Scroll 3: The Third Uchiha [Naruto]

Chapter 5: The Uchiha Prodigy [Shippuden]

"He's not dead" I replied ignoring his question and as if on a queue an explosion echoed outside of the shield. He released a sigh.

"Why won't he die?" He muttered and I couldn't help but laugh softly.

"Just like Kimimaro, but we defeated him too." I reminded him with a smirk. I knew he was drained or at least heading there. I glanced up at Gaara as he closed one eye and seemed to focus still keeping an arm circled around me. I noticed the shield open slightly and took this chance to glance out into the night air for glimpse of what he saw.

"Sand coffin" I heard him mutter and knew he got him, or rather some of him.

"You can't keep it up like this" I said finally.

"Deidara's smart, the longer you fight him the more he can discover about you and your jutsu. You need to finish him off." I explained as Deidara pulled from his sand. I noticed it then, the bomb forming in his hand; the one bomb I recognized from our first mission together.

"He's using that" I breathed in disbelief.

"What?" Gaara asked. I knew he couldn't see what I saw, and that he didn't know what I knew.

"It'll flatten the entire village" I continued still not able to comprehend the point behind it. It had been a mission to one of the surrounding towns in Iwagakure, just a simple assassination. I had needed Deidara only because I didn't know the area that well. It had been a stupid mistake, which led to a bigger mistake, which led to the destruction of the entire town.  

"Rin, what is it?" I heard Gaara demand and finally I turned meeting his gaze.

"You need to let me out, now."

"You'll be out of the reach of my sand; he's after you now too now Rin. If I..." I raised a hand to his cheek and his stopped mid-sentence as he looked down at me.

"Gaara, I came here to protect you and right now I'm really failing but you're the Kazekage and you need to protect your village not me" He put his hand over mine and gently moved it from his cheek.

"I will always protect you Rin." He replied but I stopped him as he tried to lean forward and smirked.

"After we win, now let me down." He sighed releasing my hand.

"I'll hold you to that, but this is a bad plan."

"Gaara we don't have time for this, just give me something to land on. I can do this!" I could see his reluctance, almost as if he was arguing with himself but as he glanced out the hole in his shield he saw Deidara throw the bomb into the air and knew we only had seconds to decide.

"Be careful" He finally said widening the hole in his shield. I leaned over to quickly kiss his cheek and gave him a smile.

"I will be" I assured him before jumping into the night air as the bomb began to expand. I shot towards the village far enough ahead of the bomb and flipped over as sand began to shoot into the sky. I glanced back to Manda who watched with focused yellow eyes.

"...I need all the chakra I can get, sorry but you have to go..." I heard him curse, and then call me useless before finally he disappeared in a puff of smoke. I flinched slightly when I landed on the sand hovering above the village and looked up as the bomb got closer. This might be stupid; actually it was stupid and reckless like most of my plans but this bomb would destroy the village and I owed even this much to Gaara, so with that in mind I began the hand signs and felt the familiar chill up my spine.

"Dark style, dark chain jutsu!" I shouted hitting my palm against the sand and black chains appeared from the dark chakra that swirled around my arms and wrapped around the bomb. I started a second set of hand signs and released a steady breath. I've only used it on myself never another object but this was as good a time as any to try.

"Ninja art, dark style; shadow transportation jutsu" I felt it then the pull of the shadows. I was lucky it was night, it made this ten times easier but even then I could already feel it taking its toll. I kept my hands pressed together as I focused on the explosive as it began to erupt into a fiery mass and everything seemed to stop, just freeze as the shadows completed a full sphere then in a flash it was gone. The sphere, the explosive sent to the middle of the ocean. I dropped to my knees the moment everything seemed to start up again and released a harsh cough. I tried to take in a breath, do anything but I could feel my heart hammering against my chest.

"Hey Princess!" I managed to look up at Deidara who put his hands together in a single hand sign and then I noticed it; an explosive that flew too close to Gaara.

"G-Gaara!" I shouted starting hand signs and shot my hand down but nothing happened, nothing came; no chakra, not even dark chakra.

"No, no, no c'mon Chidori!" I pleaded trying again as an explosion went off.  

"Chidori!" I tried again but nothing. I heard a second series of explosions only these ones sent my head spinning and all I could see was Gaara collapsing within his shield. I looked up through blurry eyes and felt clumsy as I tried to put my hands together in any hand sign they would form.

"C'mon, please, please work" I begged but nothing, nothing would come. I couldn't do anything. I doubled over onto my hands and knees as coughs began to wrack my body. I took in short breaths as I dropped to my side and felt the sand wrap around me. I wanted to do something, anything but as my mind began to swirl and the sand cut off the outside world I knew I couldn't do anything and even now Gaara was saving my life when I should have been saving his.

Kankuro

"Gaara!" I shouted but knew it was useless. The ninja had already caught him; he had used all he had to defend the village.

"Kankuro, look there!" I turned in the direction Baki pointed as a small cloud of sand floated towards us and landed on the balcony. I stared in amazement as the sand seemed to separate revealing a familiar body and in front of her the sand formed two words; protect her.

"Rin" I breathed and ran forward dropping to my knees helping as she attempted to sit up. She was the one; she had to have been the one up there fighting at his side. She was the only person Gaara would allow to fight so close to his side; the first person he ever cared for and the first person who ever cared for him.

"G-Gaara, Gaara Wh-where is he. I-I need to save him" She said trying to push me aside. I don't know where the power came from, what was driving her to be able to stand but even then her legs shook as she tried to step forward and I managed to catch her when she doubled over into a violent cough.

"Easy Rin, you're low on chakra. I'll go after him" She shook her head pushing me aside again and I noticed it then, the blood on her hands.

"Rin you can't" I insisted.

"I have too!" She shouted suddenly turning to face me.

"I...I...." She seemed confused suddenly as her sentence trailed off and I managed to catch her as she began to sway.

"Rin what's wrong?" I asked urgently but she couldn't respond as her eyes fell closed and her body went limp in my arms. I felt the panic rise in me as I turned to Baki.

"She needs medical attention now!" I shouted and two of other ninja ran forward taking her from my arms. I rose to my feet and looked at Baki.

"Gaara's last order, make sure she is kept protected." He nodded.

"Where are you going?"

"After them. I'll get Gaara back myself" I ignored his protest as I took off over the buildings and after the ninja. This had to have been his plan all along; he was after Gaara from the start. Rin only slowed him down, and that jutsu that stopped the bomb; it had to have been hers. She risked her life for the sand, and for Gaara; so they better keep her protected and leave Gaara to me.