Book 1: The Scarlet Thread (Kakashi Love Story)

Chapter 40

"Great! Then how are we supposed to find them?" Naruto complains.

"Kiba?" I say pointedly.

He nods and sets Akamaru on the ground. The white puppy begins to sniff around before finally picking up a scent. He barks and takes off. The rest of us follow him.

We follow him to an alley and pause.

"There's no one here," I state. I stiffen and jump back just in time to avoid a kunai being thrown at me.

"Above us!" Kakashi calls.

Four men leap down and start engaging us in battle. Kakashi and I end up facing their armoured leader while the other Leaf ninja take on the other three members.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Blade," Says a dark haired man, forming wind around his kunai and swinging it.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," Says Sasuke before blowing out a huge ball of flames.

It seems to go around him.

Naruto tries to punch at him but the older man dodges.

Asuma takes out his chakra blades and swings them. He appears to miss but manages to graze the man's shoulder.

Naruto takes that chance to land a kick.

A shadow stretches out and goes to attach to him, but goes around the man, confusing Shikamaru.

"Human Boulder!" Choji exclaims as he turns into a giant rolling ball and aims for the ravenette.

The man evades his attack, before swinging his wind covered kunai.

"Beetle Sphere," Says Shino as he sends out his insects to a black haired man.

Fire expels from his body, burning most of the insects.

"Fire Style: Fire Festival Jutsu," The man says.

"Fire Style: Fire Punch Jutsu," Says Hiro before punching at him with flames. The man dodges before launching flames from his fingers at my student. Hiro grins and eats them right up.

"Fire Style Secret Technique: Dragon Flame Trumpet." Hiro blows out flames in the form of a dragon.

The man goes to dodge but Amaya does hand signs.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullet Jutsu." The silverette launches se several bullets of water.

One hits the man in the back of the shoulder, causing him to hiss.

"Ice Release Shaping: Freeze Lancer!" Kai thrusts his arms forward and several lances of ice shoot at the rogue ninja from all directions. Flames burst from his body and burn the lances in midair.

Hinata has her Byakugan activated and Kiba and Akamaru launch at him with Fang Over Fang. The blonde dodges. The third member looks surprised before he finds himself trapped in a tree.

Kurenai appears above him with a kunai in hand.

However, he gets out of the Genjutsu and launches several shuriken at my comrades. That's the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique.

Kurenai and the others deflect the shuriken.

Kakashi and I face their leader silently for a long moment, neither of us making a move.

I unsheathe Shoten and swing it, sending out a couple of slashes. Mikoto dodges with ease before Kakashi pulls up his headband and slashes a kunai at him.

Mikoto dodges that, too.

"You possess the Shoten. You must be The Scarlet Thread," Says Mikoto.

"You're the one who killed my parents!" I snap.

"You're their child? I had no idea they had one," He says.

I swiftly change Shoten to my Lightning Empress spear and spin it in my hand. I thrust it at Mikoto but he dodges. He shoots a blast of lightning at me but I dodge that one.

I smirk when I see Kakashi's hands reach out of the ground underneath him, but Mikoto was swift to evade it.

Mikoto shoots out a blade of wind and just as I go to dodge it, it cuts the back of my right arm.

I cry out and drop to my knee, before the sound of lightning reaches my ears. I look up to see Kakashi running at Mikoto with Chidori in hand.

Mikoto evades it and gets a safe distance.

I hear Hiro dodging a few of his opponents' attacks, before he slams a powerful flaming kick against the man's stomach, instantly knocking him out.

"Hmph. We're retreating," Mikoto calls. He looks back at me. "We'll meet again, Scarlet Thread. Next time, you'll perish at my hands."

"Cloud Release: Cloud Bomb!" A pink cloud shoots for Mikoto but he Body Flickers away.

"Damn! They got away," Kasumi hisses as two other members vanish, except for the guy my team was fighting.

"Not all of them," I say as I get t my feet.

Kakashi says in concern, "Your arm...!"

I tell him, "I'm okay. I'll deal with it later." I turn to the dark haired man my students were fighting, to see he's barely staying conscious and is sitting against a wall. I notice there's a lot of damage from my students'—mostly Kai and Hiro—fighting.

Hiro was confused until he starts freaking out when I, furious, with my sword gripped in hand, run at him, visible eye glowing vibrant red. "I don't know what I did wrong, but I'm sorry!!" Hiro squeals, as everyone else sweat drops. I ram the point of my sword into the burnt wall right beside the dark haired man's head, making him cry out as his face pales considerably.

"You will tell me everything you know about Yugure, and what your leader plans to do, and you will do so without complaint!" I threaten. The man trembles in fear.

Hiro continues to freak out as he says, "Ooohhh, just do it, man!"

I am still holding my sword at the rogue ninja as I threaten him, "Understood?"

"Fine, I'll do it!" He squeaks, face still pale.

The Genin were gaping at me while the Jounin and Chunin sweat drop.

Suddenly, the rogue ninja faints.

Kakashi muses with a glance at his burnt stomach, "That doesn't look good."

I beg him, kneeling beside the man, dropping my sword, "Please! Just stay with us!"

"He's unconscious. It's just no use," Asuma tells me.

Getting overly frustrated, I grab the front of the man's jacket and start whacking him up and down, demanding with my eyes as angry white triangles, "We can't let him die! He's our only way to know about the motives of Yugure!!"

The others sweat drop as they watch.

Kakashi says pointedly, "But, there's no way he can talk in this condition."

"If I force him to, he will!!" I proclaim, continuing to whack the rogue ninja up and down.