Life in Konoha's ANBU by Shezza

Chapter 51: Operation HURRICANE: Finale

Sasuke was panting, exhausted yet still moving as he darted forward. His kunai flashed as he batted away a volley of shuriken that would have pelted a hobbling refugee in the back. Then, his feet set firmly in the ground, he threw his kunai forward. An explosive tag sizzled at the end and when the blade struck the ground, it exploded in a giant plume of smoke and dirt. The explosion, while relatively weak, obscured the view of the advancing TIDE agents.

There weren't many of Bravo Team left now. Not that there had been fatalities- at least, Sasuke hadn't seen any- but as the cart had approached the Land of Fire, Daichi had detected numerous enemy-nin approaching their position at top speed. The Resistance-Nin had stayed back, buying as much time as they could for the ANBU to speed the cart off to safety. It was a suicide mission in the best case. No amount of mist and smoke and evasion techniques would be able to fend off so many competent opponents.

For the most part, the Resistance-Nin had been ignored. A small detachment from the TIDE operatives had engaged them, but the rest had simply sped past, doggedly pursing the rest of the team. Kage and Towa had moved to flank them, but a TIDE operative had managed to release a powerful water technique that had smashed the carts into little pieces and sent them tumbling away. Most of the refugees hidden in the barrels had awoken, disorientated, smelly and scared. Some would never wake, their bodies bent and broken.

Then it had become a running game. Sasuke and Daichi had been left to furiously defend over sixty unarmed civilians against a squad of at least five TIDE operatives. They ran down the rocky path towards the Land of Fire as best they could as Sasuke and Daichi stayed back, distracting the Kiri-Nin as best they could.

They weren't always successful.

A series of bullets of water spat forward through the smoke, most of them flying aimlessly through the air. One smacked on the trunk of a white, dead tree and splintered it. Another smashed the ground beside Sasuke. A third whizzed past and struck a long-haired woman in the back. She arched, the force propelling her forward, and she went twisting and tumbling along the ground in a heap of limbs. She did not get up again.

Sasuke drew out a pair of kunai and threw them to either side of the road. His sharingan spun as he wove through some hand-seals as quick as he could.

Barrier Technique: Two-Prong Seal!

A glowing wall of blue light sprung forward from the two kunai, rising up and forming a barrier that covered the road. More water bullets shot forward, and several of them struck the barrier. It wobbled, hissing and spluttering, but held. A flash of black and white leapt from the smoke and jumped over the barrier, moving almost too fast to be seen.

Almost.

Sasuke saw it all through his sharingan as the TIDE operative cleared the barrier wall.

The man's centre of gravity was shifted in his left leg, which he would land on - Muscles were coiling, ready to dart forward as soon as he hit the ground – chakra poured from the hidden tenketsu from his wrist – a sword was in his hand, glistening water chakra flowing around it – a swing that would be extended by the water and slice into him.

Sasuke saw it all and more, and his hands were blurring before the enemy had even touched the ground.

Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!

A volley of small fireballs shot out, arcing in randomly different directions but all converging on the same point. As the TIDE operative landed, they looked as if to hit him, but his sword flashed and water hissed and spluttered as the fire was dispersed. The TIDE operative suddenly jumped backwards, moving closer towards the barrier, as the hidden shuriken within the flames were not dispersed. They pelted the ground where he had been standing.