CHIDORI OR A THOUSAND BIRDS

_RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAVERN_

The air on this side of the cavern hung heavy with grief. Tears flowed freely. Naruto, his face a mask of furious pain and crushing guilt, repeatedly punched the unmoving, rough surface of the newly fallen boulder.

Thud! Thud! His bare knuckles scraped and tore against the stone, blood quickly beginning to stain the grey rock, but he didn't even seem to notice the pain. He just kept hitting, gritting his teeth, his entire body shaking with rage and sorrow.

Sakura was sobbing uncontrollably, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders trembling. Ino knelt beside her, tears streaming down her own face, trying to offer a small, helpless comfort.

Lee stood a little apart, his eyes shining with unshed tears, his lips pressed into a tight, grim line, silently watching Naruto's violent outburst. Everyone was crying. The sheer, overwhelming sadness was a physical weight in the air.

Just then, Tenten came over. She slowly bent down and put a hand on Neji's shoulder. Neji was still sitting on the ground, his body shaking with silent sobs, consumed by his guilt.

"Neji..." Tenten's voice was low, surprisingly steady amidst the chaos. "I'm feeling truly sorry for how Hinata ended up in there, in the end. Truly."

She paused, her gaze flicking towards the monstrous boulder. "But you are the most sensible and responsible person here right now. We should just think about how we survive this. So we don't end up like them."

The words were like ice.

Neji's head snapped up. His eyes, still glistening with tears, were suddenly blazing with a cold fury. His hand shot out, grabbing a handful of Tenten's clothes, right by her collar. He pulled hard, surprising her.

Before Tenten could even react, Sakura, who had been listening in horrified disbelief, launched herself forward. Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, were wide with a fierce, protective anger.

She grabbed Tenten's shoulder, spun her around with a strength born of pure emotion, and then, with a sharp, furious twist of her fingers, she punched her hard.

Tenten cried out, losing her balance, and fell backward onto the ground with a soft thud.

Naruto, who had kept his head down, punching the boulder, snapped his head up at the commotion. His eyes, still blazing with his own pain and rage, landed on Tenten. "Hey...!" he shouted, taking a step forward.

Sakura, tears still streaming down her face, her voice rising in a desperate wail, didn't take her eyes off Tenten. She spoke, "Tenten! Don't you have any heart?! We're sad here because our comrades... Sasuke-kun... they... they are not with us anymore!..."

As she spoke, her strength seemed to leave her and she continued, "....And you are saying that we should only care for the ones who are still alive?!" Her voice broke, a raw, heartbreaking sound of utter despair.

And she slowly, gradually, sank to the ground, her body slumping into a helpless heap.

Tenten, looking stunned for a moment, slowly pushed herself up from the ground. Her own feeling of anger at Sakura's words and actions, suddenly boiled over. Her hand shot out, fast and hard, grabbing Sakura's hair, pulling her head up roughly from where she slumped.

Then, with a loud, sharp crack, Tenten's hand landed on Sakura's cheek, leaving a bright red mark. The sound echoed in the sudden, shocked silence.

"Hey!!!" Naruto shouted, his rage exploding. He charged forward, his body fueled by pure protectiveness for Sakura. With a powerful shove, he pushed Tenten hard. She stumbled backward, landing on the ground again with another muffled thud.

Naruto, Lee, and Ino quickly rushed to Sakura's side. Sakura, clutching her cheek, fresh tears bursting from her eyes, just continued to sob, her body trembling.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Ino shrieked at Tenten, her voice filled with disbelief and fury.

Lee, his eyes still shining with tears, pointed at Sakura. "Tenten! Didn't you see Sakura-san's wounds?! How could you hurt her so badly?!"

Naruto glared down at Tenten, his face twisted in a snarl. "Listen to me, Tenten," he growled, his voice low and dangerous. "I'll hit you for real if you dare raise another hand on Sakura-chan!"

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing shout cut through the arguments, the sobs, and the anger.

"QUIET, EVERYONE!" Neji's voice, though strained, commanded attention.

He slowly pushed himself up, his eyes now blazing with a desperate, new kind of light. "Let me concentrate! If by the least spark of hope... maybe Hinata-sama and Sasuke could still be alive!"

The chaotic arguments and heartbroken cries instantly died down. Every single head whipped around, their eyes fixed on Neji, who stood breathing heavily, his face pale but determined.

Naruto's head snapped up. A desperate spark of hope ignited in his eyes, cutting through his grief. He rushed to Neji, his voice urgent. "Oh yeah... Neji! You have the Byakugan! Use it! I'm sure you'd be able to see their chakra!"

He grabbed Neji's shoulders, his hands trembling slightly, pouring all his desperate hope into his friend.

Neji nodded, a grim line to his mouth. Everyone around them became quiet, holding their breath, their eyes wide with a fragile hope.

Neji's eyes squeezed shut for a moment, then snapped open again. Dark veins bulged around his temples, stretching to his eyes, as the Byakugan flared to life, piercing through the thick dust and the massive boulder. He focused, pushing his vision.

His voice, strained with effort, broke the silence. "I... I see two faint chakra signatures..." A flicker of relief, so strong it almost made him gasp, crossed his face. "This can only mean that the people are unconscious! That means... they are unconscious, but not dead!"

A collective gasp of relief swept through the group. Sakura buried her face in Ino's shoulder, silent sobs of joy shaking her. Naruto let out a choked cry, tears of relief now mixing with the grime on his cheeks. Lee's shoulders slumped as if a huge weight had been lifted. Faces that had been twisted in grief now lit up with a fragile, amazing hope.

Neji, however, kept his Byakugan active, pushing it further. His brow furrowed in concentration. "But..." he continued, his voice now laced with confusion and a new kind of worry. "I also sense a chakra which is... normal. It's strong and active... That means that person is not unconscious."

Suddenly, a sharp, blinding pain shot through Neji's eyes. It was like needles pricking behind his eyeballs, throbbing with intense pressure. He cried out, a sharp gasp of pain, and instantly deactivated his Byakugan, clutching his hands over his eyes, his body doubling over.

"Neji! Are you alright?!" Lee rushed forward, his concern clear, his hand reaching out to support him.

Neji slowly straightened up, still holding his eyes. His voice was strained, filled with a mix of pain and frustration. "Looks like... that is my limit for now." He slowly dropped his hands, blinking rapidly, his vision still blurry. He then turned his head, looking directly at Naruto, his gaze serious. "Now... you figure out... who is conscious and who is not..."

On the other side of the massive boulder, Naruto's mind raced, fueled by Neji's words and a desperate, surging hope. 'Sasuke and Hinata were at the front... that means the only one who has the least chance of getting hurt by the falling rock is...'

His eyes widened in a sudden realization.

"MINI SASUKEEEEE!!!" Naruto screamed, his voice raw, echoing against the new rock wall. "MINI SASUKEEEEE!!!"

On the other side of the dust-filled cavern, Mini Sasuke, still sobbing quietly, flinched at the muffled, distant shouts. He strained his ears. 'Mini Sasuke...? No way. Who could be calling a useless boy like me?' he thought, his small heart clenching with self-doubt.

Then he heard it again, louder this time, piercing through the silence and dust:

"MINI SASUKEEE!!!"

A flicker of recognition sparked in his tear-filled eyes. 'Naruto!'

With newfound energy, Mini Sasuke quickly scrambled to his feet. He stumbled towards the looming silhouette of the boulder, his small voice cracking as he shouted with all his might. "NARUTOOO!! NARUTOOOO!! I am alive!" His voice was thin, but filled with a desperate, defiant hope.

Naruto, on the other side, heard the faint but clear response. His face exploded with relief, tears streaming freely. "He is responding!" he yelled to the others, a wild, joyful sob escaping him.

"MINI SASUKE! WAKE SASUKEEEE!! WAKE SASUKEEEE!!" Naruto's voice boomed, sending his urgent command across the stony divide.

Mini Sasuke, standing by the boulder, heard Naruto's desperate shouts. 'He is talking about Sasuke,' he realized, his brow furrowing slightly in thought. 'And if he calls me Mini Sasuke, then he is referring to my older self.'

The confusion was quickly overshadowed by the urgency in Naruto's voice.

He quickly stumbled back towards where Sasuke laid unconscious. He knelt beside him, his small hands gently reaching out. With trembling fingers, he lightly slapped Sasuke's dusty cheek.

"Sasuke... Sasuke..." he whispered, his voice thin with fear and desperation. "Wake up. Wake up, Sasuke, you need to wake up. You are not dead!"

He waited, holding his breath. Sasuke didn't stir.

'Oh no... he is not waking up!' a fresh wave of panic washed over Mini Sasuke.

From the other side, the shouts came again, muffled but clear: "Mini Sasuke! Wake Sasuke! Wake Sasuke!"

Mini Sasuke looked towards the boulder, his small voice rising in frustration. "Yeah! I am trying to do that only, but he is not waking up!"

His gaze flicked to Hinata, who was still motionless. He moved towards her, a new tremor of fear running through him. He gently pushed her shoulder. "Nee-san... Nee-san. Hinata... Hinata, wake up. Wake up." His voice was softer, more pleading, but still met with silence.

Tears welled up in Mini Sasuke's eyes again, spilling down his dust-streaked face. He looked back at Sasuke, his fear slowly turning into a confused, desperate anger. With a raw sob, he rested his head hard on Sasuke's chest, his small body shaking. He started to cry, angry, desperate tears.

Then, he looked up, his face contorted with a child's raw fury and despair. He raised his hand and slapped Sasuke hard on the cheek.

"I am telling you to wake up... why aren't you waking up?!" he screamed, his voice cracking with emotion. His tears splattered onto Sasuke's still face. "You have to wake up! You have to move, I am begging you! If you don't, we'll all be killed!"

He kept crying, his small body heaving with sobs. "I hate you... I hate you!" he wailed, pounding a tiny fist on Sasuke's chest. "How you behaved superior to me, never giving me importance... I hate all that! Get up! How dare you act like you are dead?! I know you are alive!" He screamed, pure rage and terror in his voice, "Get up, you worthless piece of trash!"

He again slapped Sasuke hard, this time very hard. The sound echoed in the small space. He cried, his voice breaking, "Why are you doing this, Kami-sama?! Why?!"

Mini Sasuke glared at Sasuke, his small hand raised, ready to aim another furious slap. But this time, before his hand could slap his older self, it was caught firmly by someone's hand. A hand that was cold and strong.

Mini Sasuke froze, his eyes wide with shock. He slowly looked up, his gaze traveling up the arm to Sasuke's face. His older self's eyes were open, glaring at him with a fierce intensity.

"I dare you to slap me again," Sasuke's voice cut through the air, low and sharp.

For a moment, Mini Sasuke just stared, his mind unable to process it. Then, a huge, choking sob burst from his chest – not of sadness, but of overwhelming, pure relief. He threw himself onto Sasuke, burying his face in his chest, clutching him tightly, crying harder than he had all day.

"Sasuke... sorry... sorry," he mumbled into his older self's clothes, his voice muffled by tears. He pulled back, wiping his eyes with his dusty hands, trying to clear his vision. "I didn't... I didn't mean it intentionally..." A tiny, teary laugh, almost a hiccup, escaped him. His eyes, still full of tears, squeezed shut for a moment in pure, desperate joy, before opening again, looking directly at Sasuke. "It's just that you weren't waking up."

The tears still streaming down his face, Mini Sasuke clung to him, pressing himself tightly against Sasuke's chest. Sasuke, with a low groan, slowly, painstakingly, pushed himself up from the ground.

Every muscle ached, and a sharp pain flared in his twisted ankle, but he ignored it, his eyes blinking, trying to clear the dust and grogginess from his vision. He carefully sat upright, a frown etched on his face.

Mini Sasuke, however, didn't let go. He just hugged tighter, still shaking with sobs of overwhelming relief.

Sasuke looked down at the smaller boy, his voice a low, rough murmur, carrying a hint of his usual Uchiha coolness, but also a slight weariness. "Don't think that if you show me your affection, I'll forgive you for your slaps."

Mini Sasuke pulled his head back just enough to look up at Sasuke, his face streaked with tears and grime. A fresh wave of sobs shook his small body, but his voice was firm, filled with genuine, fierce happiness.

"Idiot! I am happy that you survived!" He didn't loosen his grip for a second, still clutching onto Sasuke as if his life depended on it.

Sasuke sighed, a small huff of air through his nose.

He carefully tried to shift, looking around the dusty cavern. "And why are you so much happy at survival...?" he muttered, referring to Mini Sasuke's frantic efforts and desperate cries. "So that I could save you."

His voice held a subtle note of fullness. Mini Sasuke finally pulled away from the hug, letting go of Sasuke's shirt. He looked up at his older self, his tear-filled eyes wide, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Did you wake up from depression or something," he asked, a hint of childish annoyance in his voice, "that you are talking like this?"

Sasuke, still sitting on the ground, let out a soft groan. He tried to shift his weight, a wince crossing his face. "Okay," he said, his voice a little strained. "Now move a little away. I have to get my leg out."

Mini Sasuke immediately, without question, scrambled away from him. His eyes, still red-rimmed but now filled with a new focus, quickly scanned the ground around Sasuke, trying to see where his leg might be caught.

He moved towards the monstrous boulder, peering closely into the dusty shadows.

Then he spotted it. Sasuke's right leg was twisted at an awkward angle, and his foot – the very end of his foot – was wedged tightly beneath a jagged, sharp edge of the massive boulder.

It looked painfully pinned. Sasuke, grimacing, carefully planted his hands on the ground beside him. He took a deep breath, his muscles tensing, and began to put effort into pulling his trapped leg free.

_RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAVERN_

On the other side of the massive, unmoving boulder, Naruto sat on the ground, leaning back against the cold rock, his head in his hands.

He said to himself, his voice heavy with anxiety. "Why isn't he responding anymore? Mini Sasuke... answer me!"

Lee, standing nearby, his eyes still filled with a quiet sadness, tried to offer a small piece of hope. "Maybe he's trying to wake Sasuke-kun or Hinata-san, either of them."

Naruto lifted his head, a flicker of that hope returning. "Yeah... could be," he murmured, clinging to the thought. He took a deep breath, trying to push away the fear. 'Think positive, Naruto. Everything would be alright. It has to be.'

Suddenly, Ino's eyes widened. She leaned forward slightly, her brow furrowed. "What is that sound?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Karin, who had been standing a little behind Ino and Sakura, clutching her arm, suddenly stiffened. Her eyes snapped open, a look of intense concentration, then horror, spreading across her face. "Everyone... umm..." Her voice trailed off, a strange tremor in it.

Everyone turned to look at Karin. Tenten was still sitting by herself in a far corner, arms wrapped around her knees, lost in her own thoughts.

Ino and Sakura were closer, Ino still gently trying to heal Sakura's slapped cheek, both of them sitting on the ground. Naruto and Lee were standing closest to the boulder, their bodies slumped with exhaustion and worry.

Neji was still sitting, quietly watching the rock. Karin was standing behind Ino and Sakura, her eyes now wide with a terrifying realization.

"Someone on the other side is infusing a great amount of chakra!" Karin burst out, her voice loud and frantic, pointing a trembling finger at the boulder. Her face was pale.

Lee, confused, asked, "How do you know it?"

Naruto's eyes, still fixed on Karin, suddenly went wide. A jolt of chilling understanding shot through him. He knew that kind of sound which Ino talked about.

"Everyone! Hurry up! Move towards the corner... towards the backer side!" he yelled, his voice laced with a newfound urgency.

He immediately grabbed Neji, helping him stand up, and dragged him quickly towards the farthest corner of the cavern.

Neji, still disoriented, stumbled along. "What's the matter?!" he asked, trying to keep his balance.

"Hear it!" Naruto urged, pushing Neji further into the corner.

And then, it began. A high-pitched, piercing scream ripped through the air, seeming to come from inside the boulder itself. It wasn't a human scream, but a terrifying sound, like a sound originated from a thousand birds, combined with the sharp, raw crackle of lightning tearing through the sky.

It grew louder, more intense, a vibrating hum that made the teeth ache and the hair stand on end. It was the sound of raw, focused power, building to an unbearable pitch.

And then, with a final, earth-shattering CRACK! that dwarfed the previous boom, the massive boulder that had separated them exploded. Light, blinding and electric blue, erupted from the center of the rock, followed by a violent shower of shattered stone, dust, and debris.

Through the collapsing, crumbling barrier, a figure burst forward, moving with impossible speed and held a terrifying streak of blue lightning in his hand.

The figure came running towards the side of the cavern, a furious, triumphant shout tearing from his lungs.

"CHIDORI!!!"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Chapter 17 hit us with a powerful, emotional storm, didn't it? ⛈️ After the agonizing suspense of the previous chapter, we plunged into raw grief and desperate chaos on one side of that massive rock. 💔 Watching Naruto's fury, Sakura's despair, and Neji's crushing guilt was truly heart-wrenching. 😭

But the emotional core truly ignited with Mini Sasuke. His quiet sobs turned to a furious, desperate rage, culminating in that unexpected slap that broke through the stillness. 💥 It was a child's raw, overwhelming emotion, a catalyst for something profound. 🥹

And then, the explosion! ⚡ The piercing scream, the blinding light, and the way someone tore through that boulder with an iconic technique... it was a defiant burst of hope cutting through the darkness. 💪

Who was it that emerged from the shattering rock, bathed in electric blue? The mystery of their survival and identity deepens everything. 🤫

This isn't just about breaking a physical barrier; it's about facing an entirely new, altered world. 🌍❓ The events of this chapter will resonate deeply as they step into an unknown future.

📜 TEASER FOR NEXT CHAPTER:

The rock has shattered, but the cavern holds more secrets. 🤫

What force stirs within, as the shadows dance and flicker? ✨

A way out emerges, where none was before—

But into what new place will they truly step ashore? 🌌🚪

🔍 SNEEK PEEK LINE

"Lee wake up... wake up. See what is here."

" We found this man from the new way which is formed in the cavern."

TALK TO ME! 🤯

Alright, shinobi, deep breaths! 🌬️ Did Chapter 17 just punch you in the feels harder than a Hundred Healings Jutsu? 🥊 From the raw emotional chaos on one side of that boulder 💔 to Mini Sasuke's absolutely epic method of persuasion 💥... this chapter was a rollercoaster! 🎢

Seriously, that moment when Mini Sasuke went from sobbing to unleashing his inner Uchiha fury? 😤 My jaw was on the floor! 😮 And then, the explosion of that iconic jutsu! ✨ Who do you think came bursting through that rock, bathed in electric blue? 🤔 Give me your wildest guesses!

What part of this chapter left you gasping? 👇 Let's break down all the feels, theories, and maybe even a few "Shannaro!" moments together! Your thoughts are always the best! 💖

—With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,

Sakura Shinomiya 💫

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