The Frailty of Genius (A Naruto Fan Fiction)

Chapter Sixteen- Power Beyond Compare

I studied the man closely. He was the woman who had held a senbon to my throat before the exam began. He was the woman... I shake my head. The disguise had been good. Scarily good. But this was definitely a man, and he was strong.

But I was ready to fight.

***

A gift? I narrow my eyes, curiosity gleaming in them. What kind of gift was he planning to give Sasuke?

I shoot several more senbon at the man, buying a little more time. Sasuke cowered behind me, terrified by the close call. He had nearly been bitten; I'd only just arrived in time.

The man shot snakes at me and I jumped back, wielding my katana quickly. The snakes ended up dead on the forest floor.

"Is this your first time using a katana? Clumsy. Very clumsy," the man mocked.

I pouted slightly. "Well, the best place to learn is in the middle of a fight, ne?" I launch myself towards him, katana at the ready. We exchange blows, then he managed to knock the sword from my hand. I put some distance between us, launching a couple of kunai at him. Only one sliced his arm.

"What are you trying to do to the Uchiha?" I ask curiously.

The man gave a hissing, raspy laugh. "I just want to impart him with a little gift...Which will give him power beyond compare...if he survives."

We go into another bout of tai jutsu, and I do the signs for a substitution just as he lands a hit. I reappear behind him, launching several senbon, which find their mark.

I smirk.

The man hisses and pulls at his eyelid, but I almost immediately release the genjutsu.

"Ku Ku Ku..." The man laughs creepily, "I might actually have to try with you, little bug."

I narrow my eyes. "You don't even care about the scrolls, only the Uchiha. All you want to do is give him that "gift" of yours."

"Correct," he concedes.

"This gift... What sort of power does it give you?"

"Mm, power beyond compare. That is, if you survive," he answers easily. I scowl. He was talking in circles, giving me no real answer.

I clench a kunai, mind whirling. This man wanted Sasuke, and only cared for him. He would kill me of I proved to be too much of a nuisance.

Besides... I was curious about this power.

"Your name?" I request, intelligence sparking in my eyes.

The man smirks, interest and curiosity clear in his face. "Orochimaru, little bug. And yours?"

"Cashile Kuroki."

"I'll remember it," Orochimaru promises, then launches a barrage of kunai at me.

I needed to make this look believable, at least to my genin team. I cross my arms, blocking the kunai from hitting any vital areas. Taking a step back, I "slip" off the branch and plummet through the air.

The last thing I see is Orochimaru's face, slightly shocked and extremely curious as he realizes I've let him past.

Then I hit the ground with a bone crunching impact.

***

I woke up feeling fire in my bloodstream. Phlegm clogged my throat and I struggled to turn over and cough it up. My hand rested shakily against the ground before collapsing beneath me.

I let out a groan of pain, pushing off leaves and ferns that had been hurriedly lain over me. I'd obviously landed wrong, seeing as my arm was in an awkward position. An unnaturally awkward position.