Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Forced Fate ❯ Death and Deception ( Chapter 8 )

Sasuke was panting, finding it hard to draw air into his lungs. It was too much work, took too much energy. He felt completely drained.

'Dammit.' He silently cursed, gritting his teeth in pain and determination. His body was so fatigued, but he couldn't let it give out, if he did he'd die. His knees trembled, begging Sasuke to rest.

"Mmm." Sasuke groaned, involuntarily going down on his knees. 'Shit.' He silently cursed. His body wanted so much to give out, and he could feel that his mind wasn't far behind. But right now it willed his body to move. 'Move damn you. Move!'

Slowly, as if he'd had a thousand pounds resting on his shoulders, Sasuke stood, staggering along the hallway. 'Almost there.'

'So tired.' He was sweating. Just standing was an immense exertion. He felt hot and cold at once. 'Don't give in. Don't give in.' He mentally repeated cheering himself on. His knees felt like jelly. He didn't know how much longer they'd support him.

Sasuke grit his teeth, determined to keep moving, albeit at a snail's pace. It was all he could manage. The walk down the hall to Sakura's door seemed endless.

It had been a mission like any other. Nothing had marked it as unusual or different, not even the fact that the patron had demanded Sasuke take the mission rose warning signs.

It had become a regular thing, customers personally requesting Sasuke or Tayuya or Kabuto for missions. If the client was important enough, or high paying enough and Orochimaru was in a benevolent enough mood, the customer was granted their request. No big deal. In fact it had become common practice lately for clients to request specific ninja for certain jobs. It was a sort of perk for high paying patrons.

Roughly thirty-six hours ago…

A businessman requested Sasuke for an escort and possible killing mission. He'd claimed he had very dangerous men after him. He wanted someone of Sasuke's repute to protect him, and if possible eliminate the threat. He'd also had a large amount of money to pay for the Uchiha's services, and since everything seemed normal, his wish was granted.

Sasuke's reputation as a dangerous ninja had spread among patrons of the Sound. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for customers to label him as valuable and offer any price for his services. In fact, he'd become the most sought after in the entire Sound, so once again, the businessman's words and request seemed like any other, but it wasn't...

Eight hours later…

The forest air was cool, and the sky was beginning to darken with the last of daylight. Sasuke kept unconsciously rubbing his arms, darting his head around looking for a sign of what was to come. 'Something isn't right.' His skin was tingling with warning sensations.

The two subordinates he had with him kept casting him sideways glances wondering what was wrong, but neither dared ask. Sasuke was an elite, Orochimaru's favorite, a feared Uchiha, and they were simply novice, inexperienced ninja. It wasn't their place to question someone like him.

Sasuke ignored the two other ninja of his group. He was too busy assessing his surroundings to bother with their insecurities. He had his senses honed to the area around where he and his group traveled. So far he hadn't sensed anything.

'Everything seems normal.' He thought, but still couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

No sooner than he finished his silent statement he was forcefully thrown backwards by a large explosion, rolling across the ground with the force of the shock wave.

He barely gained his feet, hadn't quite had a chance to right himself, when a huge gust of wind threw him into a nearby tree. "Umph!" Sasuke grunted. He was thrown so hard that he thought he might actually be imbedded in the tree.

Chaotic shouts, smacks, and booms immediately broke out all around him, but he couldn't see. Everything was blurry, and his head was spinning. He'd hit that tree hard.

Momentarily stunned, Sasuke blinked his eyes trying to clear his vision. A blurry blob, obviously someone, was coming at him… fast. One blob quickly became two, became three… Sasuke shook his head, trying to hurry the blurriness away. His vision went black for a moment; he felt hands grab him.

He was shoved to the ground, face pushed into the dirt. A great weight, or several weights, settled on his back, holding him down while someone bound his arms behind his back, wrist to elbow. A sharp pinching-like pain was felt in his arm and he could feel something being injected into him.

Sasuke struggled, but was so completely immobilized his thrashing was little more than squirming… if even that. His eyelids were quickly growing heavy. The last thing he remembered before passing out were the death screams of his two young subordinates.

Some time later…

Sasuke wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious. It was obvious they'd given him some sort of sleep serum, but he woke to darkness and the sound of crickets and a crackling campfire. A light evening breeze drifted over his skin and he knew he was still outside.

The dark haired ninja squirmed a bit. He was still bound… tight. He could barely move his arms. He was placed haphazardly over a fallen tree. Slung over it, ass in the air, as if he were placed on horse. His only view was of the ground and a bit of the area to either side of him.

Sasuke saw no one immediately around him, but he could hear a male and a female voice engrossed in conversation.

Straining his ears he was able to discern where they were taking him, their names, whose idea it was to subterfuge the Sound and ambush him…

His captors were called Temari and Kankuro. They were from the Sand village, and it was their brother Gaara who'd orchestrated the plan for his capture. They were taking him to Konoha.

As allies to the Leaf, the Sand ninja had taken up the cause of capturing Sasuke. Apparently Tsunade had put out an order to capture or kill Sasuke; the Sand had volunteered for first try. If they failed the Hokage was going to send out a team of her own in six months.

Sasuke had been deemed too dangerous to be left in the hands of Orochimaru, their enemy. Those were the words of the Hokage anyway, and according to Temari and Kankuro the Kazekage agreed. So the two villages had banded together in common cause to rid the world of Uchiha Sasuke.

'How noble of them.'

Sasuke remembered Gaara well; he'd been a worthy adversary, albeit a crazy, sick son-of-a-bitch. The other two he knew only as the red haired ninja's siblings. They hadn't really stuck out as special to Sasuke, not like Gaara had. He'd even fought the female before and easily defeated her.

Temari had said they were about six hours from Konoha. Sasuke had silently cursed at that. They must have been dragging him for nearly twenty-four hours straight. He'd been nowhere near Konoha when he was captured, and now he was practically at the fuckin' gates.

He'd heard them say they expected him to sleep for another three hours or so, but that they'd administer more sleep agent before they settled in to sleep. 'Just to be on the safe side.' The male called Kankuro had said.

Sasuke remained as still and as silent as he could. He didn't want to alert anyone to his wakefulness. Whatever it was they'd injected into him it worked fast. If they managed to inject him again, like they planned, the next time he woke would be in Konoha. Probably in their jail, or an ANBU interrogation room. He couldn't allow that. He needed to get out of here.

Listening carefully to the area around him told him the two conversing ninja were directly behind him, sitting around a campfire. The rest of their team, and it sounded like there were a lot of them, were in various areas in the forest creating a protective perimeter around the camp.

Sasuke was bound, slung over a tree, and he was surrounded by several alert ninja. 'How in the hell do I get out of this?' Sasuke wondered contemplating the almost nonexistent options he had for escaping.

Sasuke heard the shifting of feet and clothes as one or both of the two behind him stood up. Drawing himself from his thoughts he concentrated on their movements. They were walking, coming toward him. 'What are they doing?' Sasuke wondered, and he couldn't help but remember Kankuro's promise to shoot him up with more sleep agent. He couldn't afford that.

Closing his eyes he tuned into the sound of the footsteps, blocked out all noise save the shifting of those feet. One set stopped about half way to him; the other was still coming. Sasuke concentrated on the set still coming toward him, waiting to see if they would approach him…

Sasuke had no plan to get him out of this. He honestly didn't know what he'd do if one of them got close to him, but he couldn't afford to not do anything. He was a ninja. These past two years had given him a lot of battle experience, and if he couldn't consciously form a battle plan, then he'd leave it up to instinct to decide his motives.

The footsteps were near on top of him now… Sasuke readied himself, clearing his mind and opening his senses to all around him. It was so important he not even twitch the tiniest bit until it was time lest he alert the approaching nin of his wakefulness.

The footfalls stopped…

Sasuke whipped around on his back, swinging his legs like a windmill. Kankuro saw the Uchiha move and made to jump back… He wasn't fast enough.

Sasuke almost immediately had his legs wrapped around Kankuro's neck. All it would take is one good squeeze, and the Sand nin would be dead.

Not wasting a second, Sasuke turned his sharingan gaze on the female. "Don't!" He growled out.

Temari had been about to come to her brother's aid, but the Uchiha's voice stopped her. She could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice… he'd kill Kankuro. She stopped, raising her hands in the air to let him know she would do as he asked.

"Smart girl." Sasuke nodded. "Now. Untie me."

Numbly, Temari nodded, making her way toward her captive brother. She saw Sasuke tighten his thighs a bit, making Kankuro give a strangled cry. "Tell the others to pull back. And don't try anything. You may kill me, but I promise you not before I snap your brother's neck."

Temari shivered. His voice was so cold, commanding. "He'll do it. Pull back!" She yelled to the ninja around them.

'What is he doing awake?' She silently questioned wonderingly and not without a bit of irritation. It was only moments ago they were congratulating themselves on a fine capture, and now the tables had completely turned. 'How had things gone so wrong so fast?'

They'd given him enough sleep agent to down an elephant. He should have been out for at least another three hours. But… What did it matter anyway? She could ponder the oddity all day long, and it wouldn't change the fact that he was awake and Kankuro was in mortal trouble.

As Temari knelt beside him Sasuke leaned forward, giving her better access to his bindings. Her hands were shaking wildly. She didn't want him to kill her brother… or her for that matter. But it was different with her brother. It was his life she'd be playing with if she tried anything, not her own.

She was a ninja. Risking her life was part of the job, and she was okay with that, but she wasn't okay with risking someone else's, especially her brother's. "Please don't kill my brother." She asked pleadingly. Her voice didn't nearly sound as shaky as she felt, considering how intensely his eyes were on her, but her speech was laced with the desperation she felt.

She watched the Uchiha's chest heave with adrenaline- heightened breaths, and mixed with the dangerous glint in his freakish red eyes she was sure he was trying his best not to kill either of them.

Sasuke heard her plea, saw the desperation in her eyes, but he just couldn't bring himself to let it touch his heart. It was frightening how little her fear-filled eyes affected him. They shouldn't have laid their hands on him, played him for a fool, and they most certainly shouldn't have killed his subordinates. He involuntarily squeezed Kankuro's neck at that last thought. The two ninja serving under him had been eleven and twelve.

"Please." Temari begged, noticing the tightening of the Uchiha's thighs. "I'll do anything. Just… please don't kill my brother." She pleaded as she undid the last of Sasuke's bindings.

Sasuke stretched his arms and hands, testing their mobility. They'd been bound very tightly in an awfully uncomfortable position for a long time. He needed to know that they'd work properly should he need to fight. "Give me my weapons." He commanded the girl. She nodded and leapt to do his bidding.

Sasuke placed his weapons about him, left his sword for last, that he kept sheathed, but flexed his hands over the hilt. It felt good to have it back with him.

Sasuke noticed the large fan strapped to the female Sand's back. "Put down your fan and slowly walk backward."

He strapped the dato to his back, pulled the blade free of its sheath, and armed his other hand with a kunai. He watched the blonde girl with the odd fluffy pigtails back away from him, waited for her to get a comfortable distance from him…

Here was where everything became a blur in Sasuke's mind. Once again it seemed that utter chaos instantaneously ensued. There was movement everywhere.

Memory recalled flashes of movement, the clinking of swords and knives meeting, pained screams, blood spattering…

So many had come from the shadows to attack Sasuke at once, a giant circle of death closing in on him. He handed himself over to instinct, acted without thinking, relying solely on intuition and reflex.

Sasuke was everywhere at once, sword slicing, parrying. Feet flying, body flipping, kunai slashing. It looked a perfectly choreographed dance, beautifully hypnotizing but deadly. And then it was over…

Sasuke could only imagine what he'd looked like, dato in one hand, kunai in the other, blood spattered on him from head to toe covering his weapons like a crimson sheath. He must have looked like a murderous madman, and perhaps just then he was.

He was panting, madness gleaming in his eyes, staring at the girl and boy that had played a large role in his capture, killed his subordinates. "The two ninja that traveled with me… are they dead?"

Sasuke had heard their death screams, knew their fate, but he wanted to hear them say it. He needed to hear them admit to killing his team in order to quash that small bit of hope he had that perhaps they'd escaped.

Temari nodded, feeling slightly ashamed. It had needed to be done. Though young they were fighting fiends. The whole point of the mission, the main objective, was to capture Sasuke, and those two seemed hell bent on stopping them. Besides, Temari didn't want to lose any of her team. It was either the Sound's ninja or hers. She chose hers.

Seeing her nod, Sasuke's grip on dato and kunai tightened several degrees, his knuckles turning a stark white with the strain. He wanted to kill them… badly; he was so angry. He could picture himself reaching out… one swipe of his blade, and they both would be separated from their heads.

Those two had been so young, so promising, so… innocent when compared with himself and these two. And they'd died. He was supposed to look after them, protect them, and he'd failed. Knowing them as Sasuke did, he knew they probably fought like hell for him. And he let them down…

Sasuke's hands shook with barely restrained rage; he took deep breaths through his nose. 'Don't kill them. Don't kill them.' He repeated to himself over and over again, while a separate part of his conscious mind replied 'Why not?'

Perhaps he hesitated because these two were familiar to him, perhaps it was because he suspected they were friends with his old team, and maybe it was because he'd disarmed them and they were next to helpless. Sasuke couldn't say why he vacillated in killing them, only that he did.

"Impressive… traitor…" Kankuro replied, seeing the murderous light in Sasuke's eyes. His voice was weighted heavily with sarcasm, and he spit every word with hate and disgust. He needed to distract the Uchiha, get his mind off killing them, even if it meant angering him further than he already was.

Sasuke's eyes whirled to the face of the speaker. His eyes narrowed with indignant rage. "You killed my team. They were just boys." Sasuke spat, his voice laced with anger.

"And what about you Uchiha? How many of ours did you just slaughter?" Kankuro asked venomously.

"Twenty against one!?" Sasuke spat. He'd just been attacked by twenty ninja at once and they had the nerve to be angry with him for defending himself.

He darted icy glares between Temari and Kankuro. "Is that the strength of the Sand? Is that the courage the Sand is made of?" He curled his lip in disgust.

Silence answered him.

The sound of the Uchiha's deep angry breaths pounded at Temari's ears. They sounded so frantic, so… strained. It was then Temari realized that Sasuke was contemplating their deaths.

Kankuro seemed unphased by the Uchiha's words, and returned Sasuke's sneer with a wickedly crazed smile of his own. "I hired him to lure you here. He was working for me." Kankuro said, referring to the businessman that had set this whole ordeal in motion.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the silly looking boy. 'Is this dumbass actually trying to bait me?' Sasuke wondered in disbelief.

"I sent him to the Sound. I ordered him to fool you." The male Sand nin smiled scornfully. "He really is a businessman though. I offered him a really sweet deal… a good sum for your head on a platter. He didn't even need to do the killing, just lure you in. Money for your traitorous life." He watched Sasuke's still form, his trembling hands. He was getting more and more enraged.

Kankuro was pleased with the Uchiha's reaction. If he made him mad enough he might let his guard down a bit, and then Kankuro would act…

Temari couldn't help but wonder what in the hell her brother was doing, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. Kankuro could honestly be an excellent fighter, but his lack of judgment at times had caused his undoing more than once. She only hoped now wasn't one of those times.

Sasuke's control hung by the barest of threads. He could feel the cursed seal ruthlessly pounding at him to release his anger, kill both of these fools. He didn't need the curse seal to fuel his anger, he was pissed off enough as it was, but fan his anger it did, and he had to wince at the intense burning in his shoulder.

Were he to release the burning seal he'd mindlessly kill the two, ruthlessly mutilate them, and he didn't want that. Not because he didn't want to kill them, but because he wanted to kill them in a more sinister way. He wanted to draw the fight out, make them see the error of their ways, beg for their lives, fall on their knees and grovel…

Two monsters warred within him. Both wanted vengeance and death, but one was bestial and animalistic while the other was cold and calculating… neither was good.

Sasuke's soul called for the blood of those that betrayed him. The seal on his neck pulsed with hunger; it wanted blood. The twenty or so victims he'd just slaughtered hadn't even begun to sate the evil curse. And though he was already covered in blood, he wanted more… Sasuke didn't need to release the curse to feel it's malicious influence.

Sasuke knew he was becoming a monster, could feel it more and more each time he killed. His rational mind saw the transition, felt the coming change, but was helpless to stop it. Right now that calm rational side just stared in horror as the cold murderous part of him warred with the bloodthirsty animal part, both fed by the black curse that pulsed inside him.

He looked Kankuro in the eyes, soaked in his arrogantly defiant form. He could kill this man. He could cut off his head and not give the nasty deed a second thought. He should have been frightened by this revelation, revolted even, but he wasn't. It just seemed so natural to be able to kill those that had wronged him.

Black spots spread across his face and body. All indecision on whether or not he should kill these two disappeared beneath the pulsing death cries of the cursed seal. They were traitors. They were enemies to the Sound, to himself, and most importantly… to Orochimaru.

He turned his full attention to the two Sand nins. His eyes became cold, gleaming wickedly. His mouth broke out in a sadistic smile, and for the first time Kankuro shuddered with fear.

Temari was absolutely horrified. The Uchiha's power spiked to an unbelievable level. It was suffocating and immense. She saw only murder in those cold red eyes. 'He's going to kill us.' There was no doubt in her mind.

Kankuro and Temari were momentarily frozen in abject fear. They'd never seen or felt such murderous intent, not even with Gaara, and it had been unsettling.

Sasuke made to swing his sword, end both of their pitiful existences with one sweep, when he was knocked backwards by several kunai lodging in his shoulder, arms and legs. Temari ran to her fan. Kankuro activated his puppet, sending dozens of poison needles Sasuke's way… they hit.

Sasuke immediately felt an unnatural burning sensation where the needles entered his body… 'Poison'. 'Shit.' Fighting was useless. He needed to get help or he was going to die.

Sasuke sank into the ground, let it swallow him, and came out a ways away from the fighting. It was one of Orochimaru's techniques he'd learned.

The two Sand watched helplessly as the earth swallowed their prey, but it didn't really matter. Kankuro had severely poisoned him. He would die within hours. Chances of him finding help in time were slim. They had no other choice but to kill him. They'd tried to take him alive, but that proved impossible. So they'd had to kill him.

Gaara sighed in relief. Thank God he'd decided to check up on his siblings. He'd hated to riddle Naruto's friend with kunai, but he knew the Uchiha was going to kill his brother and sister. He'd had to do something to stop him.

He'd ordered Kankuro and Temari to capture Sasuke, but if they couldn't take him alive they were to kill him. That's what their orders were, and that's what ended up having to happen. It was probably for the best anyway. Put the Uchiha out of his misery.

'Pity.' Kankuro thought. Now they were going to have to search for his body and bring it back to Konoha, or dissect the secret of the sharingan and gain its power.

"Let's go." Temari ordered.

Sasuke looked around. Those bastards had managed to bring him so close to Konoha, which meant he was quite far away from the Sound, too far away to get help from them. There was no way he could make to Orochimaru in time, not before the poison overwhelmed his system anyway.

There was only one option for saving himself… he had to go to Konoha.

Four hours later (Present Time)…

That was how he'd found himself at Sakura's door in the middle of the night. The journey had been grueling. It hadn't taken a whole lot of time, but it had seemed endless. He'd had to use uncounted amounts of chakra, traveling at tremendous speeds, using his sharingan to fool a few villagers into revealing where the pink haired kunoichi lived, scaling rooftops and concealing himself so as not to be recognized…

After all his effort he only hoped Sakura could help him… without giving his presence away.

Sasuke pounded on her door, silently willing her to answer, but she never came. Sasuke wanted to weep with insane frustration. He'd worked so hard to get here. He was near losing consciousness, in pain, and if he didn't get help soon he was going to die.

Thinking that perhaps she hadn't heard the knock, Sasuke pounded louder, ignoring the nagging voice in the back of his mind that suggested she might not be home.

"Go away!" She screamed from the other side of the door. He managed a weak smile. 'Well she's definitely home.'

"Please… Sakura… It's me… Sasuke." He cried out, or tried to cry out, taking deep breaths between each word. What was supposed to be a yell came out as a breathy whisper. 'No.' His consciousness was hanging by a thread.

He tried again, but his breath failed him and his vision began tunneling to a thin point. 'Dammit. Why can't I call for her?' He sat panting; trying to calm his breathing, but it was too late. He'd already pushed his body too far. 'Sakura. Hear me.' He silently begged…

She never came.

"Nnnn." He groaned, grabbing at his chest; it was so hard to breath. 'Well, that's it. I'm going to die.'

Accepting his fate Sasuke sank to the floor in blessed unconsciousness.

I have spent years as a professional writer and what I know now is that the only review that is no use to me is a review that lies. Kasuo Ishiguro 1954-

Author's Note: Reviews!Well, thanks to dark_fogg I've found out that this sight is not letting anyone review my story. It's very frustrating, because I keep selecting the option to allow reviews, anonymous and otherwise, on my settings and updating, but still it's unchecked. Well, I just tried it again. So hopefully it's fixed. We'll see. If you couldn't review before, perhaps you can now. Before dark_fogg's email I thought no one was reading this and was about to stop updating, but now I see what was going on. Thank you dark_fogg!