Remember, the first one to answer the question, gets the dedication!!

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Chapter 31

BOOM! The snake was imploded from my E2 and I landed on a tree, holding to it with chakra.

I watched as the snake ninja leaped tree to tree to prevent their fall from being harmful to them. My eyes narrowed in annoyance as they stopped and looked up at me.

“I don’t wish to fight you, Emiko,” they called up and I rolled my eyes.

“Well, you’ve got a fight with me. You attacked my team, my friends. You can’t wish to fight one of us without getting a fight with all of us!” I exclaimed, trying to keep him talking so I can plan something and find anything out about this nin.

They laughed at me. “Ah yes, Konoha’s will of fire. So your sensei has worked into you the idea of teamwork? Kakashi Hatake, correct?” they asked of me and I curled my hands into fists.

How in the world would he know that our sensei is Kakashi… and about Konoha’s strong idea of teamwork? I know that it’s a world known thing but how this ninja is quoting this… it’s as if they know it first-hand. No… they couldn’t be a Konoha-nin… but an ex one maybe, like how Deidara is an ex-Iwa nin.

“You’re from Konoha, aren’t you?” I asked and the snake nin cocked their head to the side. “But not a current one… no, you have to be a missing-nin. No Konoha-nin I know would do this,” I narrowed my eyes.

“Hmmm, correct Emiko. Your better than I thought you would be. I expected you to hide up in the air on that bird. But you destroyed two of my snakes like they were child’s play and without harming anyone else. Maybe my allies are underestimating you… and misunderstanding you,” my eyes widened. Allies?

I shook it off. Keep him talking Emiko, you can do that. “You never underestimate a ninja. Even a genin,” I pointed out. “Deception is a ninja’s best friend, un,” I added and the ninja smirked at me. “You should know that. You’ve used deception to get into here. How do your allies’ know my strengths and weaknesses when I believe in that?” I asked and they chuckled at me.

“My allies are completely wrong about you, you’re not an idiotic murder with an art complex,” the snake nin spoke up. “Deception is a ninja’s strongest tool and those allies of mine don’t understand that. They still run around like green genin, trying to destroy you and aligning themselves with someone like me. So easy for me to manipulate to my advantage and strong tools for me to control. They were so desperate to kill the sister of Deidara.”

I tensed… someone like them… destroy me…  art complex… wrong ideas of me… my eyes widened. “Iwa…” I muttered and I glared at the ninja. “Iwa! Rin, Yumi and Rikku!” I called out and the ninja laughed like they were possessed. “Who the hell are you then? If you’re so horrible yet a strong ninja for them to form an alliance with… Who are you and why did they want one with you?!”

The nin laughed at me again. “I am a missing-nin like your brother… My name is Orochimaru,” I felt all of the blood in my body freeze. “And for what they wanted me to do… well, they wanted me to kill you in exchange... that’s something you don’t need to know.”

Oh Jashin… Orochimaru, an missing-nin of Konoha. In the bingo book it is said to run away if you encounter him. S-Rank nin and one of the three Legendary Sannin along with Master Jiraya and Lady Tsunade. The Snake Sannin.

My eyes darted from him to Sasuke and Sakura. They were both watching us and I tensed. We don’t have a chance to run. My eyes darted right back to Orochimaru. And Naruto is knocked out. If we try, we wouldn’t get three steps before he came at us and killed us. But there has to be a reason why he has come for us, I know that someone as powerful as Orochimaru wouldn’t have bothered coming after four rookie genin without a reason. He couldn’t have come here because the Iwa nin asked him to kill me… no, that’s not it. If it was he wouldn’t have sent that snake after me and went after Sasuke and Sakura.

“You didn’t come here just because of some deal with the Iwa nin. You didn’t come for me; you sent your snake to kill me. No… you went after Sakura and Sasuke,” then something clicked in my head and I almost let go of the tree. “No… you want…” I couldn’t speck it out loud… it was too horrible. Too…

Orochimaru chuckled at me. “You are intelligent. The Iwa nin do not know of your deduction skills… something needed for chuunin level and above. Hmmm, interesting,” he looked at me in the eyes before trailing down. He chuckled weirdly before smirking. I tensed. He was looking at my clay pouch. He knows that I rely on it and he is going to use that to his advantage. I just know it. “The Iwa nin aren’t as deductive as you even with their connected minds, that much I know.”

I took a calming breath. I couldn’t stay here, I knew he was going to go for an attack on me and soon. I can’t let it show that he actually scares me. I slowly knelled on the tree and I took off of my training weights. If I was going to go toe to toe with this guy… I couldn’t be held down. I hope that Sasuke and Sakura have the right form of mind to take Naruto and get out of here. Because when I go all out… anyone that gets in my way can get harmed.

I looked right up at the Snake sannin with determination. “Well, your allies were right in one thing. I do have an art complex… actually it’s more than that… It’s my life! Un!” and then I moved.

I noticed the difference in my speed from the second I moved. I was faster than I was back in the wave country. I pulled out a kunai and I came up from behind the nin. He chuckled and dodged my slash at him like it was nothing. I then swung my foot at him but he grabbed my leg and then flung me off of the tree branch. I twisted in mid-air so I could land on my feet.

When I landed on a tree branch, I didn’t stay still for long. I took off again but this time I just kept moving, trying not to keep still. As I did this, Orochimaru just stood there like he didn’t care and I knew it was true. If he wanted he could kill me. Why isn’t he trying to kill me when he said he was going to is something I couldn’t understand.

 My hand went into my clay pouch and I made some C1’s mixed with one E1. The E1 was being used to frighten anyone near this fight and if they heard to stay the hell away and to get Sasuke and Sakura to get out of here. To understand that I am not going to hold back and they’re safety from my attacks aren’t in my mind right now. It’s all about the art and the battle. Battle Emiko is in play.

I pulled my hand out and I let all of the clay creatures go, hoping that he doesn’t notice them moving about. I knew if I used an E2 that he’d notice it right away. Orochimaru isn’t an idiot, even going against someone he knows is weaker than him he isn’t going to take any chances. (AN E2’s need to land on the person for it to work remember?)

I landed on another tree and then out of nowhere, Orochimaru appeared right in front of me and kicking me backwards. I coughed as I hit some tree branches and then slammed into a tree truck. I flowed chakra to my hands to stick to the tree and not fall down to my death. I quickly moved the soles of my feet to the tree and I pushed off, right towards the Sannin; hopefully without him seeing and grabbing one of my pre-made clay creatures from before.(AN before the start of the second exam!! Chapter 28.)

I looked up and I noticed that he was just standing there but when I was almost ready to hit him. He was gone. Without my scope, I wouldn’t have noticed him coming up on my right but I did and I reacted. I twisted in the air and I threw the clay creature right at his face. I moved my hand’s into my most used hand seal and then. “Katsu!”

BOOM! The explosion sent me back. But being used to explosives going off near me I flipped in mid-air and landed on a tree with chakra flowing to my feet. My hand flew to my scope and the other went into my clay pouch again. Making more C1’s to throw if he got to close. The pre-made one’s are for just if I lose my clay pouch.

My scope picked up Orochimaru and my eyes widened at where he was standing… right in my trap! Keeping the clay in the hand mouth I formed the hand seal with a smirk.

“Katsu!” I shouted.

!!!!!!!!!! BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!!!!!!!BANG!!!!!!!!!

All of the explosives around Orochimaru went off with a beautiful bang. Everything around me shook with the force of all of the explosives and the sheer noise of it was terrifying… to anyone but me!

The air around me whipped around from the force of the explosion and trees moving. Where the explosion went off, it was covered in dust and dirt like a dust storm had hit, but it didn’t, it was from my art!

I took a deep calming breath when I saw it… a blur coming right out of the explosion. “What?!” I exclaimed as I was suddenly kicked in the side, getting winded and sent straight into tree branches of all sizes. I felt like I was getting shredded by the tree branches.

I finally hit a tree trunk. I couldn’t concentrate on my chakra when I couldn’t breathe and I slid down onto a tree branch and lent on the tree trunk. How… what is he?! I focused on my breathing. I knew I had to move and keep away from him. He was playing with me and I knew it but I wasn’t going to let him play with me without doing a Jashin damned thing to hurt him!!

I assessed my own chakra reserves and I mentally winced at low they were. I’ve been using my chakra since we got into here and a bit beforehand… And its night fall now and I knew it wasn’t the early hours of the night.

I took a breath and then I pulsed chakra into my feet and I was off again. My scope found him pretty easily. I guess he didn’t know about my scopes ability to find chakra’s and I summoned forth one of the C1’s I made before my large explosion and I prepared to throw it at him.

I moved quickly behind him and I tried to throw a punch at him. I knew he would dodge or grab my fist. Orochimaru moved quicker than I could see and he grabbed my fist with his hand. But something I didn’t account for was for him to squeeze my hand.

My eyes widened in pain as multiple snaps were heard from my hand. I screamed at the pain, and tried to pull my hand out. It didn’t work…

“Let me go!” I shouted and then I remember the C1’s in my other hand. This is going to hurt me as well as Orochimaru… I hope.

Orochimaru chuckled and then moved his other hand to my hip. My eyes widened when I felt something being pulled off of me. My eyes darted and I saw my clay pouch in his hand before it was dropped into the deep forest. One of the last things Deidara gave me… gone.

“Little Bomber… My replacement calls you that, correct?” Orochimaru asked me and I didn’t move still in shock about my pouch and the pain in my hand. “That’s right… if I didn’t leave that dreaded organisation you would still be with your brother!”

I glare right up at him. He is the reason I haven’t seen my brother in three years! My big brother! I wasn’t going to let him get away with that… even if it’s futile at my skill level I was going to hurt him… even if I just hurt him as much as I hurt myself. I can handle my art!

Determination set I opened up my other hand. Releasing my clay flying C1’s, they surrounded us on all sides, hovering. “Hmm, how are you going to set them off, Emiko? With only one hand?” He asked, clenching my hand again in his and I bit back my scream and kept focused.

My eyes narrowed as I did the hand sign with one hand. I’ve practiced a little with one handed hand seals since Haku. I’m not all the best at it yet, but I am working on it.

“Katsu! Un!” I shouted as loud and clear as I could as Orochimaru let go of my hand.

BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was flung back, ringing in my ears and I knew I hit many tree branches and I swear I was sent through a tree trunk before I slammed hard into a large tree trunk. I coughed blood and I just barely heard my name being by two people as I felt like I was free falling. I was so numb to anything right now.

I was going to die…. I didn’t want to die… But the Iwa nin had planned this well. Suddenly, the free failing was over and it felt like jumping until I was laid down. There was someone over me, yelling my name. I looked at them as the ringing slowly drifted out. It was Sasuke and Sakura calling for me.

“Emiko! Don’t you dare die!” what the first thing I heard and I coughed a snicker. My chakra reserves at an all-time low.

“Yeah right… I’m going to die in a beautiful piece of artwork…” I murmured and I heard Sakura sigh in relief. “You two… shouldn’t be here… you should have run when I gave you guys the chance…” I coughed out and I saw Sakura’s teary eyes looking down at me.

“No way… we’re a team,” Sakura muttered and I felt a hand brush my hair.

“Emi…” Sasuke started and my eyes darted to him. “You rest now. I’ll take care of it from here,” Sasuke informed me and I smiled weakly, knowing I was going to faint soon from exhaustion. My adrenalin leaving my body like it was zapped away.

“Sasuke… good to have you back… don’t leave us like that again…” I ordered him and he nodded. The vision around my eyes was fading and I knew I was blacking out. “Don’t let him do anything to you Sasuke… he is after you…” I informed him. “Those damned eyes… use them…”

I raised my unbroken hand and curled a fist for him to bump. He smirked and fist bumped me. “Rest Emi… Sakura, protect her, that Snake guy wants to kill her remember.”

Sakura nodded. “No way is he taking Konoha’s artist.”

I think the world was ending just then… because Sakura defended Naruto, talked down to Sasuke and complemented me… all in the one day.

My eyes closed and I took a breath before saying. “Give him hell Sasu…”

….black…

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And that’s it! Orochimaru and the Iwa nin have a deal with each other! What the deal on their side is… well, you’ll have to wait and see. Orochimaru was supposed to kill her but there is a reason he didn’t… it’s because he is a slimy snake and I think I made it obvious that he thinks the Iwa nin are stupid…. Strong but stupid who don’t believe anything but what they want to believe and what they are told... well sometimes about the told bit, hehehe.

Now, those poor Iwa nin are going to be in for a shock when they see that Emiko’s alive and kicking now aren’t they? I actually feel bad for them… not for Rin though. She thinks she’s the manipulator of everything when really she is just another pawn of Orochimaru’s. Heh.

I hope you all understand what happened in this battle as well. if not, just ask me a question.

Alright, there is something I’ve been cracking up about for a week now. A new student started at my school and they style their hair… just like Sasuke’s! Every time I pass him at school, I look away and I walk as fast as I can so I can laugh without him seeing and hearing, I don’t want to be mean… I think he thinks I have a problem hahaha it’s not my fault his duckbutt hair makes me laugh.

Question time!!!!

What do you guys think of Emiko getting another Chakra Nature along with Earth and her explosions?? I’m not sure if I am going to do it yet, but it’s just an idea I’ve had in my mind. If you guys think it’s a good idea, what type of element should she get?? What element suits her best?? This isn’t set in stone yet, there are other ideas running through my mind at the moment, but I wanted all of your opinion on it.

Anywho, I’ve got to go… school gah.  Yes, I am uploading this before school hahaha so you all know the drill, vote, comment and follow!! By the way, YAY!! I’ve got over 230 followers, over 1500 votes and nearly 600 comments, just wow guys. Thank you all!!!!!! :D :D :D :D

Until next time… well, it’s going to be interesting to see how everyone reacts to the next chappy hahaha.