The air on the bridge was heavy. Mist swirled in lazy tendrils, creeping along the stone surface as Team 7 held their ground. Kakashi was breathing heavily, his Sharingan eye exposed and flickering between exhaustion and focus. The rogue kunoichi stood across from them, her presence predatory and chilling. Her sharp eyes focused solely on Naruto, ignoring the rest of Team 7 as if they were insignificant.
"You have no idea, do you?" she said softly, her voice like a blade scraping over stone. "Someone out there wants you, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto froze at the mention of his name. The word "wants" echoed in his mind like a drumbeat. He forced a shaky grin to hide the unease that coiled like a snake in his stomach. "Hah! What are you even talking about, lady? If someone wants me, they can come say it to my face! What makes you so special?"
The kunoichi tilted her head, a cruel smirk playing on her lips. "Oh, they don't want you for your loud mouth, boy. They want what's inside of you. And I'm going to deliver you to them."
Kakashi shifted his weight forward. "Naruto, get behind me. Sakura, Sasuke, stay on guard!" His tone was sharp, but beneath it was a current of alarm. He knew something was wrong-this woman's confidence wasn't born from arrogance alone.
Naruto clenched his fists as the kunoichi took a step closer, her words pressing against his mind like a weight. Someone wants me? Why? What does she mean by what's inside? A flicker of heat bubbled in his gut, the Kyuubi's chakra stirring, reacting to the rising storm of confusion and fear within him.
"Enough talking!" Sasuke's voice snapped through the tension like a whip. "You won't lay a hand on him!" He charged in with his kunai, Sharingan blazing, but the kunoichi moved like water. In one fluid motion, she sidestepped his attack and spun, her own blade flashing.
Sasuke barely saw the strike coming.
A sharp pain ripped across his chest. His breath hitched as he staggered back, blood seeping through his shirt in a jagged line. He dropped to one knee, pressing a trembling hand against the wound.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed, charging forward in blind desperation. Kakashi tried to shout for her to stop, but she was already in motion.
The kunoichi's lips twitched in faint amusement. She slipped into Sakura's guard with terrifying speed, her heel slamming into the girl's forearm. A sickening crack echoed through the mist. Sakura's scream tore through the air as she crumpled to the ground, her broken arm hanging limply at her side. Before she could move, the rogue struck her leg with another brutal kick. The bone snapped, and Sakura's cry died into a choking sob as pain overwhelmed her.
Kakashi roared, chakra blazing as he sprinted toward them. "Get away from my students!"
The kunoichi turned to meet him, her blade sparking against his kunai. The two clashed violently, metal ringing with every strike. Kakashi moved with all his speed, but she matched him blow for blow, her expression disturbingly calm. It was as if she was toying with him.
"You're running out of steam, Copy Ninja," she whispered mockingly.
Kakashi gritted his teeth, panting as his chakra reserves dwindled rapidly. His Sharingan burned from overuse, blurring his vision. He forced a desperate strike toward her side, but she danced around him effortlessly, her palm slamming into his chest. A wave of chakra exploded outward, knocking him off his feet and sending him skidding across the bridge. He lay still, barely conscious, his chakra nearly depleted.
Naruto was frozen in place. His teammates were hurt-Sasuke bleeding, Sakura broken, Kakashi down. Panic clamped around his throat like a vice.
"Naruto!" Sasuke's voice was strained, weak. "Get out of here... run!"
But Naruto couldn't move. His body trembled as the kunoichi approached him. The Kyuubi's chakra surged again, bubbling beneath the surface, but Naruto couldn't bring himself to let it out. The woman's eyes pinned him in place, her words circling like vultures.
"Poor little vessel," she cooed softly. "Did you think you could keep what's inside of you hidden forever? Let me show you just how weak you really are."
In a blur, she slammed a glowing tag onto Naruto's stomach. Pain erupted instantly. Naruto's scream tore through the mist, raw and agonized, as the seal activated. His chakra was ripped from him like a current being pulled from the earth. He dropped to his knees, clutching at his gut as the burning sensation spread like fire through his veins.
"N-Ngh... What... did you... do to me?!" he gasped through gritted teeth.
The kunoichi knelt down, her face inches from his, her voice almost gentle. "This seal will drain you. Slowly. Agonizingly. It won't let you die quickly. No, you'll suffer before the end comes."
Naruto's body convulsed violently as a seizure overtook him. His vision blurred. He could faintly hear Sasuke's strangled shouts and Sakura's whimpers, but they felt miles away. Darkness clawed at the edge of his mind, and for a moment, he thought he felt something deep inside-something monstrous-roaring in outrage.
Then, everything went silent.
The kunoichi caught Naruto's limp body before it hit the ground, her hand gripping his collar as if he weighed nothing. She cast a single glance at the broken remnants of Team 7 scattered across the bridge. Kakashi's motionless form, Sasuke bleeding and panting, Sakura barely clinging to consciousness.
"This could have been avoided," she said coldly. "But you had to fight."
With a flicker of chakra, she disappeared in a shunshin, Naruto's body vanishing with her.
Silence fell over the bridge.
Sasuke's ragged breathing was the only sound that remained as he dragged himself toward Kakashi's unmoving body. "Naruto..." he rasped. "Damn it... Naruto!"
Sakura let out a quiet sob, her shattered limbs preventing her from moving. The mist seemed to close in around them, the emptiness of the bridge overwhelming. Naruto was gone, the kunoichi had disappeared, and all they were left with was pain and the chilling sense of helplessness.