"The only one to eliminate him...is me!" he yelled.
My eyes widened and I looked over at him. Flashbacks of when we first met appeared in my head. "I will restore my clan and defeat a certain someone." Is this the person he wanted to defeat? I watched as Itachi turned around to face Sasuke's slouching, tired figure uninterestingly.
"Go away. You don't interest me at the moment," Itachi replied monotonously, which angered Sasuke. He cracked his knuckles and his hands formed into fists.
"Well, get interested!" he yelled and charged at him, but Itachi retaliated by kicking Sasuke, his back landing harshly against a wall. My eyes widened.
"Sasuke, no!" Naruto yelled and I looked back at him, his face painted with a worried expression. I looked back at Sasuke, my eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"Sasuke, are you okay?" I asked and he slouched down on the wall. This angered me, because Itachi caused this. My hands became fists and my hair unleashed wildly. Naruto seemed to have the same feelings as we both started charging at the same time, while he screamed;
"You lousy bastard!"
This made Sasuke lift his head, one eye closed. "Naruto, Hotaru, no! Don't butt in! Mind your own business!" he yelled, which made us both stop. I looked down, a confused expression on my face.
"But...you're hurt," I tried reasoning, but he ignored me. He used an arm to hoist himself up and support his weak figure.
"I told you before...I've lived my whole life for this day...this moment...this fight is mine!" he screamed, his Sharingan activated. I looked down, my confused expression was now mixed with disappointment and sadness. My fists unclenched and my hair was lowered again. I stepped back a few steps so I stood beside Jiraiya.
Sasuke started yelling a battle cry and charged once again at his brother. He went to punch him in the face, but Itachi blocked him with his arm and used his knee to jab into his face. Sasuke was flung back towards the wall from earlier and coughed up blood. My eyes widened and I yelled out to him.
"Sasuke!" I cried out, and Naruto whispered the same call. I turned to see his expression overwhelmed in fear. I looked back at Sasuke when I heard him grunt.
"Not...finished..." he breathed out, and my eyes widened. He shakily tried lifting his bruised hand, but was too weak to do it. "This fight is mine," he repeated and anger swirled inside me. Why did he keep insisting to fight him when he was clearly no match for him? Why is he risking himself like an idiot!
"So be it," Itachi told him, which made Jiraiya, Naruto, and my eyes widen. Jiraiya wanted to run over to him, but shark man held up his sword in his face.
"You heard him, old man. This fight is none of our business. Let's let the two of them sort it out," he sneered evilly. Tears filled my eyes and shook my head rapidly.
"He's going to die!" I yelled out and went to go run over to him, but blue man swung his sword at my stomach, sending me flying towards a wall and absorbing some of my chakra. I coughed up some blood, but was able to remain conscious. I looked over at Itachi who slowly started walking towards Sasuke. He abruptly stood up, his fist aimed at his face, but Itachi immediately kneed him in the stomach, elbowed him in the neck, and kneed him again in the chest before punching him against the wall in the stomach. He coughed up a large amount of blood and was probably in a lot of pain. This made my eyes water and motivate me to slowly stand up.
This action, however, was stopped when I felt someone scoop me up in their arms. I slowly moved my head to see blue hair.
"Don't try to move. Your chakra is almost fully depleted and keeping your Hoshigan activated isn't going to help either. Neither is the fact that your stomach is cut up and bleeding," Michi said, making my eyebrows furrow. I looked down at my stomach to see it chopped up and bleeding a lot, probably since my stomach is exposed in my outfit and I got a direct hit there.
This made my eyes widen and the pain I didn't feel before went through my veins. I bit down my lip to stop myself from screaming and I bit it so hard it bled, but it didn't stop the pain. I screamed and wailed. I held my stomach and tried to heal it, but nothing was coming out of my hands. This made my look at them and noticed they were shaking. I coughed up more blood at the pain and Michi wrapped some of her hair around my stomach. This made me furrow my eyebrows.
"W-what are you doing?" I whispered and she only shushed me. The ends of her hair became soaked with my blood and she made a single hand sign. With that, the hair wrapped around my torso broke off and was absorbed by my body. After the glowing stopped, my wound was completely healed and I even regained some chakra. I looked up at her and her now shoulder length hair.
"What did you do?" I asked, my voice shaky, but I was interrupted by Sasuke's screaming. He screamed over and over again. I clenched my fists and went to run to him, but Michi held me back.
"Let me go! Let me help him! He's in pain, he might die!" I screamed, kicking my legs back and forth like a child.
"How heartwarming. Using Tsukuyomi on his own brother," blue man remarked.
"That's it, I'm not standing around anymore!" Naruto yelled, ran past blue man and towards Itachi. Blue man chased after him, but Jiraiya quickly made hand signs. All of a sudden, the walls and floors became covered with this squishy, red material. This made everyone stay still for a while.
"What the- what's going on?" Naruto asked, and I felt equally as confused.
"What the hell is this?" I asked, reaching down to poke the squishy thing.
"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap," Jiraiya said, which made me quickly remove my finger. I looked over to see Sasuke being sucked into the squishy thing and so was blue guy's foot.
"You have just been swallowed by the Mountain Toad. Welcome, my friends, to the belly of the beast. He has a very sensitive digestive tract. Be careful not to upset him. Not the most glorious way to die, is it? It must be humble to know you've been reduced to toad bait," he chuckled and my face became full of disgust. A toad's stomach? That's pretty disgusting, but at least it's useful in combat.
"Woah, I'm not liking this at all," Naruto remarked, looking around the stomach.
"Naruto, stay still. Just remain calm, trust in my Jutsu," Jiraiya told him and he nodded.
"Kisame, let's go," Itachi said and blue man started pulling his feet out of the grip of the stomach.
"Easier said than done," he grumbled while pulling his sword out of the ground. He finally pulled it out and started running with his companion.
"It's no use! There hasn't been a ninja born who can survive this powerful stomach!" Jiraiya yelled, but they kept running. He put his hands back on the ground to make the stomach enclose them, but at one point he gasped, stood up and ran in the direction they went. This confused me because there was supposedly no way to survive the stomach. Michi let me down and we both followed Jiraiya. We saw a hole in the stomach created by black flames.
This made my eyes widen. They...broke it. I thought this was impossible, but they did it. They got through a Sannin's Jutsu. They are seriously powerful...
While they dealt with the fire, I ran over to where Sasuke was. He was spat out by the stomach and I caught him. I laid him down and sat in front of him. My hand gently stroked his cheek. Tears of anger filled my eyes and I held his healed hand tightly.
He was staring blankly into space, so he was definitely trapped in a genjutsu and his physical state was horrible. He had a broken arm along with the several injuries along his body. As the others walked towards us, I picked up Sasuke's unconscious body.
"I'm taking him back to the village and I'm going to stay there," I announced and Michi raised an eyebrow.
"What about our training?" she asked and I looked down.
"My friend's safety and health is much more important than training. When I get back, I'll train by myself. It won't be the same, but I would rather know he's okay than train here," I explained and she nodded.
"Fair enough," she replied with a small smile. Naruto walked up to me and grinned.
"Make sure he gets back safely, and don't get jealous when Sakura and Ino visit him all the time," he teased, and I blushed. I pouted and turned to the side.
"Jealous? I don't know what you're talking about. I don't care who visits him," I retaliated and he giggled.
"You don't care as long as you get to spend the most time with him," he continued and I shook my head.
"Not true!" I denied, but gave him a small smile. "Naruto, make sure you're safe too. I wouldn't want to hear that something bad happened."
He nodded and gave me a thumbs up. "I'll be okay, believe it! Sasuke's the one I'm worried about though," he did, his voice trailing off. I gently put Sasuke down and placed my hand on his shoulder reassuringly.
"He'll be fine. I'll try to heal him along the way too, and the trip won't take long," I reassured and then but my thumb, causing it to bleed. I weaved hand signs and placed my hand on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" I yelled and Momo appeared. I let her on the head with a small smile.
"Milady Hotaru, what do you need?" she asked and I pointed over to Sasuke.
"My friend is injured and I need to take him back to the village. Do you have enough chakra to take us both back at the same time?" I asked her and she nodded.
"Of course," she replied and closed her eyes. The star on her forehead glowed and she grew big enough for Sasuke and I to both sit on her. I picked up Sasuke once again and laid him down in front of me. I gave Michi, Jiraiya and Naruto a sad smile.
"Good luck finding Tsunade. I don't know why you need her, but I have a reason for you. She's probably the only medical ninja who can save Sasuke, so I'm counting on you all to find her. Stay safe, don't be reckless, and I'll be waiting for you at home!" I said my goodbyes and they all returned it with smiles and waves.
With that, Momo took off with Sasuke and I on her back. Since Sasuke was unconscious, I had to hold him in place while I healed him. The only thing I would really do was heal his broken arm, but it was going to take a while since I didn't have that much chakra. We arrived back at the village and in a hospital in under an hour. I thanked Momo before letting her go back to her summoning world. I lifted up Sasuke in my arms and ran into the hospital.
"I need a room for Sasuke Uchiha immediately! He's stuck in a genjutsu that I can't get him out of!" I yelled frantically and a nurse immediately came to attend him. They brought in a stretcher and placed him on it. As they rolled him away, I went to follow, but a nurse stopped me.
"Ma'am, I'm afraid you can't continue any further. You have to go home and may return tomorrow," she told me. I clenched my fists in anger, but sighed and nodded.
"Fine," I mumbled and walked in the direction of my home. As I walked, I ran into Sakura. I greeted her with a small smile.
"Hey, Sakura," I greeted and her eyes widened.
"Hotaru? Where have you been? I haven't seen you or Naruto since a few days. And Sasuke went to look for you two. Is he back?" she asked all at once. I sighed and looked down.
"Naruto and I went to look for someone with Master Jiraiya and Michi, but Sasuje suddenly appeared while we were fighting some pretty tough guys. One of them was Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's brother, and he put him in this genjutsu thing. I brought him back to the village and Naruto stayed with the two Sannin," I explained to her and her eyes widened even more.
"Is he alright?" she asked, referring to Sasuke. I looked down again.
"I'm...not sure. His arm was broken, but I healed it on the way here. He's in an unconscious state though and has been unresponsive," I told her and her eyes filled with tears.
"I have to go see him right away!" she sobbed but I grabbed her wrist.
"You can't. One of the nurses told me that we can only visit him tomorrow," I said and she nodded, wiping tears from her face.
"O-okay. I'll visit him tomorrow then," she sniffled and I gave her a sad smile.
"I know it hurts a lot and you're really worried. So am I, but the most we can do for him is believe that he'll get better," I tried soothing and she nodded again, hugging me tightly. I was startled by her sudden action, but hugged her back slightly. After a while, she pulled away and slightly smiled.
"Thank you, Hotaru, for bringing him back home. See you around," she said and left to wherever it was she was going. I walked back towards my house, my hands stuffed in my pockets. As I approached my home, I passed my the Uchiha residence. I stared at it for a while before walking back toward the Hamasaki compound.
I greeted the few people who were walking in the streets and finally reached my home. I unlocked the door and felt the loneliness sink in when I walked in. Michi was still with Naruto and Jiraiya, and I wouldn't know how long they'd be there for. I decided to take a long hot shower, which I desperately needed to relieve my stress. Once I finished, I went to sleep.
-time skip to two weeks later-
It's been two weeks and I've been visiting Sasuke everyday. Unfortunately, so had Sakura so I always tried visiting him very early in the morning, but last night I passed out in exhaustion when training a new technique. I ended up waking up at 10 in the morning in the middle of a field. I ran home where I took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
When I arrived at the hospital at around 11, Sakura was there, staring at him with a look of concern. I knocked lightly on the door to let her know someone was there. She turned her head and slightly smiled at me.
"Hey, Hotaru," she greeted and I have a small wave.
"Hi. I see you've been visiting Sasuke as well. So you're the one bringing him the flowers, right? They're really pretty," I greeted and she nodded, a sad smile on her face.
"Yeah, thanks," she replied as I walked over to where she was seated. I stared at Sasuke softly. When I visited him, I would tell him about my day and what I felt. He probably couldn't even hear me, but it took away the sense of loneliness that I was feeling. Today, however, I wouldn't be able to do that because of Sakura.
After around ten minutes, we heard the door slide open. We turned our heads to see two women, one with blonde hair and big boobs, and the other had black hair with a pig in her arms. Beside them was Naruto. My eyes widened. This is Lady Tsunade. I immediately bowed my head in respect.
"Lady Tsunade, it's a pleasure to finally meet one of the Legendary Sannin in person," I greeted and she slightly smirked. Just like Michi, she looked very young but I knew she was in her fifties.
"Sakura, Hotaru, this lady is going to fix Sasuke! He'll get better in no time, don't worry about it!" Naruto told us with a grin plastered on his face. Tsunade walked past us and placed a hand on Sasuke's forehead. Her hand glowed a bright green and started healing Sasuke. As we watched her, Sakura's eyes watered and tears streamed down her face.
In a matter of seconds, Sasuke grunted and opened his eyes. All of our eyes widened and Tsunade stepped back, clearly proud of her work. Our friend sat up and Sakura immediately tackled him into a hug. He stared into space, not bothering to push her away as she cried into his shoulder. I stepped back, smiling slightly.
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade," I told her, my head bowed again. I looked back at Sakura and Sasuke. I would of never guessed her love was that strong. And it seems you don't mind it either. I guess we were never meant to be...
I turned and quietly walked out of the room, leaving the two be. As I walked out, I realized something. Naruto was back, which meant that Jiraiya and Michi were back! This lifted my mood immediately and I sprinted home in hope of seeing Michi. I slammed the door open and looked everywhere in the house, but couldn't find her. Finally, I checked her room to find a white haired man. I jumped back in fear.
"Jiraiya! You almost gave me a heart attack!" I gasped and he looked down.
"Sorry, kid," he apologized with a sheepish smile. I looked around the room.
"Where's Michi? And what are you doing here?" I asked and he looked down guiltily.
"Well, I'm here to tell you about where Michi is..." he began I nodded, signaling for him to continue. He looked up and sighed heavily.
"She's...dead."
I blinked a few times and started laughing awkwardly.
"That's a funny joke, Jiraiya. But seriously, where is she?" I asked and he shook his head, which made my smile turn around completely.
"She's...really dead?" I whimpered and he nodded. I fell to my knees and put my hands over my mouth to contain my sobs.
"No...how?" I asked in between sobs.
"When we found Tsunade, we encountered Orochimaru. It's a long story, but I was drugged and couldn't fight to my best ability. She found Tsunade before I did and protected her against Orochimaru. However...her hair was short and she wasn't able to protect herself from one of his blows, and she died protecting the Fifth Hokage," he explained.
As soon as he finished speaking, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. I sobbed uncontrollably and Jiraiya walked in. He rubbed my back in an attempt to comfort me, but to no avail. After around ten minutes, he stood up.
"Kid, I need to go. Remember this though; don't let her death stop you from progressing as a ninja. You know she would've hated it if you gave up," he told me, but I refused to reply. He sighed heavily and left my house, leaving me all alone.
When he left, I crawled over to her bed and hugged her pillows. Michi, why did you have to die? Why did you have to leave me all alone? You were all I had, and now I have nothing left. You were my light, I loved you like my own mother. I was never able to tell you that though because you died early. If I had known, I would've said it to you everyday. I would've hugged you every moment I could.
But Orochimaru killed you. Orochimaru...he's been ruining our lives since the beginning of time. From what I've gathered, he ruined my mother's life, I just need to know exactly what. He killed you, Michi. And he gave Sasuke and I curse marks. He's the one ruining our lives...
My sadness turned to anger and hatred quickly. I stopped crying and clenched my fists. Orochimaru... thanks to you, I've lost everything. I have to return the favor, and I'll make it my personal mission to kill you...