Crow's feathers - Naruto fanfiction

Chapter 56 Tell me something true

So sorry for the long wait. I didn't have time to type. Enjoy the chapter.

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Sai stared at the body at is feet. His brother. The one he had called his brother, but who had died. Who had died again. This time killed by his own hands. He had begged for it.
Stunned, the young boy looked at his hands. They were trembling. His hands never trembled. What was this feeling? It was something deep inside and Sai didn't like it at all.
"Sai," Kakashi's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "we need to seal the bodies, so they can't be used against us again.
"Sai nodded and joined the others. He had learned the sealing technique long ago. It was an exhausting job, but a necessary one. They needed everyone.
"Are you alright?" Kankuro asked next to him, "you look a bit shaken."
"Is it... is it always like this...? When someone dies... is this how you feel?"
"How do you feel?" Kankuro asked.
"I'm not sure," Sai answered, "but I don't think I like it much.."
"Then yeah," Kankuro nodded, "that's what it's like."

Sai slowly nodded. "I see."
"Come on," Kankuro said, "We should return to Kakashi and the others. We still have more bodies to seal." His thoughts moved to his siblings. Were they still alive? Would they have to seal their bodies soon as well?
"Your expression is one of concern," Sai noted, "what are you worried about?"
Kankuro looked at him. He still wasn't sure what to make of Sai. He was such a strange person, though he seemed more human than last time they had met. "I'm worried about my siblings," he said. "I don't want to seal their bodies. I'm worried they might die."
"A lot of people are going to die," Sai simply said, "it's one of the consequences of war."
"I know," Kankuro nodded, "but my siblings are all the family I have left, I don't want to lose them." He scampered, "silly huh."
"I don't know if that's silly," Sai said, "but they are good shinobi. I don't know your other siblings that well, but I have met your sister Taryn a few times. I think... she feels the same way you do. I'm sure she'll worry juts the same. I suppose that is what friends and comrades and family do." He had a frown on his face as he considered his own words for a moment. He remembered what Kakashi had said to him about being part of a team. 'I see,' he thought to himself, 'I think I understand now.'
"Yeah," Kankuro agreed, "you're probably right."
But it didn't make his concerns any less.

***

Taryn and her escorts crossed a dark part of the woods. They should be close to the base now. Just a few more hours.
They hadn't encountered any more enemies, which was cause for concern to both Taryn and Yura. Neither of them trusted the situation, but at the moment al they could do was keep moving and stay alert.
It wasn't until the birds stopped singing that Taryn suddenly stopped. She lifted her head and focused.
"You're usually more observant," a voice came from her right.
Taryn's eyes flickered for a moment and her head slowly turned and then she froze in place.
She stared at Itachi with a horrified expression and to her dismay found herself trembling at the mere sight of him. Vaguely she was aware of a gasp behind her. 'Hiro,' part of her brain that was still functioning told her.
"Uchiha Itachi," Yura spoke and he drew a kunai dagger.
Taryn still couldn't get herself to move. She was still staring at Itachi, all color drained from her face.
Yura threw the dagger, but Itachi easily caught it, ignoring both him and Hiro.
Suddenly his body slammed forward, slamming Taryn backwards. The hit snapped her out of her frozen state and she pushed him away from her. She watched as his hands formed the signs for the fire ball jutsu and quickly she dove out of the way.
Hiro and Yura tried to join the fight, but two of Itachi's clones appeared to stop them.
Taryn threw a handful of shuriken at Itachi, but he flitted out of the way. Taryn narrowed her eyes. "I can't believe you would let yourself get spellbound by the likes of Kabuto," she growled.
"It's not like I volunteered," he answered her, "I never wanted to be revived." He drew a sword and came at her.
Taryn took out her fan and sent a fierce wind attack at him. She wasn't going to use half measures in this fight. She knew Kabuto had organized it especially for her.
Itachi came at her again with the sword. Taryn dropped to one knee and blocked the sword with a kunai dagger. The force of the sword was so great that her dagger broke in two. The sword skimped he shoulder and Taryn yelped.
"Sorry," Itachi muttered.
"Is okay," Taryn breathed. She rolled out of the way, ending up behind Itachi. She activated Byakugan and hit him in the back with her flat hand.

Somewhere behind them, Hiro and Yura had managed to get rid of Itachi's clones, but still couldn't get close to Taryn. The two fighters were moving so fast they could barely be seen. Hiro stared at it with his mouth wide open. He had known Taryn was fast, but he had never seen her fight like this.
A shuriken whizzed past the boy and he turned around, facing a new opponent. He didn't know this particular shinobi, but he used lighting attacks.
Hiro braced himself, hoping he would be strong enough to defeat him. Out of the corner of his eye he was Yura engaged in another battle as well, with a female shinobi. He didn't have time to watch though. He had to stay focused.

Taryn dodged another fireball and stayed on the ground in a crouch. "Kabuto," she growled, "you're going to die the most painful death I can think of. I promise."
She braced herself and ran at Itachi full speed and landed a few blows with Gentle Fists. She heard him gasp and he tackled her to the ground. Taryn saw a kunai dagger come straight at her, aimed for her stomach.
Taryn's eyes went wide and she screamed, closing her eyes, but the impact never came.