Escape [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 27: At His Mercy

I sighed. I ended up handing all of my weapons to Shiori and Sasuke did the same to Kakashi. We then sauntered into the middle of this large clear field that was free of trees and any annoying obstacles.

We walked side-by-side when Sasuke asked with his onyx orbs glancing at me, "So that's your trainer? And the old man who punched you?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Yeah."

The two of us finally stood on our own spots with a safe distance placed in between us; our bodies faced each other and our eyes locked without blinking. The air was briskly filled by pugnacious vibe, which was radiated from our bodies and I was quite sure that Shiori, Kenzo, and Kakashi could feel it too.

The look in the Uchiha's eyes told me that he was secretly planning something. I bet that he was thinking of what kind of taijutsu moves he would use on me. Now that I think about it, I should start my strategy too.

"Get ready," Shiori, who now stood in between us, announced. Kakashi and Kenzo were seen sitting on the same branch of a tree, observing us from above. Upon hearing Shiori's words, Sasuke shifted his body position into a posture that told me that he will make the first move by bolting at me. Good then. I just have to wait for him to come at me and I'll try to dodge every attack he launches. Once I see an opening, I'll go straight for it!

It was then Shiori declared, "You may begin."

Just as I thought, Sasuke dashed posthaste at me with self-confidence shimmering in his eyes. But that's not the only thing that has caught my attention. It was his new speed. I was flabbergasted to see his excessive speed. It's like he has dramatically escalated his velocity this whole time!

I was stunned for a moment, but then quickly regained my focus and leapt backward to steer clear of Sasuke. However, it took him three seconds to have me in his arms' lengths. I was panicking when he reached me that quick, but I knew better than to let my opponent know that. That's right! I can dodge his attacks if I'm careful enough!

The ravenette began to launch his fists at me and I had to admit that I was struggling to elude every of them due to his tremendous speed. One thing that I realized while avoiding his hits was that Sasuke's current speed was still below Rock Lee's normal speed (when he still wears the weights on his ankles).

I also figured out the reason why his speed had grown incredibly faster than before. I told him that Rock Lee managed to land blows at Gaara by using his 'as-fast-as-lightning' speed and outran his sand. Kakashi had definitely told him that too and taught him on how to increase his velocity. He knew that that was one of the ways to successfully hit Gaara. This is why he's faster than usual!

Suddenly, I saw an opening where I can strike a hit on his abdomen. Without further ado, I swiftly charged my right fist in that area. However, I was too late... or in this case, Sasuke was too fast. Before I could slam my fist on his body, a large fist briskly blocked my view and headed straight for my stomach. The next thing I knew, a great pain began to surge throughout my body, starting from my stomach where he punched me.

Due to the strong impact, I was pushed backward with my feet glued to the ground, scraping it roughly which caused dusty smoke to appear. This time, the Uchiha did not go after me; instead, he stayed in his spot, smirking triumphantly and cockily at me.

I gritted my teeth in anger. My right hand had already placed on top of my stomach, softly pressing against the area he hit me. I grimaced when I felt another wave of pain. I was a little glad that Sasuke went easy on me. Yes, I noticed that. With a high speed like that, he could've swung his arm with huge force and threw a harder blow than this, but he held back. In spite of that, I was still upset that he was successful on hitting me.