Warnings: they will crop up as I think of them. If I miss some I apologize for any trauma that may occur. Yaoi, language, abuse, maybe torture, battles and blood.

Pairings: Naruto will not be paired with Eri though their closeness will bring forth the jealousy of others. One sided Sasu/naru and Sasu/Eri but I don't like the Emo king so he gets dumped. I have a few ideas but things are still up in the air. Just because someone looks like they are a match for the boys does not mean they are. Suggestions welcome.

** = change of POV

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Chapter 3:

Sakura didn't know what to make of their strange saviour. He was mysterious and obviously strong but she just couldn't connect the image of the awesome power she had witnessed in the forest to the figure draped over Kakashi-sensei's arm, laughing uproariously at Naruto's wind-breaker attack. Her sensei looked uncomfortable with the stranger's body leaning so heavily on him, a pale hand clutching at his flack jacket to keep his balance, but Sakura's keen gossipers sense caught the pink flush to his ears that was one of the few bits of uncovered Kakashi-flesh. Her face scrunched up in disgust for a moment. Sakura would admit that Eri was attractive, if rather androgynous, but he was nothing compared to Sasuke-kun. She had seen the looks that allot of the men were giving the servant and couldn't figure out why they didn't realize that he was a guy. The lack of any chest at all was a dead giveaway and his voice was far too low so why... unless they knew he was a guy and liked him anyways. She shuddered until the image of an unmasked, though she had no idea what his real face looked like her inner-self was positive that he was handsome, Kakashi bending a pliant Eri backwards, with a hand in his hair and an arm about his smaller waist, just moments away from ravishing the brunette's mouth. A small trickle of blood escaped her nose as the idea settled in her head. Perhaps two men together was not such a bad idea as long as it wasn't her Sasuke-kun. Another unwelcome image came to her of two boys in the same position only this time it was Sasuke and Naruto stuck in the deep embrace. She nearly screamed in horror.

A cry from the battle ground below brought her back to reality and she witnessed Naruto's clones kicking Kiba up into the air, one clone rolling in the air above them all to give momentum to the kick that slammed the Inuzuka into the ground. "Kakashi-sensei, wasn't that..."

She turned to her teacher who was nodding. A calmer, upright Eri glanced between them, his hand removed from the Jounin's flack jacket. "That was what?"

Kakashi, who was looking relieved at having at least a bit of his personal space back, explained. "His teammate, Sasuke, used the same kind of attack earlier in the preliminaries. Without the clones. Even the name is similar."

"He only saw this attack once?" Kakashi nodded, "And he was able to adapt it to his own use with only that small glimpse without the help of an eye enhancing clan technique?"

The Jounin blinked rapidly, "... yeah."

Sakura found herself gaping at the implications. If even Kakashi missed something like that in the blonde idiot they all knew than what else had they missed.

Naruto came bounding up the stairs after he was announced the winner, pausing only once to receive a tin of healing salve from a shy, dark-haired girl. "Eri-Chan! Eri-Chan didja see that? Didja? I totally kicked his but!"

Eri laughed softly, dropping to one knee to enfold the blond in a hug. "I most certainly did, Ouji-sama. You fought bravely." Naruto's face flamed when Eri gave him a peck on the cheek. "Now lets see to those wounds."

"Oh yeah! That weird girl, Hinata, gave me this stuff." He held out the can and the brunette plucked it out of his grasp.

"Jacket off, Ouji-sama, so I can get to the wounds on your torso." Naruto was obedient in the action, still blushing,even going so far as to lift his shirt when Eri was done with his arms.

"This stuff works great," Naruto noticed as the wounds themselves seem to smoke then seal over, "you should try it Sakura-chan." Eri said nothing, only smiling as he finished and held two glowing fingers up in front of the blonds chest. Quick, smooth motions had a golden symbol hanging in the air until Eri pressed it into the tanned chest. It sunk into the skin, the glow spreading, then disappeared. Kakashi twitched behind him but the only result of his actions was a sever reduction of the bruising covering his master. "Whoa, what was that?"

"A healing Rune. Meant to accelerate the reproduction of cells and promote good health."

"Cool. Can they do other things?"

Eri nodded, handing the boy back his jacket. "They can do a good deal. Depending on your imagination and knowledge, you can make have them do anything. Much like your sealing."

"Are there drawbacks to the rune you used?" Kakashi's suspicion was back, full throttle.

"Only to myself, as it is my power being used to heal him. Look Ouji-sama, the girl that helped you is fighting next." Indeed she was standing before a boy that held a surprising resemblance to her. She was a painfully timid little thing, and her opponent, her apparent cousin, used that against her. Eri half expected the outcry that came from his master, not surprised that his words had an immediate affect on the girl. He had to admire the two cousins in their fighting style, nearly mirror images of each other with only a few differences separating them. This would be a good opportunity to show his master the importance of observation. "Ouji-sama, do you see it?"

"See what?" Naruto squinted at the fighters.

"The difference between them. The stances are the same but used in different ways. Can you spot the variance?"

Naruto scratched his head, frowning at the duo. "Well... that Neji guy is stronger, physically, cause she gets hurt more when he lands a blow but she's... I dunno, smoother I guess."

Eri ruffled the blond locks with a smile, "Correct, Ouji-sama, Hinata-san is far more graceful with an added flexibility that allows her to avoid most of the more damaging hits. Neji-san on the other hand has the advantage in both speed and strength so while he may not get as many hits in, the one's he does have more impact." His point was prove by the unveiling of Hinata's bruised arm. The rest of the match was almost painful to watch and Eri was disappointed in both of the Hyuuga's. Hinata for her complete disregard for her own safety, no matter how inspired or determined she was. Throwing her life away for a preliminary match, that would do nothing to change the circumstances of her family, showed that she had very little self worth and would need to fix that before Eri would consider her worthy of his master. Neji was a let down because he let personal issues cloud his mind in battle as well as use the younger girl as a scapegoat for his anger. He would need to realize that she was just as powerless as he was in their family destiny. So far Eri found that only Shikamaru-of-the-spiky-hair and the ever stoic Shino were worthy of his master's affections for now.

When Neji made a serious attempt on the girl's life, Eri followed his master to the battle grounds without question, hurling himself over the railing lightly. He was across from his master and a beautiful woman, that he assumed was Hinata's instructor, as the blonde caught and lowered the girl gently.

"C-can you do anything for her?" bright blue eyes stared into his own forest green pleadingly. "Like that stuff you did to me?"

"I can," he didn't look to the girl, his eyes assessing the determination in his masters face, "but only with your command."

"Wh-what?"

Eri ignored all those around him, from the Hyuuga boy to the various Jounin, listening in. "My skills are meant for you only. Be it to protect or heal you, or to be used at your orders. If you wish for me to help her, you must order it. This is what you agreed to when you gave me a name."

Naruto's eyes were wide and confuse, a bit of fear seeping into the blue depths, but Eri kept his expression firm. Hinata coughed sharply, blood spraying her face and jacket in little bubbles. The female beside them gasped and cried out for the medics. The Jinchuuriki's countenance hardened. "Do it."

A flare of anticipation rose in Eri. "Do what, Ouji-sama?"

His voice was hard and unyielding, something none of them had ever heard from the blonde. "I order you to do everything you can to help her."

"As you wish, Master." His head bowed slightly but his satisfied smile was visible to all. With efficient movements he unzipped the girls jacket and pushed up her undershirt to expose her belly. The medic ninja tried to get him to move but he ignored them like all the rest. Once again his fingertips glowed with a golden light and he began drawing patterns in the air in front of him. More intricate than the rune he had used for Naruto, a stream of interlocking symbols formed in a half circle around him. He double checked them with a glance before flaring the golden power to engulf the entirety of his hand. With a sweeping gesture, the runes seemed to fold together into his palm and he pressed them firmly into her pale stomach. Golden lines raced across her skin, under her clothing, until they covered her entire body with a design reminiscent of curling smoke, that pulsed with her heartbeat until it evened out, fading even as her complexion improved.

Eri inhaled deeply as he removed his hand, shivering slightly as the sudden loss of so much power washed over him. It would take only moments to regain the loss but his master had said to do everything he could and his 'everything' was allot. He rocked to his feet, stumbling back into Kakashi when the Medics rushed in. Their awed murmurs told him that his attempt was a success and made a note to himself to explain the advantages the girl would now have to adapt to.

"Hmph." the pale eyed teen scoffed once the rest of the Jounin released him, sure that he would not attack the downed girl again. "More special treatment for the Hyuuga Main branch." His eyes glared at Eri in an attempt to intimidate the older male. The recovering newcomer didn't even glance in his direction, he was so far beneath his notice.

"Eri-Chan listens to no one but me, Teme." Naruto snarled, standing now that the medics had carted the Hyuuga girl off to the clinic. Eri felt Kakashi twitch behind him even as his arm wrapped around him in support. He allowed the touch because his power was returning slower than he had anticipated and this was a man that his master trusted more than most. "I had him help because she's weird but nice and stronger than you will ever be."

Neji just sneered, "A couple words of advice, Mr. Failure. A true shinobi would have too much class to make a spectacle of himself by cheering during a serious match. And one more thing..." he turned away and Eri almost laughed at the dramatics, "you may as well accept who you are. Once a failure, always a failure."

Eri watched with interest as the anger built in his master, which was something they would have to work on, and his sky blue eyes start to darken into storm clouds, not that anyone but him noticed. The orange clad ninja made to charge the Branch member but a blur of green spandex intercepted him.

"What!"

"I understand, almost painfully well, what you're feeling Naruto, but we have to limit our battles to the confines of the scheduled fights." the same boy that had come to his master's aid in the forest had done so once again. Apparently the two had bonded at some point in the exams, and that was enough to actually calm the blonde enough to listen to the older boy. Lee continued, unaware of the rarity he was being awarded... Naruto's full attention. "The prospect of seeing a 'Failure' defeat a 'Genius' through sheer force of will... it really makes you look forward to the final rounds, eh? Even though his opponent could very well be me! But if it's you in the finals, Naruto, then I'll have no regrets."

"Yeah," Naruto grumbled, letting the older boy relax, "I get it." He walked away a few steps to glare at a small puddle of Hinata's blood. The group of ninjas, plus one, watched as he stooped to drag his fingers through it, coating his fingers. He stood again and held his dripping fist out to a curious Neji. "I vow to win."

Eri could hear the scepticism from some of the ninja still on the balconies but the ones on the ground level heard the absolute conviction in the boy. Neji scoffed and walked away, only Lee and his full grown clone taking the blonde seriously. A loud cough interrupted the melodrama making all eyes turn to an annoyed proctor.

"As fascinating as all this is, we have preliminaries to finish so if you please vacate to the balcony." It was a group of sheepish genin that trudged up the stairs. Eri blinked when the room disappeared with a strangely familiar tug to his navel only to re-appear from a different angle on the balcony, wisps of smoke fading from around them. He recognized it as a transportation technique that was incomplete. Furrows appeared on his brow as he tried to remember the completed form but it slipped through his fingers until he was distracted by Sakura catching up with Kakashi and himself and he found she was alone. He leaned forward slightly to see past Uber-Lee and noticed that his little master had been sidetracked by the Face-Paint suna-nin. Eri moved to slip out of the arms of the Grey-One only to find that the one arm was like a steel band around his waist. The proctor called out the next match below them and Lee made a fuss about wanting to be the last to fight, but Eri wasn't listening.

"Please let me go Hatake-san." He tried politely first. He could practically feel the eye smile aimed at the back of his head.

"How about you keep me company for a while? After this I'm sure the Hokage would love to meet you." Eri knew what that meant and weighed the advantages of complying. He craned his neck to stare into that single grey eye, judging the man's worth. Eri knew he could easily escape, though he was not as strong or as fast as the elder ninja in the room, with a thought. The problem was that it would cause a problem for his master and might even keep him from the access he needed to serve well enough. Not to mention that any damage to those his master cared for would be frowned upon. The arm around him trembled slightly and Eri realized that he was unnerving the man, who he was sure was recognizing that he wasn't some ninja that he could overpower.

"Very well." he gave in, relaxed fully in Kakashi's arms and returning his attention to the match, Lee having just vaulted the rails to fight the blank face suna-boy.

Kakashi began to sweat a little from both the position Eri had put himself in, leaning forward to use his restraining arm as an elbow support while his lower half pressed into his hipbone, and the various glares from a number of males. Kakashi was keenly aware of two facts at this point. Firstly, Eri was carrying absolutely no weapons under that skirt. In point of fact, there was nothing below the skirt besides bandages and skin, and the copy-nin was both cursing and blessing his advanced senses. Secondly, the boy, and he had to keep reminding himself of the fact that Eri was barely out of his teens, had no clue as to what he was doing to him. There was no seduction in his body language or lure in his voice, only pure innocence and it was driving him up the wall.

"Oh my. How odd." Thank Kami, a distraction.

"Hmm?" he tried for casual disinterest.

"That sand of his," the raven nodded to the living sand that was protecting the red-headed boy from Lee's hits, "It is completely subconscious in its protection of the boy."

"How can you tell?"

"It's incredibly fast for such a heavy material against hits that the boy should not be able to see but is slower when it is used to attack." Kakashi watched the fight a bit closer and saw that it was true, "I suppose it must be connected to his instincts so he has to consciously force it to attack, cutting down on its response time."

Kakashi stared down at the silky head of hair, "And you saw this in a matter of seconds?"

Green eyes flashed back to meet his once more and he suddenly felt supremely dense. "These are opponents that my master may be facing in the future. He might need to have this information to prepare."

Kakashi felt it best to leave it at that. Gai startled most of the people around them when he suddenly cut his explanation to the pinkette short with a yell. "Lee! Take them off!"

"What is there to take off? His clothing, perhaps?" Eri mumbled, making Kakashi choke.

"B-but Master! You said never to do that unless I was defending the lives of people who are precious to me!"

"It's all right! I'll allow it!" they all watched in morbid fascination as the spandex wearing boy slipped off the orange leg warmers to unclasp a set of weights on each leg. The words 'guts' and 'hard work' were written on each pouch, displaying the boy's motto to the world. Eri could feel Kakashi's sweat-drop at the the idea of such training but he saw the merits. The ridiculousness of the situation grew when Lee dropped the weights, creating decent sized craters on either side of the Hand Seal statue.

"That poor boy." Eri immediately saw the problem.

"What's the matter?" Gai asked, interested in the observant stranger's assessment of his prized pupil.

"His strength and speed are amazing," Eri admitted, watching the boy reign blow after blow on the suna-boy faster than the sand could keep up, "but it looks like you haven't trained him much in this state. He is wearing down quickly and his body is having difficulty adjusting to the lack of resistance. If he only pulls some muscles in this fight you will be lucky. Not to mention that this is the worst possible match up for him as he doesn't have the stamina to keep up a war of physical attrition."

Gai blinked rapidly for a moment, the Copy-nin had to look away to keep from chuckling, before he got his passion back. "There is more to my Lee than you know. He will triumph over any adversity he is faced with and show the world that he is in the springtime of his youth!"

Lee seemed to agree as he pulled another feint, drawing the sand behind the red-head only smash a fist into his face from the front. Gaara went flying back, only his sand cushioning his fall. Eri tensed as a familiar feeling tickled his senses and his eyes fixed on the hunched figure facing Lee. Chunks of hardened sand dropped to the floor revealing the true expression of the suna-boy, and the madness that lurked beneath. Elation and despair swept through him in equal measure as he realized that there was another like him out there, bound to a soul not his own, only this one had lost itself to the darkness that he himself had barely escaped. Eri couldn't tell which one it was but it was one of his siblings, nonetheless. He would have to warn his Master in case he faced Gaara in the finals.

The coating of sand reformed around the suna-boy, leaving him as impassive as ever, but Lee did not go back on attack, taking the time to catch his breath and come up with a plan. A glance and a nod to Gai had the boy partially unwrapping his arms before taking off at high speeds. In a blur, a kick to Gaara's chin launched him into the air, followed by numerous rapid fire kicks that drove him up faster than the sand could catch. For a brief second Eri and a number of the Jounin saw Lee flinch from the pain in his limbs and that was enough. Gaara used that bare second to jump out of his sand skin and Lee finished his technique with the decoy, injuring himself in the process. Most of the Genin watched with bated breath, a few cheering for Lee, until the sand shell collapsed on itself. Gaara rose from a pile of sand behind lee and set his sand to attack the taijutsu fighter, driving him into a wall.

"Why doesn't Lee just duck?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"The lotus technique he just used is a double edged sword." Gai explained reluctantly.

"Huh?"

"Fundamentally it's a forbidden move. Using that level of high-speed taijutsu puts a huge strain on the body." Kakashi answered, watching Lee get tossed around like a rag doll. "Right now, Lee's nothing but a mass of pain and weakness... isn't that right Gai?"

Eri frowned at the disapproval in Kakashi's voice. With how little the man had taught his own students he really wasn't one to be passing judgement. He looked over to see Gai's reaction and found it strange that the man simply stood there with a soft smile on his face. There were gasps from the spectators as Lee suddenly avoided a blow with speed that was a little less than when he first took off the weights. Eri was impressed with his endurance but he knew that the pain was still there. He tuned out the conversations around him once again, though they were talking about something called the Gates, to focus on something that was building in the bowl-cut boy. It was chakra only it had no outlet like most humans, instead it seemed to seep into the very cells of his body supercharging the muscles and pushing most of his blood to the surface. Kakashi tensed behind him, having already unveiled his curious red eye, and pulled Eri flush against him in his excitement.

Lee burst into motion and Eri flicked up a shield that encompassed their side of the balcony against the wind pressure and stone debris. It was gone almost as soon as he had put it up but the Jounins still noticed. Gaara was defenceless against Lee's new strength so it was no surprise that he was rocketed up into the air once more, flung from one point to another so hard that it created shock-waves in the air and his sand armour began to peel away. Winding up for a finishing blow, Eri felt another surge of power release from the boy, actually coating his limbs with chakra. Gaara was blown downwards with the punch only to jerk to a stop as one of Lee's bandages had been strapped to his midsection, so he was pulled up towards the advancing Lee. The impact broke through the sand armor completely and created a crater where he hit the ground. What non of the genin saw was the gourd strapped to Gaara's back melting to cushion his fall. Lee fell hard beside the wreckage, rolling away from his foe, and the dust cleared to reveal Gaara laid out in a cradle of sand. The few seconds of Lee's shock gave the suna-nin the time to wrap two of the genin's limbs in sand and brutally crush them. Eri felt Kakashi flinch behind him at Lee's scream and they could only watch as more sand rushed towards him.

Eri relaxed slightly when he felt Gai appear on the field between the student and his death. His eyes wandered to the Suna boy when he felt a flare of that same presence from before. Gaara was clutching his head like he was battling a headache and that made Eri frown. His alternate, the Kyuubi, had had no interaction with his master before he Naruto unconsciously called on him for power, but it looked like this Gaara was continually fighting for control. He wondered if their seals were different or was it because of the adaptability of his master's chakra coils. The mood of the room shifted once more and Eri looked over to find that Lee was standing once again, ready to fight. Guy's interference had insured his loss so Eri could not understand his tenacity, and then he let his senses wash over the boy.

Lee was no longer conscious, his body reacting on instinct and drive alone, and the very thought of the child having so little regard for himself was heartbreaking. Victory or Death was an old code that had killed too many good men, many of whom had fought against his alternate. Gai was weeping as the medics came to collect the boy and Kakashi said something to the pink-headed one to keep her from jumping into the arena, while Naruto had no such restraint. There was a few moments of tense silence as the looked over the boy until one pulled his teacher aside.

"Eri!" Naruto's voice broke through the air, and he was out of Kakashi's arms and beside his master before the Jounin even registered the yell. He was quick to follow, choosing to hover behind the two of them instead of detaining Eri again. "Can you do to Lee what you did for Hinata?"

Eri brushed his fingers against the comatose child, getting a read on his health, upset when he had to give his master a negative response. "Most of his muscles are torn and he has several shattered bones. Those would need to be reset and the bone fragments removed from the pulped flesh of his two limbs before I could aid him. Hinata-san just needed the strengthening of certain muscles and better flow in her chakra, while Lee-san needs far more attendance. Once he has been healed to a certain point then I can speed his recovery and prevent atrophy due to inaction." His little master clutched at skirt as they listened to the Medi-nin's prognosis. Naruto did not take it well, yelling at the retreating backs of the Medics, but Kakashi stepped in, holding him back, to talk him down. Naruto turned back to Eri for comfort when he was released and the Grey-one approached the devastated Gai.

"Gai." the other man did not respond so he continued, "I said some really arrogant things to you earlier but when I really think about it... If I were in your circumstances, I probably wouldn't have been able to stop my student either." his single eye glanced at Naruto and Eri couldn't help but smile at the man for his efforts to comfort his friend. The grey ninja looked away, his ears flushed pink, "Gai, we're in the way for the next match. Come on, lets go upstairs."

It took a moment but Gai's shoulders slumped slightly as he quietly agreed. They made their way up the stairs together, Kakashi's hand resting against the small of Eri's back in a bid to keep him from escaping again. The last battle was a simple affair with the Sound boy, Dosu, taking out the heavyset child of Shikamaru's team.

"Ouji-sama." Eri stopped Naruto from jumping into the arena with the more excitable Nin, "Kakashi-san has told me that your Hokage wishes to speak with me."

"Eh? You're gonna go see Jiji? When?"

"After the preliminaries end, I suppose. I might not be here when you are finished but if you need anything just call out to me and I will find you." he ran a hand through the soft blond locks of his Master.

"Ha! No worries." Naruto beamed up at him. "I'll be eating some victory ramen. Kakashi-sensei knows where it is so he can bring ya by when you're done." The two men watched him bound off to join the others.

"Not planning to run away?" The Grey-one whispered in his ear, his arm once again slipping around him.

"It would upset my Master. He respects you and loves the Hokage so it is better not to be at odds with you."

"Then you will stay by my side no matter what until the Sandaime has given you leave to wander the village. Understood?" the arm around him tightened and Eri could feel his ribs creak at the press. This body seemed to be fairly weak compared to the rest of the Ninja's, something that Kakashi seemed to notice for his grip eased almost immediately. Eri had done nothing aggressive or damaging towards any of the Konoha Genin so breaking his ribs to make a point was really unnecessary.

"As you wish." He made no indication of the pain that was slowly fading in his ribs, instead drawing a small rune and pressing it into the gloved hand against his waist. He explained carefully when the man stiffened at the act. "Now I will always be able to fine you."

"Next time, ask." he hissed, and Eri nodded. Sakura distracted the man from their whispered conversation by asking his about the angry child in their team. She must have said something to set him off because suddenly he was being jerked to a new location and hoisted into he Copy-nin's arms.

"Has something happened?" he was mildly confused but went with the flow of the moment.

"Just a hunch. If something is wrong then I want you to protect my student no matter what." he jumped from rooftop to rooftop of a thriving village as he spoke, and Eri supposed that this was the main area of Konoha.

"You speak of the Angry one?"

Kakashi snorted at the description, "Yeah, also know as Sasuke."

Within moments they were inside a very sterile building. Kakashi set him on his feet and Eri dutifully followed behind as he approached a set of double doors that led to a private room on one of the topmost floors. There was one body laying prone in the doorway and he could sense at least two more in the room besides the two living souls. Seeing that the Copy-nin was no longer paying attention to him, Eri slipped on his invisibility once more and slid into the room while the larger male addressed the same boy that had travelled with his Master during the second test. Working his way around the room he sat himself on the bed directly behind the white-haired teen, being careful not to disturb the sheets. Ever so slowly, so that neither of the men could feel the power build, he erected a shield that hovered bare inches above the sleeping child. Satisfied with his work he turned back to the face-off happening in front of him, watching as Kakashi attempted to intimidate the boy into answering his questions while he, Kabuto, responded with snarky comebacks meant to enrage and distract his opponent. Then he heard it, that hated name, and the rage of the Mother flooded his mind.

His body reacted before either men registered the dropping of his invisibility, his legs slipping around his waist to trap him against his body, one hand grabbing the blade that almost touched the shield covering Sasuke, the other jerking Kabuto's head to the side to expose his neck.

"Orochimaru you say." He purred directly into his ear. It had no effect on the body in his arms but it did cause Kakashi to shiver, "And what is your connection to the Abomination?" A sliver of power paralysed his captive, who seemed unworried for his prone position. Looking deeper, Eri found out why.

"Now what would happen to me if I told you that?" he smirked at the approaching Kakashi.

Eri pulled away from the creature in disgust, "I might have threatened to kill you but this body is already dead." he dropped the thing to the floor the same moment that one of the corpses jumped up to make for the door. It was met by a clone of Kakashi, where it paused long enough to be surrounded by the original. It was a tense moment until the other corpse, this one with the actual spark of life within, broke through the window and jumped. Kakashi rushed to the ledge but the boy was too far. He turned to yell at the younger male for not doing something but he froze at the sight he was met with.

Eri had slid partially off the bed and onto his knees, gasping as he clutched the white sheets. Kakashi rushed to his side, bushing the black hair away from his pale and sweaty face and pressing his fingers to his pulse. Eri's skin was cold to the touch and his pulse was slightly rapid, but what worried Kakashi the most was that there had been no indication of illness before now.

"What is it? What is happening?" He asked urgently.

"Poison..." he gasped, "on the blade...is he...he gone?"

"Yeah, he's gone. Just hold on and I'll get the medics."

"No.. no point." the shield that had surrounded Sasuke disappeared with a brief flair, relieving a bit of tension that had been gripping Kakashi's gut. Eri slumped into the Ninja, breathing already getting steadier and when he spoke again he was only panting lightly."I used too much today. Too much power and no rest. Could not fight the poison and hold the shield."

Kakashi stared down at the face that was rapidly regaining its colour and clear ethereal emerald eyes. "Thank you."

Once again that hand was touching him before he even noticed, patting his cheek. "Lets us go meet you leader."

A/N: Chapter DONE! I am so so sorry about the wait. I have moved a total of 3 times in the last year and a half, twice across the country, and once to a place with no access to internet. So yeah, sorry about the wait, but thank you all for your support and reviews. They kept me writing , in my note books at least, and i read every single one of them. I love all the different opinions and suggestions and i do respond in PM's if there are any questions so ask away.

Not to mention that DeathNoteMaker has put up the first pages of the fan made LtBA manga on deviant art. They do some beautiful work, check it out.

Than you all and until next Chapter.

-Nys-