This is a repost of a chapter for my story Two Years On. I'm going to be posting the separate chapters in their own categories, after I do some revision on them. I'm doing this so I can apply a critical eye on my past work before starting a new story.
"Speaking current tense"
"Speaking past tense"
Thinking current tense
This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.
Two Years On - Courage
'Courage gives you the drive, the power, to achieve that which you previously thought impossible.'
Standing just outside the clearing, up against a tree, Hinata thought about what her father had once told her when she was nine. She was being scolded, again, for losing in another practice match with a branch member. She had faltered many times, and on the occasions when an opening presented itself to her, she had failed to act on it. Her father was not pleased, and sought to highlight something vital which he thought she was missing. Courage.
The courage to act, to initiate, in order to achieve. The lecture he gave lasted for 10 minutes. Though she did not meet her father's gaze, and constantly fidgeted and stared at the floor, she heard everything he said and committed it to memory. Courage, as he said, enabled the weakest to triumph over the strongest.
Leaning against the tree, her Byakugan activated, Hinata scanned the surrounding area for the enemy. The clearing her squad decided to camp in was destroyed. The ground was punctuated by craters and scorch marks, the trees littered with kunai and shuriken. In the clearing two of her teammates lay motionless. One, Soaring Monkey, had died at the beginning of the battle, hit with a Katon Jutsu as he leapt up from his seat beside the fire as the enemy ninjas launched their surprise attack. The fire had burnt Monkey badly, killing him with a terrible scream, while engulfing the tents and supplies that had been placed down before dinner.
The other, Midnight Panther, died killing the second enemy ninja, after a vicious sword duel that ended with both succumbing to the various cuts they inflicted upon each other. Panther's body, plus the enemy's, lay five feet from that of Monkey. The ninja that killed Monkey was several feet away from them, battered and bruised, laying still in a crumpled wreck after Hinata had hit him with several Jyuuken strikes.
I've got to find the Captain. Continuing her scan of the immediate area, Hinata saw that nobody else was nearby. Concentrating, she expandedher field of view, hoping that the captain was still close. As the attack began, the captain of her squad,Silent Eagle, had issued orders quickly, drawing away the leader of the enemy, giving the rest of the team space in orderto neutralise the rest of the ninjas.
Hinata was to backup Monkey and Panther, since she was the medic of the squad,while Eagle took down the enemy captain. That plan died with Monkey, leaving Hinata and Panther to take out thethree left. That didn't last long, with the third ninja leaving to go after his captain, assuming that the othertwo of his squad would be enough to take down, in his words, a couple of 'Leaf ninjas'.
Now with the enemy ninjas taken care of at the expense of her teammates, Hinata knew she had to get to her captain quickly, because even though he was skilled, taking on two enemy ninjas of that level would not be an easy task alone.
Where are you Captain? Even though Hinata had been considered weak for most of her life, she was not one given to panic, but now, alone in the field, with half her team dead, and her captain facing terrible odds, she could feel doubt start to eat away at her.
I've got to find him before things get any worse. Continuing her search, she located Eagle several hundred metres northwest of her current position.
It looks like he took out that third ninja. The third ninja, who had so easily dismissed her and her team, was now hanging, suspended by wires that were used to trap him in place, while a plethora of kunai pierced the front of his body.
Good, now I've just got to get to him. Quickly returning her vision to the surrounding area, Hinata took a glance around the immediate vicinity to make sure she was safe. Confirming that no-one else was nearby, she made ready to jump into the trees when a sharp pain lanced up her side. Looking down, she saw a kunai piercing her right thigh.
Damn it! This is going to hurt. Grabbing the handle of the kunai, Hinata took a few quick breaths, readying herself. Then, with one quick motion, she ripped the kunai out of her thigh, gritting down with her teeth to muffle the cry of pain she felt trying to escape her lips. Tossing it aside, she healed the wound with a jutsu, then leaped into the trees.
Even with all the training I've gone through as a medic-nin, I don't think I'll ever get use to the pain. Speeding towards her captain's location, Hinata made a quick check of her person, just in case there were any other injuries she missed. Seeing just some scrapes and bruises, she continued.
I'm running low on chakra. Fighting those ninja's, plus keeping the Byakugan activated, coupled with the healing I've done, has left me with very little chakra if I have to help the Captain and heal wounds. Please Captain, hold on a little longer.
Speeding through the treetops, Hinata kept her focus on her captain. He was fighting hard, matching the enemy ninja blow for blow. Both were bleeding from multiple cuts, Eagle using a kunai in each hand, the enemy using a slightly elongated broadsword. Circling each other, Eagle waited for his enemy to move. With the range and power the broadsword offered, he was having a hard time finding an opening. He knew though, that while the weapon gave an advantage, any fight that went for too long would soon tire out his opponent, giving him just the opportunity he needed to finish the fight.
Not disappointing his intended victim, the enemy ninja charged Eagle, bringing his broadsword up above his head. Getting within range, he swung down, hoping that his speed and power would crush his enemy. Swiftly moving around the strike, Eagle then ducked under a reverse cut, the broadsword slicing through the ends of his hair.
Now within striking range after avoiding the attacks, Eagle cut across with his right hand, using his momentum to put himself in a spin, bringing his left hand around to stab the enemies chest. Finishing his spin, he left the kunai from his right hand imbedded in the enemy captains temple, his eyes receding into his head as his body and sword fell to the forest floor.
"Captain, are you alright?" Arriving just as Eagle finished the ninja, Hinata was glad to see her that Eagle was okay.
"Just some scratches, Rabbit."
"It doesn't look like just some scratches to me." Moving around to face Eagle, Hinata began healing the larger of the cuts left by the broadsword.
"I can't sense the others." Looking down at Rabbit as she healed him, he saw her tense at his words.
"They're dead, aren't they?"
"Yes."
Noting the body language of his teammate, Eagle grabbed Rabbit's hands before she started on his next wound.
"Captain what are you..."
"Stop."
"But I need to heal your..."
"I said stop!"
Jumping at his words, Hinata took a step back. Releasing her hands, she put another step of space between them. Seeing her reaction, Eagle sighed to himself. "Look, I'm sorry." Exhausted, he rubbed his temple. "You can't heal all my wounds. You're going to need that chakra in order to make it back safely to the village once we've cleaned up the mess here."
"I'm sorry Captain, I am..."
"Don't even say it. What you did took courage. Not many rookies on their first mission in Anbu respond as well as you did. You did great. It's just unfortunate that things turned out this way. Now come on, we better head back to the campsite." Leaping into the trees, Eagle waited for Hinata to follow, then with her on his tail, they made their way through the treetops back to camp.
Arriving back at camp, they both started salvaging any supplies, as well as gathering the bodies of Monkey and Panther to take back to Konoha. Watching Eagle use a Katon jutsu to burn the bodies of the enemy ninja, Hinata thought back on what Eagle just said to her.
"Ah, Capatin? Did you really mean what you said before. That what I did took courage?"
"Yep. Like I said, not many rookies react the way you did. You did well on your first mission Rabbit." Looking at the wrapped bodies of Monkey and Panther, Eagle continued. "While the mission was a success, it's a pity we were ambushed like that. Both Monkey and Panther will be missed. But that's the price that's paid for protecting that which is important to you. Now, since every things cleaned up, let's get back to Konoha.
Speeding through the trees behind Eagle, Hinata though back on what he said.
Eagle said that what I did took courage. But what did I do? Both Monkey and Panther died protecting that which was most important to them. I simply acted to protect my teammates from harm. Maybe that's what he means? Courage isn't some indescribable thing. It's the ability to stand up and act on what is right. Then, my father was right.
Courage enables the weakest to attack the strongest.
Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.