Struggle - 4

Neji disliked the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and desperately tried to ignore it. More still needed to be done.

While falling, Kidomaru assessed his injuries, 'A number of organs have been damaged, but somehow I can still move…'

As he attempted to catch his breath, Neji's thoughts wandered. He could hear Naruto's voice echoing clearly through his head as he spoke of justice. He could see Lee and Gai training and laughing together playfully. He could feel Tenten and her blades and her eyes watching everything, keeping him safe.

He was not safe anymore and he didn't need saving. It was over and all that was left was to finish it.

Neji cut the string that was restraining him and ran ahead with what energy he had left, 'I will not let myself lose! Even if the enemy is stronger than me! Even if my body should perish! I won't lose! There is a reason why I can't lose!'

Kidomaru sent a thread to a branch as he fell and caught himself, swinging back around, and was shocked to see Neji leap up to him directly attacking his face and chest regions with the most vicious Jyukken strikes he could muster.

Neji finished with a rotating strike that sent his foe crashing to the ground, utterly paralyzed. Kidomaru's cursed seal receded as he whined in pain, never having been injured so badly since fighting Kimimaro.

"How are you still alive?" Kidomaru demanded, "That hit should have killed you instantly!"

"I knew that I wouldn't have been able to dodge it anyway, so I was determined to take it on." Neji answered, not facing his fallen enemy, "You have been one of the strongest enemies I have fought, but I have a reason I cannot lose."

Kidomaru had unwittingly given his undivided attention as Neji went on, "I won't let myself lose when there are people depending on me. My friends are precious to me and I will never turn my back on them again!"

Neji kneeled to the ground, his Byakugan fading, putting pressure on his wounds again, wanting some distance between himself and Kidomaru. It was over. For him, at least.

Kidomaru looked over to the young Hyuga, "Even if you resist you can't change the flow of time! Sasuke-sama has gone to Orochimaru of his own free will, and Haku-kun will soon be the first of an elite group of experiments…"

"No."

The Sound ninja looked to the Leaf shinobi again.

"There is someone who can find them in the darkness and save them…"

"Sasuke and Haku are Orochimaru-sama's possessions. No matter who, no one can save-"

"They will be saved!" Neji cried at the top of his voice, unwilling to hear another word.

And he didn't.

He looked back over his shoulder, seeing that Kidomaru had not talked back because he was dead. Neji had figured it wouldn't take long. The damage he had inflicted was severe and irreversible. He then wondered how long he had left himself, enduring such wounds as his own.

'My life…has been a good life after all. I am grateful…' He saw many faces smiling at him again and he regretted how he had taken them all for granted. He'd never see them again after this point, 'They have made my life worthwhile.'

Neji reached for his headband in front of him. He had dropped it when he'd attacked Kidomaru earlier. He held it close, gazing at in wonder, until laughter interrupted his reverie.

"Well isn't this unexpected? Here I am tracking their progress and I find a crow left of the murder…" The voice was familiar and mocking, and Neji turned his gaze to his right where Kabuto stood watching with a wide smirk, "Judging by this scene…I take it Sasuke-kun and Haku-kun have gone ahead, haven't they?"

Neji gritted his teeth in frustration. Just as one enemy was defeated another one appeared to take his place, 'I can't fight anymore. If he goes ahead to find the rest of the team…he'll ambush them and ruin the mission…'

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and asked, "Oh, you look like you're in pain flapping on the ground like that, Neji-san. Does it hurt?" He held up a kunai, "If you'd like, I can end it for you right now!"

"Traitor…" The Hyuga prodigy hissed furiously, finding that it was difficult to form words. His energy was depleted and so was his speech ability, it seemed.

The silver haired sound ninja laughed again, very amused, "It's just so entertaining to see so many Leaf genin on a wild goose chase like this! Don't you know? Sasuke and Haku have long been beyond your reach. There's nothing you can do."

"If you're wise…you'd do well to crawl back under the rock you came from…" Neji managed, hoping a threat (though empty) would at least waste some time, "Stop following Shikamaru' s team…"

"I'm afraid I just can't do that, Neji-san. You see, it's my mission. I wouldn't want to disappoint Orochimaru-sama now that his time has run out." Kabuto narrowed his eyes, "And now…so has yours!"

Kabuto quickly jumped back to avoid a storm of kunai and shuriken and other odd-ended weapons that were aimed for him. He was forced back to the very edge of the clearing and he glared at the newcomer who had caught him off guard, "So it's you…"

She had summoned a sword and held it up for Kabuto to see, "I'm going to run this through you for what you've done!"

"I was sure I finished that auxiliary group with those traps I set." The Sound nin muttered in irritation, "I didn't think you'd be clever enough to avoid them."

'Auxiliary group?' Neji hadn't known that back up had been sent for them. Now he was glad but still puzzled.

"A trap master can't be fooled by any of your trashy work, so I brought him along with me!" Tenten growled warningly, wanting to tear him to shreds, but knowing that if she stepped away from Neji even for a second he'd be vulnerable to an attack.

Kabuto smirked, "Well if that's so, then where are your buddies right now?"

The kunoichi grimaced at the words because in truth she didn't know. They had been separated earlier on and she'd been looking for them ever since.

"Enough. I don't have time to waste on the likes of you," Kabuto was fed up with the distraction, knowing better than getting into a fight without his target in sights, "You won't last much longer out here as it is, so enjoy the free air for now…"

As suddenly as he had appeared the treacherous Oto nin departed, intending to catch up to the group pursuing Haku and Sasuke.

For a long moment Tenten stood waiting, wanting to make sure he had gone. When all was calm she tossed her sword aside carelessly. She had others, much better ones too, and losing a sword was the least of her problems at the moment.

Neji was on the ground trembling and she turned him over, her eyes widening in fright at his extensive injuries. She hadn't expected to run into him and now that she had she was unsure of what to do next.

Frowning, Tenten got a grip on herself, 'Knock it off, old girl, you're in control right now. If you lose your cool here it could mess everything up…'

"Honestly Neji, get a hold of yourself!" She barked impatiently, as she would with Lee, "What happened here?"

Tenten helped him into a sitting position and then reached into her hip pouch for bandages to swathe his injuries and control the bleeding. He didn't have to tell her much. Nearby she could see the body of what looked to be a sound ninja so she assumed the rest for herself.

"The auxiliary team…where are they?" His voice was a low rasp and she didn't like the sound of his labored breathing, 'He's suffering, isn't he? I wish there was more I could do!'

"Lee and Sato came with me. We wanted to help you guys, but that bastard laid traps for us when he saw we found your trail," Tenten admitted guiltily, "We got separated during an explosion, but don't worry! I'm sure they're fine!"

"That's good."

His words were slurred and she furrowed her brow. Something told her that if he lost consciousness he probably wouldn't ever wake up again.

She had done the best she could with the gaping holes in his side, and wasn't able to do much about the multiple stab wounds on his back, 'I'm not a medic. If he's not treated soon he'll…'

Tenten killed that thought and decided that panicking was not going to help, 'I've got to take Neji back to Konoha now. Even if Lee and Sato aren't with me I can't afford to wait for them…'

She pulled Neji onto her back, coaxing him to wrap his arms around her shoulders, and she easily managed to lift the rest of his weight. Tenten could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck, and decided to use that as an indicator of his health on her return journey.

"Just stay awake, okay? We'll be back home in no time!" Tenten upheld her deceptively cheerful exterior in the hopes he could feed off of it for some extra energy.

He answered in the affirmative but there was no volume to his words so there was no sound. She leapt back up into the canopy, hoping she wouldn't come across any more Oto nin on the mad-rush back to their village.