Chapter 199: The Lake
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 199: The Lake
"Die!" The unknown woman lunged forward, her hand reaching out in an obvious attempt to grab him.
Naruto had already detected her clumsy movements before she got close enough to attack, so he was prepared.
Not wanting to risk being caught by the crystal jutsu, he waved his left hand lightly, sending the woman flying backward with a bit of wind chakra before she could touch him.
They watched as she disappeared back into the mist, followed by the sound of her crashing to the ground and grunting in pain.
"That must be the crystal user!" Yamato stated the obvious.
Wasting no time, Kakashi rushed toward her with a kunai in hand, his Sharingan active.
But as he got closer, he noticed how severely injured the woman was, and it was because of that last attack.
Naruto's push couldn't have caused much damage, but she was struggling to stand, and a large pool of blood was forming beneath her.
"You'll die if you keep moving," Kakashi warned her.
The woman fell back to the ground, groaning in pain. She slightly tilted her head to look at him and immediately seemed shocked. "You… you're… Konoha…urgg..." she stammered, coughing up blood.
"I have some healing supplies," Yamato suggested, but Kakashi shook his head.
This woman was clearly beyond being saved by some basic first aid. Only someone with skills akin to Lady Tsunade might stand a chance of saving her.
Given her condition and the risk that she might retaliate if Yamato got too close, Kakashi decided against offering assistance.
"What happened here? Who are you?" Kakashi asked.
She tried to move but failed. "S-save… save Yukimaru… p-please."
"Yukimaru?" Yamato echoed, confused. Neither he nor the others had heard that name before.
"We don't know anyone by that name. We're ninjas from Konoha, here to find Sasuke Uchiha and Kabuto," Kakashi explained. "Have you seen them?"
She gave a faint nod.
"You have? Where are they?" Kakashi pressed.
"S-save… Yuk… Y…"
"Alright, if this Yukimaru is on the island, we'll save him. But you need to tell us where the people we're looking for are. Where is Sasuke Uchiha?" Kakashi demanded.
She feebly pointed deeper into the island, toward the thickest part of the mist.
Then she tried to speak again. "Care… O… Oro… O…" Her mouth stopped moving, and her eyes closed.
Yamato approached cautiously and checked her vitals. "She's dead…"
"At least we know Sasuke is here and where to search next," Kakashi said. "We shouldn't waste any more time."
"Who do you think she was? From the way she moved earlier, she was clearly a ninja. She's likely the one who used the crystal jutsu on those men," Yamato concluded.
Kakashi studied her body. "She's not wearing the uniform of any official ninja village, nor does she have a headband. She could be a missing-nin or a rogue ninja. It's not uncommon to find shinobi who don't belong to any particular village."
"We can assume those men were working for Orochimaru, and she died fighting them. She mentioned someone named Yukimaru… perhaps a family member?" Yamato speculated. "That man has a history of kidnapping children."
Naruto knelt beside the woman and pulled open her green robes, exposing some of her skin. Her private areas were covered by bandages.
"Naruto! What are you doing?" Yamato exclaimed, outraged by his actions.
Kakashi, however, was paying close attention. Naruto was examining her wounds.
Running his fingers over her abdomen, Naruto pressed on the skin and discovered several deep cuts that weren't visible at first glance. "Those prisoners weren't the only ones trying to kill her… These wounds were made by an extremely thin blade, like a scalpel. I know someone with an ability like that."
"Kabuto," Kakashi said grimly. He hadn't seen it personally, but the Hokage had written a detailed dossier on that jutsu.
Over the past two years, Kakashi had studied everything he could about Orochimaru and his associates, both alive and dead.
"We already knew Kabuto was here," Yamato pointed out.
Naruto stood. "Staying here won't help us. Let's keep moving." He glanced in the direction the woman had pointed...it led directly toward the center of the island.
"The chakra concentration is stronger in that direction. Whoever is creating this mist is likely there," Naruto added.
"If Sasuke is there, that's where we need to go," Kakashi said.
"Let's hurry. I have a bad feeling about this island," Yamato said.
The trio advanced toward the island's core at a fast pace.
Visibility worsened as they moved, until they could only see a few feet ahead and had to rely on their other senses.
Naruto led the group, but the dense chakra concentration dulled even his advanced sensory abilities.
"Wait… I hear something," Kakashi said suddenly.
"Water," Naruto added. It sounded like water colliding with something. "The smell of salt is faint, so it can't be the sea."
"A lake!" Yamato exclaimed. "There must be a lake at the center."
As they focused on the sound of water, another sound reached their ears...it was a boy's voice.
"No, please… I'm tired!" the boy shouted. "I want to see my sister! Where did she go?"
"That way!" Kakashi pinpointed the source of the voice. "Let's go!"
To their surprise, as they approached, a large part of the mist dissipated, and they could see clearly again.
Just as they had suspected, a massive lake lay before them.
Near the lake's shore were three people. One was a young boy, held firmly by Kabuto.
Standing next to him was a young man with black hair, instantly recognizable.
"Sasuke!" Kakashi called out immediately.
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