The training grounds, a clearing once pristine, now a battleground, was bathed in the harsh, silver light of the moon. The air crackled with tension, the silence broken only by the rasp of breath and the clash of steel against bone.
Sasuke, his dark eyes blazing with the crimson of his Sharingan, stood poised, his katana glinting in the night.
Kimimaro, his bone-white hair a stark contrast to the shadows, stood opposite, his bone protrusions gleaming menacingly.
Kin, her pale face a mask of cold determination, moved with a silent, deadly grace.
"You will come with us, Uchiha," Kimimaro stated, his voice a low, chilling rasp.
"Never," Sasuke retorted, his voice sharp and defiant.
Kimimaro lunged, his bone-like spear extending, aimed at Sasuke. Kin followed, her senbon needles flashing like silver darts, coated in a deadly poison.
Sasuke, his Sharingan active, predicted their movements, his katana deflecting Kimimaro's attacks, his body weaving through Kin's strikes.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" Sasuke roared, unleashing a torrent of flames, forcing Kin to evade.
Kimimaro, unfazed, retaliated with a barrage of bone projectiles, his movements fluid and deadly. Sasuke countered with his Chidori-infused katana, the lightning crackling, pushing Kimimaro back.
"Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings," Sasuke whispered, his Sharingan intensifying. Kin and Kimimaro faltered, their senses momentarily disoriented.
Sasuke seized the opportunity, closing the distance to Kimimaro. "Rasengan!" he yelled, the sphere of chakra slamming into Kimimaro's chest.
Kimimaro, staggered, retaliated with a bone spear, piercing Sasuke's side. Kin, recovered, unleashed a flurry of poisoned senbon, several of which found their mark.
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his body burning with the poison. 'I can't let them take me,' he thought, his vision blurring.
The sounds of the fierce battle, the clash of weapons, the roar of flames, echoed through the night, drawing the attention of Konoha's elite.
Three teams of Anbu Black Ops, their masks impassive, descended upon the training grounds, their presence a silent, deadly warning.
"Halt!" the lead Anbu commanded, his voice a low, menacing growl.
Kin, her eyes narrowed, activated her Curse Mark Stage 2, her power surging. Kimimaro, his expression unwavering, prepared for a final stand.
"We must capture him," Kin hissed, her voice laced with urgency.
"Then we will," Kimimaro replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "Kin, take him. I'll create an opening."
Kimimaro, realizing his impending demise, made a desperate decision. "Sawarabi no Mai (Dance of the Seedling Fern)," he declared, his voice a chilling whisper.
The ground erupted, a forest of bone spears rising from the earth, impaling and shredding the Anbu.
Nine Anbu fell, their bodies pierced by the grotesque, deadly growth.
"Orochimaru-sam....'
Kimimaro, his body strained to its limit, collapsed, his life extinguished.
Amidst the chaos, Kin, her eyes fixed on Sasuke, lunged forward, running to capture him. "I will not fail Orochimaru-sama," she hissed, her voice laced with desperation.
Sasuke, his vision fading, retaliated with a shadow clone, the real Sasuke hardly stand, almost falling unconscious from the poison. Kin, realizing the deception, hesitated, then, seeing the remaining Anbu closing in and sensing more coming, she fled into the night.
The surviving Anbu, three remaining, one severely injured, two moderately injured, surrounded the Sasuke.
"Who are they?" the lead Anbu demanded, his voice strained.
"Orochimaru's subordinates," Sasuke whispered, his voice weak. Then he succumbed to the poison and fainted.
The clearing was a scene of devastation, Uchiha clan's surroundings and the training grounds destroyed, the air thick with the stench of blood and death.
More Anbu arrived, their eyes wide with shock. "What happened here?" one of them asked, his voice a low, horrified whisper.