Crow's feathers - Naruto fanfiction

Chapter 57 Family Reunion

“Why are you screaming?” Suzaku Shiraki asked amused, “do I frighten you that much?”

“Suzaku,” Kuro whimpered.
Suzaku eyed him surprised. “You know my name? I didn’t think I made that big a reputation when I was still alive. How old are you kid?”
“Suzaku, don’t you recognize me? It’s me, Kuro.” His voice trembled from suppressed emotion.

Something flickered in the older shinobi’s eyes. “Kuro-kun? But you were just a scrawny brat when I last saw you.”
Kuro smiled through his tears. “A few years have passed nii-san.”
“What are you doing in a warzone, Kuro?”

“I followed my sensei, together with my teammates.”
“Your sensei? Who is it?”
“Taryn-sama,” Kuro answered.
Suzaku stared at his younger brother. “The Desertstorm? The Kazekage banished her years ago. How did she end up back in Suna?”
“Her banishment was revoked when the Kazekage died,” Kuro told him, “Gaara-sama is Kazekage now.”
Suzaku blinked. “I don’t believe it. What else has changed? This can’t be true.”
“But it is true nii-san. I…”
“Kuro,” Suzaku cut him off as his hands started to form seals, “Kuro, run.”
Kuro stared at him confused. “What are you talking about? What are you doing?”
“I can’t control it,” Suzaku said, “run Kuro. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Kuro shook his head. New tears were forming in his eyes. “Stop nii-san.”

“I can’t. Someone else is controlling me. The only way to stop me is to kill me.” A blast of lightning burst forward and struck Kuro in the chest. Kuro gasped and fell to the ground. He stared up at his brother in shock. “Hurry Kuro,” Suzaku said. His hands were already forming new seals.
Kuro crawled to his feet and dodged the next attack. He reached in his pouch and took out a set of shuriken.

“Kuro!” Suzaku barked, “I’m not kidding! Get out of here!”
Kuro stared at the ground and his hands were trembling. “No nii-san,” he said, slowly looking up. There was determination in his eyes. “I can’t do that. If I leave, you’ll hurt someone else. I know it’s not really you, but I still can’t let it happen.”  He threw the chakra loaded shuriken at his brother.

Suzaku dodged them and lunged forward, but Kuro was forming signals rapidly, trapping his brother in a genjutsu.

Suzaku turned around when he heard his sister’s voice. “Suzaku, what are you doing?”
“Kimi,” Suzaku said, “you’re here too?”
“Suzaku,” his father appeared at his right side, “don’t do this.” He took a step closer. “You died with honor, protecting your Kazekage, Don’t disgrace your own death.”
Suzaku’s mouth turned into a smile and he made a single seal. “Kai release.” He looked at Kuro and gave a nod of approval. “Not bad Kuro, but not good enough. You can still run.”
“No,” Kuro said determined and he straightened up. “I want to. I want to show you how I’ve grown. I want to show you what a great sensei Taryn-sensei is. I want to fight you. I always looked up to you and I dreamed of sparing with you and becoming just like you. And then you died and I never got that chance. So please Suzaku… fight me.”
“I could kill you,” Suzaku said.

“Maybe,” Kuro nodded, “maybe not. But at least I get to spar with you one time.”
Suzaku closed his eyes for a moment, obviously in pain. He hadn’t chosen to come back. “Give it your best then,” he said and opened his eyes. His hand went to his belt and he took a long chain from it.
Kuro took out a kunai and clutched it tightly. This might be the hardest fight he would ever have to face. Suzaku’s chain snapped in his direction and locked around his wrist. Kuro gasped when lightning made its way across the chain. It locked around Kuro’s body, but he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“A clone huh,” Suzaku said amused. He swung his chain around towards the real Kuro who flipped backwards to avoid it.
The chain kept striking the ground where Kuro landed each time, but every time Kuro managed to escape before the chain could hit him.
“You’re fast Kuro-chan,” Suzaku complimented, “but you need more than defense to defeat me.”
The chain locked around Kuro’s ankle and pulled him to the ground. Kuro turned on his back and fended is brother off with a kunai dagger. He brought up his knees and kicked free.
The chain released him and Kuro crawled to his feet. He formed a few sins and the ground under Suzaku’s feet melted and locked his ankles. “What…” Suzaku said confused.
A shuriken embedded itself in his leg and he gasped. When he looked up, Kuro was nowhere to be seen. “Genjutsu,” he said and broke the illusion. Quickly he turned and kicked Kuro who was attacking him from above.
Kuro gasped when the wind was knocked out of him and he slammed to the ground. He didn’t have much time to gather himself up. Suzaku’s chain came at him. He rolled out of its reach, but couldn’t help being hit.
An electric jolt went through him and he gave a soft cry.
“Kuro,” Suzaku gasped, his hands already swinging the chain again. With every snap it made in the air, lightning appeared.
Kuro held his arm and crawled to his feet with a painful expression. He couldn’t lose this fight. He had to show his brother what he could do. He couldn’t let Taryn-sensei down, or his comrades. He focused on the weapon’s movements and then suddenly grabbed the other end of the chain. He ignored the electric jolts that went through is body and started to run around Suzaku rapidly, wrapping him in his own chain. He had always been fast and Taryn had trained him to be agile.
He gave one last pull on the chain and pinned the end to the rock wall with a kunai dagger.
Suzaku’s eyes went wide and he barely had time to react.
Kuro attached an explosive tag to a kunai and threw it at his brother. Suzaku smirked and firmly planted his foot on the ground and shifted it. A wall of earth rose up in front of him and the tag was smothered.
Kuro growled frustrated. How could he ever have thought he could take on Suzaku? He had served the Kazekage’s guard. ‘I’m just a Genin,’ he thought, ‘I’m nothing compared to him.’