A Growing Affection

Chapter 93: Sakura's Chance

Sakura knew these opponents fairly well. She had read and reread the  mission reports for the failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke; until the  words were seared into her brain. Jirobo used his great physical  strength in melee combat, backed up by earth element jutsus. Kidomaru  was a mid range fighter, using his threads to trap opponents, and to  form arrows and knives to attack ensnared foes. He also had a spider  summoning contract, which he sometimes used to augment his own webs. And  Tayuya used the sound of her flute summon and control low level demons,  and to weave Genjutsu around her enemies. The Leaf medic was not sure  if they retained their Cursed Marks after being raised from the dead,  but she hoped the two techniques were not compatible.

Jirobo  barreled forward, swinging both hands together in an overhead hammer  strike. Sakura caught both of his hands on her left wrist. The larger  shinobi's attack was stopped, but the stone under the kunoichi's feet  cracked, and her feet sunk in by half an inch. Haruno pulled back her  right arm to counter, not particularly impressed by the undead warrior's  strength. But a mass of fluid struck her, pinning her upper arm against  her ribs as it solidified. Jirobo lashed out again, and this time  connected, knocking Sakura perilously close to the deadly barrier.

"Hey,  guys, isn't that the whiny..." Tayuya trailed off, and her eyes  flickered over to where Orochimaru was dodging Naruto's heedless rush,  "um... wench... that was hanging all over Sasuke?"

"Sakura  Haruno," Kidomaru confirmed, lifting a spike to throw at the young  woman, "But don't underestimate her too much, she has been training with  one of the Sannin, if the weakest of the three."

He aimed the spear for her other shoulder, but Sakura caught it with a snarl.

"Don't  you talk about Lady Tsunade," she barked, closing her fist tight,  snapping the barb in half. Then she casually flexed her right arm,  breaking apart the hardened webbing. She started to step forward,  however Jirobo had completed his technique.

"Doton: Doro Dome," he proclaimed, and a hemisphere of stone formed around the slender kunoichi.

"I don't see what you're so worried about, Kidomaru," the fat shinobi chuckled, "I've got this. She's... lunch?"

His  statement trailed off in confusion as the front of the dome exploded  outwards, peppering the two closer warriors with chunks of stone. Sakura  sprang forward, unconcerned, and her right fist met the still stunned  Jirobo's face. She was mildly surprised that she did not feel his jaw  break under her fingers, but he still rocketed away, striking his  spidery ally at high speed. The two resurrected ninjas rolled briefly  from the force of her attack, but when they stood, they appeared totally  unharmed.

"Are you going to do something?" Kidomaru grumbled at  Tayuya, even as he spat two more spheres of webbing at the pink haired  medic's legs. The Leaf shinobi dodged the first, and was hit by the  second, her left foot glued to the stone. The taut muscles in her thigh  were briefly highlighted as she stained, breaking the adhesive again.

"We  don't exactly have room for me to summon my ogres," Tayuya answered  slowly, carefully watching her language while in Orochimaru's presence,  "And I don't think they'd do any better against that brute than Jirobo  is."

"Then use an illusion, or get in there and help him," Kidomaru began signing as he said it.

"Don't  give me orders, bug boy," she shot back, but raised her flute to her  lips nevertheless. A soft, sweet melody drifted from the instrument, and  Sakura's eyes grew heavy. She shook out her head, and pressed her hands  together, shouting, "Release!"

Though the effect of the genjutsu  was quickly removed, it gave Tayuya's teammates the opening they wanted.  The medic's head cleared, just in time for her to recognize Jirobo's  fist shooting towards her midsection and Kidomaru's webs closing behind  her. Without time to dodge or properly brace herself, Sakura could only  cross her arms in front of her body, sending some extra chakra to her  limbs to reinforce them. She was lifted into the air and pain spread  through her wrists. She would have flown into the deadly wall of scarlet  flames, had the sticky mesh not caught and held her. She remembered  Orochimaru stating he wanted test subjects, and knew they could not kill  her, though the realization gave her little comfort.