Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [2]

☾ 29 ☽

"Naruto and Tsukiko?" Sasuke spoke up. "So, you two are here, too? I assume Kakashi's with you as well,"

Tsukiko continued to stare at him.

"Sorry, I'm not Kakashi-San," Yamato replied as he walked out to where all of them were standing. "I'm only here in his place. And the new Team Kakashi is taking you back to Konoha,"

"Team Kakashi...?" Sasuke repeated.

"Sai!" Sakura shouted when he pulled out his tanto blade. "I knew it, you're –!"

"So, he's my replacement?" Sasuke questioned rhetorically. "Another loser joins the ranks. He said something about wanting to protect my 'bond' with Naruto,"

"Sai, wasn't your mission to –" Sakura started.

"Yes, my secret mission was to assassinate Sasuke-Kun," Sai replied. "But I don't care about my orders anymore. I want to act of my own free will. And I think Naruto-Kun and Tsukiko-San can help me remember... what it was like to feel. I think it was something very important.

"I don't know much about you, but there must be a reason why Naruto-Kun, Tsukiko-San and Sakura-San came all this way just for you! They're going all out to keep their bonds with you from being severed! I still don't understand it myself, but Sasuke-Kun, you should!"

"Oh, I do," Sasuke replied. "That's why I severed them! I have a different 'bond'. A bond of hate with my brother. Other bonds merely confuse you... and distract you from your greatest desires, and the emotions that matter,"

"Then, why...?" Naruto whispered. "Why didn't you... Why didn't you kill me?! Is this your idea of cutting off bonds, Sasuke?!"

"The reason is simple," Sasuke responded. "It's not that I couldn't cut off my bonds with you. The idea of doing what he said in order to become more powerful made me sick,"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked but Tsukiko tensed up, realising what was going on. He was still going on about the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"I don't owe you any explanations," Sasuke said. "All I'll say about back then... that day, I let you and Tsukiko live on a whim,"

Tsukiko's body straightened up and tensed further as she watched Sasuke move swiftly, something that none of the others predicted. Her lips pursed up when she realised that he had worked a lot on his speed, too. Sasuke placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder as he came to stand directly in front of him.

"Come to think of it, wasn't your dream to become Hokage?" Sasuke asked the blond. "You should've spent your time training instead of wasting it running around chasing me, right, Naruto?"

"S-Sasuke-Kun," Sakura stammered.

"And this time, I'm going to kill you on a whim," Sasuke said as he reached behind him and pulled out his sword from its sheath.

"Someone who can't save even one friend isn't fit to become the Hokage," Naruto responded emotionlessly. "Right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke swung his sword around to stab Naruto in the back when both Tsukiko and Sai moved swiftly. Tsukiko pulled out her own Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, the Ame-no-Ohabari to block the trajectory of Sasuke's sword while Sai grabbed his wrist. Sasuke glanced at the two of them.

"That was the correct way to block my attack," Sasuke said. "I see that you work well with him, too, Tsukiko," Tsukiko narrowed her blue eyes at his Sharingan.

Before Sasuke could continue with his next step, Tsukiko concentrated chakra into her feet and jumped, dodging the Chidori he emitted straight out of his body as a current to shock and throw both Naruto and Sai away from him, as well as shredding Yamato's Wood Style Jutsu.