210.Bad Luck
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"Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
"Two palms, four palms, eight palms, sixteen palms, thirty-two palms…"
A petite figure darted gracefully, hands moving swiftly as a barrage of strikes landed on her opponent's chest.
"Sixty-four palms!"
"Ugh!"
The rogue ninja with a scratched forehead protector spat out a spray of blood before collapsing to the ground.
"Huff…"
Natsu exhaled deeply, withdrawing her hands as she staggered toward the base of a large tree.
"Brother."
She sat down weakly, gripping Shoyo's hand as he leaned against the tree trunk.
"Brother."
"Natsu…"
Covered in blood, Shoyo weakly opened his eyes.
"We need to leave here quickly," Natsu urged as she struggled to her feet, crouching beside him and slinging his arm over her shoulder.
"I'll help you up, Brother."
"Natsu," Shoyo looked deeply at his sister's bloodstained face. "You should go on your own."
"Shut up! What nonsense are you saying?"
Natsu glared angrily at Shoyo, stubbornly trying to stand. But the weight of supporting another person proved too much, and her legs gave out, causing her to fall back to the ground.
"Natsu!" Shoyo shouted anxiously. "Stop being so stubborn! We'll both die if you don't!"
"Then we'll die together!" Natsu shouted back, tears streaming down her face. "You're hurt because of me!"
"Idiot," Shoyo muttered, ruffling her hair. "As your brother, isn't it my duty to protect you?"
"I'll take you with me," Natsu said with resolve as she mustered her strength and helped Shoyo to his feet.
"Let's go!"
She glanced at the corpses scattered around them, trembling as she supported Shoyo and began moving deeper into the forest.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Kunai whistled through the air toward their backs.
"Natsu!"
With sudden strength, Shoyo pushed Natsu to the ground.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The kunai grazed their hair, embedding themselves in the nearby trees.
"They're here!"
Swish!
Three figures emerged, surrounding the siblings.
"Lucky us," said a man with brown hair, looking down at the two from above. "They're already out of strength."
"Tsk tsk, what a mess," remarked a man with purple hair, surveying the area with a smirk. "These poor fools didn't stand a chance."
"Well, it makes our job easier, doesn't it?" said a blonde woman as she crouched near Shoyo, brushing her fingers across his face.
Smack!
Natsu swatted the woman's hand away.
"Keep your filthy hands off him!" she snapped, shielding her unconscious brother and glaring fiercely at the rogue ninjas.
"What a fiery little girl," the blonde sneered, inspecting the red mark on her hand. "Do you really think you can keep fighting in that state?"
"Stop wasting time," said the brown-haired man dismissively. "Tie them up and let's move. They want them alive, after all."
Natsu's mind raced. What should I do?
Exhausted from three days and nights of fleeing and fighting, her chakra was completely depleted, and she had no supplies left.
What should I do?
Glancing at the blood pooling beneath Shoyo, she steeled herself.
"Wait!" she said. "Didn't you say you need them alive?"
"That's right, little girl," the blonde sneered. "Though staying alive might not be much better for you."
Ignoring the taunt, Natsu knelt and turned Shoyo over.
"If you need him alive, help him. If he dies, you'll lose your prize, won't you?"
"Ha, are you hoping for our kindness?"
The blonde poked at Shoyo's wound, feigning pity. "What a shame. He's hurt too badly for us to help."
"Don't touch him!"
Natsu drew a kunai and lunged at the blonde's face, only for her wrist to be caught effortlessly.
"You're too weak to hurt anyone," the woman mocked, standing and tossing Natsu against a tree.
"Behave yourself!"
Crack.
The sound of bones breaking echoed as Natsu spat out blood and collapsed to the ground.
The blonde placed a foot on Shoyo, glaring down at Natsu. "Disobey me again, and I won't hesitate to kill him."
"You…"
Tears of frustration filled Natsu's pale white eyes as she clawed at the ground.
"Enough playing around," the brown-haired man barked, reaching for Natsu. "Don't damage the merchandise!"
As his hand closed in, a pulse of chakra surged.
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
A tangible blast of chakra slammed into the man, sending him flying into the blonde, knocking them both down.
Swish!
Two figures appeared beside the siblings.
"I'll handle them," Neji said, taking a Gentle Fist stance. "You take care of their injuries."
"Understood."
Sasuke turned to lift Natsu and place her beside Shoyo.
"It's Neji?" Natsu asked, staring dazedly at the figure before them.
"It's him," Sasuke confirmed, frowning as he examined their injuries. "Leave it to him."
"Please," Natsu suddenly grasped Sasuke's wrist. "Save my brother!"
"I will."
Sasuke gently freed his wrist and began treating Shoyo with supplies from his pouch.
On the other side, the three rogue ninjas regrouped, glaring at Neji.
"Another Hyuga?" the purple-haired man sneered. "Our luck really is great today."
"It seems you've been targeting the Hyuga Clan," Neji said, his Byakugan activated. "But luck is not on your side."
"What did you say?" the brown-haired man growled, recalling the force of Neji's attack.
"Come on, brat," the blonde said, forming hand signs. "Let's see what you've got."
"Idiot," Neji said coldly as gray markings appeared on his face, and chakra flared from his fingertips, sharp as blades.