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Shades of Crimson	By : Onileo Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2074 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; that honor belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. My fanfiction is for entertainment only and is not intended for financial gain.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Chapter 16
          The morning light bathed the surrounding earth in tones of orange and gold. As the sky brightened, it revealed a blue so light, no artist could match it on canvas. Fluffy white clouds raced by overhead, pulled towards the mountains on their way to the sea. But as beautiful as the terrain was, malice hung in the dusty air so thick you could choke on it. It was deathly quiet as four dark clothed figures in a barren ravine faced off against two ninja cloaked in the most hated organization of the shinobi world, the Akatsuki. A flash of pink and green, swallowed by black and red, the most petite of the ninja present, pulled her gloves from her pocket as she stilled by her partner.
          Sakura assessed her opponents as they came to a halt several yards away. There were two kunoichi, their masks shaped like a frog and some sort of lizard. They were both taller than Sakura, and thin. The frog's light brown hair was up in a bun, a long blue ribbon wrapped around it, the ends trailing behind her as she moved. The morning sunlight gleamed off a pair of senbon tucked neatly beneath. The lizard's was cropped short and stark white. She carried two small scrolls on her hip, and a bow and arrows on her back. The two male shinobi wore a ram and hawk mask. The hawk seemed to be the leader of the group, as he stood slightly ahead of everyone else. The ram was a stout man, not overly tall, but his chest was broad and the muscle on his arms rivaled that of Kisame's. They were all dressed in the standard ANBU vests with long pants and black sandals. Drawing his sword, the hawk stepped forward and addressed them.
          "Members of Akatsuki. By order of the Raikage, you are to be captured or killed on sight for crimes committed against Kumogakure and Lord Killer Bee. However, if you step aside and let us continue on, I might be willing to ignore your presence here. Aiding Lord Killer Bee is a higher priority than fighting you." he said.
          Hidan ground his teeth at the ANBU's dismissive tone. As if they could be swept away like unwanted dust. Just then, a shout sounded in the distance behind him, and Hidan could feel two large chakras flare. Kisame must have already engaged the eight-tails. The ANBU shifted restlessly, eager to get moving. Narrowing his eyes, Hidan lifted his hand and pointed at the Cloud ninja. "You pussies aren't going anywhere. And as for killing us..." Normally, he would have said 'If you could, I'd let you.' But as he glanced over at Sakura, methodically pulling on her gloves while never taking her eyes off the ninja, he suddenly found that those words didn't quite ring true anymore. So he turned back to the Hawk ANBU and improvised. "Good luck with that shit."
          "Very well. Since we are in a hurry, we will grant you a swift death, not that you deserve it." the hawk replied, lifting two fingers into the air.
          At his silent command, the ANBU separated, the kunoichi falling back and forming hand seals while the ram charged forward, heading straight for them. The hawk stood in the center, watching them closely. Sakura dropped into a defensive crouch as Hidan let out a joyous cry and rushed forward to meet the ram, swinging his scythe wildly in front of him. Letting him go, she kept her focus on the kunoichi. The lizard finished her jutsu first and disappeared in a puff of smoke. She emerged seconds later, mounted on a stocky red horse. Breaking into a dead run, they headed straight for Sakura, the kunoichi notching an arrow into her recurved bow and taking aim. When she was within range, she released it, and quickly brought her free hand up to concentrate her chakra. The arrow suddenly multiplied into a large spray of arrows, crackling blue with lightning chakra. Jumping back as the first arrows landed, Sakura had to retreat twice more to avoid getting hit. The arrows buried in the ground, the tips exploding with a loud pop. Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura realized that she was now quite far from Hidan. With two enemies apiece, they were virtually fighting on their own.
          As she charged past, the lizard threw a handful of shuriken before slowing her horse and bringing it around for another pass. Dodging again, Sakura looked for a weakness while she waited for her opponent to get turned. She had to admit it, she was impressed. She had never seen a ninja that combined ninjutsu with samurai techniques. Did Kumo have a samurai trainer, or was this girl special because she had studied both? She didn't have long to ponder it, because the lizard had notched another arrow and was heading her way, the horse's hooves raising a cloud of dust as he pounded towards her. Since Sakura was mainly a short range fighter and the lizard seemed to favor long range, she needed to bring her in closer. She wouldn't be nearly as big a threat without her horse. Letting chakra gather in her fists, she waited for the kunoichi to close in on her. Just as she released her second arrow, Sakura slammed her fist into the ground before jumping back out of range. A satisfying crack was heard as the earth split open, creating a wide fissure along the bottom of the ravine. As she hoped, the lizard reached it before she could dodge, and with a loud squeal, the horse stumbled and fell, disappearing in a puff of smoke as the kunoichi was thrown free of the gap to land on her feet several yards away.
          Grabbing the second scroll from her side, the lizard opened it and slid her hand under her mask to bite her thumb. "You'll pay for that!" she yelled at Sakura as the scroll rolled open. Bringing her hand down on the scroll, the ANBU disappeared in a puff of smoke. When Sakura's vision cleared, the lizard was nowhere to be seen. On guard, she quickly turned her head to look for her, but found nothing. She could still feel the other girl's chakra, so she knew she hadn't left the immediate area.
          A sudden whistling noise made her jump to the side reflexively, but it was too late. An arrow pierced her shoulder, burying through flesh all the way to the bone. It instantly began bleeding, a trail of red running down the inside of her sleeve onto her bare arm. The pain hit her and Sakura cried out, clutching the wounded shoulder. An electrical current surged around the arrow, burning and blistering her skin as a loud popping noise sounded in her ear. The smell of charred flesh turned her stomach, and Sakura grimaced. Laughter rang out from somewhere above her, and as she looked up, Sakura's eyes widened. The lizard ANBU was hovering directly above her, sitting confidently on the back of a large, blue chakra dragon. Its long body undulated as it swam in the air, lightly crackling with lightning energy as it moved. The kunoichi raised her bow and drew another arrow. Oh, hell. This could really be a problem.
          Grabbing the wood embedded in her skin, Sakura gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might. She could fight injured, but not with the arrowhead constantly aggravating the wound. The arrow gave with a sickening sound, causing more blood to pour from her shoulder. Sakura threw it away and jumped back just as another volley of arrows rained down on her. She hastily sealed the wound on her shoulder, and looked around for some way to get on even ground with the lizard. While she was in the ravine, she was a sitting duck. An outcropping of rock followed by several small ledges gave her an answer. She could jump up onto the open ground from there and be able to fight with fewer disadvantages. Just as she started for it, a blur of movement sped by, and chakra flared right in front her. She suddenly found herself staring into the mask of the frog ANBU. She had her hair down now, the ribbon held in one hand, and in the other, one of her senbon, the tip coated in green poison.
          "Going somewhere?" she asked sweetly.
          Sakura glanced up as the dragon moved towards her back, maneuvering in for another shot. Then she glanced back at the frog. Things were about to get really interesting. She had to keep from getting sandwiched between them. The frog quickly attacked, throwing her senbon right at Sakura. As close as she was to her, Sakura barely managed to dodge it by leaning to the right. The needle pierced her sleeve, the poison on the tip grazing her skin, making her arm burn and sting as it tried to soak in. Quickly pushing it out with her chakra, she went to jump further away, and found that her legs couldn't move. Sakura glanced down to find that the ribbon the frog had had in her hand was now wrapped around her ankles like shackles, the chakra coursing through it holding her in place. Damn, she was quick. Sakura never even saw her move the second time. The frog jumped back just as another volley of arrows began hitting the ground, getting closer and closer with each loud pop. Reaching down, Sakura grabbed the ribbon and began pulling hard, pouring chakra to her muscles to break the frog's hold on her.
          It didn't budge. Gritting her teeth, Sakura tried again. The arrows were upon her now, and as Sakura tried to dodge one that would have pierced her skull, she lost her balance and toppled backwards, the arrow hitting her shin instead. It crackled and popped, searing her skin as it ripped into her leg. Sakura held her breath, waiting for the pain to register in her brain. Before she had a chance to realize what was happening, or why, a sharp stab of pain ripped through her chest. If she hadn't already been on the ground, she would have collapsed on the spot. She screamed as it crested, then crashed over her as a wave of pleasure. Swearing at Hidan as her head grew light and her body turned to jelly, Sakura fought to hold on to consciousness, even though she knew it was hopeless. The last thing she saw before everything went white was the faces of her opponents, closing in on her with their weapons drawn and ready.

          Just as the ram reached Hidan, he jumped into the air, coming down on him in a bone-shattering tackle. But even as the immortal took the brunt of the attack and flew back to land on the ground, his scythe did its job. A deep slice was made across the ram's ribs as he landed on Hidan, blood spraying over both of them. When his head stopped spinning from the backwards motion, Hidan looked up to see the ram still on top of him, a kunai in his raised hand. He just stared up at him, his eyes hard and unflinching as the ram stabbed him right in the heart. He said nothing, just waited until the ANBU realized that he wasn't affected by the blow. After a long moment, the ram jerked back, obviously in shock, his fingers trembling slightly. Hidan took the opportunity to kick the other shinobi off of him before rolling to his feet. Pulling the kunai out of his chest, he threw it to the ground.
          "That fucking hurt, asshole! I hope you're happy now, because you're about to find out exactly what it feels like!" Hidan yelled.
          "What happened? Did you miss?" the hawk called to his teammate.
          "Of course I didn't miss! You know better than that, Sora-san!" the ram replied as he crouched down again.
          Using the blood dripping heavily from his chest, Hidan began drawing Jashin's circle on the ground. It was nearly finished when the ram came at him, running full force. Hidan simply dodged him, completely unruffled. Finishing the circle, he pulled out his pike and turned to face the ram. Lifting his scythe in the other hand, he ran his tongue along the cool metal of the blade, licking off the ram's blood. As soon as the metallic taste hit him, he felt Jashin's curse take effect. The ram came to a halt a few feet from him, suddenly wary as Hidan's skin darkened to black, his white markings becoming prominent. His leg began hurting, but he ignored it, figuring that it was injured when the ram jumped on him. With a dry laugh, Hidan spun his pike in his hand and braced himself.
          "If you want to kill someone, you have to do it like this!" he yelled as he plunged the pike through his chest.
          The ram had started forward again, but fell to his knees moments later when the pain hit both of them. Blood spurted from his chest, and he put a large hand to the wound in disbelief. When he pulled it back, covered in blood, he screamed. Laughing, Hidan gave the pike a vicious yank and the ram fell forward, landing on the ground with a loud thud. His head grew light as the pain intensified, and he heard a second scream. It took him a moment to realize that it was Sakura. He turned his head to look at her, but it was too late to help her. He was already falling backwards as the rush of the ram's death swept over him. The last thing he saw before he passed out was her, lying on the ground, the two kunoichi she was fighting moving in for the kill. It was a good thing they were both immortal, because the sight of her in danger while he was helpless to do anything about it would have killed him otherwise. Not to mention the fact that when she got a hold of him later, he would probably take a cussing for this that would be fatal to most people.

          As soon as Sakura regained consciousness, she forced herself not to move or open her eyes. She felt fine except for a stinging sensation in her chest. She didn't hear anyone nearby, and the kunoichi's chakras were some distance away, so she cautiously cracked an eyelid. Looking down her body as best she could without moving her head, she discovered the hilt of a kunai sticking out of her heart. Her opponents must have wanted to be sure she was dead after her collapse. Further down, she noticed that her feet were free. The frog ANBU must have retrieved her ribbon after stabbing her. Voices reached her ears, so she slowly rolled her head in that direction and fully opened her eyes to see where everyone was. The lizard was still on her chakra dragon, hovering above her companions. The frog kunoichi and the hawk ANBU were standing around two bodies on the ground. One she could tell was Hidan, and the other must have been the ninja with the ram mask.
          They had their backs to her, so she slowly reached up and pulled the kunai from her chest. It hurt, but she bit down on her lip to keep silent, and as soon as the weapon was dislodged, the stinging eased as her body began healing itself. The arrow in her leg came next, which was shallower and hurt a whole lot less than the one that had injured her shoulder. Keeping an eye on the Cloud nins, she carefully produced a shadow clone to take her place on the ground and rolled towards the outcropping of rock she had seen earlier. If she suddenly got up and the other kunoichi turned their heads at the wrong moment, she would give away the only advantage she had right now. They obviously thought she was dead.

          "Were you victorious?" the unfamiliar voice asked.
          ...Of course he was, did he not see the body on the ground?
          "Hai, but Sora-sama, something wasn't right." a soft feminine voice replied.
          Hidan had to agree with her, something wasn't right. The pike in his chest was hurting more than normal, and his leg was stinging as if something had been driven through the skin. Realizing that he was still surrounded as he came to, he didn't move, instead feigning death as he listened to them talk.
          "Explain." the first voice commanded. That must be the hawk ANBU, he was the only male there other than Hidan.
          "We put a kunai through her heart to make sure she was dead, but that's not what killed her. After we managed to bind her, she just collapsed on the ground screaming. She stopped breathing a moment later." the kunoichi said.
          ...Sakura. That's right, she had been connected to him while he was performing his ritual. She had screamed as he was passing out. So if they had injured her while she was connected to him, he would feel it too. He was still lying within the circle, which meant that the unchecked pain he was feeling now was her injuries.
          "What happened to him?" a second, stronger female voice said.
          Hidan started to embrace the pain for her, but before he could, it began lessening on its own. The stinging in his chest had stopped first, followed shortly by the pain in his leg. She must be healing herself.
          "He did it to himself. But it doesn't make any sense. I don't know what kind of jutsu he used, but he managed to kill Ess when he stabbed himself. But why would he sacrifice himself so early in the fight? Surely he knew the fight would be lost if he left the girl outnumbered three to one." the hawk said.
          Hidan snorted to himself. Sakura could hold her own against hundreds of retards like these guys and survive.
          The softer voice answered. "I don't know, unless he's not really..."
          Well, rest time was over. Popping his eyes open, Hidan grinned up at the Cloud ninja staring down at him. "Boo!" he screamed.
          The ninja jumped back in shock, and Hidan pulled the pike from his chest before springing to his feet. Glancing over to where Sakura had been, he was surprised to see her still laying there, a kunai in her chest and an arrow sticking out of her leg. That wasn't right, he knew for a fact that her injuries had been healed already. Then a slight movement on the ridge above them caught his attention. A mere hint of pink and black, and he understood. She had used a clone to replace her body, and since they had the same chakra signature, the Cloud nins had no idea she was on the move. She was slowly making her way behind them. All he had to do was buy her a little time, and then she could ambush them from the back. Bending down, he retrieved the pike and his scythe. When he stood back up, he was still grinning, but his violet eyes were hard as stones.
          "So, which of you fucktards wants to meet Jashin-sama next?"

          The ANBU seemed deep in discussion about something, and hadn't moved yet. Sakura took one last glance to make sure they hadn't seen her before jumping to the outcropping and then to the top of the ravine. As soon as she landed, she flattened herself to the ground. She started crawling forward, along the edge, to get closer to the kunoichi on the dragon. If the woman stayed where she was, Sakura could jump from the edge of the ravine and land right on top of her. Only a few more yards of crawling and she would be there. Peering over the edge again, she saw that Hidan was on his feet, putting the Cloud ANBU on the defensive. That was good. If he could keep their attention off of her, it would make her chances of success that much greater.
          Suddenly, a far off explosion sounded and the ground beneath her started shaking. The vibrations grew more violent until rocks started dropping off the side of the ravine. Was it an earthquake? Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura's eyes widened. There was a huge wave of water heading right for them. Kisame had warned her during training that if he ever dispelled one of his bigger water jutsu in a hurry, it would level the terrain around him. That must have been what happened, and if she and Hidan didn't get out of there soon, there was no telling how far the oncoming wave would carry them, if they weren't crushed in the close confines of the narrow valley. There was a shout from below her as water started pouring into the near side of the ravine, the main wave only yards from entering. Sakura looked back down to see the frog and hawk ninja picking up the body of the ram ANBU and preparing to leave in a hurry. The lizard guided her dragon lower, apparently ready to take the body. Hidan was attacking the hawk, but the other shinobi was dodging him, apparently more concerned with getting the kunoichi away from the water than fighting. If she didn't act right now, she would miss her chance. And as Pein had told her before they left, failure wasn't an option. Climbing to her feet, Sakura ran the last of the distance, letting chakra build in her arms as she did so.
          Praying that she didn't miss and get flattened on the rocky floor below her, Sakura took a deep breath as she reached the edge and jumped. She hovered a moment in the air, her heart racing in exhilaration, then gravity kicked in and she began to fall, the bottom of her cloak flaring out behind her as the wind caught it. She pushed one last burst of chakra to her fists as she drew back her arm to aim. The kunoichi must have instinctively felt her approach, because she looked back over her shoulder just in time to see Sakura coming down on her. But it was far too late. The impact was nearly silent until they hit the ground. The loud thud of flesh meeting stone was underscored with the sound of breaking ribs. Sakura had caught her perfectly, just below her shoulders, knocking the wind out of her before the force of their landing dispelled the chakra dragon, leaving the lizard unconscious.
          Breathing hard from the exertion, Sakura climbed unsteadily to her feet. She glanced down long enough to make sure the kunoichi beneath her was still alive, then at the wall of water coming straight at them with a deafening roar. Estimating that she had only seconds left, Sakura made a dash for Hidan, who was several yards away. She had crossed over half the distance when an enraged scream made her pause and she was tackled from the side. The frog ANBU rolled with her, and pinning her down, raised her second senbon, aiming right for Sakura's face. Sakura ignored her, more concerned with the tidal wave about to hit them. Glancing frantically at Hidan, she saw that he had buried his scythe into the ground, and was running towards her, the cable connected to his weapon unwinding as he ran. But he would never make it in time. Knocking the frog off balance, Sakura rolled onto her stomach, took a deep breath and punched the ground as hard as she could. The earth collapsed beneath her just as the water slammed into her.
          Pain erupted in Sakura's back as she was pinned against the far side of the crater. The pressure of the water flowing over her tore at her skin and clothes, threatening to knock the air from her lungs. Large rocks and other debris carried away in the water washed over her, some bumping her hard enough to tear long gashes in her cloak and skin before they continued their journey. The current threatened to pull her up and away with them, but she clung to the solid ground behind and beneath her, pouring chakra to her arms in an effort to stay put. Her muscles began burning, and she prayed her strength held out longer than the water.
          Luckily, it didn't last long. The wave passed almost as quickly as it came, leaving the ravine a muddy, boulder-strewn mess after only a few minutes. As soon as the pressure on her lessened, Sakura fought to stand up. Breaching the surface of the water, she took a gasping breath as she rose. The water was already down to waist high, and receding quickly. Soaked, she wiped away the water streaming down her face and looked to see if Hidan had managed to make it through. The water was barely ankle deep by now, and Sakura frowned when she didn't see any movement. The spot where he had his scythe buried in the ground was empty. It must have come dislodged at some point, sweeping him further down the ravine. Turning that way, she climbed out of the shallow crater she had made and started walking.
          As she looked for Hidan, she healed the largest of the fresh cuts, which was on her upper arm. Her shoulder had mostly healed by now, nothing more than a patch of irritated skin. But even with her healing ability, she was in sorry shape. She had used a good deal of her chakra in the fight, which left her tired. Water dripped down her bare legs into her sandals, making a squelching noise as she walked. Her torn cloak was waterlogged, and her muddy pink hair was plastered to her head. Her skin stung where the water had blasted her. This was definitely not one of the outcomes she had predicted for this fight.
          Sakura spotted what didn't really look like a rock ahead of her. As she neared, she picked up a faint chakra signature. It was the frog kunoichi. She had the body of the lizard ANBU with her. Evidently, she had chosen to stay with her teammate rather than hang on to something. She had been swept along with the water until a large boulder caught them. She was apparently injured in the impact, because she didn't stand up to fight or try to hide. Approaching carefully, Sakura noticed that the lizard kunoichi wasn't breathing. A wave of sadness passed over her as she realized that she was dead. The frog pulled a kunai from underneath her vest and threw it at Sakura, who dodged it easily.
          "Stay back!" the frog yelled at her, pain obvious in her voice.
          Putting up her hands in a placating gesture, Sakura crouched down. She couldn't assess the damage from here, but she was fairly sure the kunoichi's back was broken. She would die here without some kind of help. "It's over, and you've lost. I know you're hurt. I'm a medic nin. Will you at least let me heal you enough to make it back to your village?" Sakura asked.
          The frog was silent for a long moment, clutching her blue ribbon to her vest. Then she shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was strong and assured. "Two of my teammates gave their lives in service to my village today. I refuse to dishonor them by accepting help from the enemy they fought against. I can do no less but join them."
          Sakura started to protest, but couldn't find anything to say. It was the best a shinobi could ask for, dying honorably for the village. If Sakura forced her to comply, which she could easily do, the kunoichi would probably be in disgrace for the rest of her life. Nodding, Sakura stood back up just in time to see the hawk ANBU limping towards them. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his sword was gone. Coming to a halt, he straightened before dropping to a defensive crouch. Sakura thought he was going to attack her, but then she realized that he wasn't even looking at her. He was focused on something behind her. Turning her head, she was relieved to see Hidan stalking towards them. Other than the fact that his cloak was practically shredded, he seemed fine. Walking over to her, he lifted his scythe to his shoulder and sighed.
          "I'm going to kill that glorified piece of sushi the next time I see him. He just had to go and fuck everything up. Jashin-sama's going to be pissed that his sacrifices were ruined, and he's going to blame me! Sakura, go see if he's been defeated yet, and tell him I said he sucks!"
          "But..." she started to protest. It just seemed wrong for her to leave things as they were.
          "Don't worry, I've got this. Go ahead."
          Sakura silently turned to leave, but was stopped by the sound of the frog's voice. "Sakura, wait!" she cried out. Pausing and looking at her, she expected the girl to change her mind about being healed, but instead, the other kunoichi had her hand extended, the blue ribbon dangling in her grasp. "If you ever were a decent ninja, please make sure the Raikage gets this. He'll know who it's from."
          Nodding, Sakura accepted it. Without a second glance, she took off; heading in the direction the water had come from. It was easy to follow; the path of destruction it had left behind was immense. It was a good thing too, because as she ran, hot tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision before making their way down her cheeks. Chakra flared wildly behind her right before a pained scream ripped through the air. Without looking back, she pushed herself faster, trying to outrun the truth searing a path across her heart. In a couple of days, four names would be added to whatever memorial Kumogakure had for their fallen ninja. Four names she would never know would be remembered in their home village as heroes who had chosen to die honorably in combat. She clutched the ribbon in her hand as jealousy tried to fill the emptiness inside. She had planned on going out like that. But hers was a choice that had been ripped from her by circumstance and fate. Now her name would never be added to those on the memorial in Konoha. She would spend the endless days of her life known as only one thing. A traitor.
          Suddenly, Tsunade's voice filled her head, her words from lessons past echoing in her head. "Most ninja die in battle, Sakura. It's a fact you knew when you joined the Academy. If you can't deal with that fact and move on, the door is that way." she had said after Sakura had tearfully delivered her report following her mission to assist in the completion of the Naruto bridge.
          After a particularly bad taijutsu training session, she had been sitting on the ground, punching the earth in frustration because she had failed to generate enough chakra to bust the boulder she had been working on. Tsunade had simply walked up to her, folded her arms over her chest and glared. "Sakura, knock it off! If you beat yourself up every time something goes wrong, your doubt will be the death of you. Mental strength is just as important as physical strength in battle. Now get up. Any apprentice I train learns to lose on their feet, not wallowing in the dirt like a pig." After that, Tsunade turned and left the training grounds. Sakura stood to follow her, and then froze as she glanced down at where she had been sitting. The ground that she had been punching was cracked, a small crater starting to form from the force of her blows. She had been so happy with that accomplishment that she forgot how mad she had been at herself moments earlier, running to the flower shop right away to brag to Ino about what she had done.
          Drawing strength from her shishou's words, Sakura dried her eyes, pushed her dark thoughts to the back of her mind and continued onward. Tucking the frog's ribbon into her weapons pouch, she concentrated on the path ahead of her. She had traveled about a mile while she had been out of it, and now she could hear the sounds of battle directly ahead. Chakra flared sporadically, and as she topped a rise, she could see Kisho and two of his stone lions engaged with a large, dark skinned man holding several swords. Kisame was standing off to the side, so Sakura made her way to him. When he sensed her approach, he turned and smirked at her. "Hey, Zombie Chick! I'm glad you're here, Cat Boy will probably need some help once he gets finished playing over there." Noticing the state of her clothes, he shook his head, suddenly serious. "You look like hell, girl."
          Giving the shark nin an irritated glare, Sakura wiped her wet bangs out of her face. "Kisame-san, you have no idea how much you fucking suck right now."

          Hidan spun his scythe as the hawk ANBU came closer. But his opponent just ignored him and limped over to the two kunoichi on the ground. After giving them a once over, he finally faced Hidan. "I don't know how you managed to survive; Ess was the strongest berserker in the village. The jutsu you used must be a powerful one. But we are not as weak as we seem. Now watch, I'm going to show you the strength of Kumogakure's shinobi!"
          Straightening up, the hawk rapidly began forming hand seals. Halfway through, the frog kunoichi picked up the chain, falling into perfect rhythm with him. As they finished, the air stirred, growing heavy and humid. The clouds that had been racing by slowed, gathering overhead until they blocked the sun. Dropping to one knee as chakra poured from him, the hawk raised his head and lifted his hands into the air. The frog mirrored his actions from her place on the ground, releasing a scream as her life force poured into the atmosphere.
          "Forbidden Jutsu- Raiton: Heaven's Wrath Descending!" they cried out in unison.
          Hidan's eyes widened as blue sparks jumped from the hands of both ninja into the charged air around them. A soft rumble sounded, like a miniature thunderclap. But the heavy air and the moisture on the ground set off a chain reaction, and soon a soft blue glow filled the entire ravine. Before he had time to dodge, or even blink, a blinding white light erupted in front of him, the force of the electrical discharge blowing him backwards. His entire body was scorched black, and before he could hit the ground, a deafening roar sounded. Knocked senseless, Hidan hit the ground and lay there, unable to move.
          He had no idea how much time had passed, but he was in no hurry. He wouldn't be able to do much until his body started healing anyway. There was no way the Cloud ninja survived the blast, not that they intended to in the first place. The first prickles of intense pain ran over his skin, a sign that his nerves were starting to heal. It felt almost as bad as when he was blown apart and dropped into that pit for five years. Ignoring that thought, Hidan concentrated on the pain. Sinking into the feeling, he let it wash over him as he waited to heal. His mind drifted to Sakura, and he wondered if she had made it to Kisame yet, or if he had lain there long enough for the battle to be over now. More time passed, and when he was sure he could move again, he slowly climbed to his feet and headed out of the ravine, in the direction she had taken. His clothes were nearly non-existent, but his scythe and pike had survived, so he gingerly picked them up and carried them in one hand. With the other, he dug his pendant out of his charred chest and said a prayer to Jashin as he walked, thanking him for a good battle and keeping him alive to serve him another day.
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Shades of Crimson