Red Strings of Fate

Chapter NINE

Chapter NINE

Sasori observed the Konoha team, wondering if he should make the first move or wait for one of his brats to snap.

"Do we get the Copy Nin?" Gaara asked.

"No." Sasori replied. "You take care of the Genin." Gaara looked ready to complain, but Sasori spoke faster. "I need him usable."

"Come on, Gaara." Sakura said softly. "I'm sure Sasori will give us the bridge builder too." She glanced pointedly over at Sasori.

The Puppet Master waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, sure, whatever." He fiddled with his scroll. "I thought I've seen this 'Sasuke-kun' before. I now realized, he looks like an Uchiha." He muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "'Sasuke-kun' looks like him." His lips curled in a small snarl.

Gaara shot him a dark look, then turned pointedly away. "Can we start now?"

"Ask your opponent's." Sasori held up his scroll.

Sakura motionlessly formed a table like structure with her iron sand and Sasori placed his scroll on it. He summoned the contained puppet and hidden in the smoke, attached his chakra strings to it.

The smoke died away to reveal his Third Kazekage puppet hovering over him.

"Then again, I don't like to be kept waiting, nor do I like to be kept waiting." Sasori smirked. "Go."

Sakura and Gaara burst into sand.

Sasori used the moment of shock to attack. The claw like blades on the Third Kazekage's right arm flicked out and Sasori set the puppet forward with a twitch of his fingers. Kakashi blocked the first blow with his kunai.

"Do not fret, Sharingan no Kakashi." With a single flick of his wrist, he forced Kakashi away from his Genin. "I will not lay a hand on your Genin." He said. "The dogs can get quite picky about their own prey." Sasori had carefully inspected the bridge before the Konoha team's arrival, and knew exactly where to position himself so that he had a clear view of his opponents and yet, could stay out of projectile range. He casually stepped to the side to avoid the barrage of shuriken that came his way, using one of the bridge pillars to block the weapons. The mist slowly began To thicken.

He could see the way half of Kakashi's focus was on his Genin team and decided he did not like it.

He flicked his fingers, deciding to bring it up a notch.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

With the Copy-nin out of the way, Gaara brought himself back together, taking his time with his sand as it formed their outline, then the details.

Once done, Sakura shook off his sand as naturally as he did, already used to a grainy life.

"So I guess you get us." Gaara straightened his stance and his sand coiled around him like a snake waiting to strike. "We waited three days for you to arrive, then another two weeks for the Copy-Ninja to recover enough to put up a fight." He narrowed his eyes. "I expect a fight that at least warms me up." His tone suddenly changed into something soft and gentle as he turned to look at Sakura. "Don't you think so?"

Sakura hummed, eyelids lowered in a lazy way. Her iron sand spheres broke away, surrounding them in a spiderweb like fashion.

"How about not?" 'Whiny girl' said hotly, her brave facade slowly crumbling. "That redhead can't win against Kakashi-sensei. He'll kill him, then come defeat you."

"If Sharingan no Kakashi kills the Puppet freak, we'll gladly become his new dogs." Gaara said. He wrapped his arms around himself and raised his head, looking down at the Konoha Genin.