Lotus Of The Leaf ~Book One~

Chapter 27! Bushy Brow's Pledge: Undying Love and Protection!

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I sat by Sakura, watching out of our little cove. Sakura's head nodded downwards a couple of times, but she remained as vigilant as ever. I was exhausted. I had used up most of my chakra trying to stay awake, but we've all got our limits. The night wore on with nothing but the sound of insects echoing through the air. I flinched gently as Sakura nodded off, her head leaning against my shoulder. I smiled gently and laid her down as thought of a way to be useful. I got to work, setting a few traps to lessen the blow of any ninja approaching. The sun started to break over the horizon as I started nodding off. In the distance, a small squirrel ran towards one of the traps I made, so I threw a kunai to change its path. It veered off to the side and into the bushes. I sighed and tried to keep myself awake. I occasionally pinched my legs and arms in an attempt to awaken myself. I even splashed my face with cold water every now and again. Sakura sat up with a slight gasp, breathing out a breath of relief when she saw me sitting there, staring at the open area before us. "Ren..." She mumbled, coming to my side.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be more useful...." I immediately say, looking downwards. "I wasn't strong enough."

"No, Ren. You snapped Sasuke out of the slump he was in. After Naruto and you risked your lives, he stopped shaking." Sakura placed her hand on my shoulder, flinching when they started to shake. "What's wrong?"

"I was.... so scared...." I whimpered, rubbing at my eyes. My stomach tightened in frustration. I pulled out my kunai and dug it into my palm, slicing it and heaving out a sigh. "Sakura... Be a witness. If I ever let myself be consumed by fear again... I'll just reopen this wound until I get the picture." I clench my fist tightly, lifting my head up. Sakura chuckled and called me a moron before wrapping my hand. We returned to silence once again.

"Some lookout! You're half asleep!" My stomach sunk as I slowly turned to gaze at three Sound ninja. The exhaustion just faded as I straightened my back. "At least you don't have to keep watch anymore. What's the point when we've already found you? Now, wake up Sasuke, we want to fight him."

Sakura tensed up besides me, gritting her teeth at the idea of anyone hurting us. "What do you want?! I mean, what do you really want?! I know Orochimaru's calling the shots from the shadows!"

The three ninja seemed a little shocked, but that didn't fool me for a second. And Sakura went off on them, asking about the mark on Sasuke's shoulder, and just berating them. They didn't answer. Then, a sinister voice called out. "I can't stay quiet after hearing you talk to us like that!" One of them smiled wickedly. "First, I'm gonna kill these girls, and then, I'm gonna kill Sasuke!"

The ninja stood up to attack, but his friend stopped him. "It's so obvious. This is the color of dirt that's been recently dug up. And this kind of grass doesn't grow in this place." I started gritting my teeth. "If you're going to lay a trap, there's no point if it isn't actually hidden."

"You're just a joke. You threw a kunai at the squirrel earlier so it wouldn't spring your trap!" The other sound ninja jeered.

"Now, we kill her." The cocky one snapped.

As the ninja prepared to attack, a delicate smirk lifted onto my lips as I cut at the wire I had placed in front of me. A huge log trap swung in from above, flying straight towards the ninja, who had just managed to escape it. "Nice try, little girl! Clearly, you have no talent as a ninja. Someone like you needs to use a little more effort, don't you think?!"

"Leaf Hurricane!" I jumped in surprise as Lee came out from nowhere, kicking the ninja away.

"Lee!" I yelped, staring wide eye'd at the spandex'd boy. He turned his head, giving me a thumbs up.