Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [1]

☾ 56 ☽

"He's the only one here," Shikamaru said. "Seems like the others went ahead," Tsukiko looked at Neji, who activated his Byakugan.

"Yeah," Neji replied as he looked all over the place around them. "They're not around here anymore," Tsukiko grimaced.

"Just when we thought we had caught up to Sasuke..." Tsukiko muttered in annoyance. "That idiot..."

"Everybody, you did well..." the Sound Ninja said, suddenly clapping his hands at them. "For some losers..."

"What?" Naruto said and Kiba added, "Who are you calling losers?!" Both of them went running stupidly at the Sound Ninja.

"Once we're out, it's our battle to win!" Kiba said.

"I will do it!" Naruto responded.

"Wait, you two!" Neji shouted, stopping the two idiots in their path. "It's dangerous to fight him head on right now!"

"We tore through the barrier!" Kiba said. "We can do this!" He went running at the Sound Ninja. "Passing Fang!" But the Sound Ninja easily punched him away.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu...!" Naruto shouted as he went running next. But even he and his clones were defeated easily by the male.

"You guys are my meal!" the Sound Ninja said. Tsukiko grimaced at the thought. "Shoulder Charge!" He slammed his shoulder into Kiba. "Knee Lift!" He kneed Naruto in the stomach. "Not even good enough for an appetiser!"

"Be careful, everyone!" Shikamaru shouted as the Sound Ninja put his hands into a seal. "Another tricky one is coming!" Tsukiko knew what was coming when she saw the hand seal. It was the same from before.

"When will Otogakure Ninjas learn that the same Jutsu won't work twice on us, Usa?" Tsukiko muttered angrily as she went through her hand seals. "Crystal Style: Jade Crystal Ice Rink!" The ground beneath them turned into clear crystal.

"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness!" the Sound Ninja shouted, slamming his hands onto the ground. It cracked all the way to them but couldn't get through the crystal that had formed by Tsukiko beneath them.

"Expansion Jutsu," Choji said, his body expanding again. "Human Boulder!" But rather than attack the Sound Ninja, they all rushed off from there and into the thicket of the forest where they laid low.

"There's no time," Shikamaru said immediately. "We're going to have to split into groups here!"

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Why, dattebayo?" Naruto asked.

"I see," Neji said as he used his Byakugan. "Even at six against one, with our Chakras taken away, he's not someone we can easily defeat... If we take out time, Sasuke will pass the borders. If that happens, we won't be able to handle this on our own. So, we split up... One team to stop him and one to go after Sasuke, right?"

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "And the sub-leader is going to be Tsukiko, since she's the only Chunin around other than myself," Tsukiko felt a little strange but nodded in agreement. "And in case of further distribution, Neji would be the next leader,"

"Watch out!" Tsukiko said when the Sound Ninja sensed their location and broke down the tree toward them, gaining visual excess of them.

Both Tsukiko and Naruto, who were in the way of the tree, jumped away. The blond landed next to Choji and Kiba and Akamaru, while the white-haired girl jumped over to Shikamaru and Neji. All of them had their eyes trained upon the Sound Ninja.

"Neji, take Kiba and Choji, and go after Sasuke!" Shikamaru ordered immediately. Neji nodded at the Chunin male. "This guy... Tsukiko, Naruto and I will handle!" Shikamaru held his hands into the Shadow Jutsu seal.