Empty Eyes: The Sequel

Chapter 21

We traveled through the entire night. Multiple times, we were almost caught by whoever or whatever was still tracking our movements. By the time the sun began to rise, and we could see the outline of Sunagakure on the horizon, I was dead on my feet.

One moment I was staring down at my bare feet as I carried my shoes and felt the cold sand between my toes, and the next, I was being picked up. A slight, surprised sound escaped me, and I saw Sasuke staring straight ahead.

Just as it seemed that I'd be able to relax and that we were out of danger's way, a jolt of panic shot up my spine to snap me fully awake again.

"Something's coming!" I hissed quietly.

Before either man could respond, thick black strands of some sort shot out from beneath the thick sand to wrap around both Sasuke and Madara's ankles. Then it pulled their legs out from under them, resulting in me being dropped.

I struggled to land and whipped around to see what was happening. Madara was cussing and trying to tear what I now realized were massive threads, to no avail, while Sasuke did the same in a more composed manner.

The fact that they were both in danger seemed to put my body in motion before I could even process what I wanted to do. I realized multiple figures were approaching in the distance, three to be exact, but I still sprinted toward my two masters being dragged their way. Just as I got close enough to see that it was three more of Amegakure's advisors, the pressure under the sand caught my attention, and I shot backward to avoid the small explosion that then erupted.

"Come with us, and we won't hurt your precious Uchihas," Kisame said, his sharp teeth glistening as he smiled.

My senses heightened with my anger, and I dodged a line of thread that shot out of the sand in an attempt to grab onto me, "Let them go, and I won't hurt you."

Deidara and Kakuzu, the other two attacking us, don't look too thrilled to be here, but Kisame seems ecstatic, "Come and get them, then."

Both Uchiha men were in the process of being tied up with even more threads but were actively tearing at them. Kakuzu seemed focused entirely on keeping them contained, so the other two came forward to meet me halfway. I ducked under Kisame's broad reach when he tried to tackle me and jumped over a small white bomb that Deidara tossed down at me right after, sliding to the ground at Sasuke's side and ripping at the threads with all my might.

He looked just as surprised as our three attackers but snapped out of it a moment later, his eyes glowing brightly into mine, "Stop!"

My body froze. I can't disobey an order from him.

A thread shot through my shoulder from behind me, blood splattering around us as I bit back a cry of pain. A realization came over the prince, who shook his head, "No, move!"

Another thread came toward me, and I knew I couldn't dodge it, but I was surprised when I was shoved to the side. With a hand to my heavily bleeding shoulder, I rolled with the fall before turning to see Madara'd been impaled in my place, the thread passing through one of his palms as he used the other to assist Sasuke in breaking out of his bindings.

The older Uchiha royal's eyes locked onto mine, and he spoke surprisingly calmly, "Sakura, now's the time to lose control and kill them."

Terror rose in my blood for barely a millisecond before I unwillingly obeyed his command. White hot rage seeped into my very skin, and the deep color of blood coated my vision. As quick as lightning, I shot towards Kakuzu and tackled him to the ground, nails digging into his skin as I clawed and slashed wildly at whatever parts of him I could reach.