Venatori
Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.
The Laughing Phoenix does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.
WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.
Legacy of the Inuzuka
Kankuro moved quickly through the trees, hunting down the source of the explosions he'd seen earlier. With Temari checking on whoever was caught up in the noisy battle in the trees and Gaara – it still felt weird to call him brother, even in his head – sticking to the open, where he was more effective, that left him maneuvering through the forested canyons.
From the corner of his eye, Kankuro saw a smudge of ruddy-brown on the ground. Dropping quickly to land beside it, he identified it as blood, and relatively fresh too. A smug smile curled on his lips. Blood, he could track easily. Tracing the scent to the water, he hesitated only a moment before heading downstream. It'd be the quickest way for an injured shinobi to get away.
At a bend in the river, where the trees grew right down to the water's edge, the smell of fresh blood hit him like a physical blow. Cursing softly under his breath, Kankuro sped up. Having a psychopathic homicidal little brother meant that he'd learned quickly to recognize a recent death from a distance, and this had too many signs to be comforting.
Taking to the trees again, Kankuro quickly found the source of the smell. A freaky-looking sound-nin with two heads was bent over a huddled form on the ground – presumably the shinobi Kankuro had been sent to back up. The sand-nin attacked with all the brutal efficiency of a striking snake. Before the sound-nin had time to do more than yelp in surprise, Kuroari's body had snapped shut around him, and Karasu had been brought into play. It was over in moments.
Enemy disposed of, Kankuro turned to the other shinobi. He was huddled on his side, curled around a bundle…and somehow still breathing. Carefully rolling him on his back, Kankuro was surprised to recognize the kid as the boy with the dog from the Chuunin exam. That meant…Kankuro took another look at what he had thought was a bundle. It was the puppy, and it was obviously dead, if the bloody patches on its fur were anything to go by.
Not that the owner was in much better condition. There were stab marks peppered across the upper chest and shoulders – apparently the kid had been paying more attention to defending his dog than to defending himself. Pulling the kid's mesh shirt carefully away, trying not to aggravate the injuries, he was thoroughly startled when the kid groaned.
"Who..? Suna…"
"Don't talk. I'm part of a team sent as backup. Your enemy is dead." Kankuro pulled some of the bandaging he usually used to wrap up Karasu loose, folding it into a pad and trying to press it gently to the worst of the wounds.
The kid coughed, and bloody spittle ran out of a corner of his mouth. "Mission…complete. Good."
"Quiet down, you're going to make your wound worse." Something about the kid's attitude bugged Kankuro. Granted, he'd tried to avoid getting to know any of the leaf-nin well, but something in the way the kid spoke, the utter acceptance, sounded completely unlike everything he'd ever heard from a shinobi of Konoha.
"Dun matter," the kid drew a rattling breath, and more blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. "'M Inuzuka…can smell…" another wet cough cut him off.
"Stop that." This was hardly the first time a comrade lay dying under Kankuro's hands. However, this was an ally, from a village Suna was on shaky ground with, and he was not going to let anything happen to jeopardize that alliance!
"Tell Hina…'n Shino…'m sorry." The kid's eyes fluttered closed, and a heartbeat later, his chest fell, and did not rise again.
"Shit!" Kankuro quickly began trying to revive the boy, using every trick he knew. "Don't you dare, Inuzuka, don't you dare!"
He was still trying to revive the leaf-nin when the medics appeared five minutes later.
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Kankuro spent the time waiting for the debriefing half terrified out of his mind. The alliance with Konoha was still too new, too fragile, and if it was broken because he was late…well, he was under no illusions. Gaara felt like he owed a debt to this place, so he'd probably be dead before the day was out. Partly to distract himself, he began trying to predict what would happen. Perhaps a desert burial? Or maybe that'd be too quick.
When the Godaime Hokage finally managed to meet with the trio of sand-nin, looking tired and almost pinched, Kankuro kept wanting to fidget. Once Gaara and Temari had given their reports, she turned to him.
Briefly Kankuro detailed how he'd tracked the two to the little canyon, and confirmed the death of the sound-nin. Hesitating slightly, he went on. "Inuzuka was still alive when I got to him. The dog was dead, but he was still breathing. I tried patching him up but…"
A knowing look crossed the Hokage's deceptively young face. "The team who retrieved you both tells me that you were trying to revive Inuzuka Kiba when they got there."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Kankuro deliberately ignored the turn of Gaara's head and the slight widening of Temari's eyes. For a family as inexpressive as theirs, those slight gestures were practically tantamount to shouting.
The Hokage smiled sadly. "Konoha thanks you for your efforts, Sabaku no Kankuro," ignoring the slightly startled looks from the three sand-nin in front of her, she leaned back in her chair, sighing. "Now I'm going to have to tell his family," a grimace flitted across her face. "And his team."
Kankuro surprised even himself when he spoke. "Uh…Hokage-sama?"
"Hm?"
"Would…would it be all right if I was there when you told his team? Inu- Kiba asked me to tell them something, and…" he trailed off, feeling the flush under his paint.
Another sad smile crossed the Hokage's face. "Very well. I've sent messengers to collect his teammates and sensei. We'll meet them at the morgue."
Still feeling dazed, Kankuro and his siblings followed the Godaime out of the tower and to the morgue. It was behind the hospital, a simple, unassuming building with an open courtyard in front of it. They filed silently after her as she opened the door to one of the rooms, where Kiba's body lay on a gurney, covered by a sheet.
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Hinata met up with Kurenai-sensei and Shino out in front of the Hokage tower. "Have you h-heard what the Hokage wants?" she asked softly, as their escort led them, not into the tower, but towards the hospital.
"I had heard that there was a large-group mission involving members of our graduation class, including Kiba," Shino said softly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "As Kiba is not with us, presumably this is about his mission."
The first hint they got that something was seriously wrong was when they were led around the hospital. As the building they were heading to came into view, Kurenai's face paled, and her stride faltered.
"Sensei?" Hinata asked, looking up at the older woman's face.
"It's – It's nothing, Hinata," Kurenai's smile was obviously forced. Disbelieving, Hinata gently touched her sensei's hand, while Shino moved to stand at her side, silently offering support.
They were led through the building into one of the front rooms. Bowing to the Hokage, Hinata saw a gurney covered by a white sheet out of the corner of her eye. Pieces began to fall into place with a horrible certainty. "No," she whispered.
"Earlier today," the Hokage began, voice sympathetic, "Inuzuka Kiba and his companion Akamaru were killed in the line of duty."
"May," Kurenai-sensei's voice failed her, and she had to start again. "May we know the mission?"
The Hokage grimaced. "His team was sent to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, who recently defected to follow Orochimaru."
"If Kiba was sent on such a mission," Shino began, voice thick, "then it logically follows that other friends of ours were too. May we know their statuses?"
"Nara Shikamaru was only mildly injured, thanks to the intervention of Sabaku no Temari. Akimichi Chouji and Hyuuga Neji are in serious condition, but stable and slated to make a full recovery. Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee are being held for observation, but should be fully recovered in a few days. Kiba was the only fatality"
Hinata let out a breath she couldn't remember holding. "Nii-san's alright." She whispered. "May," she nearly lost her nerve when the Hokage turned her gaze on her. "May we see him? Kiba-kun?"
The Hokage hesitated for a minute, then led them to the gurney. With gentle hands, she turned down the sheet, revealing Kiba's face. The remains of his team moved up close to the gurney; Shino at Kiba's head, Hinata at his shoulder, hands grasping the railing of the gurney, and Kurenai beside her.
Wetting his lips nervously, Kankuro stepped forward. "I'm, I'm so sorry." His voice nearly failed as the teacher's red eyes fell on him. "Kiba was still alive when I got there. I tried t'stop the bleeding, but…but I was too late." Taking a nervous breath, Kankuro continued. "He gave me a message to pass on, just before he died. He said, 'Tell Hina and Shino I'm sorry.'"
The metal rail snapped with a crack under the tiny Hyuuga's hands. Shino spoke, his voice thick and shaking with repressed emotion. "Kiba, you idiot. Never apologize." His head snapped up sharply, and he turned hastily and bowed to the group. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama." The normally stoic and calm Aburame tore out of the room like his life depended on it.
Hinata reached out slowly, and gently brushed Kiba's hair from his forehead, uncaring of the blood welling from the deep scratches across her palms. "Goodbye, Kiba-kun," she whispered. She turned, bowed once to the Hokage, and then, to Kankuro's complete shock, to him. "Thank you," she said softly. Turning, she touched her teacher's forearm gently. "I'm going to go check on Shino-kun."
With that, Hinata left the room, pale as a ghost, moving with all the grace that had been drilled into her by her family for her entire life.
Shortly after that, the siblings took their leave, and hurried out of the village. It wasn't until they stopped to make camp for the night that either of Kankuro's siblings spoke to him about his earlier actions.
"So," Temari began, "you tried to keep the Inuzuka kid alive?"
"Well, yeah," Kankuro said defensively. "The alliance with Konoha's tenuous enough as it is, and I wasn't gonna to risk it falling apart if he died."
"You wanted to speak to his team," Gaara's soft voice cut in, a slight wonder audible beneath the apparent indifference. "You stayed to pass on his last words."
Kankuro really couldn't explain that one. "It – it just seemed like a thing I had to do."
A slight smile lifted the corners of Temari's and Gaara's mouths, and Kankuro calmed down. They understood what he'd meant, and, most importantly, agreed.
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Shino felt his control slipping as he tore across Konoha, headed to Team 8's usual training ground. He just barely made it in time, and stumbled to his knees as his hive poured from underneath his skin. He knelt, just trying to breathe, in the center of the clearing while his insects swarmed in response to his pain and rage, destroying everything in their path.
He had once told Hinata and Kiba that, if he started losing his temper, they needed to give him space. Emotional control was a must for the Aburame, he had said. The kikai respond to emotions, especially hate and pain, and as the Aburame had been breeding them for generations to be tough and powerful they were incredibly dangerous when they swarmed. The memory filtered through to him, of Hinata listening intently, sitting formally with her hands on her knees while Kiba sprawled next to them, rubbing Akamaru's belly but listening all the same.
As the immediate impact of his teammate's death began to wear off the swarm began to calm, his insects returning in small groups to their rightful place within him. Once only a few dozen bugs were left, moving slowly around the trees, Shino became aware of his remaining teammate approaching him.
Hinata had taken the time while Shino calmed down to dress her hands, and strips of white bandaging wound across her palms. She sat down next to Shino, and said nothing for a few moments, taking in the devastation her teammate had wrought.
Her target pads had been shredded, what remained hanging limply from the ropes that held them on the trees. Swaths of grass were missing, as were a number of branches. The trees closest were missing patches of bark and even chunks of wood. A fine dusting of sawdust covered the ground at the edge of the clearing.
Now that Shino was of sounder mind, Hinata allowed her Hyuuga composure to fall away. "He's gone," she whispered. She didn't even notice the tears falling down her face until Shino's arm slipped across her shoulder, turning her so she could bury her face in his jacket. Hinata held onto the cloth tightly as she let herself cry for the cheerful, loyal boy she would never go on a mission with again.
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Once both of them had calmed down enough to talk, they began to go over the circumstances of their teammate's death. They quickly came to a conclusion: had Uchiha Sasuke not defected, placing himself above the village, then Kiba would still be alive.
"Uchiha Sasuke is a traitor to the village," Shino said softly, voice full of a certain satisfied anger. "He also possesses the Sharingan, a valuable asset of the village. Logically, he cannot be allowed to remain outside of the village. Should he be encountered on a mission, it is probable that he can be killed on sight."
"We'll need to get stronger, though," Hinata murmured. "Uchiha was top of our year at the Academy, and improved dramatically between then and the Chuunin exams. If he has gone to Orochimaru for training, then we can expect him to become more powerful still."
Shino was beginning to get an idea. "There is a way to ensure that we gain that strength and ensure a chance at dealing with Uchiha."
Hinata quickly followed the thought to its logical conclusion. "The hunter-nin?"
"We'll have to speak with Kurenai-sensei, but I cannot foresee any major objections."
"Nor can I," Hinata sounded more confident, now. "We have been trained as trackers and scouts. In future, we might have been a tracking and assassination squad. And our abilities are almost perfect to dispose of a body."
"Then it is decided."
The next day, Kurenai opened the door to her house to find both her remaining students standing outside. "Sensei," Shino began, "May we ask you some questions?"
Thinking that the pair needed reassurance and further information as to the fate of their team, Kurenai quickly invited them inside and got all three of them tea.
"When will Kiba's funeral be?" Hinata asked softly.
Kurenai sighed. "Tomorrow morning. The Inuzuka will be burying Kiba and Akamaru with the rest of their clan. His name is to be added to the memorial stone today."
Shino nodded. "And," he sounded almost hesitant, "what will become of Team 8?"
"We've been given a week's compassionate leave. That's about the time Lee, Naruto, and Shikamaru should need to be cleared for full duty, and Chouji and Neji for light tasks. At the end of that time, Teams 7, 8, and 10 are to meet in the Hokage's office for evaluation, and possible reassignment."
"About that, sensei," Hinata began, exchanging a look with Shino. "We were wondering. How does one become a hunter-nin?"
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Two days after the Retrieval team had returned, Sakura was sitting with Naruto in his hospital room, talking to him. A knock on the door interrupted her retelling of how Ino had smacked Shikamaru for worrying her, and Hinata and Shino entered the room, dressed entirely in black.
"Hey, Shino, Hinata!" Naruto's hailed them loudly. "How've you been doing? What's with the black?"
A horrible feeling began to coil in Sakura's gut. She'd forgotten about Kiba, and apparently no one had told Naruto.
"You haven't heard?" Shino's voice was quiet, but somehow dangerous. Something in his tone made Naruto calm down, suddenly looking wary.
"Heard what?"
"Kiba-kun…died, on the mission." Hinata said softly. "We just came from his funeral."
Naruto's jaw dropped, and he looked pole-axed. "I, I had no idea," he murmured.
"Ino-san, Shikamaru-san, and Tenten-san attended as well," Shino continued, still sounding dangerous. "I believe they are visiting their teammates."
"It's good that we caught you both together," Hinata said quickly, in a move that Sakura recognized as meant to remind Shino that they had a reason for visiting. "We have come to speak to you about the Uchiha."
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, the horrible feeling growing.
"What about the teme?"
"Uchiha Sasuke has betrayed the village and by his actions caused the death of a loyal member of Konoha's forces." Shino's voice was clipped. "Therefore, should we find him, we shall take appropriate steps to rectify his behavior."
"You'll help bring him back?" Naruto's face lit up. "Sweet! You guys are awesome, I knew I-"
"You misunderstand, Naruto-san." Shino's voice became grim. "We do not plan to bring him back, unless he requests it himself."
"Then wha-"
"We plan to kill him."
"No!" the words burst out before Sakura could stop them. "No, you can't, Sasuke-kun didn't mean-"
"Didn't mean what, Haruno-san?" Hinata's voice was as sharp as a razor, and Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the girl in front of her. "Didn't mean to become as much of a traitor as his older brother? Didn't mean to be so careless of the lives of his comrades that he caused the death of the son of the head of the Inuzuka clan?" Hinata's pale eyes bored into Sakura disconcertingly, and the girl was suddenly forced to recognize something. Despite Hinata's shyness, despite her gentle nature and reluctance to cause harm, the younger girl was pure Hyuuga, from her proud posture to disconcerting expression, which stripped Sakura's flesh from her bones and found her lacking.
Hinata shook her head, then continued. "Uchiha is a traitor. There is only one way to deal with traitors." She gave a short, curt bow, then turned. "Good day, Haruno-san, Naruto-san."
Shino got in the last word. "As you were his teammates, you deserve to know. Regardless of your wishes on the matter, should Hinata or I get the chance, we will kill Uchiha Sasuke." Bowing in the same way his teammate had, he followed her out.
Sakura sat, stunned. She had never imagined this could happen. She was pulled from her shock by Naruto's voice.
"Can you believe that, Sakura-chan? They're not really gonna try and kill Sasuke-teme, are they?"
"I-I think they meant it, Naruto."
Sakura's feelings of shock and disbelief were not helped when she later related the conversation to Ino. Ino listened quietly, then took a minute to think about it.
"I think they meant every word of it, Forehead-girl."
"But, but that's just it!" Sakura burst out. "They can't kill Sasuke-kun, they can't! And Hinata's never been like that!"
Ino shook her head slowly as she assembled a vase of flowers. "Take a minute to think, Sakura. Use the brain that's supposedly behind that forehead. Their teammate's dead. You weren't at Kiba's funeral, so you didn't see them, but even though they can be the least expressive people around you could tell they were hurting." She examined a flower, rejected it, and reached for another one. "And as for Hinata, she's been shy and all, yeah, and she's so kind it's almost painful, but she's been taught how to be a Hyuuga her entire life, you know, the attitude, the formal way of addressing people even when putting them down. I think she's just now decided to start using those lessons."
"It's still not a good thing," Sakura insisted. "Whatever they're planning, it's not a good idea. If Sasuke gets killed, what happens to the Uchiha?"
Ino lost her temper. "For the love of-! Sakura, after the funeral, Shika, Chouji, and I talked about it. And if it had been one of the boys who died, I'd feel exactly the same way Hinata and Shino feel now. Chouji almost did die!" She rounded on the pink-haired girl, eyes blazing. "The Uchiha bloodline isn't worth forgiving a traitor."
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Eight days after the Uchiha Retrieval Mission ended in failure, four jounin met in the Hokage's office. All of them looked a little the worse for wear: Hatake Kakashi looked tired, older, while Yuuhi Kurenai obviously hadn't been sleeping well either. Sarutobi Asuma stood solemnly, for once without a cigarette, and even Maito Gai was subdued.
"Right," Tsunade sighed, folding her hands in front of her. "You all know why we're here, so let's get down to business. Uchiha Sasuke has made his intentions pretty clear. As a traitor, I put him in the Bingo Book as a B-class threat."
Kakashi raised a hand to get Tsunade's attention. "Hokage-sama, doesn't that seem a little excessive?"
Tsunade glared at him, not at all amused by the interruption. "His defection resulted in the death of a comrade, Hatake, the law requires me to put him in the Bingo Book. I put him as B-class because he is probably going to be in the constant company of Orochimaru. I can't imagine he'll let his chosen body wander very far, after all the trouble he went through to get the boy."
"Now," she turned to Asuma and Gai. "Both of your teams should be ready for the usual level of activity within the next few days. Gai, try to keep your insane training to a minimum for another week or so, until we have the chance to evaluate Lee and Neji once again and make sure they can take the strain."
"As for teams 7 and 8, Jiraiya has asked leave to take Naruto on a long-term training trip in response to a number of outside threats. He said something about the gaki being his apprentice. They'll likely be gone for a couple of years."
"So Sakura's going to join Hinata and Shino's team?" Asuma asked.
"Actually, no. Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata have decided to pursue a specialized career path. For the moment, they shall operate in a three-man cell with Kurenai, until the specialists in question decide they're worth accepting as apprentices. Haruno Sakura, meanwhile, approached me earlier this week about studying as a medic-nin. The girl's got excellent chakra control, I'm highly tempted to take her on as an apprentice of my own."
"Kakashi, you'll be taking on jounin missions again. The village needs every high-earning mission we can afford to take," Tsunade sighed, and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Come talk to me later if you have any more questions. Dismissed." Once the jounin had filed out, Tsunade reached into one of the drawers of the desk and pulled out a bottle of sake.
The jounin, meanwhile, were making their way out of the tower in a group. "So, Kurenai," Kakashi began, "What are your kids looking to do?"
"Honestly, Hatake-san?" Asuma and Gai flinched. That was new. "It's none of your business." They reached the door, and Kurenai nodded once to the group before peeling off and heading back towards her house, calling a goodnight over her shoulder.
A/N: So…whatcha think? The plot bunny for this hit me at the worst possible time (during breakfast on my last day of classes fall semester, when I really needed to be worrying about the two formal lab reports due that afternoon). I spent my last Art History lecture somehow writing out an outline for this and taking notes simultaneously, then managed to put it on hold until the end of exams.
Review, and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism preferred, all flames will be used to fan my own.
Thanks to my baby sister and beta, Pyrozia for her work.
Next chapter: Laying the Foundation.
