Chapter 83.6- One Thousand Hands

“Can someone shoot that woman down?” I called, even as I picked up a kunai. Every bit of me hurt as I aimed and hurled it with what little strength remained in my body before I fell to my knees again. It didn’t even make it close. None of the kunai people tossed, following my lead, made it any closer to her either.

“At least the Raikage is no longer a problem” I heard Uzume say above me. I growled. That hag had stolen my kill. And even worse, I wasn’t all that certain it had been my kill. Sure, the Raikage looked like a stiff breeze could blow hum over when he had stood up, but he stood up nonetheless. I hadn’t been able to do the same until some more time had passed.

XXXXXXX- TOSHIRO

Finally, he sighed, as he heard a familiar sadistic laugh. Orochimaru. Fuck, the man was a creepy wierdo on his best day, but Toshiro had never been more pleased to see that creepy weirdo.

He stepped backwards, allowing Hayate’s blade slice naught but air. To his side, his left arm dangled uselessly with it disabled from a precise strike. The ground in front of him erupted, revealing a snake whose mouth parted to reveal the Snake summoner with his blade stretched out.

The Suna swordsman, even despite the surprise, still managed a perfect block on the straight stab. That was what Toshiro had noticed. The man’s body reacted perfectly no matter what. No matter how many genjutsu Toshiro layered, no matter what he did, once his blade got a certain radius away, it was blocked.

“Kukuku” Orochimaru laughed some more as he stepped out of the snake and began to exchange swings with Toshiro’s former opponent. The ground rumbled, and Toshiro barely got to brace himself before Inoken was hurled into him from the side. They slid backwards.

“Hey, Shori’s friends. Get out of here” he heard Tsunade Senju, Shorirama’s cousin say in a gruff tone, and he did not spend a second arguing. He turned and began running.

Was it cowardice to leave them with two of Suna’s S-ranks? Should his duty as a jounin not compel him to stay and help? Those were questions he did not allow himself to answer as he ran towards Uraume’s last position. His hand was freely bleeding and the burns on Inoken’s body were not looking so good.

So focused he was on his running that he never noticed the bird flying above him, heading in the direction he was fleeing. Maybe if he did, he would have turned around to return to the battle. Maybe then things would have ended differently.