The Return

Chapter 25

 Fears and Fighters

Sasuke froze as Sho's poison affected them all. It reminded him of the time Orochimaru showed him and Sakura a vision of their deaths. Only this time, he saw Sakura and his brother dead at his feet while his likeness stood over them, sword in hand. Despite its disturbing nature, he'd seen this trick before. He knew it wasn't real and that he could fight back. The real Sakura was alive. He just had to keep his mind focused on the present moment.

He struggled to turn towards the others. Naruto was shivering and whispering Hinata's name. Shikamaru was saying "no, Asuma" over and over again. Ino and Choji were in tears and on the verge of collapse. Not good, he thought. They were completely taken over by the airborne toxins.

He looked over his shoulder at Kakashi. He was surprised to find that his eyes were closed in deep concentration. Was he planning something or simply too overwhelmed to react? Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Kakashi asked with a fierce expression.

"What, but how did you overcome the poison?" a timid voice responded. "It's not like a genjutsu you can just break through!"

"The answer is simple. I've already lived through my worst fears and overcame them." He glanced over at Sasuke and gave him a heartfelt smile. "After all that I've suffered, I've committed to my nindo, my ultimate path in life. And that is...I will never let my comrades die." He launched forwards in his attack.

"Don't forget about me!" Naruto called, taking a deep breath and standing tall. "Thanks for the save, Kurama" he muttered.

"Hn," Sasuke smirked. If all else failed, he knew he could rely on his comrades to take down this enemy.

They combined their attacks and worked together to bring down Sho for good. Despite his poison and illusory abilities, it seemed that once he was found out, he was easy to eliminate. The only reason Sasuke didn't defeat him before was that he was still overwhelmed with his blind hatred. Not this time though, with his comrades by his side and Sakura's love, he felt as though he could conquer anything. He glanced over and found Katsuyu, Sakura's summons on his and his comrades' shoulders, removing the poison from their bodies.

"Thank you, Sakura" he smirked before jumping up to face the enemy.

Black Zetsu smirked, taking over the body of his comrade. "Now, Oni! It's time to take his eyes!" Combined, they raised their arms. Now begins the end of the shinobi world. Let the power of chakra drain from you until you are no more.

***

Sakura looked up towards the stone faces as Sasuke's voice echoed a word of thanks in her mind. She smiled slightly, motivated to keep fighting despite the ensuing chaos. She could hear the chink of kunai in the background. She had to stay focused though. Katsuyu's power was only as strong as she and Tsunade's combined chakra. They needed to work together to maintain control over all the citizens in the Leaf.

"Sakura!" A few voices chimed, running out of the hospital.

"We...we discovered...an antidote" Shizune gasped.

"Heh, it was about time" Karin snapped. Sakura could tell she was relieved though.

"Amazing! Where is it?! We need to distribute it immediately. I can sense that something is approaching."

"That's the thing" Shizune replied, worriedly. "We're going to need Karin and Hinata to pull it off."

"Oh?"

"Sakura!" Tsunade called, indicating that she needed to stay focused.

"Right" Sakura apologized, channeling her chakra again. "Please continue, Shizune."

"Based on my findings, the poison was virtually undetectable however, the chakra points were all shut down in the patients. The only ones who survived were those with 32 or fewer chakra points affected. That's why I became suspicious and asked for a Hyuga clan member to join us. As it turns out, the poison operates similarly to the Gentle Fist Style but without actually touching the individual. Since their style can alter the flow of chakra, however, I requested that Hinata use her Byakyugan to increase the flow. This method worked but left her completely drained, so that's where Karin came in. By giving her chakra and healing her, she was able to treat those who'd been infected without fail!"

"Wow, that's incredible Hinata" Sakura gasped.

"I'll do anything I can to help my husband and the Leaf Village," she said, more fiercely than Sakura had seen her in a long time.

"Unfortunately, it's going to take a while to treat everyone, but we can certainly help those in need."

"Wait, Shizune" Tsunade stopped her. "You're right, it will take too long to treat everyone. I can tell that the poison has been activated based on our treatments near the Hokage Tower. Therefore, I want you to take Karin and Hinata to Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke, where the battle is at its heaviest."

"But Lady Tsunade, we are being targeted by the enemy! If we focus our forces just on the Hokage Tower, you'll be left vulnerable and Katsuyu won't be able to keep up her treatment."

Tsunade looked over at her pupil. "Take Sakura instead of me. She's a jonin now and she can use the 100 Healings Jutsu. Shizune, we will take a back seat and make way for the new generation."

"Lady Tsunade" Sakura looked at her worriedly.

"We'll be fine. I still have a part of Katsuyu and I'll have my Mitotic Regeneration to ward off the effects of the poison on both myself and Shizune. If worst comes to worst, we'll fight the enemy. After all, we still have the Will of Fire within us! Now, go!"

Sakura, Hinata, and Karin nodded to each other. The three women jumped into the air as an ominous presence erupted throughout the village. They knew instantly that the poison was rapidly spreading throughout the village. Sakura prayed that her comrades were alright. Hang on everyone, we're on our way!