Third Person POV
Team 7 moved through the forest slower than when they had left the village. Not by choice, but out of necessity. The boys knew Amaya's injuries were serious, so they didn't want to push her further.
Since they were traveling in the middle of the night, Shisui used one of his summoning crows to guide them and also figure out exactly where they were which led them to discover they were near the border of the Land of Fire.
The crow flew ahead of the trio, above them, indicating the right direction until they could get their bearings to return to Konoha. In the near darkness, it was impossible to see the animal, but as its summoner, Shisui could sense where the crow was.
The three kept silent as they moved, and of them, Amaya was the most restless, though she showed nothing compared to how she had been in the laboratory.
The redhead had to stop running when a coughing fit hit her and she felt the metallic taste accumulating in her throat. At the same moment, the two boys stopped and moved closer to her.
Amaya had only two seconds to react to what she heard, amidst Kakashi and Shisui's questions about whether she wanted to stop for a bit to recover.
The sound of metal quickly cutting through the air and coming towards them could only be heard by her, thanks to her enhanced hearing, just like her senses which had been paying attention to the environment since they left the lab.
She slammed her hands against each of the boys, pushing them away from her and making them fall from the branch they had been on, thus dodging the ninja weapon coming their way.
And to save herself, she concentrated chakra on the soles of her feet to keep her in place and bent her body backward, noticing a fuuma shuriken passing inches from her.
The group of Ne Anbu sent by Danzo had found them.
And thanks to the darkness of the night, Amaya hadn't noticed the very fine threads controlling the weapon. It had barely passed over the girl when the shuriken returned towards her, opening a large wound on her right arm, purposely.
The right arm was the Uzumaki's dominant one, and with the injury that had been inflicted on it, any jutsu or even wielding her wakizashi would require more time than the hunter Anbu would allow her to react with.
The Anbu had priority orders to neutralize her as quickly as possible, without killing her. They were also to act without being seen by the Uchiha, since his Sharingan could trap them in a genjutsu without them noticing.
They were also to recover the scrolls in which the redhead had sealed the body of the Stone Village shinobi, used by Orochimaru, as well as the documents the team had collected in the laboratory.
And as a "courtesy," the Anbu had the freedom to choose what to do with the two boys, as long as they killed them in the end.
Amaya knelt on the trunk where she was, holding the wound on her arm which was already causing her blood to wash over her arm under her cloak. I was right..., she thought. They had all this time to prepare yet another trap to catch me, exactly now when I'm most vulnerable...
Again the cough hit her and the girl felt her body giving signs that her condition was worsening, whether from the blood with the cough, her broken ribs, or the newly acquired wound on her arm.
– Wind Style: Rupture! – One of the Anbu charged at the Uzumaki.
In her condition, she wouldn't be able to escape that jutsu in time.
– Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu! – Shisui's voice rang out loud and the great concentration of flames blocked, and then neutralized, the previous Anbu's jutsu.
The Uchiha stopped further ahead of his sister, to protect her from enemy attacks, his Sharingan already active. At the same moment, the redhead felt someone place a hand behind her back, and another under her legs, lifting her from the branch where she was standing.
Kakashi took her in his arms and started running with her away from where Shisui was trying to hold back the adversaries' attacks. He was buying time for Hatake to get the redhead out of there, since both knew how injured she was and that they were clearly focusing on her.
When the platinum-haired boy thought they had reached a safe distance, he stopped with Amaya on one of the high tree branches and made a gesture for her to remain silent.
He turned his eyes, now accustomed to the night's darkness, to the blood staining the Uzumaki's cloak. He lifted the fabric, seeing the deep wound made.
Amaya went to use her medical ninjutsu to quickly treat that wound, but Hatake refused immediately. And soon the redhead understood why: Since her chakra was very strong, if she used it, the enemies would quickly locate them.
Kakashi cut a strip from his own cloak and wrapped it over the Uzumaki's wound. Before tightening it, he looked at her, warning her he would do it. She just nodded and he tightened the fabric firmly to stanch the bleeding as much as possible. The girl limited herself to a slight grimace at the uncomfortable pain at the moment and then sighed very softly.
The sound of some leaves being hit by someone running became present in the environment and the two went on alert. Hatake drew his tantō and stopped further in front of Amaya, to keep her protected behind him.
However, the Uzumaki placed her left hand on Kakashi's shoulder, signaling him not to worry. She knew it was Shisui coming at that moment.
Thanks to the Uchiha's Teleportation Jutsu, he was able to get away from the enemies while momentarily leaving a Shadow Clone to hold them off. With that, Shisui could reunite with his teammates.
The three remained in total silence for a few seconds, paying attention to their surroundings, trying to find out where the enemy might come from or even where they were. And everyone was bothered by that complete stillness that filled the environment.
The Uchiha noticed a slight fluctuation in his chakra when the information received and experienced by his clone reached him as it was destroyed.
– How many did you manage to notice? – Hatake was the first to speak, extremely quietly, to Shisui.
– Thirteen, until my clone disappeared – The Uchiha replied in the same volume of voice.
– There are at least sixteen – Amaya corrected them, her voice slightly tired, and both looked at her – And there are probably more that I didn't sense at the time.
– I think we could handle them all – Kakashi commented – But we're at a disadvantage now, both because of the terrain and our physical condition – Shisui agreed.
– And enemy knowledge – The redhead uttered, her eyes still attentive around them – They know our abilities very well – She looked at them – Possibly hitting my right arm was to leave me partially powerless in combat – The Uzumaki looked at her brother – They also didn't fight up close because they must know about the Sharingan and its properties – She turned to Hatake next – Just as they opted for the Wind Style, because it's strong against your chakra nature.
The two boys knew that Amaya's comments were speculations, but given the redhead's precision in her theories, she was probably right.
– How can we fight enemies like that? – The Uchiha questioned quietly, slightly annoyed by it.
– It's clear their target is Amaya – Kakashi pointed out – The best thing would be to keep her out of their reach.
– But to do that, someone would have to delay them, which would probably lead to the death of whoever stayed behind – Shisui exposed and stared at the platinum-haired boy – And even if the one who stays behind manages to delay the enemies, we have no guarantee that the others will be able to escape them...
Unlike the two who were discussing the most rational plan choice to deal with the situation they were in, Amaya's mind forced her to ponder other options where she wouldn't need to leave either of them behind for her to be saved.
– Formation 13... – The redhead suggested, making them quickly look at her.
– What?! – They asked in unison, not out of confusion, but disbelief.
When the three were still genins and under Shikaku's tutelage, the jounin had instructed them to choose the formations in which they worked best together and which they could resort to in the most varied combat situations.
Formation 13 was the offensive type, where the three team members acted together.
The main focus of that formation was to deal with many enemies at once, forcing them to separate so that a single team member could go eliminating those adversaries who were distanced from their large group.
Normally Kakashi and Shisui were the ones who played the role of distracting the enemies while separating them, and Amaya was responsible for dealing with those alone.
However, in the current situation, the redhead wasn't in condition to do that, much less take the place of either boy to hold the enemy so one of the two could eliminate them.
At least that's what was going through the Uchiha and Hatake's minds at that moment.
– Amaya, you know we can't do that – Kakashi quickly contested, but still in a low tone – Not at this moment.
– Although I hate to say it, but the scarecrow guy is right – It was Shisui's turn to speak – That formation would be our best option now, but we don't have...
– We can do it – Amaya interrupted him – But not in the way we always used it – Although the boys weren't entirely sure about that idea, they nodded for her to continue – Give me your tantōs – And again the expression of confusion was present on the two's faces.
However, they did it.
Both unsheathed their swords and extended them towards the redhead, who held the hilt of each of the weapons for a moment, marking them with her seal, used both for the Hiraishin and for her more advanced sealing techniques, storing a spark of her own chakra in the markings.
And the Uzumaki quickly explained to them what they would do then:
They would perform the formation in the way they were accustomed to, with Shisui and Kakashi dealing with the enemies and separating them, and the redhead herself advancing towards them to eliminate them.
The big catch was that she would use the markings on the boys' weapons to teleport to each one, taking them with her to the adversary to be eliminated. With that, the one she teleported would end up taking on the function that normally belonged to the Uzumaki.
It was a simple change, full of variables that could make it go wrong, leading the three into a combat where they would certainly lose... But it was a better option than spontaneously sentencing one of them to death for an attempt by the other two to escape, which wasn't even guaranteed.
– I'll also act as support for you two during the entire fight – Amaya continued after the explanation – Even if I can't fight directly, I can cover you – The two nodded.
And at that same moment, the three became aware, each in their own way, of the presence of the enemies – Amaya through her hearing, Kakashi through his sense of smell, and Shisui through his vision.
The brothers would keep their Sharingans active; the Uchiha to deal more easily with the enemy attacks against himself, as well as to spare Amaya from having to support him.
The redhead would assess the situation on the battlefield they were on, adapting the situation to even the smallest adversity that arose thanks to her quick thinking and decision-making.
Hatake also didn't waste time preparing. Although the falling rain hampered his keen sense of smell a bit, he could still recognize the location of a good part of the adversaries who were beginning to surround them.
(The battlefield at that moment seemed like a large chessboard, with its game already in development. Just like in shogi, a checkered board was what delimited where the 32 pieces could move. White and black pieces, 16 on each side, for each of the players)
And a simple nod from Amaya was enough for the three to quickly advance, from the branch they were on until then, towards the first of the enemies.
It was almost a suicidal move to charge at an adversary like that, but given the fact that the enemies were acting against them from a distance, it was up to the three to go to them to eliminate them.
(One of the basic rules for a chess player is to know that the player with the white pieces will always start the moves)
And being a speed team gave them the advantage for the first move.
(Among the 16 pieces that each chess player has at their disposal, 08 of these are called pawns. They are pieces that could be categorized as the simplest and most "dispensable" in the game. They can only move two squares on their first move and then have to proceed one by one, only forward. And for them to capture the opponent's pieces, only if they are on their diagonal, forward pawns cannot move backward like the other pieces in chess. Normally they are the first to be taken by the opponent in a match)
Three Anbu were in the direction the younger trio had advanced, and the enemies joined forces to deal with them. It wasn't difficult, much less time-consuming, to separate them. Their deaths were quick, especially since the other Anbu wouldn't let the young ones have much idle time.
(Among the remaining 08 pieces available to be played, there are two rooks. Both are found at the ends of the board, on the last row. These pieces can move as many squares as they want, as well as go and come back across the board. But with one condition: This movement must only be horizontal or vertical)
Thanks to his Sharingan, Shisui had the vision most suited for that combat. He took the lead in the battle most of the time, but without failing to match Hatake, as well as giving support to his own sister.
(On that battlefield, Shisui Uchiha could be considered the rook of the board)
Some of the adversaries were quickly eliminated, with minimal damage to the former Team 7. The Uzumaki's plan was running as well as possible until then.
(Just like the rook, a pair of knights is available to the player. These are placed between the rook and the bishop. This piece is, many times, extremely useful in a match, given its particular movement in an "L" shape, two squares forward, plus one to the right/left or even one square forward, plus two to the right/left. But it is also a piece easily lost if advanced alone into the opponent's territory)
The Ne Anbu soon assumed a more violent posture in combat. Some wanted to "have fun" with the two boys before killing them, but upon noticing both's ability to eliminate their companions, they understood they had no time to waste.
Their mission was the priority.
And soon Team 7 began to notice the change in their adversaries' combat posture, even though they continued to try to attack them from hidden positions to avoid being caught by Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan.
(The bishop is a piece with a role almost as versatile as the rook since, like it, this piece can move freely across the board, going and coming. But like the rook, with its own limitation: Moving only diagonally)
Hatake might not have the same precise vision as the siblings, thanks to their Sharingan, but he could locate all nearby enemies and determine their positions by their "scents."
It wasn't by the odor of any of the adversaries, but by their own blood and that of their teammates which they left on the enemies' blades by allowing themselves to be minimally hit for this tracking.
(On that battlefield, Kakashi Hatake could be considered the bishop of the board)
The number of adversaries continued to decrease, even if very slowly. And this was beginning to disturb the inner security the enemy had from having, until then, the numerical advantage.
(In the central squares of the last row of the chessboard, for each of the players there are the same two pieces, positioned mirrored to each other: A queen and a king)
The Anbu soon understood part of the logic of Team 7's formation and decided to use the same idea: Separate the three. And, just as it had been with the youngsters initially, it wasn't long before this worked in favor of the Ne Anbu.
(The queen is considered, after the king, as the most important piece in a game of chess. Like the rook and the bishop, it can move freely across the board, whether going or coming and being able to use any type of movement horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)
Amaya was the target aimed at to be kept away from the group, and some earthen walls immediately surrounded her, trapping her. Or at least that's what the Anbu thought before the redhead appeared near her companions in the blink of an eye.
(Normally the role of the queen would be attributed to Uzumaki, since she is the great centralizer and coordinator of all movements, as well as the protection of the team's objective. But at that moment the 'queen' couldn't perform her role, which is why she was fitting into another piece...)
The redhead followed the intense movement of that combat, both for the safety and support of her teammates, and for the study of the enemy's patterns and objectives.
(And finally the king, the most important piece in the game and the objective of elimination by the players. The first to capture the enemy king wins the match. The king, like the queen, can move in any direction – horizontal, diagonal, or vertical – however, with the difference that this piece only advances one square at a time)
Two adversaries tried to attack Shisui at the same time and the redhead quickly formed hand seals with her left hand, raising two earthen walls between them and her brother, to give the Uchiha time to react.
Kakashi was who she turned her attention to next, hearing the clashing of blades – her hearing was her advantage amid the vision limitation at that moment. The adversary – whom she deduced was a man due to his physical build landed a kick against the boy's chest, making him fall backward.
A direct blow was dealt to kill Hatake without giving him a chance to react. The blade of the man's sword hit exactly where the platinum-haired boy was, but hitting nothing but the muddy ground.
Milliseconds earlier, the redhead had teleported to Hatake thanks to the seal engraved on his tantō's hilt and pulled him aside to avoid the enemy's certain blow.
Without missing her chance, even with her body warning her of her exhaustion and fatigue, she threw a kunai towards the man, who didn't even need to exert effort to dodge.
But having dodged the girl's kunai was his end, which he only understood when she disappeared before him and a piercing pain hit him from behind, at chest height.
A sure blow from the blade of a wakizashi.
Although her right arm was her dominant one, Amaya had also trained and used swords with her left hand, both in the village and in the laboratory. She wasn't completely incapable.
(On that battlefield, Amaya Uzumaki could be considered the king of the board)
She might not fight as she would like, much less be in the best physical condition to keep herself and her companions safe, but the redhead had the determination not to surrender.
Never again.
(With each passing minute, that chess match became more intense. Although the opponent had more pieces at their disposal, Team 7 had already eliminated a good part of them. But the three were still at a disadvantage: There was only one rook and one bishop to protect the king. It was all they had available to try to win the game)
The redhead threw some of her kunais to her brother, these being marked with her seal. Since the adversaries still tried to keep the combat at a distance, Amaya knew she would have to take one of the boys to the enemy.
(The only movement strategy available for those pieces was to work together and attack as one)
Amaya assumed a defensive posture towards Hatake, giving him time to prepare his jutsu which would be combined with her movement.
Shisui, using his Sharingan, could locate a good part of the remnants attacking them. He threw the kunais marked by his sister as close as possible to each one he could.
– One o'clock! – The Uchiha warned the redhead of the nearest enemy's location.
At that same instant, the girl appeared near the adversary, quickly advancing towards him. But before reaching the man, she used the chakra she had stored in the seal on Hatake's tantō to bring him to her place.
The boy's arm pierced the enemy's chest, with his chakra concentrated in his hand still producing the high chirping sound similar to that of dozens of birds.
(However, in chess, if your opponent has more pieces than you, the most sensible move to win is to corner the enemy king, putting it in check and leaving the player distressed so they become careless)
Shisui continued to guide the Uzumaki on where to take Hatake with her to the enemies, but the girl's physical exhaustion was rapidly intensifying. In one of the last teleports she made, after sending Kakashi, her chest seemed to be on fire and blood soon rose up her throat.
Taking advantage of this moment of "vulnerability" and the redhead's minimal distance from her companions, one of the Anbu quickly advanced towards her, snatching her pouch – which was where her scrolls were.
The man quickly moved away, leaving that battlefield behind, his objective of recovering the scrolls had been achieved while another of his colleagues approached the redhead.
Both boys noticed that situation, whether due to Amaya's poor condition or the enemy advancing towards her. But neither of them could do anything, because the Anbu were "holding them back" to give the colleague time to capture the Uzumaki and with the little chakra they had left, most of their jutsus were limited.
Amaya noticed the man's quick approach towards her, but her body was at its limit for her to react in time. He pinned her right arm against her stomach, lifting her off the ground and taking her with him as he ran.
The air left the Uzumaki's lungs for a moment: He had hit right at the height of her lower ribs, precisely the ones that were broken. And although the redhead felt less pain, it was still something maddening.
– AMAYA! – Both boys called out to her, in total despair.
The situation for the three had spiraled out of control and they were out of options.
Even knowing she was at her limit, Amaya couldn't accept letting the situation end like that. She had decided never to surrender again.
(When a player remains with only the king under their control in a match, there is a rule that can still save them and declare the game a draw: managing to perform 50 moves)
Fighting against all the pain she felt and using her only good hand, she concentrated a little of her remaining chakra and released an electric discharge at the shoulder of the enemy carrying her, numbing his muscles.
At that same moment, the girl fell to the ground, dropping like a rag doll without even being able to protect herself from the impact with the soil.
(However, there are very few cases where a player manages to complete all the moves – checkmate ends up coming before the count can be finished)
Her head hurt and, though she hadn't noticed, she had cut one of her temples from the brusque impact with the ground. Her ears were ringing and her vision was gradually becoming blurrier.
Amaya felt her heart beating heavily in her chest, her breathing was still accelerated from the combat she was waging with her teammates, and her adrenaline levels were through the roof.
She tried to drag herself along the ground where she had fallen, but her body truly no longer responded. It was like being buried alive while watching it all without being able to act against it.
The Anbu whose right arm muscles she had numbed turned her over on the ground and lifted her, leaving her suspended while holding her by the neck. Everything seemed, in that second, to last an eternity before the girl's eyes.
And she pondered that, perhaps, this was the end of the line for her.
(Ah, I almost forgot a very important detail about a chess match and the functionality of its pieces: Although pawns may seem like the most unnecessary and disposable pieces in the game, they are the only ones with the ability to be promoted)
Even with her blurry and almost dissipating vision, the Uzumaki saw when a kunai hit the ground beside the feet of the enemy holding her, and in the same fraction of seconds, a thin, millimeter-wide cut appeared on the man's neck, causing his blood to start flowing down his body.
(If a pawn manages to reach the last row on the side of the board where their opponent started, the player can promote their pawn to any piece that has already been captured or even repeat those already present with the exception of the king)
The pressure the Anbu was applying to the girl's neck dissipated and both plummeted to the ground, however, only the man reached it Amaya was carefully and with total concern caught.
The girl's face was held, making her look at who was holding her, and for the first time in that entire combat situation, the Uzumaki felt truly relieved.
Before her was the tall figure with hair so blonde it was almost like the sun's light, with extremely blue eyes filled with a worry she knew so well: Minato Namikaze.
(So, for example, if you manage to get three pawns to the enemy's last row, you can promote them all to queens)
And the blonde wasn't the only one there. Jiraiya and Tsunade had come with Namikaze to assist the three young ones due to his sudden request for their help and because they knew him, if Minato was asking for support, something important to him was at stake.
The two Sannin went to assist the boys who were still fighting at a disadvantage and soon only one enemy remained alive, whom Shisui had previously managed to control with his Kotoamatsukami.
– Amaya... – Minato's voice was distant to the redhead's ears, but she turned her gaze to him.
– Shisui and Kakashi... – The redhead uttered with extreme difficulty and in a thread of voice.
– They're fine... – The blonde quickly assured her to calm her down – You're safe now...
Along with the two Sannin, the boys approached Minato, who held his daughter in his arms. The two were quickly saying something that the girl's mind and ears couldn't process, only a word or another was understood, but with them she managed to deduce part of the information:
It was about her sickly state and the documents that had been stolen by the enemy.
The blonde's concern upon hearing that Amaya was supposedly dying left his nerves on edge. And knowing that all their effort to get the lab information had been in vain was inconceivable.
With a last effort, the redhead lightly pulled the sleeve of the shirt Namikaze was wearing, immediately gaining his attention. She tried to speak, but her voice was too low to be heard without being extremely close. The blonde then brought his ear closer to her to understand what she was saying.
"The wakizashi..."
It was the only audible thing Namikaze could understand before his daughter lost consciousness.