Night 57: The Coliseum

[el_aguila]

Touching the sandy grounds of the coliseum was a catalyst, and the progression of day did not mean the end of the process. By fortune or otherwise, this group's efforts were not allowed to halt simply due to the rising sun. Therefore, when nighttime was pronounced, those who had undergone the beginnings of an incomplete trial were pulled from their

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[tsunagari]

As Sai listened to Aguilar's answer, the frown on his face became more and more pronounced. So it was as he thought. The two of them were to fight each other. And of course it wouldn't just be a friendly sparring session, but instead a fight to the death.

And if they drew things out, their friends would suffer for it.

The ninja hadn't known Brook long, but he wasn't going to let him be hurt from his unwillingness to fight. Even Aidou, as much as he wasn't fond of him, didn't deserve that. And Sakura... well, he'd already left her to fall once. There was no reason for him to do that again.

In his mind, the outcome of the fight was inevitable the moment the words left Aguilar's lips. Perhaps this was a decision he'd made a long time ago, if it ever came down to it. The moment he'd considered Naruto a true teammate and someone to keep close. Sasuke meant everything to his teammates, no matter if he deserved it or not. They risked so much for his sake and is Sai could do nothing else then he at least owed them this much.

He had to die so Sasuke could live.

As long as he'd been in the Institute, he had little reason to believe the man was bluffing. Any further time spent asking pointless questions would just bring about more trouble for them.

There was very little hesitation in his movements. While the other ninja was still focused on speaking to their current captor, Sai brought out his scroll and painted the images of several fierce guardian dogs across the parchment. A moment later they had come to life and were running across the arena toward Sasuke.

[sasuke_of_sound]

So Sasuke's suspicions had been correct: the structure of the room was undoubtedly an arena and those in the stands were undoubtedly meant to be observers. As if Aguilar were recreating his own personal Chuunin Exams for his entertainment and the dubious amusement of the others that had been needed to get this far into the basement. Was that their entire purpose, after all the trials that required more than two people to pass -- to spectate and to serve as a threat?

It was the most blatant example of what Sasuke had long thought the purpose of the Institute; selection of the strongest and the most powerful. But Aguilar had made a critical mistake in not only giving their powers back but showing himself. There was something between the viewing stands and the arena, that much had been obvious by Aidou's attempt to cross it last night, but there were few barriers that couldn't be broken by a shinobi at full strength.

Sasuke tensed, ready to race up the nearest wall and strike with full force -- except then the smear of chakra that was Sai sharpened into intent and it was immediately clear that the Konoha-nin intended to attack him. In the next moment a handful of chakra took visibility in the form of ferocious-looking dogs and Sasuke abruptly remembered that Sai's particular talent was art, as it were.

And that his allegiance lay, first and foremost, with Naruto and Sakura. With a snarl of irritation Sasuke unsheathed his sword (and it was a thing of beauty to have it back: the proper weight of it, the smooth flawless slide of metal from the lacquered-wood sheath) and flashed into chakra-quickened movement.

He slashed through the first dog as it came to meet him and then shot chakra down into the soles of his feet, vaulting over the rest rather than bothering to engage them -- his focus was not to fight Sai, but simply to reach him.

"Sai!" It was more of a loud hiss than a shout, Sasuke skidding to land as close to the other ninja as he could without risking coming into range of some kind of crazy-illogical-capitulating-to-Aguilar strike. "What the hell are you doing? We could attack Aguilar now!"

[tsunagari]

The scroll was tucked away in one quick movement and his own blade was brought up to counter Sasuke's. If the other ninja was serious, this would put Sai at quite the disadvantage with Sasuke lightning jutsu and Sai's lack of a means to counter it.

"Don't be a fool." His reproach lacked venom but still carried something of an edge. "Landel. Aquilar. They don't show themselves unless they're completely immune to any damage the patients could cause them." He hadn't been there for the incident in the chapel, but he'd heard about it, and this fit with that scenario. "If they thought our abilities would do us any good, they wouldn't have been returned to us."

Sasuke could attack that barrier all he wanted. All it would do was waste time and put their friends in danger. He glanced significantly toward the ones in the stands, a reminder to the other ninja. They were open and vulnerable, and plenty of damage could be done to them while they attempted to get through the barrier. They wouldn't be able to stop it from this side.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Had Sai really built up such confidence in their captors by this point, or was he just naturally this obedient to authority? Actually -- if Sasuke had to think about it -- maybe it was the latter, given how easily Sai obeyed commands given in general even when they came from a missing-nin. Which was a quality that was useful except when it meant that Sai was insisting on fighting to the death, of all the useless things, instead of attacking and capturing someone who might be able to provide some damn answers.

"They don't know the entirety of our abilities," he snapped, voice snarled with frustration. As perfectly as Landel had been protected in the daytime, the Institute had shown only a cursory awareness of what powers afforded to shinobi who had full control of their chakra and jutsu. "They told me as much when they took my sight, damn it!"

Even as he argued, Sasuke instinctively catalogued the presence of the others trapped behind whatever barriers were in place (clearly no powers returned there, judging by the physical containment of Sakura's temper) and the memory of what abilities of Sai's he'd seen during their brief acquaintance in their own world. He had fought well enough without being extraordinary in close range, and he'd succumbed to Sharingan genjutsu -- not someone Sasuke expected to have trouble taking out of commission if necessary, not at full power.

Still, the idea of actually killing each other for the pleasure of Aguilar or whatever purpose the Institute had in place for narrowing down their population was nothing short of -- with a flash of steel Sasuke snapped the Kusanagi up against Sai's defending sword and shoved closer, voice dropping to a furious hiss: "Do you want to play into their hands and die here?"

[tsunagari]

They knew enough. Sai was well aware of this. He knew he was playing into their hands. He knew how negatively this would reflect on him. He knew how much the others would want to use this opportunity to try and attack their captor. He knew that Sasuke wouldn't really want to kill him now. And he knew - he knew - that trying to fight Aguilar at this point in time would be futile.

He knew.

He did have confidence in their captors at this point. The ninja had spent most of his life seeing everything from an unemotional, logical standpoint. Even if Naruto had rubbed off on him during the brief time they'd known each other, he didn't have the other's boundless optimism. As far as he was concerned, this was the only route available to them. Maybe, maybe, if Sasuke defeated him there would be a moment where Aguilar's guard would be down, but not now. Sakura was already suffering from Sasuke's delay.

This is why he said nothing in response to the other ninja, continuing his attack. He would make him fight back if he had to. Even if he'd wanted to beat Sasuke, he wouldn't be able to. The missing-nin had to strike the killing blow.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sai didn't even bother to respond, instead surging forward with both the frontal attack and the chakra dogs he'd drawn earlier that Sasuke couldn't avoid countering, scraping a heel back for leverage to shove forward against Sai's blade. He shoved hard enough to potentially unbalance or at least force the Konoha-nin to take a step back, frustrated fury colouring his expression even as he noted the bright flaring intent of Sai and his chakra around him --

But before he could find words that would make the damned fool see sense (and just why did that have to be as hard as it was with Konoha-nin?) Sakura's voice was ringing across the arena, clear and sensible right until lit cut off sharply. Too sharply: Sasuke chanced a moment's glance up at the flickering images of the three in the stands to see Sakura's pre-image bleed.

Aguilar had said that they would, but -- something so blatant, and no visible cause of injury at all, not even the intent of movement from a hidden attacker or the sound of any mechanism directed at the viewing box -- for a moment Sasuke considered the completeness of Sai's faith in the Institute's power, even as Sakura and Brook called down for them to stop. He hadn't expected to agree with Sakura to this extent, but it was unavoidable. He had an enemy; they all had an enemy, and it wasn't Sai.

"He controls it," growled as Sasuke snapped a crimson glare back to Sai, the steel of their swords grinding against each other and the chakra dogs looming large in his senses. "If we end him we end whatever it is!"

With that, he dropped abruptly into a crouch, a sudden movement designed to startle Sai off balance. He twisted in the same breath and swept his sword up to defend against the dogs, left hand slammed against the dirt of the arena floor acting as fulcrum for him to remain poised to avoid either Sai's falling body or another attack.

[tsunagari]

The movement caught Sai off guard only momentarily. Rather than follow it up, he hopped back to pull out his scroll again. While his opponent was fighting off the remainder of the dogs he had the perfect opportunity to draw up some ink snakes. They hadn't done so well when it came to restraining him before, but it might at least delay him a little. He needed the other ninja to fight him.

"You'll just waste our time." The words were hissed from between clenched teeth. Sasuke had been in the Institute longer than he had, but perhaps he was too stubborn to come to the same conclusions (or at least act on them). Maybe he hadn't had his actions governed by another to the extent that Sai had. Twice he'd been made against his will to fight those he didn't consider enemies. Someone who could do that - someone who could bring them here and back and knock them out at will for as long as they liked wouldn't fear them even with their powers returned.

They wouldn't be getting through that barrier, and he wasn't wasting time trying. Every moment they delayed their friends suffered for. Even if Sasuke could live with that, Sai wasn't about to allow it to continue. The snakes slithered off his paper with the intent of binding the other ninja's legs and arms.

[sasuke_of_sound]

It would have been less a waste of time if Sai were willing to cooperate, but even as the ink from the remaining two dogs splattered wetly onto the dusty floor and across Sasuke's skin it was clear that Sai didn't intend to stand down. And while Sasuke had no particular interest in killing Sai -- not for any love lost and more out of a personal distaste for the notion of killing someone who had been useful all this time, occasional fallacy or not -- he had no problems with fighting him.

The goal, though, would naturally be to disable him so that Sasuke could get a clear shot at Aguilar even without Sai's backup. In the meantime, if Sakura said she could handle it and could speak that clearly, Sasuke would take her at her word.

He didn't intend to let it last too long, anyway. Another flare of power solidified into serpentine strips of Sai's distinctive chakra hissing toward Sasuke's limbs, one of them reaching and starting to wrap around his leg: something that might have been more alarming had Sasuke not spent far more time around snakes than he could ever have wished by this point.

Not bothering to find a response for Sai's ridiculous words, Sasuke bit his thumb to smear a quick summoning-seal against the dirt. In the next moment a two thick coils of snakes had writhed out of his wide sleeves and down his body, fangs bared to snap down on the ink-snakes trying to tie him down. Another snake, a long-fanged viper, hissed out from between the other two and reared its head back to strike as it made a beeline for Sai.

Sasuke fully expected the other shinobi to dodge the strike -- it was more a ploy to keep Sai's hands from being steady enough to draw any further annoyances before Sasuke could get in range enough to knock him out.

[tsunagari]

The other ninja still wasn't using deadly tactics, snakes or no. Sai supposed this was to be expected. Perhaps he should even be grateful that Sasuke wasn't so ready to kill him now, even if it was only to stick it to their captor. He hadn't shown nearly as much hesitation before they'd become locked up in this place together.

He wasn't going to allow himself to just be knocked out, though. No. The wound had to be fatal.

Sai stared at the missing-nin, determined, as the snake lashed out toward him. He didn't dodge the strike, though he could have. He raised an arm as if to block it, knowing this would do no good, and let it sink its fangs into his arm. His eyes remained trained on the other ninja all the while. He was going to put up a fight, but he wasn't aiming to win here.

He would make Sasuke kill him somehow. This wasn't a task he'd ever imagined would be difficult.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Sasuke had expected Sai to dodge -- had known he would, had quite simply planned his next three actions knowing that he would, and when the Sharingan read no intent to move whatsoever he thought for a split second that Landel's tampering had damaged his genetic inheritance. But Sai truly did not move, with a determination in his expression that Sasuke associated with a desire to live, and the viper's fangs sank and doubtless delivered.

There was a stunned second while Sasuke stood ready for a counterattack that was not happening, a distant part of his mind calculating the venom load of this breed and size of snake, and then he snapped forward into furious reaction to non-action. The snake vanished in a puff of summons-smoke at the same time Sasuke surged forward, Sharingan-wheel spinning a rapid sakki genjutsu.

There was no specificity in it, simply a projection of sheer terror aimed to paralyze. Sai had experienced it once already, and with that awareness Sasuke punched more chakra to his eyes to deepen the strength of the genjutsu. Something stung behind them, like a blockage of chakra straining to bleed through, but he ignored it.

Because more importantly: Sai stood stock-still (as he had moments before) and Sasuke raised his sword to strike, Chidori-screams blazing down the Kusanagi's length. The blade swished through air with the clean silence of the best shinobi blades and bit into the flesh of Sai's forearm, directly across the two bleeding fang-wounds. A sizzle met the air as lightning chakra cauterized flesh, loud enough to cover the slice of metal deep through muscle, just avoiding bone.

It was the least gentle or ideal method of reducing the poison's effect, but Sasuke was not only no medic-nin but rather far from caring about tenderness at the moment. The most Sai could hope for was to lose the limb rather than his life at this point -- and then again, and again infuriatingly, it seemed as if Sai was hoping for exactly the opposite.

"You can have a death wish," Sasuke's voice was low, as venomous with anger as the dispelled viper's fangs with poison, and the Sharingan spun threat in dizzying black circles. "But I wish no part of it."

He deepened the genjutsu as he spoke, trying now to simply knock Sai's mind out of commission altogether and get him out of the way. Vaguely, he was aware of commotion in the viewers' seats -- but those chakra signatures remained trapped where they were and thus the focus was here on this fool.

[tsunagari]

The genjutsu hit hard, that familiar feeling causing Sai's blood to freeze. He was no stranger to fear now, but this was still more potent than most. He dropped to his knees, unable to help himself, sweat dripping from his brow. Such a focused attack on his emotions was hard to overcome, especially for one like Sai who was unused to dealing with many emotions from the get-go. Fear kept him rooted in place, his limbs temporarily disobeying him.

Unfortunately for his plans, Sasuke wasn't using this opportunity to kill him. No, it was worse than that. He was using it to delay him, to keep him stationary while he tried other tactics, wasting what time they had with futile attempts at escape. They were not the first to be brought to this arena and they wouldn't be the last. Sai just couldn't see how there wouldn't be enough safeguards to keep them at bay - not when he could knock all of them out without expending any effort at all.

The wound was cauterized, but blood still dripped down his arm from the initial damage. It was all he could do to try and focus on that, on the pain running through his body. There wasn't as much as he might have expected, and he could only assume from Sasuke's reaction that this was because of the venom in the initial bite. He was determined not to let Sasuke get away.

Shakily, the uninjured arm slowly made its way over to the other, gathering up blood on its fingers. With that same arm, and focusing on moving just one limb this way was easier than trying to get himself fully coordinated, the ninja painted the sloppy image of a bird in the dirt in front of him in deep red. The properties of blood and ink were just close enough...

Getting the words out and forming the hand symbols would be something else entirely. He could hardly form the coherent thought necessary, and his arm fell shakily at his side once the drawing was complete.

[sasuke_of_sound]

In another fight, Sasuke might have spared the second's time to be pleasantly surprised by Sai's determination to fight through the poison -- an indication of an opponent that might have been a worthwhile distraction, someone whose defeat could contribute to his strength. The problem was that Sai was taking up time with this stupid insistence on dying, time in which they might have struck at Aguilar or something in the arena, time in which they might avoid having to listen to those in the stands bleed out.

Why was Sai so dead-set on his faith in the Institute's power, of all things? Sasuke gritted his teeth in irritation as the crackle of breaking ground rang out from the stands; Sakura, displaying more power than he had expected of her and still unable to break the barrier.

But Sakura was still limited, and they weren't: Sai proved it with his own hands when he wavered the drawing in front of him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, Sharingan reading the intent of the chakra. The technique was a solid one, doubtless well-used and well-trained, but better in mid- to long-range, and even a poisoned and half-paralysed shinobi should have known it.

Sai wasn't fighting back so much as inciting him, and it was wasting their time.

Without bothering to wait for whatever creature was forming now, Sasuke gathered chakra and flickered out of sight, reappearing behind Sai in a flutter of leaves. The butt of the Kusanagi's grip was slamming at the back of Sai's neck before the move had even fully settled, Sasuke aiming to strike the nerve that would throw the Konoha-nin out of consciousness enough for something to actually get done.

[tsunagari]

It was so hard to focus, to think, but Sai was trying desperately. It was perhaps because of this that time seemed to pass in slow motion. Sasuke was watching him as decided how best to take him out of the fight. That was easy enough to tell. Once again, it wouldn't be to kill him. He'd simply incapacitate him, and Sai couldn't allow that.

He was moving as Sasuke was moving. No words, just quick hand symbols and a slap upon the ground. The bird rose from the shape in the dirt, growing in size quickly. The ninja all but fell forward onto it as it did so, as Sasuke reappeared behind him. With a shriek from lungs the bird didn't actually own, it carried Sai off the ground and into the air.

Perhaps Sasuke would keep his focus on him, or perhaps he'd use this moment to go after Aguilar. It didn't matter either way. All he needed was a breather - a few moments just below the barrier of the arena to piece his thoughts back together. It wasn't easy forcing someone to kill you.

[sasuke_of_sound]

Even through the venom and the remnants of sakki, Sai moved before Sasuke could land a blow. Did Sai actually mean to fight, now? Sasuke could easily have preferred an all-out fight with Sai trying as hard to kill Sasuke as he currently was trying to get himself killed. The chakra-bird swept open its huge wingspan and rose out of immediate range, Sai's similar chakra-smear pulsing on its back.

It left him with the choice of continuing to attack Sai or taking advantage of the distance Sai had gathered and trying to attack Aguilar -- one dragged out whatever mess was happening in the stands and the other ...

The other was the final goal, doubtless, and Sai's attempt at creating space between them smelled more of desperate escape more than deliberate positioning unless Sasuke had grossly underestimated the Konoha-nin's fighting style. That left a gap of time while Sai tried to regroup and Sasuke wasn't patient enough to ignore it --

Chakra screamed around his right hand as he let the curse seal progress halfway across his body, black flame-shapes crawling down the length of his arm and darkening the shrieking chakra gathering visibly around it. Sharingan pinpointing Sai (high, momentarily inconsequential) as well as the bright candles of the so-called spectators, Sasuke gathered chakra to his feet once more and flickered onto the smooth wall of the arena, feet slapping quickly against the wall and Chidori aimed to cut and wrench through the air, aimed directly for the barrier in front of the General.

[tsunagari]

He was being ignored for the moment, which was good. Sai needed those few moments to breathe, to shake off the genjutsu and allow the pounding in his heart to settle. A desperate plan had been forming in his mind at one point, but it was hard to fit the pieces of it back together in this mental state. Shaky hands pulled out his scroll with its brush and ink again, and he held it in his lap while he recuperated.

Sasuke's attempts to break through the barrier were already going about as well as he thought they'd go, which was to say not well at all. And Aguilar's words, that they were losing, caused him to focus all that much harder on finishing what he'd started. He wasn't going to allow anyone else to die but him.

The scroll was unraveled, and Sai began drawing out several more quick birds across the parchment. The Sharingan was a tricky thing. It could read intent in movement too easily. He had to keep himself far away at first, distracting Sasuke with attacks he wouldn't be able to outright ignore. If he could keep him swatting at them just long enough, perhaps not long at all, then just maybe...

Shrieks filled the arena as the ink creations dove at the other ninja.

[sasuke_of_sound]

The barrier didn't so much as tremor -- Chidori's sparks blazed and then faded away within a metre of Aguilar's face, the chakra burning placidly where the man sat not even twitching in response. Nothing, except an infuriatingly calm shrug and words directed at him that were filled with the absolute certainty of victory.

Because there was no doubt about it: the victory here was Aguilar's, the Institute's, and nothing to do with the people fighting in the ring or those in the stands. The image of the General flickered into intent with that deliberate indication of the spectators, Aidou's fury distantly recording into memory, Brook's questions ignored. Sakura's silence the most troubling of all.

But Sasuke was not an Uchiha in name only, and the Sharingan required no more than sight to work its power. If Sai would just -- sit down in a corner and be quiet for a moment, maybe --

The shrieks of more birds tore out behind him and Sasuke whipped around, both feet still cemented to the wall, and flicked his hands through the quickest and most familiar set of hand seals of all. Katon jutsu exploded from his breath and blazed across the arena, fireballs tumbling into leonine shape as they tore forward to meet Sai's diving creatures.

In the meantime, Sasuke pummeled chakra towards his eyes, sweeping clean pathways that had lain dormant for more than a month. There was the sense of something there, still, and if he could just -- he watched Sai and the distance the Konoha-nin was keeping, waiting for the next chance to take him out of commission.