They were surrounded by mirrors. Even if they tried to run, they'd still get hit by the needles thrown from blind spots.
Naruto was already covered in needles on his chest and back, and fell hard to the ground.
"Can you stand up, Naruto?"
Sasuke half-knelt on the ground and pulled a needle out of his leg.
Naruto opened his eyes and responded, as if he was trying to get up, but collapsed again right away.
He had already used too much chakra earlier with Shadow Clones and running at full speed.
Now Naruto was struggling just to stay conscious, let alone move.
Outside, Sakura's scream rang out. Sasuke took a deep breath, eyes narrowed as he stared at Haku in the mirror.
What the hell is Kakashi doing?
Sasuke was reaching his limit. Naruto was down beside him, and he couldn't even see what was happening outside.
They'd already given it everything they had, but Haku still looked completely at ease.
"Looks like you've hit a dead end."
"Your friend doesn't seem like he can get up anymore."
The one who collapsed should be the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—that's one down.
It was already tough enough for them two-on-one, so now that it's one-on-one, it's basically over.
If I can stab the last Uchiha heir into a fake-death state, this fight will be finished.
Haku's figure darted through the ice mirrors, then needles flew in from all directions.
Sasuke kicked Naruto to the side. If he just stayed there and got hit by all those needles, he'd have no chance of fighting back.
Sasuke grabbed a needle from the ground, and his dark eyes spun quickly.
Haku's speed hadn't changed, but somehow, Sasuke's eyes could now follow him.
*Cling, clang, cling.* Sasuke knocked away the flying needles one after another, and soon, a small pile of deflected needles built up on the ground.
Even though some needles still hit him, at least now he wasn't just taking every hit helplessly.
"I can block them now...?"
Not only could he block the attack, but he even had the focus to protect his teammate at the same time.
Haku looked at Sasuke standing among the thrown senbon, quietly shocked.
But just then, Sasuke, who had been slightly bent over, suddenly lifted his head. His red eyes stared straight at Haku.
In one of his eyes, the single tomoe slowly spun a few times, and then a second tomoe appeared.
No wonder. If he could see through it with the Sharingan, it wasn't so strange after all.
Haku pressed his lips together slightly. It looked like a direct attack wouldn't work anymore.
Then it's better to deal with the Jinchuriki first.
Thin senbon needles appeared in Haku's hands, and his figure began to shift quickly.
It was like there was a different Haku making a different hand sign in every mirror.
Sasuke's Sharingan followed the moving Hakus closely, his hand gripping the senbon tightly.
Stay calm. Focus. Watch closely—where is he really attacking from?
"What!?"
Sasuke could only watch as Haku's senbon flew past him—heading straight for Naruto, who was lying on the ground nearby.
He wasn't the target at all!
In a flash, Sasuke jumped up and blocked the attack, standing firmly in front of Naruto. He grabbed Haku's wrist mid-air just as he came out of the mirror.
"Urgh!"
Haku clearly hadn't expected Sasuke to still have the strength to stop him. Sasuke forcefully grabbed his arm and threw him hard into one of the ice mirrors.
"Oof, that hit looked rough."
Hatake Satoru, sitting nearby surrounded by candy wrappers, couldn't help but smirk. Whether it was Haku crashing into his own mirror or Naruto and Sasuke almost getting turned into pin cushions, these kids fought harder than the two grown-ups outside.
*Drip.*
Water?
Naruto, who had blacked out for a moment, slowly opened his eyes. Sasuke was standing in front of him, arms hanging down.
Haku was lying on his back beneath the ice mirror. There was a visible crack in the mask on his face.
"That's awesome, Sasuke!"
Naruto's eyes lit up right away. No matter how you looked at it, things were turning in their favor.
But then Naruto looked a little higher, and the big smile on his face slowly froze.
*Clink—*
Sasuke's limp hand let go, and the senbon he had been holding dropped to the floor with a faint hum.
Senbon were stuck in Sasuke's neck, and blood was slowly leaking from the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the floor.
"Man… you always get in the way. At times like this, just… don't make things harder for me."
Sasuke turned his head slightly, forcing a weak smile. The senbon in his neck wobbled and scraped against his clothes.
"…"
Naruto opened his mouth, but no words came out. He caught Sasuke as he collapsed backward.
Helpless. No matter how many times it happened, this feeling of being useless never changed.
Ever since Sasuke's clan was wiped out, the two of them had stuck together like a pair of stray dogs.
Even if their roles were reversed today, Naruto would still take the hit for Sasuke without a second thought.
But Sasuke never gave him that chance.
Why'd he have to leave him a favor this big—one he could never pay back?
Sasuke's mind flashed through their memories like a spinning reel, from when they were little to now. Not all of it was happy.
After the clan moved away, after his brother became a rogue ninja, the only one who stayed by his side for a long time was Naruto.
Thinking about it now, how come this short life of his mostly revolved around that big dumb idiot?
"I really don't want to die here... If I die, I won't be able to avenge my brother and my clan..."
"Don't die."
Sasuke's breathing was growing weaker, and the light in his dark eyes was fading.
Don't die.
Back in the village, most people avoided Naruto. The words "Nine-Tails" and "he should just die already" never really stopped.
Although those voices had quieted down a bit after he met Satoru-nii.
But no one had ever truly wished for him to live.
"Even though he knew it was a trap, he still jumped in to protect you. He's a ninja worth respecting."
Haku knew exactly how much force he used. After so many missions, his fake-death technique had become second nature.
Sasuke couldn't stand up again. And the only person fast enough to notice that had already been dealt with.
Now it was this reckless Jinchuriki's turn.
Haku stood up in his wooden sandals, leaned back, and merged into the ice mirrors, cold eyes staring at Naruto outside.
"…Unforgivable. I'm going to kill you!"
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