Hello everyone! here's the next part of this thing (after who knows how long.) i kinda got frustrated with it and left for a while. I can't say i'm back but i am posting this with a little note.

On sep. 1, 2020, i will be getting rid of this account. During the next month, all fics associated with it will be slowly moving to AO3 under the name TwicetheTrouble-FFnet-archive. I've just becoming increasingly frustrated with the formatting of this website with the last straw being multiple banner ads showing up in the middle of my fics. (idk how long thats been going on. I just stopped in today to reread some stuff, found that 'beautiful feature' and decided enough was enough.) I'm not sure if i will continue this fic over there or not, but i will at least be editing it some and archiving it over there so that those of you that want to reread, have the ability to.

To those of you that only do , i apologize for the inconvenience but this website is getting to be too much for me. I've had this account for almost 7 years now and any positive memories i've gotten from it, have long since been eclipsed by the negative ones.

thank you for your understanding,

TBL

9/2/2020 UPDATE! I have spent the last day trying to delete this account and have come up short. In light of this, I will be leaving this version of Blindsided here but will no longer be updating/interacting with it. A new, edited version is in the process of being posted onto Archive Of Our Own (AO3) under the psude TwicetheTrouble-FFnet-archive. If you have any questions you can get answers by either comments on the AO3 version or through my tumblr (twicethetrouble). thank you!

"Well, well, what do we have here?" One of them said as they stepped in front of the group. "Two little lost ninjas playing in the road. You know it's dangerous to travel without adults, right?"

"Two?" Fu questioned, sounding as confused as I was. I activated my other echo points to get a better look. Yep, we were completely surrounded. And Jiraiya was no were in the vicinity. I could still smell his distinct scent of toads and ink, but he had apparently hidden sometime before the bandits showed up.

"Oh yeah, the villagers told me the same thing!" I exclaimed, not wanting to draw attention to my sensei's disappearance. I had to trust that he had some sort of plan, which meant making sure we didn't pick it apart before it began. "They said some mean looking bandits live out in these woods which had us a little worried. You haven't seen any, have you?"

"You little brats," The leader hissed. "You know I was going to let you two off the hook. We'd rob you blind and you'd get to keep your miserable lives. Now I'm not so sure."

"Really? Rob me blind?" I asked, trying to hide my amusement. "And let me guess, by 'keeping our miserable lives' you mean not killing us and selling us to some slavers, right?"

"Actually, I heard that Oto pays pretty handsomely for young ninjas. Figured we'd see what the going rate was."

"How am I not surprised," I said, narrowing my eyes at the mention of Orochimaru's village. And as a ninja of the village he just so recently attacked, I didn't think I'd be welcomed very warmly. "On second thought, I believe we'd rather risk those nasty bandits a little further up. So we'll just be on our way."

I took one step down the road just as the bandit's weapons raised higher to stop me.

"You're not going anywhere," the leader said through gritted teeth.

"Watch me," I answered simply. Before any of them could move, I threw my kunai behind me, aiming for one of the one's I wasn't currently facing. Judging by the fact that he fell almost immediately after probably meant that I hit my mark. I pulled out two more kunai as the other bandits seemed to realize what was going on and start moving themselves.

I noticed one on my left start at me with a particularly large mace, but as I moved to intercept Fu appeared in front of me, knocking him back with her newly formed water gauntlets. I was barely able to keep myself from hitting her instead.

"Fu! I had him!" I yelled as I tossed another kunai at one trying to sneak up on my right, not bothering to watch him fall.

"Too slow!" she said as she jumped quickly to another one that she deemed too close.

I rolled my eyes and turned my focus on the two in front of me that were coming up to challenge me.

"You can't fight two at once, kid," one of them said, sounding too smug for their own good. "You're outnumbered."

"I'm never outnumbered." I smirked back at them, raising my hands into my favorite seals. Unfortunately, before I could do so much as start channeling my chakra, Fu came out of nowhere and knocked them both into the dirt simultaneously.

"Hey! Cut it out!" I exclaimed, but she was already moving on a moment later. I glared at the direction she disappeared. She was doing this on purpose and I really wasn't appreciating it.

"Looks like you're the weak link," the leader whispered from behind me. I had just realized that my 360 echoes had dropped when I was grabbed by behind with a kunai held to my throat. I didn't even blink.

"Drop your jutsu or he's dead," the man told Fu, making her stop. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before her jutsu splashed onto the ground. I groaned in annoyance.

"Seriously Fu? Seriously?! You think I can't handle this guy either?" I exclaimed angrily.

"He has a knife to your throat!"

"Come on, like that's going to stop me."

"Well I'm sorry for trying to save your life."

"I'm not some damsel in destress you need to save every damn minute! I can fight my own battles thank you very much!"

"I'm just trying to make sure your safe."

"I am safe!"

"Um excuse me," the man behind me said, getting both of our attention once again. "Sorry to interrupt your little lover's quarrel but can we please focus on the fact that I HAVE A KNIFE TO YOUR THROAT! I can literally kill you at any time! How the hell is that safe?"

A tick mark was the only warning he got before I grabbed his knife hand and sent my other elbow into his stomach. I quickly ducked under his arm as I twisted it until he could no longer hold the blade. He was still doubled over as the blade hit the dirt road at my feet. I looked towards Fu, raising a challenging eyebrow at her.

When she didn't respond I decided to prove my point further by raising my free hand and starting to spin chakra in it like I would inside the balloon. Once I thought there was enough I shoved it into his back. He cried out as the half formed jutsu forced him into the ground a good half inch.

"Wow, didn't expect that," I said as the man groaned into the dirt. I knelt down to look at my would-be attacker, trying to get a better view of the wound on his back. I let out a low whistle as I picked at the fabric, finding most of his shirt shredded. I could even smell a bit of blood coming from it. "And that's not even complete yet. I think I'm going to like this jutsu."

I dusted my hands off as I stood up, dramatically placing a foot on my fallen enemy's shoulder. I glanced around at the few others that were left over.

"Alright you pathetic idiots, unless you want to be the next one to taste this awesome jutsu, I suggest you all scram," I told them, a sly grin on my face. They paused for a moment before, in a flurry of movement, they started to run.

"Hey!" I called to them, getting their attention once again. I took my foot off the man and nudged his now unconscious body towards them. "Take your trash with you."

We watched carefully as the men quickly collected their leader and darted off into the underbrush.

"Now Fu, what did we learn today?" I asked tensely, not turning away from where the men disappeared.

"That bandits are just a bunch of violent cowards that can't even beat a couple of genin?"

"You should have learned that trying to keep me from having to fight just causes more trouble but I guess that hasn't gotten through your thick head yet," I answered. There was a long silence as she thought on my words.

"Is this about me fighting all those guys on my own?"

"Yes Fu!" I said, turning towards her finally.

"I was doing you a favor." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"No, you weren't! I could have killed you the first time you did it. The second you almost got me killed because the damn leader noticed and thought I was the weak one! The whole reason I ended up in that farce of a hostage situation is because of you!"

"You needed help."

"No I didn't! I was fine!"

"You couldn't see them!"

"So? I couldn't see Gaara and I still knocked him into the dirt. I couldn't see Neji but he still ended up unconscious by the end. I definitely couldn't see Kiba yet I still won. So please tell me exactly why that's a damn problem now!"

"Because I know now! I didn't know it before but I do now so it's my responsibility to make sure those people can't take advantage of it."

"The only reason they did now was because of your so called 'responsibility,'" I answered, air quoting the last word before continuing. "I can still fight! Just because I can't see doesn't mean I forgot basic combat skills. I'm fine! In fact, I'd argue that I'm a better ninja because I'm blind. So back the hell off and let me do my damn job!"

There was silence between us as she no doubt glared at me. She was about as stubborn as I was so I knew this discussion wasn't completely over, but I was done with it for today. I heard a faint rustle in the trees above us as the smell of ink and toads wafted down.

"Jiraiya, get out of the trees or I'll leave without you," I told him as I turned back towards the road.

"You don't know where to go," my teacher's voice made itself known. There was a small rustle before the sound of Jiraiya dropping to the ground lightly. "By the way, good fight. Would have went smoother without the attempted kidnapping though."

"It would have went a lot smoother if my sensei didn't disappear before it even started."

"I was testing you."

"Sure. We'll go with that."