Hate at first sight

Chapter 5

Mei and Sasuke were the quickest to react once they all heard the scream. They were the first two who slammed Suzai's bedroom door open and froze on the spot as they saw a shinobi lifting up the little girl by her neck and seemed to have gripped it tighter the moment they came in.

"O-Oneechan...S-Sasuke-San...help...." Suzai uttered as she gripped the man's arms. She was no longer kicking around as she knew that she will only lose her breath faster if she did so. She looked at the two standing at her doorway through the corner of her eyes, her golden orbs pleading for help.

The rest of Team 7 arrived shortly after the two and read the situation as they all had serious expressions plastered on their faces. Naruto and Sakura had brought a kunai out and was ready to attack but Kakashi held a hand up.

"Nobody move." Kakashi and Mei ordered.

Well, Sasuke being the don't-tell-me-what-to-do type, and Naruto, being the idiot, charge straight at the enemy as the enemy disappeared in a puff of smoke along with Suzai. The moment Mei noticed this, she opened the window and jumped out, chasing after them. Team 7 didnt have to be told what to do as they followed Miharu out the window and after the little girl.

~*~

"Stop." A voice stated as a redheaded girl who looked a bit too young to be in an ANBU uniform appeared in front of what seemed to be two rogue shinobi. One of them brought out a weapon while the other one was carrying an unconscious little girl in his hands.

"I will take care of her. Go on ahead." The one with the weapon stated and his companion didn't look like he had to be told in the first place as he was already making his escape with the fragile girl in his arms. The ANBU fought over every instinct she had that told her to ditch the man before her and run after the girl. She knew that was her job to do. She had her own mission and she had to do it or things will get complicated.

"Hurry up and get this over. I don't have all day." The man stated. The girl didn't reply at all as he simply did a few seals, conjuring a dragon made out of earth that rose up from the ground, blocking the water attacks that the enemy sent at her. Unlike her enemy's attacks that vanished once it was blocked, the dragon remained and coiled itself around the space the girl was standing on.

"I have no intention of wasting my time on weaklings like you." She said as she disappeared and reappeared in front of him and buried a kunai at his chest before running after the dead man's companion. She mentally scolded herself for having to use that technique. It seems she had overestimated her enemy and wasted more time that she can afford to.

"Fast." The enemy said as the ANBU appeared in front of him. She resisted every urge she had to punch or kick the man before her as she knew that she might hurt the little girl he was carrying as well. The man shrugged as he placed the girl down in a sitting position, so she was slumped against the trunk of a tree and placed a barrier around her so that no one would be able to touch her while they were in the middle of a fight. The ANBU didn't appreciate that the man could crate that barrier especially since she knew that they were coming soon and that if they can just take the kid an leave, everything would be easier for her. The only good thing about that is that the girl couldn't possibly get hurt while the barrier's active.

"Well, lets get this over with."

~*~

Mei tensed up the slightest when they heard the sounds of blade clashing against each other and when she sensed a familiar presence that was with Suzai, along with an unknown shinobi, most probably the enemy. She was currently leading the team and she wasn't quite sure if she would risk going to where Suzai is, or chasing after the scrolls. She didn't want the girl to get hurt and she knew she wont because she recognized that presence with her but she just couldn't help but make sure. In the end her mission won over her instincts to protect the girl and she thought about leading them away from the fight and towards the scrolls. Her teammates however, were not as dull as she thought they were. They all stopped running immediately the moment that she started leading them away from the fight and at that moment, she knew that they knew.

"Where area you going? There seems like a fight going on there. What if Suzai's there?" Naruto inquired, and for the first time since Mei met him personally, he didn't look like the idiot he actually was. Mei swallowed hard and hesitated before she replied, "We have to go after the scrolls."

"Go after the scrolls? What about Suzai? She might be there we have to at least check." Kakashi stated and he didn't even wait for Mei to reply as he turned his back and went towards the sound of clashing blades, the entire team following behind him. Mei wasn't exactly sure if she was glad that she was given a reason to go after the little girl she cared for so since she knew who else they would see there aside from the girl but somehow, she was comforted with the mere fact that Kakashi was just sharp and wouldn't let this one slide.

"Suzai-chan." Sakura gasped, covering her mouth as she saw the little girl slumped on a tree with a barrier around her. And just as she feared, the rest of the team noticed the ANBU who was fighting with the man who probably took Suzai. Mei bit her lip as she knew that this was in fact her fault, and that she should do something before it gets worse. She grapped Kakashi's arm and pulled him towards her, growling, "We are going after the scrolls. She's fine and she will be fine. We have to go after the scrolls before we completely lose track of it."

Kakashi opened his mouth to respond but Sasuke beat him to it, showing a hint of what seemed to be concern in his voice which started an argument, yet again.

"She's down there right now."

"Yes but you see that an ANBU is too! Leave killing off the man to her and lets go do our jobs."

"She's too slow! Who knows when reinforces for that man comes and we'll be outnumbered!"

"Let them come they wont ever kill her off. Not until they have what they want and they will not have that if we take the scrolls."

"The scrolls wont matter if we take her and bring her back safely first!"

"Shut up and listen to me for once Uchiha!"

The same raven-haired boy remained silent, his response being a cold glare at her and before any of them could even blink, he had jumped down and ran over to the little girl who was behind the two people fighting. Little did he know that the man was completely aware that he was there and he had chosen the wrong time go down. The ANBU did a few seals and released a lightning technique aimed at the man, who simply avoided it, the attack then hitting the Uchiha that was behind him, causing him to be thrown back to the barrier that had its own self-defense for anyone who tried to touch the thing it was protecting. Everything went so fast and the next thing they knew, the man, the ANBU and the little girl was gone, leaving a half-dead Uchiha lying on the ground