Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mirror Image ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 16 )

 

Ch. 16

 

Breaking Up the Joyfulness

 

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`Up until now…What have I been doing?', Sasuke ponders, watching the multi-colored lights and the moving crowds of people attending the festival as his legs hung down from the tree-branch, `How can they be so carefree while Itachi is still out there?!', he mentally growls, before quickly snapping his head up towards the sky and sees 4-silhouettes against the full-moon.

 

The four figures land on the tree-branches around him, one was a male with dark-tanned skin, his black hair was pulled up in a top-knot and 6-arms, another was a male of large-size with an orange Mohawk and clumps on the sides of his head, the third one was a male of pale-complexion with shoulder-length grayish-silver hair and what appeared to be a second-head growing out of his back, and the forth & final person was a female with mid-back length red-hair.

 

“Who the hell are you?!”, the Uchiha venomously questions.

 

“The Sound Four…”, the 6-arm man replies, “East Gate's; Kidoumaru”

 

“South Gate's; Jiroubou”, the hefty-male says.

 

“West Gate's; Sakon”, the fair-headed male answers.

 

“North Gate's; Tayuya”, the female declares.

 

After they introduced themselves, they quickly vanish as fast as they had appeared, causing Sasuke to parry a punch from one, evade a charge while counter-attacking another by kick one in the throat and sending them flying backwards. He barely dodges another punch from the big-guy, before grasping his arm and throws him in the direction of the guy he kicked along with the guy who threw the first-punch, only for them to disappear in an explosion of smoke.

 

Sasuke diverts his eyes towards behind him and finds the four of them standing on the ledge of the building across from the tree, looking smug.

 

“You caught me at a bad time”, he growls, “If you want more, I won't hold back”

 

“Heh…Stop yapping like a wimpy dog”, Sakon sneers, “Come on… I'll make a nice melody from your broken ribs…”, he taunts, causing Sasuke to leap at him, “I'll handle this…”, the guy states, leaping to encounter him in the air.

 

Sasuke blocks his kick and slides past him with a smirk on his face, as he pulls on a string of wire that pulls Sakon's legs downward; pinning his feet to the rooftop.

 

“My legs… Those strings!”, he curses, as Sasuke drops down to deliver a kick towards his back-side, but he blocks the blow by grabbing his leg and then grabs his fist when Sasuke tries punching him too.

 

But Sasuke counters by twisting his body to kicking at his opponent with the other-leg, forcing him to still hold onto the limbs he had captured and block at the same-time, exposing his abdomen to a punch delivered by his remaining hand.

 

“Let me hear the music…”, Sakon mutters, with a smirk just before Sasuke goes flying backwards.

 

`W-what…?!', he mentally gasps, as his back collides against a tree-trunk.

 

“Wow, your bones have a low-tone…”, Sakon mocks, “Let's make a more high-pitched sound, eh?”

 

`Damn it! Where did that attack come from?', Sasuke thinks, as he wipes some blood from his mouth, only to quickly turn his attention to his right and leap over Kidoumaru's kick, then the 6-armed man spits something at Sasuke that causing him to use both arms to block, only to cause them to stick together and whiplashed towards Jiroubou, who strikes him on the back with his fist and sends him sailing in Sakon's direction again.

 

“Now to finish the scales…”, Sakon smirks.

 

Sasuke grabs the edge of the roof and maneuvers his legs underneath his enemy's body, kicking him into the air.

 

“What the…?!”, he gasps, as Sasuke appears behind him.

 

He backhands him in the chest and follows through with a punch to the face, then kick slams him into the rooftop; completing his Shishirendan.

 

 

 

 

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Meanwhile…

 

 

 

 

“Naruto, I need to tell you something”, Sakura says, ceasing in her dancing.

 

“What is it, Sakura-chan?”

 

“It's about what happened to Sasuke-kun during the Chuunin-Exam…”, she explains.

 

“Okay…”, Naruto nods, “Let's go someplace else, where no-one else can hear us…”, he whispers, as they walk over towards an empty-ally, “So what happened...?”

 

“Well…”

 

 

 

 

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A Little While Later…

 

 

 

 

“So that's what happened. I never knew”, Naruto replies in understanding, “Orochimaru… I met him while I was away”

 

“Really?!”

 

“I heard he was one of the Legendary Three. He's really powerful and also very dangerous…”

 

Sakura turns her head to stare at the ground in deep-thought which Naruto notices.

 

“Don't worry!”, he reassures, “Sasuke won't give in to someone like that! He's strong enough as is! I promise!”

 

“Thank you, Naruto. I needed to hear that”, she smiles.

 

“You getting hungry, Sakura-chan?”

 

“Maybe a little…”

 

“Then I'll buy you something!”

 

“But it's your birthday…!”, she protests.

 

“I don't mind paying!”, he exclaims, gently pulling her towards a food-stand.

 

`Naruto…', she thinks, `Almost nothing can damper his cheeriness'

 

 

 

 

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Back with Sasuke…

 

 

 

 

“Heh, why would Orochimaru-sama want some weak-ass like him?”, Sakon scoffs, as he holds Sasuke up in the air upside-down by his ankle, “Kimimaro had more potential than this one”

 

`Wha…Why?! I land every blow of my attack, yet this guy seems to be unhurt', Sasuke thinks, staring up at his opponent in a daze.

 

“If you stay in the shitty village here, you'll always be weak like everyone else. You'll never become powerful”, Sakon taunts, “Playing family games with your comrades will only make you rot”

 

“Come with us! If you do, Orochimaru-sama will give you strength!”, Tayuya states, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen.

 

“Agh!”, he winces in pain, as the curse-mark at the base of his neck throbs.

 

“So what will you do?”, Sakon asks, as he tosses Sasuke to the side like he was a piece of trash.

 

He cries out in pain as his back crashes against the outside wall of a building, and painfully peaks open an eye to see the Sound Four encircled in front of him.

 

“I'll make this clear. No hesitating”, Sakon says, “Will you come? Or not?”, he questions, watching as his quarry clutches at his curse-mark, “Regeardless, it seems it's pointless to bring you against your will. Orochimaru-sama can be a pain… I always end up wanting to kill these kinds of indecisive brats”

 

“Just try it!”, Sasuke growls, as the curse-mark spreads across his flesh with a look in his eye that made him look like a cornered-animal.

 

“You… the cursed seal…”, Sakon mutters, as Sasuke charges at them and in the blink of an eye, Sasuke is sent flying backwards again.

 

“You're not the only one Orochimaru-sama has taken a liking to”, Sakon retorts, brushing some of his hair from his face to reveal similar marks on his skin, making Sasuke gasp in shock, “That seal isn't something you use so carelessly. And well, it looks like you can't control it very well, but it you continue to `throw it open' like that, little by little the seal will erode away your body”, he explains, “Because you are still it the `first stage' it appears the decay is still slow, however if it erodes you away completely you will cease to exist… Forever!”

 

Sasuke groans in silent-pain as the marks of his curse-seal recedes.

 

“Instead of gaining power with the seal you will be bound to Orochimaru-sama”, Tayuya clarifies, “For us, we have already lost our freedom. In order to gain something you must throw something away”, she continues, “What is your goal? Will you go on forgetting, surviving in this pathetic village, even while injuring your companions? Forgetting about Itachi Uchiha?”

 

At the mention of his brother's name sends an involuntarily-shiver through his body as an image of Itachi flashes in his mind.

 

“Do not forget your goal. This village will become nothing but shackles to you. It would be best to be rid of these worthless ties. If so, you can gain even greater, splendid power”, Sakon informs, causing Sasuke to narrow his eyes at him, “Do not forget your purpose…”, he adds, as he and the other three ninjas leap away & vanished.

 

After watching them leave, Sasuke looks down at his hand just as a leaf lands on his open-palm, crushing it as an image of Itachi using Mangekyou Sharingan on him pops into his head.

 

 

 

 

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An Hour Later…

 

 

 

 

“I can't believe Kouichi, treating me like that! And on my birthday too!”, Natsuki angrily mutters to herself, as she continues walking away from the festivities, she stops for a moment to stare at the golden fox half-mask she held in her hand, `Who was that guy?', she mentally questions.

 

“Hey, Natsuki!”, she heard someone call out from behind her, causing her to turn towards the voice.

 

“Sara?”, she asks, seeing her friend running towards her, “Why aren't you enjoy the festival?”

 

“I saw you storm off away from Kouichi-san. Is everything alright?”

 

“I don't really know. He had left to go get me a green-tea and he was gone for two whole-songs, and when he came back he didn't have my drink”, the blonde ninja explains.

 

“And he said that he got hungry while searching, right?”

 

“Yeah… How do you know?”

 

“He had approached me and asked me to dance”

 

“He did what…?!”

 

“At first I had refused, until he told me that you told him to give me some company, since Sasuke-onii-chan had left. Then he got something to eat and returned to you”

 

“That lying piece of…!”, she growls cutting herself off, “Doing this to me on MY birthday!”

 

“He probably meant well, trying to cheer me up after my brother left in another one of his moods”, Sara says, attempting to quell Natsuki's rage.

 

“You're probably right, but that doesn't mean he is going to get off easy though. Lying to you and me”

 

“Natsuki…”, she sighs, slightly shaking her head, “Where did you get that mask?”, she asks, changing the subject.

 

“Oh, this?”, she gasps, remembering that she was holding the mask her mysterious dance-partner had left-behind, “While Kouichi was off being a jerk, a guy wearing this mask danced with me and then as suddenly as he had appeared, he had vanished leaving his mask behind”

 

“Mysterious…”, Sara comments, “So have you had enough of the festival?”

 

“Yeah, Kouichi has spoiled my festive-mood”, she replies, “So, where is my brother and Sakura?”

 

“Last I saw them, they were dancing together”, she says with a devilish-grin on her face “After I had pushed them together, that is”

 

“Wow, I've never seen this side of you in awhile”, Natsuki remarks, “So, do want to walk me home? I don't want to be alone in case I encounter Kouichi again, I might guess kill if I do”

 

“Sure thing”, she smiles, “I've had enough of the festival for one night, as well”

 

“Thanks, Sara”

 

“Hey, that's what friends are for”

 

 

 

 

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A Half-Hour Later…

The Uchiha Residence…

 

 

 

 

Sara steps out of her bedroom wearing a pair of black-shorts and a black tank-top while running her fingers through her recently let-down shoulder-length hair.

 

“Sasuke-onii-chan, are you home?”, she calls out, as she walks towards the door to his room and sees him standing by his dresser staring down at a group-picture of him with the rest of Team 7, “You are home. Why didn't you reply when I called out to you?”

 

“Why should I answer to callings of someone who hasn't experienced the same pain as I have”, he coldly says, laying the picture face-down onto the dresser before turning to face her, “You may be a Uchiha by blood, but I'll never see you as such”

 

“True, I may not know what you have been though after knowing each-other for nearly two-weeks!”, she retorts, crossing her arms and locking her knees to stand her ground, “And the reason I'm not getting closer is because you won't let me”, she continues, wagging a finger at him before turning to leave, taking a few steps before she looks over her shoulder at him, “You're being just as cold as Itachi-ani-san…”, she mutters at him; loud enough for him to hear but quiet enough to force him into hearing her words, causing him to tense up at her accusation while he watches her walk out.

 

A moment later, he has vanished from where he had been standing and appears behind his sister, “You don't even know!”, he roars, followed by Sara's scream.

 

 

 

 

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