Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Given The Chance ❯ No Escape: Part 1 ( Chapter 22 )

Chapter #22

No Escape: Part 1

 

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and Co.

 

Yay another chapter! Still no Christmas stuff in this chapter, there won't be in the next chapter either, but to make up for it I will be giving you a big ninja fight to make you feel better! (Runs around cheering)

 

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“Keep up Gina,” Cassandra ordered, “Haven't you ever gotten more exercise than shopping in your life?”

 

“What I don't get is how you can be so fast and be able to take down two grown men,” Gina yelled between gasping breaths. She was running out of steam fast so she stopped to sit on a rock and catch her breath, “You're smaller than I am for Kami's sake! How can you have taken down those two so … easily!?”

 

Cassandra sat down next to Gina - even though she was far from out of breath - and gave a frustrated growl, “How many times do I have to tell you that I wasn't kidding about being a Kunoichi before it sticks?”

 

“But how can you be?” Gina grabbed Cassandra's collar but Cassandra just glared daggers back at her, “You came to Sunagakure six years ago so you would only have been ten years old. A trainee ninja becomes a Genin at age twelve so there is two years difference there. To become a Kunoichi you would have had to have graduated to a Genin at age ten!”

 

“You act like no one has ever done that before.” Cassandra rolled her eyes and removed Gina's hand from her shirt, “Yes, I attended the Konohagakure ninja at the age of seven and I graduated three years later to the rank of Genin. Get over it and try and help me think of a way to get back to camp!”

 

The stubborn and tired blonde just crossed her arms, “Well if you're such a great Kunoichi then a few highway robbers should be easy for you to handle.”

 

“Ignorance must be bliss,” Cassandra hissed under her breath as shook her head in disbelief. She tucked a strand of stray raven hair behind her ear before being able to speak again in a calmer manner, “I said I was a Genin you baka. If you knew anything about ninja at all you would know that it the lowest rank of certified ninja so no matter how early I graduated before resigning I am a little more than a novice. Another thing is that I have very little supplies, just a few measly kunai, which does little to nothing in a real battle even if it's just fighting thugs hand-in-hand.”

 

It took a few moments of Cassandra's stare before Gina gave a huff, “Hey just give me a second here I know there is something else you're not telling me and I will figure it out!”

 

“Actually there was something else. I just haven't told you because I don't want you freaking out on me,” Cassie's eyebrow twitched, “I have to have you tagging along in the first place and I definitely don't need this to get even more complicated by having a big crybaby on my hands.”

 

“Oh ya, well try me!”

 

“There will be more of those thugs, a lot more, and since those two were sent after us thinking we were just a couple of defenseless women they would probably be the weakest. Men like them travel in large groups with one leader who is either strong physically or knows how to get things done efficiently,” she explained, “I am a former Genin so if they do clue in and send more experienced men in greater numbers I might have a tough time keeping up a fight while having to defend you.”

 

Gina looked slightly offended, “So you're saying we're in danger because I am here?”

 

“Being a bodyguard is a harder job than it sounds and the rule of thumb is always that - naturally - the person you're guarding comes first. If we want to get back to camp I have to keep us both going and keeping track of two bodies is … challenging. Don't be holding it against yourself.”

 

“So…” seeming to have calmed down slightly after being so freaked out about the attack she started asking slightly more logical questions, “What kind of leader do you think they have anyway?”

 

Cassie ran her hand through her hair for a minute before pulling a few sheets of paper from her pocket, “I found these while I was searching those guys for weapons. It seems that the whole highway man thing was only a small part of the big picture.”

 

“B-but hey what—” Gina shook her head for a moment, “Why?”

 

“Something tells me we're just the first step to getting what they really want.”

 

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“Gaara over this way,” Temari called and almost in an instant her younger brother was by her side in a gust of sand.

 

There were two men in the tiny clearing. One lanky tall one tied up on the ground sporting a rather flashy looking shiner, and the other a shorter and slightly huskier man who was unconscious and pinned to a tree with kunai. He too had quite a few nasty little bruises which included a steadily growing goose egg on his hairline.

 

Temari didn't have to wait for orders to know that Gaara wanted one of them woken up and talked ASAP so she went strait to work. Using her water bottle, filled with hot tea from the camp, she splashed the face of the man that was pinned to the tree causing him to cough and sputter, not to mention yell out in pain from the scalding water.

 

“Oi!” The man yelped and began struggling against the kunai, “What the hell do you want now you've already got all our weapons you stupid bi - KAMI! It's him!”

 

“Good you already know who I am so that will save us some time,” Gaara's sand immediately wrapped around the man's torso and pulled him from the tree while still keeping a little more than form hold on him, “You attacked two girls. What happened to them?”

 

“Hey man I don't know!”

 

Gaara scowled, “I won't hesitate to kill you since I still have your friend here to interrogate.”

 

The husky man shook his head frantically, “Hey now don't get so hasty! I told you I don't know where the girls went and I mean it! That crazy black haired chick knocked out my friend then pinned me to the tree! She picked our pockets for weapons before knocking me out and leaving me here so I have no idea which way she is headed!”

 

“Wow Cassie-chan seems to know what she's doing,” Temari sounded impressed, “At least she was able to take care of these weaklings without us and come out ok.”

 

“Where is the rest of your team?” Asked Gaara.

 

“T-they're monitoring the area,” the man grunted trying to struggle against the constricting sand, “They were supposed to wait for our signal after we caught the girls but they won't wait for long. They'll go after the girls themselves soon.”

 

Gaara's rising anger made the sand constrict automatically.

 

The man cried out in pain before giving a soft, almost defeated sounding, chuckle, “Go ahead, kill me, but it won't help you any. Now that I think about it I am a little more afraid of them than being crushed to death. That little girlfriend of yours was just going to be bait so we were going to ditch her somewhere near a village when we were finished, but if she is going to give them trouble you'll be going home with a dead body!”

 

`That was definitely the wrong thing to admit,' Temari's hands were shaking slightly. Gaara really scared her when he got so worked up and that bloodthirsty look started to appear.

 

SNAP.

 

The man screamed out loudly in pain, “Ah! You bastard you broke my leg!”

 

“If you think I am going to give you the luxury of a quick and painless death then you're mistaken,” Gaara hissed. The blood coming from the man's shattered leg only served to boil his demon blood further, “I can break every bone in your body before killing you.”

 

“T-that won't help you any. Masakazu isn't very patient, and no matter what orders he is given by our boss he will soon be out looking for that girl that seems to be so important to you. He won't hold back and he is a lot stronger that my friend and I are so if you waist time on me then she's as good as dead,” he shot back.

 

`This guy wants to be killed doesn't he?' Temari took a safe step back so she wouldn't be splattered with blood, `Is this leader of his so terrifying that he would rather face Gaara and die by the sand than be punished by his leader?'

 

The guy was minced meat before Temari could blink and Gaara's hand was violently shaking with anger.

 

“Gaara.” Temari almost hated to attract his attention when he was like that but what else was there for her to do? Cassandra was her friend so she wanted to be able to rescue her, “Cassie has got Gina with her so she couldn't have gone to far. We can catch up to them quickly.”

 

`And so can whoever this Masakazu may be,' Gaara's jaw clenched, `All this happening on the full moon … this isn't good for anyone involved, especially Cassie.'

 

“If they wanted Cassie for bait does that mean they were after you and not her? I mean who else would they want that they would go through this much trouble?” Temari had spoken before she even thought about what she said. She slapped her hand over her mouth and cursed in her mind thinking that was probably the wrong thing to say while he was still angry. It only served to make his sand lash out and take down a few random trees to try and vent.

 

`They won't have a chance to even touch her before I demolish every one of them,' without a word Gaara took off in search of Cassie again.

 

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Gina shook her head in disbelief at the picture she was looking at. It was a perfect close up of the day when Cassandra had been playing `twenty questions' with Gaara, “So this wasn't just a random mugging then?”

 

“Apparently not,” Cassandra bit her lip for a moment before getting to her feet again, “We should get moving before they can find us again. We should probably set some traps too. If we can get more of them then that means more weapons for us and a better chance of making it back to camp in one piece.”

 

“What kind of traps?” Weak kneed Gina got to her feet and followed Cassandra through the woods again like a frightened little child, “ACHOO!”

 

“Shush!” Cassandra hissed.

 

Gina wiped her reddened nose, “I can't help it! It's freaking cold out here and we're running around in pajamas and bare feet. We might be hypothermic before those people even catch up to us.”

 

“We'll just have to steal ourselves some jackets then too,” Cassandra grinned. She began - almost randomly - pulling back the branches of flexible trees just to see how far and how fast that sprung back, “But first we'll need to turn this place into a virtual deathtrap.”

 

“But what about people who might come and rescue us?” Gina was the type to always contradict opinions other than her own, “And I thought you said we had little supplies so why use them on traps that may or may not even work?”

 

“The people that will be coming after us will be Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. They are all Jounin so if they got caught in one of my traps it would be rather embarrassing for them. As for the traps of them they are easy enough to create with few actual tools and they work pretty well. I did catch a Chunin once during training in one of my traps, you see, had I gone on in my training I probably would have become a hunter-nin so don't underestimate me here,” she ordered, “If we do come across anyone above a Chunin skills level well then … I hope you learn how to run real fast real quick because there is no way I am waiting for you.”

 

“…Understood.”

 

Using the few Kunai that were available Cassandra immediately began making simple traps. By tying kunai to the end of a branch and pulling it back so it was attached to a hidden tripwire she made a lethal trap ready to spring. She made that trap among others that would gather and trap anyone that decided to take a swipe.

 

“Go hide Gina and don't come out until I tell you,” Cassie ordered.

 

Gina ran off muttering something about stupid ninja and never leaving Suna again.

 

Cassie shook her head and sat in her own hiding spot and waited for more highwaymen to arrive. She didn't have to wait long before a man carrying a sword came wondering near one of her death trap zones. He set off the springing kunai branch and took the blade right in the soldier. The man turned out to be so klutzy that he fell back in surprise and knocked himself out against a tree.

 

“Something tells me that was two easy,” she muttered to herself as she tied the man up with his own wire and stole the short sword attached to his back. She knew it was too easy, but hey, more weapons. And Cassie was always excellent with a sword.

 

“No this was too easy!” Someone came up from behind and grabbed a good handful of Cassandra's hair, “And the word gullible isn't in the dictionary!”

 

`Shit this freak saw through my traps so easily!' Cassandra could have kicked herself for being tricked out into the open so easily if she wasn't forced to her feet and shoved harshly against a tree, “Let me go!”

 

The man laughed, “Not after all the trouble you have given us so far. You already took out three of our men little girl. Though why we need you in the first place in beyond me, so I don't think those brats would care if there was a little accident before I brought you back.”

 

Cassandra was spun around and her arms pinned above her head by one massive hand so she got her first good look at her attacker. The guy was big, at least 6-foot-four and with muscles that made it look as though someone stuffed his arms with watermelon. His dark brown hair was combed neatly away from his face and narrow amber coloured eyes. He was holding Cassandra with his left hand alone easily and she was more that grateful he wasn't using his other hand. On his right had was some kind of mechanical claw that actually seemed to be attached to his skin from the elbow down. The claws on the hand were a good few inches long and razor sharp.

 

He gave a wolfish grin when he saw her stare up at him, “Well, well, you're a lot cuter that the picture, but when you're a target beauty doesn't matter much. But it is nice to finally get to speak to you in person Miss Cassandra my name is Masakazu.”

 

Cassie's lips drew to a thin line and she glared up at him with a look that could kill and it only served to make him chuckle. He picked up his right arm and ran it through her hair and along her jaw line, “Now as for the punishment for wounding three of my friends, well, I say you're more trouble than your worth. You're boyfriend wouldn't know you're dead until after we got the chance to fight anyway now would he?”

 

The comment made Cassandra pull back but there was nowhere to go.

 

“But wait, you wounded three of my men,” Masakazu pointed out almost cheerfully, “That means I need three punishments now don't I. Dead will have to wait until last, but before that I might want to have a little fun. Wouldn't you believe that this hand of mine is a turn off?”

 

`Son of a--' Cassandra wanted desperately to get away from the guy but she needed something to hit him with. That was when she remembered the sword she stuck in her belt, `I think I can get to it if I find a way to get him to loosen his grip just a little…'

 

 

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The next chapter is coming up before Christmas and will be extra long (I've been working on it for a while) as a Christmas gift to everyone who reviewed for me! I want you all to have a very merry Christmas.

 

Lil_Pix