Red Butterfly

Chapter 106, Risk It

"That's way too risky", Shisui remarked, "It took us desperate efforts to get our hands on the tails we obtain now, we can't risk it at all, not in this state".

"Shisui, his feral behaviour is further advancing, we've provoked him already by holding his tails captive. He'll only step up his game while we waste our chakra senselessly, waiting for Tenzo!", Itachi reasoned, feeling slighted as Naruto squirms the tail in his grasp.

"That plan could go both ways!", Shisui retorted back.

"So does this plan!", Itachi shouted breathlessly.

"Cut it out both of you!", I bawled at the two of them when the stress and anxiety of the whole situation finally erupted, "this is not the time to bicker, everything is on the line! Remember, we are near the borders that separates these two countries!".

They halted their bickering for a split second, only for Naruto to break that split second of ice, by roaring out at the top of his lungs again.

"Oh no..."

"ITACHI!", Shisui screamed out loud as I felt my breath hitch in my throat. My eyes got wide as they could get and I completely forgot what I was doing when my heart sank all of a sudden.

Naruto had conjured a quick burst of chakra into his remaining free tail, which he utilized to rapidly send a magnitudal blow that dismantled Itachi's Susano'o completely.

I'd watched in pure terror as I witnessed him being delivered away. The magnitude and the rapidness of the blow had taken him by complete surprise to the point where it rendered his Susano'o to come undone.

"No!", Shisui yelled, when that same tail went back to finish what it'd started.

To me, there was absolutely no contemplating when it came down to Itachi.

I'd willingly risk it.

And so with a pounding heart and a senseless voice of reason, I dismantled the yellow flames of the humanoid that engulfed me and bolted all the while skipping heartbeats.

I kept my breath hitched as I felt the stinking tears build up. The tail I'd previously held captive slammed into the ground, resulting in a large thud. And while I felt a chill scatter throughout me from the impact, I refused to falter.

Itachi's tumbling body was only a few sprints away. Everything had flew past me including my flailing hair as well as the sparkl

ing teardrops. This was a race between the tail and I. This time, I have to make it in time.

I can't let this happen, he's already exhausted from all that's happened up until now. It'd only make sense if the Susano'o was taking a large toll on his chakra.

In a single sprint, I'd managed to outrun the tail successfully and leap right towards Itachi. My arms had moved instinctively as I clasped them around him protectively in fear.

But that's when it all went wrong.

Through my train wreck of thought, I'd tried desperately to push Itachi's built body forward with me. He'd simply ended up weighing me back the more I pushed us forward desperately. By then, the tail had caught up just as I mustered up a strong sprint with all my might.

Nevertheless, I hugged him tight and grinded my teeth together. Tears flooded out the outer corners of my eyes as I brace myself for impact.

My lips had parted ajar to let out a scream that never eluded, even when it had the chance to.

"Hanabi!", Shisui screamed terrifically, as I felt Itachi's heart skipping beat after beat when I rested my ear against his built chest.

"Hanabi-", he gasped out my name in a hushed whisper that only I'd hear.

The tail had managed to whip my back, where the impact landed beyond my shoulder blades. My clutch on Itachi tightened when I felt the Nine-Tails's chakra graze my skin mercilessly.

I'd let out a small whimper, which grazed at Itachi's heart. Silent tears eluded my eyes as I breathed out erratically from the grazing wound that rendered my shoulders to tremble.

"I'm fine...", I unsteadily whispered as I felt my knees unbuckle beneath me. Itachi was rapid to grip either side of my waist to keep me steady.

Don't falter...

"Itachi", I whispered out despite the grazing pain, "I'll be fine", I forced my tone to come out stern and lucid.

The blow of this particular attack wasn't something normal, it was completely out of the ordinary. I sense that even with special medical skills it'd consume more time to heal.

I can't let him go in shambles because of this, I'll have to appear strong for Itachi and Naruto's sake.

"Goodness", he croaked out in a brittle voice.

Unwillingly, I forced my shoulders to stop trembling and regained control over the rhythm of my breathing, by simply clenching my jaw and letting my flaring nostrils do the job instead.

"We can do this Itachi, don't lose grip...", I assured, "remember, there's still so much for us, so many times we thought our story was over, and it won't end here, I promise you".

"Then don't scare me like that ever again", he sternly said, tightened his grip as he breathed out heavily.

The cold wind deliberately numbed the grazing pain that I so desperately concealed. Shisui had appeared in mere moments before all four of Naruto's tails were going to strike us down.

The three of us took shelter under the Susano'o, but I was unsure if Itachi and could muster up the humanoid once again.

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A/N:- Oh my, you guys...its happening...the end is freaking near. GOODNESS. I can't believe that the first story I've ever come close to finishing was a fan-fiction. Expect the book to finish in the next couple of days...

~A