Hot 'N' Dangerous

Chapter 31: The Genjutsu Users

"So they've appeared," Sasuke smirked.

"This is the perfect handicap," Naruto piped up.

"Oh, just shut up and stop acting like tough guys, will you?" Liz said with annoyance.

Within seconds, we were surrounded by these weird black humanoid forms. They seemed to be holding back though, not attacking... just yet.

"There are a lot of them," Kabuto looked around the small clearing, "Are these all clones?" he said, unsure.

"Wh-what is this?" Sakura whimpered as she took in the sheer numbers of the clones.

One of them laughed, "You're trapped rats."

"Who said?" Liz taunted.

She jumped forward and drove her sword tip into the clone.

"Awesome, Liz!" Sakura cheered.

The left side of the clone suddenly burst as if it were liquid trapped in a balloon. Liz's sword came free and, caught off guard, she had too execute a complicated flip to avoid falling over.

"What the hell are you?" she stormed.

The clone reformed like water around a rock in a rushing river. It now had two abdomens coming out of a single pair of legs. A kunai had appeared in its hand and he swung it at Liz.

"Elize!" Sasuke cried and whipped a line of shurikens at the clone's outstretched arm.

Sharingan shone brightly in his eyes. Liz easily deflected the kunai but as the shurikens met with the clone's arm, its arm dissipated. The shurikens continued through as if nothing happened. The clone now concentrated its attention on Sasuke. A kunai came flying at him and he stood, frozen.

"Sasuke, move!" I cried but he ignored me, his muscles refusing the orders that were coming from his brain.

At the last second I jumped in and knocked Sasuke over as the kunai skimmed my shoulder, drawing blood.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura wailed.

He was still unmoving though conscious. I covered the wound with my hand, trying to stop the bleeding. I held the kunai in my hand and squeezed.

Its real..., I noted to myself.

Sakura helped Sasuke up as the clones began to close in on Liz, "Give us your scroll," they chanted together.

Liz was backed against a tree, "Vira got hurt but these 'clones' don't disappear when I deal a critical hit. Genjutsu, right?" Liz said quickly.

Naruto began to charge but Sasuke called him to a halt, "Don't it's useless, they are illusions, this is enemy genjutsu," he said, panting.

"But, Elvira's injury is the real thing," Sakura debated.

"He's right, the enemy is most likely hiding somewhere while matching his own attacks with the fake ninjas so it seems as if they are attacking," Kabuto confirmed.

I had crudely bandaged my wound with some spare gauze in my holster but it was soaked with blood very quickly, I stood up and flexed my left arm muscles. When I got used to the throbbing aches of the wound, I ripped my broadsword from my sheath and brandished it in front of me.

"Then let's find these cowards and whip their butts!" cried Naruto.

"But their plan was to confuse us and not be able to locate where the kunais are coming from, therefore, not being able to find them. These kinds of people are weak in taijutsu and close-range fighting. They won't reveal themselves until they are sure that we can't move," Kabuto explained, "For now, we can only dodge their attacks," he finished.