"Until someone pulls them out of it. You can skip them. Same with Shino." He explains to me while scanning the treeline for other threats.
"Moving on then." That makes Neji next.
...
Neji is laying on his back in a crater. His eyes are half open and it's a struggle each moment for him to stay awake. His chakra exhaustion pushed him into this state. "Just come back."
"I've burned that bridge. I can't go back." I drag the dagger across the back of his hand.
Next is Lee, he's right behind Neji. Lee is one of the more lucid of everyone here since he wasn't knocked out or has any impairing wounds. Except for his hyperextended leg. "Why? I don't understand. Hiding from us. Those things you said. Attacking us. Wanting to go back to Orochimaru. I just don't understand. It's like you've lost all hope."
"You know Lee, in a way you're right." He holds out his hand for me to cut. There's no doubt in my mind that he's letting me do this. Just because his leg is out of commission doesn't mean his arms are.
That leaves only Ino and Choji. Shino is trapped in Sasuke's genjutsu and Tenten is already unconscious so there's no need to tag either of them.
I approach Keji.
"I won't forget this. I won't forget that you beat me. That you beat us." Choji says. "This doesn't mean that I'm giving up on bringing you both back. All that you've accomplished today is showing us all how much we need to improve to bring you both back. So next time we meet you better be ready, because it'll be us who wins. It'll be us bringing you home. Remember that."
Choji thrusts his arm at me with a fire in his eyes. He has every intention of following through with his vow.
I cut the back of his hand and in a loud tone I say, "I look forward to it. Become as strong as you possibly can. Find your limits and exceed them, it's the only hope you have of besting Sasuke and I. Because I promise you that we will not go easily. You'll have to earn it, and if you manage that I will go back to Konoha with you all."
I'm manipulating them. Every single person that I've cut is only paralyzed. They can still see, feel, taste, touch, and most importantly hear. Each one of them heard my promise, my own vow that if they can defeat me I will return. I'm pushing them to become stronger, I'm pushing them to become better.
I'm preparing them for the horrors to come.
"Alvarcus."
"Ino."
"Why? All you had to do-"
"Because it was necessary. Konoha will never welcome me home, you have to realize that. The day that you all drag me back there will be the day I am tossed in jail with the world's best seal master personally designing my chakra suppressors. I'll be lucky if they allow visitors. Hell I'll be lucky if I can see the sun."
Her eyes start to water, she's on the verge of tears. "But what if you-"
"It won't matter. The damage is already done, people formed their opinions. Only chains wait for me in Konoha. I will still honor my promise. Should you all best me, I will return and face my fate. I just want to make sure you are all aware of how hard I will fight. There's more riding on it that you all realize because my defeat means my loss of freedom. So if you all want me back you'll need to be incredible."
"We don't have to fight!" Ino pleads as her tears finally stream down her face. "Just tell them what you're-"
I swiftly dart my hand inbetween Keji's legs and cuts the back of Ino's hand. She falls to the ground.
Keji's legs bend out of my way and I catch her before she hits it. Her eyes are so full of pain. It's not her pain, it's my pain. She's empathizing with me as the only one here who knows the full story. She's watching me purposefully tear a canyon between me and my friends. She's watching me specifically avoid going back to Konoha. Going home. And it's truly hurting her.
"Ino," I whisper just loud enough for her to hear. "don't tell them. Please. They can't know. They need something to push them to improve. If it's me, then I'm okay with that. So please, don't tell them. Tsunade is always open to talk to, even Shizune is a wonderful listener. I know from personal experience. Talk to them, not our friends. They need this as much as I do."
I gently lower her to the ground.
"Why did you catch her?" Sasuke says in a cold tone. There's and edge there, one that promises pain. "You let everyone else fall." His eyes narrow. "Why her?"
"Dude." I casually reply. "Like I'm going to let a lady fall down in the dirt. I would have caught Hinata to if she wasn't already down. I choose to be an asshole, I'm not always one. Not to mention what you might do to me if I did let her fall."
"Good." Sasuke's edgy tone is gone, he's back to his normal self.
~Host, he feels threatened by you.~
Pfft yeah right! Why would he – oh. OH.
~Yes, he thinks you want to mate with the female.~
OI! Not cool! Don't say things like that!
~But you do. You remember that I am your body now, I know exactly what goes on with it. For instance hormonal surges and physical reactions.~
She's hot! That's not my fault! I can't help it if I find her hot!
~We share the same dreams.~
I have the hormonal body of a teenager going through puberty with an adult mind! No shit I'm going to think up of some stuff like that!
~They're quite... explicit.~
Not the God damn time for this! Look you've got me so flustered I'm not even translating right now! When was the last time I said God and not Kami? You know what just shut up for a bit.
"Keji can you stick around for a while?" I gesture to everyone laying on the ground. "Sure they're defeated but I don't want to leave them unguarded. Who knows when the others will be done and come get them."
"I shall stay." Keji does a deep bow. Like DEEP. A good four meters deep. "To show such compassion to your enemies, you are a gentleman of significant renown!"
"Uh... sure. Whatever." There, now I don't have to worry about wildlife or bandits hurting them while the Sannin wrap things up. Just to make things easier on my summon I extend out hundreds of chakra strings and connect them to everyone. I gently maneuver them to be all next to each other instead of strew about the field.
"Sasuke we should be going now."
I start walking away towards Sound. There's no sound of Sasuke falling in step next to me.
"Sasuke?" I question over my shoulder. "You coming? I can carry you if that's it, between your genjutsu, the Jiongu sustaining itself to hold your arm in place and Shino's beetles you've use up a lot of your chakra."
"No, that's not it." Sasuke is looking over at Hinata. "Orochimaru said he wanted a Byakugan. Well, we have a pair right here. Better yet we could bring her with us then maybe he'd use her and-"
"Sasuke," I sadly say. "you and I both know he doesn't want the Byakugan for that. Even if we bring her back there's no way he'd pick her over you. I'm sorry, but you know I'm right."
"... I know. I just wish it wasn't true." Sasuke says dejectedly.
"Hey, it's not like we're going to let that happen. I plan on him being dead long before he does the switch."
Sasuke cracks a smile. "You're damn right about that."
CRACK
A white blur explodes through a tree before slamming into the ground. The blur rolls for a bit, tumbling over and over before it rights itself and lands on it's feet, skidding back a good three meters before stopping.
"Orochimaru-sama?" Sasuke and I ask at the same time in shock. "Are you... losing?"
...
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