away and the wooden dummy fell to the ground. His arm was wounded and bleeding, but he was alive.
It wasn't long before their captain gave them the signal they were waiting for. They sprang into action and left the security of their hiding place, exposing themselves to the danger lurking in the open. Senbon in hand, Yukari stood poised and alert, prepared to defend her comrades no matter the cost. Kakashi's words echoed in her mind. “In the ninja world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.”
"Well, it's you again," Kabuto mused.
"I know that face all too well. And it looks like the Nine Tails tagged along." Orochimaru's voice was as smooth as velvet, but laced with an evil and malicious intent. "Well, we might as well have a little fun together. Let's see who's gotten stronger: you or Sasuke."
The air seemed to shift. A sickening aura seemed to burst forth all at once, something foul permeating in the air. It was nothing Yukari had experienced before, and it momentarily halted her thoughts and movements. It was suffocating, drowning her in its magnitude. She had an idea of the source of the hatred. Slowly and cautiously, she turned her eyes towards the blond beside her, and her suspicions were immediately confirmed.
His once brilliantly pristine blue eyes had bled to red. The whisker-like scars on his cheeks had become darker and more prominent against his tan skin. She could hear his teeth grinding together and his now elongated nails digging into the ground beneath him from where she stood. She'd be lying if she said that she didn't feel the tiniest tinge of fear at the sight of him. The chakra of the demon fox was beginning to surface at an alarming rate.
"Give Sasuke back," he all but growled. "You give him back!"
Red swirling chakra engulfed him, whipping around him stronger than the winds in the valley.
"It's not as simple as giving him back. Really, you're way off here. Sasuke came to us of his own accord. You can't dwell on the past like this - it's unbecoming of a man."
Sakura had heard enough. "Shut up, four eyes! You don't understand how people really feel! You only understand cold logic!"
"If you really want to know about Sasuke," Orochimaru interrupted. "Then I'm afraid that you're just going to have to force it out of me; if you think you're up to it."
His taunt seemed to push Naruto over the edge. There was a loud crunch, and the wood beneath him cracked as he leapt forward with the intention of ripping the snake-like Sanin to shreds. With superhuman speed he launched himself past Kabuto and struck Orochimaru across the face. He was sent flying back through one of the ropes that held the bridge steady and out of sight, deep into the forest. The bridge began to sway in his wake.
Yukari's eyes were as wide as saucers, a small tremble shaking her at the intensity of his strength. She was unable to keep calm. What startled her even more was that the cloak of chakra surrounding him had begun to take the form of a fox. One tail bubbled out from behind him; though she wasn't certain about what was happening to the blond, she could easily deduct that whatever it was wasn't good.
"Naruto, you've come a long way as a Jinchuriki, haven't you? The power of the Nine Tails gets stronger and stronger."
The only answer that Kabuto received was a glare. No one dared to say a word, and it remained that way until it was broken by a smooth and deadly voice.
"You're starting to act more like a Jinchuriki, aren't you boy?"
Orochimaru approached them once again at a slow yet steady pace. The blow had hindered him a bit; it was hard to believe that smashing through all of those trees hadn't killed him. All those thoughts drained away the moment that she caught sight of his face. That one look froze the blood in Yukari's veins.
The skin of his face where Naruto had slashed him was beginning to peel away, and one that wasn't his own was showing through the exposed space.
"Now I see." He crept closer and closer to Naruto's enraged form, though his eyes were on Captain Yamato. Unexpectedly, his eyes shifted until they locked on Yukari, and his smirk only seemed to grow as his eyes took her in entirely. It was unnerving and made her stomach churn. With all the courage she could muster, she forced herself to meet his stare. The pain in her head only seemed to intensify as his snakelike eyes bore back into hers. They were taunting and familiar, and enough to make her physically ill.
"That's why he was chosen to be your watch dog, yes? Seems like some of my experiments came in handy, after all. And you, my dear - I never expected to see you again; at least not so soon. You're just as beautiful as ever."
All eyes were on her now, but she didn't pay them any mind. Every disgusting word he spoke rang in her head and mingled with the pain that caused her vision to swim.
"What do you mean? What are you taking about?" Yukari fought to keep her voice strong and unwavering despite the fear his words evoked. Her heart was beating so hard and so fast that it felt as if it would burst from her chest. The panic she felt only increased when he provided her with no explanation. "Answer me! Tell me what you know!"
"I see that my jutsu is still in place. How amusing."
Kabuto appeared to be just as much in the dark as she was. "What are you talking about, Lord Orochimaru? Who is this girl?"
He allowed his eyes to rake over her one last time before he supplied the answer Yukari had long been searching for. Only now, she wished that she had never sought that information at all.
"Of course you wouldn't know. She managed to escape just before you came to join me. You see, I had acquired some interesting information about a family living in the Leaf Village. They had a little girl who was just about to start at the academy. Despite how hush hush her situation was to be kept, I knew the truth: this girl had extraordinary power, and I had to have it. But you see, six years ago she escaped from my watchful eye. I thought that I would never encounter her again, yet here you are, standing before me. How I've missed you, my favorite little test subject."
"So this is the girl you were telling me about," Kabuto mused with his eyes on the now horror stricken girl. "Fascinating."
Everything seemed to still around her. Her chest clenched as her heart ceased its racing. The howling winds vanished from her ears and the leaves from her sight. It was as if she were standing in the darkness of a tunnel, the light at the end in sight, only instead of salvation, Orochimaru awaited her at the end. Her truth rested with him, and she would rather be swallowed up by the darkness than ever take his outstretched hand.
"It really is a shame that you don't remember," he said with a jeering smile. "We had so much fun all of those years that we spent together, and I had such big plans for you. Your screams were the best of all."
Yukari had never experienced such terrible pain. It was as if her head had been set aflame, its scorching heat spreading through her until she was completely consumed. It was so excruciating that it brought her to her knees, a blood curdling scream emitting from deep within her. It was a haunting sound that chilled the bones of the remainder of Team Kakashi and made that warm summer day feel as frigid as the coldest of winters.
Naruto's eyes tore away from the man that he wanted so desperately to rip to shreds when the sound reached his ears. With a heavy thud her forehead made contact with the swaying bridge beneath her, but the collision did nothing to ease her pain. She clawed at her temples in a futile attempt to release herself from the agonizing pressure, but that too did more harm than good. Crimson blood dripped from her self-inflicted wounds and down her brow, dripping off her pale skin to mingle with the thirsty wood.
"They're just as satisfying as ever."
"Shut up," Naruto growled, though most of his words were indecipherable to Yukari. They flickered in and out like a candle fighting to keep its light in the wind. "Shut up you bastard!"
"I wonder more about Sasuke. He needs to stretch his wings. Maybe we could put his growth to the test by pitting him against Naruto here." Orochimaru's smirk only seemed to grow as he proceeded to taunt the blond.
Yukari couldn't hear anything over the blood rushing through her, but she could sense the circulation of the ominous red chakra that Naruto was producing magnify. It bubbled more and more violently as his rage intensified, the bloodlust in the air growing exponentially.
In that moment, as streams of the Nine Tails' chakra threaded through the air, Yukari's mind shattered.
It was as if she had been struck by a great force. Fragments of memories previously lost to her flew before her eyes. No matter how hard she tried to grasp them they slipped through her fingers like the finest grains of sand. She was left with only pieces, forced to fit them together as best as she could into one big puzzle of confusion and tragedy.
"Get under the bed!"
"But mom-"
"Get under the bed now!"
Her mother ripped her from the sheets and nearly threw her to the floor. She did her best to usher her daughter under the bed and to safety, but the young girl held onto her as best as she could and refused to budge.
"Mommy, what's going on? Where's Daddy?"
Her mother took her face into her hands, cradling it as gently as she could. It was only then that her daughter could see the tears glistening in her mother's eyes.
"Please, mommy needs to you listen to her, okay baby? Get under the bed and hide, and don't come out no matter what happens. Do you understand?" She couldn't hold back any longer. A sob left her, but her daughter still couldn't comprehend what was happening. With what little time she had left, she kissed her little girl's head.
"Mommy and Daddy love you so much."
She helped her scoot under the frame, and with one last tearful glance, she pulled the sheet down to hide her from view.
The next time she saw her mother's eyes was when her head connected with the floor, her lifeless orbs peering at her from the gap in the sheet. And when she saw amber gleaming at her, she knew it was over.
She was in the cold, dark room again. The tattered clothes she had been provided with when she had arrived at this terrifying place had been stripped from her. Strapped to the cool metal of a table, she allowed herself to cry. She kept her eyes squeezed tightly shut and didn't dare to look around her. All that awaited her gaze were test tubes and the foreboding glint of metal. Seeing wouldn't change the outcome of what was about to occur. This wasn't her first time in this room, and it certainly wouldn't be her last. She had the scars to prove that.
The sobbing only increased as the door to the room creaked open and the sound of footsteps reached her ears. He was standing over her now - the man with amber eyes. As his hand stroked her face she let out a wail. Making her suffer was something that he thoroughly enjoyed. When she felt the all too familiar slice of a blade against her skin and screamed for him to stop, it was apparent that this time would be no exception.
Her arm was beginning to throb. The guard that had come to retrieve her from her cell was holding it too tightly. There was no use protesting, because he didn't care that he was hurting her in the least bit.
She couldn't remember how long she had been trapped here; the days bled together in this pitch black prison. It was impossible to tell whether it was day or night. She hadn't gone outside since the day she arrived.
It had been quite a considerable amount of time, she knew that much. She had gotten taller and her hair much longer. It fell in tangles around her face, dirty and matted.
She assumed that she was returning to the dark room. The man would touch her again. He would cut her open - inject her veins with his poisons. He would make her bleed. It had made her numb and her eyes dead long ago.
The guard continued walking past the door the dark room, not even sparing it a glance. It confused her as they passed; that was the only other place she went to besides her cell. She had never been down this hallway before. She feared where they were going and attempted to struggle out of the guard's grasp. He wasn't having any of it.
Her cheek burned, growing redder with every passing second. This wasn't the first time that she had been struck, but her pale eyes watered nevertheless. With a rough, angry tug they proceeded down the hall until they reached a set of double doors that creaked open on their own. Without any hesitation, the guard threw her inside. Her best efforts to get back up and run out of the room were all for not as the doors slammed shut.
"Hello, my dear."
His voice stopped her in her tracks. He had been gone for a while now. How long exactly? She wasn't certain. But it seemed that he had returned.
She turned to meet his amber eyes. The fear that they had once brought her had faded into hatred long ago.
"Now, now, is that any way to greet someone? Especially me."
She offered no response. He rose from the chair he had been seated in and made his way towards her, his movements unnervingly similar to that of a snake cornering its prey. No matter how urgently her body willed her to cower against the solid wood of the doors, she stood her ground.
"Aren't you a brave one?" By now he was in front of her. He brushed the hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear, revealing the skin of her neck. Caressing it softly, he hummed in a sick sense of satisfaction.
"You're growing stronger by the day. I’m very impressed. Soon enough you'll be bursting with all of that delicious power I desire."
The false tenderness of his hands made her feel vile. More than anything she wished to be back in her dingy cell and away from him.
It was as if he had read her mind. "You're not going back to that cell. I have other things in mind for you now - much greater things."
Slowly, he lowered his head down to the exposed skin above her heart. There was no time to demand what he was doing before he sank his fangs into her flesh. Her blood became liquid fire in her veins. Certainly nothing could be worse than this. All she could do was scream.
Black lines began to twist across her skin until they settled over her pounding heart. It was a small, simple kanji that was bold even in the darkness, and it sealed her fate.
"You're mine now."
The sound of the door creaking open was like a death sentence to her. She rested under the sheets with her face to the wall and feigned sleep - not that that had done anything to help her before.
He had been coming more frequently as of late. Ever since the man she was forced to call master had given her his mark, she had been moved from her cell and into one of the many empty rooms in this labyrinth that he called a hideout. If only she could have remained in the cell. Rotting away would be a better fate than this.
The guard only came to retrieve her whenever he was ordered to. She may have been locked away, but there were no bars to keep her safe any longer. He was often on guard duty, posted outside of her door to make sure that she wouldn't try to escape. On those nights he would come into her room and close the door behind him. She didn't want to remember what happened next.
She could smell the alcohol on him the moment that he sat down on the edge of her bed. He was clearly drunk; it was obvious in the way that he swayed on the spot. He grabbed her face in a clumsy movement and turned her head in his direction. Hateful eyes locked with his glossy, hazed ones. He smirked.
"What's that look for, baby?" he slurred, digging his nails into her cheeks. She only continued to glare, yet the pet name she didn't appreciate reminded her of a long time ago, back when it was one given to her by her mother. "Don't worry. I'm going to make you feel real nice."
For being so intoxicated, he had managed to swiftly throw his body over hers. His greedy, unwelcome hands ghosted up and down her sides. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force him off of her; she never could. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut and pray that he passed out.
That was, until she heard the sound of a zipper being unzipped. Her eyes flew open as his weight came crashing down on her and his lips crushed hers in a bruising kiss.
It had never happened to this extent - it never went this far. He tried to force her legs apart but she fought back. He lifted himself up and dealt her a blow across the face. It whipped her head violently to the side and sent tears rolling down her cheeks, but she still wouldn't allow him to have his way.
In an attempt to restrain her he forced his weight back down on her again. With her hands on his chest, she did her best to push him off of her. She pleaded for him to stop.
And then it did.
The sound of tearing flesh and the heavy clank of a multitude of objects hitting the ground filled the void that her pleas had previously occupied. There was blood - there was so much blood. It soaked through her clothes, splattered across her face and coated just about every inch of her. His lifeless eyes stared down into her own pale optics, his mouth wide in a scream that he never had the opportunity to complete. It took all of her willpower to bite back one of her own, and with a lot of effort, she was able to push him off of her once and for all.
Long, jagged shards of ice littered the floor at the foot of her bed. They were dripping with his blood. She looked down at her shaking hands in fear and disbelief. She could feel the bile rising in her throat but she managed to keep it down. She had killed him, and she didn't even know how.
"I have to get out of here," she panicked. An opportunity to escape had finally presented itself, but at what cost? The only thing keeping her going was the thought of her freedom.
The halls were empty. No one tried to stop her as she made her way through the maze that was Orochimaru's lair. She racked her brain to remember the way she had entered from all of those years ago. It was something that she worked to memorize in the face of this very moment. And there it was, a beacon of hope: the exit was just up ahead.
Her freedom was closer than ever as she made her way up the steps and back above ground, within her grasp as she tore through the trees on unsteady legs, and certain as she disappeared into the night.
She was falling. Was this another memory? Yukari teetered along the edge of fantasy and reality, fighting to define where she stood along that twisted thread.
There was someone yelling above her. Who? Their voice was desperate as it rang dimly in her ears. Who were they calling out to? Was it her? There was another body beside her; she could tell by the shifting in the wind. They were plummeting at an increasingly fast rate. Would they ever meet what they were falling into?
"Sai!" The person was shouting again. "Sai, get them!"
Sai… It was a familiar name. Was it hers? No, it wasn't hers. Then where had she heard it before? It seemed like a distant memory.
Something rushed past her. It swept upwards and passed her while she continued to descend. Her brow furrowed as she swam along the border of consciousness, but she couldn't seem to push herself out of the waters of confusion and back to the surface. All she felt was the wind brushing against her skin and her body ascending upwards until it stopped moving altogether.
There was nothing now. Quiet stillness surrounded her, black emptiness pushing at her from all sides. It fought to drag her further into the void with it; to pull her down until she didn't know if she could return from it. She struggled against its ensnarement with every last ounce of strength she had left in her, but nothing seemed to release her from the maze of black.
She could hear the voice again, along with another that she was certain she had heard before. Their words were incoherent and urgent, and they only seemed to drift father and father away the more that she tried to reach them.
A light broke through the endless dark, and everything came surging back all at once.
Yukari shot straight up with wide, frantic eyes. The explosions and harsh winds that had ravished the area had freed her from her unconsciousness when not even Sakura or Captain Yamato had been able to. She gasped for precious air as if she had been drowning, yet no matter how much she drew in, it wasn't enough. As the reality of what she had seen and remembered finally hit her, she lost every breath she had gained back.
She was hyperventilating now. Hands gripped at the material of her shirt. She threaded it through her fingers and twisted it around as she fought to breathe. Her pale eyes searched around her frantically until they landed on the gap in the tree line that the team had emerged from. Kabuto stood there, watching her with amusement.
"It seems that she's going into shock." It was true. The sight of him made the memories flood back through her head and caused her to shake even harder.
"Shut up, four eyes!" Sakura's voice was filled with such animosity, but her harsh tone didn't seem to even faze the convulsing girl. "Yukari, lie back."
Sakura did her best to ease the girl back down in an attempt to calm her, but she wouldn't budge. The pink haired kunoichi jumped as the pale girl latched onto her wrist. Her hold was tight and she could feel her arm begin to ache, but she did nothing to push Yukari off.
Her eyes were filled with such terror and distress. They darted over the wreckage around her but took none of it in. Trees had been ripped out by their roots and lay scattered across the entrance to the woods. The Tenchi Bridge was in shambles, destroyed beyond repair, yet she wasn't seeing any of it. The total devastation of the surrounding area wasn't why her eyes were so haunted and Sakura knew it.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
Yukari gave her worried question no acknowledgement. Instead her head whipped around her, searching for something, only to zero in behind her as an explosion sent a tremor through the area and a sphere of light into the sky. A cloud of dust rose up in the aftermath and drifted with the wind until it, too, dispelled.
"Naruto." Yukari released Sakura's arm and raised her hands to her head, gripping it tightly as she curled up into herself. Her voice was hollow and empty. Any trace of life it once held, though it hadn't held much to begin with, seemed to have been sapped away from her. The state her comrade was in made Sakura grow angrier. With her hands engulfed in green chakra, she lifted them to Yukari's head only to be halted by Kabuto's smug voice.
"That's not going to help her."
"What did you do to her?" Yamato demanded as he watched the small girl shake.
"Oh, I didn't do anything. It seems the jutsu that Lord Orochimaru placed on her has finally broken. That or he broke it himself for his own amusement. You're remembering now, aren't you?" Yukari could only whimper, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter as if to block him out.
"What does he mean?" Sakura pressed as the green glow vanished. Yukari shook her head in response.
There was a mighty roar in the distance. It wasn't hard to guess who had let loose such a bloodthirsty and animalistic sound. Something shot out from the adjacent tree line and soared through the air only to slam into the rocky side of the valley. The blow shattered the stone cliffside and shrouded the entire area in a cloud of disturbed dirt. Harsh winds lashed out in result and forced the four shinobi to raise their arms in order to protect their faces. When the great plume of earth finally rose towards the sky and dispersed, they could finally see what had made such a violent and abrupt arrival.
Naruto was completely unrecognizable by now. The malicious chakra coating him had progressed even further during the time that Yukari had been unconscious. There was no distinguishable trace of the blond left, but it couldn't have been anyone else. In his place was something that could only be described as a foxlike creature – one composed completely out of orange and black chakra. Two ears had emerged from his head and four tails lashed furiously behind him. He didn't move a muscle. Orochimaru's neck had stretched until his head was visible over the tall, leafy tops of the trees, a long sword crossing the valley and holding the blond in place.
Yukari attempted to rise only to be stopped before she could stagger to her feet. There was nothing harder than having to tear her eyes away from Naruto to glare at the one who had halted her movements.
She had found her voice again, raspy and strained. "Let me go."
"There's nothing you can do for him in your condition." The captain may have been right, but that didn't stop her distress for the whole situation from worsening.
Yukari knew her place. Never before had she had the desire to defy an order from a superior. If they told her to jump, she would. If she were commanded to kill, she would do so without hesitation, no questions asked. Naruto was a different case. She wanted nothing more than to break from their grip and dash after him. She wanted to stop him before it was too late. Yukari was far more concerned for him than her sense of duty. It even outweighed the trauma she had endured and the state she was currently in. It didn't matter what she had seen or that she was still shaking harder than she ever had in her life; his welfare took priority over anything else.
Another howl was let loose, so powerful that she could feel it in her bones.
Naruto pushed the sword away from him as effortlessly as if it were a fly that was pestering him. It swung to the left, headed straight for the four not far from him. It came at them so quickly that they barely had time to move, but Captain Yamato was able to grab the two girls just in time and jump to safety. They could only watch in disbelief as more of the landscape was demolished before their eyes.
"This isn't so much a battle between ninja anymore. It's some kind of epic battle between two monsters." Sakura's hands clenched at her chest and willed his words not to be true, but what they were witnessing was justifying. The only thing that they could do now was look on in concern for their teammate.
Yukari could sense Sakura trembling beside her as Naruto let loose another roar of fury, but it was not out of fear. When pearl eyes connected with her brilliant green and caught sight of the tears pooling there, she knew that Sakura felt the same sadness and desire to help him. Her tears streamed down her cheeks like drops of rain gliding down glass, and as they dripped from her chin and met with the soil under her feet, she let out a strangled sob and dashed forward.
"Sakura! Yukari, come back!"
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. No matter how fast Yukari ran after her, no matter how hard she tried to reach Sakura in time, it was all in vain. The enraged boy, possessed by his tailed beast, wasted no time in striking at the pink haired kunoichi with one of his violently thrashing tails. With a cry of pain she flew back several feet, unable to do anything but clutch where she had been struck in agony.
Yukari closed the gap between them, skidding to a stop just in time to catch her before she connected with the soil. Her hands hovered over her, uncertain of how to aid her without causing her any further pain. Unshed tears glistened in the young Jonin's eyes. She desperately pleaded for the boy to stop and come to his senses, but as he once again lashed out at the two of them, she knew that he wouldn't be able to pull himself from this on his own. That's when Yamato intervened.
Naruto's tail was mere inches from her face when strong wooden pillars began sprouting up from the ground. They wrapped around him and successfully bound him in place. No matter how hard Naruto struggled, he was rooted on the spot. Whatever jutsu their captain was using was working.
The sound of footsteps approaching the two girls caught Yukari's ear, and turning her head to the side, she could see Kabuto drawing nearer and nearer. She went on the defensive, hands poised in front of her in a hand sign that the captain hadn't seen before. An icy wind seemed to rise from nowhere, circling her and whipping her hair around her face. Yamato was quick to attack, as well, using his wooden beams to latch onto Kabuto's arm and lock him where he stood. Yukari's jutsu came to light.
It was as if winter were upon them. A sheet of ice crept across the ground towards Kabuto, and when it finally reached him, it coated his feet until the ice engulfed him from the knees down. Yukari wasn't taking any chances.
"One step closer and I'll make you a human icicle."
His face was blank. He wasn't fazed by her threat in the least bit. "You misunderstand. I no longer intend to hurt any of you."
"You're lying," Yukari spat.
"In fact, it's quite the opposite."
"What are you saying?" Yamato asked, his face scrunched up in a scowl of suspicion. He, just like his fellow Jonin, didn't believe him in the least bit.
Kabuto didn't grace them with a reply. Instead, he stretched out his hand as far as it would go against his restraints. It glowed green - the very same light that she had seen surrounding Sakura's hands. It curled its way towards them like the fog that engulfed the Leaf Village in the early hours of the morning. Yukari rose to her feet and stepped back slightly, not wanting to be anywhere near it. It encased the wound on Sakura's arm and began to heal it before their eyes.
He finally answered them. "I'm saying you and I share a common enemy. The Akatsuki are in the way, and if we let you live, I'm hoping that you can get rid of at least one more Akatsuki member for us. So there you have it."
The wound on Sakura's arm was healing at a slow pace, but it was healing. She finally cracked her eyes open just in time for Naruto to let loose an enraged scream. The wood that caged him was beginning to crack from the force being exerted on it.
"Okay, I've helped you. In exchange get as many Akatsuki as you can. And as for that teammate of yours over there – well, I trust you can take care of it."
The green glow vanished, and just the same, Kabuto disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Naruto had managed to break through his bindings. It wasn't any surprise, really. If he could send Orochimaru flying the way that he had earlier, his strength was impeccable. Yamato lurched into action.
The signs he wove were quick. With a yell of determination, he jumped into the air just as he neared Yukari and Sakura. "Hokage Style Elder Jutsu: Tenth Edict on Enlightenment!"
His hand slammed into Naruto's chest, and a bright light mingled with orange and black.
Like a leash, what appeared to be a string of chakra formed between the two shinobi. Yamato retreated and planted his feet firmly by Sakura and Yukari's side just as spiked wooden pillars shot up from the earth around Naruto. Slowly but surely, he was being pulled from his tailed beast state.
It was as if the beams were soaking up his hatred like a sponge. The orange and black chakra cloak that wrapped around him began to slowly creep away, its disappearance leaving everyone breathing a sigh of relief.
The condition his body was left in in its wake was appalling. The first layer of his skin had been completely burned away, and he was covered in blood. The sight of his extreme injuries were enough to make any words Yukari could possibly say cling in her throat and her tears finally fall.
Sakura stood on shaky legs. Yukari was right there to help her teammate and allowed her to lean on her for support, but neither girl could draw their eyes away from Naruto. He was screaming in agony and continued to scream until the last of the Nine Tails' chakra was ripped from his body and he collapsed.
"It's finally over." Yamato's confirmation was like the sound of a gun being fired to signal the start of a race. Sakura took off in a mad dash; Yukari was prepared to follow until the sound of Sakura screaming out for the blond rang in her ears. Who was she to intrude? She wasn't a permanent member of their team. She hadn't known him long enough, didn't share their history, or know what it meant to be close to someone. Yukari held back until their captain approached the pair. Only then did she close the gap.
Yukari chose to remain on her feet while Yamato crouched down at Naruto's side. His staggering breaths and face scrunched in pain made Yukari's concern deepening until she couldn't handle it anymore.
"Where are you going?" Yamato asked, confused by her sudden actions. She had turned her face away from the group, staring off into the adjacent tree line. All eyes were on her as they awaited an explanation.
"I'm going after them," she clarified. Sakura was quick to voice her disapproval.
"You can't go alone-"
"I'm the only one well enough to go. Our mission was to capture Kabuto. I have to go after him while he's still close. Besides, me staying here won't do anything to help him. Only you can do that, Sakura."
"But we still don't know what happened to you earlier!" Sakura continued to argue. If it really was one of Orochimaru's jutsus, who knew what was going on inside the girl's body in its aftermath? She was hell bent on keeping her there until she could examine her. "What if it happens again and we're not there to help you?"
"I'm fine." Her voice was cold and short and her eyes were vacant. She wouldn't go without approval, but it was something she had to do - not only for the sake of the mission, but for Naruto, as well. "Let me go, Captain."
The mission had taken a drastic turn. If they could catch up to Kabuto before he vanished they stood a chance at regaining control of the situation. For the sake of completing their task successfully, he agreed. "Fine, but stay out of sight. Do not act on your own, and do not engage the enemy under any circumstance. I sent a clone out after them a while ago. Your orders are to catch up to it and wait for further instructions. Do you understand?"
With a curt nod she took her first steps towards the destroyed bridge. However, a noise stopped her before she could put any distance between them. For a brief moment, Naruto stirred. He cracked his eyes open with great effort and glanced around blearily before taking in the worried faces that hovered above him. When his eyes rested on Yukari, his brow creased in confusion.
Her pearl eyes were fixed away from them and refused to meet his own. The blood that previously dripped from her temples had dried to her skin. Why was she bleeding? Everything was one big blank. Despite his desire to ask what had happened to her, nothing would come out. She knew that he had questions for her, but they were inquiries that she wasn't prepared to answer. The only thing she had to offer him was a pained frown over her shoulder before she turned her back to them. He slipped back into darkness as she pressed forward, leaving her teammates behind.